The pickpocket man and that woman—the idea of them double-crossing each other hardly applied in this situation, but truly, these days you met all sorts of people.

From the powerful, scheming masterminds forming factions down to the nest of petty pickpockets, using sleight-of-hand and playing the good samaritan with pawns—these tactics were employed with practiced ease.

“Could that dame have switched places with the man from earlier and gone after someone else?”

Fatty Lin intensely regretted his brief impulse to stand up for the woman, a grim shadow clinging to his lips, feeling a wave of helplessness; the state of society had become truly deplorable.

It was just like the current climate: petty thieves were everywhere, while soldiers with stripes on their shoulders shouted slogans about defending the nation, and police officers wearing badges and emblems only seemed capable of intimidating people. Tell me, how many officials in this generation of Huaxia were truly upright and incorruptible? Even if some existed, layer upon layer of bureaucracy meant that even good men could, at times, be forced into becoming villains.

“If you, kid, had rushed out just now with a hot head, you’d certainly be the one suffering the loss,” Yang Yi smiled faintly, pointing ahead. “There are at least a dozen of these people, and they’re already operating across every carriage, though they aren't coordinating flawlessly.”

“Damn, what are the carriage patrol officers doing? And why aren't the people whose wallets were stolen complaining?” Fatty Lin seemed to have finally found a target, pressing Yang Yi with fervent questioning.

“That’s not hard to figure out?”

“It’s nearly New Year’s now. Anyone taking this train is undoubtedly a migrant worker or a modestly well-off family heading home. They lack power and are just ordinary folks. For the sake of a small amount of money, many prefer not to invite trouble unnecessarily. Perhaps this is what people call losing wealth to avert disaster,” Yang Yi sneered, his expression suddenly turning cold. He shifted his gaze outside, ignoring the pickpockets altogether; as long as they didn't bother him, why should he seek unnecessary complications?

“So that’s why they swallow their anger?” Fatty Lin shook his head.

It was understandable why Yang Yi would say that, and why Fatty Lin would shake his head. All of China was vast; how many small matters could one person manage? Every individual had their own path, and whether you interfered or not, the outcome might change, or it might not, but meddling would inevitably invite trouble that wasn't yours to handle. The most daunting part was that the victims themselves weren't pursuing the matter!

Xuan Yuanbing listened to Yang Yi’s words and observed his lack of desire to lend a hand. Her delicate eyebrows furrowed; the feeling Yang Yi gave her now was one of selfishness, bordering on heartlessness. Yet, thinking deeper, she realized it made sense. After all, if the victims didn’t care, wouldn't an outsider intervening seem like meddling?.......

But some things simply won't let you stand aside, like Yang Yi and his group right now. Fatty Lin spotted a young girl, weighed down with bags, and a face that looked faintly familiar. An inexplicable image suddenly sprang into his mind—a voluptuous, warm body radiating heat—and his brain sparked, “Damn, can the world really be that coincidental?”

“Ah!” The young girl suddenly bumped into someone and let out a startled cry. Ignoring the things that fell from her hands, she quickly apologized to the man she had collided with, “I’m sorry, I’m so sorry, it wasn't intentional.”

“Little girl, the carriage is crowded; watch where you’re going,” the man lectured sternly.

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry!” The girl was clearly polite and somewhat naive; even though the other person had bumped her first, she kept apologizing.

“Damn their ancestors,” Fatty Lin could hold back no longer. He had seen something he shouldn't have. He stood up, steadied himself with one hand, and leaped across the carriage floor, landing in front of a woman who was just beginning to slip away. He said coldly, “If you’re smart, you’ll return what doesn't belong to you, otherwise…”

“You… what did you say?” The woman looked genuinely startled, clearly guilty.

Yang Yi frowned at Fatty Lin’s sudden action, watching with cold eyes without uttering a word.

“I’ll say it again: return what doesn't belong to you, or even if you’re a woman, I won’t hold back my fists.”

Hearing Fatty Lin’s threat, the woman’s face darkened dramatically, and a chilling light flashed in the eyes of the man beside her. At that moment, everyone in the carriage suddenly turned their attention toward them.

“Ah….” The woman suddenly covered her ears and shrieked, shouting loudly, “Harassment! Someone is threatening me!”

The scream instantly echoed through the entire carriage, also alerting the pickpocket’s accomplices. Fatty Lin cursed her as shameless under his breath when he heard the shriek, then swiftly snatched something from her person—a black wallet bearing a panda design.

The young girl standing aside stared at the wallet and cried out in shock, “Isn't that my wallet? How could it be…”

“Heh heh, here you go…” Fatty Lin felt a bit hesitant about looking directly at the girl’s face as he smiled.

“Uh!” The girl was completely stunned, failing to react. If she had looked more closely, perhaps she might have recalled something, as she likely wouldn't have forgotten the face of someone like Fatty Lin so completely.

“My wallet… She… You!”

Seeing the confusion on the girl’s face, Fatty Lin sighed inwardly; time truly flew, two years had passed since they last met. He was also secretly amused that the girl didn't seem to recognize him. He said, “This person is a pickpocket, and that person is also a pickpocket. Your wallet was almost gone forever.”

“Ah!” Hearing Fatty Lin’s words, the young girl’s mouth dropped open in disbelief. She stared at the man and woman, whose faces were ashen, especially the woman, who drew the eyes of everyone in the carriage.

“You… You’re talking nonsense!” The woman, feeling exposed under everyone’s gaze, snapped at Fatty Lin in vexation.

“Caught red-handed, and you still dare to deny it?” Fatty Lin held nothing but contempt and extreme disdain for women like this.

When he was by Yang Yi’s side, Fatty Lin often heard the lament, ‘What a pity such a stunning beauty has turned to thievery.’ Although the woman before him was rather repulsive to look at, she was still a woman, and the fact that a woman would engage in such dirty business naturally invited widespread scorn.

“You…” The woman was momentarily speechless.

Meanwhile, the man standing behind her was preparing to bolt, paying no mind to the woman. But at that moment, he was stopped by Feng Shi, who stared at him coldly and said, “The matter isn't over, and you’re trying to slip away? Treating your comrade like this seems rather disloyal, doesn't it?”

“What are you talking about? I don’t even know her…” A flash of panic crossed the man’s face, but his lips remained tightly sealed.

Just then, several burly men appeared from both the front and rear ends of the carriage. Seeing what was happening, one of them immediately spoke to his companion, “We’ve run into trouble-makers this time. Go to the next carriage ahead and tell Old Cheng that Carriage Six has a problem and needs backup.”

“Got it, Big Brother!” A man answered and headed toward the adjacent carriage.

“Go!” The leader of the group curled his lip, nodded toward the men at the back of the carriage, then raised his hand—a clear signal understood down to the toes.

“You don’t know her? If you don’t know her, why did you help her switch the bag…”

Before Feng Shi could finish, a voice cut in.

“Hey, hey, hey!” A man, leading several others, moved to flank them. Stopping, he spoke up, “Miss, I think you must have misunderstood. We brothers here never saw this gentleman as a pickpocket, and as for that comrade woman, I saw her merely helping the little girl pick up her wallet.”

Hearing this, the woman reacted with practiced ease, retorting, “Exactly! I was just trying to pick it up for her, but you falsely accused me of being a thief!”

“Damn it!” Fatty Lin stared in shock at the men who had suddenly appeared.

It was a common sight these days: turning white into black, and black into white. This was undoubtedly second nature to thugs, riff-raff, and thieves. To ensure their own safety, they would resort to any depraved excuse. One had to admit, that was the way of the world for these sorts.

“Exactly, exactly… You two are trying to frame someone. Let us tell you, even though we’re farmers, we’ve seen a law on TV called the crime of false accusation. You better watch out, or we’ll report you,” the man blocking Feng Shi spat out aggressively. If Feng Shi had chosen to fight right then, this man would likely already be dead, restrained only by Yang Yi, who remained motionless in his seat.

But everyone in the carriage, including Fatty Lin, inwardly cursed the man as a scoundrel. Of all the laws in Huaxia, this man only remembered this one, and only after seeing it on television.

“Alas, there’s an old saying: ‘Fear nothing except a cultured hooligan.’ But now, perhaps it should be changed to: ‘Fear nothing except a cultured thief.’”

That single sentence caused everyone—not just the people inside the carriage, but even the carriage patrol officers just arriving at the entrance—to stare in dumbfounded silence at Yang Yi, who was sitting in the soft seat facing the window, a strange smile playing on his lips, who had suddenly uttered those words.