Chapter 522: It Won't Be for Long
Chapter 522: It Won’t Be for Long
"Steel Sparrow?"
Steel Sparrow stared at Qiao Sang for a moment, then flew over with a grin, calling out.
"You haven’t left yet?"
With Fangy’s translation, Qiao Sang smiled and said:
"Didn’t you say I was a good person? How could I leave before your problem is solved?"
Qiao Sang didn’t consider herself a good person, but she was very interested in Steel Sparrow.
Extremely interested, in fact.
Clever familiars were not uncommon, but one as intelligent as Steel Sparrow, capable of manipulating people, was rare.
Moreover, Steel Sparrow had managed to travel alone from Sector 27 to the Third District and accurately locate Ashley. This demonstrated remarkable perseverance.
A familiar that was both intelligent and persistent, with attributes that perfectly matched her criteria for a fourth familiar, was hard to resist.
Steel Sparrow stared thoughtfully at the human before it.
"From the beginning, you deliberately sought me out", Qiao Sang said. "Even without me, you could have found Ashley."
As she spoke, Qiao Sang seemed to remember something and smiled.
"No, perhaps you’ve already found Ashley, but you needed a good person to help you get to her, so you’d have a witness to prove your relationship with her."
"Even if Ashley denies your connection in front of Creel, the good person would step forward to testify."
"You knew Ashley would be eager to claim the bounty on you, so you had to make sure Creel saw something that would cast doubt on your relationship."
"Once the seed of suspicion is planted, when the police arrive, the two parties will exchange information, and Ashley’s true nature will be exposed."
"But you thought it wasn’t enough, and that’s where the good person comes in."
"She would vouch for your relationship with Ashley, because, after all, she’s a good person."
Qiao Sang grew more excited as she spoke.
"During this time, you did one more thing: you put a feather in the good person’s pocket, because you feared she might leave before the police arrived."
"You were betting that she’s a good person and would return when she saw the feather, right?"
Fangy was thoroughly confused.
Treasure Seeker appeared, looking at Steel Sparrow with stars in its eyes, wearing an expression of admiration.
"Steel Sparrow..."
Steel Sparrow was taken aback.
So, it had done all of this already...
Suddenly, the sound of a man in leather shoes walking approached.
Steel Sparrow’s ears twitched, and it flapped its wings, ready to fly away.
Qiao Sang was quick to react, grabbing its wing. "I said I’d help you, so why are you leaving?"
Steel Sparrow froze.
"Miss Qiao", Creel stepped out from the shadows.
Beside him was a familiar about a meter tall, with brown fur covering most of its face and a long, pointed nose.
"Can you hand over this Steel Sparrow to me?" Creel asked.
"No", Qiao Sang refused outright.
Creel was taken aback, about to say something, but Qiao Sang spoke first:
"Have the police arrived?"
Creel: "???"
This question completely baffled Creel.
How did she know about the police?
Could Steel Sparrow have told her?
Creel’s mind raced for a second before he respectfully replied:
"They’re already outside Sforvo Manor."
Qiao Sang said, "I’ll head over now. Go and fetch Ashley; we need to clear things up in front of the police."
With that, she held Fangy in one hand and Steel Sparrow’s wing in the other, walking toward the manor’s exit.
Suddenly, Creel shouted, "Miss Qiao!"
Qiao Sang turned, her eyes asking what was wrong.
"Should I invite Miss Yuna?" Creel asked with a complex expression.
"No need", Qiao Sang said dismissively.
...
On the way to the Sforvo Manor’s gate.
Steel Sparrow didn’t struggle in Qiao Sang’s hand.
It looked up at the human it had chosen, wondering if she was after the bounty on it as well...
Then, Qiao Sang let go.
Steel Sparrow flapped its wings, quickly stabilizing in the air.
Suddenly, it turned and flew in the opposite direction.
A black shadow swiftly bound and pulled it back.
"Where are you going? We’re almost there", Qiao Sang glanced at Steel Sparrow.
"Ganggang……"
Steel Sparrow glanced at Treasure Seeker, then at Fangy, assessing their combat capabilities. A resigned expression spread across its face.
Even if it were handed over for the bounty, it wouldn't matter as long as that pretentious human lost everything...
Soon, Qiao Sang arrived at the gates of Sforvo Manor.
Several uniformed police officers immediately surrounded Steel Sparrow, still bound by shadows.
"Are you Miss Ashley?" one of the younger officers asked hesitantly.
"No, I'm not", Qiao Sang shook her head.
"Miss, you can release Steel Sparrow and hand it over to us", another middle-aged officer said.
Qiao Sang replied calmly, "I'm not here to hand over Steel Sparrow. I'm here to report a crime."
The officers exchanged puzzled looks.
"Ganggang……"
Steel Sparrow stared blankly at the human beside it.
...
"Name."
"Qiao Sang."
"Age?"
"15."
"Are you an interstellar exchange student from Blue Star?"
"Yep."
At the police station, Qiao Sang was being questioned by two officers, who grew increasingly nervous as the interview progressed.
The case itself was ordinary, but the identity of the person reporting it was far too special. One mishandled detail, and if the girl were to reveal her identity online or contact the media, it could spark a heated public debate.
The officers could already imagine what the internet would say: "Supernest's face will be dragged through the mud all the way to Blue Star", "She won't go back and tell everyone that all Supernest people are like this, will she?"
One of the officers steadied his nerves, poured Qiao Sang a cup of tea, and asked, "You say Ashley deceived Steel Sparrow and made it attack Creel. Do you have any evidence?"
Qiao Sang smiled, "Aren't both the human and the familiar already at the police station? I heard that most police stations in Supernest have an Echo Chime familiar. If you tell the truth in front of it, its bell rings once; if you lie, it rings twice. Why don't you test it?"
The two officers were speechless.
Qiao Sang continued, "If your station doesn't have an Echo Chime, I can help. My Blazing Star Hound has the Sensitivity skill. It can recreate recent events in its mind, which would prove that Ashley and Steel Sparrow know each other. If you don't trust my Blazing Star Hound, you can send a familiar with a similar ability."
The officers exchanged startled glances. If they needed help from the girl in front of them, Supernest would really lose face!
The officer who had poured Qiao Sang the tea quickly said, "No need for that. We have an Echo Chime! Rest assured, this case will be resolved shortly!"
Qiao Sang took a sip of tea, "That's good to hear."
The officers breathed a sigh of relief.
"By the way, now that the Steel Sparrow is here, will the wanted notice be withdrawn?" Qiao Sang asked.
"That's correct", the younger officer replied.
"It didn't attack any humans, just stole an ID Bracelet. The offense isn't severe. Can I apply for bail?" Qiao Sang asked.
She had already checked on her way here. In Supernest, wild beast companions on the wanted list were usually assigned to work in various places, similar to labor reform, and then sent to the Lower Ten Districts after their time was up.
The officer was taken aback for a moment, "Bail? But it's a wild beast companion."
"It won't be for long", Qiao Sang smiled, "I want to bond with it."
Three minutes later.
On the other side.
Steel Sparrow watched as a human walked in and whispered something to the officer interrogating it. When the officer returned, his attitude had completely changed.
"I didn't expect you to catch the eye of such a prominent figure", the officer said, unlocking Steel Sparrow's cage and patting its head. "Behave well, and don't disgrace Supernest when you get to Blue Star."
Steel Sparrow: "???"
(End of Chapter)
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