Invasion of the United States

When the emergency call came in, Zhou Qingfeng's heart sank sharply, and countless terrible images flashed through his mind - Lucy being kidnapped, taken away, or even worse.

Had the people from the 'Tree of Justice' acted ahead of schedule?

Outside the back door of the restaurant was a dimly lit parking lot, with a few faint streetlights looking particularly lonely in the chilly night, their light barely illuminating the path underfoot.

Lucy stood in front of a shabby Kia car, clutching her phone tightly, anxiously comforting an old man who had fallen to the ground.

The old man was obviously quite shocked, his clothes covered in dust, and there were noticeable abrasions on his hands, feet, and face, with blood looking especially glaring under the dim light.

Zhou Qingfeng hurried over, his brows furrowed, and his voice low and urgent: "What happened?"

Lucy glanced up and pointed to the old man: "This is Mr. Ande, my neighbor. He was just robbed by two thugs, and they also pushed him down.

I happened to pass by, so I came to help and... called you."

Zhou Qingfeng's shoulders relaxed slightly as he let out a breath, but he immediately felt a sense of speechlessness.

Lucy noticed his impatience and timidly suggested: "Those two thugs haven't gone far yet. Can you catch them? They took Mr. Ande's wallet."

Zhou Qingfeng shook his head impatiently, "This should be reported to the police. I'm with the FBI, I don't handle small local cases like this."

Lucy pouted, "Reporting to the police is useless; they don't deal with things like this at all."

Jacksonville is Florida's fourth-largest urban area, but the urban population is only about a hundred thousand, and the police force in the city is not as good as Orlando's.

The old man who had been robbed was badly hurt. Lucy supported him, but he could hardly stand, so he had to sit on the hood of the battered Kia, slightly out of breath. T!hank you for r@ead-in#g.^ Thi&s# was br+o#u!g@ht. to you by M&|V$|L@*EM#PYR^.

He touched his pocket, took out a handkerchief, and bandaged his bleeding hand while shaking his head, saying: "Lucy, thank you. But I'm not seriously hurt.

There's no need to go after those two thugs, it's too dangerous. If possible, please drive me home. I have medicine at home, and a few days of rest will be enough."

After speaking, the old man looked down at the scattered bags of vegetables, bread, and meat on the ground, with a trace of regret in his eyes.

He had bought those cheap goods during the nearby supermarket's night discount, intending to save some money, but didn't expect such an incident.

The two thugs not only took the bag with his cash but also threw the food bags on the ground and even deliberately stomped on them, mocking his old age and helplessness.

The old man tried to bend down to pick up the food, but as soon as he moved, a sharp pain came from his wound, forcing him to give up, leaving him with a long sigh...

Zhou Qingfeng stood aside, watching Lucy coldly, muttering to himself: "I was thinking of how to find an opportunity to kidnap you, little girl, and here you are, asking me to catch some thugs."

However, he thought again, catching two small thugs is simpler than kidnapping Lucy. So, he patiently asked: "Are you sure there are only two thugs?"

"I'm sure." Lucy pointed to the other end of the parking lot again, speaking firmly: "Over there, they just ran off not long ago, and they definitely won't have gone far."

Zhou Qingfeng nodded and turned to walk in that direction.

The old man watched his back, unable to help but ask Lucy worriedly: "Isn't it dangerous for that young man to go alone? Shouldn't we call the police after all?"

Lucy wasn't very confident either, but she bravely said: "Let's try. That guy looks pretty tough and he's carrying a gun, he might pull it off."

-----------------

Zhou Qingfeng walked leisurely to the other corner of the parking lot, and under the streetlight, he indeed saw two young, shady-looking thugs squatting on the ground, rummaging through the stolen items.

Scattered on the ground were several disorganized empty bags, clearly indicating that the old man wasn't their only victim tonight.

Zhou Qingfeng approached from the darkness and said coldly: "Hand over the items."

The two thugs were only about seventeen or eighteen, both with skinny builds. Seeing Zhou Qingfeng appear alone before them, they were somewhat taken aback.

A thug with an afro asked in surprise: "Who are you? Get lost, don't look for trouble!"

The other thug was more direct, pulling out a folding knife and waving it, threatening: "Hand over the money!"

On the way there, Zhou Qingfeng was already feeling a bit impatient. He didn't bother to talk, swung a 'baguette' bread, and struck the 'afro' thug on the head.

The 'baguette' was some of the food the old man had dropped. It was hard as a rock, stomped on but not broken. Zhou Qingfeng picked it up as a weapon.

The 'afro' thug was hit by the 'baguette' and was stunned. The damage wasn't much, but the insult was severe.

Seeing this, the other thug charged with the knife, but Zhou Qingfeng easily dodged it, countering with an elbow blow to his back, knocking him to the ground.

In just one move, the two thugs realized they were no match for him, groaning in pain and struggling to get up and run away.

Zhou Qingfeng calmly lifted his coat, revealing a gun at his side, and said coldly: "Did I allow you to leave? Are your legs faster or my bullets?"

The two thugs froze in place, their faces pale, raising their hands and not daring to move.

Zhou Qingfeng stepped forward and said coldly: "Hand over all the stolen items, don't make me repeat myself."

The thugs didn't dare to resist, obediently emptying their pockets and handing over all the stolen valuables.

Zhou Qingfeng sneered and said: "You should be grateful I'm with the FBI now. At any other time, you'd be dead. Now scram!"