Wrapping up

Molly sprinted down the corridor beside the gym, her heart pounding like a drum, her soles slapping rapidly against the concrete floor.

She shoved hard at the door at the end-the iron door was mottled with rust, its handle cold, but it did not budge. She could neither push nor pull it open. Even two hard kicks earned her nothing but dull echoes and pain in her feet.

The single-story building had stood vacant for years, like a forgotten warehouse.

To keep thieves and vagrants from sneaking inside, all the doors and windows had long since been welded shut with steel plates, and even the vents were sealed tight with iron bars.

There was only one high window at the end of the corridor, its glass coated in dust, the light filtering through as dim as dusk. She was small and slight; even on tiptoe, she could not reach it.

Footsteps closed in behind her.

The thug chasing Molly charged in, panting heavily, and blocked her only way out. Cursing, he seized the back of her collar and hoisted her up like a chick.

Molly kicked wildly with her feet off the ground, her hands clawing blindly at the air, trying to find a straw to clutch at. She screamed obscenities,

"Let go of me, you steroid-pumped, ball-less tranny! I already called the cops! Touch me and you're dead!"

The thug ignored her, lifted her with both hands, and carried her back to the first-floor hall.

"Hey, boss, I caught the little bitch!" the thug called triumphantly, only to freeze the next second.

In the middle of the hall, Toby's massive body was bent over the thug's "boss," pinning him down. Punch after punch hammered into the burly man's abdomen like a hammer striking iron, each blow landing with a dull thud.

The gang leader lay limp as a puddle of sludge, bloody froth seeping from the corners of his mouth, his eyes rolled back. Pink bubbles spilled from his mouth, and his chest rose and fell weakly, as though he might stop breathing at any moment.

Molly and the thug holding her both froze.

The thug's eyes widened, his voice trembling. "Fuck... I was gone less than half a minute. How the hell did this happen?"

Her collar still gripped tight, Molly turned her head and yelled in disbelief, "What the fuck did I miss?!"

The moment the words left her mouth, she gave a violent wrench. Distracted, the thug loosened his grip. Her feet hit the floor, and she used the momentum to spin, whipping her right leg straight into his crotch.

"Ah... you little bitch!" The thug screamed, his legs instinctively clamping together. As though his tendons had been yanked out, he curled up like a shrimp and dropped to his knees with a thump, both hands clutching his groin, his face twisted into a knot.

Still unsatisfied, Molly rushed over to Toby, panting, and unleashed a flurry of kicks on the fallen "boss."

She wanted to kick him in the crotch, but his thighs were pressed together where he lay. Her canvas shoes landed on his thighs and calves with dull thuds, doing no damage.

Toby's heavy punches, however, made the gang leader spasm with pain. He could only force out curses. "If you've got the guts... kill me... otherwise, I'll get you back... every last one of you is dead..."

Lin Rui leaned on the 2.2-meter bare barbell bar, one end of the steel rod resting on the floor with a faint clink.

His breathing gradually steadied, his gaze icy, as he weighed whether to simply break one of the man's legs-turning the threat into reality.

Suddenly, police sirens sounded outside the gym.

At first they were distant, like faint sobbing far away. In an instant, however, they swelled sharply, the rhythm of "wee-wah-wee-wah-" growing clearer and closer.

"Toby, stop," Lin Rui ordered quietly. He tossed the barbell bar to the floor, where it rolled into a corner with a clang. "The cops are here. Get your tears and accusations ready. Know how to play the victim?"

Toby had plenty of experience in brawls. Without another word, he dropped onto the floor, his massive body making it shudder.

He clutched his stomach and squealed like a pig being slaughtered. "Owww-it hurts so bad! They hit me! I'm dying! Help-"

His cries were so agonized that he sounded as though he really was about to breathe his last. Tears welled up instantly, snot and tears smearing his face.

Molly's expression changed in a second too. She drew a deep breath, and after less than three seconds of preparation, tears spilled down her face as though a floodgate had opened.

Without prompting, she retreated to a corner and curled into a ball, shoulders trembling, arms wrapped around her knees, the very picture of a frightened little rabbit.

Her classmates had already huddled together in the corner, their faces deathly pale. Molly asked softly, "Which clever one called the cops?"

The beanpole of a boy raised a trembling hand, his voice as faint as a mosquito's whine. "...Me. When I saw those guys come in, I secretly dialed 911. I said people were fighting with knives..."

Molly wiped away her tears and broke into a smile, patting his shoulder. "Great job! Tell the cops exactly what happened later. Don't leave out any details. Remember, you're a hero."

The praise made the boy blush to the tips of his ears. He could not keep the corners of his mouth from lifting, the fear of moments ago instantly replaced by a little pride.

Before long, the gym's iron door was shoved open. Police boots stepped into the hall, and a shout rang out. "Nobody move! Hands up!"

An hour later, the evening glow was slowly fading from Fortieth Block.

The police station's fluorescent lights were cold white and glaring. Lin Rui and the others were handcuffed to a row of benches in the neighborhood precinct's lobby.

The air held a mixture of coffee, disinfectant, and stale sweat. A floor-standing air conditioner whirred in the corner, chilling everyone.

The officer on duty was a middle-aged man with a loose tie and bags under his eyes as deep as gullies.

Looking at the group of youngsters before him-from fourteen- or fifteen-year-old students to thugs in their early twenties-he knitted his brows into a tight knot and sighed. "Another fucking street circus."

The two thugs cuffed to the bench were sobbing through snot and tears, their voices as hoarse as cracked gongs.

One clutched his face, swollen like a pig's head, while the other held his chest and complained haltingly, "We... we only wanted to go into the gym and look at the equipment.

"Who knew a bunch of violent maniacs had holed up inside! They charged over and started hitting us without a word. We never even fought back!"

Toby sat opposite them on an iron chair, his massive body making it creak. His face was so swollen that his features had shifted out of place. A cut split the corner of his mouth, its blood dried dark brown.

His voice was low and aggrieved. "I just wanted to leave the gang, but they cornered me on the way and beat the hell out of me. Look at my face... they did this. I didn't provoke them. They hit me first."

Molly huddled on a bench in the corner, her knees hugged tight to her chest, her eyes red and swollen, her tear-streaked makeup making her look like a panda. Her voice trembled, but every word was clear:

"These bastards tried to sexually assault me! They trapped me in the corridor, grabbed my clothes, and dragged me farther inside. If my boyfriend hadn't risked his life to save me, I... I don't know what would have happened to me."

The other students all talked over one another, creating a boiling pot of noise.

One said, "I saw them carrying knives," another sobbed, "I was so scared," and another stammered out additional details, their logic tangled like a ball of hemp.

To make matters worse, the precinct lobby was full of similar suspects, all buzzing with curses or tearful complaints, like a beehive thrown into an uproar.

Officer Kane's temples throbbed from the noise. Rubbing between his brows, he barked, "Quiet down! Call an ambulance and send the injured to the hospital."

The minor gang leader's face was waxy yellow, his breathing rapid. Every breath made him bare his teeth in pain. Flecks of blood dotted his chest.

The officer's preliminary examination found at least three broken ribs, multiple facial contusions, and a mild concussion.

Before being lifted onto a stretcher, George forced himself to raise his head and pointed furiously at Lin Rui. "Him! It was him! Don't let his silence fool you-he was the most vicious of them all!

"He rammed a forty-pound bare barbell bar into my chest! Now every breath feels like a knife cutting into me! You have to put him in prison and make him pay all my medical bills!"

Officer Kane turned, his gaze hawklike as he looked Lin Rui up and down.

The young man sat on the chair, his handcuff chain swaying gently, without the slightest trace of panic on his face. There was only dried sweat at his temples and a shirt collar that had been pulled askew. He was the calmest of those arrested.

"You're the one who hit hardest?" Kane's voice was low and threatening. "Do you know how many years you'll spend inside if intentionally inflicting grievous bodily harm is proven?"

Lin Rui raised his head and looked him straight in the eye. "The gym is Presbyterian Church property, opened to the public by Pastor Borg. Anyone who needs it can go in to work out.

"I installed surveillance cameras inside. Everything was recorded.

"Check the footage and it'll be clear-the men opposite us forced their way in, held people captive, and attempted sexual assault and battery.

"I was only acting in self-defense. I did nothing wrong."

He paused, then added, "Also, I'm an international student studying in the United States, currently staying at the neighborhood church. I'd like to call my guardian, Pastor Borg."

His words were clear and orderly, neither servile nor overbearing.

Under the lights, Lin Rui met the probing stare with a steady gaze that never once wavered.

Officer Kane paused, his fierce gaze softening a little. Something suddenly occurred to him, and he narrowed his eyes. "...You're Leon?"

The lobby fell quiet.

Everyone else's clamor stopped abruptly, all eyes turning toward the unassuming young Asian man.

Officer Kane's tone changed. "Pastor Borg mentioned you. Said there was a student from China who'd done a lot of work for the church and was teaching people at the gym... I didn't expect it to be you."

He paused, his gaze sweeping over George before returning to Lin Rui's face. "Kid, we'll pull the footage. I hope you're telling the truth.

"Seriously injuring someone is no joke. If so much as half a sentence is a lie... you'll spend a lot of years in prison."