Chapter 30: The Great Detective

Under Mo Fei’s earnest gaze, silver light converged and outlined three large words—“Great Detective.”

[Identity: Great Detective
Active: Keen Observation (Some people have evidence right under their nose and still fail to notice it; that’s a brain problem, not an issue of observation.)
Best Partner (Status: Inactive. How can a detective court death alone? The creature that spends the most time with you in the past seven days will become your best partner!)
Passive: Case Caffeine (Excavators shouldn’t be the only thing that excites a man; cases can, too.)
Loose Tongue (Not the most endearing flaw, but you hardly need to practice this one anymore.)
Retained Skill: Moth to Flame, Mastery of Human Anatomy]

The first thing Mo Fei checked when the card appeared was the retained skill. Discovering it was “Mastery of Human Anatomy,” he breathed a sigh of relief. This was good, perfectly normal. As long as he didn’t show off, nobody would know how deeply he understood the human body, which helped him pass for an ordinary person.

Bah, he was an ordinary person to begin with.

‘What foolish things is this silly human up to now?’

A strange, youthful voice suddenly sounded. Mo Fei started, turning his head and scanning around.

‘What are you looking at? Never seen a cat before? Why burn some stinking incense, choking the cat to death?’

This time he heard the voice clearly, right beside him. Yet all he had at hand was... a cat.

Mo Fei studied the slit on the sofa.

The black cat stretched lazily, its green eyes narrowing as it gazed at Mo Fei.

‘Look, still staring. Haven’t you seen such a handsome cat before, clueless human?’

Those few words dripped with insolence; Mo Fei could hardly believe they came from the slit on the sofa.

Something was off—it had to be the card’s doing.

Mo Fei quickly examined the “Great Detective” skills. He found that the second skill had indeed changed.

[Best Partner (Status: Activated. Dogs are said to be man’s best friend; perhaps cats are too? But why isn’t your partner human?)]

Why isn’t my partner human?

Good question.

If the card had a physical form, Mo Fei would have flipped it over right then. It was one step away from plastering “Are you friendless?” across his face in mockery.

Friends—well, friends.

Even so, it wasn’t like friends would sleep over in his house. The creature that spent the most time with him was the slit on the sofa, the one that slept beside him.

As for the cat’s arrogant remarks, Mo Fei heard them but didn’t take them to heart. It was like a brash declaration of war from a minor power to the world’s giants; everyone heard the speech and laughed, few actually took it seriously.

They weren’t even on the same level.

There were plenty of animals that weren’t fond of people, and plenty of cats who remained rebellious even after being rescued. One couldn’t expect a stray cat to have the same gratitude and loyalty as a human. If you took every slight seriously, you’d exhaust yourself eventually.

If it really didn’t want to stay, he’d just have it neutered and released. No big deal.

He wasn’t about to get into a standoff with a cat.

The skills were secondary; the card itself was the main thing—let’s hope it didn’t screw him over.

Mo Fei scrutinized the card carefully.

This time, the card seemed decent, no obvious traps. Aside from the last “Loose Tongue,” which seemed a bit slanderous, the rest was fine. And it had conveniently unearthed a cat with a flair for inner drama.

Mo Fei looked at the slit with a sinister glare. “Once the time’s up, I’ll take you to get neutered.”

The slit leaped onto the sofa, putting some distance between them, its feline face full of mockery.

‘Silly boy, you don’t know your cat lord’s origin! I never go into heat.’

“You have an origin?” Mo Fei raised his eyebrows, his expression more mocking than the cat’s. “If you really had a distinguished origin, how would you end up picked up by me? Not going into heat just means you’re a natural eunuch—cat among eunuchs, tsk tsk.”

The slit flicked its tail: ‘Who was it that was scared out of their wits the first time they saw me?’

“And who was it lying there pitifully, waiting to die?”

‘I never asked you to save me! Just wait, cat lord doesn’t need you to provide. Once I pay off the debt, I’m gone.’

…

This scene would appear bizarre to outsiders.

A man arguing with a cat—except the cat wasn’t making a sound, which made the man look even more like a lunatic.

At least Officer Xu stood at the door for a long while, not daring to knock.

Inside, Mo Fei’s voice grew more animated, sounding like an argument, but there was no response at all.

Was he quarrelling over the phone?

Officer Xu hesitated, then finally knocked.

The voices inside abruptly ceased.

After a moment, Mo Fei’s voice rang out, “Who is it?”

“It’s me,” Officer Xu replied. “Xu Tiansheng, Officer Xu.”

Mo Fei cracked open the door, poked his head out, and greeted with a smile, “Officer Xu, what brings you here?”

Officer Xu pointed to the room. “Do you have guests?”

“No,” Mo Fei glanced back; nothing in the room seemed unsuitable, so he opened the door wider and invited, “Would you like to come in and sit?”

“Thank you, then.”

As Officer Xu entered, he caught a whiff of incense—not overpowering, but quite distinct. His gaze landed on the conspicuous stick burning in the room. “This?”

“It’s for luck,” Mo Fei answered quickly. “Been a bit unlucky lately, you know.”

Officer Xu nodded in agreement. “No kidding.”

So many incidents in half a month—most people wouldn’t encounter that many in a lifetime.

From this perspective, Mo Fei burning incense for luck wasn’t strange at all. Even if he shaved his head and moved into a monastery, Officer Xu wouldn’t find it odd.

“I came today to brief you on a few things.” Officer Xu glanced around, saw nothing else amiss, then continued, “The murderer you subdued has been transferred to the prison hospital; the prosecution is proceeding.”

“That’s great,” Mo Fei applauded with a smile. “Justice served, everyone’s happy.”

“But you used excessive force,” Officer Xu went on.

Mo Fei’s smile froze. “What?”

Officer Xu watched his face, then suddenly laughed. “Just kidding. If I were here to arrest you, I wouldn’t come alone.”

Police officers always worked in pairs.

Mo Fei had the relevant self-defense statutes flashing through his mind; Officer Xu’s joke was a real emotional roller coaster.

“This time, you assisted the police and deserve credit. My superiors want to nominate you for a Good Citizen award.” Officer Xu grew solemn. “On behalf of myself, I want to thank you for your contribution to the city’s safety.”

So formally, Mo Fei couldn’t help but adjust his demeanor. “It was the least I could do.”

‘Oh, oh, the least I could do—’

Mo Fei shot a glare; the slit calmly licked its fur.

Officer Xu couldn’t fathom why, after such a serious exchange, Mo Fei suddenly glared at the cat. Was this some actor’s eccentricity?