A small pair of feet ran across the floorboards.

The door to a tiny bedroom opened, and a little girl peeked out.

Her hair was messy, but her smile was bright.

"Daddy!"

She squeaked, rushing over.

The man opened his arms, still smiling too widely.

He hugged her tightly, one hand instinctively hiding the stolen wallet behind his back.

Seth noticed the girl's clothes. It was clean but quite old.

She seemed underfed, though her eyes had joy in them.

"Did auntie Lei give you some bread earlier? Ah never mind that. Here, I brought you some sweets."

The man said, pulling a small wrapped candy from his pocket.

It was likely bought with stolen coins, but the girl didn't know.

She clapped her hands and took it, bouncing in excitement.

The living room was tiny, barely enough space for a table, two chairs, and a single mattress on the floor.

The air smelled faintly of detergent and old damp walls.

A cheap lantern flickered in the corner, its weak light making the shadows longer than they should be.

The girl returned to the mattress to eat her candy.

The man's shoulders slumped as soon as she disappeared from view.

His smile vanished like it had never been there at all.

He walked to a drawer and opened it quietly.

Inside were pairs of underwear, but if you scooped underneath there were several small empty wallets, old ID cards, and pieces of jewelry.

All seemed to be stolen.

Seth watched from behind.

The man carefully placed tonight's wallet at the very back, behind the others.

His face showed guilt, but also relief.

Without this, they wouldn't survive for long.

After storing away the wallet, the man looked toward the bedroom door again.

Seth stood in the corner, silent, thinking about what he had just seen.

The task to advance to the Second Circle was simple in words but complicated in reality... identify the core purpose that drove people to live.

There was no shortcut that he could take. After all, he could not just come up with random guesses.

He needed to observe people directly, and understand what made them continue through hardship.

This man was a thief.... that part was atleast clear.

But Seth still had no confirmation of what his true purpose was.

Was it money? Or was it his daughter?

It could be both, and either answer would change Seth's next actions.

He watched the father briefly.

The smile he wore earlier in front of his child was gone now.

His shoulders were tense, and every breath he took seemed tired.

After a moment, Seth had already come up with a decision.

He quietly walked to the front door and stepped outside.

His footsteps made no sound, and even when he closed the door the sound was unnoticeable.

Seth waited outside for a few seconds... then he knocked.

The sudden noise made both the father and daughter jump.

The little girl froze.

The man stood still, then slowly approached the door with caution.

He was expecting a neighbor, maybe someone speaking again about job opportunities or charity work.

But then he heard a deep voice from outside:

"Officer here! Open up!"

The man jolted.

His face instantly lost color.

He turned to his daughter and pressed a finger to his lips.

The girl understood.

She quickly hid herself under a small cabinet in the corner.

The man fixed his shirt, rubbed his face, and walked to the door.

When he opened it, he saw a tall young man with short black hair, attractive features, and a serious expression.

The man put on an amiable smile, hoping it looked natural.

"Officer, good evening. Is there something I can help you with?"

Seth kept his face hard, adopting the bored, impatient tone of an official dealing with a low-level offender.

"I'm the district officer. We've had multiple reports tonight of a thief matching your description operating in this area and heading this way. Several witnesses came forward. You fit the description."

The man's smile became strained.

"Officer, sir, there must be some mistake. I just got home from my shift. I'm a humble worker. I wouldn't—"

"I don't have time for excuses," Seth cut him off, his voice cold.

He stepped forward, forcing the man to move back.

"I will conduct a search. If I find any stolen property, your sentence will be significantly increased for lying to an officer. Do you understand?"

Without waiting for an answer, Seth pushed past him into the small apartment.

His eyes swept the room.

He walked directly to a rickety dresser.

The man watched, a flicker of hope in his eyes.

The top drawer was where he'd hidden the wallet, beneath a pile of old, smelly underwear.

Most people would open it, recoil from the smell, and close it quickly.

But Seth did not just open the drawer.

He grabbed the entire drawer, yanked it out, and turned it upside down, dumping the contents onto the floor with a loud clatter.

The old underwear scattered, and the stolen goods tumbled out into plain view.

Seth put on a look of angry triumph.

He pointed at the dropped goods.

"Unless you take me for a fool, don't tell me such precious things are yours! Did you think hiding it under dirty laundry would work? Or did you think I would be too gentle to search properly?"

He glared at the man.

"This is your one chance, confess! Hand over any other stolen items right now. If you cooperate, you might only face two or three years. If you resist, it will be much worse."

The man's fragile composure shattered.

All color drained from his face.

He didn't try to deny it.

Instead, he dropped to his knees on the dirty floor, kowtowing, his forehead nearly touching the ground.

"Please, Officer, please don't arrest me!" he begged, his voice breaking.

"I can't go to prison for that long! I have a daughter! There's no one else to take care of her! We have no family here. Our neighbors are just as poor as we are; they can't help! Please, have mercy!"

Seth let out a sound of disgust.

"Hah. Excuses. Everyone has excuses. Where is this daughter, then? Let me see her."

As if on cue, a small whimper came from the cabinet.

Little Lei, unable to bear hearing her father beg, scrambled out from her hiding place.

She ran to him, wrapping her small arms around his neck, sobbing openly.

"P-please don't take my daddy away! Please!"

Seeing his daughter crying and clinging to him, the man finally broke down.

He hugged her tightly, his own tears mixing with hers, his body shaking in silent sobs.

All the toughness he pretended to have earlier disappeared.

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