I switched on the television and tuned it to the news channel. A sequence showing injured people being carried onto ambulances filled the screen. Xiaoshu and my sister both leaned in, eyes glued to the set.

"This afternoon, a stabbing incident occurred at the Qingshan Residential Complex in our city. A thug, wielding a fruit knife, forced his way into the security office, severely injuring four guards before quickly fleeing the scene. Among the victims, one was pronounced dead at the scene, another passed away en route to the hospital despite emergency resuscitation efforts, and the remaining two are still in critical condition. It is reported that the perpetrator is Wang Jue, a resident of Unit 102, Building 2 in the Qingshan Complex. His motive remains unknown, and the police are conducting a thorough investigation. The public is urged to call the police hotline if they have any leads to assist in the case. A reward of 50,000 RMB will be given to informants who provide clues or to any unit or individual who aids significantly in the apprehension." The broadcast concluded with a recent close-up photo of Wang Jue.

After the news, my sister still couldn't accept that what she was witnessing was real, repeatedly asking, "How could this happen? What is going on? What happened to Wang Jue? Why would he kill people?"

"Sis," I helped her settle onto the sofa. "We don't really know what happened either. He was fine this morning. Xiaoshu and I went out on an errand, and when we returned this afternoon, we saw police cars parked at the entrance of the complex. We won't know the specifics until we find Wang Jue."

"Find him? How could you possibly find him? He's wanted now! That 50,000 yuan reward is for an A-level warrant! If you find him and don't report him, you'll get into serious trouble yourself!" Saying this, my sister grew agitated, tears welling up in her eyes.

"Calm down, please calm down!" I gripped her shoulders, waiting for her to settle before speaking softly. "Wang Jue risked half his life to help us bring you and me back safely from Silent Mountain. Now that he's in trouble, we have to go look for him, we have to find out exactly what happened. If necessary, we must help him. This is what you and I should be doing—he has shown us immense kindness!"

"Wuwuwu..." My sister grew emotional again, her tears falling like a snapped string of beads, one after another, wetting a large patch of the floor.

After crying for a long time, she sobbed out, "What do you plan to do now?"

That question stumped me. We had seen the news, we knew about the warrant—what next? I had to admit that I hadn't thoroughly considered this problem yet. Offering help to Wang Jue was easy to say, but figuring out how to help was proving to be a taxing matter.

I glanced at the silent Xiaoshu beside me. He met my gaze, then spoke up, "We should try to get the surveillance footage from the complex at the time of the incident. We need to see how he rushed out to injure people and where he fled afterward. That's the most useful information available right now."

"But the footage is with the police. How could we possibly get it?" my sister wailed.

"We don't need to possess it; we just need to see it," Xiaoshu stated calmly. That single, understated sentence revealed the key! Why hadn't I thought that far ahead? Listening to his strategy, my admiration for Xiaoshu multiplied.

"How?" my sister asked.

"The police will likely ask the media to assist with the investigation and the manhunt. We can just use the pretense of reporting the case to get access to view the footage," Xiaoshu said softly.

My sister stopped sobbing, gazing thoughtfully at the damp patch on the floor where her tears had fallen. After a moment, she picked up her phone and walked onto the balcony to make a call.

Five minutes later, she returned to the living room. Her eyes still carried the tell-tale redness of crying. She gripped my hand and said, "You are my only family left in this world. Promise your sister that when you help others, you must always protect yourself!"