Chapter 65 : Gang Crime

Song Shiwei was startled and quickly turned her head just in time to see a boy, only about two years older than Zhou Cheng and Zhou Lin, staring at her in horror.  

“Stealing?”  

The boy’s face turned pale instantly.  

On reflex, he tried to yank his hand away and run.  

But before he could, Song Shiwei swept her leg out, knocking him to the ground.  

Her sudden action immediately caught the attention of the surrounding crowd.  

Zhou Cheng and Zhou Lin, who had been standing not far away, turned their heads, and their faces changed at once.  

They rushed forward and pinned the boy down!  

But Song Shiwei’s gaze had already shifted to a middle-aged man standing at the corner.  

The reason she noticed him was because, the moment she caught the boy, she could feel a burning gaze locked onto her.  

As soon as she looked up, the man instinctively tried to hide behind a nearby stall, but his eyes remained fixed on her and the boy.  

Even after realizing that Song Shiwei had spotted him, he didn’t look scared at all.  

Instead, he clenched his right sleeve tightly.  

Song Shiwei narrowed her eyes. If she was right, he was hiding a “weapon” inside!  

It could be a knife or a stick.  

It was unlikely to be a gun, guns wouldn’t fit inside a sleeve that easily.  

Meanwhile, the boy struggling under Zhou Cheng and Zhou Lin’s grip kept glancing back at the man, his eyes filled with fear.  

Purple bruises covered his exposed arms.  

That’s when Song Shiwei realized something was seriously wrong.  

This wasn’t just a random pickpocket.  

It was likely an organized crime, run by a gang.  

And there were probably several other children like him scattered throughout the marketplace.  

Zhou Cheng seemed to have noticed the bruises as well. He looked up at Song Shiwei in surprise.  

She gave him a small nod.  

A silent signal.  

Go find Sun Meimei and the others.  

Before coming to the market, Song Shiwei had already observed the situation. A market this large was bound to have concerns about trouble, so nearby villages had formed patrol teams to maintain order.  

They were called a “militia,” but in reality, they were just strong young men from the surrounding villages, recruited to keep things in check.  

Zhou Cheng understood the message. He subtly turned his body and slipped away into the crowd.  

Meanwhile, Song Shiwei deliberately raised her voice.  

“Boy, how dare you steal in broad daylight?”  

She needed to draw more attention, stall for time until Sun Meimei and the others could bring the militia over.  

The boy was visibly terrified. He trembled violently, sneaking desperate glances at the man in the corner.  

It was clear that he was deeply afraid of him.  

Song Shiwei caught everything.  

She lifted her gaze back to the man. His eyes remained locked onto her, and then he started walking toward them.  

There was a glint of ruthlessness in his expression.  

Just then, the boy suddenly dropped to his knees and began kowtowing to Song Shiwei.  

“Please, please forgive me! I was just too hungry! I have no other choice! My parents are bedridden, and I have three younger siblings, I can’t just let them starve to death…”  

He kowtowed desperately, as if staking his life on it. In just moments, his forehead was covered in blood.  

Song Shiwei frowned.  

She wasn’t sure if his words were true or just an act, but one thing was certain this child was being controlled by someone!  

She recalled how, in her previous life, human traffickers would kidnap children, break their legs or cripple them, and then dump them on busy streets to beg preying on the sympathy of passersby.  

If you begged for enough money today, you could have food to eat. If you didn’t get any money or asked for too little, not only would you go hungry, but you would also be beaten.  

Song Shiwei wasn’t sure what the exact relationship between the boy and the middle-aged man was, but she could clearly sense that the boy had suffered long-term abuse at his hands and was instinctively terrified of him.  

He would rather have his head smashed and bleed than let that man get close to him.  

By now, a large crowd had gathered to watch the commotion.  

They surrounded Song Shiwei and her companions.  

Some even started blaming her.  

“Aren’t you being too heartless, young lady? This child is so pitiful!”  

“That’s right! He didn’t even manage to steal anything, why make such a big deal out of it?”  

“Poor thing! He has to take care of an entire family at such a young age! Miss, why don’t you just let it go and give him another chance?”  

—   

Song Shiwei kept her eyes on the man. She noticed that he hesitated for a long time, likely because there were too many people around, making it difficult for him to act. In the end, he stopped moving and just observed from the outer edge of the crowd.  

She subtly shifted her position, blocking Zhou Lin and the boy behind her, but outwardly, she still acted furious.  

“Brothers and sisters-in-law, it’s easy for you to talk! Who doesn’t have struggles these days? No one’s money comes from thin air! Since this kid dared to steal, I have to take him to the authorities. Luckily, we’re close to the army base I’ll bring him over to see the officer in charge!”  

After saying this, she helped the boy up, gripping the collar of his clothes with her other hand. To outsiders, it looked like she was dragging him along.  

At that moment, she leaned in and whispered, “Don’t be afraid, kid. I’m from a soldier’s family. I just need to ask, do you know that man behind you? Is he your relative?”  

The boy was surprised when she helped him up, and even more shocked when he heard that she was from a soldier’s family.  

But the moment she mentioned the man, his face turned deathly pale, and his entire body began trembling uncontrollably.  

Even Zhou Lin, who was holding his other arm, could tell something was seriously wrong.  

The boy saw the man inching closer and broke out in a cold sweat.  

Panicked, he clutched at Song Shiwei’s sleeve.  

He whispered urgently, “Go! Hurry! That man is not my relative, he’s a bad person! There are many of them! I don’t want you to get hurt please, go!”  

Song Shiwei could feel his hands trembling as they gripped her sleeve.  

When she looked into his eyes, she saw nothing but sheer terror.  

She didn’t know if Zhou Cheng had managed to find Sun Meimei and whether Sun Meimei had brought the militia yet.  

But at this moment, she had no other choice. If it were just her, she could take the risk but Zhou Lin was with her.  

“Don’t be afraid, just keep playing along with me!” she whispered.  

Then, raising her voice, she declared, “No matter what, I’m taking you to the army today and letting the officers discipline you! Learning to steal at such a young age, what kind of person will you grow up to be?”  

Among the crowd, there were still some righteous people. When they heard her say this, they immediately nodded in agreement.  

“That’s right! He needs to be taught a proper lesson! If he starts stealing now, what’s stopping him from committing bigger crimes when he grows up?”  

“Even if he’s pitiful, that’s no excuse for stealing!”  

“Exactly! A person should be honest and upright, stealing and robbing will only lead to trouble!”