Xiao Feng watched the little girl devour her noodles, a thoughtful look in his eyes.

He had just felt danger approaching, and then the little girl and the old woman outside the door appeared. Could this be a coincidence?

But to say that the sense of danger was related to the old woman and the little girl, Xiao Feng couldn't find any evidence to support it, so he could only observe through details.

The bowl of freshly cooked noodles was finished by the little girl in less than two minutes, without even leaving a drop of soup.

The little girl put down the chopsticks, wiped her mouth with her dirty sleeve, and gave a deep bow to Zhao Xingfeng and those around: "Thank you, thank you, uncles and aunties, you are all good people. People from where we come from throw stones at me and my grandma."

Speaking, she bowed and retreated towards the door.

Her words seemed to touch a soft spot in the hearts of the crowd, with some girls even starting to wipe their tears.

"Wait, you just said someone is throwing stones at you and your grandma, where are they?" Zhao Xingfeng stood up and said, "Take me there to find them."

"Brother, that's the spirit, we'll go with you." Someone stood up and agreed.

When more people gather, they're scared of the uproar. Initially feeling sorry for the little girl and the old woman's plight, Zhao Xingfeng's words quickly led everyone to express anger towards the "people from over there" mentioned by the little girl.

Wang Qiang and the others remained silent. They understood that Zhao Xingfeng saw the little girl and couldn't help but think of his own daughter.

At this moment, seeing Zhao Xingfeng about to leave the operation, Wang Qiang looked at Xiao Feng and asked for an opinion: "Xiao Feng, what do you think..."

Xiao Feng nodded, and Wang Qiang immediately took out his badge: "Everyone, quiet down. We are the police, and this matter cannot be ignored. Rest assured, we will handle this matter properly."

Those who previously accused the authorities of inaction fell silent. Who would've thought that simply having a meal would encounter the police?

After settling the bill, Zhao Xingfeng asked the old woman to lead the way to their residence, while Xiao Feng and Wang Qiang followed behind.

After walking for a while, as if something came to mind, Zhao Xingfeng approached Xiao Feng and said in a low voice, "I took the initiative on this matter, and I'll review it when we get back."

Xiao Feng shook his head: "Old Zhao, you seem to forget one thing, my position is merely that of an advisor, not even formally established. So, there's no such thing as taking the initiative, and there's no need for a review."

With those words, even Wang Qiang and others were stunned, seemingly realizing only then that they weren't aware of this until Xiao Feng mentioned it.

Had they unknowingly treated Xiao Feng as their superior?

It must be said this is indeed a strange affair, as if by being with Xiao Feng, people unwittingly considered him the backbone, and no one seemed to notice anything unreasonable about it.

After thinking it over and over, Wang Qiang and the others could only attribute it to Xiao Feng's natural leadership ability.

Meandering along, the old woman led the group to an unfinished building. She hesitated and said, "Officers, maybe you should leave. If you stay out of it, we can continue here, but if you step in, my granddaughter and I really won't be able to remain here."

Wang Qiang and the others looked at each other. Her words sounded awkward, but upon careful thought, it had some truth to it.

According to the little girl's account, although those people were despicable, at most it was a public safety issue, not a criminal matter. At most, a few days' detention, surely they couldn't assign someone to patrol every day?

After a while, Zhao Xingfeng spoke: "Rest assured, this time I am here to warn them. In the future, when I have time, I will come to check on you. It is our duty as policemen."

The old woman, helpless, took the little girl and walked into the unfinished building, her hunched figure appearing incredibly pitiful.

Xiao Feng and the others followed leisurely behind. As they entered the building, everyone frowned, surrounded by a noxious stench, as if stepping into a trash heap, the environment was utterly dire.

The predominant theme here was scattered beverage bottles, tattered clothes and shoes, and accumulated sewage.

The patches of shanties primarily made with tarps had one belonging to the old woman and the little girl, in the darkest corner, small and dim.

At this moment, someone poked their head out from a shanty: "Old hag, back already? Did you get anything today?"

Hearing the commotion, more people emerged, wearing tattered clothes but carrying themselves with an air of superiority.

"I told you before, if it's really not working, everyone should pitch in to buy some nice clothes, clean up, and just let your granddaughter go out and sell, and whatever she earns can be shared. Isn't that a way out of poverty?"

"I agree, you're already half in the ground. Who knows when you'll kick the bucket, and by then, your granddaughter will have to sell anyway. Sooner or later, that's the path. Why can't you figure it out?"

Wang Qiang took a step forward, seemingly unable to hold back anymore, but Xiao Feng pulled him back. The wickedness of human nature was displayed vividly here, making it unbearable, yet this was the stark, bloody reality!

Just then, a bare-chested child ran out, stone in hand, and viciously hurled it at the little girl: "I told you to wash my clothes, but you're quick to run. I'll tell you, if my clothes aren't dry by tomorrow morning, I'll strip you and wear yours."

The little girl dodged the thrown stone, hung her head without saying a word or even crying, seemingly accustomed to such treatment.

"Bastard!" Zhao Xingfeng cursed angrily: "So young and already acting so heartlessly, where are your parents? Tell them to come out."

As soon as he finished speaking, people emitting a pungent smell came out of the shanty, both men and women. The child who had just been scolded by Zhao Xingfeng walked out, pulling a man whose hair resembled a bird's nest: "It's him, he called me a bastard."

"So you're the one who scolded my kid?" The man with the bird's nest hair approached Zhao Xingfeng: "You can scold all you want, fifty bucks a word, pay up and scold away."

Wang Qiang could no longer hold back. Seeing the man's brazenness, he took a step forward, "The child not taught is the father's fault. Your child is so young and already being taught this way by you, who knows how much trouble he'll cause when he grows up."

"Well that's easy!" The man called his son over, kicked him in the back, and the boy let out a scream, falling to the ground. When he got back up, his mouth was filled with blood.

The scene left Zhao Xingfeng and the others stunned. Such brutality, was this really his own son?

In their moment of shock, the man grabbed the child like an animal and brought him over to Zhao Xingfeng: "I've disciplined him for you, now you owe me for medical expenses."

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