The Record of Unusual Creature

When he was at home, Hao Ren had a habit of going out for a stroll. After breakfast, he would take the cat and mooch around town for an hour. Occasionally, he would meet his acquaintances and have a casual chat. For him, this was a blissful life. Although Lily occasionally teased that he was like a retired veteran, Hao Ren could care less because this was the life he enjoyed.

However, ever since Rollie transformed into a human, this daily affair had become less easy. When he took her out for a walk previously, he did not have to worry about the silly cat. He could just let her run loose, and as soon as she had played enough, she would come back up. But now, things were different: in the short distance between his house and Whitestone Road, Hao Ren had dragged the cat girl up from the ground three times in a row, and he even had to pull her head out of a trash bin once…

Hao Ren had been feeling pretty exhausted lately. He adjusted the wide-brim hat on the cat’s head (used to conceal her ears) and said, “When will you learn to live the human lifestyle?”

“I’ve learned it, so you should give me small dried fish. I didn’t get to eat at home!”

Y’zaks was walking in front with his daughter on his shoulder. He heard and smiled. “Didn’t you say you wanted to let Rollie go to Aerym in the future? Why are you still bringing her along?”

“Only if she can stay put at home first.” Hao Ren sighed helplessly. “She’ll follow whoever’s going out. If she doesn’t get her way, she’ll scratch the door, or gnaw at the curtains. So instead of letting her go out with Lily and getting herself into trouble, I’ll take care of her personally.”

The cat girl tilted her head, listening. She had actually been showing a little more understanding in recent days. At the very least, she already knew that her demeanor was causing trouble for her master. So, she tried to observe, albeit with the intelligence of a cat. She squatted next to Hao Ren and began to rub his leg. “Big Boss Cat, you’re happy, right? You guys are really troublesome…”

Hao Ren was speechless.

Mooching about near the south of Whitestone Road, there were more people coming out for their morning walk. That aside, the population of the Southern Suburbs had been declining. Whitestone Road and the back-alley business street were the only places with more crowds. Everyone sort of knew one another in this little town, so it was not a surprise that Hao Ren would bump into someone he knew. “Hao Ren, I heard that you were on a business trip two days ago?”

And there were also those who were braver, or just had a somewhat stronger taste. They would be the ones to greet Y’zaks. “Daquan, just got out of the slammer again?”

Basically, those in the second category were local old ladies.

Of course, they were just joking. Although Y’zaks had caused a lot of trouble in the Southern Suburbs when he first arrived, a year later he had become rather well-known by the locals on Whitestone Road. The elderlies in the neighborhood all knew the big guy with a vicious face but good nature. They had let down their guard after several cautious encounters with him. Y’zaks had been helpful to the neighbors by carrying their cooking gas cylinders, moving a truck-load of bricks, repairing their houses and things like that. He had successfully integrated into the social circle in the Southern Suburbs; considering his notorious face, it was an epic achievement for him.

Naturally, occasional misunderstandings were still inevitable. There were still people who would call the police when they saw a big guy like Y’zaks for the first time, but one could not blame them. When Hao Ren first brought Y’zaks out, calls to the police station spiked by at least 50 %, so after several misunderstandings like that, the first thing the old ladies on Whitestone Road uttered when they saw Y’zaks was always, “Just got out of the slammer again?”

Sitting on Y’zaks’ shoulders, Y’lisabet giggled. “My dad is so awe-inspiring wherever he goes!”

Y’zaks laughed and could not help but turn to look at Hao Ren. “Looks do matter, eh?”

At this time, the four of them arrived in front of the grocery store at the intersection. Hao Ren looked up and saw the chubby boss sweeping away the water on the road as the road was flooded and its drainage holes were submerged in water. Hao Ren greeted him from a distance. “Hi Boss, washed your car?”

“No, it’s the water pipe. It burst again!” Sweat ran down the chubby boss’ forehead as he waved at Hao Ren. “This has happened three times in two days. Something’s wrong with the pumping station. Sometimes there’s no water, sometimes the pressure becomes so high that it just overwhelms the valve.”

A diner who was having breakfast in a nearby stall looked up and said, “At least the pipes around here still flow. My house has gone without water for two days. The strange thing is, my neighbors are still getting water. So, I have no choice but to eat out.”

“Could it be that the water pipe in your house is clogged?” Hao Ren swiftly answered. “You’re all getting water from the same main pipe. It’s impossible that you’re the only one without water.”

“God knows what’s going on. It’s not even winter yet, so the pipeline wouldn’t be frozen. Anyway, things have been abnormal lately. When I turn on the tap, I can hear the water flowing in the pipe, but nothing comes out. My brother’s coming by to check it out tomorrow. He’s a plumber.”

At this time, a middle-aged man who was enjoying sweet bean curd at a nearby table suddenly raised his head and sulkily said, “There’s nothing wrong with the pumping station. My son’s working there.”

The chubby boss put down his broom and gasped. “Then, what’s happening?”

“Nobody seems to know what’s going on in the pumping station. My son’s been working overtime for the past two days. He said there’s no problem with the pump, just that the water pressure’s unstable. A back flow occurred once and a pressure pump was fried as a result. “The middle-aged man shook his head and slurped down the last sip of sweet bean curd cleanly from his bowl. “My son said the pumping station’s spooky.”

The stall owner scoffed at him and said, “Lao Zhang, stop it. Now it feels like some sort of ghost sh*t.”

Other diners as well as the chubby boss of the grocery store each cracked a few jokes. They complained about the abnormal water supply during the two days, and Lao Zhang’ superstition before they dispersed. Hao Ren stepped forward and called out to the middle-aged man, who was paying his bill and was about to leave. “Hey bro, did you say that the pumping station’s been a little spooky these past two days? In what way?”

“It was just a joke. Don’t take it seriously.” The middle-aged man waved and smiled. “I don’t understand a thing he says about the pumping station.”

Hao Ren nodded. He turned around thoughtfully and was about to leave. However, he realized that the silly cat was missing. He quickly looked around and saw the cat girl squatting next to the stall and leering at the owner.

The stall owner looked helpless and turned to Hao Ren. “Is she your girlfriend? Is this a habit she has?”

Hao Ren choked. He quickly explained, “No, no. She’s my sister… Get back up!”

“I want to eat steamed buns,” said the silly cat, turning her head. “I’m hungry. Give me a bun!”

People threw her weird stares and cold sweat started to trickle down Hao Ren’s forehead. He had no choice but to quickly buy two buns for the silly cat. The silly cat had developed a covetous appetite lately—she just had her breakfast an hour ago!

Only after they arrived at a secluded place did Y’zaks say, “So, you think there’s a problem?”

“The water supply…” Hao Ren crossed his arms and nodded lightly. “I think my instincts are usually sharp. Something is amiss. If what they say is true, then it’s all supernatural. Maybe it has something to do with the otherworldlings.”

“Maybe it’s just a rumor. Don’t worry about it,” Y’zaks said.

“It’s really not a big deal, but I have too much time on my hands now. Besides, an inspector has to always be observant and keep a sharp intuition.” Hao Ren shrugged. “Let’s ask Wuyue when she’s back—she’s in charge of water. Let’s treat it as a community service.”

The cat girl was holding her bun. She looked up at Hao Ren, and then at Y’zaks before she took half of her bun and shoved it to Hao Ren. “So, this one’s for you.”

Hao Ren simply could not understand the cat’s logic. How did her brain work? How did she process information? It was an unsolved mystery. Why did she say “so”?

Hao Ren had been waiting at home before Nangong Wuyue finally returned at noon. He told her what he heard on the streets that day. Wuyue frowned as if something had crossed her mind. “Is the water in other places abnormal too? If that’s the case, it does seem to be a problem.”

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