Dai Zhiqiang picked up his pace when he noticed that one of them had grabbed the kid's hand. There weren't any other pedestrians, so no one but him could help that kid except for him.

He put his hand on the kid's shoulder with a grim expression.

"Little kid, do you know these two uncles?"

The kid raised his head, and his pair of big, clear eyes looked at him with confusion. "Big Brother, who are you?"

"Yeah, who are you, bastard? Hands off and mind your own business." One of the men glared at him.

However, Dai Zhiqiang paid no heed to him and asked the kid again. "Hey kid, I will ask once again. If you don't know them, you shouldn't follow or talk to people carelessly. Didn't your mother or father teach you that?"

The kid's face became crestfallen. "I-I don't have one."historical

His answer wasn't one Dai Zhiqiang expected, but he persisted, "Then, listen to me from now on. You shouldn't follow or receive things from strangers."

Shifting his gaze to the two suspicious men, he continued, "They might be the bad guys trying to kidnap you."

"What's with that? Are you implying we are trying to do something funny here?!"

"Don't accuse people without thinking, you brat. Speaking of which, who are YOU anyway? The kid clearly said he didn't know you. Scram, before you get hurt."

They growled menacingly at him, but Dai Zhiqiang didn't bat an eye at their threats. "I never asked the kid to follow me, though? If you guys are really innocent, should we take him to the nearest police station together? That way, I'll believe your claim."

One of the men clicked his tongue irritatedly and put his hand inside his unbuttoned shirt. A glint of something shiny behind it quickly caught his eye, and Dai Zhiqiang moved swiftly like he was in an automatic mode.

He wrapped his hand around the kid's body and pulled his body backward swiftly. The sudden tug caused the man's grip on the kid to be released, but he managed to land a graze on Dai Zhiqiang's forearm, causing a cut on his sleeve.

"Grr–!" The man growled angrily and directed his murderous gaze toward Dai Zhiqiang. The other man also pulled out a folding knife from his pocket before pointing it at the younger man.

"We have warned you before. Don't blame us for anything that happens later."

Dai Zhiqiang stepped before the kid to keep those two away from him. "Can you hide for a while? I'll take care of them first."

"Big brother? Are you going to fight with the bad guys? Are you the hero?" The kid said with admiration in his tone.

"No, I'm not a hero, just a person walking by."

"How cool! That's what every hero always says on the TV!"

Dai Zhiqiang didn't know how to respond, and those two men wouldn't wait until he finished this conversation. "Yes, I'm a hero, so can you please go hide? I can't fight them while protecting you."

The kid nodded his head enthusiastically. "I will be watching from afar, then!"

Finally, he moved elsewhere with his short legs. Dai Zhiqiang felt more at ease and faced the two men closing in on him. His eyes were dark and cold as if he was looking at animals.

"You came just at the right time. I was in a foul mood and itching to vent it on someone. Come at me." Dai Zhiqiang taunted them with his finger, causing the two men to raise their weapons and slash or point them at him.

***

Dai Zhiqiang was unsatisfied. He looked disgustedly at the two men who he had beat senselessly. They were currently sprawled on the ground with bruises all over their faces.

That could hardly be considered exercise. Despite having a weapon, those two were full of openings and weak overall. They couldn't even take a few punches before he knocked them unconscious.

Dai Zhiqiang still wanted to beat them to vent his anger and frustration, but he wasn't a brute or gangster, so he canceled that thought.

"You can come out now," He said to the tiny figure peeking out behind the small tree.

Hearing his cue, the kid walked over with eyes sparkling in awe.

"That is awesome! Big brother, you are so strong! You punched and kicked them, and they can't get up anymore. As expected, you are the hero! A hero always wins against the bad guys!"

Ignoring the kid's enthusiasm, Dai Zhiqiang wiped the trace of blood on his knuckles on one of the man's shirts. "Hey, did you wander around by yourself? Don't you have an adult accompanying you?"

The kid's smile was gone from his lips, and he pursed his lips sulkily. "I-I just want to check the ice cream truck that those kids said in school."

"Ice cream...truck?"

"Yeah. Other kids in my school said a car was selling very sweet and cool ice cream. The best in the world. I didn't believe them, so they made fun of me."

"That's why you waited for the ice cream truck here?"

The kid shyly nodded. "If I want, I can buy all the ice cream in the store, but they said ice cream from the truck is the best. It's not because I want to eat the sweetest ice cream."

Dai Zhiqiang sighed at the kid's attempt to make excuses. He crouched down in front of him and checked him for any injuries.

"At least you aren't hurt. Next time, don't talk to strangers, or better yet, don't go out alone without a guardian. This world is dangerous for a child, especially a rich-looking one like you."

The kid puffed his cheek, making it look like a pair of white dumplings.

"I'm not your regular child. Usually, someone is always following me and protecting me from the shadow. However, because I sneaked out this time, that's why they can't come in time."

"Yes, precisely why you almost got taken away just now. What did they say to you?"

"They said they knew where the ice cream truck was."

"Next time, don't trust what other people say easily. I doubt you will understand anything I say, though."

"Big Brother, I don't want to talk about this. How can you be so strong like that? Your punch is fast and strong, and you can jump very high!" The kid said as he mimicked some of Dai Zhiqiang's moves earlier clumsily.