Chapter 41: Everyone’s Bullying Me

The driver, Xiao Zhang, had been leaning against the front of the car, scrolling through his phone.

Suddenly, he heard a sharp scream coming from not too far away, and his gaze immediately shifted over.

There, just a short distance ahead, he saw people screaming and fleeing in terror, while someone else was wildly chasing them with a large kitchen knife, hacking away.

The man wielding the knife looked utterly deranged, his expression bizarre, with a cruel yet aggrieved smile twisting his lips.

He was the spitting image of a mental patient who’d snapped after some kind of trigger.

Thump, thump, thump…

That was the sound of Xiao Zhang’s heart pounding violently.

Terrifying, it was truly terrifying.

This was the first time he’d witnessed something like this in person.

The man with the knife seemed like a demon reaping lives, his mere presence enough to make one’s body shudder, blood run cold, and nerves stretch taut.

His face, his clothes, and the knife in his hand were all smeared with blood, so much blood.

It dripped down the blade’s surface.

Drip, drop, landing on the man’s forehead.

He reached up and wiped it off his forehead, then resumed his frenzied chase and slashing.

“Ah, help!”

“Someone, quick, someone help! Save my child, ah!”

“…”

The sounds of running footsteps, panicked screams, cries, and hysterical wails blended together, instantly filling any listener with endless dread.

Xiao Zhang’s legs began to tremble.

It was at that moment that he heard the dean’s voice, firm yet laced with urgency.

“Xiao Zhang, hurry, back the car up.”

The words hit him like a sudden jolt.

He mumbled a hasty agreement, then quickly yanked open the car door, jumped in, started the engine, shifted into reverse, and began backing up.

The more anxious and panicked he felt, the more the car seemed to resist his control.

Seeing the mental patient drawing closer, Lu Qingqiang’s heart filled with both panic and worry.

She shouted, “What are you afraid of? The car’s bulletproof. Even if he reaches us, he can’t hurt you.”

“Just drive like you normally do.”

“Mm-hmm.” Hearing this, much of the tension and fear in Xiao Zhang’s heart dissipated.

That’s right, the car was bulletproof and attack-resistant.

He’d already locked the doors, so even if they couldn’t back up, everyone inside the car would be fine.

With that in mind, why be scared?

His mindset shifted in an instant, and by then, Xiao Zhang had the car started and was backing toward the orphanage.

Inside the vehicle, Yuan Yuan and Doctor Feng had noticed the situation from the start and stood up to calm the children.

So far, things on their end were still under control.

Outside at that moment.

The madman exuded the aura of a deranged, life-reaping ghost from head to toe.

On top of that, a burly passerby had tried to intervene earlier, only to get his arm slashed by the knife, which made everyone around even more terrified of him.

A dangerous figure like this needed to be stopped as soon as possible.

Otherwise, the consequences would be unimaginable.

Passersby had already called the police, but the cops couldn’t arrive instantly.

So in the meantime, they had to save themselves.

Lu Qingqiang scanned the surroundings, but there were no weapons in sight.

Gritting her teeth, she clenched her fists and charged forward.

But from behind her, a figure moved even faster.

It was Yan Fang.

The one with the short hair cropped into a buzz cut, tall and dressed in a security uniform, looking sharp and imposing: Yan Fang.

On ordinary days, Yan Fang appeared tall and slender, often wearing a smile.

Who would have thought that now, her face was set in cold determination, as if she’d been fitted with a motor.

She rushed forward at wind-like speed.

Like a bolt of powerful lightning.

Her features were resolute, her expression stern.

By the time she reached the madman, he was raising the knife, about to bring it down on a little girl who’d fallen to the ground.

The girl was completely frozen in fear.

Even her crying had stiffened into stillness.

The knife drew closer and closer.

Blood from it pattered down, dripping onto her pale, clean face.

She stared blankly, unmoving, at the blade inching nearer.

Then… she realized that the terrifying madman, like something out of a nightmare, had suddenly been kicked away by someone.

She wasn’t dead.

She hadn’t been hacked to death by the madman.

She was saved.

Coming to her senses belatedly, the girl began trembling as she used her hands to push herself backward along the ground.

After retreating a few steps, she tried to stand up.

But she had no strength left.

Her whole body was shaking violently, and she couldn’t muster any energy.

Tears streamed uncontrollably down her face, her heart pounding fiercely, as if it might burst from her chest.

“Are you okay? Let me help you.” Lu Qingqiang approached and extended a hand to the girl.

The girl looked up, met Lu Qingqiang’s gaze, and visibly froze for a moment before hurriedly averting her eyes in confusion.

“What’s wrong? Are you hurt?”

Lu Qingqiang saw her still sitting on the ground, face pale, expression laced with lingering terror.

After asking, she simply squatted down and scooped the girl up in a princess carry.

“You…” The girl moved her lips uncertainly, unsure what to say.

“I’ll carry you over to rest for a bit. Don’t worry, I’m strong, I won’t drop you.”

With that, Lu Qingqiang held her all the way and placed her in the front seat of the small truck, closing the door.

When Xiao Zhang backed the car into the orphanage, Yan Fang, who had been cleaning near the gate, heard the commotion outside and quickly ran out.

As she rushed out, she didn’t forget to close the orphanage gate first.

So for now, Lu Qingqiang could only temporarily leave the frightened girl in her own car.

“Just stay here for a while.”

After saying that, Lu Qingqiang hurried over to Yan Fang.

Yan Fang was a retired soldier after all, and her skills were truly not to be underestimated.

Clearly, with just a few simple moves, she’d beaten the madman to the ground, leaving him unable to even crawl.

Seeing the madman subdued, the surrounding people began to gather around.

Some angrily kicked at him, others suggested finding rope to tie him up tightly, some praised Yan Fang for her heroic and impressive display, and others called 110 and 120…

“Old Yan, are you alright?” Lu Qingqiang asked first thing.

“Director, I’m fine. How about you? And the kids?”

“We’re all okay.”

After that, Lu Qingqiang finally turned to examine the man lying on the ground.

“It’s him, the lunatic who escaped from the mental hospital in the news.”

Her words immediately sparked discussion among the crowd.

The madman on the ground suddenly had bloodshot eyes, his expression turning vicious and frenzied.

“I’m not a lunatic, I’m not sick. You’re the lunatics, you’re all sick, you all deserve to die.”

As he spoke, he flailed his arms and lunged toward Lu Qingqiang.

The gathered crowd recoiled in fright, and Yan Fang reached out to twist his arms behind his back.

But this time, Lu Qingqiang beat her to it.

She instinctively kicked out first, then moved to pin the madman’s arms.

Then came a crack…

Oops, that was the madman’s arm breaking.

Lu Qingqiang: “…”

Cough, sorry, she was too tense and scared, and she hadn’t controlled her strength in the moment.

“Waah, you’re all bad people, all bad, everyone’s bullying me, waah!!”

The madman started crying in pain, his wails loud and piercing.

It was so noisy it made people’s heads buzz.

Lu Qingqiang was already irritated, and hearing the cries, she snapped, “Shut up!”

But upon hearing that, the madman only cried even more wretchedly and loudly.

Lu Qingqiang glared at him, then swung a hard slap across his face.

There, finally quiet.

The surrounding people: “…………”

Σ(?д?;)