166 Friends

 

Without actual evidence, we could only keep a person for 24 hours. Even though every circumstantial evidence pointed towards Zhang Bin, they were not direct evidence. Therefore, 24 hours later, we had to let Zhang Bin go.

Today, all the citizens of Elm Town were gathered at the police station. Zhang Bin had not encountered something as serious as this before. He used his shirt to cover his head, afraid that people might recognize him. However, the fact that he did that only tipped the citizens to his presence. They all rushed forward, wanting to see what the legendary Zhang Bin looked like.

They were rowdy and someone shouted, “The post did say that the police are in cahoots with Zhang Bin. I refuse to believe it but the fact that they would let someone as awful as Zhang Bin go proves that I was wrong! What is the point of the police if they can’t protect us from criminals like Zhang Bin!”

Instantly the public rounded behind that slogan. They screamed and surrounded Zhang Bin. If not for the police maintaining the order, Zhang Bin would be beaten to death. The power of the people was scary especially when it was misguided.

The police station chief stood at the top of the stairs and shouted from his speaker, “Quiet down please! There is no concrete evidence that Zhang Bin is the killer. Please calm down. If Zhang Bin is not the killer, then we would be hurting an innocent person.” But no one cared.

The crowd blocked the cruiser so that Zhang Bin couldn’t get in it. Zhang Bin used his shirt to block left and right but eventually someone grabbed his shirt and pulled it away.

Someone shouted, “You looked so cute when you were young but now you look just like a criminal. Citizens of Elm Town, remember this face. Justice might be late but it is never absent!” This axiom resonated with the crowd, and they all chanted, “Justice might be late but it is never absent!”

Zhang Bin cried and pleaded, “But I didn’t do anything, it is really not me!”

An auntie scolded, “Pfft, everyone already knows the truth. There is no point in arguing anymore. We’re all civilized people so let’s not use our fists but our mouths instead!” Then she gargled and spat on Zhang Bin’s face. And that was how a group of civilized people ended up spitting on Zhang Bin. Soon Zhang Bin was covered in slime. Since we stood next to Zhang Bin, some of the spit splattered onto us as well.

“It’s not me.” Zhang Bin shouted until his face was red but it was pointless.

At that moment, a boy charged through the crowd. He held 2 cleavers in his arms. I was standing right beside Zhang Bin so I saw Wang An from afar. A primary student with 2 cleavers charged out from the crowd, it was quite strange and terrifying. The crowd immediately parted to let Wang An through. Wang An shouted, “Zhang Bin, you’ve killed my big sister and big brother! Even if I die, I’ll bring you down with me!”

“That’s the boy! The poor thing!” Some of the crowd recognized Wang An from the post. He was the poor child mentioned in the ‘murder’ post.

Gu Chen blocked before Zhang Bin. As he saw Wang An, he frowned. I knew Wang An had a violent streak but I had no idea he would be so daring to attack Zhang Bin in front of so many people.

Gu Chen went forward to stop Wang An. However, the crowd had had enough. A few of them rushed forward to hold Gu Chen back. That gave Wang An the opportunity to get towards Zhang Bin. Zhang Bin’s left arm was cut by Wang An twice before, this time, Wang An was going for the man’s life.

Zhang Bin panicked. At that moment, he grabbed someone nearby to be his meat shield. Everyone had already scattered away from Zhang Bin, only this man still stood there dumbly. Zhang Bin grabbed the man and shielded the man before him. I got a close look at the man, he was Guo Feng, Teacher Zhao’s son. No wonder he didn’t move away with the crowd. He was probably there to accompany Wang An, but in the chaos, he was made into a meat shield by Zhang Bin. Wang An might be a good fighter but he was still a child. When he saw Guo Feng, it was already too late. He couldn’t retract his fists.

There was a wet squishing sound. A cleaver fell to the ground and the other cleaver stabbed into his stomach.

A tear dropped to the ground.

A fatty collapsed to the ground.

Guo Feng looked at his own stomach, and several seconds later he started to cry. Wang An immediately lost his courage. He hugged Guo Feng’s arm and began to cry too. In the chaos, Zhang Bin had disappeared. I hurried to inspect Guo Feng’s wound. Someone shouted, “That fucking Zhang Bin has killed another man! Zhang Bin has killed again!”

The chaos escalated. I saw from the corner of my eye that Zhang Bin had escaped back into the station. This place which he would have hated deeply in the past was now his only sanctuary.

Guo Fang’s stomach was pouring with blood. Wang An used full force behind his stab. There was only the hilt which could be seen, the blade had fully sunken into Guo Feng’s stomach. His stomach was torn open like a zipper, the intestines could be seen.

Guo Feng cried, Wang An cried.

“Call the ambulance, someone call the ambulance!” I shouted loudly, “Guan Zhenglin, where is Guan Zhenglin? Someone is injured!” But the chaos of the crowd had swallowed up my voice.

“Wang An, Wang An, it’s so painful. I feel so sleepy.” Guo Feng looked at Wang An and uttered softly.

“It’s fine, you’ll be fine. Please don’t fall asleep.” Wang An’s tiny hands were pressed heavily against Guo Feng’s stomach to stop the blood from flowing.

“Wang An, please don’t cry. Didn’t you say that you hate children who cry the most?” Guo Feng reached out his hand to try to wipe away Wang An’s tears.

Wang An sniffled and said, “Of course, see, I’m not crying.”

Guo Feng forced a smile. “You promised to play with me after you’re done with your task. Have you finally completed that task?”

“I have. I will always play with you.” Wang An tried to force his trembling lips to smile.

“Pinkie swear.” Guo Feng lifted his shaking hand.

“Pinkie swear.” Wang An hooked his finger with his friend’s. Then Guo Feng closed his eyes like he was sweetly falling asleep.

“Move out of the way please! The ambulance is coming!” The siren of the ambulance came. But the crowd was too large. People bumped into each other and the situation only got more chaotic. This lasted for a whole five minute before the ambulance could reach Guo Feng. They lifted Guo Feng into the ambulance and Guan Zhenglin followed. Wang An made to follow too but he was stopped by one of the officers. Wang An turned to glare at him. There was asura in his eyes.

I knew about the relationship between Wang An and Guo Feng so I uttered softly, “Let him go.”

After the ambulance drove away, so did the crowd. They didn’t want to get hauled into the station after all. In the end, all that was left were two bloody cleavers and a pool of blood.

Gu Chen cursed, “This is all my fault, if I had noticed this earlier, the man wouldn’t have been stabbed!”

I tapped Gu Chen on his shoulder. Everything happened too fast, Wang An didn’t want to kill Guo Feng, Zhang Bin didn’t want to harm Guo Feng but he didn’t want to be killed by Wang An either. So he grabbed the person closest to him, but unfortunately, that person was Wang An’s good friend, Guo Feng.

So whose fault was this? Clearly in the eye of the public, the fault was Zhang Bin. They had already decided that he was the killer. Zhang Bin had truly gotten ‘famous’ today at Elm Town. Elm Town was not that big. Zhang Bin had lost his ability to live in this town.

Even though we still had no evidence to prove that he was the killer.

Zhang Bin poked his head out from the station door. He was covered in spit and his face was pale. He walked out and said stutteringly, “I really didn’t mean to do it. I, I only reacted on instinct. That, that kid wanted to kill me. I was afraid.” Zhang Bin was no longer the same person we arrested. The arrogance and insouciance were all gone. The emptiest can ring the loudest. Zhang Bin was a talker but Wang An was a doer, that was the difference between the two.

The station chief frowned, “This is madness.”

I looked at Zhang Bin and said, “Currently we have no evidence to prove that you are the killer or the rapist so you can go now. But before the case is closed, you are not to leave Elm Town or we’ll arrest you. Also, I’d advise you to keep a low profile, you know what the consequences are if you’re spotted.”

Zhang Bin nodded and he looked dispirited. He looked at us and said, “I’ve told you everything I know, I didn’t do the rest. I don’t know why everyone thinks I’m the culprit when I am really not. Once you’re a criminal, you’re not trustworthy anymore?” Zhang Bin asked with a choke in his voice, “Do you believe me?”

None of us responded.

Zhang Bin laughed deprecatingly as he turned around. He mumbled to himself, “Am I forever condemned for my past?”