The atmosphere settled into a heavy silence; no one felt comfortable discussing such matters. To think of those pitiful children, clothed in rags and starving daily, subjected to beatings, abuse, or even maiming—and the chilling thought that this fate might one day befall one's own descendants or relatives' children—was truly sickening.

The taxi pulled up to a bustling street where several disheveled, dirty children roamed. Qin Siqing suddenly spoke, her voice sharp. "Driver, stop here, we're getting out!"

As Wang Zhuo paid the fare, Qin Siqing had already walked over to a small beggar and was raising her phone to take a picture.

"What are you doing?" Wang Zhuo followed, frowning.

Qin Siqing pressed her lips tightly together, replying coldly, "I'm taking this back to show my father, so he can see the 'civilized city' he manages!"

Although this fifteen-year-old girl was gifted, she was still in the throes of adolescent rebellion. Today’s events had struck her hard, turning her resentment toward Qin Xue and the people controlling the children alike.

"Don't photograph me!" The targeted beggar startled, then suddenly shrieked, "Don't take my picture, just get lost!"

Qin Siqing paused, surprised by the sudden fury emanating from the child who, moments before, had looked so pitiable. She looked at the child with a hint of confusion, then moved toward another beggar nearby.

Seeing her raise her phone into a shooting pose, the second beggar reacted as if facing a terrible threat, covering his face and fleeing quickly.

"Why are they running from me?" Qin Siqing stopped, perplexed, and asked Wang Zhuo.

Wang Zhuo frowned slightly, a memory seeming to surface, yet he couldn't quite grasp it immediately.

An old woman nearby, whose arms were draped with various small trinkets, whispered softly, "Miss, if their photos get taken, they get beaten. Someone has been using pictures of the children online for anti-trafficking efforts, and it's causing trouble for the ones controlling them."

The old woman’s words immediately triggered Wang Zhuo’s memory—it was precisely about the anti-trafficking campaign! Such a massive, loud effort had been going on for so long that even the street beggars were now wary of photographers. Yet, had it made any difference? Government inaction—all the frantic efforts of ordinary citizens were utterly useless!

While silently fuming, Qin Siqing was already chasing after the beggars again with her phone ready. The girl was certainly persistent; it seemed she was determined to teach her mayoral father a very sharp lesson.

"Go to hell!"

One of the children being chased became enraged, cursing loudly and grabbing a stone from the ground, hurling it violently toward Qin Siqing.

Immediately after, a young man in a jacket suddenly sprinted up beside Qin Siqing and shoved her hard.

With a sharp scream, Qin Siqing was knocked to the ground. The young man swiftly moved forward, squatted down, snatched her phone, and spat out a vicious curse: "Bitch, dare to take another picture and I’ll kill you!"

Then, he stood up and turned back toward Wang Zhuo, glaring fiercely as if intending to issue further warnings.

Wang Zhuo had been over ten meters away from Qin Siqing. By the time he saw her fall, it was too late to intervene. Already boiling with fury, he charged forward, refusing to give the young man a chance to posture.

An iron fist shot forward, whipping through the air with a sound like tearing silk, so fast that only a blur remained. The young man didn't even have time to brace himself before the punch slammed squarely into his face, sending his entire body arching backward in flight!

After landing the blow, Wang Zhuo didn't even glance at the man. He rushed to help Qin Siqing up. "Are you alright?"

Qin Siqing gasped, rubbing her arm while looking down. "I’m fine, just scraped some skin, I think."

Wang Zhuo was about to reply when his peripheral vision suddenly caught two figures stealthily jogging in from his left, right, and rear. One held a two-foot-long iron rod raised high, while the other clutched a heavy steel cable used for locking car tires.

Wang Zhuo reacted instantly, shoving Qin Siqing forward again, sending her tumbling onto her backside. He ducked low, evading the horizontal sweep of the iron rod. With his hands and left foot bracing the ground, he launched his right leg upward in a fierce, upward kick.

Bang!

The stocky middle-aged man was reasonably fit, but his fighting skill was far inferior. This kick landed accurately on his jaw, instantly robbing him of the ability to retaliate.

The other man, reeking of alcohol, hadn't even registered what was happening before Wang Zhuo—now upright—unleashed a quick flurry of punches, knocking him down. The man rolled away, clutching a bloody face.

"Wow, Coach Wang, you’re the real deal!"

Qin Siqing stared at the scene in astonishment, completely forgetting that she was still sitting on the damp pavement.

The commotion immediately drew a large crowd. From the moment the young man shoved Qin Siqing to Wang Zhuo taking down all three men, barely a minute had passed. Many hadn't even grasped the situation before three bloodied figures lay on the ground.

"Oh my god, this guy can fight! Is he Special Forces?"

"That’s too fake, does he have eyes in the back of his head? Even rehearsed fights aren't this accurate!"

"It must be a movie shoot! Quickly, find the camera!"

"Have you ever seen a movie where they beat the extras half to death? That guy’s tooth just flew out!"

"Call the police, hurry up and call the police!"

"Call what? The patrol car is already here."

A police car screeched to a halt at the curb, and three officers wielding batons quickly approached. The lead officer cast a swift, assessing glance at Wang Zhuo and asked with some surprise, "You did this to these three men?"

Wang Zhuo calmly spread his hands. "Self-defense."

The other two officers split up: one checked the injuries, and the other began questioning the crowd. Soon, a middle-aged woman adorned with gold and silver jewelry was brought forward, pointing at Wang Zhuo. "I saw it! He was the one who attacked the guy in the jacket first!"

Wang Zhuo felt a surge of surprise. Was this woman a Good Samaritan? When had the citizens of Jiangzhou developed such character?

"You're working with those guys!" Qin Siqing suddenly pointed at the woman. "Your accent is the same as the man in the jacket, I recognized it!"

The woman showed a flicker of panic but adamantly insisted she was just a concerned passerby, even trying to rally other onlookers to corroborate her story.

A few well-meaning people did speak up, but their accounts varied. Some said they clearly saw Wang Zhuo strike first; others claimed they saw the two men sneakily attacking Wang Zhuo from behind with weapons. Still others suggested Wang Zhuo only attacked the jacketed man after he pushed Qin Siqing down, putting Wang Zhuo’s actions somewhere between justifiable defense and excessive force, requiring further deliberation.

Wang Zhuo exchanged a look with Qin Siqing. They both noticed that all the small beggars had vanished, and even the old woman selling trinkets was gone.

Amidst the conflicting testimonies and growing crowd, the lead officer said to Wang Zhuo, "Let's head back to the station to discuss this further."

Another officer called out to the crowd, "If anyone is willing to come and testify, you can join us."

It was easy to cheer and shout in the moment, but the prospect of following them to the police station made everyone lose their nerve. In the end, no one volunteered. Qin Siqing declared she would testify, but an officer told her she was also a party involved and could only be investigated, not act as a witness.

Normally, Wang Zhuo would argue fiercely to secure an advantageous position first. But times were different; the girl beside him was the magistrate’s own daughter. On the soil of Jiangzhou, who dared to cross her?

As they boarded the police car, Qin Siqing noticed the woman in gold and silver jewelry being allowed to leave. She urgently called out, "You can’t let her go, she’s working with them!"

One officer sneered dismissively. "Little girl, you need evidence to accuse someone. We can’t just haul people away based on your word alone."

Why was this man speaking with such a sarcastic tone? Wang Zhuo glanced at him, lowering his estimation of the Jiangzhou police force.

"Aren't you taking those men?" Qin Siqing pointed at the three who had just gotten up, one officer having stayed behind to stand near them.

"Do you think any of them don't need an ambulance?" The lead officer started the car and said without looking back, "The emergency medical service is on its way. You two should worry about yourselves first. You hit them so hard, they might press charges for grievous bodily harm later."

Qin Siqing was furious and about to retort, but Wang Zhuo silenced her with a look and quietly asked, "Should I call your parents?"

"No!" Qin Siqing whispered stubbornly. "I want to see how these police officers treat us first!"

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