It turned out that the restaurant sold vegetarian food. Lately, vegetarian food was indeed popular in some parts of the city, especially among the younger generation. The strange phenomenon began when a famous young singer decided to become a vegetarian. Many of his die-hard fans then tried to follow in the singer's footsteps. Then there were seven or eight other young singers who were also trying to do the same. Those seven or eight singers also had so many loyal fans that more and more people were trying to become vegetarians. These fans had friends or family, so the habit quickly spread to those people. Indeed, among the singers, there were some who could only endure being a vegetarian for a few months. But the impact had already been significant. The vegetarian wave had already spread, even to those who were not fans of those singers.

Xinxiu didn't really like vegetarian food. Not that he hated it, just that he would most likely choose another food if he had the choice. Basically, Xinxiu really liked to eat vegetables. Although when he ate vegetables, he always combined the dish with meat such as poultry or fish. So, it was not too difficult for him to adapt to a vegetarian environment. This time, he chose to eat rice cooked with coconut milk. The side dish was a variety of vegetables stirred together in a sauce made of finely ground peanuts mixed with a generous amount of garlic and shallots. He loved spicy food so much that imagining that dish could make him drool.

Just waited about ten minutes, the food came. Xinxiu ate voraciously. The pungent aroma of abundant garlic further added to his appetite. Before he finished eating, Xinxiu had already decided to add another serving. Five minutes after he finished the first portion, the second portion arrived. At that time, he did not eat as fast and as voraciously as before. Even so, he enjoyed the dish with all his heart. One characteristic of their group members was to eat with full appreciation. Although what they often ate was not exceptional, they always treated the dish equally. Shanquan had always said that eating with passion was part of their respect for the people who had worked so hard to prepare the food.

After being full, Xinxiu sat down to rest in the restaurant. He intended to wait there for a while. Even though he had not seen anyone following him since he entered the restaurant, there was nothing wrong with being more careful. Xinxiu was sitting inside the restaurant for almost forty-five minutes. He finally felt he was ready to continue everything, according to the plan they had made.

Dusk was approaching. The sun almost slipped on the western horizon. Xinxiu realized he had to hurry. He didn't want to find himself still wandering the unfamiliar streets when the sky had darkened. He immediately spurred his steps towards the elevated train station, where he left the backpack he had brought with him. For a moment, he hesitated about the backpack. Better to take it now or in the next few days. Of course, if he took it now, there was a risk he had to face. If later, for some reason, he had to walk fast or even had to run because someone was chasing him, then the backpack would be very troublesome for him. Therefore, he finally decided to stick to the original plan.

Xinxiu looked for a payphone to call their home. There were public telephones that were in the box. Some were just hung on the wall at the station. Xinxiu chose to use a payphone in a box because he wanted to see his surroundings when he was on the phone.

"Hello!" Xinxiu greeted the person on the other end when the phone was connected.

"Hello!" a familiar voice came from the other end.

Xinxiu recognized the voice immediately. It was Shanquan's voice. "Dage, it's me, Xinxiu,"

"Ah! I already knew what you were going to say. Zhengyi just called. He's already told me everything that happened to you guys."

"Oh!" Xinxiu exclaimed loudly. He wasn't worried that his voice would disturb people because, apart from being in the telephone box, the other voices at the station were quite loud.

Shanquan's words made Xinxiu sensed a little strange. A part of him was relieved because it meant that he wouldn't have to talk about what they had been through anymore. But another part of him was confused because he didn't know what else to say.

"Now, please, just go home immediately. Just leave the backpack in the locker so you can move freely." Shanquan's tone was unyielding.

"Where is Yige now?" asked Xinxiu.

"He's decided to do something about what you've just been through. I don't know what he's going to do because he didn't go into detail. So maybe he will come home a bit late."

Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

"Dage isn't worried about that?"

"Of course I'm worried. But, for some reason, I believe Zhengyi has more or less experience dealing with these things. I can't say more clearly because I'm not so sure either. I hope he knows what he's doing."

So just like me, Dage had guessed the same thing! Or did Yige already tell Dage about all of his backgrounds?

"Okay, I'm going home now."

Xinxiu hung up the phone and headed straight for the ticket counter. He did not feel the presence of the person who had been shadowing him. Maybe that person had already left. After buying a ticket, he immediately stood on the platform to wait for the flyover to take him. The destination station was the station that was close to their home. Although, from their home, the elevated train station was further away than the subway station they were used to. The direction was also opposite. The flyover station was to the south of their house, while the subway station was to the north of their house.

The train was almost there. People intending to get on the train were also standing on the platform. At rush hour like that, there were quite a lot of passengers. Most likely, Xinxiu would be standing on the train the whole way. Seconds before the arrival of the train, more and more people came. They swarm along the platform at that station. The train comprised eight to ten cars. The length of each car was sixteen meters. Each car could accommodate a maximum of seventy-two seated passengers and two hundred and twenty-eight standing passengers. However, each car could hold up to three hundred and fifty people during peak hours like that. So that the maximum total number of passengers that might be transported in an elevated train could reach three thousand five hundred people. Of course, such conditions were very unhealthy.

Finally, the awaited train arrived. The train slowed down and finally stopped in front of the platform. The train that had just arrived turned out to comprise ten carriages. Some passengers standing in the cars were also getting ready to get off. Xinxiu knew it took a few seconds for the train to open the door. Each car had two sides, namely the right and left sides. Each side had its own door. In order to avoid clashes between passengers getting off and passengers getting on the train, the station decided to separate them. The door on the left side was used to get on the train, while the door on the right was used by passengers who would get off the train. Two doors would open alternately. The right door would open first. After the right door closed five seconds later, the left door began to open. Each door would open for thirty seconds. It took two and a half seconds for the door to fully open and close. So that the door actually opened fully for only twenty-five seconds.

Xinxiu stood in front of the third car from the front. He was right in front of the left door of the third carriage. The door had already begun to open as the people behind Xinxiu looked impatient and tried to push forward. Xinxiu was pushed forward. Right at that moment, from his right side, a person came forward, then shifted towards the left, standing blocking Xinxiu. The man staggered, holding his stomach. He groaned and then dropped his body towards Xinxiu.

In shock, Xinxiu tried to restrain and hold the person's body so that the person did not fall to the surface of the platform. When the train doors were fully open, people rushed forward, scrambling to get into the train. Xinxiu struggled to maintain his position as he continued to hold and restrain the person's body. But the number of passengers pushing his body was too many. Their insistence sent Xinxiu off balance.

The staggered person slipped from Xinxiu's grip. Xinxiu slowly pushed towards the car's door. The person who was still staggering now fell to the floor of the platform. People were still pushing Xinxiu, so Xinxiu was finally pushed into the car. Several people had seen the staggering person fall, but everyone seemed to not care. They scrambled to get into the carriage, so there was no time to help others.

Xinxiu could still see the man wincing in pain. He held his stomach with both hands. Xinxiu's heart beat faster when he realized a red liquid soaking the clothes on the person's stomach. Xinxiu was even more surprised when he lowered his head to look at his own hands. It turned out that his left hand was covered in a thick and sticky red liquid. In an instant, the shock turned into panic.

That person is seriously injured! Someone attacked him with a sharp weapon! What should I do?

The door began to close. Several people were still trying to get into the car in that two and a half-second interval. When the door had completely closed, Xinxiu witnessed that the person injured in the stomach then fell face down on the platform. The train started leaving the station. Xinxiu was standing in the car, right in front of the door. From the window, he could still see the man's body moving erratically, like convulsing. From the right side, several people were running towards the injured person. They seemed to be security officers and station employees. Some people inside the car also noticed that. They screamed and shouted to witness the incident. Xinxiu immediately hid his left palm up to his wrist into his jacket so that no one could see his left palm.

Xinxiu trembled. Uncontrollably, cold sweat trickled down from his forehead. His breathing rose and fell irregularly. He could clearly see the person's face. The person who was injured in the stomach was the one following him.