Chapter 24: Taking on the Mission (Part II)

Following the elderly man’s cry, a group of onlookers quickly gathered to see what was happening. Sensing the audience, the old man launched into a performance worthy of an Academy Award-winning actor.

"Oh, it hurts! Oh, it kills me!" he wailed, rolling about.

One of the onlookers looked at Zhang Heng and scolded, "Hey, young man, how can you be so heartless as to hit an old man like that?"

"Forget it, let’s just call the police and let the officers settle this," another suggested.

"Hey, what does this have to do with us? Why are you calling the police? Let's go," someone else grumbled.

The crowd chattered incessantly. Because Zhang Heng was dressed in plain clothes, the professional scammer had felt emboldened enough to target him. Realizing exactly what was going on, Zhang Heng calmly stepped out of his vehicle, walked over to the man, and crouched down. He said in a sincere, measured tone, "Sir, I know you must be struggling financially to resort to this. How about this: I’ll give you five hundred yuan out of my own pocket to settle this privately, and then you can go on your way."

"Hey! What are you saying, young man?" The elderly man looked flustered, then turned to the crowd and shouted, "Everyone, look at this! This young man hit me and now he’s slandering me! Slandering me! Oh, how miserable my life is!" With that, he burst into tears.

"Oh dear, sir, are you alright? Let me call an ambulance for you," a girl who looked to be about twenty said from the crowd.

"Oh, it hurts! My whole body hurts!"

"I’m calling the ambulance now." The young girl pulled out her phone and began to dial.

As the crowd grew larger, the old man continued to shriek, "Everyone look! This young man hit me and now he’s slandering me!"

Just then, a middle-aged woman in the crowd caught sight of someone lying in the back of Zhang Heng’s van. "Young man, why is there a person in the back of your car?" she asked. Then, she shouted to the others, "Everyone, look! There’s someone lying in the back of his van!"

"Quick, call the police!"

"Call the police! This might be a murder case!"

The crowd erupted in frantic whispers. Seeing the suspicious looks directed at him, Zhang Heng stood up and walked toward the back of the van. He pulled the door open.

"What is he doing?"

"Everyone, get your phones out and record this!"

As the door slid open, Zhang Heng lifted the body of Liang Song with both hands, turned to the crowd, and pleaded, "Please, someone tell me where the nearest hospital is! My brother needs emergency care!"

"Wooo-ooo—"

The sound of a siren cut through the air. Everyone turned their heads toward the noise. A police car, lights flashing, pulled up to the front of the crowd. Two officers stepped out and began to make their way toward them. The onlookers instinctively stepped aside to clear a path.

The officers walked straight up to Zhang Heng, who gently placed Liang Song back into the van.

"Hello, we received a report of a traffic accident. Who called it in?" one of the officers asked the crowd.

"Officer, I did," the middle-aged woman replied.

The two officers walked over to her. "Hello, what happened here?"

"Officer, it’s like this: I was passing by to buy groceries when I saw this scene. That young man was driving, and there was an elderly man on the ground who couldn't get up, so I called the police," the woman explained.

The officers then turned back toward Zhang Heng. "Hello, please show us your driver's license and identification."

"Officer, I don't have my physical license on me. May I show you the digital version?" Zhang Heng asked.

"That's fine, go ahead."

Zhang Heng pulled out his phone, opened the Traffic Management 12123 app, and showed the officer his digital Class B2 driver's license.

"Alright. Do you have your ID?"

"Will my work badge do?"

"Yes, that's fine. Please show it to me."

Zhang Heng habitually reached into his right pocket and pulled out his police identification, handing it over. The officer took the badge, examined it, and remarked with a skeptical tone, "Oh, a police badge? This isn't a fake, is it?"

Zhang Heng said nothing, offering only a faint smile.