The ponytail girl pursed her lips and said to Dirk Carter, "Follow me."

Then she turned and left.

Following behind the ponytail girl, Dirk Carter walked into a narrower and deeper alley.

He then pushed open a small wooden door.

What appeared before his eyes was a dark and cramped courtyard.

The little boy he had just seen was sitting on the ground in the courtyard, playing with mud, looking quite delighted.

"Sister Yu, you're here?"

From the small house, the little girl named Heidi ran out cheerfully.

The ponytail girl smiled at her and said, "Big brother went to buy you some food, he'll be back soon."

"Okay!"

Heidi nodded obediently.

Then she kept curiously staring at Dirk Carter.

Dirk Carter stepped into the house.

The room, with a musty smell, had only two bamboo mats spread on the floor. Although it was already January and quite cold in Rexton City, the quilts on the floor were extremely thin, and there was nothing else in the room.

"Where are their parents?"

Dirk Carter turned and asked the ponytail girl.

The ponytail girl replied solemnly, "Gone, all gone, leaving only these three kids."

"Aren't you their real sister?"

Dirk Carter was taken aback and asked.

The ponytail girl shook her head and said, "No, I'm not. I just feel sorry for them and occasionally take care of them."

"Big brother, our sister Yu is so kind. She brings us food every day. If it weren't for her, we would have starved to death long ago."

Heidi blinked her big eyes and said to Dirk Carter.

Dirk Carter patted her messy head.

He then asked the ponytail girl, "Since their parents are gone, why not send them to the Civil Affairs Bureau or an orphanage? That's surely better than living in this place."

"They can't go!"

Suddenly, the voice of the boy from earlier came from behind.

Dirk Carter turned and saw him standing behind with a bag of steamed buns.

Seeing the food.

Heidi and the younger boy rushed over excitedly, taking the buns from his hands and started eating.

With a serious expression, the boy said to Dirk Carter, "I promised Mom and Dad that the three of us would never be separated. If we went to an orphanage, the three of us might not be able to stay together."

"His name is Qiangqiang, he's the oldest of the three children," the ponytail girl said to Dirk Carter.

Something seemed more and more off.

Dirk Carter let out a long sigh and asked the ponytail girl, "Can you tell me everything that happened?"

The ponytail girl stared at Dirk Carter for a long time.

In the end, she nodded and said, "Let's go talk outside."

The two of them went to the narrow alley outside the courtyard.

The ponytail girl began to recount the story that happened to the three children in detail.

These children are not natives of Rexton City.

They came from Koryn City.

Hearing the name Koryn City made Dirk Carter shiver inside.

Their father's name was Gary Garrett, and their mother was Megan Ford.

Their family was originally from Cranhilla Village, Havenbrook Town, in Koryn City.

Gary Garrett was a bricklayer.

He worked on construction sites in Rexton City for many years.

Megan Ford stayed in Cranhilla Village with the three children, farming.

Though the life wasn't wealthy, there was no problem having enough to eat and drink.

There was a village head in Cranhilla Village named Bennettson Dixon.

Just at the beginning of last year, Bennettson Dixon's father got sick, and after several hospital visits without improvement, the superstitious Bennettson Dixon invited a Daoist back.

After pretending to investigate, the Daoist claimed that the newly built house of the Garrett family disrupted Bennettson Dixon's family's feng shui. If they didn't move, it would not only bring misfortune to Bennettson Dixon's father, but the whole family might face trouble.

Bennettson Dixon panicked upon hearing this.

He hurriedly ran to the Garrett Family.

He demanded that the Garrett Family find a new place to build their house.

You must know, after working for so many years, Gary Garrett finally managed to build a small two-story house.

He was unwilling to move.

Thus, Megan Ford got into a dispute with Bennettson Dixon.

Bennettson Dixon hit Megan Ford regardless.

He also set a deadline for them to leave, or else he would resort to force.

After Gary Garrett, who was working in Rexton City, heard the news, he rushed back from the city, heading straight to the Bennettson Dixon's house to reason. He only ended up infuriating Bennettson Dixon further, who then had him beaten.

And that wasn't all.

A few days later.

Bennettson Dixon somehow got hold of a demolition notice for Gary Garrett's house, claiming it was illegal.

He delivered it directly to Gary Garrett.

Of course, Gary Garrett ignored it.

No one expected.

That very midnight.

Bennettson Dixon led a group of over a dozen people to storm the Garrett Family's house.

They forcibly dragged the family out of their home.

Then, a prepared excavator was brought in and was about to level the Garrett Family's house.

In an attempt to protect his house, Gary Garrett broke free and rushed inside, only to be crushed by the collapsing building...

At this point.

The ponytail girl's voice choked with emotion.

After Gary Garrett died.

Not only did they receive no compensation, but the village also didn't provide accommodation for the widowed and orphaned family.

Megan Ford ran with the three children to the Koryn City Government to appeal.

The Municipal Government not only ignored her, but also detained Megan Ford for half a month.

After being released, Megan Ford remained undeterred.

She went to Rexton City to appeal.

Rexton City authorities responded but also determined the Garrett Family's house was an illegal building. They claimed Gary Garrett's death had nothing to do with anyone else, that it was his own fault for rushing into the collapsing house.

And that was how the matter ended.

In utter despair.

Megan Ford chose to end her life.

She jumped off a major bridge in Rexton City, and her body has yet to be recovered.

Leaving the three children wandering the streets. The ponytail girl said that when she found Qiangqiang and the other two, they hadn't eaten for two days, hiding under the bridge where their mother had jumped, in a state that was neither human nor ghostly. Feeling sorry for them, she settled them in this long-abandoned small courtyard.

"And you? What did you do originally?"

Dirk Carter asked.

The ponytail girl heard the question and looked flustered.

"I..."

She stammered, seeming unwilling to reveal her identity.

Dirk Carter asked, "Were you originally a thief? Otherwise, you wouldn't be so agile."

The ponytail girl paused, then frankly said, "Yes, I'm a thief. If you must take me to the police, I'll go with you, but please spare them."

As Dirk Carter hesitated over how to handle this matter.

Suddenly, a voice came from the mouth of the alley: "Hey, Yu, slacking off again, huh? Damn it, I don't feed you for free! Get over here!"

Dirk Carter looked towards the sound.

At the alley entrance appeared a bald man.

Behind the bald man were two young men with a hoodlum vibe.

They each struck a menacing pose.

Looking back at the ponytail girl, her face had already turned tense.

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