Chapter 15: Brick — Bring It On
The more tense the situation became, the calmer Ning Xiyue’s heart grew. The instinctive reflexes she had developed as a child in the orphanage kicked in — her steps and body moved on their own to dodge the incoming attack. Her fingers pressed quickly on the brick, tightening her grip.
She entered full combat mode, ready for action.
At the moment the woman lunged toward her, the blade about to slash across her face, Ning Xiyue’s expression remained calm and blank as she raised the brick and, with speed, precision, and force, smacked the knife aside.
Then, without hesitation, she swung the brick toward the woman — one strike to the arm, one to the head — each hit fierce and heavy. Ning Xiyue imagined she was smashing a watermelon. Since she had already set the brick’s strength, there was nothing to worry about — she could go all out without holding back.
The woman had no power to resist.
Unfortunately for her, despite her dramatic entrance, she turned out to be terribly fragile. Whatever she had been planning to pull out of her clothes, she never got the chance before collapsing.
After just two hits, Ning Xiyue saw the woman rolling her eyes like a dying fish, disgusting drool dripping from the corners of her mouth.
Seeing her about to fall, Ning Xiyue quickly stepped aside to avoid the woman collapsing onto her — getting accidentally injured would be embarrassing.
In the blink of an eye, the woman who had planned to take Ning Xiyue hostage fell to the floor with a heavy thud, unconscious.
Want to mess with her? Better ask her brick if it agrees.
Brick: Bring it on.
Clearly, the brick did not agree.
This time, Ning Xiyue had set the brick’s force far heavier than when she’d hit Zhang Yuan. She left the woman with just a single breath — and if it weren’t for the trouble it might cause her, she wouldn’t have left even that. Anyone who tried to take her life should be prepared to repay it with their own.
The whole thing happened in just a few seconds.
Ning Xiyue glanced toward a man who looked like the grim reaper himself rushing over from somewhere, then at the suddenly silent scene around her. Her eyes darted around. Her legs gave a symbolic tremble, her body shook slightly, and she leaned weakly against the wall, her voice trembling:
“C-Conductor… comrade… c-could you… help me? I-I’m scared~”
The frozen scene was like someone had just hit the play button — life returned to it in an instant.
People in both train cars stared at the broken, two-piece knife on the ground and then at the unconscious woman, gasping sharply.
Soon, whispers spread among the passengers. Many eyes fell on Ning Xiyue — some shocked, some admiring, some thinking this girl was terrifyingly bold.
The man and woman who had switched seats with Liu Yao immediately slapped a mental label on Ning Xiyue: Do. Not. Provoke.
Ning Xiyue didn’t care about anyone’s stares or opinions. Her life was more important. Right now, she had to focus on playing the part of an innocent bystander who had been caught up in the chaos and deeply traumatized.
The man Ning Xiyue called “Black-Faced Yama” looked at her with a flicker of admiration in his eyes and had a female attendant help her to a seat that a passenger had specially given up.
Chen Yechu, who had been searching for her, rushed over anxiously. “Xiyue, are you okay?”
“I’m fine, just scared. Don’t worry, the police comrades are protecting us,” Ning Xiyue said with a strained smile, waving her trembling hand.
“As long as you’re okay.” Chen Yechu let out a sigh of relief and stood by her side to keep her company.
Yu Zhiyu also stood not far behind, watching with concern.
Ning Xiyue turned her gaze back to the scene of the incident.
The train had reached a station, but no one was getting on or off here. The two men who had been arrested earlier were nowhere to be seen — most likely, they had already been handed over to the police waiting at the door.
As for the woman lying on the ground…
Two police officers stepped forward, checked her breathing, then felt for a pulse at her neck. Confirming she was merely unconscious, they nodded toward the Black-Faced Yama.
Following orders, the officers lifted the woman up and carried her off the train without a hint of pity — not a single word wasted.
It was clear that the woman was one of their targets too, an accomplice of the two men from earlier.
The reason she had tried to take Ning Xiyue hostage was probably because she realized she had no way to escape.
With everything else handled, Ning Xiyue knew it was her turn. Judging by the situation, this wasn’t just a simple theft.
And sure enough, her guess was spot on.
Here he came — the big boss himself — carrying honeyed arsenic in his words.
Two train attendants approached her, speaking kindly yet firmly, leaving no room for refusal: “Comrade, we sincerely apologize for the fright you’ve suffered. To express our regret, we’d like to upgrade you to a private sleeper compartment — free of charge, of course. We’ll cover all the costs.”
Ask and you shall receive. She was getting a free upgrade to the kind of sleeper usually reserved for officials — not bad at all.
“Thank you. My luggage is still over there. Can I go get it first?” More importantly, she hadn’t checked in yet — those human-shaped check-in targets were still waiting.
“Lead the way,” the Black-Faced Yama said coldly.
Ning Xiyue felt Chen Yechu, who was holding her up, shudder at those two words.
She glanced at the man beside her and silently grumbled in her heart — was this comrade trying to scare people to death? His tone was so cold it felt like shards of ice. Good thing she hadn’t been raised to fear people.
Of course, knowing when to act meek was important too. Ning Xiyue obediently walked ahead to lead the way. With Chen Yechu’s support and her brick in hand, she returned to her seat.
The train started moving again, heading to the next stop. The carriage soon returned to its usual state, as if nothing had happened — though it was now much more lively than before.
Back at her seat, she noticed the man and woman in front of her turning their bodies curiously toward her before nodding at her with friendly smiles.
Liu Yao also stood up and grabbed Ning Xiyue’s hand, eyes full of admiration. She even secretly reached out to touch the brick in Ning Xiyue’s hand.
Ning Xiyue smiled and said she was fine, but inside she was calculating whether she could finally complete the check-in.
When Yu Zhiyu walked over, Ning Xiyue checked the angle — perfect timing.
“Check-in,” she shouted in her mind. “System, hurry up and take the picture. Don’t miss this chance.”
Ding! [Check-in at hidden location successful. You have received one Mysterious Grand Gift Pack.]
Ning Xiyue wanted to burst out laughing — System’s gift packs never disappointed. They were always grand in every sense.
But with so many eyes on her, she dared not show any reaction. Not a single hint of expression crossed her face. She hadn’t forgotten that a grim supervisor was still watching her every move from behind.
She would wait until she was alone to see what was inside.
Without hesitation, Ning Xiyue pulled her bundle and bedding out from under the seat. Then she pointed to the luggage rack above and turned to the person beside her with a shy smile:
“Comrade, could you help me get that? That trunk up there is mine too.”
