"Thud!" Before the man on the right could even cry out, he had already fainted. The one on the left, after taking the punch, was left dizzy and kept exclaiming "Aiya!" Ethan Bennett showed no mercy and chopped the side of his neck with his palm. This man's head lolled to the side and he too passed out. Ethan Bennett smiled and said, "Sorry about that, my left hand isn't as strong as my right, so you had to suffer a bit more."

The driver had already slammed on the brakes the moment Ethan Bennett made his move, but by the time the car came to a stop, Ethan Bennett had already dealt with the two men. Taking advantage of the inertia from the sudden stop, he smoothly pressed the gleaming dagger against the driver's neck.

The driver was scared half to death and stammered, "You... don't do anything rash! You're a good college student, in the prime of your life, with a bright future ahead of you. Don't make a mistake you'll regret. Think of your parents, your family, and those two friends who just saw you off. Can you bear to make them sad?"

Before Ethan Bennett could say a word, the driver had already hurriedly expressed his opinion.

Ethan Bennett chuckled, leaned against the seatback, but didn't remove the dagger. "Big brother, you're really well-educated, but I'm still going to have to trouble you to take me to the train station."

The driver nodded like a pecking chick and immediately started the car. He drove as steadily as possible, terrified that even the slightest jolt might cause the dagger to cut him.

As he drove, he kept glancing up at the rearview mirror. Ethan Bennett smiled and said, "Big brother, stop looking. They won't wake up before we get to the train station."

The driver was nervous, but couldn't help asking out of curiosity, "Little brother, what do you do? Are you really a student?"

Ethan Bennett smiled lightly and said, "Of course. Actually, big brother, we know each other. Have you forgotten?"

The driver looked puzzled. "No way! I don't know you!"

Ethan Bennett freed one hand and pointed lightly at the driver's right waist. "Big brother, does it still hurt here after all these years?"

The driver's face changed, and he stared at the rearview mirror. "You're that kid from back then?"

Ethan Bennett grinned. "That's right! I've grown up, so you don't recognize me, but you haven't gotten that much older—I still recognize you."

The driver could only stammer, "You, you, you..." for a long time, unable to get out a full sentence.

Ethan Bennett laughed and said, "Who would've thought you'd have improved so much over the years, big brother? You used to lie in wait to rob elementary school kids, and now you run a mobile black-market taxi to rob college students. Impressive!"

The driver was startled. "You know all that?"

Ethan Bennett said disdainfully, "You still think it's a secret? It's been all over TV and the newspapers. You should watch the news more often!"

The driver was left speechless. Ethan Bennett didn't bother talking to him anymore, and soon the car arrived at the train station.

Ethan Bennett grinned and said, "Big brother, how much do I owe you?"

The driver quickly replied, "Little brother, what are you saying! After all these years, it's fate that we meet again. Talking about money just hurts our relationship. Next time you come back, give your big brother a call—I'll personally come pick you up. I'll even throw you a few welcome banquets."

Ethan Bennett laughed, "Sounds good. In that case, let me return this to you!"

As he spoke, Ethan Bennett reversed the dagger in his hand and handed it over. The driver hesitated, but still reached out to take it. In that instant, Ethan Bennett's hand flashed like lightning and chopped the side of the driver's neck. The driver's head slumped, and he collapsed onto the steering wheel.

Ethan Bennett got out of the car, grabbed his suitcase, and walked to a public phone booth by the road to make a call: "Hello, is this 110? Oh, I just found the criminals reported on TV a few days ago who run a black-market taxi and rob people at the train station. Yes, there are three of them in total. The license plate is A-05623. They seem to be sleeping in the car. Hurry over—they definitely can't get away. That's all!"

Ethan Bennett hung up, let out a long breath, and walked toward the entrance of the train station.

Volume One, Chapter Three: On the Train

This was the first time Ethan Bennett had ever taken a train, so it was inevitably a bit of a novelty. He had originally wanted to buy a seat ticket to experience ordinary life, but to his surprise, all the seats were already sold out, so he had no choice but to buy a sleeper ticket.

The ticket lady was very enthusiastic and let Ethan Bennett choose his own berth. For convenience, Ethan Bennett picked a lower bunk.

When he boarded and found his spot, he discovered that his berth was already occupied by two men who looked like brutes. Both were equally fat and sleazy, with the main difference being that one of them wore a pair of Valentino glasses, which made him look both sleazy and lecherous.

The two of them were spitting as they talked, fighting to brag to a young woman in the lower bunk across from them. Like a pair of cross-talk comedians, they kept tossing out jokes and punchlines, and when no one laughed, they would laugh at their own jokes first, then say to others, "Didn't get it? Let me explain, here's what it means..."

Ethan Bennett felt a wave of disgust. He saw that although only three of the six bunks were occupied, the luggage racks were already full. His own suitcase wasn't very big, so he just put it under his own bunk.

As he bent down, he saw that under his berth was already crammed with big and small suitcases, bags, boxes, and even two battered leather shoes—one east, one west, like something out of "Ashes of Time." Ethan Bennett's eyes nearly filled with tears on the spot. The smell was so strong it seemed almost solidified. Maybe that's why it always stayed under the bed and never floated up.