Chapter 126: The Indifference of the Human Heart

Mo Qi was still wearing a face mask. The conductor gave her a strange look before saying, "Ticket, please. Fifty-five."

Mo Qi took out her remaining money, counted out fifty-five yuan, and handed it over. She was left with only four yuan in her pocket.

The conductor handed her a ticket and moved toward the back of the bus to continue collecting fares.

Four yuan—not even enough to buy a bottle of milk to stave off hunger. How miserable.

Mo Qi gave a wry smile and tucked the money back into her pocket.

A young woman carrying a toddler boarded the bus, smiled at Mo Qi, and sat in the seat next to her. Mo Qi shifted inward to give them more room.

"Thank you," the young woman said, placing her bag at her feet. The child in her arms turned his head, his clear, wide eyes staring curiously at Mo Qi.

Mo Qi smiled and reached out to pinch his chubby cheek.

The boy's mother said, "He’s bold; he isn't shy around strangers."

"Well, he’s very cute," Mo Qi replied with a smile, pulling her hand back.

The mother beamed, her mood lifted, and she began to chat. "Your accent doesn't sound like you're from our Changle County. Are you here for a visit?"

"I'm going to see a friend."

The two continued to chat casually. The child leaned against his mother, still watching Mo Qi with round, unblinking eyes.

The bus was nearly full, and the driver finally boarded to start the engine.

As Mo Qi talked with the mother, her peripheral vision caught a man carrying a tattered cloth bag walking past their seats with a gloomy expression.

Once the seats were full, the conductor finished collecting the last of the fares and got off. The driver closed the doors, pulled out of the parking space, and exited the station.

The conversation between the two women lapsed. The mother took out a piece of cake to feed her child breakfast, while Mo Qi leaned back against the seat, closed her eyes to rest, and eventually drifted off to sleep.

She was jolted awake by the sudden sound of shrill, piercing screams inside the bus.

Everyone who had been dozing snapped awake and turned toward the back of the vehicle.

A man with a dark, crazed look in his eyes was swinging a thick wooden club, striking people indiscriminately.

A middle-aged rural woman was struck in the forehead, blood seeping out. Terrified, the nearby passengers screamed and scrambled from their seats, rushing toward the front of the bus.

The cabin was in chaos!

"What’s going on?" The driver, noticing the commotion, honked the horn and pulled the bus over to a wide stretch of road to perform an emergency stop.

The madman ignored everything, continuing to lash out wildly with his club.

The child's mother was paralyzed with fear, clutching her crying baby and trembling uncontrollably.

Mo Qi frowned. As the club swung down, she reached out to shield the child's head, shouting at the panicked passengers, "Grab him!"

*Thwack!* The club landed on Mo Qi’s arm, sending a sharp, bone-deep pain through her.

There were young men on the bus. Seeing a woman step up, they gathered their courage; two or three of them rushed forward together.

One was struck in the back by the madman’s club, but the other two took the opportunity to tackle him, pinning him to the floor.

"Let go! Let me go!" the madman screamed and struggled violently.

Mo Qi walked over, picked up a woman's handbag from the floor without hesitation, and slammed it hard against the madman’s head. "You scum, shut your mouth!"

After being struck twice, the madman seemed dazed and finally went quiet.

The driver, having pulled over, opened the doors and immediately called the police. The passengers, still shaken, quickly fled the bus.

Mo Qi had long since grown accustomed to the fickleness of human nature; she didn't even have the energy to mock the cold indifference of those who only cared about their own safety.

She pressed her hand against the bleeding forehead of the middle-aged woman and shouted to the driver, "Someone is hurt! Call an ambulance!"

"Oh! Right!" The driver, seeing her hand covered in blood, hesitated for a second before dialing for help.

Before long, both the police and the ambulance arrived.

The police detained the madman and commended Mo Qi and the young men for their bravery.

The paramedic on the scene checked Mo Qi’s arm. Aside from some bruising, no bones were broken, and it was nothing serious.

The other passengers gathered nearby, whispering loudly, with several recording the scene on their phones. None of them seemed to feel any shame for their earlier selfish behavior.

The child, still terrified, was crying loudly.

Mo Qi had already put her mask back on. She walked over, touched his head, and said with a gentle smile, "Don't be scared, sweetheart. Auntie was just acting in a movie. Wasn't it exciting?"

Hearing this, the child stopped crying and looked at her, sobbing.

Mo Qi made a dramatic gesture and said, "Look, don't I look like Ultraman? Very cool, right?"

"Ultraman beats the little monsters," the child said in his sweet, milky voice, his eyes brightening.

Mo Qi smiled and ruffled his hair. "Why don't you be an Ultraman who fights bad guys when you grow up?"

"Okay!" the child nodded earnestly, the fear in his eyes finally vanishing.

Mo Qi kissed him and told his mother, "Comfort him a bit more tonight."

"Th-thank you," the mother stammered. She had been terrified herself and didn't know what else to say.

After the police finished their investigation and took the man away, the passengers boarded the bus again.

No one felt safe enough to sleep anymore; everyone stayed alert. Once they arrived in Changle County, they scrambled off the bus as if fleeing a plague.

Mo Qi lingered until everyone else had left before walking out.

"Miss, you were truly amazing back there!" the driver called out, giving her a thumbs-up.

Mo Qi gave a helpless smile. "Only I know how much my arm hurts right now. Bye."

The sun outside was scorching. Mo Qi frowned and went to the station's management booth to ask for directions.

"Sir, excuse me, could you tell me how to get to the Xinghe Hotel?"

"Xinghe Hotel?" The station manager thought for a moment. "That’s a bit far from here. You’d better take a tricycle."

She had no money for a tricycle. Mo Qi gave a bitter smile and asked, "Is there a public bus I can take?"

"You can take the Number 3 bus to Xinghe Road, but you'll still have to walk for over ten minutes. It’s too hot to be walking in this sun!" The manager’s Mandarin had a heavy local accent, and Mo Qi had to listen carefully to understand.

"Thank you." After expressing her gratitude, Mo Qi found the Number 3 bus sign outside the station. She was incredibly thirsty, but she only had four yuan left and had to be careful.

*Damn it!* Shen Yijue, you total jerk!

Mo Qi cursed the man who had caused her current plight, feeling slightly better for it.

Xiao Zhang was scrolling through the latest gossip news on his phone when he suddenly saw a video uploaded by a netizen with a catchy title: "Beauty Battles Madman!"

Driven by curiosity, he clicked it. The "beauty" in the video made him jump from his chair.

*Good heavens! That was so dangerous!*

Gripping his phone, Xiao Zhang hurried into Shen Yijue’s private dressing room. "Brother Shen, look at this! Mo Qi is here!"