Ruan Xingyao put a backpack on Baiyi and led it out of the neighborhood.
The place she lived now might not compare to the Beast Taming Sect, nor to the villa district the Ruan family used to live in, but the scenery was still nice.
Walking along the riverside, there was a cobblestone path lined with swaying willows.
Especially since the weather wasn’t too hot yet, the evening breeze was gentle, the moonlight spilling across the path, making it quiet and pleasant.
Come to think of it, this was the first truly relaxing moment Ruan Xingyao had enjoyed since arriving in this world a few days ago.
Baiyi was like a little firecracker, sniffing here and there, returning to the happy little dog it used to be.
However, when it ran to the entrance of a fried chicken shop, it suddenly stopped quietly.
“What’s wrong? Don’t tell me you also want fried chicken?” Ruan Xingyao crouched down, stroked Baiyi’s head, and asked gently.
But before Baiyi could answer, Ruan Xingyao already heard a series of squeaking sounds.
It was a group of little mice.
[We’ve struck gold! Thank you, Mother Nature, for this gift! So much meat to eat!]
[Smells amazing! So good! Better than the stuff we found before!]
[Are you sure you can eat this? She’s even fed us lots of delicious food before. Now we’re just going to eat her—do you really think that’s okay?]
[She’s already dead, no one’s going to avenge her. Why not let us have a feast?]
[You guys… you’re just too cruel!]
Listening to the mice chattering away, Ruan Xingyao instantly felt her head swell.
How had she ended up becoming a walking detector for collecting fragments of people?!
She patted Baiyi’s anxious big head, resignedly pulled out her phone, and dialed Xie Lin’s number.
The call was quickly picked up.
Xie Lin’s tired voice came from the receiver.
“Expert Ruan, this late at night—don’t tell me you’ve found something again?”
Ruan Xingyao’s ears turned red from embarrassment at being teased with “Expert Ruan.”
She immediately straightened her tone and said, “Captain Xie, if you’re short on time or energy, you can always have someone else contact me.”
Xie Lin responded almost instantly,
“How could I! Where are you? I’ll bring people over right now.”
Ruan Xingyao gave him the address.
After hanging up, she directly pried open the manhole cover to the sewer.
Below, the little mice that had been transporting their “delicacies” were startled by the sudden beam of light shining down, and truly seemed ready to perform a head-clutching scramble.
Ruan Xingyao reacted quickly, catching a slow-legged mouse.
She grabbed its tiny tail and dangled it up in the air.
“Jiji jiji jiji jiji!”
[Don’t kill me, don’t kill me, don’t kill me! Wuwuwu! Mom, save your baby mouse!]
Ruan Xingyao realized this was the same little mouse that had asked the others if they really had to eat her.
Such a kind little mouse was, of course…
…perfect to scare half to death!
She flicked its tiny head with her finger and said, “If you want me to spare you, you’d better tell me everything you know. Otherwise, I’ll finish you off right now.”
“Jiji jiji jiji!”
[I’ll talk! Just don’t kill me!]
Ruan Xingyao chuckled—could this mouse really be scared out of its wits by her?
She gave its tail another shake and said, “I’ll put you down, but you can’t run. If you do, I’ll kill your whole family.”
The mouse, easily fooled, immediately agreed.
“Good boy!”
She placed the little mouse on the ground.
It really did try to shuffle its tiny legs to escape, but when Ruan Xingyao gave it a glare, it froze and stayed put.
“Alright, I won’t tease you anymore. Tell me—whose meat are you eating?”
The mouse trembled, sneaking a glance at Ruan Xingyao before squeaking, “Jiji.”
[The lady boss.]
“You mean… the fried chicken shop’s owner?” Ruan Xingyao asked.
“Jiji jiji jiji jiji! Jiji jiji jiji jiji!”
[Yes! Yes, the fried chicken shop’s owner! Wuwuwu! Human, can you help her? She’s really a good person.]
Just as Ruan Xingyao was about to say something, she heard whispering from nearby.
“What’s going on? Could she be crazy? Sitting on the ground at night talking to a mouse?”
“That’s terrifying! What’s the number for the mental hospital again? Should we call and ask?”
“Eh, forget it! What if it’s some contagious madness? Let’s just get out of here!”
Ruan Xingyao looked up at the people around her who were quickly walking away and had no choice but to stop questioning the little mouse.
Otherwise, before Xie Lin arrived, she herself might be the one getting locked up.
Fortunately, it only took a little over twenty minutes before Xie Lin arrived.
He was driving a private car and didn’t wear a police uniform when he got out.
Ruan Xingyao smiled, stood up from the ground, dusted herself off, holding the little mouse in one hand and leading Baiyi with the other, and walked toward Xie Lin.
Accompanying Xie Lin was a new face, whom Xie Lin introduced, “This is Zhou Zelu; he’s the main person in charge of this case.”
Ruan Xingyao nodded at Zhou Zelu, then turned back to Xie Lin, saying, “Let’s get in the car first.”
She even shook the little mouse in her hand and said, “Captain Xie, I’ve already been treated like a lunatic for twenty minutes.”
Zhou Zelu was startled by Ruan Xingyao’s sudden movement.
Especially after seeing what she was holding, he was left dumbfounded.
He had heard of Ruan Xingyao’s abilities while on a business trip out of town, but only now did he gain a new understanding of her skills.
Zhou Zelu couldn’t help asking, “Expert Ruan, are you saying this little mouse is the one providing the clues?”
Ruan Xingyao nodded and said, “You could put it that way.”
Xie Lin said, “Let’s get in the car first and talk.”
The three of them, along with the dog and mouse, got into the car.
Ruan Xingyao then relayed all the information she had gathered from the little mouse to Xie Lin and Zhou Zelu.
“From the information the little mouse provided, it’s confirmed that the deceased is indeed the lady boss of this fried chicken shop. However, I haven’t yet asked if this location is the site of the first incident.”
“Can we ask now?” Zhou Zelu asked.
Ruan Xingyao nodded.
[I don’t know if this is exactly where the lady boss died. I just know that the shop hadn’t opened for the past couple of days. Last night, the boss brought several big black bags and dumped her here.]
After Ruan Xingyao finished relaying the message, Zhou Zelu asked in disbelief, “Expert Ruan, I’m not questioning your abilities, but I really want to know—how does it know that this meat is the lady boss’s?”
Ruan Xingyao then asked the little mouse.
“Jiji jiji, jiji jiji.”
[Because the meat smells exactly like the lady boss, all fragrant and delicious.]
Zhou Zelu looked skeptically at Xie Lin, his eyes full of doubt: could they really trust an animal like this?
Xie Lin made the decision, “Regardless, let’s file a case and start an investigation.”
— The end of the Chapter–
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