Chapter 1245: Shut Your Mouth
After Wang An finished speaking, primarily due to the approaching sound of gunfire, the middle-aged woman suddenly displayed an agility that didn't lose out to any young person. Grabbing the ladder of the berth, she climbed up to the upper bunk of the compartment in a few quick motions.
To be honest, the performance of this middle-aged woman left Wang An, Mu Xueli, and Wang Li stunned.
Mainly because during their previous chatting, this woman, who was only in her 40s, had claimed she was old, her limbs weren't nimble, and climbing up and down was inconvenient this way and that.
Whether one liked it or not, she had been speaking half-truths. Wang An felt that of everything she said, only the phrase "climbing up and down is inconvenient" was true—because climbing up and down is inconvenient for anyone.
The woman's actions immediately reminded Wang An of those rather obnoxious old men and women from the future.
According to what his fellow inmates had told him back when he was "behind the fence," those obnoxious old folks were fierce and full of energy when dancing square dances or power-walking while blocking the roads.
However, the moment they stepped onto a bus or the subway, they were faster than anyone at snatching seats. If they failed to grab one, they would instantly transform into a vulnerable group, strongly demanding that others show respect for the elderly and children by giving up their seats.
Truthfully, because Wang An had spent too long in prison back then, he hadn't fully understood the outside society and had scoffed at his inmates' claims. Looking at it now, they were absolutely right!
However, since this involved matters of morality, there was no way to say it explicitly. Thus, after glancing at the middle-aged woman, Wang An remained silent.
Immediately following, the young woman also took a few quick steps and climbed up to the upper bunk on the other side.
Meanwhile, the three of them stood there holding their pistols, looking toward the corridor with tense expressions like three door gods.
In this situation, it was better to stay honestly inside the compartment rather than running around blindly.
Soon—whether it was a few seconds or a minute—the train's loudspeaker announced
"Attention all passengers, attention all passengers. Please do not run around randomly to avoid accidental injury."
"Attention all passengers, attention all passengers. Please do not run around randomly to avoid accidental injury."
The loudspeaker only fell silent after repeating this several times.
Unfortunately, when humans encounter danger, panicking and running blindly is almost an instinct; few people can maintain absolute composure.
Consequently, the voice from the loudspeaker had virtually no effect. Instead, the chaotic noise made by the people showed a tendency to intensify.
After a while, the middle-aged woman spoke up
"Comrades of the Public Security, shouldn't you go out and take a look? Isn't maintaining public order and stability your responsibility?"
To be honest, hearing this, Wang An had an impulse to give this old hag a slap across the face.
Although nominally the three of them were indeed Public Security and had the duty to help maintain order, they were currently on a train. The train had its own railway police to maintain order. If the three of them rushed out recklessly, there was an eighty to ninety percent chance they would be mistaken for bad guys and gunned down in the chaos.
Furthermore, with things so chaotic outside, who would care who you were? Dying would be a waste of a life.
Therefore, after the old hag finished speaking, Wang An ignored her and continued to look outside nervously. In Wang An's view, his own little life was the most important thing.
Mainly, the sounds of screams and wailing were already drifting in from outside; it was obvious that people had been injured or even shot.
But since Wang An ignored her, the old hag grew even more emboldened. She continued to say dissatisfiedly
"How are you doing your jobs as Public Security? Cowering the moment something happens—can you face the uniforms you're wearing?"
Great, this old hag was now trying to take the moral high ground.
He couldn't tell if she was blind to the current situation or if she truly had a heart of compassion. But if she had a heart of compassion, she didn't step forward herself; instead, she relied on Wang An and the others, who were also passengers. Wasn't this pure moral kidnapping?
If she truly possessed a fearless spirit, she shouldn't be hiding on the upper bunk, covering herself with a quilt. And if she could see the situation clearly, she should know that Wang An and the others guarding the door was the safest thing for the two of them.
Finally, no matter how much patience he had, Wang An could no longer stand the old hag's nagging. Without turning his head, he whispered to Wang Li
"Old Fifth, go give her two slaps and tell her to shut her mouth for me."
Wang Li was stunned for a moment, stuttering and hesitating
"Fourth Brother, this... this..."
Before Wang Li could finish, Wang An said coldly
"Damn it, just go."
Thus, Wang Li engaged the safety on his gun, shoved it into his pocket, and under the stunned gaze of the old hag, he leaped up the ladder. A slap flew out, and after a loud "smack," Wang Li landed back on the floor.
At the same time, Wang Li said fiercely
"Shut your mouth. If you nag again, I'll fucking kill you."
Because Wang Li's movements were too fast and sudden, not only did the old hag fail to react, but the young woman failed to react as well.
Fortunately, this slap finally made the old hag recognize reality: that Wang An and the others were not her subordinates, nor would they indulge her.
The young woman wanted to say something, but when Wang Li's murderous gaze turned toward her, she ultimately shut her mouth.
Just like that, after waiting a bit longer, a person stumbled and ran into Wang An's compartment. However, the moment he saw three dark muzzles pointed at him, he froze instantly.
Unable to distinguish friend from foe, Wang An didn't dare fire recklessly. Pointing the gun at the man's head with his left hand, he said
"Don't move. Give me the gun."
The man swallowed hard and slowly began to raise his arm, but Wang An immediately barked
"I fucking told you not to move!"
At a time like this, Wang An would not allow the opponent to make any movement; even raising a hand was forbidden. Mainly, if the opponent's firing speed was fast enough, it would be quite dangerous for Wang An standing opposite him.
After Wang An shouted, the man was relatively obedient and remained motionless in his posture.
Wang An continued to point the gun at the man's head and said to Mu Xueli and Wang Li, who were also pointing guns at the man's head
"You two keep a close eye on him. I'm going to take the gun now. If he dares to move an inch, shoot him dead."
Wang An always believed in the saying, "There is always a heaven beyond the heavens, and a person beyond the person." Although Wang An practiced the Eighteen Techniques of Grappling every day, he still felt his martial arts were poor, and crucially, his speed wasn't fast enough.
Therefore, it was always better to be cautious.