Chapter 144: Three Individuals, Each with Their Own Puzzles

"Wha..." The old man's sudden burst of anger startled Zhuang Xiaoyuan, leaving her completely bewildered. Could it be that the illusion was visible not just to her, but to everyone? A witch? Was the burning of witches actually still a thing in this era? As the little match girl, was I not going to freeze to death after all, but end up burned at the stake instead?

A chaotic jumble of thoughts instantly flooded Zhuang Xiaoyuan's mind, rendering her utterly lost and helpless. Before she could even react, the old man shoved her right out the door.

With a loud bang, the shop door closed behind her. *Well, you already declared I'm a witch,* she thought. *Even though it's a huge misunderstanding, wouldn't a normal person be afraid of being cursed if they dared to physically push a witch around?* Bizarre thoughts suddenly popped up, and despite being freezing cold and starving, Zhuang Xiaoyuan somehow still had the mental capacity to make sarcastic remarks. Glancing up at the still-snowing sky, she remained completely clueless about where she should go next.

"Wee-woo, wee-woo, wee-woo." Just as Zhuang Xiaoyuan was desperately trying to clear the clutter from her mind and figure out her future, the crisp sound of sirens pierced the air as several police cars surged onto the street simultaneously, boxing her in at the intersection.

Her train of thought interrupted, Zhuang Xiaoyuan looked up to find herself surrounded by a dense blockade of police cars. Her eyes widened in astonishment. Ancient European-style architecture paired with modern police cruisers—what a truly bizarre aesthetic. "Um... excuse me, is there something you need?"

"Are you the reported witch?" A black cat wearing a police uniform stepped out from the fleet of vehicles, staring at Zhuang Xiaoyuan with a stern expression.

"A cat? The police are actually black cats? Wait, you're not Detective Black Cat, are you?" Seeing the feline step out of the convoy, Zhuang Xiaoyuan's mind grew even more chaotic. She stared in disbelief and utter bewilderment at the talking cat before her, asking blankly.

"Oh, you even know my reputation. It seems you have some self-awareness about your situation. Officers, take her away!" Detective Black Cat maintained his solemn expression, glaring at Zhuang Xiaoyuan as if looking at a heinous criminal, and waved a paw behind him. Two white cats, also dressed in police uniforms, stepped forward and slapped a pair of handcuffs onto Zhuang Xiaoyuan's wrists.

Still in a daze, completely clueless as to why things had turned out this way, Zhuang Xiaoyuan was shoved into the police car. Accompanied by the wailing sirens, the vehicle quickly sped away, carrying off the young girl who was originally supposed to have frozen to death.

***

"Where is this?" In front of a wooden cabin deep in the forest, a young girl wearing a red velvet hood stood holding a basket. Although she felt quite surprised by the suddenly altered environment and her new clothes, her face remained entirely devoid of any expression. After inspecting her attire and the ordinary bottle of wine and cake inside the basket, Chu Miaomiao finally shifted her gaze toward the cabin before her.

With a creak, Chu Miaomiao pushed open the wooden door and stepped inside. It was a very small dwelling. Just past the door was a resting bed, and from the entrance, one could also see a tiny kitchen partitioned off to the right. At that moment, the mound of blankets on the narrow bed indicated that someone was lying inside.

"Oh, is that Little Red Riding Hood? Come closer to Granny." Hearing the sound of the door opening, a strange, raspy voice drifted out from beneath the covers.

Tugging slightly at the red velvet hood on her head, Chu Miaomiao assumed the "Little Red Riding Hood" the voice referred to must be her, even though she had no idea why she had suddenly turned into this girl by that name. Still, Chu Miaomiao took a step toward the bed, figuring the person lying there might provide her with some answers.

"Woof!" Just as Chu Miaomiao approached the bed, before she could even open her mouth to ask about her situation, the blankets on the bed flew open as a massive gray wolf lunged straight at her.

A deafening crash echoed. Bright red liquid splattered everywhere. Frowning slightly, showing a different expression for the very first time, Chu Miaomiao raised her left hand to gently wipe away the blood splashed on her cheek, while her blood-stained right hand lifted away from the gray wolf's head.

The giant gray wolf that had suddenly leaped from the bed had collapsed onto the floor, completely lifeless. Faced with the beast's attack, Chu Miaomiao had instinctively raised her right hand, grabbed the wolf by the head, and slammed it down onto the ground with tremendous force. Her terrifying, unnatural strength had caused the wolf's skull to burst open like a watermelon.

"Ah! Murder! Little Red Riding Hood is killing people!" Just as she used the blanket the gray wolf had been lying under to wipe the blood from her right hand, a rough, panicked male voice suddenly echoed from behind. Chu Miaomiao alertly whipped her head around, only to catch sight of a figure carrying a hunting bow running further and further away.

"Hah." She let out a soft sigh, slightly annoyed by her own reflexes. She had originally just intended to ask questions, but she hadn't expected the creature to attack her so suddenly. Faced with murderous intent, Chu Miaomiao simply hadn't managed to control her own strength in time.

"Wee-woo, wee-woo." The crisp wail of sirens rang out as police cars suddenly surrounded the small forest cabin. Without lingering inside, Chu Miaomiao walked back out only to find herself ringed by police cruisers, alongside black and white cats in uniform. Surrounded as they were by a dense forest where cars shouldn't even be able to drive—with only a single, narrow path leading through—how had all these police vehicles instantly materialized around the cabin?

"You are completely surrounded! Raise your hands and surrender." The uniformed black cat stepped out from the crowd, approaching Chu Miaomiao and speaking in a righteous tone.

Narrowing her eyes slightly, Chu Miaomiao carefully sized up the black cat before her. She sensed no strange hostility from the feline, only an upright, righteous aura strikingly similar to that of a dedicated soldier. After a brief moment of silent contemplation, Chu Miaomiao nodded and held out her hands. "Very well."

Since she had no idea what kind of state she was currently in, following these feline police officers might lead her to some clues. As for the handcuffs? To Chu Miaomiao, who possessed innate monstrous strength, they were entirely for show. Even though she couldn't sense her divine power within her right now, Chu Miaomiao felt that her raw physical strength alone was more than enough to sweep away this whole squad of cat police.

***

Just as Zhuang Xiaoyuan and Chu Miaomiao were being hauled away in separate police cars, beneath a lush green tree in a certain location, a young girl with rabbit ears and a short tail was taking a very leisurely afternoon nap.

"Mmh, that was a good sleep. Huh? Where is this?" Waking up in a daze from her sweet dream, the rabbit-eared girl rubbed her eyes and surveyed her surroundings. As the scenery came into view, an expression of growing astonishment appeared on her face.

"Xiaoyuan! Xiaoyuan, where are you? Xiaoyuan! This is bad, could I have fallen under an illusion?" Looking left and right without finding her companion, the rabbit girl suddenly pinched her own cheek. "Ouch, ouch, ouch! It's not an illusion? Wait, wouldn't you not wake up from an illusion even if it hurts?"