Early the next morning, Western Suburb garbage dump.
The dump was piled with mountains of garbage, emitting a foul stench. A few stray dogs were searching for food while a dozen or so street children were rummaging for things they could exchange for money, seemingly unaffected by the stench. Outside a simple clay-brick house stood three cars, looking out of place amidst the surrounding trash, but there wasn't a single person to be seen. The group of kids curiously gathered around to check it out.
Just then, a big man stord out of the clay-brick house. He was wearing camo gear and combat boots, tall and strong as an ox, with a bald head and a face full of threatening features. His triangular eyes radiated an intimidating light. These street kids weren't very afraid but still stopped in their tracks. One older kid shouted, "This is our turf, who are you?"
"A bunch of snot-nosed brats arguing turf with , looking to die, aren't you?" the big man said coldly. "You have three minutes to disappear, or else you can't bla for being rude."
The kids, having faced all sorts of hardships since young, had seen it all. Soone imdiately roared, "Let's beat him."
Suddenly, these kids charged forward and, from who knows where, pulled out various weapons like short daggers and iron rods. They shouted like little adults and sward toward him, but suddenly all stopped, shocked by the sight of the big man pulling out a gun. They took cautious steps back before turning to run.
"A bunch of brats making pull a gun." The big man grumbled discontentedly but didn't seem to have any intention of chasing them. Perhaps he was just trying to drive them away. Seeing the kids scatter, he returned to the clay-brick house and was never seen again.
On the other side of the dump, a boy and a girl around fifteen or sixteen ca along. Their hair was a tangled ss, caked with mud as if it hadn't been washed for years. Their faces were dirty, likely untouched by water for ages, and their clothes were tattered. They were barefoot, dragging a large woven bag filled with items like water bottles, spilling out.
The two walked slowly, looking around. After spotting the street kids, they approached but, perhaps frightened by the big man's gun, the group of kids hurriedly ran away. Puzzled, the pair stopped. One of the boys grabbed a kid and asked, "Why are you running?"
"There's a gun. The guy in the house has a gun," the caught kid said nervously.
"So what if there's a gun? Have so guts. Gather them all over. Who's your leader? Tell them I'm taking over here. Anyone who doesn't obey can duel . Anyone wanting to survive here should stay. If not, I'll beat you whenever I see you, quick now." The boy said impatiently, with a hint of authority.
The grabbed kid quickly ran off, shouting. Before long, the others, coming to their senses on hearing about a turf takeover, looked at the oldest among them. He looked annoyed and called out, "I'm the boss here, Black Man. Who are you?"
The boy called Black Man suddenly leaped forward like a starving wolf, knocking down the self-proclaid boss, landing a few harsh slaps that left blood oozing from the corner of his victim's mouth. Satisfied, he slowly stood up and looked at the others. "Who else disagrees?" he asked.
"We agree, we agree. You're our new boss." Faced with such ferocity, the rest, being just kids, didn't dare to cause trouble, all shouting for the new boss.
The new boss glanced proudly at the equally dirty female companion who had co along. She turned away disdainfully. Embarrassed, the new boss turned back and grabbed the forr boss from the ground. "What's your na? What's with the clay-brick house? What did you see?"
"Little Wuoo, everyone calls Little Wuoo. Three cars at the door, but you can't see anything else. Must've been people hiding in the house. Last night, we didn't see them here, so they must've co before us," the forr boss quickly said.
"Co with , let's make trouble at their door, smash their cars. They dare to fight us for turf, they're courting death," the new boss angrily glared at everyone and said, "This is our turf. If they take over, how do we survive? Anyone not going?"
Everyone, wary of the new boss's thods and ruthlessness, dared not refuse but feared the guns. At this, the new boss, displeased, said, "That's the plan. If you don't co, I'll beat you. Wait here." With that, he headed toward his companion.
The two moved aside tacitly. The female companion whispered, "Dead Wolf, what are you trying to do? This deviates from the original plan. If sothing goes wrong, you and I can't bear the consequences."
"What's there to fear? Tiger Girl, this isn't like you. Our brother said to stay hidden until he arrives. But now, the situation is unusual. Just the two of us to rescue? Imagine how glorious. If you're scared, go hide yourself. I, Little Lang, fear nothing," the new boss whispered seriously.
It turned out that this pair was Little Lang and Tiger Girl, key elents of Luo Zheng's rescue plan. If others ca, it might arouse suspicion, but not Little Lang and Tiger Girl, who, being young, wouldn't attract much attention. Disguised as garbage pickers, they had more cover to stake out and lay low, serving as a covert force.
However, Little Lang was unwilling to settle. His first mission, he wanted to excel in it. Tiger Girl, provoked by Little Lang, was also brimming with courage but remained cautious, having been through a lot. Calr than Little Lang, she whispered, "Taking action is fine, but we need a plan. Without a proper plan, we can't move, or else it's Military Doctor Wu's life at stake—you and I can't afford that."
"A plan's definitely needed. I'll lead a frontal diversion, drawing their attention. You sneak around back and find a way inside. After finding Military Doctor Wu, retreat quietly and signal . I'll pull the others out too, and we'll rescue without a trace. If anything goes wrong, I'll attack from the front, you lead the retreat and send out a distress signal. Don't worry about . How's that?" Little Lang said seriously, in a low voice.
Tiger Girl looked at the distant clay-brick house, blocked by the trash hill, only the roof visible. The roof was rundown, hollow everywhere, unlikely to hide anyone. After a mont of contemplation, she said, "It's worth trying. Our advantage is that the enemy won't notice. Sneaking in, the odds are good. Be careful—don't get yourself killed on your first mission, I'd look down on you. I'm heading out first." With that, she dragged her trash bag and walked forward.
"You too, take care." Little Lang earnestly said. Despite their bickering, they shared a deep bond. After watching Tiger Girl leave, Little Lang turned to the other street kids, "Let's go find them," he said.
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