Little Treasure-Hunting Mouse
In He Ruge’s heart, worries arose. He hoped he was just being overly cautious, but feared it might be Murphy’s Law.
The members of the Pigeon Squad were skilled. They promptly handcuffed the three suspects and sealed their mouths with black tape.
A young gray pigeon cradled an abducted infant, awkwardly comforting the tearful baby. The baby looked like an unformed little hamster, timidly crying without making much noise, keeping its mouth tightly shut.
It was said this little hamster had been stuffed into a pocket by the trafficker and suffocated for quite some time. When the members of the Pigeon Squad found the baby hamster, it was weak and had dampened a corner of the trafficker’s pocket with tears.
This little hamster trembled in fear at the sight of anyone, whether young or old pigeons. Its tail shook rhythmically, like a tadpole swimming in water.
Shang Zhaoqi stepped forward bravely, showing the “potentially malfunctioning” Good-Evil Meter to the hamster. An inactive Good-Evil Meter was like a toy ball for the babies.
Remembering how the Good-Evil Meter had shown a reading of 0 for He Ruge’s negative emotions just moments ago, Shang Zhaoqi couldn’t help but press the switch on the Good-Evil Meter and measure the hamster.
The number on the Good-Evil Meter turned into 49.
These were negative emotions of fear, anxiety, helplessness, and agitation. The caution line for negative emotions was 60. Any type of negative emotion, if above 60, could pose a threat to oneself or others.
Mao Zhengqi once used the Good-Evil Meter on a patient with depression, and the reading showed 69. This indicated that the person was deeply immersed in the quagmire of negative emotions and, if unable to escape, would drown themselves.
Facing Shang Zhaoqi clumsily trying to comfort itself with a “toy,” the baby hamster resisted, stepping back and silently shedding tears.
Shang Zhaoqi’s smile gradually froze. He had never built a family or had children, so he lacked experience in dealing with babies.
He Ruge couldn’t bear to see babies cry. He approached the surrounded baby, removed his mask, and kindly smiled at the tearful baby.
The little hamster paused for a moment, forgetting to cry when it saw He Ruge’s smile. Not only the babies but also the other members of the Pigeon Squad were stunned upon seeing He Ruge.
A young pigeon exclaimed, murmuring, “He looks so good…”
He Ruge extended a finger and gently touched the baby hamster’s head, softly saying, “Good child, don’t be afraid. You are safe now.”
Tears streamed down, and the baby hamster, who had kept its mouth tightly closed all along, finally cried out loud, with stored reserves of food scattering all over the place. Seeing the food it had painstakingly stored now gone, the baby hamster cried even louder.
“G-gone.”
The baby hamster pouted, unable to bear the loss of its stored food. The sadness of losing its reserves turned into strength, as it clung to He Ruge’s finger, intending to establish a home in He Ruge’s palm, using both hands and feet to grasp He Ruge’s five fingers, with a strong crying tone, saying, “Hug.”
He Ruge quickly hugged the poor little hamster, and the hamster curled up into a hamster ball in the palm of He Ruge’s hand. Inside the warm, furry body trembled an uneasy soul.
He gently stroked the back of the baby hamster with his fingertip, his voice as gentle as a pool of water, “It’s okay. I’ll get you more delicious food later, okay?”
The pigeons nearby were momentarily unsure whether to envy He Ruge or the baby hamster. Xi Guican’s large vinegar jar overturned again, almost bubbling sourly. When he was still a white tiger in the game, he just wanted to grow up quickly so he could put He Ruge on his belly and back, protect He Ruge, and take him to see the stars.
But upon seeing the baby hamster occupying He Ruge’s heart, Xi Guican realized that being small in size also had its advantages—
Being held in the palm of someone you like.
However, the cognitive thought of someone you like holding others in their palms made Xi Guican very uncomfortable, even if it was a young baby.
The baby hamster absorbed a trace of warmth from He Ruge’s palm, cautiously lifting its eyes and seeing the big white tiger staring at it. Startled, the baby hamster quickly lay down, curled up into a ball, refusing to show its head.
“This is a highly talented baby treasure-hunting mouse. The appearance of the baby treasure-hunting mouse is similar to that of a baby hamster, but look at its tail. The tail of a treasure-hunting mouse is golden at the tip. This baby’s gold color is very intense. The more intense the gold color, the higher the talent.”
Shang Zhaoqi looked at the hamster ball in He Ruge’s palm and said, “If such a baby treasure-hunting mouse is put up for sale on the black market, it can fetch a staggering price.”
“The treasure-hunting mouse clan faces difficulties in reproduction, and there are always people eyeing the treasure-hunting mice. This has led to a decline in their population. Some interstellar pirates spend a fortune to buy baby treasure-hunting mice, nurturing them into treasure-hunting machines. Those treasure-hunting mice that exhaust their vitality using their gifted skills often have a lifespan of only ten years.”
“If it’s just abducting ordinary babies, the trafficker can at most be sentenced to life imprisonment. But if it’s abducting baby treasure-hunting mice, the death penalty awaits them.” Shang Zhaoqi looked at the trafficker who had been caught with a gaze reserved for the dead.
“Do you want to take them to the police station?” He Ruge asked Shang Zhaoqi.
“Those who abduct baby treasure-hunting mice should be sentenced to death. Those with drugs hidden in their bodies should get thirty years of imprisonment. The other thief should be detained for only a month after paying a fine,” Shang Zhaoqi said.
“Don’t you think these punishments are too light? Why is federal law so lenient with these scumbags? There are many things that cannot be touched, such as drugs, such as crime.”
“As long as a precedent is set, you will go all the way to the end. Once a person has used drugs once, they will never forget the pleasure brought by drugs in their lifetime. I know a man who came out of a drug rehabilitation center and did more than three hundred anti-drug speeches in his life, but do you know what his wish was before he died?”
Shang Zhaoqi said word by word, “He wanted to take drugs one last time before he died.”
“What’s the point of these scumbags spending ten, twenty, or thirty years in prison? Can they reform themselves after they come out? Their years in prison are an indelible shame that few units are willing to employ someone who has been in prison. You tell me, a pickpocket who has tasted the pleasure of something for nothing, this feeling is like taking drugs, after experiencing this pleasure, will he still be willing to overcome all kinds of difficulties and work down to earth?”
Under the night sky, Shang Zhaoqi seemed to be shrouded in darkness.
Shang Zhaoqi’s fingers moved slightly, accidentally touching the switch on the Good-Evil Meter. The Good-Evil Meter in the palm of his hand was aimed at Shang Zhaoqi, jumping out of the number 78.
“They really should be sentenced to death,” Shang Zhaoqi said softly, with a faint hint of murderous intent hidden in his words.
When Shang Zhaoqi finished speaking, He Ruge could feel the baby treasure-hunting mouse trembling slightly in his palm. The babies were actually very sensitive to malice. Even if they couldn’t see the numbers on the Good-Evil Meter, the baby treasure-hunting mouse instinctively resisted Shang Zhaoqi and actively approached He Ruge.
This was not just a matter of appearance.
He Ruge gently stroked the baby treasure-hunting mouse with his fingertip, then looked up at Shang Zhaoqi. He felt Shang Zhaoqi’s thoughts were somewhat extreme. He could understand and agree with executing the trafficker, but executing a mere thief seemed too extreme.
Imagine if petty theft resulted in execution, it would mean that even the smallest evil deeds equaled the death penalty. But no one is purely good; the vast majority of people have some small evils. If petty theft leads to the death penalty, then even smaller evils should be punished, such as those who evade fare on buses should be imprisoned for several years, and those who eat free meals should go to prison.
It seems that there would be no one in the world daring to do bad things? But would that really be the case?
He Ruge wouldn’t argue with Shang Zhaoqi. He didn’t like to forcefully impose his thoughts on others. He believed his thoughts were correct, so he persisted, as long as Shang Zhaoqi wouldn’t harm others, he and Shang Zhaoqi would not meet. This concept is not something that can be reached.
There was no shortage of people in the world, who were the messengers of justice and forcibly changed the minds of others in the name of “for your good”.
When the negative emotion crosses the warning line, the Good and Evil Meter will sound an alarm. The silent Shang Zhaoqi was awakened by the sound of the alarm, and those negative emotions also dissipated like a tide, and when he calmed down, the excessively high value also dropped.
At present, the function of the instrument of good and evil was not perfect enough, and there were many deficiencies. For example, after turning on the automatic measurement mode, the Good and Evil Meter can only measure the negative emotions of a certain moment from time to time, such as scanning the crowd once a minute.
The trafficker they caught who abducted and sold the treasure hunt rat cubs was also found because the trafficker was interested in gaining profits, and he kept thinking about how much money he could make by selling the treasure hunt rat. Thus, the excessive greed exposed this person.
Seventeen instruments of good and evil alarm sounded , and the gray doves caught three of the evildoers, and the other fourteen of them only exploded in negative emotions for a moment, and soon those emotions disappeared. This was a very normal thing, sometimes when you walk alone in the dark, there;s a moment when you can also be swallowed up by negative emotions.
“Mr. He, since this cub is so attached to you, I will trouble you to take care of this treasure hunt mouse cub before finding his family.”
Shang Chaoqi shut up and didn’t talk about his own negative emotions just now, and said to He Ruge.
He Ruge naturally agreed, he was very experienced in taking care of cubs, after agreeing, He Ruge felt like a man on his back, he turned his head and saw Xi Guican’s somewhat heartbroken eyes.
“We …… Also have to go to the amusement park.”
Xi Guican remembered that he had prepared a date plan for a long time, and he had not officially dated He Ruge.
“It’s just the right time to take the cub to the amusement park, don’t cubs like to go to this kind of place the most?”
He Ruge raised the treasure hunting mouse cub in the palm of his hand and asked with a smile, “Do you want to go to the amusement park?”
The members of the Grey Pigeon Regiment on the side could clearly feel that His Excellency the Marshal’s face had darkened, almost blending into the night.
Xi Guican: “……”
Clearly it was a date for two, so why was there an extra third wheel?
He Ruge also noticed Xi Guican’s low spirits. Although he liked young animals, what he cared about most was Xi Guican.
“Guican, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have agreed to this alone. Taking care of the young one is something we should do together. If you’re not willing…”
“It’s okay, I don’t mind,” Xi Guican interrupted He Ruge. He glanced at the treasure-hunting mouse in He Ruge’s palm.
Anyway, that little one was just the smallest light bulb, so one eye could be closed to ignore it. Moreover, since it was a treasure-hunting mouse, those who treated their young as their lifeblood would have surely reported it long ago and would rush over upon receiving the news.
It would be over soon.
Xi Guican understood He Ruge. If He Ruge felt uncomfortable because of him neglecting the treasure-hunting mouse, he would feel bad.
Hearing Xi Guican’s understanding response, He Ruge couldn’t help but tiptoe to touch Xi Guican’s face.
This little one had really grown up.
Xi Guican gently grabbed He Ruge’s left hand, pressed his face against He Ruge’s palm, squinted his blue eyes, and looked down at the treasure-hunting mouse pup in He Ruge’s right hand, his expression noble, aloof, and mysterious.
Sensing the murderous intent, the treasure-hunting mouse pup lay still in He Ruge’s palm, pretending to be dead.
After sticking close to He Ruge for a while, Xi Guican walked towards the group of pigeons who had finished their meal.
He asked Shang Zhaoqi, “I heard you and Xang Zheng are preparing a system. Are these Good-Evil Meters part of your monitoring system?”
When Xi Guican met Shang Zhaoqi in the hall of the Eternal Tower last time, he had asked Wu Chengdeng what Shang Zhaoqi was here for.
“Yes,” Shang Zhaoqi nodded.
“Have you set it up?” Xi Guican continued.
“Not yet. Only a small part of the construction has been completed. Currently, the coverage of the monitoring system is very limited, only involving a few public places in Central Star, such as this square and Starlight Park…” Shang Zhaoqi glanced down at the Good-Evil Meter in his palm.
“The Good-Evil Meters can’t be mass-produced yet. When their price can match that of monitors, it will be the true popularization of the monitoring system.”
Intentionally or unintentionally, Xi Guican looked at the Good-Evil Meter in Shang Zhaoqi’s palm. Then he turned to look at He Ruge, who was talking to the treasure-hunting mouse pup behind him.
He walked towards He Ruge, took off his black gloves, extended his index finger, and pushed the treasure-hunting mouse pup, who was sitting well-behaved, down in He Ruge’s palm without warning.
The treasure-hunting mouse pup, caught off guard, was pushed down in the palm, looking puzzled at the culprit. When he looked into the long, icy blue eyes, the treasure-hunting mouse pup didn’t dare to make a sound and lay still in He Ruge’s palm, pretending to be dead.
However, Xi Guican didn’t let the poor treasure-hunting mouse pup go. He pinched the tip of the treasure-hunting mouse’s golden tail with two fingers, and the pup, caught by the tail of fate, kicked his legs in fear and looked for help from He Ruge with his eyes.
“Borrowing it.” After Xi Guican said this to He Ruge, he held the treasure-hunting mouse pup and headed towards Shang Zhaoqi.
He was like a fisherman casting a fishing hook — the treasure-hunting mouse pup, and threw it towards the fish — the Good-Evil Meter, then calmly said, “Your toy, hold onto it.”
The treasure-hunting mouse pup looked at Xi Guican anxiously, understood the hint in the man’s eyes, and carefully looked up at Shang Zhaoqi.
At this moment, Shang Zhaoqi was somewhat speechless.
“Do you want this Good-Evil Meter? Then take it. This Good-Evil Meter is probably broken.”
He proactively brought the Good-Evil Meter in his hand to the treasure-hunting mouse pup, like a strange uncle coaxing a child with a lollipop, “This little toy uncle will give it you, do you want it?”
After a pause, Shang Zhaoqi said, “The Good-Evil Meter is spherical and smooth, not easy to hold.”
Unexpectedly, the treasure-hunting mouse pup used both hands and feet, first pressing his belly against the top of the Good-Evil Meter, then firmly gripping the smooth surface with four claws. To hold it more securely, he even used his chin against the Good-Evil Meter.
“Squeak!” he called out confidently. As a highly talented treasure-hunting mouse, he had the instinct to grab treasures.
Xi Guican looked down at the treasure-hunting mouse pup for a long time, and then his lips curled slightly. He pinched the tip of the golden tail and said a brief farewell to Shang Zhaoqi before leaving without looking back.
He Ruge waved to the members of the pigeon group like a concerned old mother, opened his palm, and placed the trembling treasure-hunting mouse pup in mid-air.
“Guican, don’t pinch its trembling tail. What if something happens?”
“His name is Zhi Zhi?” Xi Guican looked at the treasure-hunting mouse pup, who dutifully held onto the Good-Evil Meter.
Then, he released his grip with two fingers, and with a ‘plop,’ Zhi Zhi fell into He Ruge’s palm. Even if he landed on the ground, Zhi Zhi still firmly clung to the Good-Evil Meter.
He Ruge quickly caught the Good-Evil Meter, confirmed its weight in his palm, and breathed a sigh of relief.
“Yes, a very cute nickname.” He Ruge affectionately stroked Zhi Zhi’s small tail.
“Why did you ask Zhi Zhi to bring the Good-Evil Meter over?”
By now, they had walked some distance away. Xi Guican picked up the Good-Evil Meter, his blue eyes carrying a hint of scrutiny.
He whispered, “To verify a hypothesis.”
His finger pressed the switch of the Good-Evil Meter, and a blood-red number popped up:
100
Before the Good-Evil Meter could emit a sharp alarm, Xi Guican clenched his fist and used his spiritual power to crush the Good-Evil Meter into pieces.
“As expected.”
Xi Guican released his hand, and the fragments of the Good-Evil Meter slipped through his fingers like grains of sand.
He clapped his hands, cleaned up the trash, and was about to explain to He Ruge when he noticed the treasure-hunting mouse pup in He Ruge’s palm trembling desperately, shaking and shedding tears.
As a treasure-hunting mouse pup who always curled up into a ball, Zhi Zhi had witnessed firsthand someone turning another ball into debris, and the impact was too great.
“You scared Zhi Zhi.”
He Ruge smiled helplessly, comforting Zhi Zhi who was trembling in his palm. Xi Guican remained silent for a moment before disdainfully clicking his tongue.
Little Theater:
Treasure-hunting mouse: Zhi Zhi Zhi woo woo woo Zhi Zhi Zhi! I’m scared…. scared
Xi Guican: Tsk, little brat
