Chapter 52: Alarm

No matter what Little Chub and Katerina thought, Chang Yu simply couldn't believe that the adorable little creature before him, so indistinguishable from an ordinary housecat, could be the culprit behind three murders.

Little Chub turned around, brimming with confidence as he spoke to Chang Yu: "When it comes to computers, I'm an undisputed expert. No one can question my talent in this field."

"Unless the information you provided me is incorrect, it is absolutely certain that this is the murderer responsible for all three deaths. There's simply no doubt."

As he said this, Little Chub radiated an aura called confidence—pride unique to a true victor.

Could he be right? For a moment, Chang Yu was torn between belief and doubt.

He'd witnessed Little Chub's mastery over computer equipment just moments ago—an ability more formidable than anything he'd ever seen.

"Zhen Youcai doesn't make mistakes," Katerina spoke up as well. "He's never once erred in anything computer-related."

"As one of the world's top three hackers, he's a legendary figure in the underground world. There are people lining up from Songjiang all the way to the Pentagon in America who want to catch him."

"Are you telling me this guy is a hacker? And one of the top three in the world?" For a fleeting instant, Chang Yu felt utterly lost.

It was impossible to connect this harmless-looking, chubby recluse before him with the notorious hackers who dominated the internet.

The image of him frantically licking his computer screen under his quilt came to mind, making it even harder to reconcile the two. The contrast was simply too great.

"How else do you think we got all this surveillance footage?" Little Chub boasted, his whole demeanor exuding the smugness of someone who had just scored a major triumph.

"If I hadn't hacked into H City's surveillance system, how would you have found so much footage?"

"You really think just anyone can access this? Keep dreaming!"

"In fact, Zhen Youcai, like us, is gifted with special abilities," Katerina explained, defending her brother. "But his abilities are all concentrated in his mind."

"His neural network is exceptionally developed—several times more than that of ordinary people. His thoughts move at an incredible speed, precise and swift like a computer's processor."

"He can solve in moments the math problems that would take us an entire day. World-class logic puzzles are child's play for him."

"He showed astonishing learning speed from a young age. No matter the language, he only needs half a month to master it. It's not an exaggeration to call him a prodigy."

"His gifts don't lend themselves to the frontlines; rather, he's best behind the scenes. That monstrous speed of thought has made him a master hacker recognized worldwide."

"He's thwarted foreign hackers attacking our national internet more than once, and has even infiltrated the Pentagon's private networks multiple times."

"In the field of intelligence, he has repeatedly prevented military secrets from being stolen and has helped us acquire those of our adversaries."

"Even our highest leaders have heard of him and have praised him, saying that one Zhen Youcai is worth an entire army."

"That's seriously impressive," Feng Sanpao muttered under his breath.

"No wonder exceptional people have their quirks," Chang Yu added, just in time to express his admiration for Little Chub.

After hearing of Little Chub's feats, Chang Yu could no longer begrudge him his eccentricities—he seemed to possess a kind of carefree detachment from worldly concerns.

Immersed in his own world, oblivious to others' opinions, doing only what he liked—wasn't that Zhen Youcai's realm?

"Since we've identified the culprit, our next move is to monitor its movements over the next three days," Katerina issued her orders with gravity.

"We can't wait until it kills again before stepping in. We must eliminate it before it harms anyone else."

"Zhen Youcai, your task is to locate the orange tabby as quickly as possible and report its location to us."

"That might take some time," Little Chub sighed. "Even I can't do that instantly."

"The shantytown is huge. Not every area is covered by surveillance, and much of the equipment is so old it's barely functional."

"There are always blind spots, and if the cat stays out of camera range, even I won't be able to find it."

...

"I still don't get it—how did we end up cleaning someone else's house for no reason?"

Under the moonlight, Feng Sanpao struggled across the apartment courtyard, lugging bags of trash. His arms were raised straight and high—anyone watching might think he was doing calisthenics.

Only Chang Yu knew the truth: he held his arms that way to keep the garbage bags from brushing against his clothes.

The bags were slick with grease; once it got on you, it was nearly impossible to wash out.

How does a duck cross a bridge?

Watching Feng Sanpao's comical movements, Chang Yu couldn't help picturing a duck crossing a narrow bridge—a classic scene.

First, because the bridge was narrow, the duck had to walk in a straight line or risk falling into the water. Second, to maintain balance, the duck would stretch its wings straight out and flap them from time to time.

Feng Sanpao's arms swung just like the duck's wings, and his legs walked a straight line—a spitting image of a duck crossing a bridge. It was truly a funny sight.

But Chang Yu couldn't bring himself to laugh, as he himself looked no better.

To keep their clothes clean, they had been maintaining this awkward posture for quite a while.

"This isn't your fault—it's mine," Chang Yu admitted. "I volunteered to help Zhen Youcai clean up."

"Didn't you hear what Katerina said? We have to stay at Little Chub's place until we find that orange tabby—then we can leave."

"Think about it: we're going to be here for a while, so shouldn't we tidy up a bit? I can't stand living in such filth and disorder."

Not long ago, Katerina had announced the first official command since their group was formed: until the deadly orange tabby was found, they had to remain on standby at Little Chub's house.

This was so they could receive updates on the cat immediately and rush to its location as quickly as possible.

Feng Sanpao looked puzzled. "Wait, aren't you just trying to win over Sakura-chan by helping Zhen Youcai clean?"

Chang Yu's smile froze, a guilty look flashing across his face.

"Shh, don't talk nonsense!" He quickly kicked Feng Sanpao to cover his embarrassment.

"I'm just thinking about our quality of life. If we leave all that trash around, the place will reek. How are we supposed to work in that kind of environment—or fulfill our mission for our country and people?"

"Fine, whatever you say," Feng Sanpao grumbled, tossing the trash into the bin and stretching his sore arms.

This was their fourth trip—hauling all the garbage from Little Chub's apartment had them climbing up and down four flights of stairs.

Fortunately, this was the last load.

Back inside, Chang Yu saw Katerina mopping the floor, wearing silicone cleaning gloves. She was meticulous, scrubbing each spot several times.

Whether at work or at home, Katerina was always serious and diligent.

"You're back? Thank you for your hard work!" Katerina straightened and smiled at Chang Yu and Feng Sanpao by the door.

Perhaps from exhaustion, her fair forehead glistened with sweat and a few strands of hair clung to it.

In that moment, she no longer seemed the stern, rigid Katerina Chang Yu was used to, but rather a big sister busily tidying up the house.

She exuded a warm, domestic air—almost like the ideal wife and mother.

Seeing the sweat on her brow, Chang Yu remembered her telling him that her special gifts weren't physical.

In terms of strength, she was no different from any average girl her age.

"Oh, look at you, you're worn out!" Chang Yu suddenly felt a pang of pity—a chivalrous urge welling up inside him.

He strode forward, snatched the mop from her hands, and said, "Leave this grunt work to us men. You, with your delicate constitution, should rest!"

Ignoring her protests, Chang Yu all but pushed Katerina back into the other room.

Katerina: ???

Even as she was ushered into the room, she wore a look of utter bewilderment.

"What a simp!" Feng Sanpao muttered, casting a quick side-eye at Chang Yu.

By the time the moon had climbed high, Chang Yu and Feng Sanpao had transformed the apartment. Now, the group was gathered around the coffee table, playing cards.

"Pair of threes!" Chang Yu, sitting cross-legged on the floor, slapped his cards down with gusto.

"Pair of fives!" Feng Sanpao, across from him, followed suit, thumping his cards onto the table as if he bore it ill will.

"Jokers—boom! I win!" Little Chub burst out laughing, elated as though he'd conquered the world with a single victory.

"Come on, both of you, scoot over," he urged, fishing out a piece of white paper from beneath himself.

Under Chang Yu and Feng Sanpao's reluctant gaze, Little Chub tore the sheet into long strips.

"Come on, play fair—winners win, losers lose! Ptooey, ptooey!" He spat on the strips before slapping them onto their foreheads with lightning speed.

By now, their foreheads were plastered with a dense array of paper strips that fluttered with every movement.

It was infuriating. Both Chang Yu and Feng Sanpao were beginning to regret playing cards with Little Chub.

No matter how they teamed up or how hard they tried, neither could win a single hand against him.

With a mind ten times faster and intelligence off the charts, playing cards with Little Chub was like playing against someone with cheat codes.

No wonder Katerina had flatly refused to join when she heard he wanted to play.

At that moment, Katerina sat beside them, weighing out unfamiliar herbs with a small scale, methodically measuring each one.

Once all the herbs were weighed, she added them to a health pot and filled it with water.

Seeing this, Chang Yu immediately understood—she was making another of her health concoctions.

This was Katerina through and through—a woman who never stopped thinking about wellness.

Through the gaps between the paper strips on his forehead, Chang Yu couldn't help glancing at her from time to time.

Watching her elegant profile and graceful movements, he was struck by a sense of delight.

What a beautiful woman.

If only she could stay by his side every day.

The very thought filled him with happiness.

But just then, a shrill alarm suddenly blared through the apartment, startling Feng Sanpao so badly he jumped.

"What happened? What happened?" he shouted, panic-stricken. "Are American missiles incoming? I swear I just heard the air raid siren!"