Inside the D City Police Department
Sitting in the interrogation room, Qiao An tilted up her small, round, makeup-free face, looking exceptionally pure and innocent. Despite her efforts to keep a straight face, faint dimples still graced her cheeks.
Mu Zimo, dressed in a crisp uniform, sat rigidly across from her. He made no unnecessary movements, yet his presence was overwhelmingly intimidating.
Qiao An looked serious, but in reality, her mind was in a frantic brainstorm. She didn't know much about things on Blue Star and was terrified of giving herself away.
"Name?"
"Qiao An..."
"Age?"
"22..."
"Why were you out in the middle of nowhere late at night?"
Qiao An blinked her big eyes, looking at the handsome, stone-faced man before her, and couldn't help but praise him internally: 'So handsome!'
She really wanted to drool. It was in the Beast Taming Clan People's genes to be greedy for money and a sucker for a pretty face. Faced with an interrogation from such a handsome man, she was definitely going to cooperate.
"Um, I'm a treasure-hunting streamer. I go all over the place looking for treasure every day. According to my survey, that spot was prime real estate. I was sure there'd be a big score. So I packed my gear and set out overnight, but I never expected…"
...that instead of digging up cash, I'd dig up human scraps!
At this, Qiao An began to sigh dramatically, trotting out her well-rehearsed orphan sob story in an attempt to gain a little sympathy. There was nothing for it; jobs were hard to find these days, and with no real qualifications, she could only rely on this kind of opportunistic gig to make a living.
"Officer, I'm a law-abiding citizen! I was even livestreaming while I was digging. You have to believe I'm innocent…"
Getting emotional, Qiao An seized the opportunity to grab Mu Zimo's hand. He instinctively tried to pull it back but couldn't move it an inch. Mu Zimo's eye twitched. 'This girl's grip is absurdly strong!'
"I am Mu Zimo, captain of the criminal investigation team. Please cooperate and wait here for the time being."
Qiao An nodded like a bobblehead, but she reached out and grabbed Mu Zimo's hand again, sneakily copping a feel.
"Um, Officer, digging is hard work. I'm a little hungry. Could you get me something to eat…?"
Qiao An seemed a little embarrassed saying this, but she was so hungry she couldn't stand it. She'd already given the few snacks she had to those rats for their winter stash.
"Fine!"
Mu Zimo turned and left the interrogation room, but he went into the room next door. From behind the one-way glass, Mu Zimo crossed his arms, planning to slowly wear down her patience. Soon, an officer knocked and entered, holding a file.
"Captain, we've got the background check."
Mu Zimo reached for the file. As he read line after line in black and white, he couldn't help but furrow his brow.
Orphan, no parents. Clean record. Became unemployed due to company layoffs. Unable to find work, started streaming on a video platform, euphemistically calling it "treasure hunting" when it was really just digging holes everywhere. She was barely scraping by on meager donations.
Soon, an officer brought a boxed meal into the interrogation room. Qiao An didn't stand on ceremony; she tore it open and began to wolf it down. She ate so fast her chopsticks were a blur.
"Captain, looks like your patience-wearing tactic isn't working on this young lady…"
It couldn't be helped. Qiao An was completely at ease, showing no fear sitting in a police station. She'd flash a smile at anyone, bow, and act as obedient as a primary school student.
Soon, still not full, Qiao An started gesturing at the interrogation room's mirror. Then, looking slightly shy but incredibly determined, she yelled, "Officer, I'm not full! Can you bring me two more boxes? No, three! No, four more boxed meals!"
Including the one she'd just finished, under the watchful eyes of everyone present, Qiao An devoured a grand total of five boxed meals before letting out a satisfied burp.
Sprawled in her chair, Qiao An rubbed her little round belly, her body and soul content. She smiled until her eyes were crescents. 'Finally, a full meal!'
Full and content, Qiao An felt the comfortable warmth from the heater, and she started to feel drowsy. Completely unbothered by the fact that she was in an interrogation room, she propped up her head and started to doze off.
In the next room discussing the case, Mu Zimo watched Qiao An fall into a deep sleep and felt his eye twitch again.
"It's getting late. I'll arrange for someone to take you home…"
Qiao An felt a tap on her shoulder. She opened her eyes to the critical-hit-level handsome face of Mu Zimo and subconsciously drooled. 'Hehe, this handsome guy is so nice to look at.'
Ogling a handsome guy was fun, but it couldn't fill her stomach. Qiao An thought for a moment, then scratched her head sheepishly. "Um, you've all worked hard, you must be busy, right? You don't need to take me home. I'll, uh, I'll just wait until morning to go home."
Her acting was so over-the-top that Mu Zimo saw through it in an instant. He stood up straight and once again crossed his arms out of habit.
"You're not planning on staying for breakfast before you go, are you?"
Qiao An looked completely unfazed, not at all embarrassed at being caught. She had no understanding of the social customs on Blue Star, so naturally, she didn't care what others thought of her.
"Hehe, my stream was cut off suddenly yesterday, so I probably didn't make much money. If I go home, I'll just be hungry again…"
As one of the Beast Taming Clan People, Qiao An had very few material desires. She didn't like Blue Star's beauty standards for women—things like the "A4 waist," "chopstick legs," or the "pale, young, and skinny" look. She couldn't understand them. She believed a beautiful woman should be strong on the inside and have a healthy, powerful body.
The only stumbling block on her path to becoming a powerful woman was her single-digit bank balance. She didn't even dare add meat to her plain noodle soup!
So, for Qiao An right now, getting a full meal was the number one priority…
Mu Zimo was tall and had to look down slightly to see her eyes, which were burning with an intense desire for food. He found it difficult to refuse this girl who looked so small, yet could eat so much.
After an awkward cough, Mu Zimo put on his stern face, trying his best to act nonchalant. "It'll be morning soon anyway," he said. "You can wait in the main hall for a while."
Yawning, Qiao An rested for a bit in the lobby. Then, pretending her back was sore, she went to the entrance to do some stretches, but her feet carried her farther and farther away. Standing under a tree, she pinched her nose in disgust at a sewer grate and began to scold in a low voice.
"Why did you guys follow me?"
Hearing Qiao An's voice, a small head popped out from a gap in the sewer grate and started chattering.
"Master, Master, the boss told us to tell you, the man who buried the 'big score' stinks! He smells worse than we do hiding down here…"
"Yeah, yeah, he stinks real bad! We all stayed far away from him."
"And he was weird! He was obviously a man, but he was wearing strange shoes. Pointy, and red. So weird."
Listening to the information from the little rats, a profile of someone began to form in Qiao An's mind.
A man wearing red high heels, with strong body odor, short hair, and a sturdy build. His male characteristics must have been obvious for these guys with walnut-sized brains to have noticed them.
While she was lost in thought, Qiao An suddenly felt a breeze brush past her shoulder. Acting on pure muscle memory, she ducked, spun around, raised a hand, and clamped down on the wrist Mu Zimo had just lifted.
The two stared at each other awkwardly. Mu Zimo was shocked by Qiao An's rapid response, which was clearly the result of training. Qiao An, however, was beaming.
'Hee hee, I get to cop a feel of the handsome guy again!'
"Trained?"
The deep voice boomed in her ear. Qiao An's smile instantly vanished. No more giggling.