Chapter 20: The Black Cat Digs a Hole

«Lingling, staying up late is bad for your health,» Qin Chen said to Lingling, who was still staring at the computer, from inside the villa at two in the morning.

«That's why I choose to pull an all-nighter,» Lingling replied without turning her head.

This response left him speechless.

«Girls shouldn't stay up all night, or they won't get married in the future!» Qin Chen tried to persuade her again.

«Men can't be as fun as hunting monsters!»

Lingling's sharp reply left no room for counterarguments. He couldn't find any loopholes to refute her.

«Something's happening at Surveillance Point Three. Go quickly,» Lingling urged, her eyes fixed on the computer screen.

«Got it!»

Upon hearing this, Qin Chen immediately rushed out of the villa towards Surveillance Camera Three. He had personally installed these cameras, so he knew exactly where the third one was located.

However, when he arrived at Camera Three, he found nothing there. Even the lawn was intact, with no sign of any disturbance.

«Sound Wave Detection!»

Seven white stars connected into a star track at his feet, illuminating the surroundings like light bulbs. When the star track was completed, sound waves spread out from under his feet like ripples in a calm pond, expanding in all directions.

The sound waves acted like his eyes, revealing everything they touched and feeding back all the information. The waves covered the area with precision, even detecting objects within a meter underground. Qin Chen now observed everything within the sound wave's range from a god-like perspective.

«It actually dug a tunnel underground and even covered it with the lawn. Are monsters this smart nowadays? No wonder the police and city monster hunting teams can't find them. If it weren't for my sound magic, even being here wouldn't reveal anything.»

With his sound magic, everything around was laid bare. The monster that had disappeared had entered the fish pond through a pre-dug tunnel.

«Waiting for the prey. Since it entered from here, it will exit from here after stealing the fish.»

Qin Chen decided not to enter the fish pond to catch the monster. The tunnel was too small for him to enter, and he feared alarming the monster and letting it escape. Waiting here was the best strategy.

«Qin Chen, something unusual is happening at Point Four. Go check it out,» Lingling's voice came through the earpiece.

«Damn, are these monsters teaming up to steal fish?»

Upon hearing Lingling, Qin Chen immediately ran to Point Four. As expected, the same method was used, identical to the previous one, including the size of the hole. It was evident that the same kind of monster was responsible.

«Qin Chen, Points Five and Six are also showing abnormalities,» Lingling's voice came again.

«There are too many thieves. It's impossible to catch them all at once. I'll catch the first few.»

He didn't continue investigating but returned to the location of Surveillance Camera Three to wait for the monster to come out. Stealing fish takes some time, so if he could use this time difference to catch a few more, he would. If not, he had to at least catch one to report back.

At that moment, a one-meter-tall black cat emerged from the hole at Camera Three. Its bright eyes stood out in the darkness. It carried a large, half-dead fish in its mouth, with traces of fishy blood on its lips and a slightly bulging belly, indicating it had just had a feast. Before leaving, it even took a fish to go, truly a considerate cat!

Moreover, Qin Chen noticed that this was an advanced servant-level cat demon.

«Meow~~~»

Upon seeing Qin Chen, the black cat meowed and pounced at him. Though small and lean, it was incredibly fast. In the blink of an eye, it leaped, its sharp claws aiming for his throat.

«Magic Wand Sword!»

Qin Chen was no longer the novice he used to be. Now a mid-level mage, his physical strength and reaction speed had vastly improved. The Magic Wand Sword appeared in his hand instantly. Facing the black cat's attack, he raised the sword and slashed.

«Slash~«

The sword cut through the cat's claw, severing it cleanly. The blade continued towards the airborne cat, slicing it in two from head to tail. Blood spurted everywhere, a gruesome sight.

Since obtaining the Magic Wand Sword, Qin Chen had practiced with it for half an hour every day. After mastering mid-level spatial magic, he used spatial pressure to train his body, often injuring himself but then healing with absorbed life energy.

This extreme training had given him a strong physique and fluid swordsmanship. Now, even without magic, he could easily kill servant-level monsters with just the Magic Wand Sword.

«I thought it was a rat, but it turned out to be a cat. In this era, even cats can dig holes. What's next, pigs climbing trees?»

Qin Chen found it hard to believe. A cat digging holes was beyond his understanding of animals.

«Qin Chen, what are you doing? If this spot is cleared, move to the next. Point Four just showed another anomaly.»

Lingling's exasperated voice came through the earpiece, clearly annoyed at Qin Chen's laziness.

«Alright, alright, I'm just one person. I can't be everywhere at once.»

With that, Qin Chen immediately ran towards Point Four in the wild. If the cat demon had already left Point Four, there was no point in going back there. He would follow the cat's escape route instead.

With spatial power boosting his speed, he ran like the wind and soon caught up with the fleeing cat demon.

«Mind Control — Phantom Claw!»

In an instant, the star track connected, and a silver claw appeared in front of the black cat, grabbing its head with precision. With a twist, a crack sounded as the claw snapped the cat's neck. The fish in its mouth fell to the ground.

«Meow~«

At that moment, Qin Chen heard a faint meow. If not for his enhanced hearing from sound magic, he might have missed it. It seemed to be a signal!

«Qin Chen, all surveillance points that previously showed anomalies are acting up again. What's happening?» Lingling asked urgently.

«What else? They're being called home for dinner. Stay in the villa and don't come out. I'll check it out.»

Thinking of each black cat carrying a fish, Qin Chen realized these cats were stealing fish in an organized manner.

(End of Chapter)