"Half-cat person? Damn it, stealing, huh? Hand over the stolen goods, now!" A Hive City Law Enforcement officer poked the girl's forehead hard with his baton.
The Half-cat person, with a bright red forehead, clutched her pocket tightly, the fierce glint in her eyes enraging them.
The Hive City Law Enforcement officers kicked her. One of them grabbed her hair, pulling her up from the ground, while another struck her bony hand, which was clutching her pocket, with a baton.
"Ah!" The Half-cat person girl let out a sharp, piercing scream, her fingertips trembling, but she still refused to let go.
Soon, she took two more baton strikes, and the Hive City Law Enforcement officers brutally pried her hand open, emptying out all the stolen goods.
[They're really ruthless with their hands…] Even though he was the one who was stolen from, Horatio felt a little uneasy.
In his memories as the leader of the Labor Union, he had seen and helped too many people like this.
The Hive City was a grinder that devoured and crushed all flesh and soul, especially for the residents of the lower levels. For a small bite of food, for a momentary extension of life, countless people would take desperate risks.
"You stole quite a bit, you damned alien!" A law enforcement officer cursed, looking at the thousands of yuan on the ground, and forcefully struck the Cat People's leg with his baton.
Theft, in this quagmire where order was irrelevant, let alone morality, was merely one of the countless minor crimes.
Compared to those sensational atrocities, people who merely stole some property to obtain necessities could almost be called a minor blemish on white jade.
The Half-cat person girl huddled up, trembling all over, but her feline eyes were still narrowed into a slit, her gaze filled with contempt and defiance.
However, even when mired in the mud, the subhumans with many unusual characteristics were the people submerged at the bottom of the pond; their situation was often worse than that of most ordinary people.
In the eyes of many, these subhumans were merely aliens temporarily allowed to live by the grace of the Empire.
"Oh, quite fierce, you shameless alien thief!"
Because of this notion, these "aliens" were naturally regarded as burdens and troubles in the sporadic flashes of order cast down from the Upper Hive.
Her expression angered the disgruntled Hive City Law Enforcement officers. A heavy slap landed on her face, twisting it to one side, and her thin cheek instantly became red and swollen.
Nowadays, a burden who should have long since rolled into a dark corner to silently perish was "provoking" them, the embodiment of order, so the law enforcement officers' reaction was simply natural.
"Officer, don't beat her to death, I don't want to lose my appetite." Horatio, as the victim, couldn't stand it anymore and stepped forward to dissuade them.
Perhaps the victim's persuasion had some effect, or perhaps the law enforcement officers didn't want to continue dirtying their uniforms for such a scrawny little thief; the violent beating came to an end.
"Remember the consequences of stealing! If you commit a crime, you must stand straight and take your beating!"
A Hive City Law Enforcement officer spat on the girl's swollen face, then bent down to pick up the banknotes from the ground.
"So much money. You lowly subhuman, come with us!" Another law enforcement officer grabbed the Half-cat person woman's hair, trying to drag her towards the van.
"Wait! What are you doing?" Horatio saw that they intended to turn around and leave, so he stepped forward and called out to the law enforcement officers.
Moreover, that Half-cat person was still useful to him.
"We are enforcing the law, why are you making noise!" The pot-bellied law enforcement officer in charge stepped forward, his large belly straining his buttons.
He poked Horatio's chest with his baton, making him stumble back several steps.
Horatio frowned. From these guys' attitudes, he had probably guessed what they wanted to do.
"Officer, that's my money. Can you return it to me now?" Horatio remained restrained and polite, stepping forward to ask for it.
"Your money?" The Hive City Law Enforcement officer laughed mockingly.
"Yes, officer, that's his…" The honest Bread seller stepped forward and said.
But before he could finish, the Hive City Law Enforcement officer raised his baton as if to strike, scaring the Bread seller back several steps, and the girl also covered her mouth in fright.
Horatio motioned for the Bread seller to leave quickly.
The Bread seller apologetically placed the white bread on the table outside the restaurant, clasped his hands together and bowed, then got into the car.
The little girl huddled behind the car window, only her two frightened little eyes visible. Soon the vehicle started, slowly moving forward with the crowd.
"You all saw it, right? This is stolen money from somewhere else. How can you prove it's yours? Does your name appear on the banknotes?"
"You mean, you don't plan to return the money to me?"
"Oh!"
The Hive City Law Enforcement officers surrounded Horatio, lightly tapping their thick batons on their shoulders.
Even though this young man was well-dressed, they, like Yin Shuyao's initial impression, didn't think this guy was from the Upper Hive and was someone they could easily manipulate.
"This is stolen property! Stolen property! Understand? We have the right to confiscate it."
"This is lost property, money given to me by Miss Farida Hood of the Hood Family."
"Hood Family, hmph hmph hmph."
The leading law enforcement officer mocked derisively: "Did you hear that? This guy says the money belongs to the Hood Family's young lady!"
The surrounding Hive City Law Enforcement officers burst into laughter one after another, and even the passersby who had gathered to watch the commotion were spurred on to mock, pointing and tutting at Horatio.
"You're ungrateful! You ignorant brat! I think you're a rebel!"
Whoosh—
The Hive City Law Enforcement officer, his face contorted with greasy fat, furiously swung his baton at Horatio's face.
Bang!
Horatio expressionlessly grabbed the baton, his iron hand exerting a slight force forward.
Snap.
The thick polymer baton first bent into a hook, then snapped, springing forward and hitting the Hive City Law Enforcement officer's face, squarely striking his nose bridge.
"Ah! Hiss ah!" The Hive City Law Enforcement officer clutched his nose in pain, stumbling back repeatedly, and sat down on the ground, his mouth feeling as if a five-spice bottle had been overturned.
"Captain!" The other Hive City Law Enforcement officers quickly helped the injured law enforcement head.
The girl standing nearby, the Half-cat person, and all the onlookers were dumbfounded.
They always saw the Hive City Law Enforcement officers beating people, but this was the first time they saw one being beaten.
And this seemingly thin and weak boy actually broke a baton with just a flick of his finger???
"You said I was a rebel?" Horatio's gaze was cold as he stepped in front of the fallen leader's crotch, scaring him into instinctively recoiling.
"Sir, this is your change, you should run now." The girl nervously walked to Horatio's side, tugged at his sleeve, and slipped the money into Horatio's hand, looking anxious:
"They will really pull out their guns and kill you!"
"Is that so?" Horatio snorted coldly, his face grim, and casually reached into his pocket.
The girl looked at the unmoving Horatio, puzzled, wondering why he was so confident.
[Hmm? Where's my Childer of Loyalty Cadet ID?] Horatio's hand searched all over his pocket, but he couldn't find his ID, and his brows furrowed slightly.
[Could it be... that this girl took it with her when she snatched the money?!] Horatio suddenly stared at the Half-cat person girl on the ground.
After witnessing his strength, the Half-cat person girl's head was buzzing.
When she saw Horatio staring at her, her eyes filled with fear, and she quickly crawled backward, thinking Horatio was going to harm her.
"Why are they all sequential numbers? Hmm? What's this?" A law enforcement officer standing nearby noticed a soft yet firm unusual sensation mixed in with the banknotes in his hand.
A navy void blue leather-bound ID emerged from the banknotes, and the atmosphere subtly froze.
I implore all dear readers to continue reading to the latest chapter! Continued readership is very important for new books, directly affecting their survival! Please give monthly votes ~ please collect ~ please recommend ~ (●｀●) There's another chapter this afternoon!