The Shadow

"Bobo, do you think it's okay for me to wear this dress tomorrow?"

Inside the apartment at night, Alice was holding the little dress against herself. Looking at her reflection in the mirror, she still seemed a bit dissatisfied.

"Miss Alice looks adorable in anything she wears," Bobo, who was standing a short distance away, spoke up.

"Hmph, I know that, of course," Alice hummed, finally deciding on the little dress in her hands.

At that moment, Bobo glanced at the watch on his wrist and reminded her, "It's time for bed, Miss Alice."

Hearing this, Alice checked the time. "I want to play on my phone for a bit."

"For the sake of your sleep quality, it's best not to use your phone an hour before bed."

"Fine."

Wearing her silk pajamas, Alice climbed into bed. After glancing left and right, she burrowed under the covers and quickly fell fast asleep—the little girl dozed off incredibly fast, losing all reaction after just three or four breaths.

Seeing this, Bobo standing nearby wasn't surprised. He stood quietly to the side, guarding Alice. This was a double room, and Bobo only allowed himself three or four hours of sleep each night, even though the apartment was very safe.

Dark clouds covered the moon, and the light outside the window seemed to dim significantly.

Suddenly, Bobo, who was leaning against the headboard half-asleep, seemed to sense something. He snapped his eyes open, and his massive body suddenly stood up!

In just two or three strides, he rushed into the living room!

Pausing his steps, Bobo frowned.

The living room was dead silent and completely empty, yet Bobo keenly sensed a human presence.

"..."

"Right here." Bobo picked up a chair with one hand and hurled it toward a curtain!

The next moment, the curtain moved, and the flying chair was instantly kicked to pieces!

A dark figure darted out, but what greeted them was Bobo's giant, tower-like silhouette!

Bobo had already reached the figure's side, thrusting out a giant hand and firmly clamping down on the intruder's wrist!

"Who are you!" Gone was Bobo's usual gentle demeanor. Right now, looking more like a starving beast, he interrogated the dark figure with bloodshot eyes.

Under the moonlight, the figure was dressed entirely in black night clothes, their face wrapped so tightly that their appearance was completely hidden.

But before Bobo could pull off the mask, he was met with a high kick from an impossible angle, aimed straight at his face!

"Thud!" A heavy, muffled sound rang out, but the kick didn't budge Bobo's head in the slightest!

"Huh?"

The dark figure let out a sound of surprise. Clearly, Bobo's physical resilience far exceeded their expectations; he hadn't moved an inch from the kick.

Bobo glared coldly at the dark figure, let out a low growl, and, grabbing the intruder by the wrist, violently hurled them away!

"Bang!"

The dark figure slammed solidly into the wall, though they quickly slid down.

Bobo advanced rapidly, but just then, a voice came from a short distance behind him.

"Bo... Bobo, what's wrong?"

Alice, her eyes heavy with sleep, came into the living room rubbing her eyes and hugging a plush toy. The sudden crashing noises outside had awakened her.

"Miss, it's dangerous, please go back!" Bobo immediately shouted.

The dark figure seemed to realize something, pulled out a few objects, and threw them toward Alice.

"Fuck!" Seeing this, Bobo immediately lunged toward Alice!

However, he was a step too slow, and Alice let out a shriek.

"Ah?!!!"

"Miss?!" Terrified, Bobo immediately checked on Alice. Although the little girl's face was pale with fright, she seemed unharmed.

"I... I'm fine, I was just scared," Alice shook her head and said. After all, the person had suddenly thrown things at her, and combined with Bobo's mountain-like body flying toward her, she really thought for a split second that she was going to die.

Even if the paper wads didn't kill her, she would have been crushed flat if Bobo hadn't hit the brakes.

Seeing that Alice was safe, Bobo started feeling around the floor nearby, only to discover that the objects the dark figure had thrown were actually just a few crumpled balls of paper.

By the time he helped Alice to her feet, the dark figure had long since vanished. Only the wide-open balcony window seemed to leave behind a trace of what happened.

"Click."

Bobo turned on the living room lights. Alice, still looking visibly shaken, threw herself directly into Bobo's arms. "I was so scared!"

"It's okay now, Miss Alice." Bobo could only gently stroke the back of Alice's head with his large palm. He also felt a bit guilty, realizing he had been careless, allowing the intruder not only to ambush the young miss but also to escape successfully.

If those paper balls had been something else, the consequences would have been unimaginable.

The room had quieted down, and Bobo's intuition told him that they were safe for now.

Bobo walked over to the balcony and glanced outside. This apartment was over a dozen stories high. If the intruder had actually jumped from here, the chances of survival were incredibly slim.

However, Bobo felt things weren't that simple. Looking down, he didn't see any sign of the dark figure.

The night lighting was poor, making it impossible for Bobo to determine whether the intruder had climbed up or jumped down, neither of which was a wise choice.

"Bobo! Look at this." By the sofa, Alice seemed to have found something shiny and held it up slightly.

Hearing her, Bobo quickly returned to the young miss's side. Only then did he notice that the object in Alice's palm was a small bracelet.

Dangling from the bracelet was a cartoon fish made of white gold and inlaid with gemstones.

"This is..." Bobo frowned.

Left behind by that person?

"It's so cute, look at this little fish," Alice said.

"Well... Miss Alice, please give this to me. I need it to investigate the intruder's identity."

"Can you do that just with a piece of jewelry?"

"Not necessarily... but if it's a custom-made piece, we might be able to trace its origin," Bobo simply replied.

After all, there were no other clues at the moment.

"Okay, here." Alice, also wondering who would sneak in the middle of the night, handed the bracelet to Bobo.

Taking the bracelet, which still carried a bit of body heat, Bobo first found an evidence bag and placed the item inside.

"Bobo, do we need to change places to sleep?" Alice asked.

"Yes, Miss. If you are sleepy, just sleep in my arms," Bobo said.

"No need, how could I sleep after being tossed around like this? Hurry up and catch the assassin."

"Understood."