"Who?" Shao Zifeng lowered his voice and shouted softly.
The rustling sound stopped instantly, and the surroundings fell into silence again. Shao Zifeng could even hear his own heartbeat.
He held the Tang sword horizontally in front of his chest and shone the light from his phone towards the hole in the wall.
"Whoosh~"
Before he could see clearly, a shadow brushed past Shao Zifeng's arm and darted away.
"Yip yip awo~" Qiuqiu shuddered in fear, instinctively curling up into a ball. Annoyed, it let out a cry, its eyes glimmering with sparks as it chased the fleeing shadow.
The small park was densely wooded with thick shrubs. Shao Zifeng had only taken a few steps before he had to stop helplessly.
He returned to the hole and shone his phone at the spot where the shadow had been.
"Meow~"
Not far from the hole lay a blood-stained white cat, its body rising and falling slightly, showing it was still alive. The white cat noticed someone approaching and with difficulty, raised its head. Its dim eyes looked at Shao Zifeng, letting out a weak meow, revealing a hint of plea.
...
In the small forest, Qiuqiu chased the shadow rapidly, feeling very irritated.
How could it be scared by something unknown in front of Shao Zifeng?
The mighty Qiuqiu, who had faced bigger monsters without retreating, was scared! Unforgivable!!
The more it thought about it, the angrier it got. It just wanted to pin down that shadow with its paws and rub it hard.
But due to racial limitations, its body structure wasn't suited for long-distance chasing. Seeing the gap widening, Qiuqiu felt the burning anger and pride from deep within its heart for the first time.
"Yip yip awo!!"
As a dragon kin, its inherent pride had been suppressed by its natural timidness. In a moment of crisis, it had a rare emotional resonance with Shao Zifeng, successfully activating the Dragon Blood within it. Although naturally timid, it wasn't something any random creature could trample upon!
Qiuqiu only felt its body temperature rising, its fierce eyes burning brighter, leaving two long red trails. Flames flickered from the edges of its scales, making its whole body seem like it was on fire, leaving red paw prints wherever it stepped on the grass.
"Yip yip awo!!!"
Qiuqiu roared angrily, feeling the rage inside it with no outlet. Combining with the residual energy potion in its body, it fully ignited!
In the next second, the surging energy within it reached a critical point. A pair of dragon wings composed of flames condensed on its back and suddenly spread open. Controlled by anger, Qiuqiu pushed off the ground with its hind legs and soared into the sky like a meteor, attacking the shadow fiercely with trailing flames.
"Dare to belittle Lord Qiuqiu! Die, bastard!"
...
"Boom"
The violent explosion made Shao Zifeng's heart skip a beat. The sudden surge of anger almost made him want to squeeze the cat in his arms to death. Fortunately, the anger subsided as fast as it had arisen.
"Qiuqiu!"
Shao Zifeng didn't care if he would alert the security guards and ran towards the explosion with the white cat in his arms.
...
The Abnormal Administration Bureau of Su City.
Several night shift agents were eating the just-delivered midnight snacks.
"Brother Wang, this preserved meat is good, have a..." Xiao Li's face turned pale instantly, and the meat between his chopsticks fell into the lunch box, splashing some soup.
"Xiao Li, are you okay?" Brother Wang asked, looking concerned.
"Ring ring ring..."
The alarm lights in the room flashed red, emitting a piercing siren.
"Stop eating, there's been an explosion at 'Ancient Chang'an Residence'." The squad leader quickly put down his chopsticks, stood up, and straightened his uniform, putting on his hat.
The other agents had already straightened their attire when the alarm went off, waiting for the squad leader's orders.
"Captain Feng, I'm feeling a bit unwell, so I won't be going." Xiao Li forced out a weak smile.
The squad leader hesitated for a moment, then led the team out quickly on the mission.
Xiao Li staggered to the door of the duty room, looking in the direction of 'Ancient Chang'an Residence', a shadow passing in his eyes.
One of his contracted pets had died.
...
Shao Zifeng arrived at the explosion site, where Qiuqiu was lying innocently at the bottom of the crater. Shao Zifeng quickly put down the half-dead white cat and hugged Qiuqiu tightly.
"Don't do this again, okay?" Shao Zifeng said softly, slightly reprimanding as he rubbed Qiuqiu in his arms.
He had intended to scold Qiuqiu loudly, but when he saw Qiuqiu lying there safely and looking at him innocently, he felt his heart soften.
"Yip yip~" Sensing Shao Zifeng's change in emotion and worry, Qiuqiu whimpered softly, its tiny paws tightly holding his neck... although it could only grab one-third.
Relieved, Shao Zifeng began to take in his surroundings.
One look made him gasp, "Hiss, this Qiu is as terrifying as..."
Spitting, "No, wait!"
"It should be, hiss, my son Qiuqiu has the majesty of an emperor..."
Spitting again, "No, no, still not right!!"
The scene before him was indeed shocking. He stood with Qiuqiu at the center of the explosion crater. Trees within three meters had been cut off, and soil flung everywhere, with flames still burning on many trees, lighting up the surroundings intermittently.
"Quick! Over there! The explosion happened over there!"
Through the woods ahead, flashlight beams flickered, accompanied by chaotic footsteps. A man with a burly voice was shouting as they approached.
Seeing the approaching lights, Shao Zifeng picked up the white cat, held Qiuqiu, and started running.
During the escape, the sword handle in Shao Zifeng's arms occasionally swayed in front of Qiuqiu. Qiuqiu tried to ignore it but couldn't help but steal a glance now and then.
Moments later, it gave in, extending its small paws to tightly hold the handle, showing a blissful expression.
"Yip~"
...
At the Abnormal Administration Bureau, the conference room's big screen was playing several surveillance clips, one of which froze on a hooded man.
The night shift agents were reporting to Captain Chen Zhenglong.
"That's the general situation. We believe the hooded man is a major suspect, not only in the pet disappearances but also in the explosion case, Captain Chen." One of the clerks with glasses closed the file folder in his hand.
Chen Zhenglong recognized the guy immediately. Although displeased, he couldn't summon him for questioning, so he rubbed his beard in frustration before standing up: "Focus on investigating the pet disappearance cases thoroughly. As for the guy in the surveillance, I'll keep an eye on him myself. Meeting adjourned."
"Yes, Captain Chen."
After Chen Zhenglong and the Abnormal Administration Bureau agents left, only Xiao Li remained in the conference room.
The light shone on half of his face, making it appear somewhat eerie.
He stared intensely at the figure in the surveillance footage, his eyes almost blazing, the corners of his mouth curling into a cruel smile.
"Shao! Zi! Feng!"