"You'll feel better if you bite into this piece of wood, I'm sorry, I-that's all I can think of. Pen Fun Pavilion www.biquge.info"

Tails frowned and knelt in front of Ryan.

The lame beggar, half-lying on the ground against the wall, holding his right hand, which was "broken by the lotus" and the blood slowly flowing, looked blankly at Tails, who was polishing the dagger on a blunt stone, and let him stuff a piece of firewood into his mouth.

Behind Tails, the girl Colia sat in a daze, on the steps of the courtyard and the house, the burned spot on the left side of her face that had been treated and drugged, and was now covered with a cloth.

And the charred silver coin was now clutching tightly in her hand.

The girl's eyes widened, looking here and there, and after a moment she looked up at the moon and laughed nervously.

Behind her, Quaid's dead body leaned against a broken wall.

A wave of nausea came over Tails.

The touch, the touch of piercing metal into flesh, appeared faintly in Tails' knife-wielding hand from time to time.

Tails sighed, enduring the discomfort of the first killing, the burn on his chest still aching, taking a lot of attention away from him.

He had to kill Quaid, which Tails didn't regret. But after all, he took a life, and no matter what Quaid did, whether he deserved to die or not, in a sense, he was a two-legged life equal to his own kind.

And he plunged the dagger into his neck.

What's more—Tails turned his head to look at Coria, but the dagger in his hand was grinding faster and faster.

These children have probably experienced the most critical scene in their lives.

An illusory scene appeared before his eyes, the light of the projector and the text of the slides appearing like breaking waves.

“... The literature review of the paper I am presenting in today's class is mainly focused on the field of psychology. From the perspective of developmental psychology, childhood and adolescence are the most critical period for the formation of a person's mind and character. Bloom's follow-up study found that the environment, interactions, and behaviors experienced at this stage were strongly correlated with future personality and psychological development. Many theories also suggest that this effect may even be lifelong ..."

Tails shook his head, hiding another piece of recovered memory deep in his heart.

The mental health of the beggars is secondary, but the immediate problem to be solved is how to survive.

Tyers pressed down on the disgust in his heart and turned his attention to the dagger in his hand.

The dagger was no longer than an adult's forearm, with a single edge, a tip with a slight curve to the side of the blade, a black leather strap wrapped around the wooden handle to prevent slippery hands, and smooth sides of the blade - huh?

Tails suddenly noticed that under the washing of blood, the two letters "JC" engraved on the side of the blade appeared.

jc?

Tails' eyes changed slightly, and his heart moved.

Hehe, no matter how many tricks, no matter how much planning, no matter how clever it is, Tails thought to himself, it is not as effective as this "JC" dagger.

Then, Tails' eyes turned to ice, and the blade that was still polishing one moment appeared next to Ryan's severed hand the next!

"Whew!"

Tails didn't hesitate to cut it off!

The blade severed the bits of flesh that remained between Ryan's palm and wrist.

"Uh-huh!"

Ryan's whole body spasmed violently like a shrimp in the Yasir River at the moment of falling into boiling water.

He clenched the wood tightly, a frightening sound came out of his throat, his eyes were painfully closed, his face twisted into an exaggerated shape, and tears and snot flowed incessantly.

Tails quickly pulled the strip of cloth over the good medicine (which was actually just some Oulddragon grass), wrapped it around Ryan's severed hand, and beat it back and forth fiercely.

Hopefully it will work, stop the bleeding and not get infected, otherwise—Tails shook his head as he looked at the fire.

Ryan was still convulsing in pain, and Tails held his severed hand tightly with one hand and took him into his arms with the other.

"Hold on, Ryan, it's going to be over soon, hold on!" Tails whispered to him with his eyes closed, the burn on his chest being grazed by Ryan's hair, and another heart-piercing pain.

Tails looked to the other side, where Kellett, Ned, and Nsola were lying quietly in the moonlight.

It's like falling asleep.

Ryan's breathing became more regular, but Coria began to sob softly again.

"Tails, woo, I'm so scared, Corlia obviously doesn't have typhoid fever, Corlia is already well-"

Tails let go of Ryan, turned around, and took Kolia in his arms, carefully avoiding the burns on her face, and gently patted her.

"It's alright, Kolia, it's all right. ”

I'm sorry.

It's me who failed to protect everyone.

"Tails!"

Tails opened his eyes, looked at Sinti who ran back out of breath, and calmly asked, "How is it outside?"

Sinti was the least injured of the children in the Sixth House, and after Tails helped him with his dislocated leg (the life of the beggars gave them a lot of knowledge about self-rescue, such as bone grafting - or bone removal), he was sent outside by Tails to inquire about the news and let out the wind to warn of the possible arrival of the Brotherhood.

"There's no one up there, no Rick, no thugs, no people from any brotherhood, it's like people outside the abandoned house don't know anything. ”

Sinti is the oldest, and he has been tacitly understanding with Tails for a long time, and directly said what Tails cares about most.

"Quaid seems to have been to quite a few people's houses, and some of them managed to escape, but, not counting us and the seventeenth house, there was no movement in at least six or seven rooms. ”

Tails' eyes darkened, the sixth house was not the closest abandoned house to the door, and he could probably guess the fate of the beggars in those houses.

"Now the beggars know what's going on, and everyone is spreading the word that the Brotherhood is going to kill us all. Some people hid in their houses and did not dare to come out, but many more ran out into the streets, and some tried to escape. ”

Tails' eyes lit up: "Wait, you said the thugs are gone?"

Sinti knew what Tails was thinking, he shook his head and said bitterly, "It's useless, the door is locked from the outside, Karak and the people in their house shouted at the door, but no one came." We can't escape unless we can get over the trench and the spikes inside. ”

"We," Ryan said, struggling to sit up from the ground with his right hand in his hands, and said with a pale face, "Shall we have to escape?"

"No!" Tails interrupted Ryan categorically, "Quaid is dead in the abandoned house, and if they find the murderer, we will surely die, and even if they can't find the murderer, they will take the beggars out and give an account." What's more, Quaid's father is the boss of the Brotherhood, and they won't just leave it at that. ”

"And," Tails said with a cold look at Ryan, "do you want to wait for them to send the next Quaid, even if the next leader is not a Quaid man, and when he knows that his predecessor died at the hands of a beggar, do you still expect him to eat and drink for you, and then kneel down and beg you not to kill him?"

When this string of words came out, Ryan, Kolia, and Sinti couldn't understand it, and the three of them blinked their eyes, looking unaware.

Tails looked at the eyes of the three of them, lowered his head helplessly, sighed, and said, "Alas—to put it simply, we have to escape. ”

"Oh. ”

Only then did the three children nod their heads in unison.

Tails shook his head helplessly.

Suddenly, another scene appeared before his eyes.

Snow was falling on the scattered streets, and a slender figure was bouncing in front while he muttered.

"Therefore, Weber, summing up with his observations and historical sources, sneered at the economic base of Lao Ma in his book about the origin of capitalism in Europe.

"I don't understand what you're talking about, but it feels amazing. ”

"Alas—to put it simply, Webb is crushing the old horse with his intelligence. ”

"Oh, that's right, then let's go eat a little hot pot!"

"Obviously you're asking me what class I took today, can the topic not jump so fast? and why does it turn so naturally, hey!"

"Then it's decided, Korean barbecue! Attack freedom, attack!"

"Wasn't it a small hot pot just now--hey, don't push me-what else is there to attack freedom--I said don't push me-"

Tails closed his eyes tightly, dispelling the hallucinations of memories that had sprung back from the void.

Recently, memories have come back more and more frequently, and "past events" have surfaced one by one.

But not now.

It can't be now.

Now there is more important work to be done.

Tails opened his eyes to find that the three children were waiting for his decision.

He stood up slightly, pulled Ryan up as well, and took a deep breath.

"First of all, move Quaid out of the sixth house when no one is outside - it's heavy, but in the short term, it doesn't make it clear that his death is related to us. ”

"Then, Sinti, you go and spread the word secretly among the people—secretly, so that no one knows that you did it on purpose. Tell them that there are five loose spikes under the ditch to the left of the fourth house, and that they can escape from the abandoned house by tearing them down and covering the remaining two with a slab or something. ”

Xinti was surprised: "You, you found the secret passage in that deep ditch?"

"Secret passage?" Ryan and Coria also seemed to be taken aback.

Tails didn't say anything, just patted Sinti on the shoulder, "Go ahead." ”

It wasn't a secret passage dug by some powerful beggar senior.

The so-called secret passage was secretly dug up in four years by himself on the pretext that he could go to the West City Gate twice a week to beg and return at night, with daggers, vines, linens, and corrosives from the apothecary.

It's almost like the "Shawshank Redemption" of Errol's world.

As for that legend, it's just a fantasy.

There was never a savior, was there?

Tails patted Sinti's shoulder again, and the latter nodded, and was about to turn around, but scratched his head, thought of something, and said in confusion:

"Why do you want to tell everyone? Can't we run by ourselves? The more people there are, the slower we will run. ”

No, Tails said in his heart that the Brotherhood is not a vegetarian, every street, every road, every corner of the Third District of the Lower City has their eyeliner, and the suburbs of Ximen are also full of their lackeys, and for a few beggars under the age of ten, it is difficult to escape from the Brotherhood even if they escape from the abandoned house.

Tails' original escape plan would take another half a year. He would be able to fully understand the pattern and rhythm of the Brotherhood's eyeliner placement between Downtown 3rd and Red Square Street, and then prepare supplies from the Sunset Bar and the Grove Apothecary, and the chances of them escaping would be greatly increased.

As long as you can escape to Hongfang Street.

But now, it's not the best time at all.

But in order to survive, they have to flee - accidents always come suddenly, don't they?

Therefore, he must turn the private escape of the sixth house into a collective riot of beggars.

Only the sixth house is missing, and that's too obvious, the Brotherhood will soon find it. Secondly, the more people there are, the slower they will escape, but the safer and more inconspicuous they are.

But if you want to state these reasons one by one,

Tails looked up at Sinti, his piercing eyes making the latter a little uncomfortable.

"Sinti, do you remember the agreement between the two of us four years ago?"

Sinti was stunned for a moment, lowered her head, and thought for a moment.

When he looked up, his eyes had become determined.

"Of course. Sinti looked at Tails, looked at the boy who was a head shorter than herself, and said slowly: "You are responsible for thinking, and I am responsible for doing it." ”

Tails nodded solemnly.

"Let's get out together!"

――――――――――――――――――

Yala Saliton watched boredly as the last customer walked out of the Sunset Bar, then lazily got up and put away his glass.

There weren't many drinkers today, especially the Brotherhood's own people, many of whom had been transferred to participate in the "big operation", and even Edmund, the cook, had gone with a machete, supposedly to pay off his personal debts.

The old guy hasn't been back for a long time.

Bored.

Yala glanced at the clock on the wall, half past three in the morning, a little early.

However, the clock was also a bit slow.

The clock was very old, Yara thought to herself, even the back groove of the eternal oil was rusty, and the rust mixed into the eternal oil, greatly reducing the efficiency of the work.

Gotta find a way to get the old guy to bleed and change the clock.

There are so many businesses at Sunset Bar that there is neither the tax collector at the town hall to collect taxes ("For the king's sake, I'll give him two middle fingers!"—Yara), nor does there be a long-eyed guy who asks for protection money ("A hundred coppers per person, and I can protect your fingers from being chopped off by me, how about that?"—Yara), and even the purchases are at a discounted price from the Brotherhood's own channels (" Nar Rick, you are in charge of the accounts, tell these brothers on the ground, and my knives, what price should you give me when you buy them?"

The stingy old fellow.

Closing the door and finishing the bar, Yala dropped her apron and rag, tightened her leather pants, extinguished the non-extinguishing lights at the front desk (the name is ironic), and went into the back kitchen.

It's a little early today, and according to the old rules, if you finish your workout, there will be-

The next moment, Yara's face became cold and fierce!

Her body instantly bowed, her knees bent to a position that was convenient for her strength, and the famous wolf leg knife on her leg instantly came to her left hand.

The blade flies out like a bolt!

"Boom!"

The wolf's leg knife is fiercely pierced on a wine barrel!

Only a small half of the blade was exposed, and the hilt was still shaking.

"Ahh

Yala slowly straightened up, stabbed the other wolf-leg knife in her right hand back into her boot, and lit the lamp at her side.

The light illuminated the dimly lit back kitchen, revealing a few small figures.

"Yara-that-" Tyers, the traverser who was frightened by the wolf-leg knife, grinned reluctantly, raised his slightly trembling right hand, and shook it unnaturally, "Hey-it's me." ”

Yara looked at him coldly, not saying a word.

Her eyes were sharp and terrifying, and Coria cowered in fear toward Tails.

Yala suddenly stepped forward.

Tails felt that the three beggars behind him all took a step back unnaturally.

"I know," said Yara coldly, "otherwise, I wouldn't have been aiming at the barrel." ”

Yala walked up to him, pulled out the wolf's leg knife from the barrel two inches from Tails' left ear, and pulled a knife in front of him as if in protest before inserting it into the boot cover.

"And, you little ghost—"

Tails rolled his eyes inwardly, and instinctively quickly raised his hand to protect his forehead.

But a slender finger has already poked it hard!

"Ahh

"Call me Sister Yara!"

―――――――――――――――――――

"When I came in through the back door, I didn't see Edmund, so I wanted to come to the back kitchen to have a look—"

They were now in the cellar of the Sunset Bar, and the three beggars except Tails, leaning against the sack of hemp, fidgeting, struggling but hard to nibble on the white bread in their hands—they hadn't eaten such good food in a long time.

A little further away from them, Tails sat on a barrel twice his height, looking straight ahead at the lazy but sassy Yarla Saliton with his hands on his chest and one leg against the wall.

If it were a previous life, Tails would probably have to hold an appreciative eye, see her from head to toe carefully, and then look up at the sky, while reminiscing, sigh the beauty of this world.

Huh, you ask what Tails will do after that? Nonsense, of course, it's going home by yourself, what should you do.

As for now--I'm sorry, this body is still young.

"Tell me why you came to me. Yala still had that cold look, straight to the point, straight to the point.

But Tails is used to it, and since he first met this "big sister" who was only sixteen or seventeen years old at the time in the garbage heap behind the sunset bar four years ago, the other party has always had this tone and style.

He knew that she was such a person.

Quaid went mad, and he killed almost half of the beggars in the abandoned house. ”

Tails said with a solemn expression, while silently clenching his fists.

-.

Ever since she saw these scarred beggars, Yala had a vague suspicion about what happened earlier today.

Yara's face was impassive, and she began to curse Rick in her heart, this bookkeeper, you know that you poured Chaka wine on Quaid, and you must not be at ease.

Why did I promise him for the ten gold coins? Ten gold coins, ten gold coins!

This kind of thing is sure to anger the Brotherhood, ten gold coins—at least twenty for him!

And-

"There was no one to stop him, no one to save us, we had to escape on our own. Tails said in a gloomy mood, as the scene from a few hours ago seemed to be repeated.

And, alas, half of the beggars.

Yara closed her eyes and sighed.

"I see, you guys should hide here for a day. Don't worry, I'm here, the gorilla won't dare to come, and if he does, I'll chop off his hand under him. ”

Yala looked at the other three beggars and frowned, she recognized which ones were new injuries, especially the child whose right hand was wrapped in cloth.

"When Edmund returns, I'll let him go find Rick and the people above. Quaid did such a thing, he couldn't escape—this guy, why didn't he die sooner. ”

Yala was a little distracted, and she put her legs against the wall down and stood up.

Tails' eyes darkened, he looked at the three beggars, exhaled deeply, and then looked at Yara.

"Today the Brotherhood has a big mission, so the guards and patrols will be relaxed. If you can escape, you must - well, forget it, I'll go get the medicine, if I need a doctor- wait, little ghost, what's wrong with you?"

Yara was talking to herself, when she suddenly realized that something was wrong with Tails on the other side, and his body was also covered in scars, the clothes on his chest were torn apart, and the sleeve of his right hand was even splattered with blood.

No, the eyes of this little ghost-

Yala suddenly walked up to Tails, dragged him off the barrel, and then crouched down, holding Tails' shoulders with both hands and looking him in the eye.

Yara's eyes suddenly became serious and eager.

"Imp-you, are you?"

Tails was a little afraid to look Yara's eyes, but in just a few seconds, he adjusted himself and looked up resolutely.

Tails heard his voice sound calm as usual, without trembling.

"Yala, Quaid was slaughtered by me. ”