CHAPTER 582: CHAPTER 582: CHILDREN

The diners stared with wide eyes, murmuring in low voices.

"What... what just happened?"

"They’re not moving. All of them!"

"It’s like they turned to stone!"

One woman gasped. "Wait... could it be... are those people at that table... superhumans?"

Her words spread like fire. The crowd whispered among themselves.

"Superhumans? Here?"

"No way... but it makes sense. How else could they freeze Black Lotus like that?"

"They must be superhumans. Rare ones too. Look at how calm they are."

The air shifted. Fear turned into reverence. People looked at Qin Feng, Su Jiyai, Xi Ping, and Jake with awe, as if gods had descended into the restaurant.

Then, suddenly, a young man from one of the side tables stood up. His eyes were wet with tears as he rushed forward. He fell on his knees in front of Su Jiyai’s table, his forehead almost touching the ground.

"Please!" he cried. "Please do justice for me!"

Everyone turned to look at him. His voice cracked with emotion. "This man, the boss of Black Lotus, he once took my sister! He forced her! He... he destroyed her. She’s still in the hospital. She can never have children again because of what they did. Please, I beg you, give us justice!"

His shoulders shook. His hands pressed hard into the ground.

Su Jiyai blinked in surprise. She hadn’t expected this. Her fingers tightened on her chopsticks.

Other diners began to whisper, their eyes darting nervously between the young man and the frozen gang.

The young man continued, his tears dripping.

"I have no power. I couldn’t fight them. Everyone in this city knows how cruel Black Lotus is. We could only suffer. But you... you are different. You are superhumans. Please! End this for us."

Su Jiyai stayed silent, her expression calm but her eyes thoughtful.

Qin Feng frowned and leaned back in his chair. His tone was low. "Is this true?"

Before the man could answer, another diner stood up. A middle-aged man with tired eyes raised his hand.

"I saw it," he said. "They did it. They dragged that poor girl into their car. I tried to stop them, but I was beaten half to death. I couldn’t save her."

Another voice spoke from the corner. A woman, holding her child close, whispered, "They’re monsters. My cousin was taken too. She never came back."

More and more people nodded.

"Yes, I saw it!"

"They’ve done this many times."

"They act like they own the streets. No one dares to fight them."

"Superhumans, please, punish them! Do justice for us!"

One by one, diners rose from their seats, their eyes burning with hope. Some even knelt, just like the young man. The sound of pleading voices filled the restaurant.

Su Jiyai’s lips pressed together. Her calm eyes turned colder as she stared at the frozen boss.

She finally spoke, her voice steady. "Such pests do not deserve to live in this world. It would be better if they started over again as children, and relive their lives properly."

Her words cut through the silence.

Qin Feng glanced at her, reading her meaning at once. He lifted his hand, prepared to act.

But Xi Ping suddenly held out her own hand, stopping him. Her eyes narrowed. "Wait. We need to be sure first. What if this man," she pointed at the kneeling youth, "is lying? What if he has a personal grudge and made up this story to trick us?"

Her voice carried reason, even though her gaze was sharp.

The kneeling youth raised his head quickly, panic in his voice. "No! I swear it’s true! My sister’s life is ruined because of them! Please, if you doubt me, ask the others. They know!"

He turned desperately toward the other diners. "Please! Tell them! You all saw!"

For a moment, there was silence. Then one old man stood, leaning on his cane. His voice was weak but clear. "I saw. I saw that girl being dragged away. She screamed for help. No one could stop them."

Another diner stood, then another. Soon half the restaurant was standing.

"Yes, we saw!"

"They are telling the truth!"

"Black Lotus has done this for years!"

"They think they’re untouchable!"

"We want justice!"

The sound of voices grew louder, rising like a wave.

Xi Ping’s expression turned complicated. She crossed her arms, thinking hard.

Su Jiyai, however, already looked convinced. Her cold gaze returned to the bald man and his cronies. Her voice was quiet but sharp.

"A man who dares to threaten a stranger in public for lust must have done it before. No one would have such confidence otherwise. If he did this to me, then how many other girls suffered before?"

Qin Feng’s eyes turned colder. "That is enough for me."

Jake cracked his knuckles, grinning with a dangerous light in his eyes. "Finally. I’ve been waiting to smash some trash like this."

The bald man, frozen in place, could only scream inside his head.

And then, the beating began. Jake’s fists moved like hammers, striking one crony after another. Xi Ping’s movements were clean, fast, and sharp, each kick landing with precision.

Qin Feng didn’t even need to use much power. A single touch from him sent the cronies crashing into the ground.

The boss’s mind screamed in horror. "This... this is not possible! I am the ruler here! How can I... how can I be beaten like this!"

Finally, the strange power holding him loosened, and he could move again. His eyes filled with venom as he thought,

"Fine! Let them laugh now! Once they leave, I will crush every single resident who dared to stand against me. I will burn their houses, I will take their women, I will..."

But before he could finish his thought, Su Jiyai’s eyes turned to him. It was as if she could read every word in his mind. Her voice came calm but sharp.

"You are still thinking of revenge. You will never change."

Qin Feng turned his head and gave a small nod. Then he lifted his hand, placing his index and middle finger to the side of his temple. His eyes closed for a moment, and when they opened, they shone faintly with light.

The boss gasped as a strange chill ran through his mind. His thoughts, once burning with anger, began to scatter like leaves in the wind.

"What... what is happening to me?" he thought in panic.

His intelligence drained away quickly. In only a few minutes, the man who once ruled the streets with terror now sat on the floor with blank eyes.

He giggled like a child and began to tap the ground with his hands. "Hehe... ground is funny... tap tap tap..."

One by one, his cronies felt the same. Their fierce expressions vanished, replaced by innocent smiles. They clapped their hands, rolled on the ground, and laughed like babies.

The diners were silent at first. They stared in shock, unable to believe what they were seeing. The once-feared Black Lotus gang now acted like children, their power and cruelty completely gone.

Finally, Qin Feng spoke, his tone steady. "They have lost their intelligence. From now on, they will no longer harm anyone."

The silence broke.

"Thank you!" a man cried, dropping to his knees. "Thank you for freeing us!"

Others followed quickly. "You saved us!"

"Please accept our gratitude!"

One by one, the diners knelt, bowing deeply to Qin Feng, Su Jiyai, Xi Ping, and Jake. Their eyes were filled with reverence, their voices trembling with emotion.

Jake whistled and leaned back. "Wow, look at this. If we were gods, all this faith would make us unstoppable. We’d be swimming in power right now."

Su Jiyai ignored his joke. Her attention shifted to the glowing screen that appeared in front of her eyes. Her heart skipped a beat as she read the words: [Hidden mission complete. Reward: 1000 points.]

She frowned slightly but quickly used the points. Her fingers moved as if pressing invisible buttons. "Upgrade blacksmith," she commanded quietly.

A new line appeared: [Blacksmith upgraded successfully.]

Su Jiyai’s lips curved into a faint smile. "Good. With more weapons, my people will be safer. I need more mission points... I wonder if there are more hidden tasks waiting."

When the diners finally calmed down, the group finished their meal in peace. But their minds were already far from the restaurant.

Qin Feng placed his chopsticks down. "There is nothing left here for us. We already collected food, technology, and machines. We should return."

Jake yawned. "Fine with me. Let’s go home."

Xi Ping gave a small nod, and Su Jiyai agreed.

They walked out to an isolated corner of the city. Su Jiyai raised her hand, and the air in front of them rippled like water.

Slowly, a portal opened, glowing with colors of the galaxy.

Without hesitation, she changed into her small blue cub form and leaped into Qin Feng’s arms. Qin Feng held her gently, then stretched out his hand. "Hold on," he said.