Chapter 11 — The Illusion of Spring Peaches

As it turned out, that day, young Master Li had been lounging lazily on the sofa, munching on chips while scrolling through his phone as he meticulously scouted for a prospective groom for his beloved general. Suddenly, a calico cat materialized before him, its paws stepping right onto the phone screen. Its amber eyes glowed like luminous jade, and then, it spoke.

"Nana the Sorceress has been kidnapped. I need you to go and rescue her."

It was A Le. It had tracked down young Master Li, bluntly giving him the address of the place where I was being held captive, and even added a parting remark: "In this world, she has no one else left to rely on but you." At that moment, the final piece of the puzzle snapped violently into place in my mind. A Le—the ordinary stray cat I had picked up—not only possessed the ability to speak, but also wielded bizarre tracking powers, capable of locating me from afar. This entire affair was far from simple. The abandoned room was suffocatingly quiet, save for the wailing of the night wind through the broken window frame and the ragged, hurried breathing shared by myself and young Master Li.

"People-eating dogs..." young Master Li trembled, his voice entirely off-key as he shrank back into the corner of the room, staring at me with bewildered terror. "Damn it, did she really... actually feed Mao Mao... that stuff?!" I gave a slow nod, my gaze sinking, though I forced myself to speak in a whisper: "Don't panic. Mao Mao just underwent surgery, and he... he thought feeding it to her would aid her recovery."

Hearing this, young Master Li shuddered. He cast a glance at the old dog curled up in a corner, breathing weakly, its dull fur matted together and its eyes clouded over with a milky film. "Then... is he alright now?" young Master Li bit his lip, his voice dropping by half. I looked over at Mao Mao, shook my head, and let out a quiet sigh. "I am not sure. He refuses to communicate with me, refusing to utter a single word. Perhaps... he also knows about that murder, and so he is terrified." The atmosphere grew so heavy that I could hear my own heart hammering frantically against my eardrums. Finally, swallowing hard, I turned back to young Master Li. "Let us put Mao Mao's situation aside for a moment. What is far more important... is finding a way out of here." "But how on earth do we get out?" young Master Li furrowed his brow, cold sweat beading on his temples and soaking into the collar of his shirt. Frowning, I spoke rapidly: "Listen to me. Lu Ye just stepped out with money to rent a place. He cannot drag two hostages along with him, nor will he ever simply set us free. Therefore... it is highly likely that when he returns, he will kill us to silence us." Young Master Li drew a sharp breath, his pupils constricting as his gaze pierced through the gloom of the dark room. "Then we must seize the opportunity before he comes back..." I nodded. "Exactly, we only have one chance left. If we miss it, we are finished."

Right at that moment, the sound of footsteps echoed from outside. Tap... tap... tap... Each heavy strike against the cement floor was deliberate and measured, yet it felt as though it were hammering directly into my temples. Young Master Li turned deathly pale, grabbing my arm and whispering under his breath: "Has he... has he come back?!" I tensed up, staring fixedly toward the main entrance. The footsteps drew closer and closer, then abruptly vanished right outside the hallway. A deathly silence stretched on for about ten seconds... and then a dull thud, like a heavy object dropping, echoed right beside the door. Young Master Li gripped my hand tightly, both of us holding our breath. At that precise moment, a soft female voice floated from behind: "Mistress... A Le sent me here to fetch you."

I started and spun around instantly. In the shadows of the corner, a slender silhouette stood right beside the window, its eyes glowing with an eerie greenish light in the dark like twin wisps of phosphorus. Young Master Li asked in a panic: "Is that... your person?" I shook my head furiously. "I haven't even had the chance... to ask A Le..." The dark figure advanced half a step, the moonlight catching a face heavily concealed beneath a hooded cloak, revealing only pale, colorless lips. The girl lowered her voice, every word slicing into the night: "Do not ask questions. If you want to live... follow me."

Just as I was about to step forward, Mao Mao suddenly let out an unprecedentedly ferocious growl, its fur bristling as it blocked the path right in front of me and young Master Li. Young Master Li was bewildered: "What is wrong? Isn't this person here to save us?!" I frowned, slowly "listening" to Mao Mao. A fragmented sentence echoed inside my mind: "...no... do not trust... her... not... human..."

My heart constricted, my throat turning bone-dry. I took half a step backward, tightening my grip on young Master Li's hand. In the darkness, the hooded girl tilted her head slightly, a smile far too tender yet entirely devoid of any human warmth surfacing across her pale face. The wind on the rooftop howled, causing the old corrugated iron roof to rattle in rhythmic clashes, mingling with the wail of police sirens echoing from the street below, blending into a chaotic, breathless symphony.

Lu Ye—the young man—pinched my arm tightly with one hand, pressing the cold, gleaming blade of a long knife directly against my throat. The edge was so sharp I could vividly feel my skin being grazed by the draft slipping past the steel. His breathing came in ragged gasps, his bloodshot eyes wide, his voice hoarse as he ground out each syllable: "Whoever steps forward... I will kill her!"

Before them, three police officers raised their firearms, shouting in unison: "Chen Hao! Put down the knife! You are completely surrounded, there is no way out!"

"Run?" Lu Ye let out a dry, cracked laugh, his expression horribly distorted and tense, his gaze cutting through the dark like a sharp blade: "I can die, but before I die... I am dragging these two lives down with me!" He tightened his grip, the tip of the blade pressing closer, making me acutely aware of a chill sinking deep into my bones. Mao Mao stood resolutely before him, its blood-stained fur standing on end, and despite its frail body, it growled in fierce defiance against the entire police force.

I bit my lip, forcing my voice to remain steady as I spoke in a hushed whisper: "Lu Ye... stop this. I understand, I know everything." He paused slightly, his brow furrowing deeper: "Know... what?" I looked at him, trying to keep my gaze earnest: "That damned broker... he deserved it, but it was self-defense. No one can execute you for that. Killing him... is not worth dying over."

"Shut your mouth!" he roared, his voice hoarse enough to tear the air apart. Lu Ye suddenly tightened his arm, dragging me backward toward the edge of the rooftop, where merely a single step behind us lay a bottomless abyss. The howling wind lashed at my back with chilling force, leaving my heart suspended in my throat.

Young Master Li, deathly pale, stood right beside us with both hands raised, speaking at machine-gun speed: "Don't do anything rash! We... we can figure something out, I can give you more money! Name your price... I'll transfer all of it to you right now!" But Lu Ye merely glanced at him sideways, a twisted smile pulling at his lips, his eyes as hollow as an abyssal chasm: "Money? Can money bring Mao Mao back to life? Can money... rescue me from the Flying Eagle Society?!"

Hearing the mention of the Flying Eagle Society, the police officers behind them all froze, exchanging brief glances before shouting sternly: "Chen Hao! If you make another move, not only us, but the Flying Eagle Society will hunt you to the ends of the earth! Put down the knife, don't let Mao Mao down!"

At the mention of Mao Mao, Lu Ye's gaze trembled. He lowered his head to look at the panting dog resting by his feet, its breath as faint as a thread, its clouded eyes still stubbornly fixed on its master with unwavering loyalty. Right at that moment, I heard Mao Mao's voice resound in my mind, trembling and painfully weak: "Don't... do this... run... run away... Mao Mao... is fine..."

"Mao Mao..." he whispered, his voice choking up, the hand holding the knife trembling ever so slightly. In that single fleeting moment—a police officer seized the opportunity, lunging forward with a loud roar: "Take him down!"

"Bang!!!" A gunshot echoed through the air. Young Master Li lunged forward, shoving me aside; the knife blade grazed his shoulder, sending blood spraying into the air, but he locked his arms tightly around Lu Ye, and both of them tumbled together onto the cement floor. Mao Mao let out a pitiful whine, the sound choking and dying away in its throat.

The police successfully subdued Lu Ye. He was pinned to the ground, blood seeping from the wound on his shoulder, yet his gaze remained hollow as his lips murmured: "Mao Mao... don't... don't leave me..." Right then, Mao Mao emitted one final, faint wheeze, and quietly closed its eyes. The wind sweeping across the rooftop carried away the sound of Lu Ye's stifled, agonizing sob.

The gunshot had reverberated across the rooftop like a tear across the gloomy sky. Time seemed to stretch infinitely—in that agonizingly brief instant, Mao Mao had mustered every ounce of its remaining strength to leap forward and shield Lu Ye. "Bang!!!" A stifled scream lodged in its throat, and its frail body vaulted through the air before crashing heavily onto the cement floor.

"Mao Mao!!!" Lu Ye's roar tore right through his lungs as he collapsed to his knees, clutching the animal desperately to his chest. Blood poured in steady streams from the bullet wound in Mao Mao's chest, soaking his hands and staining the earth crimson.

My eyes widened. The moment I made contact with Mao Mao's fading gaze, a tidal wave of memories surged violently into my mind, stealing the breath right from my lungs. I saw it... A gaunt young boy, covered in wounds, kneeling on a cold wooden floor, embracing the battered, tiny body of a young Mao Mao. Inside a dark, foul-smelling room, a middle-aged man reeking of alcohol was wildly beating and kicking the young boy. "Get lost! Useless piece of trash! So I don't have to keep feeding you!"