Anya: "?"
Xu Xiaoyou cleared her throat to ease the awkward atmosphere.
Was that feeling just her imagination? Thinking about it, Xu Xiaoyou couldn't help but feel a bit discouraged.
After waiting for over an hour, close to noon, Xu Xiaoyou sat on the sofa and dialed a number.
The call connected swiftly, and the young man's timid voice came through:
"Hello, who is this?"
"It's almost noon. When do you plan to send over the remaining payment for that old residential building?" Xu Xiaoyou asked.
"Sorry, sorry, I will, I will. I'm a bit tied up here at the moment, but I'll definitely send it to you when I finish."
Hearing the young man's tone on the phone, Xu Xiaoyou didn't say much more, pretending to be fierce and lowering her voice to threaten:
"Don't try any tricks. If you dare to owe me money, I'll have someone break all your bones!"
"Got it, got it. I'm truly honest; I guarantee that I'll definitely pay the remaining amount..."
As the dial tone echoed, the young man inside the room glanced at the phone screen, confirming that the call had been hung up.
"Fool, pay you the remaining amount? I'll pay you a fart!"
With rabbit-like facial features, the young man shed his timid demeanor from the call, instantly changing his face 180 degrees, his expression twisted with malice.
"I've seen countless fools like you, eager to sell the property when trouble arises, right?"
"After I've checked the place, I'll rent it out on the sly, so when you try to find me, you'll come up empty-handed. You still want to threaten me? Eat my dust, ha ha ha!"
"Who am I? I'm part of the Cunning Rabbit Gang; I'm a clever rabbit. You want to trick me..."
"A hundred years too soon!"
"As for the poor sap who rents this place, if they die, it has nothing to do with me. Fools are beyond saving!"
Thinking that, the rabbit-faced young man surveyed the room, as if admiring his spoils.
He whistled happily as he entered the bathroom, standing in front of the toilet to unzip his pants, savoring the feeling of playing others like puppets.
Just then, there was a knock on the door, and a sweet, melodious female voice came through.
"Hello, is anyone home?"
He glanced at the shadow near the door, too lazy to respond, continuing to whistle leisurely.
"Did some little sister get lost? Honestly, it's dangerous to wander around the Animal Community unawares; there aren't many good people here."
"You're lucky to meet a law-abiding rabbit like me, uninterested in women's charms. If you run into a bear or pigman, good luck to you, humph."
"Hello, is anyone home?"
"So persistent, what the hell is it, door-to-door sales?" The rabbit-faced young man was growing impatient, shouting at the door frame: "No one's home, get lost! I'm not interested in whatever product you're selling or in you. Did you hear me?"
There was a brief silence outside the door, and as the rabbit-faced man whistled, thinking the person had left, the metal door flew inside like a cannonball, with a loud crash.
"What the hell!"
The door, dented by dozens of centimeters, landed at his feet, scaring the rabbit-faced young man witless as he hastily pulled up his pants.
Seeing the scene outside, he was frozen dumbfounded.
A white-clad girl was brushing away the dust in front of her, wielding a steam-powered hammer taller than a person as she walked in.
"Breaking into a private residence!? You, you, you, you, you... Don't come near!" The rabbit-faced young man's speech faltered at the sight of the bright hammer, his body trembling uncontrollably.
"So there is someone inside the house." Bai Youyou smiled.
The next moment, the sweet smile on the girl's face vanished, turning gradually cold.
"So when I asked if someone was inside, why didn't you answer?"
The rabbit-faced young man realized things were not right and tried to run, but Bai Youyou slammed him into the wall with the hammer.
The entire wall cracked and collapsed under the terrifying force, leaving the rabbit-faced young man sprawled out helplessly.
"Urgh... cough cough... cough..."
Blood oozed from his mouth, his consciousness flickering. It felt like all his bones were shattered, his vision blurred, piercing pain assaulting his nerves.
Bai Youyou grabbed his hair, lifting his head to force eye contact:
"Now, introduce myself. My name is Bai Youyou, a Three-winged Investigator from the Cleaner Association, ID X0172."
Saying this, Bai Youyou's lips curled slightly, cold eyes as if looking at a corpse.
"You are suspected of murdering three First Tier Cleaners, being closely involved with multiple kidnappings, scams, and murder cases, guilty of committing a series of vile crimes. Look closely, this is an arrest warrant signed by Zone Ten Government Security District Guard Office. Do you have anything to say before going with me to the Guard Office?"
The rabbit-faced young man's expression looked ruined, his jaw severely dislocated. Clearly, he was in no condition to say a word.
"You can file a complaint to the Cleaner Association's higher-ups via the Guard Office, accusing me of violent enforcement. You can also use the Cleaner Association's app for online customer service appeal."
"Though I doubt it will do any good."
"You're under arrest."
...
After that, Xu Xiaoyou took a short nap, but she was woken not by her set alarm but by the rumbling growls from the living room.
"Woof woof! Woof woof woof woof woof!"
Xu Xiaoyou grabbed a pillow and covered her ears tightly, but the sound seemed to pierce right through, one bark following another. Finally, Xu Xiaoyou, a bit annoyed, got up and shouted towards the living room:
"Anya, shut up!"
"Woof woof woof!"
After hearing her voice, it not only didn't stop, but responded more vigorously.
With no choice, Xu Xiaoyou wandered into the living room with a bleary face. Just when she was considering how to teach Anya a lesson for waking her up, she noticed the little girl's unusual behavior.
Her gaze fixed at one spot, crouched low, nails elongated, scraping at the floor. Her whole body standing high on alert, this posture only occurs when a canine feels threatened.
Xu Xiaoyou's expression became serious, following Anya's gaze.
In the dim darkness, the outline of a figure hung suspended from the living room ceiling.
The figure wore white, long hair covering her face, hanging down to the waist, skin pale without a hint of life.
It's just like a ghost from a horror movie!
A chilling, eerie laugh emitted from its mouth, under the dry, long hair seemed to glow a pair of bright red eyes, staring dead at her.
Xu Xiaoyou turned on the living room lights.
The ghost reacted to the light: "Ah!"