Riverside Robbery (2)

"What happened to your leg?" someone asked.

"They stabbed it!" The short man's pained expression drew a crowd. Someone in the crowd recognized the short man as a thug from the western suburbs of the city, and everyone showed disgust, cursing, "Serves you right!"

A tall, middle-aged man said, "We don't know the full story yet, so it's best to call the police."

Someone in the crowd called the police. More and more people gathered by the river, all helping to search for the person who jumped in, looking to see if they would surface.

Uncle Mumu came to his senses and sat by the river, crying to everyone, "If I knew something like this would happen, why would I even come fishing? This reckless kid, what will Mei Tingyu do now?" Uncle Mumu cried heartbrokenly, tears he hadn't shed in decades flowing for Tong Haojing, and for his daughter whom he couldn't forget. He had held onto a sliver of hope before, but now it was all for nothing, a complete loss. Uncle Mumu beat his chest, crying out to the heavens. Everyone present was moved and gathered around to comfort him.

"Look, on the other bank, that boy is climbing up! He wasn't washed away by the water!" someone in the crowd shouted. Everyone looked towards the riverbank in astonishment, casting approving glances.

The one climbing up was Tong Haojing. He walked back and forth a few steps on the riverbank on the other side, not seeing Scarface's shadow. He said with some regret, "You're lucky, you scoundrel, that you ran fast!"

Although the spring breeze in March was a bit warmer, it made Tong Haojing shiver as it blew against his wet clothes. His muscles bulged, making his tall and imposing figure even more handsome and dashing.

Uncle Mumu looked in the direction the crowd was pointing and saw Tong Haojing. He immediately stood up, his worried expression vanishing. He thought, This kid must have been in the army; he's different. Seeing Tong Haojing standing safely on the other side of the river, he couldn't help but feel even more affection for him. "This kid is strong, quite a sight!"

People on both banks couldn't help but exclaim with admiration and encouragement: "...Go, you're doing great..."

By the Tangdu River, under the willow trees, Zhao Minhui and several colleagues were filming by the Tangdu River, preparing material for the day's news report. The laughter and playful splashing of her colleagues were recorded by the camera.

"Hey, don't talk nonsense!" Zhao Minhui said, concentrating on filming.

"Who's talking nonsense?" a colleague asked, confused.

"Catch... someone's being robbed..." Who said that? It sounded like a few shouts!" Zhao Minhui said with some certainty.

"No! Did you mishear?" her colleagues said in unison.

"No, no, in broad daylight, could I be seeing ghosts?" Zhao Minhui was a little surprised. She stared intently at the camera. Suddenly, a scene popped up on the screen: a short man ran quickly towards the river, a tall man met him, they fought briefly, and a bright light flickered in the lens. Zhao Minhui saw clearly that it was the reflection of the knife in the short man's hand. She had a premonition that something was about to happen.

Zhao Minhui stopped filming and asked everyone to look at what was happening on the other side of the river. They saw the short man and the tall man jump into the river one after the other, and an old man sitting on the bank seemed to be crying sadly. After several minutes, the tall man emerged from the water and climbed ashore.

"This is definitely a great news angle!" Zhao Minhui's professional instinct told her that the young man in front of her must be a person with a story. Without waiting to call her colleagues, Zhao Minhui grabbed her camera and went to meet the young man.

Zhao Minhui, a news reporter for Tangdu City Broadcasting and Television, graduated from the Journalism Department of Hexi College. She is 23 years old, tall, with delicate eyebrows and a melon seed face, and skin as white as snow. She is considered the most beautiful woman at the television station.

"Hey, handsome, do you mind if I ask you something?" Zhao Minhui asked softly.

Tong Haojing was startled. A sweet voice seemed to be calling him. He turned around and saw a beautiful woman waving at him, looking surprised. Her dark, silky hair fluttered around her cheeks, and her slightly flushed face looked even more beautiful and captivating in the warm spring breeze.

He found her somewhat familiar, as if he had seen her somewhere before, but he couldn't quite recall.

"It's nothing, go ahead!" Tong Haojing said.

"Why did you jump into the river? The current is so strong, weren't you afraid?" Zhao Minhui asked curiously.

"A criminal ran over just now, I don't know whose money he stole, and I ran into him. He had a knife in his hand." Tong Haojing's brave demeanor made Zhao Minhui feel a sense of admiration.

"Was it you who shouted 'someone's being robbed' earlier?" Zhao Minhui asked, like an investigator with a relentless pursuit, her eyes flickering as she looked at Tong Haojing.

"No, the sound came from a small alley in the west of the city. I didn't see the victim, but I'm sure the person who jumped into the river was a bad guy, because he had a knife and told me to get lost when he saw me. If he's not a bad guy, who else would be so bold?" Tong Haojing spoke with the shyness and confidence of a young man, his eyes not quite meeting Zhao Minhui's.

Zhao Minhui had already noticed the subtle movements of the young man in front of her. She was certain that this person was a handsome hero, a hero who acted bravely for a just cause. From the bottom of her heart, she began to admire this young man. She decided to delve into the details of his heroic act today and make his bravery known throughout Tangdu City.

She asked Tong Haojing very detailed questions, even about his age, job, and family situation, which made him a bit embarrassed. Finally, she asked Tong Haojing for his phone number, saying she might need to contact him if there were any unclear details. However, one detail particularly caught Zhao Minhui's attention: Tong Haojing was a soldier.

"You said you were discharged from the army earlier, which unit were you in?" Zhao Minhui asked curiously. Zhao Minhui clearly remembered that a few years ago, she had been saved and had a special connection with soldiers. Unfortunately, she didn't have a clear impression of her rescuer at the time and lacked further information, so her several attempts to find her rescuer at the military base were all in vain. However, she hadn't given up. She held a belief that as long as she was alive, she would find this soldier, no matter how far she had to search, even to the ends of the earth. She wanted to thank him in person and express her true feelings.

"Unit A, Special Operations Unit!" Tong Haojing said proudly, a hint of mischief in his expression.

"Unit A is right next to Hexi College, very close," Zhao Minhui interjected. Suddenly, she noticed a slight change in Tong Haojing's expression.

"What's wrong?"

"The Special Operations Unit was disbanded, and all our members were transferred to civilian jobs!" Tong Haojing turned away, rubbing his eyes.

Zhao Minhui, being observant, noticed a few tears welling up in Tong Haojing's eyes. His movement to turn away and hide them was obvious. A man doesn't shed tears easily unless he's deeply hurt. Tong Haojing had deep feelings for the Special Operations Unit, and he hadn't expected to touch such a sore spot. This was something Zhao Minhui hadn't anticipated.

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have asked about that!" Zhao Minhui seemed a little regretful. As she was about to leave, Zhao Minhui suddenly said, "Handsome, I graduated from the Journalism Department of Hexi College, which is next to Unit A." She then turned and smiled charmingly, her graceful figure like that of a fairy.

"What, Hexi College? Does that have anything to do with me?" Tong Haojing snapped back from his memories, staring blankly at Zhao Minhui's receding figure.

Tong Haojing indeed felt cold.

In the distance, police sirens wailed. Tong Haojing thought about Scarface. He was nowhere to be seen, and his body was nowhere to be found. He was worried about what to do, but now it was fine; he could just hand the matter over to the police. Besides, there was an accomplice who had fallen into a ditch; he didn't know how he was doing. Tong Haojing swam back from the river to where Uncle Mumu was fishing and got ashore. The police had already arrived.

More and more people were gathering on the bank.

Everyone was chattering to the police, sharing their fragmented news. The arriving police officers were in uniform. They showed their badges and introduced themselves as Officer Lan and Officer Lu Tong from the West City Police Station.

Officer Lan asked, "We just received a call from the command center saying someone jumped into the Tangdu River in the west of the city. What's going on?" He looked at the crowd, asking casually without a specific target. No one in the crowd answered, and no one said who had called the police.

At this moment, the short man lying by the roadside moaned intermittently, "…He killed me… he forced my brother… to jump into the river. You… police must severely punish… the murderer."

The short man fainted.

Officer Lan looked sternly at the short man lying on the ground, giving him a basic bandage while saying, "We'll talk after we investigate!" Officer Lan carefully examined the speaker, judging from his words that he was definitely involved with the person who jumped into the river.

Officer Lan called for an ambulance.

Officer Lu Tong glanced at Officer Lan and said, "In a chaotic scene like this with so many people, it's usually best not to engage. Be careful not to leave yourself open to criticism or unnecessary trouble!" Lu Tong reminded him like an experienced veteran police officer.

Just then, a man with a middle-parted haircut jumped out of the crowd, very agitated, and shouted, "Investigate what? The situation is clear, what are your intentions?"

Officer Lan, being short-tempered, immediately got angry and said, "If you want to curse, I'll cuff you!"

"Come on, cuff me!" The middle-parted man shouted provocatively as he ran away.

Officer Lan, don't mind him. See if there are any other witnesses!" Lu Tong advised Officer Lan.

The scene was a bit crowded and chaotic. Lu Tong was trying to maintain order, asking everyone to calm down and give their statements one by one. However, there were simply too many people, and he couldn't control the situation. Officer Lan had no choice but to report the situation to the command center and request reinforcements. The command center instructed: "Bring all important witnesses and informants back to understand the truth. Afterwards, mobilize the water rescue team to search for the person who fell into the water."

The ambulance arrived and took away the short person.

After a brief on-site investigation, Officers Lan and Lu Tong decided to take Tong Haojing and Middle-parted Hair back for further questioning. They arranged for the arriving salvage team to continue searching for Scarface.

Tong Haojing smiled at the two officers, looking very friendly. He couldn't help but step forward and pinch Officer Lan's clothes. "The fabric is good, and it looks nice. Very dashing!" He acted like a child, full of curiosity about police officers.

"Stay back! What are you touching my clothes for?" Officer Lan asked, a little puzzled. He became wary and put on a stern face.

Tong Haojing walked back and forth in front of the two officers in his wet clothes, completely oblivious to his disheveled state. He looked like a clown, no wonder the two young police officers dismissed him. In reality, Tong Haojing's actions stemmed from his curiosity and admiration for police officers, as he was considering becoming one himself.

"Please come with us to the police station!" Lu Tong's polite summons made Tong Haojing feel less resistant. He intentionally cooperated with the officer's questioning.

"Can't you explain it here?" Tong Haojing asked.

"No, you must come to the police station!" Officer Lan interjected, his tone clearly firm.

Uncle Mumu, standing nearby, panicked when he heard they were taking Tong Haojing to the police station. "Comrades, you can't just arrest people. You need to understand, Tong Haojing just caught a bad guy. And now you want to take him away? Are you police officers even reasonable? Tong Haojing, you're not going!"

Officer Lan appeared impatient and issued a warning. "Old man, don't interfere with our official duties, or you'll be breaking the law too!"

"Breaking the law? I only know you're arresting people unfairly!" Uncle Mumu's face turned ashen with anger.

Seeing how the police treated Uncle Mumu, Tong Haojing also felt a bit angry. But seeing the standoff, and being a sensible person himself, he advised Uncle Mumu, "Let's go together. It's not a big deal. We just need to explain the situation and cooperate as witnesses!"

Lu Tong glanced at the drenched Tong Haojing and almost burst out laughing. He thought to himself, He doesn't look like he could be a police officer.

Tong Haojing got into the police car. He even remembered to remind Officer Lan and Lu Tong to focus their search on the whereabouts of the robbed woman and the two knives dropped by the robbers. However, Middle-parted Hair had disappeared by this time, and it was clear the police weren't paying much attention to him.