"What about humans? Even Zhou Ying can't compare," Gui’er immediately countered. She walked casually, empty-handed, all the purchased sundries hanging from Huo’er’s neck.

Huo’er understood perfectly that what she said next would be something like, "No lunch tomorrow, or tonight's late snack is canceled," so it obediently clamped its mouth shut, only unable to resist muttering one last complaint: "It’s all Ying’s fault, actually wandering out with the Earth Wolf in broad daylight. He should have been the one to come..."

"Seventy percent off! Huo’er, go!" Gui’er suddenly surged forward, dashing toward the newly opened mall.

"Sigh..." Sun Jian glanced at the shopping list in his hand. At least 80% of the items were still unchecked. This meant that from the time he left at nine in the morning until now, he hadn't even managed to eat lunch, yet he had only completed one-fifth of the tasks his girlfriend had set out for him. Accompanying his girlfriend while shopping was his duty, something he could tolerate, but being sent out alone to "execute a mission" felt like torture.

"Scissors, towels, toothbrush... got them," Sun Jian crossed off the items he had just purchased with a stroke of his pen. "Next up are the sofa cover (with specified size and color), coasters, bedsheets..."

His girlfriend, who had been away for six months of training, returned to Lixin City. The moment she stepped inside Sun Jian's apartment, before they could even exchange the pain of separation, she stared blankly at one room, then suddenly collapsed onto the apartment’s only piece of seating—the sofa—trembling as she choked out two words: "Pigsty."

Sun Jian scratched his head. His place was indeed a "little" messy, but surely not that exaggerated.

A boyfriend living in a pigsty was also a source of shame for the girl. She suppressed her gasp, shook off her travel fatigue, rolled up her sleeves, and braced herself for battle, starting the cleanup. And so, the burdensome Sun Jian, clutching his shopping list, was summarily ejected onto the street.

"Sigh." Sun Jian looked up and spotted a newly opened store ahead. A large mall might have better stock; without a second thought, he walked inside.

"I really want this dress... I really want this cabinet... I really want this rice cooker... I really want this ring..." Gui’er swept through the aisles, eyeing many things she desired. Alas, Zhou Ying’s income... "Sigh, he’s such a stubborn mule, no matter how much I advise him, he won't rob a bank or use the gold-making transmutation art." But then again, Gui’er shook her head, these were also Zhou Ying’s virtues.

"I want this, this, this, and this... and everything over there!" Huo’er stood on Gui’er’s head, barking orders at the snack and media sections. "Buy it all and bring it back."

Gui’er showed it her wallet.

"Wait for me to rob a bank, and I’ll be right back." Huo’er was certainly no mule; it could instantly disregard human rules.

"Huo’er, no! Zhou Ying will be upset!" Gui’er flatly rejected the suggestion. "Next time, ask Liu Di to rob it, and then I’ll give the money to you."

"Good idea."

—In an underground mausoleum, Liu Di, who was sitting on a coffin lid studying a spell book he had “picked up” from a coffin with Zhou Ying, suddenly began to shiver violently, sneezing. It seemed that having lived on the surface for too long had made him unaccustomed to the damp chill of the ancient tomb. Thinking this, he shook his body, reverting to his original form, using his thick fur to ward off the cold.

"Bedsheets, green ones?" Sun Jian grabbed a green sheet. "Sofa cover, pale yellow?" He grabbed another sofa cover. "Doormat, the little bear one?" He snatched a bear-patterned welcome mat... (Shop Owner: "God, send more customers like this who don't even check quality or ask the price.") With a grand sweep, he crossed off the purchases, and while queuing to pay, Sun Jian sighed: "Still fifty percent left to buy... When I take vacation time, there’s either a case or a mission. Why is there nothing today..."

"Did you forget anything? Good, all set, let’s pay." After rampant purchasing, Gui’er prepared to call it a day. She happened to be queuing right behind Sun Jian. Their eyes met, and simultaneously they pointed at each other: "You! Aren't you that person from—!" They both remembered seeing the other near Zhou Ying, but neither could recall who exactly. Still, names weren’t important; the two quickly struck up a friendly conversation, as the checkout line was quite long, filling the idle time with idle chatter.

"Ah-hoo..." Huo’er, loaded with bags hanging from its body, head, and claws, yawned. But the food, storybooks, and VCDs inside were all for itself, so it had no complaints.

"Ah, hoo..." Sun Jian also started to yawn. After ten minutes in line, the queue hadn't seemed to shorten at all. He and Gui’er had run out of things to say. Gui’er also began looking around, examining what others were buying. "Sigh, there are so many things I want, but I can’t afford them..."

"Nobody move!"

With a roar, a figure leaped onto the counter. As those nearby clearly saw the person holding a hunting rifle and wrapped in explosives, screams erupted instantly, turning the entire mall into chaos.

"I said nobody move!" The man seemed agitated by the crowd’s panic and fired two shots into the air in succession. The massive explosion, the sound of shattering chandeliers, and breaking glass stunned everyone into silence.

"Those near the door, run! Everyone else, crouch down!" Sun Jian shouted, jolting everyone awake. Soon, those who were out of the reach of the gunman, or who managed to flee out the door, or who ducked behind shelves, followed his command. Those near him, including Sun Jian himself, all dropped to the floor.

"Gui’er, what are you doing?" Huo’er flew over, puzzled, seeing Gui’er crouching down too.

"Can’t you see? There’s a hostage situation!"

Huo’er was even more confused. What did holding "human" hostages have to do with a monster? "Then I’ll go eat him, and we’ll go home quickly. The cartoons are about to start." Huo’er’s enthusiasm for cartoons and serial dramas was indescribable, enough to make it eat a dozen terrible humans without complaint.

"Idiot, how can you miss such a great opportunity!" Gui’er immediately rolled her eyes at it. "Quick, do as I say..."

Sun Jian, crouching on the floor, observed the situation while quietly moving toward the man. The man holding the gun and strapped with explosives was clearly mentally unstable. He pointed the gun at the hostages nearby while shouting nonsensical threats like "Die together!" "Come out!" "Mutual destruction!" words that chilled the hostages to the bone.

He hated dealing with hostage-takers, as they could easily harm hostages when mentally unstable. Sun Jian heard the police sirens approaching from a distance, then noticed the man’s breathing growing rougher. His heart tightened.

"Don't be afraid, don't be afraid, it’s no big deal!" Gui’er whispered comfortingly to Sun Jian, even handing him a handkerchief to wipe his sweat. She, meanwhile, looked around, occasionally issuing commands: "No, that one over there, yes, that’s right, bring it over!" Huo’er flew back to her side clutching a designer gown. Gui’er shoved it satisfyingly into a bag, then pointed to the jewelry counter: "Huo’er, go get that rose-shaped platinum necklace with the sapphire." —It was obvious she was plundering wildly in the confusion.

"Huo’er, grab a dozen white shirts, for Zhou Ying."

"Huo’er, grab two vases, seven plates, and a rug!"

"Huo’er, don't forget the VCDs of your favorite serials."

After this incident, the store definitely wouldn't ask the "hostages" to pay when they left, right? Anyway, the clerks were either hostages or had fled, and no one was there to collect the money. They made a profit! They made a profit! Gui’er was ecstatic. She intended to use every ounce of Huo’er’s strength to take everything she could carry (Huo’er: I’ll just carry the whole store back for you, stop making me fly back and forth!).

Thirty minutes passed, and the man’s temper grew more uncontrollable. He demanded the police hand over the business partner who had cheated him, threatening mutual destruction if they didn't comply. He even fired a shot at the police officer who came to negotiate. He clearly intended to harm the hostages, pressing the gun against one hostage’s head several times, only maintaining a sliver of sanity by refraining from pulling the trigger. Sun Jian’s palms were sweaty. He didn't know what his colleagues outside were planning, nor when this madman might start killing hostages. All he knew was that he had to stop him before anyone else got hurt.

"Quick, quick!" Gui’er urged Huo’er to speed up.

"It hasn't exploded yet, why are you rushing?" Huo’er wasn't in a hurry. It had just turned on all the televisions displayed in the store, and watching cartoons on twenty screens at once felt incredible.

"Can't you see the police officer is about to move! Once he catches that guy, we’ll lose our chance! —Just grab another TV!" She had finished selecting the small items and was now moving onto major appliances. She finally remembered Sun Jian was a police officer and saw from his posture that he planned to rush the man. No, she had to grab a few more things before he captured the suspect; such an opportunity didn't come often: "Huo’er, get a refrigerator too!" Huo’er tended to hoard food whenever it had the chance (like monsters, humans, the pigs raised by Lu Jiu, etc.); two or three extra refrigerators at home wouldn't be too many.

Sun Jian noticed the man was wrapped in homemade explosives, meaning the charge would only detonate if ignited. But the man held the rifle firmly in both hands, with no source of fire on him. "Right, I have to subdue him by surprise. But what if he struggles and the gun accidentally fires? There are hostages everywhere."

The man screamed again, pointing the gun at another hostage’s head. That hostage’s face was ashen white, looking ready to faint.

"What should we do? Sun Jian, think quickly! He’s really going to kill a hostage!" Sun Jian knocked his head against the nearby shelving unit.

"Hey, why aren't you going to grab him yet?" Gui’er tugged at Sun Jian from the side, asking in a low voice, "Aren't you a cop?"

"He has a gun, I’m afraid it might misfire and hurt a hostage," Sun Jian explained.

"Oh, that shouldn't happen." Gui’er had already collected plenty of goods and was eager to go home and tally her spoils, impatient to waste any more time. "Huo’er, go knock him out." She pointed at the man and commanded.

"Wait a minute, this cartoon isn't over yet." Huo’er was sitting on a shelf, watching with rapt attention, enjoying the simultaneous viewing experience from twenty TVs.

"Bang!"

The man fired another shot into the ceiling. Plaster dust rained down, and the hostages shrieked.

"Quickly bring him out, or I’ll kill someone! Go bring him out, I want to die with that bastard." The man yelled, then "Bang!" fired another shot at the negotiating police officer.

Sun Jian knew the man’s sanity was on the brink of collapse; the next shot might hit a hostage’s head.

"Go!" He encouraged himself.

"Ha... ah..." Gui’er yawned, Huo’er was still engrossed in the TV, and Sun Jian still hadn't moved. She had been squatting too long, and her legs were starting to go numb. "Fine, I’ll handle him! What was that incantation for summoning spirits again..." Although her success rate for summoning spirit beasts was only 2%, because she could usually boss around two powerful monsters/spirits like "Zhou Ying" and "Huo’er," she rarely needed to act herself (judging by the amount of cleanup required after she did act, Zhou Ying would rather do it himself). So, when she needed it, she couldn't recall a single spell.

"Forget it." Gui’er petulantly shoved Sun Jian: "Hurry up and subdue him!"

Before she could finish speaking, Sun Jian leaped up. He had intentionally positioned himself very close to the man, so his first move was to clamp down on the man’s neck with one hand while using the other to push the arm holding the gun forcefully upward. "Bang!" A shot rang out amidst their struggle, but Sun Jian was relieved. He knew the trajectory of that shot couldn't possibly hit anyone—he had angled the weapon upward—and he was certain the man wouldn't get another chance to fire.

"Ah..."

"Help..."

"Run!"

The hostages began to flee. That single shot had hit a television set; sparks flew everywhere. People seemed to think something was burning, and the room temperature started to rise. Unsure if the explosives would go off, everyone surged toward the exit while Sun Jian wrestled with the culprit. Gui’er looked up, and Huo’er was burning fiercely: "Who? Who shot me! Do you not want to live anymore!"

Gui’er immediately pointed at the man.

After knocking the gun out of the man's hand, Sun Jian forcefully ripped off the explosives wrapped around his body and hurled them far away before finally breathing a sigh of relief. The man pulled out a dagger and faced him. Sun Jian calmly assumed his stance, ready to fight.

The man suddenly staggered and collapsed.

"Playing dead?" Sun Jian rushed forward, first kicking the dagger out of his hand, then kicking him under the jaw. "No reaction? Did he actually die?" He touched his own nose, detecting a faint breath. "Then why did he suddenly pass out? Heart attack? Stroke? Shock..." Sun Jian scratched his head in confusion.

Gui’er forcibly restrained Huo’er, who was still trying to pounce on the human to give him a 'medium-rare' punishment for "shooting it." She called out urgently: "Let's go, if the cashier comes back, we have to pay!" She and Huo’er hastily fled with their pilfered goods as the main contingent of police forces stormed in...

"Today afternoon's luck was great, running right into someone hijacking a store!" Gui’er announced excitedly as she climbed into the car Zhou Ying had brought to pick her up. "Ying, guess what I got?"

Zhou Ying shook his head.

Before Gui’er could answer, Huo’er rushed to report (since it carried everything, it remembered most clearly): "Two refrigerators, one computer, one TV, one stereo system, two necklaces, five rings, one hundred and six articles of clothing..."

Zhou Ying’s phone rang. Sun Jian’s voice bellowed from the receiver: "Calling Phantom, calling Phantom..."

"Sun Jian?"

"Zhou Ying, I kicked the perp into a steel rack and my foot is swollen. Can you drive me home... I’m at the entrance of XX Store..."

Zhou Ying glanced at Gui’er and Huo’er busy counting their loot, then listened to Sun Jian’s complaints: "Sent out to shop again, ran into a hostage situation, toes are swollen again. Today afternoon was terrible luck. Hurry up and help me out, don't tell me you’re not loyal, my girlfriend also told me to buy a pile of stuff to haul home..." Zhou Ying couldn't help but laugh, and drove the car toward the setting summer sun.