Chapter 256: Chapter 256: A Tailor-Made Scam

"Bad guys?" Renee frowned, confused. "Where are they?"

Inky fluttered in front of her, pointing a wing in a certain direction. "Over at the bus stop!" it chirped urgently. "Four bad guys are targeting a female!"

"What’s going on? Tell me everything," Renee said, picking up her pace.

Inky said, "Robin was just playing by the bus stop when I saw..."

The night draped over the city like a giant satin sheet. Under the dim glow of the streetlights, a girl in a white dress stood alone at the silent bus stop, waiting.

About a minute later, a woman suddenly stood beside her. Her belly was large and round; she looked several months pregnant.

The girl in the white dress glanced over and instinctively edged away.

A dozen seconds later, the pregnant woman suddenly struck up a conversation. "Miss, can I ask you something?"

The girl in white was wary. She pursed her lips and said nothing.

The pregnant woman began to cry to herself. "I really don’t know what to do anymore... It’s bad enough that my husband beats and curses me every day, but he won’t even spare our child..."

The girl in white frowned and couldn’t stop herself from asking, "Your husband still hits you, even though you’re pregnant?"

"Yes." The pregnant woman pulled up her long sleeve, revealing a scar. "It’s because he hits me," she choked out, "that I don’t dare wear short sleeves, not even in the summer."

"If he hits you, why don’t you divorce him?" the girl in white asked, perplexed.

Covering her face, the pregnant woman sobbed. "I want to, but he’s using my child to threaten me. He said if I dare to leave, he’ll kill my son..."

"That’s horrible!" The girl in white clenched her fists, indignant.

At some point, another woman in a blue-striped shirt had appeared beside them. She chimed in angrily, "Are you kidding me? Isn’t your son his son, too? Even a vicious tiger won’t eat its own cubs. How can you believe him?"

The girl in white agreed completely with the woman in the striped shirt, nodding vigorously. "That’s right. He’d never hurt his own son. Don’t be afraid. You should just leave him. Don’t put yourself through this."

"No." The pregnant woman shook her head, her voice cracking as she cried, "My son isn’t his. He’s from my previous marriage."

Hearing this, the girl in white and the woman in the striped shirt exchanged a look, their expressions turning grim. The latter murmured, "Well, in that case, it’s actually possible..."

"Right," the girl in white nodded. "That’s really dangerous."

The pregnant woman’s phone chimed. She played a voice message and cried out, "My baby!"

She swayed, looking like she was about to collapse.

"Careful!" The woman in the striped shirt quickly steadied her. "What’s wrong?"

The pregnant woman began to wail. "He’s hitting my son again! My son secretly sent me a message... Listen."

She tapped her phone, and a child’s pitiful, helpless plea emerged. "Mommy, help me! Help me! Mommy, it hurts so much..."

"That’s heartbreaking!" The woman in the striped shirt looked distraught. "This can’t go on. You can’t let your child be hurt like this!"

The girl in white added, "That’s right, you’ll be dooming your son if you do nothing!"

"Then what should I do?" The pregnant woman clutched their hands desperately. "He won’t give me a divorce, and he has my son..."

The woman in the striped shirt said with a serious expression, "Why don’t we call the police?"

"Yes!" The girl in white wholeheartedly agreed. "You have to call the police and get legal help!"

The woman in the striped shirt pulled out her phone. Dialing 911, she said, "I’ll call the police. I’ll also go with you to your house to get your son. Don’t be afraid, and you have to stand firm!"

"You’re... you’re really willing to help me?" the pregnant woman asked, her face full of emotion.

The woman in the striped shirt nodded firmly. "Of course! Only another woman could truly understand! Women have to help women!"

The girl in white was swept up in the emotion. "That’s right," she said excitedly. "We’ll definitely help you."

Just then, another indignant voice spoke up. "It’s not just women who help women; we men do, too. I’ve been listening for a bit, and your husband is less than human! A guy like that should be locked up and taught a lesson!"

The girl in white turned to see a young man with glasses. He looked quiet and studious.

Overcome with gratitude, the pregnant woman dropped to her knees before them. "Thank you all, thank you so much..."

The girl in white and the woman in the striped shirt quickly helped her up.

"Ma’am, where do you live?" the woman in the striped shirt asked.

"I live at..." The pregnant woman recited an address.

The woman in the striped shirt stepped aside to make the call. "Hello, Officer? I’d like to report a case of domestic violence against a pregnant woman and a child..."

The girl in white felt her heart thumping. She was a little thrilled, a little nervous.

This was the first time she had ever encountered anything like this!

She’d read online that people were apathetic these days, but now she felt that wasn’t entirely true. There were still plenty of good, passionate people out there—like the woman in the striped shirt, the guy with the glasses, and herself.

"I’ve reported it," the woman in the striped shirt said grimly. "They’re sending officers over right away. Let’s get going, too."

"Thank you so much!" The pregnant woman bowed, holding her stomach.

"Don’t do that." The woman in the striped shirt steadied her with a smile. "It’s a good thing this young lady and the young man were here, too. If it were just me, I wouldn’t dare go to a stranger’s home by myself."

The girl in white nodded, deeply relating. "Me too. I probably wouldn’t have been this brave on my own."

The pregnant woman’s tear-streaked face finally broke into a smile. "I really don’t know how to thank you..."

"It’s alright. If you want to thank us, just treat us to dinner after you and your child are out of this mess." The woman in the striped shirt linked arms with the pregnant woman and the girl in white. "Let’s head to your place now."

"Okay." The pregnant woman led the three of them away from the bus stop, turning into a nearby alley.

After finishing the story, Inky added, "But Renee, you know what? The female with the big belly, the female in the shirt, and the male with the glasses—they’re all in it together!"

"What?" Mary was stunned. "What do you mean?"

Inky chirped, "Before the female in the white dress even got to the bus stop, Robin heard the big-bellied one and the others talking. They said they were going to trick the female in white and take her to their home."

Renee’s brow furrowed, her fair face hardening with a grave expression.

’This is a scam tailor-made for the girl in the white dress!’

"Inky, lead the way! Quickly!" Renee broke into a run, heading out of the residential complex while dialing Henry Stark’s number.

Henry Stark answered almost immediately. "Renee," he said, his voice gentle.

"Henry, I just got a tip from Inky..." Renee explained the situation, and as soon as she got in her car, she sent the approximate location to Henry Stark.

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