Mujin woke to the chirping of sparrows.

She found herself in a giant cage, with over a dozen little sparrows hopping around inside.

She blinked, feeling slightly dazed.

Where was she?

[System: Host, your Park Battle Royale mission failed. You’re now imprisoned by the bird catcher as punishment. Friendly reminder: Since this is a penalty, I won’t assist during captivity, and the Points Mall is temporarily closed.]

The System’s message jogged Mujin’s memory—she’d been captured by bad guys!

Damn, closing the mall was way too harsh!

[System: I warned you, Host. Your own carelessness—insisting on going home—caused this failure.]

Mujin fell silent. The System was right; she’d underestimated the bird catcher.

Instinctively, she tried to spread her wings but winced from a sharp pain.

She looked down and saw her injured wings.

Gritting her teeth, Mujin pulled them back and peered outside the cage.

The dim light revealed an ordinary living room.

She sat on the floor beside a wooden dining table and chairs.

Further off, a bedroom door stood open. Inside, a man lay watching TV.

Creak—the front door opened. A little boy rushed in excitedly.

“Wow, so many sparrows, Dad! Is the dancing sparrow here today?”

“Ah, son! It came!”

The man hurried over, leading the boy to the cage.

As they approached, the sparrows panicked. To avoid standing out, Mujin forced herself to flap her wings in feigned fright, despite the pain.

With no System help, she’d rely on herself.

The boy’s words had given her a clue.

They wanted the dancing sparrow. Hiding that identity might keep her safe.

The middle-aged man bent down, opened the cage, and placed birdseed in the boy’s hand.

“Hold your hand here. It’ll fly out to eat soon.”

“Really?”

“Yes.”

The man looked confident. As a seasoned bird catcher, he knew sparrows usually starved themselves when captured.

But that tame sparrow should eat from a hand, he thought.

The boy crouched by the cage for ages. No sparrow emerged.

“Dad, why won’t it come out?”

“Hmm… maybe not hungry enough. Wait. Sparrows get hungry fast—it’ll fly out in an hour.”

“Dad, don’t you know which one it is?”

“Well, not exactly.”

He’d caught the intelligent sparrow last, but mixed it with others. Now he couldn’t tell them apart.

He should’ve separated it earlier.

That night, Mujin shared the cramped cage with over a dozen sparrows.

It was her first crowded sleepover. Sparrows jostled for space on a single perch.

Weaker ones tumbled to the bottom, bracing for droppings from above.

Mujin fought hard for a tiny edge spot, dodging the bird-poop shower.

An hour later, darkness fell. The boy returned with food at the cage.

“Come out and eat!”

His innocent smile looked like Satan’s grin to Mujin.

The man was right—she was starving—but she couldn’t reveal herself.

Going out would expose her identity, making escape harder.

Just then, a miracle happened.

One sparrow companion, unable to bear hunger, flew out and ate from the boy’s hand.

The boy froze, then yelled, “Wow, Dad! It flew out!”

“Really?” The man bent to inspect the sparrow. “Hmm… this must be it. The rest are useless.”

“Should we release them?” the boy asked innocently.

Mujin sighed in relief. She’d be safe.

Once free, she’d never stay in the park again. She’d have Little Yang find her a new home.

“Release them? No way! Tonight, I’ll cook you a special braised sparrow dish. Absolutely top-notch!”

Mujin froze.

Nani!??

…

“Police! I need to report a kidnapping!”

That morning, a young man burst into the station shouting.

His panic put the two on-duty officers on alert.

“Calm down, sir. What happened?”

“My friend was kidnapped!”

“Kidnapped? When?”

“Just now.”

“Where?” The officer grabbed a notebook.

“The park.”

“The park again?” He frowned. “See the kidnapper’s face?”

“Too dark. Only saw a dirty camouflage jacket and a gun.”

“Armed kidnapping?” The officers exchanged serious glances. “Describe your friend. Any photos?”

“No photo, but you can find her online.”

“A celebrity?” Their hearts sank.

“No, not a celebrity,” Zhou Ruiyang waved his hand.

“Oh…” They relaxed.

In this click-driven world, ordinary people’s crises rarely made waves. But celebrities? Even small issues could trigger police crackdowns and cost jobs.

Zhou Ruiyang tapped his phone, then showed the screen.

“She looks like this, but with a small white chest patch and tiny black spots under her eyes. Much smaller than this picture.”

The officer stared blankly. “Wrong photo. This is just a sparrow.”

“Exactly. She’s a sparrow.”

Instantly, the police officers stood stunned.