Miaomiao District.
In a filthy alley.
Garbage was piled two to three people high.
But that didn't stop the chase between a girl and a cat.
"Ah, not here either, Coal."
"Nope, not this place either."
The cat-eared girl nimbly vaulted over a toppled trash can, following the black cat she called Coal as it moved along the shadows.
"Meow?"
The black cat clearly had no idea why the girl was following it. It just wanted to find a fresh garbage bin and have a full meal.
Could it be that the girl in front of it was also looking for food?
Of course, the cat-eared girl's goal wasn't trash cans, but finding Vill-V and the others.
As for why she was following the black cat...
This was Pardo's experience speaking—on Dusk Street, if you wanted to find something, just tell a black cat. It would lead you there.
You could always trust black cats. The luck they possessed was enough to grant them nine lives.
As for how long it would take to lead you there—that was another matter.
By now, Pardo had already run through who knows how many districts.
But hey, at least it was a method, right?
As for the communicator Vill-V had given her, Pardo had long since sold it for zero credit points to a "kind-faced" uncle she happened to pass by.
Pardo had heard that his entire family was "sick" and urgently needed the mechanical device she had.
So, kind-hearted Pardo sold the communicator to him.
"Hope that uncle gets home quickly. It's not safe here... sigh."
Well, if he kept wandering outside, it was everyone else who wouldn't be safe.
The madness and killing intent hidden beneath that uncle's eyelids just now were not something Pardo could deal with.
So she had no choice but to pretend she noticed nothing, dump the communicator, and run.
After running far away and looking back, she saw the uncle pick up the communicator and forcefully press it into his chest, then burst into hysterical laughter.
The sharp laughter sounded like unlubricated machinery grinding against itself.
"What's wrong with this place? It's full of gangs and scammers, and sometimes you even run into lunatics like that uncle."
If Pardo read more novels, she might have known that such a person would be called a cyberpsycho.
"Meow!" The black cat suddenly turned and leaped onto a wall. Pardo quickly climbed up after it.
Everything the black cat did must have a reason.
When in someone else's territory, follow the host—Pardo had to stick closely to the black cat's "guidance."
Sure enough, not long after, a group of Latino men wielding machetes charged through the alley like a train, chasing a middle-aged man clutching a briefcase.
Only after the man's screams and the clattering sounds of things being knocked over faded did the tense Pardo finally let out a sigh of relief.
"What's with this city? It's even more dangerous than Dusk Street. Every few steps, you run into gang shootouts or pyramid scheme scammers. Good thing I dodged them all. Thanks, Coal."
"Meow—!!"
The cat Pardo called Coal suddenly puffed up its fur and let out a terrified cry before slipping through a narrow crack in the wall no wider than a palm.
"H-Hey, Coal! Why are you running?! That gap's way too small—I can't get through! Come back, Coal!"
Pardo pressed her head hard against the crack, even squishing her face out of shape, but still couldn't squeeze through.
In the end, she could only watch helplessly as Coal ran farther and farther away until it disappeared from sight.
At last, Pardo had to accept the fact that she'd been abandoned.
When in someone else's territory, follow the host—but the host had run off.
It seemed luck couldn't solve everything.
Rubbing her face and wiping the dust from her head with her arm, Pardo leaned against the wall and sat down, sighing. "Ugh... where even is Qiqi Clothing Store? Forget the contact person—I haven't even seen a single Mad Hatter member on the way. Vill-V, where did you all go?"
At that moment, a man's voice suddenly came from above the wall.
"Sounds like you're looking for someone?"
The sudden voice startled Pardo into a cold sweat.
She scrambled to the other side of the wall and looked up at the person who had just spoken.
The man wore a white windbreaker, which stood out starkly in this place dominated by dark tones. What stood out even more was his lower half—because his pants were clearly not made of cloth, but metal.
Looking closer, everything on him was made of metal. Even his hair seemed to be coated in a metallic sheen.
On his back, he carried a rod-like object tightly wrapped in layers of nylon straps.
How did this guy get so close without making a sound? That scared the hell out of me!
Pardo stared at the strange man with extreme vigilance, her internal alarm bells ringing at maximum.
This man was extremely dangerous.
Even more dangerous than that Vill-V who would grin mischievously and call her "little Pardo~."
"Hehe, I was just passing by. Didn't know this corner seat was yours. You can have it, you can have it—I'll be going now, haha."
Pardo turned to slip away.
"Sounds like you're looking for someone?" the man repeated, clearly having no intention of letting her leave easily.
But he seemed to realize how abrupt he was being, so he forced what he thought was a friendly—but actually stiff—smile and introduced himself. "Do not be alarmed. My name is Odin. I can help you find this person."
Pardo didn't believe for a second that this stranger would be so kind—he was probably a human trafficker. "Why would you help me for no reason? Give me a reason. Yeah, explain your reason first, then I'll decide whether I can trust you."
"..."
The man hesitated for a moment before replying, "You carry the scent of a 'god.'"
"The scent of a god?" Pardo raised her arm and sniffed her armpit, then sniffed her thigh wrapped in sheer stockings. But no matter how she smelled, all she could detect was a faint scent of sweat.
A god's fragrance... yeah, she definitely didn't smell that.
Wait a second—this guy... he's not one of those people who make meat buns out of humans, is he?!
Pardo suddenly recalled a horror story Aponia once told her, and her heart shot straight into her throat.
"Y-You—don't come any closer! My meat is bitter! It tastes awful, really awful!"
The man found her reaction somewhat amusing and pointed at his head. "The scent I refer to is not physical odor, but this."
Seeing him point at his head, Pardo's expression became even more terrified. "So you're a brain-eating zombie?! I—I—I'm really dumb, my brain won't taste good either! You should just go eat some tofu instead!"
The man's smile vanished, his face darkening. He could indeed tell... that Pardo was quite foolish.
"Talking to a brick wall... Huginn!"
As his voice fell, a massive shadow descended over Pardo. She looked up to see an enormous mechanical raven diving straight toward her.
Chirp!
"WAAAH!! HELP!! Somebody save me!"
Pardo let out a scream just like the black cat earlier.