Looking at Qi Ling with an indifferent expression, Su Mo asked in confusion, "Why did you smash it to death?"

Those amber eyes blinked, filled with puzzlement: "You said it yourself, this cat can’t be saved. Instead of letting it die slowly in extreme pain, wouldn’t it be better to grant it relief sooner?"

Su Mo was momentarily at a loss for words: "That’s true... but... how should I put it... you shouldn’t have thrown its body into the trash bin."

Qi Ling looked back at the various classified trash bins, seeming to confirm something, then looked at Su Mo in confusion: "Animal bodies belong to organic waste; they should be thrown into the compost bin, right? That’s the correct classification."

Su Mo said softly, "I’m not talking about the trash classification issue... I meant we could find a place to bury the cat, rather than throwing it in the trash."

Qi Ling seemed even more puzzled: "I don’t understand... what’s the significance of burying it? Afraid of germs? Nowadays, compostable waste is processed harmlessly, much cleaner than burying randomly."

"Or, is it merely to give it a burial? But funeral customs are for the living to mourn the dead, a cultural practice unique to humans. Animals like cats don’t understand funerals."

"So, what’s the significance of burying it?"

Su Mo didn’t know how to respond and could only ask, "But don’t you feel it’s pitiful to just throw it into the garbage bin?"

Qi Ling shook her head blankly, as if caught in a knowledge blind spot: "Pitiful? I don’t understand. If it were alive and thrown into the garbage bin, that would indeed be pitiful."

"But it’s already dead. There’s no such thing as a soul in this world. Dead is dead; there’s nothing to feel anymore. Any organism, once dead, is just a piece of decayed flesh."

These rational words, almost cold in nature, suddenly made Su Mo feel that the girl he had spent a sweet day with seemed somewhat unfamiliar.

But upon thinking carefully about her words, he found them logical yet indisputable.

Qi Ling lowered her head, eyes downcast, like a child unsure of what she did wrong, speaking softly: "If you think it’s not right, then I’ll take the cat out, and we can find a place to bury it together."

Although Su Mo had some doubts in his heart, he didn’t find it necessary to be picky about such matters.

The atmosphere was a bit tense now, so he comforted her gently, "It’s okay, it’s okay, it’s already in there. Taking it out again would be too dirty. Let’s not worry about this. Let’s go wash our hands by the park pool."

After washing their hands, they continued their stroll along the riverside path.

They chatted about the fun events of the day, and the awkward atmosphere from before quickly vanished.

Reaching an intersection, Su Mo looked around and said, "Let me see where we should go next."

Yadong’s main attractions are in the bowling alley, but the two had already played there. Su Mo was unsure where to take Qi Ling next, so he turned to ask her, "Xiaoqi, tonight do you want... oh! What’s going on?!"

Su Mo, in the middle of speaking, was startled by the sight in front of him.

Along the path they had walked on, bloodstains were scattered, with many bloody footprints extending ahead!

Su Mo followed the trail of bloody footprints with his eyes, eventually resting his gaze on Qi Ling’s feet.

Earlier, when Qi Ling dashed out of the restaurant, she had taken off her troublesome high heels, holding them in her hands and walking barefoot.

The riverside path was covered with gravel, many of which were sharp, and her soles were cut with wounds, bleeding continuously and staining her white socks a murky red.

Su Mo hurried over: "Your foot is so injured, why didn’t you say anything!"

"Hmm?" Qi Ling seemed to not have realized, looked down at her foot, "Oh... didn’t notice."

"How could you not notice??? Su Mo was bewildered by her calm demeanor. He helped Qi Ling sit down on a nearby bench, "Sit here, don’t move, I’ll go get you some medicine right away."

Su Mo rushed to a nearby pharmacy.

In this era, medical technology was far more advanced than before he traveled, with all kinds of highly advanced medicines.

He spent a good amount to buy a bottle of the best external wound medicine, a spray made of transcription factor proteins, which could quickly repair damaged tissue and promote cell healing.

For ordinary cuts, applying this medicine would heal them in a few hours without leaving any scars.

Su Mo returned with the medicine and bandage, first helping Qi Ling remove her socks, then gently holding her sole and cleaning away the grime with disinfectant.

Qi Ling’s bare feet were fair and delicate, with defined contours, and even subtle blue veins were visible; the wounds on her soles from the gravel looked like cracks on a piece of art, arousing sympathy.

Su Mo’s face was full of worry: "It looks painful... Next time, let me know if you get hurt."

Qi Ling gave a playful giggle and wiggled her bare feet mischievously, "Got it~"

"Alright, don’t move, let me apply the medicine." Su Mo placed those bare feet on his knee, carefully spraying them with the medicated spray and then bandaging them, "Luckily, the cuts aren’t deep. This medicine is amazing and should heal soon."

Qi Ling, having just been bandaged, found walking inconvenient, so they sat on the bench chatting.

The evening breeze brought an unusual sense of comfort, and looking across the river, the city lights seemed like an unfolding splendid painting.

As they chatted, Qi Ling pointed across the river: "Look over there, have you seen the movie that’s recently been released?"

Su Mo looked up, a holographic image was being projected on a skyscraper across the river.

A young man stood there, reaching up to wipe his face, tearing off the handsome mask he wore, revealing a hideous and terrifying visage underneath.