a beggar who understands the world

A thick fog shrouded the Fog City, 1888. The biting cold pierced to the bone, mingling with the stale aroma of coffee from the shops around Covent Garden. Amidst the clatter of horse-drawn carriages and the shouts of street vendors, an old beggar named Gregor sat hunched in a street corner, his body wrapped in ragged clothes. His face, wrinkled and scarred, seemed to hold a million dark secrets.

Gregor was no ordinary beggar. His eyes, though dim, keenly observed everyone who passed. He knew every dark corner of this city, every whisper of the wind that carried news. And tonight, the wind whispered of death.

A young woman, beautiful in an expensive silk gown, was found dead in a narrow alley near Gregor's usual begging spot. The police arrived, rushing about in hurried steps, but Gregor remained silent, observing from afar. He saw something that the hurried police eyes missed: a gold necklace lying near the corpse, hidden in the shadows.

Gregor recognized the necklace. It belonged to Lady Beatrice, a noblewoman renowned for her beauty and the dark secrets she concealed. Gregor had seen Lady Beatrice a few times, giving alms with trembling hands, as if fleeing from something.

Gregor felt pity; he wanted to help, but felt powerless. He chose silence, pocketed Lady Beatrice's necklace, and went to a goldsmith to sell it.

Shopkeeper Staring at the necklace with glittering eyes,"A beautiful necklace... But... where did you get it, friend? You look... rather suspicious"

Gregor Nervously say," I... I found it... in the street..."

The Shopkeeper Laughing cynically, " Oh, really? Too bad, I have to report this to the police. You know, theft is a serious crime!" He Strikes Gregor.

Gregor Groaning in pain,"I didn't steal it! I just wanted to sell it!"

Instead of returning home with some money, he was beaten and chased for allegedly stealing someone else's gold necklace.

Before running further, Gregor glanced at the shopkeeper holding the gold necklace he had given him. The shopkeeper smiled at him, making Gregor understand that the shopkeeper intentionally accused him to gain greater profit.

There was nothing Gregor could do; he could only passively accept his fate as a street beggar. It was ironic that society despised street beggars because they needed help from others. Gregor had long understood this; he even felt that other street beggars felt the same, that the world only favored those who had meaning. Unlike beggars who had nothing to barter, because from the beginning they had nothing to exchange.

Society only acknowledges equals, society hates differences, yet society has many differences. That is why society is divided into various groups, and slowly hatred grows among the groups, causing society to hate each other.

In this world, inequality is a sin.

Gregor had lived on the streets for over five years. At 38, he still struggled to live, knowing happiness wouldn't come easily.

A constantly rumbling stomach, perpetually dry lips, a weak, enervated body. He felt it all; it all made him want to give up, yet he was still alive and continued to live. Because humans fear death, so did Gregor; he preferred a hard life to dying simply from surrendering to his fate.

Besides, he also realized he was on the streets because of his own fault. All the choices he had made in his life led him to this point. Therefore, if anyone was to blame, it wasn't the world, but himself. That's why he didn't hate society, because from the beginning he knew, therefore he accepted his situation.

Humans do need each other because they are social creatures. But humans won't help if they don't get anything in return. Even those who donate to church hope to receive good deeds for themselves. They still expect something for themselves, even if they genuinely help. But ultimately, there is no such thing as sincerity in this world.

Gregor felt he understood this world far better than anyone else. He felt he was the most intelligent person to see things from various perspectives. Perhaps that's why he hadn't given up on his life. Because he knew that as long as a human lives, they can still find happiness anywhere.

One day, he was again involved in one of the dozens of murder cases that had occurred over the past few months. A rather chaotic year due to the many unsolved murders, but honestly, it didn't scare Gregor in the least. It was just that he had to be a witness that day, as he was one of the beggars closest to the murder scene.

Under one of the bridges, which happened to be the scene of the murder of a noblewoman named Mina. It was Gregor's usual sleeping place. Gregor was suddenly held at gunpoint on his way back from begging and immediately interrogated. He was even taken and tortured to confess to being the murderer.

Police Officer 1,"Confess, you're the murderer! We have proof!"

Gregor In a weak voice,"I didn't kill anyone! I'm just a beggar!"

Police Officer 2,"A beggar? This is enough evidence!

Gregor Shouting, "Detective Thomas! Help! I'm innocent!"

Gregor understood that the police weren't serious about investigating; they just wanted their work done quickly and to go home. He kept calling out the name of Detective Thomas, someone he once knew who worked as a detective.

Police Officer 3, "you want mr.thomas help you? Ahaha, you want the murder help you?"

Gregor frowned, "ha? Murder?"

"Police Officer 1, "you don't know? 3 month ago he was arrested because he was caught red-handed committing mass murder with his partner."

Sundenly, Detective Thomas appeared before him, stopping those foolish police officers from their useless and coercive interrogation.

"me? arrested? Ahaha, don't make me laugh. I'm the one who arrested, not the one who was arrested."

The three police officers couldn't say anything because their superior was also behind Mr. Thomas, signaling them to come out immediately.

And finally, Thomas looked at Gregor after they were left alone in the interrogation room by the others. Their eyes met, and then Thomas smiled and asked, "how are you, mr. gregor?"