The man in the mask calmly walked past Renee Jennings and the short-haired girl, pulling a dagger that glinted coldly from his sweatshirt pocket.
Renee Jennings saw it.
He was warning her.
Renee Jennings furrowed her brow.
"Is something wrong?" Joyce asked uneasily.
Renee turned back and saw the masked man standing by her car, fiddling with the dagger.
She pressed her lips together and shook her head. "It's nothing."
Joyce let out a soft "Ah."
'Why aren't you saving Joyce!' K was devastated.
Renee met his disappointed puppy-dog eyes, crouched down to ruffle his head, and whispered, "Protect Joyce."
The sound of high heels clicking against the ground broke the quiet night.
Renee walked away. A look of contempt and triumph flashed in the masked man's eyes as he continued to follow Joyce.
'Save Joyce!' K's barks grew more frantic. 'Joyce is in danger!'
About ten minutes later, K led his owner to the base of her apartment building.
He watched the masked man warily.
Joyce asked with a smile, "Why'd you stop, K? Are you tired?"
The masked man crouched in front of K and patted his face with the dagger.
K was a rigorously trained guide dog. He wouldn't attack a person, nor would he retaliate if attacked. He could only endure it silently.
When Renee arrived, she saw the masked man waving the sharp dagger in front of K. "Don't touch him," she snapped coldly.
Joyce tightened her grip on the leash, a panicked expression on her face.
'What's happening?'
"You dare come back!" Veins popped on the masked man's forehead, his face a mask of fury. "I'll kill you first! In your next life, remember to mind your own damn business!"
He gripped the dagger and rushed at Renee, looking as if he wanted to kill her with a single stab.
Renee raised her voice and commanded, "Get him."
The moment she spoke, several agile canine figures shot out. A few dogs—black, white, and yellow—latched onto the masked man's hands and feet.
These were the helpers Renee had called for. Their payment: ten cans of meat.
"Fuck, where did these damn dogs come from!" the masked man cursed in pain. "Let go of me!"
Joyce didn't know what was happening. She trembled with fear, faintly hearing the sound of police sirens.
'This is great! Joyce is saved!' K thought excitedly.
When the police arrived on the scene, they stared in disbelief at the sight of five dogs working together to attack the masked man.
What surprised them even more was when the young woman with long, curly black hair said a single word, "Stop," and all five dogs simultaneously released their hold, trotting over to her and wagging their tails.
Renee raised an eyebrow. "Don't worry, I'll make good on my promise of canned meat."
An officer came forward to restrain the masked man. His gaze swept between the short-haired girl and Renee before settling on the latter. "Are you the one who called this in?"
Renee nodded. "Yes."
He glanced at the five dogs beside her. "Are these your dogs?"
"No," Renee explained. "I called them over from the street to help."
The officer: "..."
It sounded absurd, but they couldn't forget the scene they had just witnessed.
The masked man was taken back to the station, and Renee and Joyce went along to give their statements.
It was confirmed that the masked man had a history of stalking women who were alone, threatening them with a knife, and committing acts of indecent assault and rape.
Realizing how close she had come to being a victim, Joyce was overcome with lingering fear. She thanked Renee, her voice choked with sobs. "Thank you. Thank you so much. If it weren't for you, I... I can't even imagine what would have happened..."
"It was K who saved you," Renee said softly. "He was barking constantly to warn you."
Joyce said she would be more careful in the future and offered to pay Renee a reward to express her gratitude.
Renee politely declined. As she was about to leave, a middle-aged police officer stopped her. "Miss Jennings, a moment please."
Seeing her confused expression, Officer Linden quickly explained, "I'm just curious. How did you get those dogs to help you?"
"Maybe I just have a strong animal affinity, so they agreed to help." Renee couldn't exactly say she'd been rewarded with an animal dictionary by the System.
Officer Linden: "..."
Renee: "Is there anything else?"
Officer Linden shook his head. "No, nothing."
"Goodbye, then."
Renee got back into her red BMW.
[System 009: Congratulations, Miss Jennings, on completing the hidden mission: Girls Help Girls. Reward: 50 points!]
"What can points be used for?" Renee asked as she drove.
[System 009: Points can be used to redeem items in the store.]
Since Renee was driving, she didn't look into it further.
When she got home, Mr. and Mrs. Jennings were already asleep. Feeling exhausted herself, she took a shower and went to bed.
「The next day」
Renee was woken up by her phone ringing.
It was a call from Evan Shepherd.
All the money Renee had scammed from Jaden Forrest, she had spent on him.
Yet in her dream, when she was down and out, Evan Shepherd hadn't helped her in the slightest.
Renee answered the phone. The first words out of his mouth were a demand for money. "Renee, transfer twenty thousand to me."
"Am I your mother?" she asked.
Evan Shepherd: "What did you say?"
"Am I your mother?" Renee asked again.
"Are you crazy? Of course you're not my mother!"
"Since I'm not your mother, what gives you the right to ask me for money?"
Evan Shepherd was furious. "Are you actually insane? What's wrong with me asking you for money?"
"Get lost." Not wanting to waste her breath on him, Renee hung up the phone.
She pulled the covers over her head, ready to go back to sleep, but threw them off again a second later.
Evan had used the money she'd scammed to buy a lot of luxury goods. She had to go see which ones could be sold.
'I can't let that bastard get away with it.'
Renee got up, washed her face, ate some of the breakfast Mrs. Jennings had left for her, and headed out.
She drove to the underground garage of Evan's apartment complex. While taking the elevator up, she ran into two elderly women. One of them was holding a pet carrier containing a Russian Blue cat.
"What's wrong with Nini? The vet said she's physically fine, but she won't pay any attention to me lately," the old woman said sadly.
Renee gave the blue cat a second glance and immediately heard it complaining in her mind.
'Cat doesn't even know you, why should Cat pay attention to you! Cat is not your Nini! Cat's name is Princess!'
'Cat already said Cat didn't want a bath, but that idiot still took Cat, and then she took the wrong cat home! It's enough to make a cat furious!'
Renee pressed her lips together and said softly, "Is it possible... that this isn't your Nini?"
Princess immediately got excited. 'AHHH, you can understand Cat-speak! Quick, make her take Cat home!'
The old woman looked at Renee in astonishment. "How could that be possible?"
'So stupid! Of course it's possible!' Princess fumed.
Renee glanced at the grumpy blue cat. "Try to think back carefully. Maybe you picked up the wrong one somewhere."
Just as she said that, the elevator stopped at the 19th floor, her destination.
Renee stepped out of the elevator, only to run into the one person she never wanted to see, not even in her nightmares, standing right at Evan Shepherd's door—Jaden Forrest.
Her first reaction was to turn and walk away.
A gentle male voice came from behind her. "Renee Jennings."
Renee's steps faltered. She closed her eyes, her heart hammering violently in her throat.
She turned around and forced a smile that was uglier than a grimace. "Wh-what a coincidence."