Zzzip.
An extremely faint sound of a metal zipper being pulled echoed in the silent train carriage, standing out starkly.
A dark figure crouched beside Qin Yao’s seat, one hand already reaching for the light pink suitcase she had placed by her feet.
The carriage was filled with snores, and no one noticed—no one except Qin Yao.
In her previous life, she had been a battlefield doctor and had undergone rigorous combat training.
Her instinctive awareness of danger was ingrained in her bones.
That faint sound acted like an electric current, instantly awakening all the dormant cells in her body.
Qin Yao’s eyes snapped open in the darkness.
She didn’t sit up immediately.
Instead, relying on years of experience, she pretended to still be sound asleep.
Her breathing was even, her body relaxed.
But her fingers had already stealthily moved toward the space beneath her pillow.
Hidden there was the small cloth pouch her mother, Wang Xiulan, had sewn for her to keep close to her body.
Inside that pouch were all her money, tickets, and marriage certificate.
Zzzip.
The sound of the zipper being pulled open sounded again, clearer this time.
Fury surged in Qin Yao’s heart.
The money she had worked so hard to save, the dowry her mother had scrimped and saved to prepare for her—
How dare someone try to steal it right in front of her!
This was absolutely intolerable!
Qin Yao abruptly flipped over and rose.
Her movements were as swift as lightning.
Before the dark figure could react, he felt a tight grip on his wrist.
Qin Yao’s five fingers clamped down on his pulse gate like an iron vise.
“Ah!”
The thief let out a low, pained cry, his voice filled with terror.
He never could have imagined that a seemingly delicate young girl could possess such speed and strength.
Qin Yao’s cold gaze fixed on him in the darkness.
Though the light was dim, she could still make him out clearly.
He was a thin man with a shifty, thievish look about him.
With his wrist seized by Qin Yao, he grimaced in pain.
But his other hand fidgeted restlessly toward his waist.
“Let go of me! Or else… or else I won’t be polite!”
The man threatened, his hand already pulling out something shiny.
“A switchblade!”
Qin Yao’s eyes instantly turned icy.
She saw clearly the cold gleam of the switchblade in the man’s hand in the darkness.
It seemed this thief was no ordinary troublemaker.
He was a hardened criminal!
“You dare threaten me with a knife?”
Qin Yao sneered.
Her voice wasn’t loud, but it carried an undeniable authority.
Like the cold blade of a sword suddenly unsheathed in the dead of night.
She tightened her grip on the man’s wrist even more.
Sweat beaded on the man’s forehead from the pain, and he could barely hold onto the switchblade.
“You… let go now! Or I really won’t be polite!”
He threatened again.
But Qin Yao remained unmoved.
“It seems you won’t give up until you’re faced with the consequences.”
She wasted no more words.
The moment the man tried to raise the switchblade, Qin Yao abruptly lowered her stance.
With a swift twist of the hand holding his wrist—
Crack!
A crisp sound of bone dislocation echoed clearly in the silent carriage.
“Ahhh!”
The man let out a piercing scream.
The switchblade in his hand clattered to the floor.
Qin Yao reacted quickly, kicking the switchblade away with her foot.
At the same time, she used the momentum to twist again.
She dislocated the man’s entire arm in one motion.
The man crumpled in pain, dropping to his knees on the floor.
Qin Yao gave him no chance to catch his breath.
She lifted her foot clad in cloth shoes.
With pinpoint accuracy, she kicked the man squarely in the shin.
“Thud!”
The man staggered from the blow, howling in pain as he tumbled into the train car’s aisle.
The entire sequence of movements flowed seamlessly, executed in one swift motion.
From Qin Yao rising to her feet to subduing the thief, the whole process took only a few seconds.
The surrounding passengers, who had been sound asleep, were jolted awake by the sudden cry of agony.
One by one, they drowsily lifted their heads, turning toward the source of the sound.
The lights in the car flickered on.
Only then did everyone see a gaunt man clutching his dislocated arm, curled up in agony on the aisle floor.
Meanwhile, Qin Yao stood calmly beside him, her expression unruffled.
The zipper of her suitcase had been partially opened.
“A thief!”
“Someone catch the thief!”
Someone shouted, though no one knew who.
Instantly, the entire car erupted into chaos.
The passengers snapped awake, craning their necks to get a better look.
“That young lady is incredible!”
“She single-handedly subdued the thief!”
“Serves the thief right, daring to steal from her!”
Praise and chatter rose and fell in waves.
Qin Yao paid no attention to the surrounding noise.
She stared coldly at the thief curled up on the floor.
Though her actions were ruthless, she had exercised precise control.
She had only dislocated his arm, rendering him incapable of further mischief for a while.
No permanent harm had been inflicted.
“Stop pretending to be dead!”
Qin Yao’s voice was soft but carried a chilling edge.
“Hand over everything you stole!”
Sweating profusely from the pain, the thief dared not resist.
Trembling, he pulled several cloth pouches and wallets from inside his jacket.
These were the belongings he had stolen from passengers under the cover of darkness.
“It’s all here, everything’s here,” he said weakly.
Qin Yao picked up the pouches and gave them a cursory inspection.
Confirming none of her own items were among them, she placed the pouches on a seat.
“When the train police arrive, you’ll return these to their owners yourself,” she said coldly.
Just then, two train police officers rushed over upon hearing the commotion.
They took in the chaotic scene in the car, the thief writhing on the floor,
and Qin Yao standing calmly nearby, her gaze sharp and unwavering.
“What happened?” one of the officers asked.
The surrounding passengers clamored to explain.
“Officer, it was this young lady!”
“She subdued the thief all by herself!”
“The thief even threatened her with a knife!”
After listening, the officers looked at Qin Yao in surprise.
“Young lady, did you catch the thief?”
Qin Yao nodded slightly. “He tried to steal from me. I defended myself.”
Her tone was matter-of-fact, as if she had merely done something trivial.
But the officers knew that subduing a knife-wielding thief in the middle of the night was no ordinary feat for a young woman.
They glanced at the thief and noticed his dislocated arm, his face pale with pain.
“You even injured him?” the other officer asked with a frown.
Qin Yao’s eyes turned colder. “It was self-defense. He threatened me with the knife first.”
She pointed to the gleaming switchblade on the floor.
Seeing the knife, the officers’ expressions instantly turned grave.
“Alright, let’s take him away first!”
“Young lady, come with us for a moment. We need to take your statement.”
Qin Yao did not refuse.
She picked up her suitcase and followed the two officers to a small room at the junction between cars.
This was the train police’s private resting compartment.
The room was small, but tidy and clean.
Inside, a person was seated.
That person sat with their back to Qin Yao, wearing a crisp military uniform.
Broad shoulders, long legs, and an upright posture.
Even from just the back, they gave off a sense of resolute steadiness.
The carriage swayed, the light dim and yellow.
The silhouette of the man in military uniform appeared even taller under the swaying light.
He seemed to be flipping through some documents.
Qin Yao’s footsteps paused slightly.
She unconsciously raised her eyes to look at that back.
This silhouette gave her an inexplicable sense of familiarity.
It was the man’s figure from the depths of her memory, with only a vague outline.
The next second.
The man in military uniform seemed to sense someone entering.
He slowly turned around.
His deep-set features gradually became clear under the swaying light.
It can’t be!
Qin Yao’s heart skipped a beat.
It’s actually him?!