Chapter 6 – The Rabble

The interrogation reached a stalemate for five or six days.

During this time, Yan Ru was detained in the holding cell, spending most of it sitting on the interrogation chair. If it were anyone else, their psychological defenses would have long since collapsed. But strangely, despite the days passing, Yan Ru—though physically haggard, his face much paler—remained mentally resilient, showing no signs of breaking down.

Instead, he frequently taunted them, sharp-tongued and relentless.

Several young officers were itching to punch him, barely restraining their fists.

“We can’t lay a hand on him.”

The bureau held a targeted meeting, with Lu Anchi standing at the head, looking down at the hotheaded young men under his command.

Some of them were even older than Yan Ru, yet their mental fortitude was far inferior to this murderer’s. More than once, provoked, they had raised their fists and lunged at Yan Ru. If not for Lu Anchi stopping them, they would have caused trouble long ago.

“If he gets injured, it could be used as grounds to claim coercion during interrogation.”

The young officer Meng Yi frowned. “If he keeps his mouth shut, do we really have no way to deal with him?”

Lu Anchi didn’t answer, only turning to Qin Yuezhang, who had been observing for days, and asked, “Consultant Qin, what do you think?”

Lu Anchi’s eyelids sagged slightly under the weight of age, but they couldn’t conceal the sharpness and shrewdness in his gaze.

Qin Yuezhang sat upright beside Lu Anchi, his voice calm and measured. “Behind every action, there must be a cause and an underlying motive. What are his interpersonal relationships like?”

By now, the police had thoroughly investigated Yan Ru’s background—visiting contacts, checking archives—leaving no privacy intact.

Lu Anchi nodded, signaling Xiao Yuan, who was in charge of the investigation, to stand up. Xiao Yuan distributed thick stacks of printed A4 papers to everyone present.

“Yan Ru, male, 27 years old, native of Xue City, originally from Xuehua Village in Xinfeng County. After graduating high school, he didn’t attend university, instead making a living through odd jobs and street vending. His interpersonal relationships are simple, with virtually no contact with relatives—because…”

(T/N: Similar to Snow City, Xuehua Village means “Snowflake Village.”)

Xiao Yuan paused, his eyes involuntarily revealing disdain and contempt. “Because his father, Yan Ande, was the perpetrator of the notorious Highway Schoolgirl Sudden Death Case twenty years ago.”

As the words fell, Qin Yuezhang’s fingers twitched imperceptibly, but no one noticed.

Their focus was now entirely on Yan Ru, the murderer.

Yan Ru was the son of a murderer.

The son of a murderer had also become a murderer.

A jade Guanyin statue passed down from the Ming Dynasty was indeed priceless, so it was no surprise that someone would covet it.

But who was to blame?

Bringing such a valuable item on a train and not guarding it properly—now that it was lost, they were making a huge fuss, causing trouble for everyone else.

The noisy group continued babbling nonsense, until suddenly, a gruff voice boomed: “Listen up, everyone! I have a suggestion! The train isn’t that big—let’s search each other’s bags. If we’ve got nothing to hide, what’s the problem? We’ll catch the thief faster and get this over with.”

Some hesitated, but most gradually agreed, as if refusing would mark them as “guilty.”

They were like a rabble, clamoring to make a decision that wasn’t smart but convinced themselves it was wise.

How laughable.

Gu Lanshan, who had been watching the spectacle, returned and said, “It’s chaos over there. Now they want to search bags.”

I glanced at him. “Are you going to let them search yours?”

“Sure, why not?” Gu Lanshan said matter-of-factly. “I’ve got nothing to hide. If they want to look, let them. The sooner they do, the sooner I can leave.”

I lowered my eyes to the red-and-green woven bag under Yan Ru’s bed, an inexplicable irritation rising in me.

Soon, the noisy crowd demanding bag searches swarmed to our berth.

At the head of the crowd was a middle-aged man—short, with a prominent belly, a string of keys dangling from his belt, along with what might or might not have been an Audi key fob.

Beside him stood a middle-aged woman, her hair carefully permed into tight curls, a flashy gold ring on her ring finger. Her makeup was half-ruined from crying, but she still retained some charm. Clearly, she was the victim.

Behind the man was a crowd of onlookers and troublemakers, emboldening him as he said in a thick voice, “We’ve got a theft in this carriage, lads. We believe you’re not the thieves, but let us take a look—for everyone’s peace of mind, and to clear your names.”

Gu Lanshan’s backpack was already wide open, and the man scrutinized it carefully before nodding, seemingly satisfied with his cooperation.

Then he turned his gaze to me.

I kept my head down, staring at my hands, pretending neither to see nor hear him.

The man rubbed his hands together. “Young man, I made myself clear, right? Cooperate a little.”

I looked up, my irritation deepening, weighing on me so heavily that I couldn’t even muster the energy to force a smile. “Of course I’ll cooperate—I’m great at cooperating. But do you have a search warrant from the police? Without one, what right do you have to search my bag? Isn’t that a violation of my privacy?”

The man’s expression darkened instantly. Probably, up until now, no one had dared to defy him, and his face couldn’t take the humiliation.

“Everyone else is cooperating—why are you the only one making things difficult?”

I tilted my body, settling into a comfortable position in the berth. “Just because everyone else is cooperating means you can search bags at will? I said—bring a police search warrant. Otherwise, no one touches my bag.”

The man sneered. “I think you’re hiding something!”

“The police didn’t even ask to search my bag when they were here. Are you more powerful than the police?”

The man planted his hands on his hips. “I think you’re the thief! Why else would you be the only one making a fuss?”

With that, the crowd behind him erupted in agreement, as if they already had irrefutable proof that I was the despicable thief.

Gu Lanshan leaned in, trying to mediate. “Qin Yuezhang, this is a special situation. Don’t be stubborn—just cooperate and clear your name!”

I didn’t know whether to call this guy naive or just stupid.

The burden of proof lies with the accuser. If I had to prove my innocence every time someone doubted me, I’d be exhausted for life.

No one had the right to force me to open my bag against my will.

Seeing I was a tough nut to crack, the man’s chest heaved a few times before he gave up, muttering, “If we don’t find it anywhere else, it’s definitely with you,” before turning to Yan Ru.

Yan Ru had been silently watching the farce. Meeting the man’s gaze, he said expressionlessly, “Legally speaking, you’re already breaking the law.”

The word “illegal” was a heavy accusation, and the group exchanged uneasy glances.

Then, from behind the leader, a thin, short man suddenly darted forward and bent down to yank at the red-and-green woven bag under Yan Ru’s bed.

“Brother Sun, forget arguing with them. This bag looks suspicious!”

At the sight, an inexplicable fury blazed inside me. My temples throbbed as if someone were hammering a chisel into them. The crowd clogging the carriage faded away, leaving only that bag being tugged at in my vision.

Growing larger, larger…

A viciousness I couldn’t name surged from my heart—jagged, stabbing, drawing blood, gnashing my teeth.

“Ah! Aaaaaah!”

By the time I came to my senses, my foot was already crushing the thin man’s hand. He howled in agony, clawing at my ankle, trying to free himself.

“Hey! You can’t hit people!”

“Let go! This is outrageous!”

“What’s going on? Stealing and now assault?!”

Yan Ru was behind me, his hands on my shoulders, pulling me back. He must have leaned in close, because his voice sounded right by my ear: “Qin Yuezhang, don’t act rashly!”

Reason returned in an instant. I let Yan Ru guide me backward, and the thin man’s hand was finally freed from under my foot. He knelt on the ground, cradling his hand, shooting me a venomous yet cowardly glare before retreating into the crowd.

“I didn’t mean to hit him. I just wanted to kick the bag back in—he was the one who stuck his hand in the way.”

Yan Ru remained composed. “Losing your temper like this will only cause you trouble.”

His words stirred something in me.

I suddenly felt as though it had been a long time since anyone had considered things from my perspective.

The leader, the one surnamed Sun, rubbed his flat nose and scowled. “You hit someone—this won’t end easily! Mark my words, we’re reporting this as soon as we get off the train!”

I couldn’t help but laugh coldly. “Go ahead. If his hand isn’t broken yet, I don’t mind helping out.”

Sun’s eyes bulged, and he raised a fist, about to charge at me—only to be held back by the people behind him.

“Brother Sun, Brother Sun! Don’t stoop to their level. They’ll pay for this when we get off!”

Sun grudgingly calmed down, smoothing his fitted shirt with a disdainful snort.

“What’s in that bag that you’re so defensive about?” He nudged it with his foot, and the bag caved in with a dull thud.

“Yeah, what’s inside? Just open it, let’s take a look.”

“If you won’t open it, you must be hiding something!”

“Tsk, kids these days! Stealing and assaulting people—disgusting!”

The crowd buzzed with criticism, their disdainful eyes, their hushed whispers, their barely audible voices—all of it stoked the fury inside me, extinguishing and reigniting it in turns.

“I’ll show you.”

Yan Ru stepped forward, shielding me, cutting me off from those infuriating, foolish people.