“Lifespan Mall? What does that mean?”
Lu Ruo tentatively communicated with the System.
The System replied in a cheerful tone: [The Lifespan Mall preview has been activated for the host.]
A blue virtual screen appeared before Lu Ruo, with a countdown timer at the top.
[Host’s remaining survival days: 99 days.]
The only item Lu Ruo could currently redeem was the Life-Extending Pill in the first row, first column, which required 10 points.
She tapped on it, and the description read: [Extends life by three days. This portion of lifespan is healthy and comes with no side effects.]
In other words, the 10 points she had just earned could buy her three days of healthy life?
Lu Ruo’s hands were trembling, and her voice shook as she spoke: “I choose the Lifespan Mall.”
[Lifespan Mall has been activated. The host may redeem corresponding items.]
Hearing the System’s response, Lu Ruo redeemed the Life-Extending Pill and swallowed it. Sure enough, the life countdown changed to 102 days.
Thank goodness.
Lu Ruo’s eyes reddened.
It seemed she didn’t have to die after all—as long as she slowly completed tasks, she could extend her lifespan.
“Human, don’t cry. The cat found you a treasure that someone else had hidden!”
Lu Ruo, crying tears of joy, was quickly drawn to Huahua’s words.
The scrawny calico cat had a small black leather pouch in its mouth, staring at Lu Ruo with hopeful eyes. It desperately wanted the thing it had found to make Lu Ruo happy.
Not wanting to disappoint the little cat, Lu Ruo reached out and took the dirty leather pouch.
But the moment it was in her hands, something felt off. The shape of the items inside resembled a bracelet and a thumb ring.
She opened it and saw that was exactly what they were.
If these two items were genuine, did that mean she had found the Gu family’s stolen belongings with Huahua’s help?
Genuine or not, she should call the police first!
Lu Ruo dialed 110.
The police at the North City Police Station were anxious over the theft case.
A month had passed since the case occurred. Although they had caught the accomplice who had acted as an inside informant, the stolen treasures had not been found, and the other thieves were still at large.
The owner of the heirloom was an elderly woman with graying hair. To urge the police to work faster, she came to the station every day, leaning on her cane, watching them with earnest eyes.
Today was no exception.
The detective captain in charge of the case pulled a long face and tried to persuade her gently: “Grandma, the case is already being handled urgently. Coming back and forth like this every day isn’t good for your health…”
He was in the middle of convincing the old lady to go home when word came from the other side: “Captain Gu, a concerned citizen says they found the stolen bracelet and thumb ring in a trash pile!”
The detective captain’s eyes lit up sharply, and he waved his hand: “Let’s go—head to the reporting scene!”
Lu Ruo hadn’t expected the police to arrive so quickly. She only had time to ask Huahua one question—besides hearing someone mention treasure, was there anything else?
Huahua thought for a long while but hadn’t answered her yet when two police motorcycles appeared at the mouth of the alley.
The first person to get off was a man in a black T-shirt. He approached Lu Ruo while raising a hand to remove his helmet.
It was a motion that required no effort at all, yet the muscles in the man’s arms still radiated a vigorous sense of power.
It startled Lu Ruo into taking two steps back, and she nervously looked up to find the man’s face.
She feared this person might be a thief disguised as a police officer, and she was anxious to read something from his expression.
With the helmet gone, the man’s appearance was fully revealed. Short hair, a strikingly handsome face, and sharp brows beneath which dark, ink-black eyes gleamed like a sword being drawn from its sheath.
Noticing that Lu Ruo seemed afraid of him, he pulled out his credentials: “Hello, I’m Detective Gu Qi with the criminal investigation unit. I received your report that you found the items stolen from the Gu family a month ago.”
Lu Ruo saw the credentials, and the wariness in her heart slowly subsided.
“Yes, I’m the one who reported it. The items are here.” Lu Ruo handed the small black pouch to Gu Qi. “Sorry, but the cat brought it out to give to me, and I was curious, so I opened it. I haven’t touched the things inside, though, so I shouldn’t have damaged any fingerprints.”
Hearing Lu Ruo’s explanation, Gu Qi put on gloves and took the small leather pouch. He pulled it open, glanced inside, and froze.
He had come here with a skeptical mindset—after all, with so much police manpower mobilized and a month of searching yielding nothing, the report he’d received might just be someone trying to fraudulently claim the reward.
He never expected to see genuine items!
“Thank you for the lead you’ve provided.” Gu Qi sincerely thanked Lu Ruo. “However, the theft suspects haven’t been caught yet, so I’ll need to ask you to describe the events in detail.”
Lu Ruo knew there was a statement-taking process involved. Afraid that if she said she could understand cat language, the police would think she was insane, she only said that the cat had probably found it fun to carry the pouch out and give it to her.
As Lu Ruo spoke, Gu Qi’s gaze remained fixed on her.
A petite girl with a lack of color in her face and lips. She spoke in a soft, faint voice, as if she had no strength at all. Her large, red-rimmed eyes, however, were locked firmly on him—the light in her pupils being the only evidence that the girl still possessed the vitality of the living.
According to the information provided by the dispatcher, the girl was the daughter of the Lu family in the northern part of the city. She had been abducted at the age of three and was only found three years ago.
The Lu family was quite well-off, so how could they raise a girl like this?
Gu Qi’s brow furrowed even deeper, because he could clearly sense that there was something Lu Ruo was still hiding in her words.
Lying to the police—she was small, but she had quite the nerve.
Various speculations flashed through Gu Qi’s mind. Just as he was about to tell the little girl to tell the truth, an elderly voice came from the entrance of the alley: “A Qi, has grandma’s treasure been found?”
The voice also caught Lu Ruo’s attention.
She turned her head to look and saw a kind-faced elderly woman. The old lady had gray hair but walked with brisk steps, reaching Gu Qi’s side in a few strides. Her hands trembling, she reached for the small black leather bag in Gu Qi’s hand.
Gu Qi didn’t give it to her.
“Grandma, the item is real, and it’s been found, but we still need to take it back to the police station to complete the procedures before you can take it home.”
As he spoke, Gu Qi opened the bag and showed the old lady what was inside.
After all, it was a treasure she had kept by her side her whole life, and the old lady could tell at a glance that it was genuine. Tears welled up in her cloudy eyes, and she grabbed Lu Ruo’s hand: “Young lady, did you help me find it? Thank you so much. I’ll give you…”
Before she could finish listening to the old lady’s words, Lu Ruo felt her vision blur.
Because she had to get a medical check-up at the hospital, she hadn’t eaten anything all morning. Holding on until now was already the last of her strength.
When her head felt unbearably heavy, Lu Ruo struggled to speak: “It’s, it’s Hua, Huahua who found it. Thank, thank Hua…”
She had no strength left to say anything more.
She thought she would fall straight to the ground, but her face came into contact with something soft.
Before she could even figure out what had happened, her brain completely lost the ability to think.
…
Waking up from her faint, Lu Ruo found herself lying in a hospital.
There was some commotion outside the door.
“Old Mrs. Gu, thank you for being willing to call us. Ruo Ruo grew up in the mountains as a child and is used to running wild. She got into a fight with her family, refused to eat, ran off, and fainted from hunger on the roadside. We’re so sorry to have troubled you.”
Recognizing the speaker as her mother, Zhao Li, Lu Ruo frowned.
Why would she come?