Chapter 72: The Wanted Criminal

Walking through four or five train cars and following several Train Police and train staff, Ye Tian and the others arrived at the soft sleeper carriage.

Under the guard of two Train Police, one staff member found a first aid kit and bandaged the injured person. Meanwhile, Ye Tian, Cen Jinglan, and the others were separated into individual carriages for questioning.

“Alright, tell us, what happened?” Old Yang held a notebook and began asking about the course of events.

“Officer, I… I’m a university student this year. This is my admission letter. That… that person just now tried to steal my money…”

Ye Tian nervously took out the money from his bag and the admission letter to Huaqing University. After thinking for a moment, he also told them about how the money from his bag had been scattered on the floor earlier that evening.

“Ye Tian, from Jiangsu Province. Oh my, and Huaqing University too.”

After reading Ye Tian’s admission letter, Old Yang believed his story a bit more. In people’s subconscious minds during that era, those who could get into university were well-behaved and studious good kids, especially students admitted to Huaqing University.

“And what about the injuries on that man’s face?”

After setting Ye Tian’s admission letter aside, Old Yang pressed further. The key issue was that the man had been beaten very badly. Old Yang found it hard to believe this student could have delivered such heavy blows.

“Officer, I was just going to the toilet. When I walked past that person, he… he suddenly tried to snatch my bag. I had almost eight thousand yuan in tuition fees inside. I panicked and pushed him. Then I grabbed his shoulder and slammed him against the platform…”

As he spoke, Ye Tian gestured with his hands. He knew the man’s injuries were on his face. A simple push couldn’t have caused the current bloody mess.

“Just a push and a pull? How much force did you use?”

After hearing Ye Tian’s account, Old Yang looked somewhat incredulously at Ye Tian’s hands. Earlier, the train’s medical staff had said the man’s nose bridge was almost completely shattered. Even if it could be healed, his face would remain sunken in that spot.

“I don’t know. I was really scared. Maybe I pushed against his head? The train was also swaying back and forth…”

Ye Tian knew it was better to give very detailed accounts before and after the incident, but he didn’t need to describe the actual event too much. After all, everyone on the train had been half-asleep, and no one saw exactly what he did.

Hearing Ye Tian’s words, Old Yang’s face showed a somewhat relieved expression. If the train had been decelerating at that moment, the swaying could indeed have been quite strong. Combined with Ye Tian’s pushing and pulling, it wasn’t impossible to explain the man’s facial injuries.

“Officer? I didn’t mean to do it! I… I still have to go to university.”

The worried and frightened expression on Ye Tian’s face made Old Yang feel that scaring this kid any further would be inhumane. He did his best to force a small smile and said, “Student Ye Tian, as long as what you just said is the truth, then everything is fine. Okay, wait here for a bit. Don’t go out yet.”

After instructing Ye Tian, Old Yang turned and walked out of the soft sleeper compartment. Based on his experience, Ye Tian wasn’t lying. So now, the main task was to identify the gunman.

“Hey, a blessing in disguise. No need to sit on the hard benches anymore.”

After Old Yang left, Ye Tian grinned, tossed his backpack onto the nearby bed, and lay down to sleep. A private soft sleeper compartment—Ye Tian had never enjoyed such treatment before.

…

“That guy hit me! Why are you arresting me? Is there no justice?”

Just as Ye Tian was fast asleep, an argument broke out in another soft sleeper carriage. The man handcuffed to the bed frame glared fiercely at the police officers in front of him.

“What are you yelling about? Do you have the right to yell after committing a robbery?”

A younger Train Police officer raised his hand as if to strike him, but seeing the blood still smeared on the man’s face, he reluctantly lowered it and asked, “Name, age, home address!”

“Robbery? I didn’t rob anyone!”

Hearing the young officer’s words, the man clearly paused. “Sure, I was thinking about robbing someone, but… but I hadn’t acted on it yet, right? This… this is just framing an innocent person!”

Old Yang happened to arrive from Ye Tian’s soft sleeper carriage. He took the “Type 54” police Handgun from his waist and waved it in front of the man. “Not going to be honest, huh? Tell us, what’s the story with this gun?”

“This… this gun…”

Seeing the gun in Old Yang’s hand, the man’s face immediately turned pale. He instinctively lowered his head to look at his own waist. He had been dazed and dizzy earlier and truly hadn’t noticed the gun tucked at his waist was missing.

“I don’t know. That gun isn’t mine. I didn’t rob anyone either. That damn kid is framing me…”

Confessing meant certain death; not confessing might buy him some time. The man simply closed his eyes and ignored Old Yang’s questions.

The man felt incredibly aggrieved. He had traveled all over the country, pulled off so many jobs, and the police could never pin anything on him. Who would have thought that this time, just having the thought would lead to him being brought down by some young punk?

“Not talking, huh? You’ll cry later…”

The Train Police had seen many like him. They left two people to guard him in the soft sleeper, while Old Yang and the others stepped out, waiting by the train’s fax machine for information from the bureau.

Moreover, all police Handguns in the country had serial numbers. As long as this “Type 54” pistol wasn’t smuggled from abroad, they believed relevant information would come soon.

“Qiu Feng, twenty-eight years old, from XXX City in the Northwest. In 1993, after killing a stationed police officer and stealing a gun, he went on the run. In 1994, during a robbery in Xi’an, he killed four people and severely injured three others. A National Class-A Wanted Criminal!”

The railway police system had a dedicated nationwide network for coordinating investigations of criminals. In less than half an hour, the coordination notice arrived. On the fax, there was also a clear photo of his face.

“That’s him, no mistake. Old Yang, you’ve done a huge service this time! Five lives!”

Seeing this coordination notice, cheers erupted in the carriage. The Train Police officers all looked enviously at their colleague named Yang Kaijun. Without a doubt, the main credit for catching this big fish would go to Old Yang.

“This… this was pure luck. If we’re talking about who deserves the credit, it’s mostly that student…”

Old Yang was a decent and honest man. He smiled bitterly upon hearing this. Of course, Old Yang also knew this achievement was definitely his to claim, while Ye Tian would at most be credited with assisting the Train Police in apprehending the criminal.

But the whole thing was almost unbelievable. A simple robbery attempt had led to uncovering a National Class-A Wanted Criminal. It was truly a pie falling from the sky right onto his head.

This night was destined to be sleepless for many. Cen Jinglan and the others who had returned to their carriages lost all desire to sleep and discussed the events of the night.

Even Old Yang went to Ye Tian’s soft sleeper compartment several times, wanting to go in and say a few words of thanks. However, hearing the sound of peaceful snoring from inside, he ultimately gave up on the idea.

As for Ye Tian, he slept comfortably until dawn, stretched lazily, and was ready to leave.

He felt no burden at all. Although his actions last night could be considered serious assault, it depended on who was injured. That guy could be ten times worse off, and it wouldn’t implicate Ye Tian in any way.

“Uncle Yang, there’s no need. I’ll take the school bus to the university. Really, it’s not necessary. Thank you, though.”

The next morning, a little after eight o’clock when the train arrived at Beijing Station, Ye Tian sincerely declined Old Yang’s offer to drive him to the university.

However, Ye Tian did note down Old Yang’s pager number. The police officer had promised that from now on, whenever Ye Tian took a train on this route, he could have a free soft sleeper.