Chapter 2502: The Cat's Team
Realizing that he was deliberately slowing down, Bubble Bean's expression grew slightly anxious, because two enforcement squads were heading their way from nearby.
"Let's go." Xu Huo put away the recorder and led them in another direction.
The three groups played a game of hide-and-seek through the area, though of course the Fengxing City enforcement team could easily block them.
When they met face-to-face, one of the squad leaders came up to greet them, even calling out the name of the person Bubble Bean was disguised as.
Bubble Bean's expression didn't change. When the other party tried to strike up a conversation with feigned friendliness, he coldly said, "I'm here on business this trip. I don't have time for idle chatter."
Seeing his rudeness, the other man dropped his smile. "You come into Fengxing City to handle matters and don't even bother to notify us? Coming and going as you please—aren't you taking us a bit too lightly?"
Bubble Bean let out a cold laugh. "Wait until the investigation proves that Fengxing City has nothing to do with it, then you can come and demand an explanation."
Fengxing City clearly knew about the burned medicinal fields, but they weren't fully aware of what happened with the enforcement team last night. Since the first-hand information had been sealed off by those involved, seeing how furious they were, it was obvious they had suffered a major loss.
The Fengxing City enforcement team members watched with a bystander's attitude. "We're all one family. If you need help, just say the word. Don't be shy!"
Bubble Bean snorted, shoved past the man in front of him, and walked away.
Xu Huo followed behind. As he passed a few enforcement team members, he suddenly said, "By the way, while we were investigating, someone mentioned seeing one of the suspects—a person from Fengxing City, apparently a well-known player. We can't just grab them outright. Could you all lend a hand?"
The tourist line gambling operation involved a considerable number of players, and they certainly didn't represent just one or two factions. Whether or not the person was actually from Fengxing City didn't matter—as long as they had appeared there.
Xu Huo handed them a photo. "We're all one family. Please look into this person."
That should keep them busy and give them something to do.
The group took the photo, exchanged glances among themselves, and briefly said, "We'll figure something out," before leaving.
Once they were gone, Xu Huo and the others continued their investigation in the area. In truth, it was more like loitering—they wandered aimlessly in certain spots.
The surface areas had been mostly checked. Deeper underground pipes and such couldn't be fully seen. If that cat was really as smart and capable as described, hopefully it could recognize Old Lady Gui's scent and come to them on its own.
"We've been here too long," Bubble Bean said. "It'll raise suspicion... You're not really counting on an... animal, are you?"
Xu Huo took a drink of water, expressionless.
The difficulty of this matter lay in how low Old Lady Gui was on the information chain.
She and her deceased grandson had likely only interacted with people of limited authority and low rank. Otherwise, they wouldn't have used carving on cat whisker fruits as a way to pass information. Judging by the number and attitude of the pursuers, this information wasn't a matter of life and death. The person at the bottom who received the message was gone, and the information became a kite with a broken string...
This meant that not many people knew about it. Even if they traced the connections of the bookstore owner and the restaurant manager, the people they found—even if they were on the same side—might not know about the old lady's grandson or the information transfer. How could the message be passed on?
The Painting Woman suddenly tapped Xu Huo's shoulder and pointed toward a side alley.
Xu Huo looked over and faintly heard a sound coming from under a lamppost. He extended his spiritual realm to check and saw several cats crawling out from the deep underground pipes.
Even if it wasn't the one the old lady had mentioned, he still walked toward the alley.
Just as he reached the lamppost, several cats jumped out one by one from a hole beneath it. One of them circled around Xu Huo and the others, then approached the old lady, sniffed her, and bit her pant leg, tugging it forward before slowly walking ahead.
"Does that mean 'follow'?" Bubble Bean wasn't sure.
The cats formed a line and walked, occasionally looking back to see if they were keeping up. After passing through several narrow streets, they arrived at a nearby wetland park.
This park was built like a large garden. Cobblestone paths separated scenic spots, with tall apricot trees and various greenery faintly visible through thin mist, gradually distancing them from the city's noise.
There were many cats in the park. As they followed the cats inside, one would occasionally dart out from a tree or bush, stretching its neck to watch them pass.
Sensing the sheer number, Bubble Bean couldn't help but say, "When any animal reaches a certain number, it gets a bit creepy."
Even if these weren't mutated cats, having dozens of them gathered together would be unsettling enough.
These cats had territorial awareness and a hierarchy. Clearly, the cats greeting them along the way weren't the bosses of this area.
When they reached a giant apricot tree, the cats in front stopped and began sharpening their claws on the trunk.
A dozen cat heads suddenly poked out from the tree, several of which had markings very close to what the old lady had described.
"Which one?" Xu Huo asked.
The old lady was old, and quite some time had passed. She could only remember the general appearance, and now the cats' sizes didn't even match. She really couldn't point out which one it was.
Fortunately, the cats were considerate of the old lady. One of them jumped down, came to her feet, rolled onto its side, and flipped over to reveal its furry belly.
The old lady's eyesight was decent, and she immediately spotted something hidden in the cat's fur. She crouched down, parted the fur, and saw a small dyed pattern.
Tears welled up in the elderly woman's eyes. "It's you, it's you!"
She wanted to touch the pattern again, but the cat flipped over, stood up, and walked over to sit in front of her, staring straight at her.
"I understand, I understand..." The old lady trembled as she rummaged through her backpack, precisely grabbed the cat whisker fruit carrying the secret information, threaded a string through it, and securely tied it around the cat's neck.
"Meow! Meow!" Several more cats came to line up, all resembling the first one. The old lady didn't delay, hanging a cat whisker fruit around each of their necks. After finishing, she patted the middle cat's head and said, "I'm entrusting this to you. Make sure you deliver it."
The cat stood up again, and in the next second, it and the dozens of nearby cats scattered in all directions, quickly disappearing into the grass and trees.
"That's it?" Bubble Bean waited. "No clearance notification."
"Follow them and see." Xu Huo stuffed the old lady into a container item, and the next moment, he vanished from his spot.