Chapter 10: Are You a Demon?

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“Next up are the three rules,” Chi Feichi said this time without tearing the paper, putting away his notebook and pen. “First, no biting without my permission, especially not me. Second, we earn money together, and once we have it, I’ll buy you delicious treats...”

Fei Chi turned his body and stared at Chi Feichi, his forked tongue flicking out happily. “Delicious treats? I want to try the hamster from that shop next door!”

Such a gluttonous snake!

Chi Feichi was a bit speechless, but since he also loved food, he said, “No problem. If you want bamboo rats, I’ll buy them for you. As for how to make money... just follow my lead. Third, if one day you want to leave, don’t sneak away silently; you have to tell me.”

Fei Chi shook his head repeatedly, “I’m not leaving, I’m not going anywhere!”

“All right, then. Let’s go scout a place and prepare to make some money.” Chi Feichi picked up Fei Chi, ready to put him into the box.

Fei Chi flicked his tail, wrapping it around Chi Feichi’s wrist. “Don’t put me in there. It’s too stuffy.”

Chi Feichi calmly explained, “The ideal temperature for snakes is between 20 and 30 degrees Celsius. Above about 35 degrees, they lose appetite and get sick. Human body temperature exceeds 35 degrees, so if you stay on my hand too long, you’ll get sick.”

Luckily, Fei Chi didn’t have any strange smell. Otherwise, if he dared to crawl on him, Chi Feichi wouldn’t be able to resist pinching him to death...

“I’m not afraid of heat! Last time, some brat was playing with a lighter under the glass, and when I got close, it didn’t feel hot at all!” Fei Chi rambled, as if trying to prove a point, then wriggled back into the sleeve.

Chi Feichi reached in through the cloth and pressed down on the snake’s head. “Don’t push yourself. Also, you’re allowed to stay on my hands and neck, but don’t crawl anywhere else. Don’t bite me when you wake up confused, and be careful not to strangle my neck.”

“Don’t worry, I absolutely won’t!” Fei Chi stuck his head out of the sleeve and vowed with emphasis.

Chi Feichi stood up, picking up the note and the plastic suitcase.

Fei Chi coaxed, “You don’t have to bring the box, right?”

Chi Feichi said seriously, “Don’t litter. Plus, I’ll get you some food. When was the last time you ate?”

Fei Chi thought for a moment. “Three days ago.”

Suddenly, Chi Feichi remembered, “By the way, Fei Chi, today’s Sunday, right? Do you know what day tomorrow is?”

Fei Chi: “Tomorrow’s Friday!”

Chi Feichi: “...”

&>#~=#...!

...

The pet store selling hamsters.

Seeing Chi Feichi return, the female clerk was a little surprised but quickly put on a smile. “Have you decided to buy the hamsters after all?”

Chi Feichi nodded and handed over the transparent plastic suitcase. “Three males and three females.”

The box the snake seller gave was quite large, with enough space for six hamsters.

“All right, all right!” The wholesale manner left the clerk a little stunned. “Don’t you want to pick them yourself?”

“No need. The hamsters in your store are all good quality,” Chi Feichi glanced at a short-legged hamster nearby. “Put this one in too.”

The clerk was surprised again. “Ah? But...”

“I’m not planning to keep them long term,” Chi Feichi explained. “The other hamsters will be encouraged to be active, so their meat will be firmer. This one doesn’t need forced exercise; it’ll have a higher fat ratio and a softer taste. It’s nice to change up the flavor occasionally.”

The clerk froze.

Talking about meat texture... fat... flavor... in a pet store...

Are you a devil?

“Is there a problem?” Chi Feichi asked.

Meeting those cold and indifferent purple eyes, the clerk looked down at the snake flicking its tongue at her from Chi Feichi’s sleeve and shook her head seriously, “No, no problem...”

“Well then, please hurry. I have other business.”

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“All right, all right!”

A minute later, the clerk watched Chi Feichi leave, then turned to the other glass cages with little white mice inside.

Each plump hamster cuddled a seed, nibbling away, their shiny black eyes adorable. She worked here because she loved these little creatures...

But just now, she personally picked six to walk the road destined for death...

Her phone rang. She answered blankly.

“Hello...”

“Xia Mei, it’s me. Are you free to go shopping the day after tomorrow?”

“Ah?”

“What’s wrong with you?”

“Ah... nothing. The day after tomorrow... shopping... Can we go tomorrow instead?”

“Aren’t you working tomorrow?”

“I want to take a day off tomorrow...”

“But I have class tomorrow. A new transfer student is coming to my class! She’s a very cute little girl.”

“Oh, I see...”

“Seriously, what’s wrong with you?” The voice on the other end teased. “Did some handsome guy confess and you got rejected?”

A handsome guy?

The clerk inexplicably recalled Chi Feichi’s face, those demonized indifferent eyes in her memory, and the snake flicking its tongue at her. Looking back at the hamsters in the store, she felt traumatized and said seriously, “No, I think in the future I’ll just find someone average-looking... but their personality must be good!”

“You finally see sense. I told you before...”

...

Late at night.

A villa brightly lit.

A group of people walked dogs patrolling the yard, and over a dozen burly men stood by the gate.

Across the street, an empty house held a figure sitting on a tree trunk.

“One, two, three, four, five... five nice cars, plus five distinct groups of bodyguards...”

“Just happened to catch the people from the Inokawa Society Tokyo Executive Department having a meeting. What luck...”

“Good luck!”

Chi Feichi attached a bug transmitter to Fei Chi’s sharp tooth, adjusting repeatedly. “Feeling better now?”

Fei Chi closed his mouth. “Feels a bit weird, but okay!”

“Bear with it. If luck’s good, we can finish today.” Chi Feichi asked, “Did you remember that person’s face?”

“Of course!” Fei Chi said proudly. “Just one person!”

Chi Feichi chuckled. “Go ahead, be careful not to swallow it or get bitten by a dog.”

Fei Chi slid down the tree, crawled through the shadows, slipped through the iron gate crack, and disappeared.

Chi Feichi took out the bug, connected the headphones, listened for a while, and once he heard voices, adjusted for clarity and pressed record.

“...Those guys have been targeting you recently.”

“Those are all prohibited export items, after all. I can’t help it. There have been financial issues lately...”

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“This has crossed their bottom line. We should sell it off quickly...”

“I’ve already contacted the other party. The trade will be at a disused warehouse of Liuhe Heavy Industries outside Tokyo the day after tomorrow. Kiida, contact Assemblyman Kawaguchi again to try to suppress things...”

“Don’t you understand? The reason the Public Security Police are called political police is that getting Assemblyman Kawaguchi on board was a rare victory for the Inokawa Society!”

“Alright, calm down. It’s come to this. As long as we sell it quickly, no problem. Otherwise, not only will Mr. Kawaguchi be under Public Security surveillance, but so will the institute staff. Oh, and last time that...”

The meeting lasted over an hour.

Only after those people left one after another and the villa returned to silence did Fei Chi quickly swim out, slip into the opposite residence, and easily climb a tree.

“How was it? Was the info useless?”

“No, it was too useful,” Chi Feichi stared at the bug for a moment, then put on gloves and took out the memory card. “I’m considering asking for more money...”

Smuggling prohibited high-tech equipment, involving an assemblyman, two institute personnel, the storage site, and the smuggling trade’s location and time.

Plus the rough description of two murder cases, the Inokawa Society’s development plan for the next six months, and a plan about to be put on the agenda...

It’d be a huge loss not to ask for more!

Fei Chi relaxed and showed off. “As long as it’s useful. You could at least smile. I thought we wouldn’t make money. Come on, making money is good. Give me a smile for encouragement...”

“Ha ha ha.” Chi Feichi’s voice was almost monotone, his face expressionless. “Open your mouth. I’ll take the bug off for you.”

Fei Chi was speechless for a moment, then obediently opened his mouth. After Chi Feichi removed the bug, he muttered, “Don’t lie to me. Was that supposed to be a smile? I’ve seen many smiles, and that’s not one of them...”

Chi Feichi rummaged through his pocket, found a metal rod, silently put it away, then took out a thin shiny metal sheet. Holding it up as a makeshift mirror, he said, “Then you show me one.”

“Ha ha ha ha ha...!” Fei Chi laughed heartily, then stared at the unchanged snake face in the reflection and fell silent.

His smile looked pretty much the same...

Having successfully made Fei Chi doubt himself, Chi Feichi was satisfied. He packed up, cleaned the traces, climbed down the tree, and said, “Let’s go. We’re heading to his office to get those things he mentioned.”

“No way, you’re human. How can you compare to a snake?” Fei Chi grumbled and followed.

“You’re catching on? Not bad.” Chi Feichi left, skillfully erasing traces as he went.

Fei Chi: “...”

...

The next day.

Police Headquarters.

A young man sitting at a computer paused, his expression serious as he copied files, stood up, turned left, and knocked on his superior’s office door.

“What is it?”

“Mr. Kanbara, Numazawa Kichiro was arrested yesterday. I asked Osaka Prefectural Police Headquarters for the arrest details.”

“The bounty hunter with the codename July?” The middle-aged man behind the desk looked up from a pile of documents. “Good. At least get basic info like age and appearance. Have they sent you any info yet?”

There weren’t many bounty hunters active in Asia. The good ones mostly worked in Europe.

He originally thought the other party was someone with some skill, trying to take risks to make a living, but catching Numazawa Kichiro in less than a day was worth noticing.

“Yes, but Osaka Prefectural Police Headquarters doesn’t know much about him either. Age and appearance are unclear,” the young man said.

“Are they intentionally hiding something?” Kanbara Masaru frowned.

“No, the information they provided is very detailed,” the young man handed over a memory card with the copied files. “You should take a look yourself.”