Maybe it was from being startled, but the old lady cried out “Aiyo!” and fell to the ground. A bag of white sugar spilled out of her vegetable basket, and several tomatoes rolled far away.

“Someone’s been hit! Someone’s been hit!”

The scattered crowd nearby gathered around—people from the market, from the surrounding shops. Within ten seconds, there were already more than a dozen onlookers. But the problem was, no one dared to help the fallen old lady up.

“Aiyo~ aiyo!” The old lady groaned and struggled a few times, but couldn’t get up.

The crowd acted as if they’d seen a bomb, scattering seven or eight meters away. A few people started chattering, “Isn’t that Mrs. Bolton from the neighborhood across the street? I heard last month she got brushed by a car and ended up extorting over five thousand yuan.”

“Now that you mention it, I remember—hasn’t this happened several times in the past year or two? Tsk tsk, she’s making a nice side income.”

“Mrs. Bolton, that car’s long gone. Just get up already, the asphalt’s scorching hot, don’t let yourself get cooked.”

“Old lady, next time you want to scam someone, don’t pick those fast sports cars. You might lose your life.”

“Dad, should we help call the police?”

“Call the police for what? So they can catch a scammer? Heh, Mrs. Bolton’s acting is getting better and better.”

The old lady lay alone in the middle of the road, moaning, while passing cars carefully steered around her. The crowd had dispersed; no one wanted to help her up.

Ryan Walker witnessed this scene and couldn’t help but shake his head and mutter, “So she’s a scammer. I got worried for nothing—serves her right that no one helps her up. These days, why are people so restless?” As he spoke, he turned his handlebars to steer farther around her, planning to deliver his last package and then go home to rest.

“Plop!”

A tomato was crushed under the wheel of a speeding taxi, its bright red juice splattering everywhere.

The sight made Ryan Walker’s heart tremble, as if it touched a soft spot deep inside him. With a screech, he braked to a stop.

The old lady seemed to be in pain from her fall and continued to moan on the ground.

“Sigh, looks like life hasn’t tormented me enough—I still can’t get past my compassion.” He thought of his own grandmother, who seemed about the same age. Ryan Walker wiped the sweat from his forehead self-mockingly, jumped off his tricycle, and took out his phone to start recording video. As he walked over, he said, “I’m broke, not some rich guy. I need to keep evidence—her fall has nothing to do with me. I just want to help her to the side of the road.”

“Young man, don’t go over there. If you want to help, just call the police. Be careful not to get scammed—her son’s a gambling scoundrel,” someone kindly warned.

“Thank you for the reminder, but even if I call the police, it’ll take at least ten minutes for them to arrive.” Ryan Walker kept recording as he walked over, saying, “It’s too hot—if she’s not hurt from the fall, she’ll get sick from the heat. Besides, with all these cars, lying in the middle of the road is dangerous.”

“Anyway, I’m just a broke guy fresh out of school. There’s not much money to scam out of me.” Ryan Walker smiled indifferently. “If I really do get scammed, maybe it’ll kill my compassion for good. Then I won’t feel guilty about being selfish and ignoring people in need.”

Having made up his mind, Ryan Walker would never back down. He’d always been this way since he was a child. But in today’s restless society, even he didn’t know if this was good or bad.

“Ma’am, where did you hurt yourself just now?” Ryan Walker squatted down with his phone. “Try moving a bit to see if you broke any bones? I’m afraid if I help you up the wrong way, I’ll make your injuries worse.”

The dispersing crowd stopped in their tracks. Maybe they were moved by Ryan Walker’s words, or maybe they just wanted to be witnesses in case something happened. Or perhaps, they simply wanted to watch the drama unfold. After all, Mrs. Bolton was not someone to mess with.

“Young man, I twisted my back and feel a bit dizzy,” Mrs. Bolton said, her face pale and a little guilty, groaning in pain. “Just give me a hand, and if I try to scam you, may I not die a good death.”

Almost at the same time, high in the sky, that tiny red meteorite that had entered the atmospheric convection layer was now burning fiercely. The outer rock layer was rapidly disintegrating, leaving behind a small mass of fiery red liquid, plummeting at high speed in a slanting trajectory.

The summer sun was so dazzling that no one noticed the little meteor streaking across the sky. That ball of fiery red unknown liquid was heading straight for the roadside of the market.

On the scorching crosswalk, as Ryan Walker helped Mrs. Bolton to her feet, she suddenly staggered.

Instinctively, Ryan Walker grabbed her arm to steady her, but as he did, her elbow accidentally bumped lightly into his chest.

“Ah~”

Ryan Walker felt as if he’d been punched in the chest by a strong man, stumbling back several steps. Immediately, a searing, bone-burning pain exploded in his chest, spreading through his whole body in the blink of an eye.

“Thud!”

Ryan Walker’s eyes squeezed shut as he collapsed headfirst onto the sidewalk, his face contorted in pain.