Compared to transmigrating to Prison No. 18, Qing Chen felt that tonight resembled a real crisis far more.
He couldn't determine who the other party was or what their intentions were.
The mere suspicion from the other party had initiated a tail and shadowing, an extremely unsettling feeling.
It was as if he had burst out of the greenhouse-like environment of the school and into a world truly ruled by wild beasts.
Or perhaps, this was the true face of the world.
The night deepened as Qing Chen moved through the green belts, relying on the tall sycamores along the road to conceal his movements.
The adrenaline-fuelled tension and pounding heart did not subside until he had walked a considerable distance.
When he returned to his residence on Xingshu Road, Qing Chen even sat in the shadows for half an hour, only deciding to go home after confirming no one was following him.
Although the autumn air was crisp and temperatures were dropping, the clothes on his back were soaked through.
As he walked, Qing Chen opened his smartphone to search for the game streamer He Xiaoxiao, curious if she had posted any new guides.
However, He Xiaoxiao, who had said she would make a new overview of the "Inner World" tonight, had disappeared.
In the comment section, fans were asking why she hadn't started her stream, but He Xiaoxiao hadn't responded.
Could this streamer also have been taken by some mysterious organization? How many such organizations existed nationwide?
Qing Chen couldn't be sure.
Suddenly, the sound of police sirens erupted outside the complex, with a police car driving through into the neighborhood.
Frowning, Qing Chen followed them, and the police car just happened to stop at his apartment building entrance. From the second floor, a woman's crying and a man's screams could be heard.
By then, the neighbors had all come out, and people from other residential buildings had gathered in a circle downstairs. Qing Chen blended into the crowd, silently observing.
"What happened here, what's going on?" an old man asked, puzzled.
"Isn't there a man in this building who often abuses his wife?" an old lady said, rocking a child in her arms, "That woman was beaten and hospitalized before, but the man never changed. Later, when the woman wanted a divorce, the man beat her again and even threatened to kill her whole family if she dared divorce him."
"So what happened today?" someone asked, confused, "It couldn't be that the man injured the woman, could it? But it sounds like it's the man who's in trouble."
"You actually guessed it right," the old lady replied, "I was just about to go up and intervene when I found out that this time it was the woman who beat the man."
"What?" someone exclaimed in shock.
"The man came home drunk tonight and tried to beat his wife again, but guess what? You all heard about lots of people transmigrating today, right? It seems his wife also transmigrated," the old lady narrated excitedly, "At first, the woman still took the beatings and didn't dare to fight back, but perhaps she snapped and eventually broke the man's leg in retaliation. It's just too bad for their little daughter, who has to suffer at such a young age."
Upon hearing this, Qing Chen finally relaxed. To be honest, he didn't have a shred of sympathy for the man and even felt a trace of amusement.
Is there anything more pitiful in this world than a man who beats his wife?
Beaten at his own game.
This family of three lived just above him, and over two years, he often saw the woman, holding her daughter, squatting at the staircase, crying, as he returned home from night study.
The woman, appearing to be nearly thirty years old and quite attractive, was frequently assaulted by her husband out of his suspicion that she was seeing another man.
Qing Chen later learned from the neighbors that the man would beat his wife whenever he saw her talking to any other man.
Now that he was crippled, it was nothing less than he deserved.
At that moment, the police had gone upstairs to inquire, and the man was awkwardly carried onto an ambulance.
Qing Chen glanced over; both of the man's arms were irregularly bent, clearly fractured.
As the ambulance departed, the police waved to disperse the crowd.
Qing Chen was about to return home when he saw the little girl sitting miserably at the entrance of his apartment.
"Brother, my mom just now asked me to stay at your place for a while, but I knocked and you weren't home," the girl said in a tearful voice.
Her name was Li Tongyun, and this was not her first time seeking refuge at Qing Chen's place.
Qing Chen wasn't one to meddle, but there was once an altercation between the husband and wife upstairs, and the little girl was alone, crying at the staircase entrance.
It happened right after Qing Chen finished his night study, and as he was about to pass by the girl, the man came downstairs looking for her, and she asked if she could hide at Qing Chen's place for a while.
Qing Chen finally agreed.
That evening, he made soy sauce fried rice for the little girl and even played cartoons for her on his phone.
Not until everything had calmed down did he bring the little girl back home.
The woman upstairs soon learned about this, and from then on, she would send the girl to Qing Chen's home whenever there was a quarrel.
The woman was once a bit embarrassed and said that Qing Chen's dirty laundry could be sent upstairs for her to wash, but Qing Chen worried about the man upstairs causing trouble and did not respond.
At that moment, Qing Chen patted the little girl's head, "Have you eaten yet?"
"I had some cookies, but I'm still a bit hungry," the little girl, Li Tongyun, said timidly.
"Let's go, I haven't eaten either. I'll make you stir-fried rice," Qing Chen had spent all his savings when preparing supplies, but although he was out of money, he now had plenty of condiments and rice at home, "After you've eaten, your mom's side will probably be fine. Don't be scared; your dad won't be able to beat your mom anymore."
"Can I still come to your house then?" Li Tongyun suddenly asked.
"Of course..."
Qing Chen was about to speak when his expression suddenly changed, and he quickly took out the keys to open the door, pulling Li Tongyun inside as well.
Li Tongyun looked at Qing Chen with a puzzled face, "Brother, what happened?"
He quickly drew the bedroom curtain and peeked outside through a small gap.
"It's nothing, just don't talk for now," Qing Chen said.
Meanwhile, an SUV drove into the alley outside the building.
It was one of the same ones he had seen tonight at Silver Run Central Garden!
The people in the car had probably heard about a transmigrator appearing here and had rushed over.
Qing Chen's heart raced, as he had not expected them to react so quickly.
Then, two young men jumped out of the car, one in a black hoodie and the other in a grey coat.
They were also the ones who had followed Qing Chen.
Qing Chen's heartbeat quickened, wondering if this was a case of it being a small world?
The next moment, the young man in the black hoodie looked towards the window where Qing Chen was hiding, prompting Qing Chen to immediately retreat backward.
"What's up?" his companion in the black hoodie asked.
The one in the black hoodie smiled, "Nothing, just looking around. I always feel like someone is watching me, but it's probably just me being paranoid. Let's go up and handle our business."
Qing Chen was somewhat worried about the woman upstairs.
To be precise, he was worried that if the woman was taken away, Li Tongyun would be in a desperate situation.
Her father had been hospitalized after being beaten, and her mother might be taken away by the mysterious organization. What would she do in the future?
Ten minutes passed, and before Qing Chen could think of what to do, the two young men had already left the building.
They swiftly got into the car and drove away without taking Li Tongyun's mother with them.
What was going on? Qing Chen was a bit confused now. Weren't they supposed to capture all the transmigrators?
Gradually, the police car also left, and there was a knocking at his door.
Qing Chen went to open the door, only to see Li Tongyun's mother standing outside, her hair messy, the corner of her mouth split, and blood on her face.
The woman seemed to realize that she looked disheveled and quickly tied her messy hair behind her ears.
She softly said to Qing Chen, "I'm sorry to trouble you again."
...
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