1:02 AM.
The moon was dark and the wind was high.
Qiao Sang rolled over and shifted her position.
Although the wind was strong tonight, lying on a fire-type pet meant she didn't feel the cold at all.
Since she didn't have to wake up early for school in the morning, Qiao Sang became more and more energized the longer she played on her phone.
She wasn't the only one; the people in the Invincible Holy Water group chat were all still awake.
【Wang Yao: The person who posted my task this time is a soft and cute young lady. She speaks softly and draws beautifully. Don't be jealous.】
【Shi Gaofeng: After all that praising, you could have just said she'll give you a five-star review.】
【Wang Yao: You're just jealous.】
【Shi Gaofeng: Heh, my task poster is a handsome guy, 1.9 meters tall with an eight-pack. He speaks very politely too. Don't be jealous.】
【Qiao Sang: I remember the task you took was for fat absorption, wasn't it? How could it be a handsome guy with an eight-pack?】
【Wang Yao: Hahaha, Qiao Sang, don't expose him.】
【Shi Gaofeng: I'm not lying! That's how he looks in the photos on his Moments.】
【Wang Yao: Wait, you haven't actually met him in person yet?】
【Xu Yajie: You still believe photos these days?】
【Shi Gaofeng:...】
【Shi Gaofeng: Just wait until I meet him tomorrow; I'll take a photo and show you. You can P the face, but you can't P an eight-pack, right?】
【Qiao Sang: Be careful. Maybe his abs were "absorbed" into shape. He might have hired you just for maintenance. If you mess up and he ends up with a seven-pack, he might give you a bad review.】
【Shi Gaofeng:...】
【Wang Yao: Hahahahaha, that's actually possible. Sculpting abs is way harder than just absorbing fat.】
【Xu Yajie: Brother Shi, I can already foresee your fate.】
【Shi Gaofeng:...I'm out. Goodbye.】
Qiao Sang felt refreshed reading the group messages, until the latest message appeared.
【Wang Yao: By the way, Qiao Sang, did you go see your task poster today? What's their personality like?】
Qiao Sang pursed her lips and typed a line.
【It's an old grandmother. She seems to feel very fondly toward her granddaughter and her pet, so her personality should be quite good.】
After sending the message, Qiao Sang put down her phone and thought about the task again.
If she didn't wait for the Ghost-Sucking Lamp tonight, she would still have to call Mr. Jiang tomorrow morning to chat with the old lady's granddaughter.
No matter how she thought about it, it felt wrong that the granddaughter had taken the Ghost-Sucking Lamp out to play during that time period.
Furthermore, did the old lady not suspect that the disappearance of the Ghost-Sucking Lamp was related to her granddaughter?
Qiao Sang found it hard to believe. If she, an outsider, felt that going out to play at that time was suspicious, she didn't believe the old lady hadn't noticed the problem.
"Xun."
Little Treasure Hunter's claw, which had been playing with a coin using telekinesis, suddenly dropped.
The coin rolled away, making a "clink clink" sound.
In the silent night, with no one around, the sound was exceptionally loud.
"What's wrong?" Qiao Sang was startled and propped herself up from Yabao.
"Ya ya."
Yabao was talking in its sleep with its eyes closed, completely unaffected.
"Xun..."
Little Treasure Hunter tilted its head toward the courtyard lamps in the residential complex.
It was the dead of night and the sky was dark, but the courtyard lamps of the complex were not extinguished and continued to emit light.
But just then, the furthest courtyard lamp suddenly flickered.
Then, from far to near, every single courtyard lamp began to flicker.
This eerie scene appeared abruptly and vanished just as quickly. Soon after every lamp had flickered, everything returned to normal.
Qiao Sang got goosebumps watching this weird scene, and just then, a cold breeze blew past.
Previously, lying in the soft fur, she hadn't felt the cold at all, but now she felt a chill run through her entire body.
"Yabao, Yabao." Qiao Sang shook Yabao with her hand.
Wake up quickly! If you don't wake up, she'll feel very insecure...
"Ya ya..."
Yabao drooled, moved its head, and shifted into a more comfortable position.
Qiao Sang: "..."
"Xun!"
Little Treasure Hunter now stood in front of Qiao Sang, vigilantly scanning the surroundings.
Qiao Sang looked at the tiny figure before her with eyes full of emotion.
Little Treasure Hunter, you're the only one I can count on!
Qiao Sang stood up and climbed off Yabao, looking at the empty courtyard.
Because Xiying Complex was an old neighborhood, the greenery was sparse, the property management was lax, and the security guard was just there to kill time, the overall look of the complex was somewhat dilapidated and desolate.
Qiao Sang surveyed the surroundings with a hint of vigilance.
The sudden chill, the eerie flickering of the lights, and Little Treasure Hunter's behavior all indicated that something strange was happening.
Qiao Sang grew suspicious. Could it be that the Ghost-Sucking Lamp had returned?
If that were the case, she might be able to relax a bit; after all, pets with owners generally wouldn't attack humans randomly.
But what if this eerie atmosphere was caused by a wild pet?
Little Treasure Hunter's entire body was tense, its golden eyes scanning each courtyard lamp one by one.
Its nose twitched involuntarily. Such a strong aura of death...
Soon, it locked onto a direction: the second courtyard lamp on the left ahead.
Little Treasure Hunter turned its head, wanting to tell its tamer, but it hesitated.
Speaking in such silence would definitely be heard by that thing. What if it prepared itself...
"Little Treasure Hunter, did you notice something?" Qiao Sang asked, seeing Little Treasure Hunter staring intently in one direction.
Little Treasure Hunter turned its head and blinked. Qiao Sang understood immediately.
In the next instant, Little Treasure Hunter vanished from its spot and reappeared under the second courtyard lamp on the upper left, extending its tongue to give a fierce lick about 10 centimeters outside the lampshade.
Qiao Sang was stunned. She hadn't expected Little Treasure Hunter's movements to be so clean and efficient.
Finding the target, teleporting, and licking—all in one fluid motion. It didn't act like a baby that was barely a month old.
Right where Little Treasure Hunter had licked in the air, a glass lampshade-shaped pet appeared out of thin air.
It had yellow eyes and two long, waving arms. A section of the lamp frame on the right was broken, and the symmetrical frame on the left was mostly broken, appearing even shorter than the right one.
The blue flame that should have been vigorous in the center of the lampshade now seemed as if it would vanish at the slightest disturbance.
Holy crap! It's the Ghost-Sucking Lamp!
Qiao Sang's expression was excited; she had actually waited for it on the first day!
Although the left lamp frame of this Ghost-Sucking Lamp didn't quite match the old lady's description, the right lamp frame was indeed missing a section.
Ghost-type pets were rare in the city to begin with. For one to appear here at this time and also be a Ghost-Sucking Lamp, it could basically be concluded that it was the one the old lady had lost.
As for the red nail-sized mark on its head, it wasn't visible due to the height difference.
But in the next second, Qiao Sang was 100% certain that this Ghost-Sucking Lamp was the one she was looking for.
Because the Ghost-Sucking Lamp had fallen from the air, and the mark on its head was facing her perfectly.
Qiao Sang was stunned, unable to believe the Ghost-Sucking Lamp had fallen just like that.
Even if Little Treasure Hunter's paralyzing lick had taken effect, it shouldn't be this extreme; the Ghost-Sucking Lamp was an intermediate pet...
Looking at the spark in the lampshade that seemed on the verge of disappearing, Qiao Sang understood instantly.
It's the wick...
A crystal emitting a dim, gloomy light fell out from the Ghost-Sucking Lamp's body.
The Ghost-Sucking Lamp's weak body stiffened. It had no mood to deal with the Little Treasure Hunter that had just attacked it, nor did it pay attention to the human nearby.
Its body shifted, trying to float up again, but it felt as if thousands of giant boulders were pressing down on it, preventing it from moving.
The Ghost-Sucking Lamp stared intently at the crystal on the ground in front of it, using its arms to slowly crawl forward.
Almost there, almost there...
However, in the next second, a hand picked up the crystal.
It was that human!
The Ghost-Sucking Lamp's body shuddered violently, and the flame inside it flickered wildly as it looked up.
A hand opened in front of it, and in the palm lay that gloomy crystal.
"Here."