MTLNOVEL Chapter 183: The Hunter Becomes the Hunted
Lee was surprised by how much she enjoyed Twilight Street.
No annoying higher-ups, no urgent Honkai missions. She spent her days at the orphanage, eating, sleeping, and occasionally telling stories to the kids, becoming their unofficial leader.
Sadly, kids weren't great energy sources, but it was better than nothing.
Fire Moth wanted her to maintain order, but Mei, who'd given her the assignment, didn't expect her to turn this chaotic zone into a civilized paradise. The goal was to keep Lee safe and away from the power struggles.
Lee could stay here indefinitely, chilling until Mei took control of Fire Moth. But Lee wasn't one to sit still.
The peaceful life was nice, but for long-term peace, she needed to farm goodwill, gather energy, and get stronger.
Aponia was friendly, but Lee couldn't find a way to quickly boost her goodwill, so she had to rely on slow and steady progress. Kalpas, meanwhile, had become the orphanage's unofficial handyman, no longer unemployed.
Seeing them work so hard, Lee, after days of lazing around, felt she should do something, too.
The orphanage was always short on funds and supplies. Lee could easily get them from the system shop, but she couldn't explain the source. Fire Moth wouldn't fund a private orphanage in Twilight Street.
So, she decided to… redistribute the wealth of local criminals. Twilight Street had plenty of targets.
Finding them was easy. Lee wore her fanciest clothes and Elysia's jewelry, strolled around, then ducked into a deserted alley.
Lee's character wouldn't use violence against humans unless absolutely necessary, but she didn't need to hurt these thugs. She just showed them her Seven Thunders, casually slicing a cloud in half. The smart ones immediately handed over their cash.
This wasn't robbery; it was a tip for her amazing performance!
"Crime really does pay. This is enough to cover the orphanage for three months!"
Lee smiled, weighing the wallet in her hand.
Would Aponia's goodwill increase if I bought the orphanage a fancy meal?
A small passerby bumped into Lee. The hooded figure was clearly a young girl. She stumbled, but Lee caught her. "You okay?"
"Sorry!"
The girl seemed nervous, quickly running away and disappearing into the crowd.
"Well, well, well…" Lee smirked, watching her go.
Someone actually took the bait…
Pardofelis darted through the alleys. Twilight Street's maze-like layout was perfect for escaping.
She couldn't stop grinning. She'd just scored big!
That woman, with her fancy clothes and jewelry, looked completely clueless, practically advertising herself as a target.
And she'd been carrying her purse so carelessly… Pardofelis had been heading home, but she couldn't resist such a perfect mark.
The woman looked rich; a little cash wouldn't hurt her.
Reaching her safe house, Pardofelis finally relaxed. She didn't think the clueless rich lady would notice, but it was better to be safe than sorry.
"Let's see what I got… huh?"
Pardofelis opened the expensive purse and stared blankly. It was full of cash, but it was… play money.
Seriously? All that glitters…
She dumped the purse, finding nothing of value. She'd actually failed. The fancy lady was poorer than her.
How am I going to explain this to the boss? I'm going to starve…
She'd donated her earlier haul to the orphanage, hoping to snag some cash for a nice meal. That wasn't happening.
At least I have some money left—
Pardofelis froze as she reached into her pocket.
"Where's my wallet?!"
She checked every pocket, but it was gone. Then, she remembered a strange feeling when she'd picked the woman's pocket… but she'd been too excited to think about it.
So, while I was stealing her wallet, she stole mine?!
The hunter becomes the hunted…
No way! This isn't fair! Her wallet had money; mine only had a few coins!
"Now I'm really going to starve…"
"Then how about I buy you dinner?"
Pardofelis jumped, turning to see the white-haired woman sitting on a wall, smiling and holding up a familiar wallet.
"I just came into some money~"