In the middle of nowhere, next to an earthen pit cordoned off with warning tape, Qiao An squatted without a care in the world, playfully tugging on an owl's feathers. Annoyed to no end, the owl had no choice but to let her repeatedly pull at its tail.
Tilting its adorably vacant-looking head, the owl asked in confusion, "Treasure hunting? What's treasure hunting?"
In the owl's world, it seemed only food was precious.
Qiao An began to explain patiently, doing her best to educate the owl with what little knowledge she had.
"It's like, you know where there's good, valuable stuff, and I go dig it up..."
Before Qiao An could finish her spiel, the owl cut in to ask, "What's 'good stuff'? And what's 'valuable'?"
...
Trying to explain this to an owl was like talking to a brick wall—a complete waste of breath!
Resigned, Qiao An could only pull a few pieces of jerky from her pocket and stuff them into the owl's beak.
"You don't understand a thing. It's like you've lived for nothing." The gulf between humans and animals was vast, and Qiao An couldn't force it. She resigned herself and continued, "Never mind, never mind. If you ever can't find food, come look for me, okay?"
As a Class II protected species, the owl raised its noble head and seemed to look at Qiao An with a disdainful gaze.
"I'm a great hunter in this territory. How could I ever be without food? Who are you looking down on!"
To prevent this owl from starving in the cold winter, staff members would even come by from time to time to check on it, and would immediately provide food if needed.
Feeling scorned, Qiao An wasn't angry. She could only retaliate by ruffling the owl's feathers.
"I know, I know, you're the best owl in the whole world. I'm heading home for now. If you need anything, come find me."
Riding a shared bike, she continued to speed through the cold wind. She had just gotten back to the outskirts of the Urban Village when she heard a few barks. The familiar sound made Qiao An slam on the brakes and rush to the end of a small alley.
"What are you doing?"
A few dirty-looking children were ganging up on the black-furred stray dog. The same creature that had been so majestic in front of Qiao An that morning was now running around with its tail between its legs. Its half-hearted snarling and barking did nothing to make the kids leave.
Hearing her shout, the children, who had just been laughing, paid her no mind and continued to whip the stray dog with tree branches.
'Bratty kids are the worst...'
Staying out of the security camera's range, Qiao An's eyes narrowed slightly. It seemed as if layers of black fur were rapidly growing from under her skin. Her mouth protruded, and acting on instinct, she let out a few barks.
A huge canine shadow appeared behind Qiao An. The brats turned their heads and were terrified, shouting tremulously, "A dog... the stray dog's become a monster!"
Terrified, the children dropped their branches and turned to run. A few of them, whose legs had gone soft, fell right to the ground, practically scrambling and crawling away.
Pfft.
'That ought to scare you little brats. Let's see if you dare bully poor little animals again.'
The stray dog wasn't hurt, but dodging its attackers had taken a lot of energy. Now, seeing a familiar face, it collapsed at Qiao An's feet to catch its breath.
"Silly dog, those people were bullying you. Why didn't you bite them?"
When hurt, you should fight back. But the stray dog was perfectly lucid as it lay at Qiao An's feet, licking its fur.
"I can't just bite people. Otherwise, I'll get taken away."
Though it didn't know what had happened to its brothers and sisters in the end, stray dogs that bit people never came to a good end.
As if struck by a thought, Qiao An squatted next to the stray dog and sighed with empathy, "Sigh... It's a pity you're not a protected species. Your status is too low, so you can only be bullied."
'Just as pathetic as me. No money, no power, forced to hole up in a rundown place like the Urban Village.'
'If one day I can't pay rent either, won't I become homeless?'
As if spurred on by the stray dog, Qiao An resolved to make some money. She asked with impassioned generosity, "Stray dog, do you know where any good stuff is? I'm going out to livestream some treasure hunting tonight. If you give me a tip, there's a big reward in it for you!"
True to her word, Qiao An immediately pulled a few cheap sausages from her pocket—the kind made especially for dogs.
The stray dog, munching on the sausage, thought for a moment. It roamed all over this area. Unlike the naive owl, it actually knew quite a few things.
"You should check out the east side. I heard a lot of rich people used to live there, but they've all moved away now..."
Qiao An wasn't very familiar with the city. After all, she was an outsider. The original owner of her body had come here looking for a job. According to records from the orphanage, her parents seemed to be here, which was why she had resolutely come to D City alone after turning eighteen.
"Good dog! If I can dig up something good this time, you can stick with me from now on. I'll take care of you!"
An expert at making empty promises, Qiao An was feeling smug, but the stray dog wasn't buying it at all. After finishing the sausage, it wagged its tail and ran off.
Having gotten a lead, Qiao An skipped home happily. Rubbing her hands in anticipation, she grabbed her phone and various digging tools, ready to set out, but was stopped by Little Bai, who was sunbathing to warm up.
"Where'd you get this tip from? Is it reliable?"
Qiao An tossed her short hair proudly, pointed to Ao Bai hiding in a cardboard box, and declared confidently, "Ao Bai's good friend, the stray dog, told me!"
The fragile Ao Bai, aching all over, desperately wanted to explain something, but ultimately kept silent.
"Qiao An, your last two tips weren't very good..."
Shouldering a shovel and holding a phone tripod, Qiao An had a stubborn look on her face. She huffed, "I refuse to believe anyone can be this unlucky! I'll definitely succeed this time. When I make money, I'll buy you guys a house and a car, we'll eat meat every meal! I'm off!"
Unlike the ever-confident Qiao An, Little Bai simply leaned against the window and sighed softly.
They say you learn from your mistakes, but Qiao An was a real blockhead. She'd make one mistake after another, a new one each day.
Because it would be hard to take the bus with all her gear, and Qiao An was too cheap to get a taxi, she skillfully took out a rope, tied her digging tools to a shared bike, and set off eastward once again.
In this developed city, not only were there dilapidated places that seemed forgotten by all, but there were also vast swathes of unfinished buildings on the east side.
It was said that this area was once a wealthy district. But then a land reclamation project was started to build new housing, kicking up dust every day and severely affecting the lives of the rich residents. After everyone moved out, the so-called high-end community project was stalled for some unknown reason.
The light gradually dimmed. Walking along the deserted, deep roads, Qiao An was completely fearless, humming a little tune.
'This is a great spot. The ground is already turned over, there's nobody around, the roads are wide, and I can come and go as I please. It's the perfect holy land for my treasure hunting.'
Wearing a headlamp, Qiao An found the site of a partially demolished old building, set up her phone, and started her livestream.
The moment she opened the app, countless IDs flooded in. Qiao An looked at her lagging old phone and could only manage a silly smile, making a peace sign for the camera.
"Hey everyone, long time no see! Your favorite treasure-hunting streamer is here!"