Evolution - Chapter 9
Chapter 9
Ji Changqing's guess was correct.
The holographic game had been open for nearly two months, and everyone had spent the equivalent of half a year inside. How to put it? Most people who had time to play games didn't typically do much physical labor. They spent their days floundering, painfully yet joyfully, in the game, so they didn't notice much of a change. At most, they felt more energetic after playing, but they didn't pay it much mind, simply attributing it to sleeping well recently.
It wasn't until recently that someone posted a thread: “Robber gets what they deserved! This young lady is awesome!” The poster explained that they were driving home from work at night when their dashcam recorded the entire incident at an intersection. First, snatch thieves on a motorcycle quietly approached and violently grabbed the bag of a young woman waiting for the light. Just as they succeeded and were speeding away, the woman, perhaps instinctively, tried to yank her bag back. Astonishingly, she managed to pull the thief right off the bike. The driver lost his balance, and the motorcycle crashed into the curb.
What followed was the young woman beating the hell out of the bag snatcher. A kindhearted passerby called the police. By the time they arrived, the thief was already beaten to a pulp.
The poster blurred the young woman's face in the video, but everyone could see that when her bag was snatched, she was yanked off balance and nearly fell into the traffic lane. But she reacted quickly, grabbing hold of the bag strap that was about to slip from her grasp and pulling the thief down. In the video, it was clear that the young woman was also surprised she had actually managed to pull him off. She stood stunned for two or three seconds before reacting, then kicked him and started laying into him with her fists and feet.
Soon, a crowd of passersby gathered, blocking the view.
The thread was flooded with comments of “666.”
“This girl is so cool! I want to marry her!”
“That was too dangerous. What if he had a knife?”
“Hahaha, her reaction perfectly illustrates the saying, ‘Are you getting cocky, or do you think I can’t handle you?’ How dare you rob me? I’ll beat you to death!”
“Is she a martial artist? Her moves are so sharp!”
...
“This is my friend. She’s never even been to a gym. The bag snatcher has two broken ribs. She’s still at the police station. We don’t know if this will be ruled as excessive self-defense or intentional injury.”
“What the hell? Isn’t this justifiable self-defense? If she hadn’t been lucky, she could have fallen into the traffic lane. The light for straight traffic was green at the time, so her life was definitely in danger! In a situation like this, as long as you don’t kill them, it shouldn’t be considered excessive, right?”
“Dude above me, take a seat. You’re brilliant!”
“They started it. Is the young lady supposed to pay his medical bills and go to jail?”
Initially, the authorities issued a statement saying the matter was under investigation, which was met with a torrent of online abuse. After some time, likely to quell public opinion, they expedited the process and officially declared that the young woman had acted in justifiable self-defense and would not face criminal charges.
But that did little to quiet the online uproar.
Online forums are always boisterous, but after the news of the robber getting a beatdown, posts about similar “counter-attacks” began to multiply. A burglar getting beaten by a homeowner, an abuser getting fought back against in a domestic violence case, a violent threat during a roadside conflict being neutralized...
And a much larger wave was on its way.
A post appeared online claiming that a violent clash had occurred between students from a nearby high school, and both police and ambulances were on the scene.
Someone quickly added a comment, revealing that nine people were involved—two dead, seven seriously injured. It wasn't a simple violent clash or gang fight, but a case of school bullying that had been going on for over a year. This time, things went south, likely because the victims fought back fiercely.
School bullying has always been a sensitive topic. Everyone has friends or family members who are diligently studying in school. The internet exploded. More anonymous tips trickled in, and gradually, a rough picture emerged: a year-long campaign of bullying that started with taunts and torn homework and slowly escalated to physical violence. The victims were confirmed to be two students. It was seven against two. For some reason, these two suddenly fought back with extreme ferocity, resulting in two deaths and seven serious injuries.
Overnight, terms like “school bullying” and “the school’s failure” trended online.
The next day, a different narrative appeared online. It claimed that the alleged bullies were just a bit mischievous and active, sometimes impulsive, but were otherwise relatively obedient, good kids. The two alleged victims, on the other hand, were described as sensitive and insecure for various reasons, which led to frequent conflicts between the two sides. Whether it constituted bullying, they said, still required investigation.
Someone else claimed that the two alleged victims were carrying regulated knives, suggesting it might have been a planned act of revenge.
But these claims were quickly drowned out by the ridicule of angry netizens.
“Where did they hire these paid trolls? Do they even have an IQ? Haha, I’m dying. Seven against two, and they say it’s not bullying?”
“Was it the victims who died? Both of them?”
“A conflict that lasted over a year? Are the teachers at that school dead?”
...
The internet was in an uproar, but in the real world, life went on as usual, seemingly undisturbed. Everyone continued with their daily routines.
The only lives that had changed were those of the nine individuals involved and their families.
On this day, on a hospital floor guarded by police, three people arrived—two women and one man. The officer on duty stood up to stop them.
“We are the lawyers representing Feng Rui and Tian Jing, retained by their families. We heard our clients are awake and are requesting to see them.” The woman in the lead, dressed in a professional suit, was unsurprised. She calmly stated her purpose and presented her credentials.
The officer glanced at the man and woman behind the lawyer. “And these two are?”
“My assistants.”
“Only you can go in.” The officer motioned for his colleague to come over and accompany the lawyer into the hospital room.
The man and woman who had come with her didn't object. They casually looked around, appearing well-behaved and making no attempt to strike up a conversation. But the officer’s sharp intuition told him there was something unusual about them.
He just couldn't put his finger on it.
The lawyer first met with Feng Rui, the boy who was rumored to be one of the victims.
“I am the lawyer for you and Tian Jing, retained by your families.” The lawyer got straight to the point, her tone calm and reassuring. She showed no reaction to the surprise on Feng Rui’s face. “I heard you were awake, so I came to understand the situation. I only have fifteen minutes. Can you briefly tell me what happened, from beginning to end?”
Feng Rui, his face pale, whispered, “Okay.”
He and Tian Jing were neighbors who had grown up together. They were the same age, both excellent students, and had attended the same elementary, middle, and high schools. Tian Jing’s parents had died in an accident years ago, and her grandfather had also passed away, so she lived with her grandmother. Both families were middle-class. Thanks to a sizable compensation from the accident, Tian Jing was not financially strained and had enough to focus on her studies.
The trouble began in the second semester of their first year of high school. Tian Jing had always been pretty, and as a sixteen-year-old, she had blossomed into a graceful young woman. A group of students had unofficially named her the school beauty.
And because she was so beautiful, many boys were attracted to her. The leader of the group of bullies was one of them.
But Tian Jing, due to her childhood experiences, had a clearer plan for her life than most of her peers. She just wanted to study hard, get into a good university, and find a job back home after graduation so she could take care of her grandmother in her old age.
Being rejected is a normal, minor event. Everyone thought so. But this ringleader was different. After his initial rejection, he confidently believed that girls were just shy and wouldn't agree right away.
But when his continued advances were repeatedly rebuffed, he felt he had lost face. One time, he cornered Tian Jing and aggressively confessed his feelings, demanding that she become his girlfriend.
Feng Rui happened to come across this on his way home and intervened, telling the ringleader to stop harassing and pressuring Tian Jing.
From that incident on, the ringleader began to target Feng Rui.
At first, Feng Rui didn't think much of it, but the harassment grew worse and worse, and they even started cornering him with a group. He naturally fought back, but he was outnumbered and always ended up getting beaten.
It was impossible to hide. When Tian Jing found out, she confronted the ringleader at school, explaining that she wasn't interested in a relationship and that Feng Rui was like an older brother to her.
But some things can't be solved with explanations.
No, that wasn't right. Perhaps, after Tian Jing stood up for him and tried to get them to stop, the number of people being bullied simply became two.
The two of them reported it to the school, but soon after, they were reprimanded for being in a “puppy love” relationship, and their parents were called in.
Their parents, who were close, were actually happy at the thought of them dating. But when they heard their children were being bullied and slandered, not dating, they reacted fiercely. The school didn't believe them, so Feng Rui’s parents tried to communicate with the ringleader’s parents instead.
But that clearly had no positive effect; in fact, it made things even worse.
Feng Rui’s parents had no choice but to take turns leaving work early to pick up their children from school.
On the days their parents couldn't make it, the group would corner them for a round of humiliation.
Under these circumstances, Feng Rui’s parents’ work was affected, and both his and Tian Jing’s studies suffered greatly. Despite their best efforts, their rankings slowly declined.
They thought about transferring to escape, but their current high school was the best in the city. Besides the fees for a new school, they couldn't escape the group—they had threatened that if they transferred, things would get even worse. The bullies might not have time, but the thugs in society had plenty of it.
This left the two teenagers feeling both desperate and furious.
In the second semester of their sophomore year, Feng Rui overheard the group discussing how to make Tian Jing submit.
“Just do her, man. Besides, we’re not eighteen. We won’t be held legally responsible. Maybe she’ll be devoted to you after that, boss!”
“I say, even if we are held responsible, it’s three years minimum, right? For a beauty like that, it’s totally worth it.”
...
Feng Rui trembled with rage, and Tian Jing was terrified.
The two stubborn teenagers did the only thing they could think of: they started carrying a fruit knife in their schoolbags every day. They thought viciously, If they really dare, we’ll fight them to the death!
Then the holographic game was released. They heard from classmates that you had to solve problems related to your school curriculum to progress, and a virtual teacher would explain the concepts until you mastered the relevant knowledge points before you could continue playing.
What was a point of misery for many students was a godsend for Tian Jing and Feng Rui.
Their families gritted their teeth and ordered two basic pods. They also got doctor's notes, stating that their children were unwell and requesting to self-study at home for the semester, only returning for the midterm and final exams.
Those two months were a rare, happy time in Feng Rui and Tian Jing’s high school lives. Away from the bullying and humiliation, they threw themselves into their studies. For many high schoolers, the most painful part of the holographic game was the problem-solving. They would never have endured it if not for the game itself.
For Feng Rui and Tian Jing, however, learning was the main goal; playing the game was just a means to get access to the problem sets and the virtual teacher's guidance.
Gradually, they discovered that if they performed well in the game, the virtual teacher would teach them more things—things that could give them the ability to protect themselves.
So they worked even harder.
This time was their first trip back to school since the holographic game began, for their final exams.
When they were once again dragged from the school gate and cornered in an alley, they were both scared and furious. They couldn't understand why people like this existed in the world—people who couldn't respect others' lives and choices, who brutally imposed their own whims on them, forcing others to satisfy their selfish desires.
As he curled up, fists and feet raining down on him, he was filled with hatred. When Tian Jing rushed over to shield him and they were beaten together, his hatred grew even stronger. Why could they curse and hit them whenever they wanted? What had they done wrong?
No, they had done nothing wrong. It was this scum that was wrong.
In the chaos, Tian Jing was pulled away. He heard her scream, heard the lewd taunts of the scum, heard the sound of clothes being torn...
At this point, he looked up at the lawyer and the police officer and said softly, “It was too chaotic. I struggled desperately, trying to help Tian Jing, and then somehow, I broke free from them.” He gave a small, almost cheerful laugh. “After I broke free, I felt like I was stronger than all of them, not like before when I could never get away. I don’t know which of us reached for the fruit knife in our bag first. In that situation, all I wanted was to take them down quickly, to stop them from violating Tian Jing. You know, if something like that really happened, it would destroy a person. That’s a girl’s precious life. No one has the right to destroy it.”
Hearing this, the lawyer looked up and habitually pushed up her glasses. “Okay, I understand. I have a few minutes left. May I ask you a few questions?”
“You can.”
“How many times in total did you report the bullying to the school? Who did you report it to, and how did they respond and handle it at the time?”
“When did your parents go to see the other party’s parents? Is there any record of it?”
“When did your parents start picking you up from school?”
Feng Rui answered each question, and even provided a surprising detail. “After I heard them planning to do that to Tian Jing, we went to the police station to report it. But they didn't file a case or take any action. They just said they would check with the school.”
The police officer beside him moved his lips but remained silent.
“Alright, I have a basic understanding of the situation. I will do my best to apply to retrieve evidence, but we also need to be mentally prepared. Because this has been going on for a long time, some areas may not have surveillance, or the footage may have been overwritten.”
“It’s okay,” Feng Rui said softly. “We’re already satisfied with this.” His eyes were full of relief, his young face devoid of despair.
The people who had casually tormented them had finally received a heavy lesson from them. Thinking of their terrified eyes, their spineless pleas for mercy, their agonized wails... he felt that much of the frustration and anger that had built up in his heart over the past year had dissipated.
Tian Jing’s condition was slightly worse than Feng Rui’s. Although her physical injuries were less severe, the psychological pressure was much greater—perhaps because she felt guilty about Feng Rui, since he wouldn't have been dragged into this crude and despicable drama if not for her.
Her account of the events was largely the same as Feng Rui’s, though she added more details about their lewd words and actions toward her. However, her description of the final struggle was slightly different. “At that moment, I felt someone touching me, and I thought that even if we all died together, I wouldn't let them succeed. So I pulled the knife out of my bag and just started stabbing wildly.”
She frowned, as if unwilling to recall the vile memory, but she forced herself to answer truthfully despite her discomfort.
Finally, as the lawyer was finishing the meeting and leaving, she said in a low voice:
“We never wanted to hurt them. We just wanted to protect ourselves.”
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