"What happened?"
Old Wang saw Ma Lu tiptoeing out of the kitchen, so he asked.
Ma Lu lowered his voice, "About the pigeon, I think you were right. I've discovered that the pigeon on the building opposite is surveilling us."
"No, that's just an ordinary pigeon," Old Wang shook his head and said.
"Huh?"
Feeling somewhat awkward, Ma Lu conceded, "Alright then."
Just then, the timer for the oven dinged. Ma Lu went to rinse his mouth, spat out the toothpaste foam, and planned to head back to the kitchen for some bread. But after taking a few steps, something occurred to him, and he stopped, looking puzzled.
"Wait a minute, you've never even looked at that pigeon. How can you be so sure it wasn't surveilling us?"
"Because the one who is surveilling us, I met him last night," Old Wang said, "and, to be precise, he's not a pigeon."
???
Ma Lu gasped in shock, "So there really is someone keeping watch over us? How...how long has this been going on?"
"Four days," Old Wang said. "He's been watching us ever since our first encounter with the urban management officers."
"Damn, why didn't I notice anything before?"
"There are a lot of pigeons on this planet. Based on my observation, most humans don't pay attention to the pigeons around them, which effectively makes pigeons invisible in your society. That's why I can understand why he would choose to take the form of a pigeon."
"Who is he, and why is he watching us?" Ma Lu asked again.
However, Old Wang did not reply this time but said instead, "You can ask him directly. You were asleep last night when we just briefly talked. We agreed to discuss more once you were awake. Judging by the time, he should be arriving soon."
As they were talking, a slate-gray pigeon landed on the balcony railing outside.
Ma Lu walked to the balcony, opened the window, and tried to invite the gray pigeon in, "Uh... do you want to come in and sit?"
The gray pigeon, however, just tilted its head to look at him, not moving from its spot, and then made a cooing sound.
"I suspect it's swearing at us," Ma Lu whispered to Old Wang, "but I have no proof."
"It's just not sure if you're going to hurt it."
"However, even for those anarchists, a necessary order is indispensable. The existence of my colleagues and me is to ensure that."
"You are an Earthling, and according to regulations, I shouldn't reveal my identity and these matters to you. But your roommate, this Cosmic Chef, insists that you are his important business partner, crucially responsible for supplying him with ingredients."
"Therefore, after careful consideration, I have decided to accept..."
"Hold on a moment," Ma Lu interrupted White Dove, "You just said you're not an official organization, so why do you keep using these formal terms?"
"To display our professionalism," White Dove stated proudly.
"Let me summarize it for you. This dimension lacks a Cosmic Chef, so you need us. You talked a long spiel just to express that, right?"
White Dove fell silent.
"Alright, I hope we can cooperate happily from now on." Ma Lu reached out his hand, smiling brilliantly.
White Dove reluctantly extended a wing and shook hands with Ma Lu.
"The incident of you speeding that tricycle up to 200 mph in front of countless surveillance cameras, I've taken care of that for you, but in the future, it would be best if you were more careful in your actions."
"We were thinking the same thing," Ma Lu said as he poured a cup of tea for White Dove.
The latter shook its head.
So Ma Lu went to the kitchen and brought out the buttered bread he had baked earlier, breaking a piece and placing it in front of White Dove.
White Dove was satisfied and pecked at it.
Ma Lu went on, "Here's the thing, Brother Pigeon, we've realized that continuing with the street stall increases our risk of exposure, so we are planning to rent a place and open a storefront. This way we won't have to be chased by city management. But there's still a problem."
"As you know, our ingredients are quite... special. If someone discovered that we're transporting ingredients back from other universes, it might increase your workload again."
The pigeon kept eating and listening, knowing what the human in front of it was insinuating, and it regained its previous pride.
Just as it was about to speak, it suddenly couldn't help shivering, and then a puddle of white, unidentifiable substance appeared on the sofa.
The atmosphere became somewhat strained.
Two humans and one pigeon stared at each other with wide eyes.
In the end, Ma Lu was the first to break the silence, "No worries, no worries, it's a physiological thing, I know. Birds have straightforward digestive systems. I'll get some paper for you, Brother Pigeon, keep eating."