I Start with a Mysterious Island-Chapter 64: Petty Scum

Lin Li had come to the hospital on an empty stomach for a medical check-up that morning. By the time he had finished all the tests and received his report, it was already high noon.

Famished, Lin Li folded his medical report, put it away, and headed toward a restaurant across from the hospital.

Many people came to Rongcheng City First Hospital for treatment—not just city residents, but also people from the surrounding small towns. This heavy foot traffic meant that numerous restaurants had opened up in the hospital’s vicinity.

Around noon, many of the hospital’s visitors were having lunch at these nearby restaurants.

At the intersection, a crowd was waiting for the traffic light.

Lin Li, who planned to cross the street for lunch before heading to the Flower and Bird Market, walked up from a distance and stood at the back of the crowd, waiting for the light to change.

Suddenly, Lin Li, still waiting at the back of the crowd, noticed a man in his early thirties reaching into the bag of a young woman in her early twenties.

The young woman, wearing Bluetooth earbuds, was completely unaware that a stranger’s hand had slipped into her unzipped bag and was now plucking out her wallet.

’A thief?’

’So bold! To dare and steal with so many people around...’ Lin Li muttered to himself. He was about to step forward and warn the oblivious girl.

But just then, someone else beat him to it, shouting, "Thief!"

The crowd waiting at the intersection heard the shout and immediately looked toward the source of the sound.

The one who had shouted was a boy of about eleven or twelve, who was now pointing directly at the man who had stolen the girl’s wallet.

Everyone followed the boy’s finger, and all eyes instantly focused on the young man holding a pink wallet.

The girl whose wallet had been stolen finally realized what was happening. She took off her Bluetooth earbuds, turned to see the young man beside her holding her wallet, and let out a startled cry.

"Stop that thief!"

Then, the girl reached out to grab the clothes of the man who had stolen her wallet.

Unfortunately, the thief reacted with incredible speed. Just as the girl’s hand was about to grab his clothes, he dodged aside, evading her reach, and sprinted away from the crowd.

"Stop the thief!" onlookers shouted. A few brave young men in the crowd gave chase, but most people held back, worried the thief might be armed.

"Get the hell out of my way!" the exposed thief yelled as he ran, cursing at anyone blocking his escape route.

Just as the thief broke free from the crowd and was about to duck into an alley next to the hospital, someone suddenly stuck out their right foot and tripped him.

"AH—"

"OW..."

The tripped thief cried out, hit the ground hard, and rolled several times, screaming in pain.

The few good Samaritans who had been chasing the thief caught up. They all piled on top of him, pinning the fallen thief to the ground.

They then pulled the man’s own belt from his waist, wrenched his arms behind his back, and prepared to tie his hands with it.

The thief, subdued by several tall and sturdy young men, struggled a few times. Realizing he couldn’t break free, he twisted his head around to glare at the passerby who had tripped him and cursed, "Fuck! You meddling punk, are you looking to die?!"

"Idiot," Lin Li scoffed at the thief he had tripped, then turned his head away, ignoring him.

The thief, his hands now bound with the belt by the good Samaritans, was stunned that Lin Li was so bold. Not only was he unfazed by the vicious threat, but he even mocked him. The thief’s face flushed red with rage.

"You... You bastard, you just fucking wait... I’ll make you regret this."

"Thank you!" The girl whose wallet was stolen ran out from the crowd and thanked Lin Li.

She then walked over to the young men who had subdued the thief. After taking back her lost wallet from one of them, she thanked each of the good Samaritans in turn.

The girl even opened her wallet, wanting to give them money as a reward, but they all refused.

Lin Li didn’t give a second thought to the thief he had so casually tripped and captured.

If this had happened ten days ago, when he was just an ordinary person, Lin Li probably would have acted like the other bystanders, too afraid to intervene for fear the man was armed.

But now, Lin Li was a Second Rank Initial Stage Cultivator, accustomed to hunting Mutant Beasts alone in the wilderness.

He didn’t even feel it was necessary to give such small-time trash a second glance. He’d dealt with him, and that was that. The thief’s earlier shouts and threats meant nothing to him.

The light turned green.

The matter of the thief could be left to the helpful young men who had him subdued. Right now, with his stomach rumbling, all Lin Li wanted was to get across the street to the restaurant and have a hearty meal.

"Boss, Fifth Brother got caught. What do we do now?"

"What else can we do? With that many people watching Fifth Brother, I can’t exactly charge in there with you guys and break him out!

"This time, it’s just Fifth Brother’s bad luck. When the Security Officers get here, he’ll just have to go quietly and do a few days in jail."

"Boss, even though Fifth Brother got spotted, with his escape skills, he should have gotten away. It’s all because that meddling punk tripped him. That’s why he was caught."

"Second Brother’s right. It’s all that meddler’s fault. If it weren’t for him, Fifth Brother wouldn’t have been caught."

"And that meddler was so arrogant! He even had the nerve to humiliate Fifth Brother, calling him an idiot."

After listening to his underlings, the bald young man looked into the distance at Lin Li, who had already crossed at the light and entered a noodle shop. He thought for a moment, then made a decision.

"That meddling punk really is a little too arrogant... Let’s go. We’ll follow him and find a chance to teach him a lesson."

The remaining three young men, all tattooed, heard the bald man say they were going to teach the meddler a lesson, and excited expressions appeared on their faces. 𝒻𝘳ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝒷𝘯ℴ𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝑐ℴ𝑚

Then, the four accomplices, who had been standing on the edge of the crowd, skirted around the captured thief and the people surrounding him.

They crossed the crosswalk and stood under a roadside tree, watching the noodle shop from a distance, waiting for the meddler to come out.

...