Luofesi plopped down onto the desk. "Ah, that makes things much easier. Lu Zhi, ask this... uh, 'General Hundred Victories' what he knows."
Lu Zhi gently tapped the desk, his voice soft. "Would you be willing to chat? I promise Shen Qi won't dare scare you again, and certainly won't hit you."
Luofesi's chuckles echoed from behind him, followed by a fearless tease, "Shen Qi, oh Shen Qi, I didn't realize you were henpecked."
Shen Qi cast him a sideways glance and actually hummed in agreement.
How could he not? Luofesi's remark implied that Lu Zhi was Shen Qi's 'wife,' making him henpecked.
Lu Zhi's ears tinged red as he turned. "Captain Two, could you please be quiet?"
Luofesi grinned cheekily and made a zipping motion across his lips.
Baizhan poked his small, whiskered head out from behind the cup, his black bean eyes gazing pitifully at Lu Zhi, as if asking, 'Really?'
After receiving Lu Zhi's repeated assurances, Baizhan shyly scrambled out from behind the cup, his chubby, furry body wiggling, and then let out a series of squeaks.
The others, unable to understand, unanimously looked at Lu Zhi.
Lu Zhi, the impromptu translator, dutifully translated Baizhan's words. He explained that he was the guardian mouse responsible for patrolling the gallery this month. The moment he woke up, he saw two sneaky men, exuding danger and ill intent, stealing the exhibited painting from the wall.
"The moment he woke up?" Lu Zhi's gaze was subtle. This guy calling himself 'Hundred Victories' wasn't just for show; he could even slack off like this.
Baizhan squeaked in dissatisfaction, seemingly chiding Lu Zhi for not catching the main point.
Lu Zhi: "Ahem, continue."
Baizhan immediately rushed forward, picking up his spear to engage in a decisive battle with the thieves. However, due to the overwhelming disparity in strength, he had to feign death, attempting to cross the sea under camouflage to escape and live to fight another day! kuAiδugg
*Clap clap clap~*
"Good, well said," Luofesi applauded enthusiastically. "Truly worthy of the 'General Hundred Victories'! You cleverly employed the stratagem of 'crossing the sea under camouflage,' planning to lie low and fight again. I, Luofesi, am utterly impressed."
Lu Zhi: ... Someone help him. He's gone mad.
Baizhan squeaked in confusion, 'Is he praising me?'
Lu Zhi gently stroked his furry head. "It's better not to understand than to understand incorrectly."
Baizhan's black bean eyes grew even more bewildered.
"I think we should look for someone first," Lu Zhi suggested. "How did Captain Two confirm that Qin Huai was on Unechoed Island?"
When Qin Huai was mentioned, Luofesi became much more composed. "The last place Qin Huai communicated with me from was Unechoed Island. He also mentioned that he had discovered some secrets about Unechoed Island, and then he disappeared. The last signal he sent was from the Rat God Temple on Unechoed Island."
Lu Zhi: "Rat God Temple?"
Yan Shao explained, "I know about that. It's said to be a temple built by the people here to thank the Rat God for his salvation."
Baizhan squeaked, his black bean eyes looking wronged: 'Are you going to the Rat God Temple to file a complaint? It's not my fault the painting was stolen; those two humans were too powerful.'
Lu Zhi reassured him, "We will help you find the painting. Before that, we need to rescue a friend who has gone missing on Unechoed Island. I hope you can understand."
Perhaps it was Lu Zhi's gentle tone, but Baizhan, a little shy, rubbed the whiskers on either side of his nose with his small paws and squeaked, 'Friends are important. I have many, many good brothers. I'll have them help you search.'
Lu Zhi smiled and stroked Baizhan's head again. "Thank you."
Since they had decided to rescue the person first, the number of people attending the Rat Emperor's concert would need to change. To get close to the Rat Emperor, they needed to attend the concert. Jiang Yue, Wang Cao Tian, and Xia Zhi had not met the foreign divine envoys, so they didn't need disguises; they only needed to be wary of foreign faces.
As for Lu Zhi and Yan Shao, their appearances would require some alteration. Suddenly, Luofesi's eyes lit up. "There are still four hours until the Rat Emperor's concert begins. We need to sneak into the Rat God's temple, and we'll need someone whose physique matches..."
Lu Zhi had a bad feeling.
"Lu Zhi, you can speak Rat language. I think this infiltration role is perfect for you!" Luofesi laughed out loud, excited about being able to cause trouble openly.
Lu Zhi quickly said, "Wait, I haven't agreed yet."
"I think Captain Shen will agree." Luofesi intended to put an arm around Lu Zhi like a buddy, but because of the formidable Shen Qi and his possessiveness, he had to settle for putting an arm around Yan Shao's shoulder. He smiled mischievously at Lu Zhi. "Don't worry, you'll just need to take a medicine that temporarily shrinks you."
Lu Zhi blinked in surprise. "Shrink? How much?"
Luofesi grinned wickedly at the white-haired rat nibbling on a chestnut on the desk.
Baizhan tilted his head, squeaking? (What's up?)?
Lu Zhi: "I refuse!"
Shen Qi: "Alright."
Lu Zhi turned and glared at Shen Qi. "If you can, you do it!"
"Sure~" Shen Qi's tone was leisurely, a slight smile on his lips. "It's not the first time."
Lu Zhi realized it indeed wasn't the first time; when they first entered the cage-nest, Shen Qi had turned into a small person and stayed by his side.
"Captain Shen won't do," Luofesi said. "Forgot? The foreign envoys have seen you, and you know Rat language. Sneaking into the Rat God Temple is the most suitable role for you."
Lu Zhi really wanted to retort, 'How can you be so sure Shen Qi doesn't understand Rat language?'
But upon careful consideration, his reasoning was sound. He was indeed the most suitable candidate, and besides... it was a matter of reciprocity. Shen Qi had no qualms about shrinking once to accompany him into the cage-nest, so him shrinking wouldn't be a problem...
"Alright then..." Lu Zhi said with a troubled expression. "What if I encounter danger midway and want to turn back?"
Luofesi: "Will you be in danger when you're by Captain Shen's side?"
Lu Zhi silently shut his mouth. This danger was not that kind of danger! Single people wouldn't understand!
"I understand." Under Luofesi's persuasive arguments, Lu Zhi took the shrinking capsule that Luofesi had retrieved from the Special Department's 'armory.' He swallowed it whole with his eyes closed.
Fifteen seconds later, when he opened his eyes again, Lu Zhi breathed a sigh of relief.
Thank goodness, his clothes had shrunk too. He only remembered that when he took the medicine, otherwise, opening his eyes to see himself crawling out of his clothes naked...
It was too terrifying!
"Ah—" Lu Zhi felt a mountain pressing down on his head. His calves buckled, and he stumbled, falling onto the desk with a thud.
Lu Zhi was bewildered for three seconds, then stared at the instigator with disbelieving eyes, angrily saying, "Why did you push me!"
Shen Qi's silver-gray eyes were filled with amusement, and the corners of his lips were curved in a smile. "Ah, my apologies, my apologies. I didn't control the force well."
Lu Zhi suspected Shen Qi was deliberately causing trouble.
Lu Zhi also discovered that after shrinking, everything looked incredibly large, and the world seemed even more vast and boundless.
Suddenly, Shen Qi placed his palm in front of Lu Zhi, his silver-gray eyes seeming to hold the moonlight. "Up you go."