The road from Capitalview Station to downtown winds along a narrow lane, the streetlights dim and the visibility lousy.
Yolanda Jiang was just chatting when suddenly a dark shadow flashed right in front of the car. Her face changed—she stomped the brakes without hesitation, quick and sharp.
A screech of brakes ripped through the night, tires squealing against the pavement. The sudden stop nearly flung Claire Li and Ivy Liang out of their seats from the jolt.
"What the hell just happened?!"
Claire Li snapped out of it. The second the car stopped, she blurted out her question, voice full of worry.
Her forehead had just smacked into the seat in front—ouch, that hurt. But then Claire noticed the boy in the back row: while everyone else was thrown around, he sat there like a rock, not budging an inch. Cool as ice.
That little detail left Claire stunned for a second, but before she could think more, someone started banging on the window.
Bang, bang, bang!
Outside the window stood a dark-skinned guy in a black T-shirt, pounding on the glass. Yolanda hesitated, then rolled the window down. The guy scowled, "Hey! You drive like this on a dark road? You just hit someone, you know that?!"
"Hit someone?" Everyone in the car froze at the guy's words.
"No way. I totally swerved!" Yolanda got suspicious. She’d stomped on the brakes the instant she saw that shadow, and there was no thud or crash—just a lot of shaking from the sudden stop.
"Are you trying to pull a scam?" Ivy Liang, up in the passenger seat, shot a skeptical look at the big guy outside.
"Scam? Pretty girl, but not too bright, huh? I said you hit someone, so you did. Now get out of the car!"
The big guy yanked on the door handle, looking mean as hell.
The Audi trailing behind saw the commotion and pulled over too.
Victor Wen and his buddies jumped out, spotting the burly guy trying to yank open the Beetle’s door. They rushed over, shouting, "Hey! What do you think you’re doing?!"
With the Audi’s driver, Victor, and his two pals, that made four guys. Victor grabbed the big man’s wrist, blocking him from the door, and even flashed Yolanda a cocky grin: "Don’t worry, I’ve got this!"
The big guy raised an eyebrow at Victor and his crew. "What’s your problem? This car hit someone and tried to bail, so I stopped them. You know these people? Good—if you hit someone, you’re responsible!"
"You say we hit someone, so we did? Where’s the victim? Keep running your mouth and I’ll mess you up!" Victor barked, voice booming.
He’d lost face on the train, so this was Victor’s shot to look cool in front of Claire Li.
Victor’s three buddies stepped up too. One jabbed a finger at the big guy’s face and said coldly, "Don’t start trouble, man. Middle of the night—trying to scam people or what?"
"You want me to make a call and have someone deal with you? Keep pushing your luck!" another guy threatened, jumping in.
Another friend jumped in, talking fast.
The big guy glanced around and sneered. "Yeah, I see you all got bruised up—someone beat you down just now, huh? Still got the nerve to act tough? Want to see the guy you hit? Fine!"
He let out another cold laugh, then shouted toward the back of the Beetle, "Dog! You still alive back there?"
The moment he yelled, a painful groan came from the darkness behind the car. Victor and his crew froze, and Yolanda opened her door to get out.
Before she got out, she told Claire Li and Ivy Liang to stay put in the car and not move.
As soon as Yolanda stepped out, the big guy glared at her. "You were driving, right? You hit someone, and now he’s lying out back. Don’t even think about running off! Damn it!"
The big guy was full of bluster and wouldn’t stop cursing.
Yolanda frowned. "Let’s go check it out."
She hesitated for a second, then walked to the back of the car with Victor and the others.
Just a few steps back, they saw a skinny guy on the ground clutching his lower leg. One look and you could tell—it was completely twisted, totally broken.
The skinny guy’s face was twisted in pain, groaning nonstop.
Even though Yolanda had braced herself, her face still went white at the sight.
No matter how tough she dressed, Yolanda was still just a college girl—not even graduated yet.
Victor and his buddies were also shocked—the guy’s leg was obviously busted, bones out of place.
"See that? Look what you did to my brother—he’s done for! So, how are you gonna fix this?" The big guy shouted, sounding pretty pleased with himself.
"No way. I’m sure I didn’t hit anyone. I turned the wheel and slammed the brakes—there wasn’t any crash." Yolanda forced herself to stay calm and spoke slowly.
If I’d really hit him, there’d be a sound!
And I wasn’t even going fast—I braked instantly. Even if I did hit him, no way he’d be mangled like this!
Yolanda took a deep breath.
Victor nodded fast. "Right? And look—the ground’s spotless, not a drop of blood. How could his leg get wrecked with no blood? That’s just nonsense!"
You’re straight-up trying to scam us!
Victor’s friends piped up, backing him up.
"Oh, so you’re just gonna deny everything?" The big guy’s face darkened. "If you think I’m faking, prove it! My brother’s leg is busted—she hit him!"
Why don’t you prove we hit him, huh? Damn it, you just looking for trouble?" Victor stepped up, shouting loud.
His three buddies stepped up too, glaring at the big guy, looking ready to throw down.
Oh, you think you’re tough just because there’s more of you? Fine!
Seeing Victor and the other guys step up, the big guy grinned weirdly, then turned and hollered at the alley, "Boys, get out here—now!"