The Terrifying Fairy Tale

"Um"

"Yes, I'm listening."

"No need. It's better to leave those two treasures for the Arcane Library to study at our leisure."

On the train, Jiang Xueming received another call from Oscar. Wolf Brother talked about the works of Salvador Dalí, mentioning that in addition to the music box that made people dance wildly, there was also a mask that made people laugh hysterically and a pair of silicone fingers that made people tickle.

These three psionic devices were masterpieces created by the master craftsman Da to deal with mountain monsters. Xue Ming believed they should be left in Saladin's or the Arcane Library to pave a new path for the hunting party.

With several hours' journey still to the Dead Puppet Agency, and having nothing else to do, he picked up a few newspapers from the train's magazine rack, wanting to read the latest news.

What exactly is the plague in District 33? Has the Madness Butterfly Sect returned?

These large red texts are very eye-catching at the top of the newspaper page, but the boss has already given some explanation, so it's not a big deal.

Baroque City's 32-man youth team, displaying unwavering courage, emerged victorious in the Moon God Cup qualifying rounds!

These are the elites selected by the warband teams. Baroqueley City is also the capital city closest to the Zura venue of the Moon God Cup finals. Children who grow up here are skilled in battle and are deeply influenced by knightly combat techniques.

There's nothing interesting on Toutiao (the main page of news articles), so let's check out the "tofu blocks" (articles in small ad slots).

Besides a few novel introductions, missing person notices, and advertisements, there was also news about Professor Victor's new book. Just as Jiang Xueming was reading the newspaper and drinking coffee, a suspicious-looking young man suddenly walked towards this end from the connecting area of the carriages ahead.

The young man had reddish-brown hair, wore a thick felt hat, and his woolen clothes were covered in white pet fur.

Why is it said that their appearance is suspicious?

The man was carrying two suitcases, and the clothes didn't look like his own; they were two sizes too big. He was walking very fast and hurriedly, as if he were evading capture.

As the young man walked past Xue Ming raised his leg to block him, an act that clearly angered the young man.

"Get out of my way, Father!"

Upon hearing the young man's voice, Jiang Xueming became alert—it was a girl.

As they drew closer, Xue Ming could see the girl's face clearly. She was a rough-skinned Celt with thick lips, bright green eyes, a few pimples on her forehead, and her cheeks were flushed from running. Blocked by Xue Ming's strong legs beneath his divine robe, the girl couldn't simply run into him, nor could she cross the path between the two.

"Whose box are you carrying?" Jiang Xueming asked unhurriedly, showing no intention of letting them pass.

The train continued its rapid journey. He couldn't understand why the girl was trying to escape, but judging from her unusual behavior, she must be a newsboy stealing things on the train.

"None of your business!" The girl, without much guile, immediately confessed to the theft after being exposed by the priest. "Get out of the way!"

Xue Ming's legs were still dangling in the middle of the road, and the little girl was carrying heavy things; there was no way she could get through this obstacle.

Seeing that the priest didn't respond, she grew increasingly anxious. Hearing the flight attendant's shouts behind her, she decisively raised her foot, intending to kick Xue Ming's leg away. However, as she kicked, she felt as if her toes had pulled a tendon and broken a bone!

"Holy shit! This is fucking unbelievable! You stupid bastard, how dare you ruin my plans?!"

The red-haired girl had no intention of lingering. The kick also brought her to her senses; she had stepped on a nail. Without further hesitation, she threw down the two suitcases and immediately fled through the side window.

Xue Ming didn't rush to arrest the person. He couldn't sense any spiritual energy or pheromones from the girl, and could only watch helplessly as the nimble little thief climbed out the window and onto the roof of the car.

He opened the suitcase and saw that the two boxes were filled with cash, totaling more than two million Hui Stone Currency.

"What is this money for?"

Xue Ming didn't think about who the money belonged to; instead, he began to wonder about the context in which it was being used. The HC card payment method was very convenient. The spread of the Seed of Chaos in the underworld had reached every nameless village and town. Wherever there was a bank, large transactions could be handled by swiping a bank card. What kind of transaction would require so much cash?

"Guest! Guest!"

The train attendant Teacher San San, and when she reached the priest, the railway operations department employee immediately took off her hat and apologized.

"Excuse me, this money belongs to another passenger. Did you chase the thief away?"

Jiang Xueming: "I noticed something was wrong with her, so I blocked her way. She dropped her suitcase and ran away."

The flight attendant replied with a smile, "Oh! Thank you so much for your help, this..."

At this point, the flight attendant looked down and saw that the fare box was already open, and felt a little embarrassed.

"This isn't your stuff, why did you open it for someone else?"

Jiang Xueming countered, "If you saw some weird guy throw two boxes at you, wouldn't you open them to see what was inside?"

The flight attendant then realized what was happening. "Oh, oh, oh! Oh! It's alright, there are security checks at the station, explosives can't be brought on board."

"How could we let a petty thief sneak onto the train?" Jiang Xueming waved his hand, pointing to the weapons case on the luggage rack. "Buddy, keep an eye on my stuff, I'm going to go find her."

The flight attendant asked nervously, "Isn't that inappropriate?"

Xue Ming handed the passenger ID and identification card to the other party without answering, and immediately climbed out of the window onto the roof of the car.

"Be careful!" the flight attendant called out from the window.

Xue Ming took off his coat and threw it back, only to see that the thief had already run quite a distance to the back of the car.

He darted after him, running and shouting into the wind.

"Why are you running?! Are you out of your mind?!"

The thief retorted, "Why are you chasing me?! Do I even know you?! Fuck your mother!"

Jiang Xueming: "Stop right there!"

Thief: "I won't!"

Jiang Xueming: "I'm not Qingjin, nor am I a member of the Police Department's militia. I'm just curious, where did you get so much money? Who are you working for?"

Thief: "Why should I tell you!?"

Jiang Xueming: "Maybe I can help you?"

Thief: "Hahahaha! Help me? Who do you think you are? Are you a gunsmith?!"

As the two-hundred-meter-long carriage came to an end, Xue Ming dared not run at full speed in this dangerous and chaotic environment. He was amazed by the thief's ability to climb and run quickly. This newsboy's skills were extraordinary—it seemed as if he had honed his escape skills by running on the roof of the carriage for many years.

When he reached the small platform at the rear of the train, he lost track of it. He climbed back into the train and saw the last empty carriage.

The person is gone? Vanished?

Without hesitation, Xue Ming immediately went to the side of the flight attendants' lounge, opened the toilet door, and then crawled into the ventilation duct. Following the scent, he went deeper into the narrow duct and saw the thief had just climbed over the complex electrical pipes and was half-crouched on the wooden board of the Wuhen Speaker, looking at the lingering priest behind him with terrified eyes.

What exactly do you want?

Her voice became softer; she dared not speak loudly.

--Even flight attendants can't find this place, and militiamen can't get in. How did this priest manage to get here?

Xue Ming crawled little by little to the girl's side, and together they squatted on the speaker in the twentieth carriage.

He stared into the girl's eyes and could sense fear, confusion, and helplessness within them.

"Tell me, what's the deal with those two boxes of money? Did someone ask you to do them a favor? Who told you to steal them? And whose money did you steal?"

At that moment, the girl, afraid to speak, suddenly covered her mouth, holding her breath in an attempt to escape pursuit.

Angry shouts and curses erupted from inside the carriage.

"--Can't you even handle this simple thing?! Who cares about the money?!"

"You didn't catch him? You actually let that bastard get away?!"

"Let me tell you! Ten years ago, she would have been sold into a brothel! The traffic department's militia are all tax thieves! Have they ever done anything useful?"

"Fuck! Fuck your mother! Did you hear me? I'll fuck your mother!"

Amidst the continuous shouting and apologies from the flight attendants, Jiang Xueming couldn't understand what was going on.

The newsboy finally breathed a sigh of relief and collapsed against the wooden plank as the voices grew fainter and farther away.

Jiang Xueming calmly took out a cigarette case from his pocket and offered the girl a cigarette.

"--What should I call you?"

The little girl took it without hesitation, rummaged through her wool coat, couldn't find the lighter, and casually replied, "Daphne."

Jiang Xueming then took out a lighter and tossed it over.

Daphne asked, "You won't arrest me, but you won't let me go either. What do you want? Do you like me?"

Jiang Xueming: "I just want to know, what happened?"

Daphne: "What a weirdo! ~ It's none of your business!"

Jiang Xueming looked completely innocent. "If you won't tell me, how can I care?"

"Ugh!" Daphne pushed open a small door next to the soundproof barrier to create a ventilation shaft, her face full of impatience. "So, when the train arrives, you're going to take me to the Police Department, right?"

"No, I didn't have that idea. Speaking of which, you should be from the City of Tears, right?" Jiang Xueming asked.

Daphne exclaimed in surprise, "How did you know?"

"The City of Tears has the largest pet market in the entire underground world, and there are also many pet restaurants." Jiang Xueming deduced from Daphne's clothes, "Your hat and clothes were stolen. Newsboys have their own sphere of activity and won't target unfamiliar locations. Even if they get caught, they have the help of their local Silver Bay Beggars' Gang brothers and relatives and friends, so they won't have their hands and feet chopped off. -- Your hat is nice, can I have it?"

Daphne rolled her eyes. "Tch."

"Then I'll consider it as me buying your hat. How about a pack of cigarettes? Is that enough?" Jiang Xueming handed over a pack of cigarettes.

Daphne took off her hat, revealing a face full of scars—wounds that had scabbed over and healed, stretching from her forehead to her cheek and down to her neck, all marks left by whips or knives.

"Take it!"

Jiang Xueming took the hat and carefully sniffed its scent.

Daphne felt a chill run down her spine. "You're a fucking pervert."

Jiang Xueming: "The City of Tears is constantly disinfected by rain. Are you from the Lower City? The smell of mildew is too strong."

Daphne: "Are you checking my household registration?"

Jiang Xueming: "It's nothing, I'm just curious."

The girl tied her hair up with a hair tie and muttered something under her breath.

"Are you out of your mind? Want to race me on the roof of this car?"

Jiang Xueming responded like a parrot, "I'm just curious, whose money are you trying to steal? How do you know this guy is carrying two million in cash? What is he going to do with that money?"

Daphne then refused to speak and just kept smoking.

Jiang Xueming: "You can't say? Is it a gang matter?"

Although the Madness Butterfly Sect has been destroyed, the niche of the War Gang will not disappear. No matter how much it is prohibited, desires still need an outlet. In the gray area where the law cannot control, there are still people organizing gangs to profit from it.

"Father, have you heard the parable of 'Meet Mr. Lawrence'?"

After a long time, Daphne finally uttered these words.

Jiang Xueming shook his head; he had never heard of this thing.

"--Is that Lawrence Madison from the Little Brotherhood?"

Daphne: "It's this Lawrence."

Jiang Xueming: "Then you'll have to explain it to me properly."

"When I was little, my dad was a free-kick coach for a soccer team, and my mom was a dentist. I also have a younger sister."

Daphne sat cross-legged and began telling Jiang Xueming a story.

"One day, Dad got injured and couldn't run anymore. He couldn't pass the certification exam, so he couldn't get into the head coach's office. It was the kind of injury that Universal Elixir could fix. His physical functions declined, and he was out of breath even running two laps on the field, let alone becoming an assistant coach. His temper became strange and irritable, and no one could persuade him. When he got home, even the pet dog would get a few scoldings from him."

"Later he went to visit Mr. Lawrence, and as a result, he was full of energy, and my mother was happy too."

"Days went by, and every day Dad brought Mr. Lawrence home, asking Lawrence to make a small bronze statue to keep at home."

"Every day he would kneel down and bow three times in front of this statue. After that, he would be happy and would lead us in dancing. Sometimes we would dance from morning till night, eight hours a day without stopping."

"He Lawrence when he's unhappy, and Lawrence even more when he's happy."

"One day he sent my mother away, got more money, and bought several idols, wanting my sister and me to worship them together. After we finished worshipping, he planned to send us away again to buy more Lawrence idols—he said Mr. Lawrence was God who could bring joy and peace."

"I was young then and didn't understand anything until the gunsmith and the Big Sister came. That's when I found out that my dad was a drug addict, that he forced my mom to use drugs with him, and that he would make her sell herself when they ran out of money."

"The Lawrence statue at home is a discount coupon for regular customers; he can get a 20% discount from drug dealers. Selling Mom will give him a 40% discount."

"By selling us sisters, we can support our addiction through drug trafficking."

"Later, the gunsmith and the Big Sister came, and my sister and I were saved."

"I am the older sister in this story--"

"--There are many, many other families who are also protagonists in 'Meet Mr. Lawrence'."

"Why would I steal this money? Because my dad is drowning in debt."

Daphne took off her boots and rubbed her swollen legs, her feet constantly soaked in the mud of the city below Sky Dome Station.

"My house is still mortgaged to the lender, and my sister is being watched by someone—this guy."

At this point, Daphne tapped the wooden speaker and pointed to the distinguished guests in the carriage.

"This guy told me that if I couldn't raise the money by tomorrow, he'd have to get rid of my sister."

Jiang Xueming: "So you came to steal his money? And then give it back to him?"

"What? Is that not allowed?" Daphne retorted. "Every wrong has its perpetrator, every debt its debtor. Why should I pay back the money my father borrowed? Since this old bastard is causing me trouble, shouldn't I repay him with trouble?"

Jiang Xueming: "How will he deal with your sister?"

"That old bastard is a drug lord in the King's Gang. People call him Mr. Pan. He used to be a small henchman of Lawrence Madison, a minor distributor—there's an advantage to not having a big business; it saves you the trouble of being beheaded."

"Now that he follows the rules and talks about civility, he certainly wouldn't dare to kill, commit arson, or force women into prostitution. But..."

At this point, Daphne began to grit her teeth.

"This is the only phone I have."

She pulled an old-fashioned push-button telephone from her clothes.

"My sister also has a cell phone like that, which can make calls. She said that he was probably locked in an old warehouse. There were no windows, no furniture, just bare walls everywhere, and they couldn't even find a door because it was sealed with cement."

"She only eats one meal a day and has been living like this for a week. They share the same bed and bed—I can't find her."

"I just want to steal this guy's money to force him to release the man! He knows I'm capable of this, and if I steal from other people, he'll definitely make me keep stealing! Steal even more! I have to work for him! I have to keep doing his bidding."

"I can't give up! I have to fight back!"

Jiang Xueming finally understood the purpose of the cash—it was probably drug money from the King's Gang.

"Didn't you ask Qingjin for help?"

Daphne: "What did I say to Qingjin? I'm a thief, I've been a thief for a very, very long time. I became a thief after the gunsmith dealt with Lawrence."

"You can try handing this phone to Qingjin," Jiang Xueming said.

Daphne: "What about my sister? I want her to live!"

Jiang Xueming rolled up his sleeves and glanced at his watch.

"Well then, it's still early, Daphne."

Daphne asked in confusion, "Huh?"

"I'll do you a small favor and bring your sister back."

Jiang Xueming put on a hat, hiding his face in the shadows.

"As payment, you have to give up your job as a newspaper boy, how about that?"

Daphne: "You? Just like that? So hasty? So simple?"

Jiang Xueming thought for a moment and added some conditions.

"Why don't you give me your clothes again? I'm wearing a divine robe, it's inconvenient for me."