A cold, abrupt sentence brought everything to an end. No matter how much Lu Ruo called out, the System gave no further response.
Lu Ruo panicked. She had originally thought the tasks would be simple, but now she didn’t even know why the last one had failed. If future tasks were going to be this difficult, could she really change her fate of death with only 103 days left to live?
Lu Ruo lowered her gaze, her expression dazed, until she suddenly heard Duoduo muttering to itself: "Ah, the one who saw the good show lost control and almost forgot the important business!"
"Human, you need to tell Grandma that her cousin is a bad guy. He had someone steal Grandma's treasure and pretended to be a good person to comfort her."
"Whenever Grandma isn't looking, he always tries to hit me."
"Hurry up, tell Grandma that man is just that bad, and make her kick him out."
Duoduo rattled off a long string of sentences. Stunned by the information, Lu Ruo spoke up, "Is what you're saying true? The person who stole Grandma Gu's treasure was acting under orders?"
If that were the case, everything made sense! There was still a criminal at large, which was why the task hadn't been completed. If she told Gu Qi about this and let the police catch that cousin, she would be able to extend her life by another three days!
Lu Ruo looked toward Gu Qi, only to be met by a pair of deep, obsidian eyes filled with scrutiny. She looked at Grandma Gu, who was also wearing a look of shock and suspicion.
Lu Ruo felt a wave of annoyance wash over her. In her momentary loss of composure, she had spoken directly to Duoduo and exposed the secret she had intended to hide. She had been so adamant earlier about telling the cat not to talk to her, yet she had turned out to be the foolish one.
What now? What excuse could she use to muddle through this? And if she couldn't, what would Gu Qi and Grandma Gu do?
Seeing Lu Ruo turn pale, Gu Qi covered his lips with his hand and coughed twice, trying to buy time to frame his words more gently. In truth, he had long been suspicious of Lu Ruo’s behavior, but he never expected the reality to be so fantastical. This girl, who had just come of age, actually possessed the ability to communicate with cats without barriers!
Old Madam Gu spoke up, her voice lowered. "My dear granddaughter, don't be afraid. Can you understand what the cat is saying?"
"Your grandfather, who passed away too early to meet you, always loved telling stories. He said that during the war, he had a comrade who was born with the ability to understand bird language, and it helped their squad a great deal."
"So, the fact that you were speaking directly to Duoduo—we aren't surprised, really."
"Isn't that right, Gu Third?"
While comforting Lu Ruo with her words, Old Madam Gu was secretly pinching Gu Qi's thigh as hard as she could. Her late husband had never had a comrade who could understand bird language; he was just good at training birds. But Lu Ruo looked so guilty and frightened; if she didn't lie to soothe her, Lu Ruo's distress might affect her health.
Lu Ruo was a good girl. Even if her ability to talk to cats was a bit peculiar and had startled her, she was still a good girl—the granddaughter she had chosen herself. If she didn't protect her own granddaughter, who was suffering from such a serious illness, what kind of person would that make her?
As for the pinching… the men of the Gu family lacked emotional intelligence; when they got stubborn, they could say things that hurt people. Take her grandson, Gu Qi—ever since he became a criminal investigator, everything had to make way for his sense of national duty. His upright character was fine, but if he tried to send her favorite granddaughter to the Ministry of State Security for interrogation in the name of that "duty," she, as the matriarch, would be the first to object!
The more Old Madam Gu thought about it, the angrier she became, and she increased the pressure of her pinch. Even though Gu Qi had undergone professional training and possessed a certain resistance to pain, he couldn't help but wince.
"Grandma, have mercy," Gu Qi pleaded, also lowering his voice. "I will report the situation concerning Comrade Lu Ruo truthfully. Don't worry, the things you're afraid of won't happen."
"Her ability to communicate with cats is real. The state will only focus on protecting her; they will never harm her. Think about drug-sniffing dogs—perhaps in the future, she could manage a national drug-sniffing cat squad?"
A drug-sniffing cat squad?
Gu Qi’s words dissipated the fear in Lu Ruo's heart. Yes, if she used this ability to do something useful for the country, the state would naturally protect her. She wouldn't have to keep secrets or constantly fear being discovered as different from others.
"I... can I really apply for state protection?" Lu Ruo raised her hand cautiously. "Maybe I really could establish a drug-sniffing cat squad."
"Of course," Gu Qi said firmly. "If you are willing to use this ability for the right path, the state will naturally protect you. I don't know if you’ve heard of cases where prisoners sentenced to life were released unconditionally because they invented equipment useful to the country."
Lu Ruo had indeed heard of such things. When her teacher asked them about their future aspirations, she had looked up guides for civil service exams and stumbled upon a video about it. If even a prisoner could be protected by the state for their talent, she was a law-abiding citizen; as long as she used her ability for the good of the country, she would surely have a bright future.
Lu Ruo finally felt happy again. "I understand. I will use my ability well."
With a sense of direction, Lu Ruo stopped hiding things and relayed what she had just heard from Duoduo. "Grandma, Duoduo just said that your cousin is the mastermind behind this theft. Duoduo heard him instructing the servants to do it."
Old Madam Gu never expected Duoduo to be talking about this. Her cousin from her maternal side always wore a smile and was exceptionally filial to her. Whenever he visited, he would bring her favorite foods and never accepted any valuable gifts in return. To repay this, she had even asked her eldest grandson to help out with her cousin’s business.
Every time Duoduo saw the cousin, it would enter a state of combat, trying to scratch him. She had assumed the cat just had trouble accepting humans outside the family, and sometimes when Duoduo went too far, she would even scold it. It turned out this cousin was a bad apple after all?
Old Madam Gu was filled with remorse toward Duoduo. "Duoduo, Grandma is sorry. I didn't know he was a bad person. Before, when you scratched him, I even put you in the doghouse. I'm sorry."
When Duoduo heard Old Madam Gu's apology, its light green eyes suddenly brightened. It turned out that having a human who could understand it was such a great thing! Grandma was actually apologizing for the misunderstanding!
"Quick, tell Grandma again—I don't want to go on a diet! I want to eat meat and canned food in big bites!"
Lu Ruo relayed Duoduo’s request to Old Madam Gu, but the Old Madam replied directly: "That won't do. The doctor said you're too fat and it will make you sick."
Hearing this, Duoduo looked dejected and flicked its tail as it trotted to the side.
With the fat cat no longer meowing, Gu Qi finally found an opportunity to speak. He asked Lu Ruo, "Comrade Lu Ruo, is there any other information Duoduo can provide?"