Two people were trapped in the middle of a throng, treated like rats scurrying across a street, subjected to a hail of blows. In truth, not a single person had witnessed them committing murder, nor had anyone clearly matched the wanted poster to the faces of the two individuals before them. A mere conjecture from the man with the triangular eyes had brought disaster upon the two youths. If it were true that the eyes of the masses were sharp, some sociologists even suggested that the populace, under the heat of agitation, could lose all rationality. In fact, that statement should be amended: it wasn't just sometimes, it was most of the time. Therefore, preventing those devoid of virtue from gaining the upper hand was a wise course of action. Xiao Shu now deeply regretted having offered that biscuit to the triangular-eyed man earlier. Had she instead shot him a cold glare and a sharp rebuke, perhaps out of self-preservation, he wouldn't have become so brazen as to summon the guards and incite the crowd to viciously beat her and Xiao Yu.

The rain-like barrage of punches continued to fall upon the two bodies until, suddenly, a clear, delicate ding sound brought a moment of stillness to the crowd. Xiao Shu lowered the arm she had been using to shield the back of her head and looked toward the ground. At some point, the locket pendant, a gift from older sister Xiao Yu, had fallen from her embrace. In the post-rain sunlight, the locket box gleamed with a dazzling, golden brilliance, captivating the eyes of everyone present.

It was the triangular-eyed man again who lunged forward first, snatching up the locket. He weighed it in his palm, smiling sinisterly at the surrounding crowd. "Gold, see? This is stolen property."

"They should be handed over to the police." "Lock them in the dark cells." "The police are useless nowadays; let's handle it ourselves." As he spoke, someone delivered a vicious kick to Xiao Shu, who was half-crouching, sending her sprawling to the ground. Xiao Shu spared him an innocent glance, quickly scrambled up, snatched the locket from the triangular-eyed man's grasp, shielded it with her palm against Xiao Yu's chest, and announced to the crowd, "This is a relic from his father; it contains a photo of his entire family."

"Nonsense." "Just an excuse." "Keep beating them." Just as the crowd moved to seize the locket and resume their assault, an elder pushed through the throng from outside and called out in a loud voice, "Easy now, everyone, easy now!"

Seeing an elder step forward to speak, the crowd quieted down, and the blows ceased. The elder extended a pair of withered hands toward Xiao Shu. "Since you say this golden locket holds a picture of his whole family, could you show it to us?"

Xiao Shu, seeing his kind expression and noting his ability to quell the small, ill-informed faction of the mob, took out the locket. Using her fingernail, she carefully pried open the tightly closed halves of the container, revealing the side imprinted with the family portrait.

Indeed, clearly visible upon it was a harmonious portrait of Xiao Yu's family. The elder put on his reading glasses, leaned in to inspect it closely, and then compared the boy in the photograph with Xiao Yu. He nodded once. "It is indeed him. Everyone has misunderstood."

That single declaration of "misunderstood" was like a life raft tossed to Xiao Shu and Xiao Yu. The previous wave of angry fervor instantly dissipated, and the crowd lost interest in the pair, scattering like startled birds. Only the triangular-eyed man remained, stubbornly pulling at the guard, insisting on sending the two to the police station.

Seeing that she remained obstinate, one of the police officers reluctantly pulled out his notebook and said to the two youths, "Please state your names, addresses, ID numbers, and contact information." The two answered obediently, allowing the officer to record every detail. Finally, the officer closed his notebook and addressed the triangular-eyed man. "We will investigate. If they are indeed wanted criminals, the police will not let them escape. Thank you for supporting our work." He then offered a slight bow to the man. This time, the triangular-eyed man ceased his agitation, his head held high, looking upon those who still stood by as mere spectators, as if he had accomplished a great deed.