Chapter 1 — Just to Survive
In a busy market, a few people still lingered at different shops even late into the night.
At a remote corner stood a small restaurant. Inside, people drank, laughed, and chatted loudly, while a few even danced without a care in the world.
No one noticed the small figure hiding behind a pole just a few meters away, quietly peeking inside.
The boy was barely taller than a man's knee. He wore a torn half pant and a loose shirt, revealing a lean, almost frail body. Anyone could tell—he was either an orphan or a lost child struggling to survive.
And the reason he had come here was obvious.
Food.
He moved slowly, sticking close to the wall, and eventually reached the table nearest to the window. The customers there were two men and one woman. At the exact moment one of the men asked a waiter to bring four more bottles of wine, a small hand appeared out of nowhere, swiftly took two pancakes from their plate, and dashed toward the window—jumping out and disappearing.
By the time the victims realized what had happened, the kid was nowhere to be seen, but they still rushed toward the door to catch the thief. Only the girl remained seated. From the corner of her eye, she noticed a piece of cloth stuck on the window, fluttering slightly.
She walked closer and realized it wasn't just a piece of cloth—it was the boy himself, caught awkwardly. Even though he was stuck and about to be caught, he remained calm. There was no fear in his eyes. He looked at the girl blankly and, right in front of her stunned gaze, stuffed both pancakes into his mouth and swallowed them in one go.
The girl paused for a moment, surprised, then grabbed the boy, pulled him inside, and returned to her table. Sitting down, she began observing the thief who had dared to eat right in front of her.
He wore a half pant and a shirt, both torn and worn out. His small face was covered with mud, yet his eyes—calm and cunning—stood out. At the same time, they lacked the emotions a child should usually have in abundance.
By the time she finished observing him, her companions had returned after failing to catch the thief. They stopped when they saw her holding a small boy by the back of his collar, looking at them with a questioning gaze.
"This is the thief who stole our pancakes," she said. After a brief pause, she added with a teasing smile, "Should we kill him… or sell him to recover the cost?"
The man on the left, with a burly build, frowned. "Killing a kid for pancakes is a bit extreme," he said.
The other man spoke calmly, "Let me talk to him."
Judging by the way the girl simply nodded and released the boy, he seemed to be the leader.
The man looked at the boy, who now stood on the table, staring back at him blankly but without fear. He thought "This little brat… quite skilled. To get this close without being noticed… and still this calm. Heh, Looks like He has already accepted a beating."
The man suddenly pulled out a large knife from his waist and placed its sharp tip against the boy's throat. His voice was cold and flat.
"Tell me… why did you steal our food?"
For the first time, the unusually calm boy felt danger. But he still stayed silent for a few seconds, staring back with blank, slightly moist eyes.
Then, for the very first time, he spoke slowly, in the same flat tone—
"Just to survive."