The sound of her footsteps gradually faded away.
Inside the alley, You Min leaned against the wall and pulled out a calming agent, injecting it into himself.
The burning heat in his lower body took a long time to subside…
You Min let out a low grunt as the snake-like pupils in his eyes slowly faded within the darkness.
What exactly had that strange scent been just now?
It had actually triggered a beastman’s heat cycle!
Aside from treatments designed to stimulate and accelerate heat periods, the entire interstellar world had no scent capable of provoking arousal. Yet within mere seconds, it had awakened You Min’s beastly instincts.
…That girl definitely carried some kind of secret.
Was it a new experiment from the Science Center? Or some hidden project secretly created by the Paranormal Association?
Frowning, You Min lit a cigarette and looked toward the place where something had fallen earlier.
Something there was reflecting light.
“Boss? Hello, boss?”
Terrifying screams echoed through the communication device. You Min’s expression darkened as he coldly asked,
“Has the Science Center been conducting some secret experiment again?”
“Hah… let me think. You mean the biochemical drug case from last month? After that incident got exposed, the project was already shut down. It was a huge scandal! The police department suppressed the public outrage, and if the silver-haired female hadn’t attracted everyone’s attention recently, the police, Paranormal Association, and Science Center would probably still be surrounded by interstellar reporters!”
The screams on the other end continued before the voice added,
“Boss, what exactly are you trying to investigate?”
“Heh… just look into that biochemical drug.”
You Min bent down and picked up the glowing keychain, quietly slipping it into his coat.
Lu Yi ran home in panic, only realizing at the front door that her keys were missing.
“I really have… terrible luck…”
N-No, wait. This interstellar world didn’t even have Mercury.
Tears blurred her eyes as the panic she had been suppressing finally exploded.
Using her sleeve to wipe away her tears, Lu Yi hurried around to the backyard and climbed onto the second-floor balcony using the small ladder she had hidden there.
There was no point crying.
Because tomorrow, she still had to go to work.
But…
She had not bought groceries.
Clutching her stomach, Lu Yi descended from the second floor and searched the cabinet until she found a few cakes close to expiring.
She stuffed several mouthfuls of cake into her mouth before suddenly noticing the kitten in the cage staring at her.
Under the dim lighting, its round eyes narrowed slightly, seemingly curious about her thief-like behavior.
“Meow~”
Having another living creature inside the villa still felt unfamiliar to Lu Yi.
While eating cake, she crouched down in front of the cage.
“Meow?”
Hermoke detected a strange scent lingering on Lu Yi.
She seemed to have been close to someone…
And there was even the faint acidic scent of heat?!
“Meow meow meow~”
Hermoke immediately moved closer to sniff her, wanting to confirm his suspicions.
Lu Yi mistakenly thought the kitten was trying to please her. The exhaustion from surviving tonight’s ordeal softened her slightly, and she broke off a piece of cake to toss into the cage.
The people around her in the past all loved cats.
They thought cats were soft to touch and adorable when they meowed. They believed burying one’s face into a fluffy cat belly could heal every hardship in life.
But Lu Yi had once been scratched by a cat, and ever since then, she had been terrified of them.
She thought such creatures were fierce and evil…
Yet now, the golden kitten’s ears twitched gently while its nose constantly leaned closer to sniff her.
What if she tried touching it?
Trembling, Lu Yi slowly extended her hand forward, accidentally brushing against the kitten’s wet nose.
“Ugh…”
Goosebumps immediately rose across her body, and she quickly pulled her hand back.
Meanwhile, Hermoke’s gaze sharpened.
There truly was the scent of another male in heat on Lu Yi’s body!
She had not entered through the front door, meaning she had lost her keys. Her hands were empty, meaning she had never bought groceries…
So where exactly had she gone just now?
Could she have encountered another important person?!
Hermoke immediately began scratching at the cage.
“Meow meow meow!”
“Meow meow meow meow!”
His eyes widened desperately as he tried to get Lu Yi to let him out!
This damned cage even had a password lock on it—he could not even transform!
But Lu Yi was completely unmoved. Instead, she became irritated by his increasingly noisy cries. Her soft voice sharpened slightly.
“No more meowing! If you keep it up, I’ll send you to Grandpa Wolf on the next street!”
Hermoke: ……
Based on Lu Yi’s attitude toward cats, Hermoke fully believed she would actually do it.
This truly was…
A failed field mission!
For the first time in his life, he had softened because of someone like Lu Yi!
This cage was basically his own self-made prison!
The next morning, Lu Yi left for work looking exhausted.
She retrieved her keys from inside the flowerpot near the entrance while muttering to herself,
“This time I absolutely need to replace the lock with a biometric one…”
Before leaving, she turned back to look at the kitten.
The little thing lay pitifully inside the cage, staring longingly at her as she prepared to leave.
…Fine. She would let it out tonight.
The busiest departments in the Paranormal Association were Yalan’s Operations Division and the Affairs Department responsible for miscellaneous work.
Looking at the mountain of work before her, Lu Yi nearly stopped breathing.
…This was simply too much bullying!
The complaint letter still had not been sent, but after several consecutive days of suppression, Lu Yi was already close to giving up entirely.
“Oh? The intern’s here.”
Miss Nepotism herself walked gracefully back to her workstation in an expensive dress, deliberately bumping into Lu Yi on the way.
Without saying anything, Lu Yi approached the pile of work and rapidly sorted through all the documents, separating the tasks that did not belong to her.
“What’s wrong? Finally reached your limit? I thought you could endure until the next intern arrived.”
Tao Zhi casually crumpled a paper ball and threw it toward her, her tone filled with contempt.
“Disgusting commoner.”
“You belong in some secondhand video store on the street corner… What qualifications do you have to work in the Paranormal Association? Hm?”
Biting her lower lip, Lu Yi suddenly threw the separated stack of documents back out.
Tao Zhi’s expression instantly turned cold.
“You actually dare show attitude?”
Walking over to Lu Yi, Tao Zhi poured the entire cup of hot coffee directly onto the documents.
“Tao Zhi!”
Lu Yi stepped backward as several drops of scalding coffee splashed onto her arm.
“Oh dear, all the files are ruined. How careless of the intern.”
Tao Zhi smiled darkly, clearly enjoying the pleasure of humiliating others.
“T-These need to be submitted tomorrow! Lu Yi, you’ll have to redo all of them!”
“Yeah, yeah! Lu Yi, what’s wrong with you? You can’t even handle simple work properly. No wonder Sister Tao Zhi scolds you!”
The surrounding voices all joined in.
Struggling to hold back her tears, Lu Yi raised her voice loudly and declared:
“…I quit!”
Then she grabbed the soaked files and threw them directly at Tao Zhi.
“I’m done! Find someone else to do it!”
Tao Zhi shrieked furiously.
“You filthy commoner!”
Lu Yi’s chest rose and fell rapidly. This job was driving her to the brink of collapse.
“Lu Yi!”
Someone suddenly grabbed her arm.
It was a quiet female coworker who rarely spoke. There was a trace of warning in her eyes.
“Don’t provoke her… She’s the daughter of the Operations Minister. Just endure a little longer. Once the three months are over, you’ll become a regular employee.”
Lowering her voice, she seemed to understand Lu Yi’s situation.
“Don’t you still have student loans to repay…? Quitting now isn’t suitable. Once the bank blacklists you, you know what happens—”
“I can find other work.”
Lu Yi seemed to have finally made up her mind.
Tao Zhi let out a cold snort.
“Fine. Such little patience. As expected, fresh graduates are useless. You can’t even endure this tiny amount of suffering after entering society?”
“Listen carefully. You graduates shouldn’t aim so unrealistically high. If you won’t do this job, there are plenty of others who will!”
Suddenly, the Affairs Department door opened.
A cold and stern voice rang out.
“Lu Yi.”