Zhou Ruiyang hadn’t figured out what it wanted yet when the little sparrow flew back moments later, a pink hair clip clutched in its beak.
Is this the little girl’s hair clip?
Zhou Ruiyang looked down at the license plate number and suddenly realized something.
This little guy had seemed clever from the start. If it was that smart, writing the plate number must’ve meant something.
Combined with the hair clip, he grasped it faintly. “Is this license plate connected to that girl?”
“Chirp!” Mujin’s eyes lit up as she nodded.
“Was the little girl’s mom taken away by this car?”
“Chirp!”
Zhou Ruiyang then noticed the odd detail in the girl’s earlier words.
“Could it be… her mom was taken by bad guys?” He stared at the license plate on the ground, lost in thought.
After a long pause, he slowly pulled out his phone.
······
“Boss, we finally caught a break this time.”
“Yeah, too bad we couldn’t find her kid. With both mother and daughter, this job’d be locked down.”
Inside the van, masked men chatted casually.
They worked for a debt collection agency. The woman behind them was a wealthy conglomerate’s young wife—her husband’s company owed big money, so clients hired them to recover it.
But this was their method.
First, they’d detain wives or kids. Debtors, already guilty over unpaid debts, rarely called the police. They just paid up to avoid trouble.
Using this tactic, they’d successfully collected countless debts, boasting a 99.9% client satisfaction rate.
The van sped on, not heading to some remote outskirts but to a fairly luxurious hotel.
In the hotel parking lot, the bald leader stepped out and whispered, “Don’t scream. You know what happens if you do.”
He patted his belt, hinting at the weapon hidden there.
The woman guessed it was a dagger. Earlier in the park, playing with her daughter, a blade had suddenly pressed against her waist—forcing her to abandon her child and follow these men.
As the group walked through the lot, a passerby stumbled right in front of them, tripping over something.
The bald leader jumped back, cursing. “Watch where you’re going, idiot! Scared the hell out of me!”
“Sorry, sorry—I slipped,” the man stammered, scrambling up.
The leader waved him off. “Just get—holy shit!”
Before he finished, arms locked around his neck from behind, slamming him to the ground.
“Freeze! Police!” A sharp shout echoed through the lot.
He glanced around—his buddies were already pinned down by officers.
Damn, the cops had been tailing them!
He realized the passerby was just a distraction. Plainclothes officers had crept up behind them.
As a cop tried to cuff him, the leader smashed his head backward, cracking into the officer’s face.
The cop winced, instinctively touching his nose. Seizing the chance, the leader shoved his bulky body free and bolted for the van.
He didn’t care about harsher punishment for fleeing. Criminals saw cops like mice saw cats.
No matter what, a mouse had to escape the cat.
“Stop!”
The cop’s yell couldn’t shake his resolve. He sprinted with all his might, reaching the van in seconds.
Got it!
Relief flashed across the leader’s face—until he saw a teenager blocking the driver’s door.
“Move! Get out of my way!”
“I’m here to block your way,” Zhou Ruiyang shrugged, not budging.
“You little—” The leader glanced back. Two cops were closing in, less than ten meters away.
His blood ran cold.
I’m done for!
“Don’t let him grab a hostage!” a cop shouted urgently.
The words sparked an idea.
Right—the kid was perfect bait.
A ready-made hostage, plus the cops’ helpful warning.
This was heaven-sent for his escape!
He lunged at Zhou Ruiyang, one hand reaching for his throat, the other fumbling for his belt.
“Don’t move, or you’re—wait, where’s my knife?!”
Mid-charge, he realized his dagger had vanished from his waist.
He whirled around, eyes wide with shock.
His blade lay on the ground behind him.
How? Did it fall while running?
A shadow flashed before his eyes. He turned back—Zhou Ruiyang’s shoe was an inch from his face.
*Thud!*
The kick sent him airborne, defying gravity for a split second.
As he crashed down, cops pinned him instantly.
One officer scolded Zhou Ruiyang, “Why’d you follow? His knife could’ve—”
“Heh, lucky it fell off,” Zhou Ruiyang scratched his head.
Actually, the knife hadn’t fallen by itself.
He glanced under the van. A sparrow hopped out, staring at him with surprised eyes.
*Not bad moves for a human.*
“Thanks,” Zhou Ruiyang mouthed silently.
Mujin’s eyes crinkled into a smile.
When the leader ran, she’d darted close, yanking the heavy dagger from his belt. For her tiny frame, it took all her strength to toss it aside.
After loading the criminals into police cars, the lead officer shook Zhou Ruiyang’s hand.
“You stopped a kidnapping. We owe you.”
“Just doing my part—it was her help too,” Zhou Ruiyang pointed downward.
Thanks to the sparrow’s clue, he’d connected the dots about the girl’s mom and alerted the police.
Elders always said sparrows had spirit. Now he’d seen it firsthand.
“Who? Someone under the car?” The officer bent down but saw no one.
“Huh? She was just here.”
“A kid?”
“No—a sparrow.”
“Oh, a sparrow…” The officer nodded, then froze.
“Wait—what did you say?”
