The old man sighed with regret and was about to speak when Fang Xiaoxiao, who had been picking up the money, shouted out first.
"You still want to argue?!"
Two men squeezed in from behind her, and one of them, dressed in a suit, stepped forward.
"Look at this kid, stealing and still so arrogant. Maybe his parents are habitual offenders too! Taught him from a young age!! Let's arrest him and talk later!!"
"I'll accustom your mother!!" Lin Fei immediately got angry. With a quick step forward, he swung his elbow toward the man's neck. But even in his anger, he didn't use the special force techniques from the Basic Sword Technique, he simply wanted to teach the man a lesson.
However, such things are unpredictable. The man retreated quickly, raising his left hand to block his neck while his right leg suddenly delivered a cold kick. He was actually a martial artist.
Lin Fei's eyes hardened, instantly filled with a desire to kill. He knew many techniques that could cause the man to die a delayed death from severe injuries.
"Crack!" Suddenly, he heard the surrounding crowd let out a neat gasp of surprise.
"Don't move!!"
Lin Fei froze completely for a moment. To his right, another man with a stern face was holding a black handgun, pointed straight at him.
A strong sense of danger continuously assaulted Lin Fei's nerves in waves. The small black muzzle seemed to emit an aura of death from the Abyss.
"Bang!" The man in the suit kicked Lin Fei's thigh fiercely while Lin Fei was momentarily subdued by the gun.
Lin Fei staggered, leaning to the left, taking a couple of steps before steadying himself. A burning pain emanated from his thigh. The severe pain seemed to radiate from within his bones, and Lin Fei knew his thigh bone was likely slightly fractured.
The old man finally spoke up at this time.
"Stop it! Jun!"
Lin Fei gave a cold look to both the man holding the gun and the one who had kicked him, as if imprinting them in his memory. The two men, restrained by the old man's command, glared fiercely at Lin Fei before backing off. In this short span, they realized that the young man before them was not someone to be trifled with.
The old man sighed and said nothing more.
Fang Xiaoxiao then stepped forward.
"Grandpa, why bother talking to this kind of person? Just let Uncle Zhao and the others take him to the station."
The old man shook his head, about to speak.
Suddenly, a plump young girl with a face full of freckles and a ponytail forced her way through the crowd. She was wearing faded grey baggy sweatpants and the blue and white uniform of the fourteenth school, with its emblem on the left chest.
"Excuse me, is this the wallet you were looking for?" She held a black wallet, asking carefully.
For a moment, the atmosphere suddenly became a bit stiff.
The old man glanced at the familiar wallet in the plump girl's hand. He looked at Lin Fei with an embarrassed face.
Fang Xiaoxiao was also stunned. The two men quickly put together all the pieces, realizing they had wrongly accused Lin Fei. They exchanged glances, unsure what to say.
Lin Fei coldly surveyed everyone, picked up the water cup beside him, turned and made his way through the crowd, limping away. He took this matter to heart. To suffer such an unwarranted loss, if he did not get even, his long practice of martial skills would be for nothing.
The old man and his company were left not knowing what to say.
Fang Xiaoxiao took the wallet from the hands of the chubby girl, sincerely thanking her, and the girl just nodded without saying much before she, too, left. Fang Xiaoxiao handed the wallet over to the old man; after checking that nothing had been lost from it, the old man's face turned even more embarrassed.
The crowd that witnessed this sudden dramatic twist all sighed about having an extra topic to discuss when they got home, while they also felt it was unjust for the young man who was wrongly accused. They gradually dispersed in small groups, conversing with each other. The platform then returned to its previous state, with only a few people standing there waiting for the train.
Having lived for so many years, it was the first time the old man felt such shame. His face turned red. So many people gathered together, wronging a youth, and in the end, even pulling a gun to threaten him.
"This time it's really..." the old man let out a long sigh.
"Old man, that kid just now is no ordinary person. Although we misjudged him this time, when I pointed my gun at him, I felt something off about his gaze!" said the man who had drawn the gun, in a deep voice. "That kid gave me the feeling, just like those murderers I've captured before. There's an aura completely different from ordinary people."
"Oh?" the old man said doubtfully, "Such a young kid, is that possible?"
The man in the suit who had fought with Lin Fei spoke solemnly: "It's very possible! The kick I just gave used at least eighty percent of my strength, yet he managed to hold up and walk away on his own. This kid is definitely not a simple character. That kind of ruthlessness towards oneself isn't something ordinary people can achieve."
The man in the suit paused and continued, "So, old man, you don't need to blame yourself. Even if this kid isn't a thief, he's definitely a more serious criminal. We need to carefully investigate him. Maybe we'll really unearth some secrets from him."
"But it's clear we wronged someone," Fang Xiaoxiao couldn't help but interject at this point. She had never expected the situation to develop this far. Now, not only did the two uncles show no remorse, but they even suspected the other party of being a heinous criminal, which she found hard to accept.
The man in the suit smiled and patted Fang Xiaoxiao's head, "Some things, you're too young to understand. Although we did indeed wrong that person this time, if because of this we let go of someone who is very likely a criminal lurking deep among the people, then we would be betraying the police badges we wear."
"No, Zhao Jun is right," the old man nodded. "Although I feel ashamed, personal honor and disgrace mean nothing compared to social stability. Look into this matter carefully when you go back. If there's truly a problem, show no mercy and arrest him decisively. We absolutely cannot neglect such important matters. If it's not him, I believe he would understand us in the matter of maintaining social stability."
Zhao Jun nodded and straightened the suit that had become wrinkled from his earlier movements.
Since he became a disciple of the master of Tan Leg, Wang Qingyang, his skills in the Twelve Tan Leg Techniques were impeccable. His kicks were precise and incredibly fast. The kick he had just given, although targeted at the thigh intentionally because the other party was just a young man not fully grown, with more flesh on the thighs to cushion the impact, was not aimed at the knees as he usually would. But after the kid retaliated, he realized he had met someone skilled in martial arts. That aura of someone willing to inflict harm at the slightest provocation almost made him think he was facing not a rumbling teenager but several other martial arts practitioners he had encountered before. It was only then that he involuntarily increased the force of his kick. By his estimation, the opponent should have at least sustained a minor fracture. To his surprise, the kid was actually tough enough to walk away. While demonstrating remarkable willpower, it also raised Zhao Jun's vigilance.
That last look the kid gave him, with a hint of merciless cruelty, was exactly the same as the look in the eyes of murderers before committing their crimes. Zhao Jun was almost certain—the kid had definitely killed someone, and not long ago. In the criminal police force, he had seen too many such gazes.
"If we're not careful, we might actually be onto something big," Zhao Jun thought.
**************
Lin Fei was unaware that the two men had already begun to suspect him. The pain in his thigh made him sweat, and he limped along the sidewalk towards a small pharmacy at the side of the road. In his previous life as a professional fighter, he had frequently suffered injuries like fractures, so he was quite familiar with the treatment methods for such injuries. Moreover, it was only a minor fracture now. Such an injury only required proper rest for a few weeks to recover. He hadn't expected this encounter today when he was supposed to meet with the man in the white suit.
Initially, Lin Fei felt somewhat coerced into joining Shueisha since they held all the facts and evidence of his murder. Now, being in a weakened state, it was hard to predict what treatment he would receive once inside the organization.
"Beep beep..." Suddenly, he heard the honking of a car behind him.
Lin Fei turned around, just in time to see Lu Jun in a white suit getting out of a silver sedan, the smile plastered on his face.
"Hurt? Is it serious?"
"It's moderate," Lin Fei replied calmly. The level of pain was still within what he could endure.
"Then get in the car; we need to take care of your injury before you return to the branch," Lu Jun said sharply, his gaze lingering on Lin Fei's thigh. "Is your thigh injured? Since you can still walk, it shouldn't be too serious."
"I'll handle the formalities for your entry into the organization for you."
"Is that okay?" Lin Fei was startled, remembering how Lu Jun had made it sound as if joining the organization was a great deal. Now, he was casually mentioning that he could complete the entry formalities for him, as if it was a simple task.
"It's nothing; with my guarantee, it will be fine. You can also start receiving the benefits. Now get in the car, we'll talk about it there," Lu Jun nodded and opened the car door behind him.