(Quick Transmigration) Even If You Become an Animal, You Still Have to Serve an Iron Rice Bowl - Chapter 28

Chapter 28:

Police cars arrived one after another on Yanjiang Avenue. As soon as they stopped at the entrance to the residential complex, they immediately drew a large crowd of onlookers.

Shen Qiu pulled out the key from under the doormat and Qin Yan took it to open the door. Inside, it was pitch-black with only the faint sound of crying.

The basement was in complete disarray. Half-eaten takeout boxes were scattered across the floor. Qin Yan rushed in and found an unconscious child curled up in the corner.

“Meow meow meow?” Why is there only one?!

The basement was about fifty square meters. It was small enough that everything could be seen at a glance. Other than this child, there was no sign of Chen Xue or the other child.

“Boss, someone saw Chen Xue running outside!”

Without thinking, Shen Qiu spun around and bolted out after her. Qin Yan reacted quickly as well and ordered the complex to be sealed off.

No one knew when Chen Xue had slipped out. Her scent in the air was faint, and Shen Qiu had no idea which direction to chase. He stood at the building entrance, momentarily at a loss.

“Meow meow~” Wow, who are you? I’ve never seen you before~

Shen Qiu turned his head and saw a tabby cat in the grass.

The cat was licking their paw and blinking at him.

Shen Qiu’s heart felt moved.

“Meow meow meow~” Little kitty, can you do me a favor?

The tabby cat sat upright, their amber eyes full of curiosity.

“Meow?” What do you want me to do?

“Help me find someone, a—”

He hesitated, told the tabby cat to wait, then rushed back into the basement. In a corner, he found a piece of cardboard that carried Chen Xue’s scent. He grabbed it in his mouth and ran back out.

“Here—Find the person who smells like this, and I’ll give you meat!”

“Meat!”

The tabby’s eyes lit up instantly. They sniffed the cardboard carefully, clearly eager.

“Can I call my brothers and sisters over?”

Shen Qiu’s eyes lit up immediately. 

“Meow meow meow meow meow!” As many as you can! Anyone who can come, come—however many show up, I’ll give you as much meat as you want!”

“Okay!” The tabby jumped up, letting Shen Qiu wait while it ran off.

Qin Yan asked someone to send the rescued child to the hospital. When he returned, he saw more than a dozen stray cats of different colors squatting in front of Shen Qiu.

Each cat lined up to sniff the cardboard. After they were done, the silver-gray Maine Coon let out a series of meows at the others.

Then the cats scattered: diving into bushes, leaping onto walls, and quickly disappearing from Qin Yan’s sight.

Qin Yan immediately understood what Shen Qiu was doing. Rubbing his aching temples, he walked over and stroked the cat’s head.

“Qiuqiu is amazing.”

Shen Qiu flicked his tail against Qin Yan’s calf, thinking about how to explain that the stray cats needed payment, while also worrying about where Chen Xue and the other child might be.

In a residential complex, no one knew hidden corners better than stray cats.

Shen Qiu waited for less than ten minutes and a scrawny orange cat meowed from not too far away.

 “Found her~”

Shen Qiu’s eyes lit up, and he hopped over immediately.

“Where? Take me there!”

The orange cat didn’t move. Instead, they stared at Shen Qiu with pale green eyes.

“I can take you there, but you have to promise me one thing.”

Shen Qiu looked at her, puzzled.

The cat’s meow was weak, but the look in their eyes was extraordinarily firm as they stared at Shen Qiu.

“I don’t need food, but you have to promise me something.”

“What is it?”

The orange cat didn’t answer.

Anxious to find Chen Xue, Shen Qiu thought about it briefly. A stray cat’s request was probably just wanting a home. He nodded and agreed.

Only then did the orange cat start leading the way.

Shen Qiu meowed at Qin Yan, signaling him to follow. The man and the cat followed the orange cat to a garbage shed at the back of the complex.

The orange cat stopped at the door. “She’s inside.”

Shen Qiu’s eyes flashed. He dropped flat to signal them.

Qin Yan took out his wooden baton and walked in slowly. Inside the foul-smelling piles of trash, he found Chen Xue, panic written all over her face.

When she saw the police, she screamed and tried to run. But Shen Qiu lunged forward and knocked her down, while Qin Yan restrained her arms and snapped the handcuffs shut with a click.

“Let go of me! Let go of me!”

“The police are beating people! The police are beating people!”

Chen Xue kept screaming, her voice sharp and grating.

Qin Yan called for backup over the walkie-talkie, then asked Chen Xue about the whereabouts of the other child.

But Chen Xue just kept screaming and refused to answer. Shen Qiu was so angry that he could barely resist hitting her.

Huffing with frustration, he went outside to the orange cat waiting by the door.

“Meow meow meow~” Can you help again? There’s still one child missing.

The orange cat shook her head.

Shen Qiu thought she wanted payment first, but instead she said, “This woman only brought one child in here.”

One child? Then where was the other one?!

Shen Qiu stared, completely baffled.

By then, Da Zhuang and the others had rushed over. The other stray cats, upon hearing the commotion, hid in the nearby grass.

“Meow~” Are you still giving meat? We helped look too.

Shen Qiu shook his head, temporarily pushing aside thoughts of the missing child. He went to Qin Yan, pawed at the pocket where he usually kept snacks, then called out to the stray cats.

Qin Yan immediately recalled what he’d seen earlier and understood.

“You promised them food, didn’t you?”

Shen Qiu circled Qin Yan’s legs, meowing madly to indicate he had guessed correctly. 

Qin Yan looked around, had Dazhuang take Chen Xue away, then told Shen Qiu to wait there while he went to find somewhere to buy meat.

After Qin Yan left, the stray cats finally emerged from the grass and began circling Shen Qiu.

“You’re so pretty, meow~”

“Why are you with people who wear those clothes, meow~”

“You look so big. Are you really a cat, meow~”

The stray cats had endless questions, and Shen Qiu patiently answered every one.

At last, he looked toward the orange cat, who stayed on the outer edge and didn’t come closer.

He asked the tabby nearest him, “Why is that orange cat so skinny?”

The tabby glanced at her, its cat eyes blinking, “Because she’s going to die.”

Stray cats often witnessed death and showed little reaction to the passing of a companion, but Shen Qiu froze.

Going to die… then what did that orange cat want him to do?

Before he could figure it out, Qin Yan returned, carrying a large pile of beef he’d bought from a nearby noodle shop.

He set out clean disposable bowls and walked over to Shen Qiu.

Seeing him staring blankly at the orange cat, Qin Yan thought he’d taken a liking to her.

“Qiuqiu, don’t tell me you’ve fallen for her? Have you?”

Shen Qiu snapped out of it, shook his head hard, and walked straight toward the orange cat.

“The bad person’s been caught. What do you want me to do?”

The cat meowed and turned away, glancing back now and then to signal him to follow.

Shen Qiu hesitated before realizing what she meant and hurried after her.

The orange cat led him beneath an air-conditioning unit, where a battered cardboard box sat.

As soon as she approached, a bunch of tiny kittens meowed loudly. They all seemed to be one or two months old. 

She picked one up in her mouth and placed it in front of Shen Qiu.

“My sister died a few days ago. I’m going to die too. When I die, my sister’s kittens and mine won’t survive. I want you to help take care of our children.”

Her voice was calm, but her pale green eyes were filled with seriousness.

Shen Qiu was deeply shaken. He couldn’t help thinking of Zheng Yang.

Even a cat, facing death, thought about her children. And Zheng Yang, on nothing more than a shred of suspicion…

He took a deep breath, his mind in turmoil.

Seeing his silence, the orange cat grew anxious and thought he might go back on his word.

“You promised me.”

Shen Qiu came back to reality and nodded firmly.

“Meow.” Okay.

As soon as he agreed, the orange cat seemed to relax. Her body, held together by sheer will, slowly collapsed. Right in front of Shen Qiu, she stopped breathing.

The kittens seemed to sense something. Originally, they had been too afraid to approach him, but now they rushed forward, crying as they crowded around their dead mother, calling out again and again for her.

Qin Yan had been standing at a distance. When he realized something was wrong and came over, his emotions grew complicated at the sight.

After working with Shen Qiu for so long, he could understand a lot from the cat’s behavior. He could tell that the ginger cat was entrusting its final wishes before death. His heart filled with complex emotions, and he also thought of Zheng Yang.

In the heavy silence, a phone rang.

Qin Yan answered the call. It was unclear what was said but his expression darkened quickly. 

After hanging up, he swore, something he rarely did.

“The other child is dead.”

Shen Qiu jerked his head up. He was still reeling from the orange cat’s passing, and hearing this news out of the blue, he doubted his own years.

Qin Yan covered his face and took a deep breath. After a few seconds, he went to the property management office for a cardboard box and placed the kittens inside. He then borrowed a shovel and buried the orange cat in a nearby garden.

The whole process took less than ten minutes.

After finishing, he finally carried the box back home.

On the drive back, Shen Qiu finally learned what had happened.

After Chen Xue was brought in, Zheng Yang confessed everything.

He said the child named Jiaozi had died that night.

After Zheng Yang took the child away, he first took them to the land shrine, planning to get through the night and send the child back once he got the money. But the child had never been to a place like that and cried in terror.

Afraid someone would hear, Zheng Yang had covered the child’s mouth and accidentally suffocated him to death.

Afterward, he was terrified and panicking, but the child was already dead. Chen Xue also instigated so he didn’t do anything and let Chen Xue cut off the child’s finger to threaten Yang Xia. 

After saying all this, Zheng Yang even claimed he never meant to hurt the child, he just wanted the money.

Shen Qiu nearly exploded with rage upon hearing this.

Calling someone like him worse than pigs and dogs would be an insult to those animals!

~~~

T/N: That poor child… what is wrong with Zheng Yang?! He’s truly been blinded by money!!

3.0k characters to 1.8k words | Translation Time: 2 hours