Even though it was a bit far, Qiao Anni could still see what was happening over there.
A few thugs were dragging a girl into an alley.
It was obvious what they planned to do next.
“Tsk.”
She set aside the repairs for now to deal with this trouble first.
Qiao Anni pulled her cap lower—to avoid the trouble her face could bring, she usually disguised herself before going out.
If she didn’t, she would end up like that other person over there, getting harassed with every step.
Qiao Anni clenched and unclenched her fists, loosened her joints, and followed.
As soon as she stepped into the alley, she saw the three thugs trying to get handsy.
Qiao Anni didn’t waste words.
She went up and tapped one of them on the shoulder.
“Who?”
The man turned around warily, but when he saw the person in front of him was two heads shorter, his look turned contemptuous.
“Don’t interfere, get lost—”
Before he could finish, a solid punch landed on his face.
With the powerful momentum, his body tumbled down the narrow alley, rolling like a bowling ball.
Clang!
He finally rolled into a pile of stinking household trash—the masterpiece of the upstairs residents.
“Strike! Right in! Yay~”
Qiao Anni turned around cheerfully and looked at the other two accomplices who were still dumbstruck.
“I-I’ll kill you!”
The two pulled daggers from their pockets.
Unfortunately, they didn’t choose the option that would save them pain.
Clang!
Clang!
The one in the trash heap now had two more companions.
“Three strikes in a row! How many points is that… 70? Ah.”
Qiao Anni then remembered why she had come.
She asked the girl,
“Are you okay?”
The girl wore a tattered coat.
Her gray hair stood out in the crowd, and with her pretty features, it was no wonder she’d been targeted.
Seeming frightened, the girl still stood there motionless.
“Hey, hey? You okay?”
Qiao Anni waved her hand in front of the girl.
Only then did the girl look at her.
“Are you hurt? Did they touch you? That way I can decide whether to give them another beating or drag them to the police station.”
The girl shook her head.
“No?”
She nodded.
“Alright… What’s your name? Where do you live? Do you want me to take you home?”
“…”
“Don’t want to say… or don’t have one?”
Nod, nod.
Qiao Anni sucked in a breath.
“This is a bit troublesome…”
It seemed she would have to take her to the police station.
“Will you come with me? I’ll take you to someone who can help.”
“…”
Qiao Anni tentatively reached out her hand.
She hesitated, then took Qiao Anni’s hand.
“Hmm.”
The girl spoke for the first time, her voice hoarse and tired.
“Ah.”
Before leaving the alley, Qiao Anni remembered something.
“Your hair is too noticeable. If you don’t cover it, more scumbags like those will come after you.”
“?”
“Let me see… Here, take this.”
Qiao Anni took off her cap and handed it to the girl.
“Here, take this. Cover your hair.”
“…”
“You don’t know how to wear it?”
Nod.
“Alright… Crouch down a bit.”
The girl obediently bent down, letting the shorter Qiao Anni arrange her hair and tuck it all into the cap.
“Okay, that should do.”
The girl covered her head and stared at Qiao Anni.
Somehow, Qiao Anni understood what she meant.
“You’re asking what I’ll do?”
Nod.
“Hmm…”
Qiao Anni thought for a moment, then directly wiped some dust off the wall and patted it onto her face.
“This works!”
Seeing her dust-covered face, the girl giggled.
“What are you laughing at… Let’s go!”
Watching Qiao Anni’s back, the girl was about to follow immediately, but she remembered something and picked up the fairy tale book from the ground.
She carefully wiped off the dirt and quickly followed.
Walking down the street, the girl constantly observed everything around her, both scared and curious, holding tightly to Qiao Anni’s sleeve.
Looking at her, Qiao Anni felt as if she was seeing herself from a few months ago.
‘Wait… That can’t be, right?’
“Are you also a transmigrator?”
The girl tilted her head.
“Then probably not.”
How could something like that happen?
Although the Terminal was offline, the map function still worked.
Qiao Anni studied the map while leading the girl toward the police station.
“Grrr…”
The two stopped simultaneously.
The girl clutched her stomach and quietly bent over.
“Hungry?”
Nod.
Qiao Anni touched the wallet in her pocket.
“Uh, looks like I’ll be bleeding money again…”
Nod.
“You don’t have to answer that… Anyway, let’s eat first.”
“Don’t go!”
The roar echoed through the street.
A man, panting heavily, slammed through the crowd blocking him and fled for his life.
Behind him, a group of men and women were chasing him relentlessly.
His coat flapped, revealing a hospital gown underneath and legs with reverse joints that didn’t look human.
With those legs, the man had been fleeing through the city at an impossibly fast speed for hours.
“If you run again, I’ll shoot! Stop now and come quietly, and you’ll suffer less.”
The exhausted shouts came from behind him, but the man paid no attention, focusing only on running.
Bang!
Shouts of alarm rang out.
The pursuer had fired.
The gunshot caused the crowd to scream again, but it was only a warning shot.
The man still ignored it.
“Damn it!”
Bang!
The second shot hit the man square in the chest.
As if all his strength had been drained, the man collapsed onto the ground.
Large amounts of blood gushed from his chest.
“Hah…”
The man tried to say something, but the blood filling his mouth made it impossible.
“Damn… He could really run.”
He heard his pursuers cursing.
“Don’t gather around! We’re pursuing a dangerous patient who escaped from a mental hospital!”
He heard someone dispersing the onlookers.
“Load him into the vehicle. Let’s finish this job first.”
He heard the leader giving orders to his subordinates.
He couldn’t feel anything anymore.
“…He’s dead.”
“My aim’s no joke. Anyway, it didn’t matter if he was dead or alive.”
Several people hastily lifted the man’s body onto a white vehicle marked with an ambulance sign.
Then they tossed him into the back along with several other corpses.
Then, the engine started, and the vehicle drove off toward the Upper City District.
Bres, standing nearby, watched silently.
That had been his target, but someone had beaten him to it.
But even if he had acted first, he probably couldn’t have outsnatched this group.
He released his hand from the trigger in his pocket, then took out his Terminal.
“Hurry up and answer… Qiao Anni, why aren’t you picking up my calls?”
Disappearing at a time like this meant trouble.