The group left the villa and drove towards the city, stopping at a street notorious for its wickedness.
Known as Green Point Street, it was a stark contrast to the city's prosperity, infamous for its high crime rate and loathed even by the police. It was filled with addicts and prone to frequent violence.
Everyone was confused as to why the boy would lead them here. Was it a trap?
They cautiously followed the boy, their weapons concealed.
The boy seemed very familiar with the area. He told Axe that by the entrance of a pharmacy not far ahead, there was a flower pot, and beneath it lay what they were looking for.
They asked the boy to retrieve it.
Indeed, Michelle's bracelet was hidden under the flower pot. Just as the bracelet was handed to Axe, the boy pushed Axe and sprinted away.
Axe restrained his men from firing, not wanting to cause trouble here.
Having found the bracelet again, Axe looked at the disappearing boy with some suspicion. How could a child like him survive?
Or, how did he survive?
Then he thought, perhaps his family lived here, and he learned his thievery from them!
Back in the car, Michelle was happy to have her bracelet back. However, like Axe, she harbored doubts. Why had the boy concealed himself?
Axe: "Let's go, it's not safe here."
Michelle: "Wait, drive forward."
Axe: "What for?"
Michelle: "Do as I say, tell them to drive forward!"
As the boy fled, only Michelle noticed where he disappeared. Michelle quickly found an alleyway entrance.
Axe tried to stop Michelle from getting out of the car, fearing she'd be robbed or worse by the people inside.
Axe: "I'm coming with you."
A subordinate beckoned, and more bodyguards exited the vehicle. With their fully armed presence, the addicts dared not approach them.
Michelle: "Go ask if anyone saw the boy."
A subordinate immediately went in, grabbed someone, and began questioning them.
Subordinate: "He's inside."
They went in and, sure enough, found the boy in a makeshift shack, barely considered a house, made of tin.
But as they entered, they saw the boy kneeling on the floor, holding a little girl. He was beyond tears.
Michelle: "What is he saying?"
Axe listened for a moment.
Axe: "His sister is dead."
The little girl was emaciated, with a head disproportionately large for her tiny frame. The room was filled with debris, no appliances, and even their sleeping area was just a few cardboard sheets on the floor.
Numerous cockroaches poked their heads out from dark, damp corners before quickly retreating, making Michelle jump.
The boy turned and collapsed at Michelle's feet, speaking incoherently.
Axe: "He wants you to save his sister."
Under Michelle's signal, a subordinate checked the girl and found her body cold, seemingly having been dead for two to three days.
Axe relayed the information to the boy. He became frantic, refusing to believe it. He took a glowing object, the only one in the room, from his sister's neck and pressed it into Michelle's hand, begging her to save his sister.
Axe: "She's already dead..."
Boy: "This is all I have of value, take it. As long as you can save my sister, I'll do anything..."
Axe: "She's been dead for days..."
Boy: "It's all your fault!!! If you hadn't taken me, my sister wouldn't be dead!!!"
The boy became aggressive, attempting to harm Michelle, but the adults shoved him to the ground. He lay there, his upper body exposed, looking as skeletal as his deceased sister.
They all understood that there were no adults present. These two children had likely relied solely on each other, the older brother caring for his sister, finding food being their only motivation for survival.
And stealing was their only skill for survival.
Even the coldest-hearted Michelle felt a pang of guilt. If she hadn't taken the boy, would he have been able to see his sister one last time?
Perhaps the boy would have traded the stolen bracelet for enough food and medicine...
Michelle couldn't bear to watch. She casually handed the bracelet to Axe. They were not bad people, and they certainly couldn't abandon such a pitiable child at this moment.
Axe stared at the bracelet, a bad memory surging. He once had a bracelet like this, no, his brothers all had one!!!
Axe quickly strode forward, grabbing the boy and making him look closely at the bracelet. Engraved on it was a 'Z', the same as his own codename, representing that they were godchildren of Old Tang!!!
Axe: "Who gave you the bracelet, or is it your father's?"
The boy was still consumed by grief and paid no mind to the bracelet. No matter how much Axe shook him, he refused to speak.
Michelle: "What are you doing? You'll hurt him!"
Axe held up the bracelet, showing Michelle the side with the 'Z' engraved on it. She too felt a sense of familiarity.
Michelle: "Do you have one too?"
Axe: "Yes, he was my brother! He was supposed to die in the war of godchildren! Like O, they are the disappeared ones!!!"
Michelle: "Let me ask."
Compared to Axe, Michelle was gentler. She knelt down and helped the boy up.
Michelle: "Tell us about you and this bracelet, and I'll help you bury your sister."
A flicker of life returned to the boy's eyes. He knelt beside the little girl, tidied her appearance, and looked pleadingly at Michelle.
Just as a few men prepared to carry the girl, he quickly placed a tattered cloth doll on his sister's chest.
Boy: "My sister and I used to beg by the roadside. One day, a vagrant I'd never seen before came and lay on the ground, not begging."
"Like us, we hadn't had any luck for days. I thought my sister and I would starve on the street, but one morning, I woke up and found this necklace in my bowl."
Axe: "How did you know it was from the vagrant?"
Boy: "I'd seen him. He'd sometimes take it out of his clothes to look at it."
Axe: "Did you see his face clearly?"
Boy: "His face was disfigured, and he wore clothes that covered him completely. His face looked like it had been burned by fire, it was terrifying..."
Axe: "What happened then? Where were you begging, is he still there?"
Boy: "No, he's gone. Ever since he gave me the necklace, I haven't seen him again."
Axe clenched the necklace, furiously smashing the tin wall. He was absolutely certain that the man whose face was burned was Z! He was alive, but refused to show himself!!!
Boy: "This necklace isn't worth anything..."
Axe: "What?"
Boy: "I tried to pawn it, but I couldn't get a single cent."
Axe: "But you should thank him."
Boy: "Why?"
Axe ignored him and was the first to leave the tin shack. Michelle, meanwhile, half-knelt to look closely at the child.
Michelle: "Let's go, you're going to have a good life now."
***
Soon, the news that the current Tang had adopted a wild child spread, reaching Maggie and Colin overseas.
Colin: "It seems Axe has discovered you've run away. He didn't capture you and bring you back?"
Maggie: "Capture me? He's too busy in chaos to care about me."
Colin: "Why?"
Maggie: "Didn't I tell you they brought that child back? Actually, I deliberately arranged for that child."
Colin: "What do you mean?"
Maggie: "Because I've found someone who can make Axe lose his composure. And he will bring about earth-shattering changes to the entire Tang Empire. I believe it won't be long before I can openly sit in my father Tang's position."
Colin: "Who is it? You, a废掉 (crippled) heir, are just an empty shell. Axe isn't that easily overthrown."
Maggie beckoned and whispered, "Do you remember Z? He's still alive."
Colin: "Impossible! Didn't he die in that fire?"
Maggie: "I saved him and hid him."
Colin: "And then?"
Maggie: "I've been waiting for an opportunity. Michelle managing the empire is the best chance. Many don't respect her. The more conflict, the more it weakens her control!"
"As for Z, who is like a ghost, it's time for him to repay his debt, so I let him out."
Colin: "What about the boy?"
Maggie: "It was Z's idea. They knew the boy's sister didn't have much time left. They used Michelle's compassion, so they sent the boy to them now, so no one would suspect."
Colin: "That's brilliant. No one would suspect a pitiable child."
Maggie: "Exactly. And there's even better news!"
Colin: "What?"
Maggie: "Michelle and Axe had a huge fight."
Colin: "You even know that?!"
Maggie: "Thanks to that little mole."