"Are we there already?"
"What’s wrong, you sound as weak as if you haven’t eaten."
"Brother Lu, there’s a riot in Xilin..."
"Hmm, too scared to come now?"
"No, I found someone on the train, a man in the same carriage as me, and I think he’s very dangerous."
"Hmm, to a little rabbit like you, men are indeed quite dangerous."
"Brother Lu, I’m serious; the man has a gun on him and grenades in his pocket, and his destination is also Xilin."
She couldn’t very well tell Lu Ziqing, "I have been reborn, so I remember the leader of the Xilin riot," so as to emphasize the significance of firearms and explosive weapons to Lu Ziqing.
"Would you repeat that?"
The voice on the other end of the phone paused, then immediately changed.
"I said the man has a gun, and his bag is filled with dangerous explosives."
Even if that person didn’t have them on him, a slight interrogation would surely allow the military and police to find inconsistencies.
"Give me your train car and seat number, keep your phone on, now calmly go back to your seat; don’t make a fuss—someone will soon bring you to a relatively safe place."
"Brother Lu, I can help you keep an eye on him."
After ending the call with Lu Ziqing, Song Lili’s palms were sweaty. She gathered her courage, opened the bathroom door, and then came face-to-face with that menacing visage!
Song Lili was startled but saw only Duan Chen walking past her as if he just happened to bump into her coming out of the restroom.
Her heart was somewhat perturbed as she walked back to their compartment. Duan Chen sat at the small table reading as if nothing was amiss.
Without drawing attention, Song Lili sat down opposite Duan Chen, took out a tablet, put on headphones, and pretended to watch a TV show while her peripheral vision and full attention were on every move Duan Chen made.
It was strange to her that amidst the violence in Xilin the night before, this man was not in Xilin but far away in the south.
Moreover, this man had a menacing look but carried no malevolence on him.
Explosives do not come labeled "terrorist" on them, but from Song Lili’s years of people-watching experience, this man’s aura seemed out of place for a terrorist.
The phone on the table vibrated. Song Lili thought it was her phone, reaching out for it when she saw the man opposite her pick up his phone, then, with a somber expression, he stepped out of the sleeper compartment.
Now alone in the compartment, she got up, glanced down the corridor, and saw Duan Chen on his phone at the junction between two carriages, his demeanor suggesting the call was important.
She pursed her lips, turned around, and dragged Duan Chen’s backpack to the door. While rifling through his luggage, she kept an eye on Duan Chen’s movements.
She was certain the bag contained guns or other dangerous items.
Toiletries and change of clothes were packed neatly, completely at odds with his rough appearance.
As Duan Chen finished his call and turned to come back, Song Lili, still not content, reached to the bottom of the bag. Suddenly, she felt a hard object; by its shape, she was nearly convinced!
The door to the small compartment opened; Duan Chen glanced at Song Lili, who was still sitting by the window with headphones on watching her show, and then his eyes swept over his berth before he entered.
He walked over and sat down on his bed.
Her gaze remained on Duan Chen, and as he reached for his bag, Song Lili instinctively held her breath.
She did not have enough time to restore the items in the bag to their original order.
Thump, thump, thump, thump...
At this moment, all Song Lili could hear was her own heart pounding.
The sound of the backpack zipper ripped through the air. Duan Chen glanced at his bag and then narrowed his eyes; his hand reached into the bag as if to take something out when—