Chapter 253: The Entire Family Is Dead
Chapter 253: Chapter 253: The Entire Family Is Dead
[System 009: Congratulations on completing the Level 3 mission: Decipher. Rewards received: Earthworm Dictionary, 100 points, 1,000,000 in cash.]
Renee Jennings heard the good news the moment she woke up. She stretched contentedly, kicking off a happy and beautiful day.
After breakfast, she went into the yard to record a video of the dogs. She planned to post it online to encourage people to adopt, not shop.
After finishing the video, Renee Jennings played with her furry children for a bit. When she returned to the living room, she saw a message from Sawyer in the group chat.
Justin Doyle’s computer contained numerous videos of his own crimes. With sufficient evidence, he had been placed under criminal detention.
Renee Jennings raised an eyebrow. ’No wonder I just got the mission completion notification.’
’Yesterday, I thought the mission was to crack the code to Evan Shepherd’s house. Turns out it was about cracking the code of his death.’
Renee Jennings was lying languidly on the sofa scrolling through her phone when she suddenly remembered something important.
Toto, the runaway!
When she went to Everwood Manor yesterday, she had left Toto at the pet store downstairs.
’I almost forgot about him.’
Renee Jennings hurried upstairs to change her clothes, then drove out to pick up Toto.
When Blueberry saw Renee Jennings holding a cat in her arms, its world instantly came crashing down.
’Another cat? There are already enough of us competing for her affection!’
Toto, for his part, hadn’t expected Renee Jennings’s home to have so many little animals—including one that looked an awful lot like him!
Toto was very excited. His eyes were wide and round, shining with an almost startling intensity.
As Renee Jennings was introducing Toto, Blueberry was too angry to listen. It turned and dashed into its little den, adopting a posture that clearly refused any communication with the outside world.
Watching from afar, Renee Jennings felt both amused and helpless.
’This little one is such a jealous creature.’
After introducing Toto to everyone, Renee Jennings took a creamy cat treat and went to find Blueberry.
Catching a glimpse of Renee Jennings, the sulking Blueberry shifted its body, turning its back to her.
This little act didn’t escape Renee Jennings’s notice. She laughed in exasperation. "Blueberry, are you planning to ignore me forever?"
Blueberry didn’t make a sound.
Renee Jennings said, "Fine. If you’re going to ignore me, then I’ll ignore you too."
With that, she got up and made a show of leaving.
Blueberry turned its head back, and seeing she was actually leaving, it quickly stretched out a little paw and grabbed her ankle. "Renee, how could you? You’re not even going to try and cheer me up!"
"I was going to cheer you up," Renee Jennings said, pursing her lips and feigning a hurt expression. "But you showed me your butt. How could I not be heartbroken!"
"I didn’t mean to!" Blueberry sounded even more aggrieved than her. "It’s because you made me mad!"
Renee Jennings asked with a sigh, "Do you get mad just because I bring a new cat home?"
Blueberry’s nose twitched, and with teary eyes, it let out a pitiful meow. "There used to be only one cat in this house—me. Now there are so many rivals for your affection."
"Are you a little silly goose?" Renee Jennings reached out and ruffled its fluffy head, her voice gentle. "Isn’t it better to have a livelier home? Think of it this way: you have more friends to play with every day. Besides, aren’t you the boss around here? When a new member joins, you should be the one to welcome them, not run off in a huff."
When Blueberry heard this, it thought for a moment and realized she had a point.
’Even though there are more rivals for her affection, I won’t be lonely anymore.’
"Blueberry, you’re my very first kitty," Renee Jennings said with a smile. "How could I ever bear to make you angry?"
Blueberry thought, ’The first kitty must be the most special kitty to Renee.’
’Renee brings all these little animals home because she’s afraid I’ll get bored. She wants them to keep me company.’
Its golden eyes grew brighter and brighter. "Renee, I get it now! From now on, when you bring little animals home, I won’t get angry anymore!"
"Really?" Renee Jennings raised an eyebrow.
"Really!" Blueberry nodded solemnly. "I’ll be a good role model and a good boss from now on!"
The corners of Renee Jennings’s lips curled up, the smile in her eyes deepening. "That’s great. I knew you were a good kitty."
Blueberry said with delight, "Then I’ll go say hi to Toto now!"
"Okay." Renee Jennings patted its head again. "Go on."
Blueberry padded gracefully toward Toto, meowing, "Hi Toto, I’m Blueberry, the first kitty of this house..."
Renee Jennings watched for a while, and seeing the two cats getting along, she could finally relax.
’Then again, Toto might not stay here forever. Freestyle Pie might take him away.’
At the thought of Freestyle Pie, Renee Jennings’s slender brows slowly furrowed.
She picked up her phone, composed a message, and sent it to Henry Stark: [Didn’t you have someone watching Freestyle Pie yesterday? Any updates?]
「On the other side, at Blissborne Garden.」
Old Hag Crawford sat under a large tree cracking sunflower seeds, her eyes glued to the third-floor balcony of Building Six.
As she spat out the shells, she thought, ’What’s the deal? Why haven’t I seen any of the Jennings lately? Did the whole family just drop dead or something?’
Just then, two strangers in expensive clothes, who were clearly not from an ordinary family, caught her attention.
"Are you looking for..." Old Hag Crawford began, sizing them up curiously. She stood, about to sidle over for a chat, but the pair walked straight toward Building Six without giving her a second glance.
"Pah," she spat out a shell and grumbled, "Damn snobs."
A moment later, she spotted the two from the third-floor staircase window.
’Looking for the Jennings?’ Old Hag Crawford’s face was a picture of surprise, a hint of jealousy stirring within her.
’Why do rich people keep coming to see them!’
Before long, the pair came back downstairs. Old Hag Crawford greeted them with a plastered-on smile. "Are you looking for the Jennings family?"
Zachary Morgan sized her up, his brows furrowing.
Aria Sinclair looked at Old Hag Crawford, a flash of distaste in her eyes, before forcing a polite smile. "What is your relationship with the Jennings family?"
"I’m their good neighbor and good friend," Old Hag Crawford said. "Are you looking for them?"
"Yes." Aria Sinclair didn’t want to make another trip to this slum. After a moment’s hesitation, she said with a smile, "And your surname is?"
Old Hag Crawford was all smiles. "My surname is Crawford. I’m probably older than you, so you can just call me Ms. Crawford."
Mary the Sparrow, perched on a branch, watched Old Hag Crawford’s fawning expression with eyes full of contempt.
’What a disgusting Old Hag!’
Aria Sinclair’s tone was distant. "Ms. Crawford, could I trouble you to contact someone from the Jennings family?"
"What do you need from the Jennings for?" Old Hag Crawford was a woman with no tact and no sense of boundaries.
Aria Sinclair replied, "It’s a private matter."
Old Hag Crawford rolled her eyes internally, then put on a mournful face. "Such terrible luck. The Jennings were in a car accident a few days ago. The whole family was wiped out."
The color drained from Aria Sinclair and Zachary Morgan’s faces. The couple exchanged a look, momentarily at a loss for how to react.
"D-dead?" Aria Sinclair clutched her handbag, asking in disbelief, "Is that true?"
Old Hag Crawford continued cracking seeds. "Of course it’s true. What would I gain from lying to you?"
Mary overheard this and was instantly furious. She flew over and pecked furiously at the woman’s head. "You rotten Old Hag! How dare you put a curse on Renee!"