Supreme Warrior in the City
Chapter 594 - 593: The Pitiful Little Boy

Chapter 594: Chapter 593: The Pitiful Little Boy

The sky was turning dark, and the lights along Qinghua Street in Zifeng City were now ablaze.

After a round of patrol by the security team had ended, a quick-witted little boy emerged from behind a street trash can.

He carried a small box on his back, which held his shoe-shining tools. In his arms was a little stool for his customers to sit on.

His lips were cracked; he had been here all day without a sip of water.

The little boy looked towards the corner store and heaved a melancholic sigh.

In the past, he could still sneak a few sips from the tap outside that corner store. Even for lunch, he could find some decent meat and vegetables from the leftovers.

But now, the corner store had changed hands. The new owner cordoned off the tap inside the premises, and all the leftovers were dumped directly into the swill bucket, which was securely tucked away inside the kitchen. He no longer had access even to drinking water, let alone spare food.

It was said that the previous owner of the small store went bankrupt due to poor management and was replaced by the new one.

In truth, the little boy had also heard through the grapevine that the previous owner did not know how to bribe the inspectors, which led to constant harassment. Unable to continue, he had to close shop at a loss.

In this world, why is it that good people seldom receive their due, while the bad revel in excess?

"Hey, can you shine shoes?"

An amused voice snapped the little boy back to reality. Several youths were standing before him, all smiles as they watched him.

"Yes, of course, I can shine shoes," the little boy quickly nodded.

"Good, give my shoes a clean!" A youth with dyed hair haughtily extended his foot and commanded, "Make sure you do it properly. These shoes are expensive. Don’t ruin them!"

"Don’t worry, big brother, I’ve been doing this for years and have never had such a problem!" the little boy said with a smile as he set down the small stool, "Please take a seat, big brother."

"Hmm!" Huang Mao sat down proudly and extended a foot towards the little boy.

He was wearing a pair of white sports shoes that now looked black and emitted a foul odor.

The little boy efficiently took out his shoe-shining tools and began to undo the laces, intending to wash them first. But as he tugged, the lace tore off, and a large hole appeared in the shoe.

"Fuck your mother!" Huang Mao immediately jumped to his feet, kicking the little boy to the ground while cursing, "I already told you to be careful! What kind of shit job is this? Do you know how much these shoes cost me? They’re new — AJ, know what that is? A pair can cost over five thousand!"

The little boy was terrified, having never encountered such a situation. He said with a trembling voice, "Big brother, I... I didn’t mean it, I didn’t apply any force. I just grabbed the lace, and it just ripped... this... this isn’t my fault..."

Huang Mao squatted down, slapped the little boy across the face, and cursed, "Not your fault? Should I blame myself then? You’re the one who damaged my shoes, should I blame myself for it?"

"I... I really didn’t know..." The little boy’s face turned red, tears swirling in his eyes, but he clenched his teeth, refusing to let them fall.

"I don’t know, my ass!" Huang Mao slapped him again and cursed, "Listen up, I bought these shoes for 5,800 yuan. After wearing them for a while, let’s say the depreciation is 1,000 yuan, that still leaves 4,800 yuan. Out of pity for you, I’ll knock off another 800, so you owe me 4,000 yuan, and we’ll call it even. Otherwise, I’m going to kill you!"

"4,000?" The little boy’s mouth hung open; where would he get 4,000 yuan?

"What, you don’t want to pay?" Huang Mao grabbed the boy by the neck and delivered two more slaps, "Fuck, if you don’t pay, I swear I’ll let you leave here alive today bearing my surname!"

"Big brother, I... I really don’t have any money..." the little boy said with a crying tone, "Besides, I... I wasn’t the one who damaged the shoes."

"If you didn’t damage them, are you implying that I did? Are you suggesting I’m trying to swindle you?" Huang Mao grew angrier and slapped the boy again, leaving him dazed and reeling.

"No, that’s not what I meant..." the boy said tremblingly, "I wasn’t suggesting you’re cheating me, but these shoes are so expensive, they must be of good quality. I... I’m just a kid, how could I have the strength to tear them apart? Maybe... maybe you accidentally got them damaged by someone else, and that’s... that’s why..."

"Cut the crap!" Huang Mao shouted angrily, "The shoes got damaged in your hands, you’re compensating for them. 4,000, will you pay or not!"

The little boy turned deathly pale, "Big brother, where... where can I get 4,000 yuan? I’m just a kid, I... I only earn two yuan for cleaning a pair of shoes..."

"I don’t care about the details, if you don’t pay up, I’m going to cripple you!" Huang Mao grabbed the boy, pushed his head to the ground, and stepped on it while waving his hand, "Open his box and take out all the money!"

The few young lads behind him quickly rummaged through the little boy’s toolbox, only to find a few tens of yuan in change.

"Damn it, this measly sum, it’s barely enough for a beggar!" one of the youths kicked the little boy and shouted angrily, "You’ve been here shining shoes for so long, you’ve been too stingy to even eat properly, and you tell me you have no money? Where have you hidden it? Hand it over now, or I’ll chop off one of your hands first!"

The little boy shivered with fear, looking around, there were many onlookers, but not a single person stepped forward. In fact, many were laughing and talking, clearly just there to watch the show.

"I... I’m telling you..." the little boy stammered, "I... I haven’t hidden the money here, I... I don’t carry much money on me..."

"Should’ve spoken up earlier, and you wouldn’t have to suffer!" Huang Mao lifted his foot and said, "Come on, take me to your money!"

The little boy struggled to his feet, pointing toward an alleyway, and said with a trembling voice, "The money’s over there, I... I’ll take you to get it..."

"Oh, quite the little hider!" Huang Mao sneered, "Lead the way!"

The little boy walked ahead, and Huang Mao and his crew swaggered behind.

Entering the alley and passing by a garbage can, the little boy suddenly quickened his pace and dashed to the trash bin.

"What are you doing!" Huang Mao roared, but he wasn’t worried; it was a dead-end alley, where could the boy possibly run to?

Without a word, the boy quickly cleared away the trash in the corner, revealing a sewer entrance beneath.

The boy plunged right down into it. By the time Huang Mao and his crew realized something was wrong and rushed over, the boy had already disappeared into the sewer. The stench wafting from inside was almost enough to make one vomit.