Da Gen leaped forward, baring his teeth with a low growl, his fur standing on end.
Zhiliao and Ji Tingzhou exchanged a glance, subtly positioning themselves to shield Shen Rushan, who wasn’t much of a fighter.
Wei Yang tried to charge forward, but Shen Rushan swiftly grabbed him and pulled him back.
Clearly used to this, Shen Rushan quickly dragged Wei Yang into hiding.
He planned to slip away at the first opportunity—staying would only burden the other two, forcing them to split their focus to protect him. It was an unspoken understanding they’d developed after being cornered so often.
But after watching for a while, Shen Rushan’s expression darkened.
Luo Si had brought too many people this time…
It seemed they were determined to eliminate the group. Zhiliao and Ji Tingzhou were gradually being overwhelmed.
The attackers knew their numbers gave them the upper hand and exploited it relentlessly against the two kids and the dog.
No matter how formidable Zhiliao and Ji Tingzhou would become in the future, right now, they were just children.
Da Gen was a prime target. A group had been assigned to separate him from the others, and when Shen Rushan saw them battering the dog against the wall with long poles, Ji Tingzhou faltered for a split second.
That momentary lapse was all it took.
Ji Tingzhou was grabbed by the neck and slammed to the ground. Meanwhile, Zhiliao was tangled up with three assailants, unable to break free and come to his aid. Shen Rushan’s breath hitched.
In that instant of hesitation, Wei Yang—who’d been held back by Shen Rushan—suddenly bolted forward.
Just as the man pinning Ji Tingzhou raised a knife to stab his eye, Wei Yang lunged and sank his teeth into the man’s calf.
“Shit! Damn it! Where’d this mutt come from?!”
The man shrieked, shaking his leg violently, only to realize it wasn’t a dog but a kid glaring up at him with fierce determination.
He grabbed Wei Yang by the throat and tried to yank him off.
But Wei Yang held on stubbornly, his face turning red from the blows and choking, refusing to let go.
Ji Tingzhou lay on the ground for a moment, gasping, before forcing himself up. He wiped blood from his brow before it dripped into his eyes, then spun and kicked the knife out of the man’s hand as it descended toward Wei Yang.
Through a haze of blood, he took in the scene: Zhiliao, still fighting desperately against her attackers; Da Gen, motionless by the wall, his condition unknown; and Wei Yang, no bigger than a crumb of instant noodles, scrambling to his feet to stand protectively in front of him.
Ji Tingzhou took a few ragged breaths, then turned and charged back into the fray.
Even as he was kicked and swarmed, he fought like a beast with no sense of pain, hissing through gritted teeth as his arm was twisted, only to lunge forward and sink his teeth into an enemy’s throat.
He wasn’t alone—Zhiliao fought just as viciously, her movements equally reckless.
Back-to-back, the two kids moved in sync, then surged forward again.
A fight, huh?
If you don’t kill me, you’d better be ready to die trying!
Despite being just two, they radiated the ferocity of an army.
Covered in blood, they seemed unnervingly indestructible—no matter how many hits they took, they kept coming.
The remaining attackers began to waver.
They’d only agreed to Luo Si’s offer to teach these brats a lesson, not to die for it.
Then, out of nowhere, Shen Rushan—who’d been hiding—suddenly sprinted toward the chaos, shouting at Luo Si: “Boss Luo Si! Those bastards are coming! Save me!!”
Luo Si was baffled. Since when was he this kid’s boss?
Before he could react, a furious mob appeared behind Shen Rushan, led by a hulking man in a rage.
Hearing Shen Rushan call Luo Si “boss,” the man’s eyes locked onto Luo Si like a predator spotting prey. “You thieving scum dare target my turf?! Boys, tear them apart!!”
Luo Si realized too late that Shen Rushan had set him up.
His face darkened with fury. That cunning little rat.
With no time to explain, Luo Si and his men fled, abandoning the fight.
The enraged mob didn’t listen to his protests, accusing him of lying and lacking backbone.
In moments, the battlefield emptied.
Ji Tingzhou and Zhiliao were spent.
Had the attackers held out just a little longer, they’d have realized the kids were running on fumes.
Ji Tingzhou could barely feel his limbs. Once sure the coast was clear, he staggered to Da Gen, checking that the dog was still breathing—just unconscious—before collapsing against the wall, spitting blood.
Zhiliao was even worse off. The attackers had focused on her as the greater threat.
Shen Rushan, who’d slipped away during the chaos, now returned.
When she sensed him approaching, Zhiliao let her eyes fall shut, collapsing to the ground.
Shen Rushan scooped her up, his eyes glistening with unshed tears.
Wei Yang toddled over to Ji Tingzhou, grinning stupidly despite his swollen face and missing tooth.
Ji Tingzhou gave him a sidelong glance. Idiot, he thought.
Meanwhile, unaware of the chaos that had erupted shortly after her departure, Ji Nian stood before a slightly newer-looking building.
An middle-aged woman sat at the entrance, eyeing Ji Nian before waving her off impatiently. “Scram, kid. No handouts here.”
“I’m not here for food.”
Ji Nian pointed to a sign propped by the door.
“I’m here to apply.”
The woman paused, then turned to look at the sign.
It was a white board with bold black characters: “Hiring.”
No specific role was listed—just requirements for literacy, basic math skills, and no age restrictions. Salary negotiable.
“If there’s no age limit, then I qualify, right?”
Ji Nian pointed at herself.
The woman’s lips twitched.
She didn’t even need to ask. The fact that this kid could read the sign proved she was literate—a rarity in these parts.
“You’ll need to pass the… uh…”
Ji Nian supplied, “Test?”
The woman nodded. “Yeah, the math one.”
Ji Nian stepped inside, then paused when the woman didn’t follow, tilting her head in a dignified, questioning look.
The woman: “……”
Despite her shabby clothes, the kid’s mannerisms—that glance, that posture…
Was she some rich family’s child from the North District?
Educated people weren’t entirely unheard of here. After all, many had been “sent” in from the outside, some even university-educated.
But those types were usually snatched up by the major factions. Who’d bother with government work? The pay was lousy, the risks high, and one wrong move could mean an untimely “accident.”
The interior was spacious but sparsely furnished.
Ji Nian took a seat on a wooden chair without prompting, then looked expectantly at the woman.
The woman rummaged through a desk drawer before pulling out a sheet of paper from the bottom. “Here. Do this.”
She grabbed a few pens, inspecting them before handing Ji Nian the one with the most ink left.
