Animal Whisperer: Take Back My Life and Love Chapter 188: The Supermarket Clue

"Nancy, the police have compared the suspect's portrait against the students and faculty of Townsville University, and there are no matches."

"This means the killer is an outsider."

The difficulty of the manhunt had expanded instantly! Nancy gripped her phone, deciding to find the Tabby to cross-check the intelligence. After all, the "Leader of the Meow-Meow Sect" hadn't seen the suspect's portrait yet!

She was looking around along the campus paths when suddenly, an all-black stray cat approached her feet soundlessly. It looked up and let out a small meow. "Are you looking for our King?"

Seeing Nancy nod, the little black cat flicked its tail proudly. "Follow me! He's presiding over a Meow-Meow assembly~"

Curious, Nancy followed the black cat into a secluded thicket. The next second, her eyes widened in surprise. Over a dozen stray cats of various colors were sitting in a neat circle, while the Tabby sat atop a rock, waving a paw solemnly with the air of a convention chairman.

Seeing Nancy, he merely nodded with dignity. "You've come at the right time. We were just discussing the victim."

An orange cat quickly reported, "We often saw the victim with another girl around the campus. That girl was always asking her questions for advice~"

A calico cat added in a high-pitched voice, "We couldn't quite understand what they were saying, but the victim spoke very seriously, and the girl kept nodding!"

Nancy immediately showed the portrait to the cats. "Is it this girl?"

Several cats crowded around, and after just one glance, they tapped their paws with certainty.

"That's her! No doubt about it!" This girl isn't from this school; she just came over often to ask the victim questions. She would treat the victim to meals ~ The victim called her Kate. The victim told this Kate not to waste her money, saying it wasn't easy for Kate to earn money in a part-time job. "

Nancy followed up, "A part-time job? Do you know where she works?"

The stray cats tilted their little heads in unison, trying hard to remember.

"She mentioned she worked at a supermarket! She'd often bring snacks for the victim too~"

"Yes, yes! I always saw her carrying a supermarket bag with a little fish drawn on it and those human characters of yours~"

"But... cats don't know how to read..."

Hearing this, the Tabby curled the tip of his tail elegantly and issued a command: "Don't you all dig through the trash cans every day? Go look through them now and find a bag that matches!"

The cats' eyes lit up, and they began to flatter him.

"King, you're so clever!"

"As expected of our leader!"

The Tabby wasn't swayed by the flattery. He raised a paw and gave the backside of a chubby silver tabby next to him a light kick. "Less flattery, more searching! Go!"

The silver tabby let out a "meow," and, looking both aggrieved and obedient, wiggled its round body and led the charge toward the trash cans. The other cats followed with a chorus of chirps.

Soon, several cats returned with a crumpled plastic bag in their mouths, presenting it to Nancy like a treasure. She looked down; the words "Heart Mart" were printed clearly on the bag, right next to a cute little fish icon!

"Perfect!" Nancy's eyes sparkled. "One step closer to the killer!"

Just then, a small floral cat ran over panting, shouting urgently, "The takeout thief has appeared again!"

The other cats immediately erupted into a commotion, surrounding Nancy and pleading all at once:

"Take us with you to catch the thief!"

"The students here always feed us good food and help us with deworming. We want to repay them!"

Surrounded by this group of enthusiastic fur-balls, Nancy couldn't help but laugh. She immediately called Simon. "I found out the suspect is a girl named Kate who works part-time at Heart Mart. Go confirm if she's there right now!"

Simon responded immediately, "Got it." I'm on my way." He added with concern, "Do you need me to send someone for backup on your end?"

Nancy glanced behind her. A pack of stray cats was staring at her with wide, expectant eyes, their pupils shining like little lightbulbs.

She chuckled and said into the phone, "I shouldn't need it. I have... plenty of helpers behind me!"

Hanging up, Nancy waved her hand without hesitation. "Let's go! We're catching a thief!"

Behind her followed a "thief-catching task force" made of stray cats. The furry squad marched through the campus, grand in scale yet silent as shadows.

Near the student dormitories, a calico cat leaped nimbly onto a wall and pointed a paw toward a spot nearby. "That's him!"

A male student wearing glasses was seen sneakily picking up two orders from the takeout storage area, hurrying away toward the small woods beside the dormitory.