CHAPTER 43: CHAPTER 43 SPARROW CAT

Hearing the name Mo Zhicheng, Wen Yan frowned and sized up the cat-headed bird with both wings broken. He thought about reaching out to grab it and take it back, but then hesitated—in case this thing was poisonous, he quickly pulled his hand back.

"Follow me yourself. If I catch even a hint that you’re trying to pull a fast one, I’ll make sure you’re the first one cremated tomorrow morning."

Wen Yan turned and went back into the courtyard. The cat-headed bird drooped its ears, swaying its body from side to side, following Wen Yan with a dejected, comical little stride.

This wasn’t the first day it had tailed Wen Yan, so of course it knew that if Wen Yan wanted it cremated out of turn, it’d just take a single word.

Wen Yan returned to the first-floor living room, sat on a stool, grasped a metal rod in his hand, and waited. The cat-headed bird trailed inside, barely holding itself together. With both wings broken, it’d already given up on the idea of escaping.

Besides, it knew full well: even if its wings were fine, it wouldn’t be able to fly away with Wen Yan watching.

"First, tell me what the hell you are?"

"I’m a Sparrow Cat..."

"National First-Class or Second-Class?"

"Neither..." The Sparrow Cat saw Wen Yan’s face getting more and more twisted, and quickly added, "But I’m definitely a rare species! If I licked Scorching Sun Department’s boots in the next round of updates, I’d for sure be First-Class."

"Talk. When did you start monitoring me? Think carefully before you answer. Start from the beginning, no rush."

Wen Yan got up to make himself a cup of Longjing tea, grabbed a snack from his stash too, and didn’t rush the Sparrow Cat. Once Wen Yan sat back down again, the Sparrow Cat started confessing.

"It started that day you went out for mushrooms. Mo Zhicheng called me in to track and surveil you."

"Go on."

"There was another guy before me, not the brightest, flashing about acting cocky—got caught. So I was called in as a temporary replacement.

When you were in the hospital, I didn’t dare go in. Mo Zhicheng said there was a Domain there, and that mad old lady inside would murder me if I entered.

When you got discharged, I’ve been tailing you ever since, until you got home.

And then, this other psycho said he wanted to nab you..."

"Hold up—who’s the psycho?" Wen Yan cut off the Sparrow Cat.

"The one who can attach himself to bus stop ads."

"Got it. Go on. What happened next?"

"Then I saw, from a distance, him getting dangled by some dude covered in blood, hung casually from a streetlight. After that, boss sent people to clean it up.

Later, the boss had me go meet his dad, to take some stuff his dad brought out. I... I didn’t dare get close to the Funeral Home.

That place is scary as hell at night. I feel like if I got close I’d die.

Afterwards, boss just had me keep watching you, waiting for orders. That’s it."

"That’s it?"

"That’s really it."

"More detail. Don’t skip anything, even the tiniest bits."

The Sparrow Cat didn’t dare argue, struggled to recall everything, and recounted every last detail from the first day it started tailing Wen Yan.

Wen Yan stayed silent, sipping tea, listening in quiet.

Only when the Sparrow Cat finished did he speak.

"Start over from the top. Say it all again, even more details."

The Sparrow Cat’s pupils suddenly widened, staring at Wen Yan, terrified—in its eyes, it looked like devil horns had sprouted atop Wen Yan’s head.

It actually started to feel lucky that it’d told the truth, hadn’t skipped over or faked anything.

Otherwise, having to repeat the whole story again, odds were it’d slip up.

It didn’t dare resist, obediently recalled everything once more, and inched through it all in excruciating detail again.

When it finished, Wen Yan’s eyes betrayed a hint of pity. He asked:

"Did you ever know that he isn’t really Mo Zhicheng at all? You don’t even know his real identity, do you? His Scorching Sun Department codename is Scammer."

The Sparrow Cat jerked its head up, staring blankly at Wen Yan. An ominous feeling crept up on it.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, nobody knows who he really is. If he hadn’t been forced to get involved this time, even Scorching Sun Department wouldn’t know there was such a person.

Checking back through old cases—far as I know, there are already three that look like his work, his fingerprints all over them.

He’s got a power—mind control by talking, making people believe whatever he says is true.

What did he promise you? Why are you bending over backward for him?"

"Impossible! No way! It can’t be fake!" The Sparrow Cat flapped its broken wings, feathers all on end from agitation.

"Believe it or not. Your call."

The Sparrow Cat hunkered down, unable to accept it. Everything in its brain clashed violently with what Wen Yan was saying. After a dozen minutes or so, it crumpled on the floor, spirit utterly crushed.

"He... He told me that my ancestor’s corpse was sealed in the Old Ice Warehouse at Virtue City Funeral House.

If I worked for him, he’d help me get my ancestor’s body.

This, this was supposed to be a field op. He’s got the skills to take stuff from that ice locker.

Isn’t that... at least true?"

"When did your ancestor die?"

"Not sure, at least a thousand years ago."

"Virtue City Funeral House’s only been around for sixty years."

"That doesn’t mean they couldn’t have found my ancestor’s corpse and sealed it in there."

"Far as I know, nothing’s been dead that long in that old freezer. Scorching Sun Department’s standard process—any mummy over a thousand years old, even if it’s not a relic, is a huge research subject. There’s no way it’d just be at a regular Funeral Home."

"No way!" The Sparrow Cat was ready to entirely fall apart.

"Not only am I a full-time employee at Virtue City Funeral House, I’m also a special consultant on Scorching Sun Department’s task force. Believe it or not."

The Sparrow Cat couldn’t argue back. It was like a ruined cat, sprawled on the ground, the light gone from its eyes.

"Suit yourself. If you want to leave, leave. But don’t you dare touch the fish in my tank."

After Wen Yan really left and went back to bed, only then did the Sparrow Cat weakly mutter,

"I’m a sparrow, not a cat. Who wants your ugly feeder fish."

The Sparrow Cat lay there on the cold floor, feeling the pain from its broken wings. Add to that its broken spirit—at this point, the whole sparrow was done with life, the sparrow’s life bleak and meaningless. It felt lost and helpless, no idea what to do now.

Emotionally, it wanted to insist Wen Yan was lying, but reason told it that Wen Yan was most likely telling the truth.

At that moment, Wen Yan came back carrying a cushion and tossed it down in front of it.

"Run away if you want. No rush. Here’s a cushion—get some sleep and then run. You’re clearly lively enough not to die just yet."

Wen Yan ignored it and turned back in to sleep.

The Sparrow Cat was so aggrieved it nearly burst into tears. It couldn’t keep a straight face anymore—the kind of guy who wouldn’t blink at going right for the kill was actually pitying it. That just meant it’d truly gotten screwed by Mo Zhicheng.

Time ticked by, and everything returned to quiet.

The Sparrow Cat dozed off without even noticing.

The next morning, past nine, Wen Yan tossed and turned in bed and gave up on sleep. A few days of getting up early, and now he was used to it for good.

He walked downstairs—didn’t see the Sparrow Cat. Looking again, he spotted the cushion he’d thrown down, dragged into the corner behind the fridge. The Sparrow Cat had its head buried in itself, curled up into a tight ball.

Its busted and twisted wings, broken yesterday, looked almost completely healed now.

But in a flash, Wen Yan stared at his empty fish tank and fell silent.

"I told you not to eat my fish! Those were feng shui fish someone gave me just yesterday!"

Hearing Wen Yan’s voice, the Sparrow Cat’s ears instantly stood upright. It poked out its head, glanced at the tank, then flattened its ears, grumbling under its breath.

"I’m a cat, you put a fish tank right in front of me and even pointed it out—who else am I supposed to blame?"

Wen Yan couldn’t be bothered to argue. He took out a little pot, planning to cook some plain noodles.

The Sparrow Cat ambled after him, swaying unsteadily.

"Make me something too, I haven’t eaten all day."

"Just noodles. Cats don’t like noodles."

"I’m a sparrow. I love noodles."

Wen Yan said nothing.

The Sparrow Cat followed behind.

"Make me something too. I’ll tell you where Mo Zhicheng’s going next."

Wen Yan still paid it no mind, as if it didn’t exist.

The Sparrow Cat panicked, dropped the act.

"He’s heading to Duanzhou next—the biggest chemical plant in Duanzhou."