The dark-skinned man fell under Xiao Shu’s ** right at the start. However, the remaining group wasn't deterred, treating that first encounter as merely a skirmish fought by vanguards. Next up came two more youths: one with his head wrapped in a sapphire-blue triangular cloth, and another sporting jeans tailored so that one leg was noticeably shorter than the other—just the kind of bizarre attire one expected from these youngsters.

The blue-headscarf fellow twirled a throwing knife in his hand like a decorative ornament before suddenly launching it toward Xiao Shu. Hearing the whoosh of air, Xiao Shu tilted his head slightly to the side, and the knife zipped past the outer edge of his right cheek. A collective gasp went through the crowd, suggesting some were ready to call it quits right then. But Xiao Shu wasn't letting up. "Hand over the one who just snatched things from the old woman," he demanded.

At his words, everyone exchanged confused glances. A middle-aged man, seemingly the leader, stepped forward. He bowed slightly and addressed Xiao Shu, "Brother, I see the scar on your face; you must have eaten from our bowl before. Since we're on the same side, we won't lie. That gold chain never belonged to the old hag. What difference is there between her picking through remnants in the rubble and us looting the spoils? What we took wasn't hers; she isn't morally superior to us."

This defense carried some weight, leaving Xiao Shu momentarily speechless and unable to formulate a reply. He glanced back at the elderly woman, who had already been helped up and carried away from the scene by someone else. He could only retort, "Whether she was a thief or a robber is irrelevant. You harmed someone in broad daylight; that invokes the law. That is the action of thugs!"

"Fine then," the leader conceded. Seeing that they couldn't reach an agreement, he folded his arms across his chest, adopting an expression that challenged Xiao Shu: What are you going to do about it?

"I intend to take the perpetrator to the Public Security Bureau to surrender," Xiao Shu stated. Before the words even fully left his mouth, a burst of laughter erupted from the group. Never mind whether the Bureau was even operational these days—even if the doors were wide open, what good would it do? Given the current state of affairs, the most they could expect was disarmament and transport to a temporary shelter. Xiao Shu still hadn't grasped that once the machinery of the state collapsed, even the most fundamental function—punishing criminals—became impossible. He simply assumed the police were too busy patrolling the shelters to bother chasing down street thugs. The grim reality was that the shelters were makeshift setups meant to keep people safe from bandits, and the local order had already slipped into chaos.

The leader noted the boyish lack of worldliness in Xiao Shu’s tone, assuming the young man hadn't lived through societal upheaval. "Then forget it. Birds of a feather flock together, or rather, when paths diverge, the courageous prevail in a narrow crossing," he finished. With that, the group instantly encircled Xiao Shu, blocking every escape. Some brandished cleavers, others held wooden clubs, some hoisted bricks, and a few gripped jagged shards of broken glass. They began to pace slowly around Xiao Shu. The dark-skinned man Xiao Shu had kicked down earlier had already managed to get back up during the exchange and rejoined the fray.

The leader raised his hand high above his head and gave a small wave, uttering a single command: "Go." The crowd surged toward Xiao Shu in a single wave. They were upon him in the blink of an eye; Xiao Shu had nowhere to dodge or hide. He had no choice but to pull out the fruit knife Old He had given him, flashing the gleaming blade in front of him. This tactic proved somewhat effective. Any of the robbers who weren't armed slowed their advance upon seeing the glint of steel, shuffling quietly behind their armed comrades. In doing so, the once impenetrable formation suddenly revealed a gap.