"...So, there are five adults inside, all male. We can't rule out the possibility that some are out and haven't returned yet, and no guns have been found so far. However, there are quite a few weapons like machetes..."
Tom drew a crude floor plan on the ground and marked the positions of those men on it.
"Are there any children locked inside?" David Li asked.
"Yes, they're all locked in the small room on the left on the first floor—a full eight children." Tom pointed to the smallest room on the floor plan.
"Eight children crammed into such a small room... absolute beasts." David Li frowned.
Tom didn't comment on that, only saying eagerly, "I propose letting the snakes go in first to attack. They'll definitely panic, and then we can sneak in and finish them off quickly... It's getting late, and we still have to go to Diagon Alley today!"
"Alright, let's do that." David Li didn't say anything more and directly followed Tom through a small alley, circling around to the back of the detached house.
There was a back door there, but right now, it was locked.
Tom picked up a stone and handed it to David Li. "Once things get chaotic inside, we'll smash the door lock and rush in."
David Li glanced at Tom and casually tossed the stone aside.
"Why did you throw the stone away?" Tom asked, puzzled.
"Tom... we are wizards!"
David Li gently swept his right hand across the door lock.
"Click!"
The door lock was opened silently just like that.
*A Complete Guide to Low-Level Spells* had a very detailed introduction to the Unlocking Charm, after all.
Tom looked in shock at the cleanly and efficiently opened door lock. "You... you actually know how to do this?"
"Just figured it out on my own," David Li said vaguely. "Let's get started quickly."
Without time to ask further questions, Tom hurriedly gave the command in Parseltongue.
Before long, David Li heard a series of rustling sounds all around them.
Then, snakes continuously crawled out from the nearby bushes, eaves, and sewers, quickly crawling in through the gaps in the doors and windows!
After another moment, David Li and Tom heard a series of panicked screams from inside!
"Now's the time!"
David Li and Tom pushed the door open and rushed straight inside!
...
A few minutes later.
Tom crouched on the ground, removing a garter snake from the face of a lying man.
He poked the man's rigid face with his finger. "So... how on earth did you pull that off..."
Just now, he had barely made a move, and yet all these people had been turned into "statues" by David Li.
"I just figured it out. Maybe I happened to hit upon some kind of petrifying attack magic?"
As he spoke, David Li pulled a large handful of cash out of a small box.
This was the money box he had just found.
"So, can this money really be exchanged for wizarding money? Wizarding money is completely different from anything we've seen before..." Tom said while busily tying up the rigid human traffickers with rope.
"Don't worry, it can definitely be exchanged. Our existence proves that not all wizards come from wizarding families. That means there must be a place where currency can be exchanged... Besides..."
David Li turned the small box sideways to let Tom look.
"Even if the paper money can't be exchanged, these definitely can..."
Tom raised his eyes and looked over, only to see the bottom of the small box packed full of more than a dozen small gold bars!
"Gold is a hard currency no matter where you are."
Tom looked at David Li strangely. "You know so much..."
"Ahem, I've read quite a few books in the past... Alright, let's not talk about money. Let's not forget the 'real' purpose of coming here."
David Li shoved the money box into a bag, slung it over his shoulder, and spoke as he did so.
"Ha, I thought you'd forgotten," Tom said, not without sarcasm.
In his heart, David Li was by no means a good person from start to finish; it was just that his acting skills were better than his own!
Coming here to save people was just a cover—the real point was to make money!
"Of course I haven't forgotten! First, call your snakes back so they don't scare the other children. They aren't like us."
In a good mood, David Li didn't mind Tom's barbed remarks.
In fact, for David Li, besides the massive influx of cash, there was theoretically a massive amount of merit points coming in as well.
The two of them walked together to the small room in the corner of the first floor.
Although this room was small, the door was made of iron and looked extremely sturdy, with an exaggeratedly large lock hanging on it.
As David Li approached the iron door, he could faintly hear panicked voices from behind it.
Clearly, the people inside had heard the commotion outside just now.
David Li placed his hand on the door lock.
Tom stared intently at his hand, hoping to catch some trick to it.
However...
"Click!"
Tom couldn't see anything at all before the lock simply popped open.
"Creak..."
The heavy iron door swung open, and a wave of stench hit them in the face.
Tom covered his nose in disgust and stepped aside.
David Li looked behind the door to see seven or eight children huddled in the corner of the dark room, looking fearfully toward the entrance.
"You're safe now. Hurry up and get out of here!" David Li said loudly.
The seven or eight children looked at each other, none of them moving.
Seeing this, David Li put on a stern face. "All of you, get out here right now and line up! Or I'll whip you!"
As soon as the words fell, the seven or eight children scrambled out in a hurry.
Tom looked at David Li with a look that said *I knew it*. "See, I knew you were a villain too."
"Shut up, Tom!"
David Li looked at the trembling children standing in a row before him, then pulled a wad of banknotes from his pocket and handed a portion to them.
"Look, those traffickers have already been beaten flat by the adults in my family. You're free, so hurry up and leave!"
Only then did the children notice that the vicious traffickers who had captured them earlier were now all tied up like dumplings.
It was only at this moment that they truly believed David Li's words.
Of course, aside from the fact that there were none of the "adults" David Li had mentioned in the house, which was a bit strange...
"Right, let me ask you one more question. Is everyone here?" David Li asked again.
"St... still missing one man and one woman," a skinny little boy mustered the courage to say.
"Oh, you mean a tall, strong man and a woman with a hoarse voice?"
At this point, the other children began to nod as well.
"Mhm, then everyone's accounted for..." David Li glanced at their curious gazes and continued, "They've been caught too. Hurry up and get out of here, go home. Oh, and don't forget to report this for me and have the police lock all these guys up."
The children nodded repeatedly, and after whispering their thanks, they took the money David Li had given them and left the den of thieves.
"Ding! Detected that the host has destroyed a human traffickers' den! Rewarded the host with 1000 merit points!"
"Ding! Detected that the future Dark Lord is doing good deeds and accumulating virtue due to the host's persuasion, slightly altering the trajectory of his life. Rewarded the host with 100 merit points!"
David Li looked at the balance of 1400 merit points displayed, and his mood instantly became extremely pleasant.
"Alright, we should get going too. We still have to go to Diagon Alley!" Tom urged.
David Li waved a hand. "Don't worry, Tom, this time we have money for a ride, don't we..."
"Boom!"
Before David Li could finish speaking, the floor of the house suddenly shook violently!
David Li hurriedly grabbed the nearby sofa.
And Tom, caught off guard, was jolted right onto his backside on the floor!
"Rumble..." The ground began to shake again.
Tom widened his eyes abruptly. "It looks like something is bursting out from underground!"