"Wild House..."

Liu Zheng pondered over the name of this community.

In his experience, a normal-sounding community name might not actually be ordinary, but a peculiar one is definitely odd. 𝐟𝐫𝕖𝗲𝘄𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝕧𝐞𝚕.𝕔𝕠𝐦

So, just to be safe, he chose not to deliver the thick soup to the cemetery first but drove directly to Wild House.

"Hmm?"

As he was driving, Liu Zheng found the route somewhat familiar.

He opened his map again and discovered it was the same route as the one to Green District last time.

"Green District and Wild House... Could Wild House be a community for carnivorous animals?"

Liu Zheng speculated.

If this were true, would these two communities being so close really not cause any conflict?

With this question in mind, he arrived at the entrance of Wild House.

"Well, no need to ask, it definitely is."

After seeing the two statues at the entrance, Liu Zheng confirmed his previous guess.

They were two wild beasts embraced together—one was a golden male lion, and the other a pure white tiger.

The artisan who carved these statues was exceptionally skilled, not only bringing the statues to life but even making the lion’s mane and the tiger’s tail appear to sway.

However, their embrace didn’t suggest fighting; it looked more like they were dancing.

The security guard at the booth was also quite distinctive—it was a leopard.

Yet, this leopard bore tear marks at the corner of its eyes and had hollow patterns on its fur, making it hard to tell if it was a cheetah, a leopard, or a mix.

"Stop, what are you here for?"

Unsurprisingly, he was stopped not far from the entrance.

"Delivering food."

Liu Zheng pointed to the uniform he was wearing.

"Food delivery isn’t allowed in. Count yourself lucky; I need to save room for a buffet tonight, so hurry up and leave before I waste my appetite on you."

Hua Liebao waved his paw dismissively, like shooing away a fly.

"Which buffet?"

Liu Zheng asked.

"The Meaty Hot Pot BBQ Buffet. Why, you want to join in?"

Hua Liebao countered.

"I actually do."

He nodded.

After all, fodder was indeed unappetizing, and he felt awkward frequenting the Jidao Public Bath for meals.

"Well, go on then. It’s a rare place; the meat is freshly transported from farms outside the city every day, absolutely fresh. Plus, they don’t have a time limit like other buffets that annoyingly restrict you to two or three hours."

"But they do impose fines if you don’t finish your meal. If you can’t pay, you’d have to compensate with your own meat, cutting off the amount you leave uneaten. So if you go, make sure you take only what you can eat. Don’t overdo it trying to get your money’s worth and end up losing your life."

Hua Liebao advised.

"Thanks for the advice, Brother Leopard. How about we go together; I’ll treat you."

Liu Zheng seized the opportunity to get closer.

"Trying to bribe me, huh? It’s useless; I’m an owner myself. If I let you in, I won’t be able to get along in the community afterward. So don’t even think about it."

Hua Liebao saw through his intentions.

"Do your community owners take turns handling security?"

Liu Zheng asked surprisedly.

"Of course not."

Hua Liebao looked at him like he was a fool.

"The house was left to me by my parents. I ended up as security because I couldn’t find a job outside."

Hua Liebao explained.

"I see. But Brother Leopard, it shouldn’t be hard for you to find a job, right?"

Liu Zheng said.

Judging by Hua Liebao’s speech, he seemed quite normal, and the fact that his parents left him a house indicated a good family background, likely educated.

"I mostly can’t be bothered to look. I have a house, an inheritance; why endure the hardship of work outside? And I’m already an owner here, so the property management won’t mistreat me too much—it’s great."

Hua Liebao replied.

"Indeed, honestly, I envy you, Brother Leopard."

Liu Zheng said sincerely.

"I envy myself too. Alright, you’d better go. I’m in a good mood now, but if I get irritable later, you won’t be able to leave."

Hua Liebao said.

Feline animals have a naturally neurotic disposition, with jaguars being the epitome of neuroticism.

Although Hua Liebao had only a quarter of jaguar blood, he still had his flare-ups. This was one of his reasons for not wanting to find a job outside.

After all, outsiders wouldn’t be as tolerant as the old acquaintances in the community, and he might end up losing his life if he didn’t earn any salary.

Of course, these matters weren’t necessary to share with Liu Zheng, whom he’d just met.

"Do you smoke, Brother Leopard?"

Liu Zheng asked.

"I do. I was smoking before I learned to walk, knew the tobacco brands before I fully recognized the alphabet."

Hua Liebao said with pride.

"Then have one."

He offered Hua Liebao a cigarette from a pack given by Wang Manni and took one for himself.

With familiar faces, it wasn’t an issue; but when offering cigarettes to unfamiliar ones, you better smoke too to avoid making them feel uncomfortable taking one.

"Hell Lord. Wow, you’re quite loaded, mate."

Hua Liebao wasn’t bragging; he indeed recognized the brand of this pack of cigarettes.

Though he’d only seen them before, never smoked them.

Just one costs sixty or seventy, making his entire day on duty effectively for naught.

"It’s given by someone else. If you don’t like it, Brother Leopard, I have others."

Liu Zheng pulled out another pack of special-supply cigarettes.

"Environmental Protection Department special supply. This cigarette is remarkable, with a fresh taste, doesn’t go to your head, and even leaves a sweet aftertaste; smoking a pack a day won’t feel uncomfortable."

Hua Liebao’s eyes lit up.

For an old smoker like him, price stopped mattering; a good smoke is what counts.

"Here, take the pack."

Liu Zheng handed over the entire pack.

"No, I dare not take it. Smoking one Hell Lord is consultation fee enough; if I take a whole pack without letting you in, people might say I have bad Leopard character."

Hua Liebao shook his head, refusing to take it.