I Can Replicate Martial Arts-Chapter 121 - 73: Robbery? Or...? (2)
He kept up with things like who had advanced, who had been eliminated, and if any formidable individuals had appeared.
Or he would have a meal and a chat with He Wanqing and Li Xinran.
His days were leisurely and quite pleasant.
In the blink of an eye, it was January 12th, and Dongqi University officially began its winter break.
University holidays started earlier than those for junior and senior high schools to account for travel time.
Many students were from other provinces or regions. The journey alone could take several days, and if the break started too late, they would hit the peak travel season and might not even be able to buy a ticket.
So, in Dongqi Province, the break usually started ten to twenty days before the New Year.
Some students even boarded the train home right after finishing their last exam.
Zhao Rui’s ticket was for the 12th; he had booked it in advance.
But his departure was a bit late, not until three in the afternoon. He first saw Li Xinran and He Wanqing off on their train.
Then he found a large shopping mall nearby and started to wander around leisurely.
As a major city, Jeju was indeed much more prosperous than Lin City.
Just the number of large malls was something a second-tier city couldn’t compare to.
Zhao Rui strolled around, and while he was at it, he bought a few articles of brand-name clothing for his family that weren’t available in Lin City.
After wandering for a while, it was time to board his train before he knew it.
He quickly hailed a cab to the train station. But just as he sat down in the waiting hall, he saw a familiar figure walking toward him with a serious expression.
A young man and woman flanked him.
The three of them happened to sit down right across from him.
"Brother Zheng!"
Seeing him, Zhao Rui smiled and greeted him.
This man was none other than his prospective cousin-in-law, Zheng Huai Peak.
"Zhao Rui, what are you doing here?"
Zheng Huai Peak was taken aback. He stood up, walked over, and sat down next to him.
"Break’s started, so I’m heading home. Brother Zheng, where are you off to?"
"Oh! I’m on a mission."
Zheng Huai Peak smiled but didn’t say where he was going.
Once Zhao Rui heard it was a mission, he didn’t ask any more questions.
The two chatted for a bit, and soon it was time to board. Zhao Rui said goodbye to Zheng Huai Peak and went through the ticket gate first.
Zheng Huai Peak waited a moment before entering the same gate with his colleagues.
They were on the same train heading in the same direction, but their destinations might be different.
Across the vast fields, an express train whistled as it sped past, leaving a white streak in its wake.
Zhao Rui admired the winter scenery outside his window. The warm sun slanted across the dry, yellow-orange earth, creating a scene as rich as an oil painting.
The express train from Jeju to Lin City took just over an hour, which wasn’t long.
After looking at the scenery and playing on his phone for a while, the train entered Lin City’s territory, now less than half an hour from the station.
Zhao Rui took a bottle of water from his backpack, and just as he was about to take a sip to wet his throat, a sudden commotion erupted from the front of the car.
Then he saw the passengers at the very front start to stand up in a panic, steadily retreating backward.
More and more passengers were getting to their feet.
Zhao Rui looked up and saw a man wearing a mask appear at the connection point to the next car. In his hand, he held a jet-black pistol.
He was pointing the muzzle at the retreating crowd.
"Back up, back up! Otherwise, don’t blame my gun for not having eyes."
The man shouted harshly, all while constantly kicking the people at the front.
"Get back, get back!"
The bald man at the very front was on the verge of tears. He was first in line and was getting kicked the most.
’A robbery?’
’Or something else?’
Zhao Rui’s sharp brows furrowed. He couldn’t figure it out. Before he could think any further, another commotion arose from the rear door of the car.
Zhao Rui looked back and saw another man wearing a mask had appeared at the rear door.
He was also holding a black pistol.
’Two of them, one at the front and one at the back!’
’A clear division of labor!’
’This is premeditated!’
Zhao Rui instantly had a bad feeling.
Pushed by the two men, the passengers in the car were quickly herded into the middle.
They were packed together, person to person, completely unable to move freely.
Zhao Rui was no exception.
He wasn’t confident he could take down both men at the same time in such a dense crowd.
The risk was too great; he was afraid he might injure an innocent bystander.
"As long as you don’t resist, we’ll guarantee your safety. From now on, you are our hostages. No, I should say, this entire train is."
The man at the front spoke through his mask. At the same time, he turned on a walkie-talkie and contacted people in other cars.
Hearing this, Zhao Rui’s heart sank.
’This isn’t a simple robbery. To be blunt, this isn’t a robbery at all.’
’It’s a blatant kidnapping—they’ve hijacked an entire high-speed train.’
"Please, let me go! I’ll give you money, as much as you want."
"Me too! I’ll get the money. Just don’t hurt us."
The crowd was instantly plunged into panic and unease, and the atmosphere gradually grew chaotic.
BANG, BANG...
"Aah, they’re killing people!"
BANG!
The sudden gunshots echoed from the train cars. The piercing sound instantly silenced the chaotic crowd.
"That wasn’t me, but I can fire too! You’re welcome to try me!"
The man said with a smirk.
Everyone was frightened into dead silence. The gunshots and screams had clearly come from other cars.
"Nobody move. I know there might be some Martial Dao practitioners among you. But if you want to play the hero, you’d better weigh your own strength. Don’t die for nothing before you even get to be the good guy."
After speaking, the man struck the back of the seat in front of him. His fist instantly punched a large hole straight through it.
