Chapter 88: The Calm Before the Storm

The little beggar’s name was Li Fu. After parting ways with Alpha yesterday, she clutched the bread to her chest and limped back to her dwelling.

She only wanted to hurry back, show the bread to Mia, and tell her she had met a kind person today.

But—

Misfortune seemed to delight in tormenting the wretched. On her way back, several people suddenly emerged from an alley.

They were local thugs and ruffians.

Li Fu recognized the leader, a man nicknamed “Grey Finger,” who specialized in bullying the weak, stealing, and extorting—there was no evil deed he wouldn’t do.

“Yo, isn’t this that little beggar?”

Grey Finger grinned crookedly, his eyes roving over her before landing on the bread she clutched. “You went to Old John’s this morning to sell bottles, didn’t you?”

“Be good and hand over the money, and we’ll let you go.”

Li Fu instinctively stepped back, shielding the bread, and shook her head repeatedly. “I… I don’t have any money.”

“The money was all taken…”

“Bullshit!”

A thug beside Grey Finger stepped forward and grabbed her by the collar.

“Stop bullshitting me! I saw you go sell those bottles with my own eyes. You must have a few copper coins in your pocket! Hand them over!”

Li Fu shook her head desperately.

“Really, I don’t! I really don’t have any money! Those few coppers were already taken at the bakery…”

“Bakery?”

The thugs exchanged glances.

Grey Finger narrowed his eyes and sneered. “Who do you think you’re fooling, you little brat? You came from the direction of the Adventurers’ Guild. Do you think the bread from the bakery there is something you can afford with bottle-picking money?”

“I’m not lying… I really am not lying.”

Li Fu’s voice was already choked with tears.

But those people didn’t believe her at all.

Grey Finger couldn’t be bothered to waste more words. He kicked her in the stomach.

Li Fu flew backward and crashed heavily onto the ground.

The bread she’d been clutching rolled out and landed on the dusty ground.

The thugs’ eyes all lit up at once.

“Oh, there really is something.”

Grey Finger walked over, bent down, picked up the bread, and tossed it in his hand.

“Tsk tsk, so you really did buy bread.”

Li Fu endured the excruciating pain and struggled to get up.

“That… that’s mine…”

“Yours?”

Grey Finger burst out laughing and tossed the bread in his hand.

“It’s mine now.”

He turned around and waved to the other thugs.

“Let’s go, boys. We’ve got breakfast.”

Li Fu panicked.

She got up, staggered forward, and tried to snatch back the bread.

“Give it back! That’s mine—”

Before she could finish, a hand shoved her hard in the chest.

She fell again.

This time, the thug who pushed her looked around, his gaze landing on a filthy drainage ditch nearby.

He grinned, walked over, grabbed Li Fu by the collar, and lifted her entire body up.

And then—

He threw her into the ditch.

Splash!

Li Fu was completely submerged in the stinking sewage.

She struggled desperately, swallowing several mouthfuls of filthy water before managing to raise her head above the surface.

The thugs stood at the edge of the ditch, looking down at her and laughing loudly.

“Stinking beggar, enjoy your stay in the water!”

“Hahaha——”

The laughter gradually faded away.

Li Fu soaked in the sewage, shivering all over.

The wound on her leg hurt worse, and the spot where she’d been kicked burned like fire. All her strength was ebbing away.

She struggled to climb out, but slipped back down again and again.

She didn’t know how long passed.

So long that she thought she would die in that ditch.

Fortunately, she finally climbed out.

Using the last of her strength, she dragged herself up bit by bit.

Then, dragging her nearly useless leg, she crawled all the way back to the cardboard shack where she and her sister lived.

Alpha already knew what happened after that.

She listened quietly to the other’s sobbing, broken account, gradually understanding the whole story. Her eyes, visible outside the mask, gradually darkened.

“Wahhh…”

Li Fu cried, tears streaming down like beads from a broken string, completely unstoppable.

“I’m sorry… Mia…”

She looked at her sister beside her, whose eyes were full of both sympathy and worry. Her voice was so hoarse it was almost inaudible.

“Yesterday was… was your birthday…”

“And big sister couldn’t even get you a piece of bread… Big sister is so useless…”

Mia’s tears also spilled over.

But she held them back desperately, threw her arms around her sister, and buried her face in her shoulder.

“Big sister… don’t cry…”

“It doesn’t matter to me whether I have a birthday…”

“As long as Mia can be with big sister forever…”

“That’s more than enough for me…”

Li Fu didn’t speak, only cried even harder.

Alpha stood to the side, silently watching this scene.

Her expression was concealed by the mask, unreadable, but the eyes visible outside—something was churning in those eyes.

Her right hand hung at her side.

Her fist was clenched, she didn’t know when.

Knuckles white.

Trembling slightly.

But she said nothing.

She just stood there, like a statue.

Until Li Fu’s sobs gradually subsided, until Mia raised her head and looked at her with those red, swollen eyes.

Only then did Alpha let out a soft breath.

“Rest up and don’t think too much.”

Her voice was still calm, but a bit softer than before.

“I have some things to take care of. I’ll come see you tonight.”

Li Fu looked up at her through tearful eyes.

She wanted to say something, but couldn’t get the words out.

Alpha didn’t linger.

She turned, pushed open the door, and walked out.

In the shop, Gelinlite was tidying up the bottles and jars.

Hearing footsteps, she looked up at Alpha emerging from the inner room.

“Done visiting?”

“See? I told you she was doing much better—”

She stopped mid-sentence.

Because she saw Alpha’s eyes.

Those eyes were still the same eyes—calm, cold, without any ripples.

But Gelinlite somehow felt that beneath that calm, something was hidden.

“What’s wrong?”

She asked, the relaxed cheerfulness in her voice fading a little.

Alpha walked over and stopped in front of her, her voice as calm as ever. “Nothing. I just want to ask you something.”

“Hm?”

“Where do the local thugs and ruffians usually hang out around here?”

Gelinlite’s movements paused.

She looked up at Alpha, a hint of confusion in her eyes.

“Why the sudden question?”

Alpha was silent for two seconds, then continued, her voice still calm, betraying no emotion.

“I’m new here. Not familiar with the area.”

“I’m afraid of accidentally getting into trouble, so I want to avoid those people.”

Gelinlite looked at her and blinked.

A thoughtful glint flashed in those eyes.

But she didn’t ask further.

She just smiled and said casually, “Oh, those people.”

“Mostly around the East City Used Goods Market, and a few alleys on West Street. Just don’t go there at night.”

Alpha nodded.

“Thanks, I’ll keep that in mind.”

Gelinlite waved her hand.

“I told you, no need to thank me. We’re friends, after all. Alright, go take care of your business.”

Alpha’s eyes flickered for a moment. She nodded, pushed open the door, and stepped into the morning light.

The door slowly closed behind her.

Gelinlite stood there, gazing at the closed door, lost in thought.

She recalled the tone Alpha had used when asking that question.

Very calm.

Too calm.

Calm like…

The calm before the storm.

She shook her head, didn’t dwell on it, and continued organizing the herbs.

Outside, Alpha looked up at the sky.

The sunlight was just right.

She averted her gaze and set off towards the east side of the city.