To be honest, Cipher's first thought was that Meng Xingyao had gone out early and sold her out.
But she immediately dismissed that possibility.
After all, she was still safely inside the girl's house.
And after committing her crimes, aside from the Cat Coins she left behind, no one should have been able to discover her presence.
Even if there were capable individuals or supernatural experts, it shouldn't have taken this long to find out.
"So how did these people learn my identity?"
Thinking this, Cipher eagerly began scrolling through the post, her fingertips lightly gliding across the screen.
After some investigation, the truth gradually surfaced.
It turned out people had discovered a Cat Girl stealing things, but by a strange twist of fate, they had mistakenly identified her as Cipher.
Although this cunning Cat Girl still hadn't been captured, everyone had already worked together to tightly restrict her activity range to a certain area.
[We hope those interested will go to assist.]
"So someone is taking the fall for me?"
After understanding the situation, Cipher felt both amused and exasperated.
Had she run into a fellow professional?
Regardless of whether this so-called Cat Girl was some Ability User or someone deliberately dressed up like this, Cipher had to admit—the other party had successfully caught her attention.
"Sparkle's purpose for coming to Canglan City has already been fulfilled, so she has left Canglan City. So even if this person is a trap, I don't need to worry."
Cipher quickly got up like a lazy cat, raising her arms high as she stretched with a long, luxurious motion.
As her body extended, her curvy, streamlined figure was naturally revealed, her graceful lines resembling a finely crafted work of art that could make anyone pause to admire.
After the stretch, Cipher's gaze returned to her phone.
"Viewing Tide Residence... Oh, what a coincidence, it's actually so close."
After confirming the location, she couldn't help but smile.
In Canglan City, Viewing Tide Residence is a well-known villa district, inhabited only by the wealthy and influential.
The entire area is designed in a circular layout, with roads following the mountain slope from high to low, cleverly divided into upper, middle, and lower refined zones.
And Cipher was currently in the lower zone, near the outskirts of Viewing Tide Residence.
Although it wasn't the core area, the prices here were relatively affordable; anyone with sufficient financial means could move in.
However, based on her experience, no matter how she looked, Cipher couldn't find any trace of wealth in Meng Xingyao.
Still, she hadn't expected this so-called unlucky soul to appear in Viewing Tide Residence.
Her eyes lit up, and a mischievous smile curled at the corner of her lips.
"Hehe, if you're a fellow professional, your assets must be considerable, right? Rather than letting those Ability Users benefit, why not let This cat take advantage?"
As she spoke, she casually flipped a coin between her fingers, a sly smile blooming on her face.
Whoosh!!!
A bolt of golden lightning suddenly burst from Cipher's body.
As the light faded, her figure disappeared along with it.
Meanwhile, groups of low to mid level Ability Users were also advancing towards Viewing Tide Residence.
"Bro, are you also here for the bounty?" a voice whispered.
"More than that! The amount she's stolen is probably piled up like a mountain. If we succeed, we could coast for the rest of our lives!"
"Damn! Why didn't I think of that! Hurry, let's not let others get the advantage!"
With that, he grabbed his companion and ran.
Whoosh!!!
A streak of golden lightning appeared, landing precisely on the balcony of a nearby villa.
As the lightning dissipated, Cipher's figure materialized like a phantom.
She landed lightly on the balcony's edge, her gaze scanning below like a sharp blade.
Clearly, she had heard the whispers of those sneaky individuals.
A playful smile lifted the corner of her lips, her voice tinged with pride.
"I didn't expect my reputation had already grown this big."
But soon, her willow-like brows furrowed slightly as she looked into the distance with confusion.
"Even if this is a trap, isn't this 'Cat Phantom Thief' a bit too incompetent?
With skills like that, how dare she come specifically to a villa district?"
Although Viewing Tide Residence wasn't the Ability Bureau, the people living here were all at least wealthy or influential.
So naturally, the security here wouldn't be weak.
And now, the other party was about to be surrounded by Ability Users rushing in?
Cipher (๑˙ー˙๑)?: "With skills like that, you might as well go snatch lollipops from children. Why come here just to throw yourself into danger?"
Cipher didn't understand, but she respected it.
Respect others' fate—let go of the savior complex.
Cipher (ಡωಡ): "But to prevent your shiny golden 'coins' from being left to rot in the wild, these ill-gotten goods will be properly safeguarded by this considerate cat!"
No sooner said than done, Cipher transformed into a streak of golden light once more, disappearing in the blink of an eye.
The few who hadn't gone far suddenly felt their vision blur.
They inexplicably felt that something was off.
"Boss, did lightning just strike over there? It looked golden."
"Are you drunk from last night? Where's the lightning in broad daylight?"
"Really? Then we—holy shit, bro, what's on your face?!"
"Little bro, why is your face covered in these dark scribbles?!"
At that moment, the group stared at each other in confusion, their faces now covered in messy graffiti.
Meanwhile, a certain cat who had just "done a good deed" had already left the area.
Cipher (σ′▽‵): Although the cat you were talking about wasn't me, since I ran into you... hehehe.
"...Is everyone here?"
"Director, about half of the Ability Bureau personnel have arrived, but many independent operators have already responded to the commission."
"Is that so?"
Liu Yunshuang's expression showed little joy.
How could she not understand the small schemes in those Ability Users' minds?
However, this was a rare opportunity.
This Cat Phantom Thief had been stealing for a long time, always leaving no traces behind.
This time, the other party had bad luck and accidentally stole from her own home.
Although they weren't caught on the spot, now that a flaw had finally been exposed, she couldn't let it slip.
Thus, Liu Yunshuang issued her orders.
"Have those independent operators follow commands. Keep a tight watch on all areas. Afterward, the Ability Bureau's rewards won't be lacking."
Cipher, observing all of this from the shadows, couldn't help but twitch the corner of her mouth.
Well, well. No wonder the situation looked so miserable. So the target had stolen directly from the Director of the Supernatural Ability Bureau.
Having visited the Ability Bureau several times, Cipher naturally recognized this woman.
After all, she had once boldly stolen sweets right off the woman's desk in front of her.
First time strangers, second time acquaintances—after a few more encounters, they were practically familiar.
I have to admit, the high-end sweets she buys really are delicious.
After silently giving a thumbs-up in her heart, Cipher's figure disappeared once again.
Meanwhile, inside the bathroom of a certain villa...
A stream of muttered complaints could be heard.
"Damn it, I didn't expect that woman to have some skill—she's actually not ordinary."
A girl with soft gray cat ears stood there, a gray-blue gradient tail drooping behind her, her expression tinged with frustration.
"And that annoying Cat Phantom Thief, meow! If you're going to steal, just steal—why leave behind such strange evidence?! Now everyone is extremely vigilant against theft! What are we fellow professionals supposed to do, meow?!"
The Cat Girl grew so angry her tail puffed up, stomping her foot in frustration.
Then she quickly lowered her head, rapidly thinking through an escape plan.
At that moment, a voice suddenly sounded behind her.
"You can't say that, you know. As the saying goes, if the cat isn't capable, don't blame the road. If you had just stuck to petty theft, that would be one thing—but why insist on competing with This cat for performance?"