"Ah?" The young woman opened her mouth in astonishment, finding it hard to believe that she had managed to scare him off so easily. As she turned to see Lin Yu's figure disappearing at the end of the alley, a loud shout suddenly echoed from behind, "Robbery!"
Upon turning back, three pairs of cold eyes were fixed on her, particularly eyeing the Nikon D90 SLR camera hanging from her neck, gleaming with greed...
"What?" The young woman didn't catch it clearly.
"Damn it, cut the crap, it's a robbery!" Several people had already closed in, their gazes as sharp as the bitter February winds.
"Are you kidding me? I saved you, and now you want to rob me?" The young woman, wide-eyed with incredulity, pointed accusingly at the men, her tone angry but still carrying an inherent innocence, obviously someone unversed in the harshness of the world.
"That's right, you saved us, and we're deeply thankful for that." The stout man grinned insincerely, picking up the dropped knife and advancing, while the blond and tall skinny guy wore equally grim expressions, covering their injuries as they closed in from both sides.
"And this is how you show gratitude for my help?" The young woman was taken aback as she found herself surrounded by the three. Her body began to tremble involuntarily.
"Of course, we're just giving you a chance to be a good person. We've been robbed by that bastard just now, left penniless. My boss and brothers are injured too, and we haven't got any money for medical expenses or food. Considering our pitiable state, have a heart, help us out, hand over all the valuable things." The stout man's tone was earnest, but his eyes were menacing, the knife in his hand swaying dangerously close, less than five centimeters from the young woman's face.
"Stop wasting time with her. She definitely called the cops just now. The pigs will be here soon. Get on with it, or it'll be trouble when they show up." Blondie impatiently urged, clutching his mangled fist, still nursing a cut on his almost crippled arm.
"Alright." The stout man, disheartened after repeatedly groping the girl, grabbed her small bag and phone, clutching the camera as he stood up.
"Let's go!" Blondie barked, leading the two lackeys towards the end of the alley. As they turned, their bodies froze as if immobilized by a spell.
At the mouth of the alley, Lin Yu stood, arms crossed, smiling warmly at them with a friendly gaze.
"Miss, do you need help?" Lin Yu's eyes shifted past them, addressing the girl sitting on the ground, crying inconsolably while hugging her chest against the wall.
"Sob...Help! They're robbing me..." The girl rushed over, throwing herself into Lin Yu's arms, crying profusely, almost gasping for air.
Lin Yu rubbed his forehead, giving a wry smile. He intended to push her away but seeing her pitiful state, he relented, patting her back for comfort. Then, he looked at the several pale-faced and filthy-looking young thieves. Before he could say anything, the stout man, somewhat sensibly, hurriedly raised above his head the belongings that originally belonged to the girl, tremblingly handing them over. Lin Yu accepted them with a nod.
"We haven't really harmed her. It's just our occupational disease. Also, our boss had told us when we started that thieves shouldn't leave empty-handed. We have no choice." The stout man was quite the talker, with a silver tongue. Coupled with a regretful expression, he looked genuinely remorseful, repentant enough to move heaven and earth.
"I understand the rules of your profession, but really, I can't allow this." Lin Yu dropped his smile, sighed, and shook his head with evident reluctance. "How about this? Each of you leaves behind one hand, and I'll let you go. It's for your own good. At least you'll have a disability card and can receive social relief. Otherwise, continuing like this, you'll keep slipping into the abyss of crime, unable to extricate yourselves. Not only will you face the disdain of the people, but you'll also end up in jail and face the gallows. That's not good, is it? Trust me, I'm trying to save you!"