Logan Bennett thought for a moment and shook his head. If they were going south, he would definitely follow—he really wanted to know if the other version of himself still existed. But this time they were heading north, so he decided to forget it.

Logan Bennett didn’t want to be sent to the pet center for boarding, nor did he want to stay at someone else’s house, so Mr. Carter left Logan Bennett a key.

Before the family left, they took turns reminding Logan Bennett, and the summary was: “When you’re home alone, be good and don’t open the door to strangers.”

Logan Bennett: “……” Do they really think I’m a kid?

Ryan Carter and Violet Grant left, looking back every few steps. They piled all their snacks on the sofa, afraid their cat would go hungry.

After the four members of the The Carter Family left, Logan Bennett looked at the now empty house and suddenly felt that the old place had become much bigger.

So damn boring～

Logan Bennett rolled from one end of the living room sofa to the other, then rolled back, finally hanging upside down off the edge, looking at the world from an inverted perspective.

In the end, Logan Bennett’s gaze landed on the calendar in the living room. Mr. Carter said they’d be gone for a week. Today was Wednesday, so he’d have to wait until next Wednesday…

Wednesday?!

Logan Bennett flipped upright.

Every Wednesday, Dongyuan Supermarket gets new stock. The delivery truck arrives around four or five in the afternoon and leaves around six or seven in the evening.

It was now 4:30 p.m.

Logan Bennett hung the key left by Mr. Carter around his neck and headed out.

So, less than three hours after being told to “be good at home,” Logan Bennett decided to go on a little trip himself.

Chapter 9: Boss, did your cat run away from home?

When Logan Bennett went out and walked down the stairs, he noticed a note stuck at the stairwell corner between the fifth and fourth floors, right at his eye level.

“If you’re going away, turn off unnecessary power sources to avoid safety hazards, close the doors and windows to keep out wind and dust, and remember to bring food… For detailed steps, see the instructions on the desk.”

Mr. Carter’s handwriting.

Logan Bennett tugged at his ear, helplessly turned back, and with some difficulty used the key hanging around his neck to open the door. He went into the The Carter Family couple’s bedroom, jumped onto the desk, and sure enough, there was an open notebook listing everything that needed to be done in detail. Logan Bennett read it over, then walked around the house, following the instructions to turn off some power sources and close the doors and windows.

After tidying everything up, Logan Bennett grabbed a bag of thumb biscuits in his mouth, swiped the access card, and came to a plane tree by the cement road next to the family compound in the east district. He climbed the tree. At the third forked branch, there was a fist-sized hole. Logan Bennett put the key and access card inside, then pulled down two leaves to cover them.

Usually, there were few birds lingering in the roadside trees of the family compound, not even that annoying parrot. As for other cats, they rarely climbed trees here; if they did, it was in the small woods, not by the cement road. So Logan Bennett felt safe leaving his things here. After all, he couldn’t take a pet-labeled access card and the house key on a long trip—that would be too inconvenient. Besides, if he did something bad and got caught, it would be even more troublesome.

After hiding his things, Logan Bennett went to wait in the bushes next to Dongyuan Supermarket for a chance to hitch a ride.

The delivery driver was unloading goods. After moving the last box off the small truck, he leaned against the door to smoke, turning his head to see Logan Bennett squatting in the bushes, with a bag of thumb biscuits that kids often eat beside him.

“Hey, Blackie, heading out to play again today?”

The delivery driver knew Logan Bennett and was already used to this scene. The only difference today was that the cat had brought a bag of biscuits—was he planning a long trip?

Logan Bennett had hitched a ride on this delivery truck twice before. At first, the driver had some complaints, but after Mr. Carter gave him two cartons of cigarettes and a case of liquor, the driver would now grin from ear to ear every time he saw Logan Bennett. Whenever Logan Bennett hitched a ride, it meant more gifts in the future, and those cigarettes and liquor were good stuff—over a hundred yuan at the supermarket near Central Department Store.

Logan Bennett stretched, picked up the thumb biscuits, and jumped into the back of the small truck, waiting for the driver to finish settling accounts with the supermarket owner.

Today, the truck’s cargo hold was empty—everything had been unloaded.

“Blackie, today’s deliveries are done. I’m not going to Central Department Store, just heading home. I’ll take the North Second Gate back entrance, not the East School Gate.”

The last two times, Logan Bennett had gone for a stroll around Central Department Store, which was two bus stops from the family compound’s East School Gate. It took about twenty minutes to walk, but from Central Department Store you could clearly see the tall buildings of Chuhua University. The campus was huge—it took several stops to get from one end to the other.

The driver was just talking; he didn’t expect a cat to understand him. All he could do was let the black cat hitch a ride—wherever the cat wanted to go was none of his business.

By six o’clock, all the goods at Dongyuan Supermarket had been checked and the accounts settled. The driver called out to Logan Bennett, then drove the small truck toward the North Second Gate.

The setting sun had turned orange-red, about to drop below the horizon. At the entrance to the North District cafeteria, students were coming and going. The last class had just ended, and they chatted and laughed about the day’s events.