Chapter 222: Encountering a Problem

Chapter 222: Chapter 222: Encountering a Problem

Half an hour later.

Vivian Lowell and Eleanor Rhodes arrived at the residential complex. Just as they pulled up, the young woman who had requested their help came over, offering to help carry the trap cage.

"Ugh, it’s a bit heavy."

Eleanor was popping the trunk when she saw the requester approach so enthusiastically. Unable to refuse, she let the woman give it a try.

"So heavy!"

The slender young woman had clearly overestimated her own strength. As she lifted the cage, her expression faltered.

But since she had already talked a big game about helping, she had no choice but to bite the bullet and carry it.

Seeing her struggle, Eleanor offered, "Um... if it’s too heavy, it’s okay. I can do it~"

"It’s fine, it’s fine!" The young woman smiled amiably at Eleanor. "Let me help you carry it for a bit! It’s so wonderful that you guys came to help me catch the cat for free!

"I want to do my part too! When I can’t carry it anymore, I’ll pass it to you!"

Vivian and Eleanor exchanged a glance. Since the requester had put it that way, they naturally had no further objections!

As they walked further into the residential complex, Vivian and Eleanor began to feel that something was off.

The complex looked newly built, but it seemed completely unoccupied. The apartment buildings appeared unfinished on the inside, there were no cars parked on the streets, and not a single pedestrian was in sight.

Vivian wondered if this could be a haunted building.

She had been obsessed with horror games lately. After the thought flashed through her mind, she shook her head, tossing out those bizarre ideas.

"Um... Miss Bell, it looks like there’s no one around here! Was this complex just built?" Vivian couldn’t help but ask out of sheer curiosity.

Aethelburg had developed rapidly over the years, expanding all the way out to the sixth and seventh ring roads. The complex they were visiting today was located on the sixth ring road, quite a distance from Aethelburg’s main urban area.

Even so, as the capital, Aethelburg held a massive appeal to outsiders. Even this far out, there should still be people living here!

The emptiness of the place felt weird.

If Vivian hadn’t seen that the buildings were topped off and the exterior walls nicely finished, she would have almost thought this was an abandoned project.

"It was just finished," Miss Bell explained with a tight-lipped smile upon hearing Vivian’s question. "Because there was an accident here before, no one has moved in yet.

"My place isn’t actually renovated yet either! But I just started working, and it wasn’t easy for me to buy a place here, so I moved in first. I plan to live in the bare apartment and slowly fix it up!

"I’ve been grinding in Aethelburg alone for so many years, and it’s rare to finally have a home. It’s just that the place is so empty. When I happened to find a little kitten that fell into the ventilation shaft, I wanted to adopt it so I could have some company."

Miss Bell looked somewhat melancholic as she finished speaking.

She looked to be in her thirties. Finally putting down roots after working away from home for so many years at this age was indeed no easy feat. Seeing her speak with such emotion, Vivian didn’t overthink it.

They walked a short distance along the footpath from the complex entrance and reached Building Two. There, Vivian spotted the exact ventilation shaft from the pictures Miss Bell had sent.

"This is it."

Vivian tugged at Eleanor, and the two walked over to the shaft.

There was a board blocking the ventilation shaft. After placing the trap cage on the grass, Miss Bell searched the nearby lawn and pulled out a wrench.

"I borrowed it from the property management," Miss Bell said. Walking up to the ventilation shaft, she expertly unfastened the screws securing the cover. "After I found out the kitten fell in, I had the property management come over and take a look.

"It turns out a corner of the old shaft broke, leaving a gap that caused the kitten to fall. I was afraid more kittens would fall in, so I had them temporarily put up a new board to block it.

"I left this wrench nearby, figuring that when you came, you’d be able to easily open the shaft and rescue the kitten."

Miss Bell used the wrench with incredible dexterity.

Vivian almost thought she worked at an auto repair shop.

As the thought crossed her mind, the board covering the shaft was removed. Vivian clicked on her flashlight and leaned her head in.

She wanted to check the kitten’s location.

If it wasn’t too deep, using a cat teaser wand would be the most convenient method.

Trap cages were great, but some kittens were highly vigilant; there was no telling how long it would take to lure one in.

"Where is it?" Eleanor asked. While Vivian shone her flashlight, she had already placed an open can of wet food inside the trap cage and came over to assess the situation. Following Eleanor’s question, Vivian poked her head further into the shaft.

At the bottom, there seemed to be piles of discarded scrap wood stacked on top of each other. As for the kitten... Vivian didn’t see it yet.

"I can’t see it. Eleanor, try playing the recording."

"Okay."

Eleanor agreed and reached for her phone.

The recording was a specific audio clip Vivian had saved of a mother cat calling her kittens. It was highly effective in the "feline world" and worked wonders on small kittens.

Generally, when they went out on rescue missions, if a kitten hid, they could always use this recording to lure it out and catch it smoothly!

But this time...

After the recording played, the bottom of the ventilation shaft remained dead silent.

It actually failed!

Vivian was extremely surprised. This trick usually worked flawlessly. In the past, even if a kitten was too cautious to come out immediately, it would at least meow back in response.

Now, there wasn’t a single peep!

Vivian continued scanning with her flashlight. After waiting for a few minutes, she couldn’t help but feel a bit suspicious. "Miss Bell?" she asked. "Are you sure you heard the kitten meowing down here earlier? When you scattered food at the bottom, did you see it come out to eat?"

Miss Bell was standing by the edge of the shaft.

She had been fiddling with her phone, but upon hearing Vivian’s question, she replied, "That shouldn’t be! I heard it right here at the bottom of Building Two earlier.

"When I fed it, I also saw the kitten come out to eat. Could it have run out on its own?"

The kitten ran out on its own?

Vivian inspected the four walls of the ventilation shaft.

They were completely smooth, with absolutely no footholds for climbing. Even if some cats could defy gravity, there were limits.

It was too high; a tiny kitten definitely couldn’t climb up.

It couldn’t have gotten out on its own.

Other than that, there was only one other possibility.