The Ancestral Legacy Begins in the Wild West

"Hurry up, Cooper! That guy seems to have spotted us!" Standing at the alley entrance, the older boy glanced at Zhang Chang'an, who had turned his head, and then immediately urged Cooper, who was wearing a newsboy cap, to hurry up.

Seeing this, Zhang Chang'an did not turn around and chase after them.

He actually turned his head back, and then followed the crowd, disappearing directly into the alley across the street.

"You little punk, trying to play cat and mouse with me? Did you even ask my ancestors?" Zhang Chang'an took the initiative and hid in the alley as well.

Furthermore, as soon as he walked in, he took a deep breath and then immediately visualized the surrounding area in his mind.

Zhang Chang'an's gaze swept around, and with the enhancement of his hunting senses, the scene in his eyes seemed to have many special effects added on.

The various sounds he could hear seemed to have transformed into different icons, and the footsteps of the people around him were no longer fleeting.

His field of vision seemed to instantly transform into a third-person perspective, capable of covering a large surrounding area.

He had a clear understanding of all the people coming and going at the alley entrances in all directions, and of all the details in every place.

"Wait, where did that person go?" The boy at the street corner, who looked to be just over ten years old, had just watched Cooper go into the alley when he turned around and found that Zhang Chang'an had disappeared.

He frowned, quickly realizing something was wrong, and then decisively turned around and chased after Cooper, running into the depths of the alley.

London’s streets are winding and convoluted, especially in the Whitechapel district, where the roads can be incredibly confusing for anyone who hasn’t lived there long.

Scotland Yard's cops couldn't maintain order here, turning the area into a den of iniquity, and these chaotic streets are one of the reasons for that.

Zhang Chang'an ran a few steps, grabbed a low brick wall in front of him, and climbed over it. Below were two uneven staircases.

This is one of the architectural features of the Whitechapel district: its uneven terrain.

The elevation of urban roads varies from era to era, so as you walk along, you may have to descend for a while in order to pass through a section of the old city.

Otherwise, the train near Zhang Chang'an's apartment wouldn't have needed a wooden bridge built over someone else's roof.

The internal height cannot be standardized at all.

However, it was precisely because of this environment that Zhang Chang'an flipped over, stepped onto the stair railing, and jumped down in two steps. After arriving at a section of the old town, at the end of the street, there was Cooper, who had just run past there.

Chaotic route planning makes a city's structure so abstract. The fastest route to the other side of the road isn't necessarily the normal way to cross the street.

Zhang Chang'an has been active in the Whitechapel district for the past few days, so he already has a complete real-time map of the area in his mind. Catching someone here would be a piece of cake.

However, even though the child was already within reach, Zhang Chang'an was not in a hurry to grab him.

He kept track of the distance between them and followed closely, and soon noticed something amiss.

When the child passed by a three-story courtyard-style building with an open space in the middle, he clearly stopped and carefully looked around.

But just then, the slightly older child caught up and called Cooper's name.

Upon seeing this, the child immediately turned around and ran away.

Zhang Chang'an, who was observing from nearby, immediately raised an eyebrow: "As expected, if they form a group, they must have a stronghold."

He quickly turned around and retreated into the alley. Then, looking up, he saw the narrow alleyway and reached out to grab the clothesline hanging between the walls.

………………

"Click!" Zhang Chang'an lowered his body and quickly stepped onto the top of the U-shaped building by stepping on the dilapidated and simple roofs of the surrounding houses.

As he expected, the place was dilapidated and lifeless, with silence throughout the buildings.

Almost all the windows on the three floors were broken. Some were torn curtains hanging outside, while others were completely empty, allowing a direct view of the old and abandoned interior.

More importantly, he indeed found many thin figures in the dilapidated building.

There were clearly some children moving around inside. Zhang Chang'an looked at them and quickly frowned unconsciously: "They are mostly very young girls or disabled people, either lying in bed or taking care of others."

He glanced around and spotted five or six of them across several floors. If the total number of such buildings was added together, it would be far greater than that.

After scanning the area, his gaze returned to the center once more.

Then, the look in his eyes immediately turned to surprise.

Because there, a young man who had appeared out of nowhere was clearly standing there.

He was a boy who was not very old, at most thirteen or fourteen years old, with blond hair and blue eyes, but his face was thin and his eye sockets were slightly sunken, as if he had been malnourished for a long time.

However, his attire was anything but simple.

Over his shirt and trousers was a rather oversized trench coat. He was holding an umbrella and wearing a huge, ill-fitting top hat, clearly dressed like a grown-up gentleman.

Most importantly, when Zhang Chang'an lowered his head, he had clearly raised his head and was looking directly at him.

The child looked at him for a while, then quickly turned slightly to the side and raised his hand to greet him.

Zhang Chang'an was greatly surprised, and quickly rolled over and fell downwards.

"Bang!" Thanks to the narrow and low ceilings of the Victorian-era buildings, Zhang Chang'an had no trouble getting down from the third floor.

The key point is that this little trouble is really insignificant compared to the current situation.

Zhang Chang'an landed in front of the boy, who then extended his hand and shook it with him.

"Hello, sir, it seems Cooper and his group caused you trouble. They should be back soon, and I'll have them return the money to you. If you need compensation, I can also pay for it."

The boy's voice was quite childish, but when he spoke, he was indeed just as mature.

Seeing this, Zhang Chang'an decisively waved his hand: "It's nothing. I didn't intend to do anything to those kids. I just thought that since we'd be working together, there might be some shady adults causing trouble behind their backs, so I came to take a look."

What he said was absolutely true.

Theft organizations that enslave children are nothing new.

He had just met with the Blood Sand Company yesterday, which is always causing trouble, and today he encountered this kind of thing right away, so of course he would pay extra attention.

To his surprise, the boy in front of him answered his question decisively as soon as he finished speaking: "Don't worry, that kind of organization no longer exists. These kids just have some bad habits. I will discipline them properly."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Chang'an's pupils immediately contracted.

The reason he's still arguing here is largely due to the child in front of him.

Yes, this place certainly doesn't look like a thief training facility for children, but what exactly is going on with this child and this place?

"By the way, he hasn't asked your name yet," Zhang Chang'an said.

The boy immediately took off his hat and said, "My apologies for not saying so earlier. My name is Oliver Twisted Fate."