(Quick Transmigration) Even If You Become an Animal, You Still Have to Serve an Iron Rice Bowl - Chapter 7

The coworker arrived quickly. At the sound of the doorbell, Shen Qiu turned over and ran at a trot, brushing Xing Lu’s calf with his tail while staring at the video monitor.

On the screen, Xing Lu’s female colleague was pressing the doorbell, but her expression looked… somewhat stiff?

Shen Qiu’s instincts told him something was wrong. He opened his mouth, wanting to tell Xing Lu not to open the door.

But just as a meow escaped his mouth, Xing Lu quickly unlocked the door.

The front door was violently shoved open, and Xing Lu was knocked backwards onto the ground. 

Shen Qiu knew this was bad. The coworker outside the door was pushed in, her previously stiff face now smeared with tears and snot.

“I—I did everything you said! Please let me go! I swear! I swear I won’t call the police!”

Shen Qiu’s heart pounded like a drum. He tugged at Xing Lu’s clothes, trying to get her to stand up.

But the man behind her had already stepped inside, slamming the door shut with a bang.

He raised his hand and smashed a brick against the back of the coworker’s head.

She collapsed instantly, and moments later, bright red blood seeped from the back of her skull.

The whole process only took half a minute. Just as Xing Lu opened her mouth to call someone for help, Zhang Jibo had already lunged forward and clamped a hand over her mouth.

“You damn woman! If you dare make a sound,  I’ll kill you!”

“Meow!” Shen Qiu let out a sharp screech.

Arching his back and extending his claws, he swiped his claws directly at Zhang Jibo’s face. 

Although house cats often have their claws trimmed, Shen Qiu used his full strength, and with one swipe, he left two deep, bloody gashes across Zhang Jibo’s cheek.

Zhang Jibo cursed in pain and considered dealing with Shen Qiu, but Xing Lu was struggling wildly beneath him, keeping his hands occupied.

His expression turned vicious. “Trying to fight me for the sake of a little beast? Then don’t blame me for being merciless!”

With a twisted sneer, Zhang Jibo picked up the brick again and smashed it down on the back of Xing Lu’s head.

Shen Qiu screamed and tried to rush forward, but was swiftly kicked away by Zhang Jibo. 

The kick was brutal. Shen Qiu nearly lost consciousness, collapsing to the ground and taking a long time to recover.

At that moment, Shen Qiu felt a bit resentful for being just a cat. He struggled to get back up.

Zhang Jibo cursed as he tied up both the female coworker and Xing Lu.

When he was finished, he glared fiercely at Shen Qiu, clearly debating whether he should eliminate him.

Shen Qiu extended his claws, but the pain in his abdomen made him let out a series of helpless whimpers.

Zhang Jibo was already approaching him with the bloodied brick in hand, his face twisted with madness.

Just as he was raising the brick to smash it down on Shen Qiu, the phone suddenly rang. It startled Zhang Jibo, causing him to tremble and change expressions. 

Seizing the moment, Shen Qiu leapt up despite the pain and scratched at Zhang Jibo again. The force was much weaker due to the pain, leaving only a red mark on Zhang Jibo’s arm.

The phone rang like a death knell. Zhang Jibo was afraid of being discovered after staying for too long so he shot a resentful look at Shen Qiu before turning away. 

He quickly hoisted the unconscious Xing Lu onto his back and left.

Shen Qiu tried to follow, but the earlier kick had been too harsh. It took him a long time to finally recover enough to drag his lower body across the ground. 

By the time he made it to the door, Zhang Jibo was already gone. The elevator screen showed it had stopped at the basement level.

Shen Qiu gritted his teeth and returned to the room first to grab Xing Lu’s phone before he took the elevator to the basement.

However, there was still no trace of Zhang Jibo or Xing Lu.

His stomach throbbed painfully with each step. He couldn’t keep searching like this—it wouldn’t help Xing Lu and might get himself killed. He had to get the police.

He quickly turned and ran toward the police station.

Charging through the front doors, he ran straight to the Criminal Investigation Division.

But the office was empty, not a single person was there.

A chill spread through his heart, and Shen Qiu gritted his teeth again, preparing to run outside.

He found that the patrolling officer had already gone to fetch Yang Yue.

As soon as Yang Yue saw the blood on Shen Qiu’s body, her heart skipped a beat.

She scooped him up. “Qiuqiu, what happened to you?”

When she touched his wound, Shen Qiu whimpered, and the phone in his mouth fell into her arms.

“This is Lulu’s phone! Did something happen to her?!”

Shen Qiu ignored the pain and jumped to the ground, meowing and tilting to signal her to follow. 

Yang Yue reacted quickly, immediately following and calling the other officers to join them.

Shen Qiu led the group straight back to the apartment complex and headed directly for the property management’s office. Yang Yue instantly understood his intentions.

While marveling at Shen Qiu’s intelligence, the accompanying police officers split into two groups, one of which went to Xing Lu’s home. 

With limited time, Yang Yue directly displayed her police badge to request the property staff review the footage.

On the screen, Xing Lu’s coworker appeared first and had likely revealed some information over the phone while calling Xing Lu. As soon as she reached the elevator, Zhang Jibo, who had been lurking outside, threatened her with a knife.

The rest was self-explanatory. Xing Lu, seeing her coworker, opened the door without hesitation, which gave Zhang Jibo the opening he needed to act.

Just then, the officers upstairs reported the situation at Xing Lu’s apartment and Yang Yue slammed her fist on the table.

“Please fast-forward the footage,” she instructed the staff.

The video skipped ahead to Zhang Jibo carrying Xing Lu to the basement and entering the janitor’s supply room.

Moments later, someone dressed in janitor’s clothes, wearing a hat and face mask emerged while pushing a garbage bin.

He kept glancing around and occasionally checking for cameras.

Although he was tightly wrapped in fabric, Shen Qiu instantly recognized Zhang Jibo from his murky eyes the instant he looked up.

“Meow!” he cried sharply.

Zhang Jibo was there, then Xing Lu had to be in that garbage bin!

Watching Zhang Jibo push the bin out of the community, Shen Qiu slammed a paw on the desk and leapt to the floor, sprinting outside.

Yang Yue paused for a moment, then quickly followed.

She saw Shen Qiu heading straight for the route Zhang Jibo had taken out of the community.

Remembering how the captain had said that Shen Qiu’s intelligence was comparable to a seven or eight-year-old child, she quickened her pace.

Shen Qiu’s nose twitched. The air still held traces of Zhang Jibo’s scent.

There was the smell of drugs… and the iron tang of Xing Lu’s blood.

He carefully followed the scent. Fortunately, Zhang Jibo had avoided the main roads, choosing to take the narrow alleyways instead.

Although the alleys were a tangled maze, there were fewer competing smells, allowing Shen Qiu to follow quickly.

Yang Yue followed close behind, calling her colleagues to check the surveillance cameras and send over the newest photos of Zhang Jibo in his new disguise.

Just as she hung up, Qin Yan called.

His tone was grim. “Did something happen to Xing Lu?”

Yang Yue was taken aback. “Captain, how did you know?”

Qin Yan’s voice turned even colder. “The drug deal was suddenly canceled. By the time we got to the clubhouse, it was empty. The informant was tied up in the basement.”

On top of that, Zhang Jibo had been completely off the radar for days. Qin Yan had immediately suspected a diversion tactic.

Yang Yue solemnly reported the current situation.

“Find out where Zhang Jibo is as soon as possible! I’m heading over with backup now. And keep a close eye on Qiuqiu!”

“Yes, captain!”

~~~

2.1k characters to 1.4k words | Translation Time: 3 hours

T/N: The plot is heating up! Zhang Jibo is really scary, I hope both Xing Lu and her colleague are okay…

No footnotes again since it was a simple chapter to translate! Please note that my translations aren’t a perfect 1:1 translation since I’m prioritizing readability. I interpret a lot of the text, especially since pronouns aren’t used as much in Chinese. A typical sentence is also far far longer in the original so I need to break it up.