Carrying a Jurassic on me
Chapter 240 - 100 The Rumor-Spreading Old Man_1

Chapter 240: Chapter 100 The Rumor-Spreading Old Man_1

As the microphone continued announcing, everyone stopped, leaving only the gradually fading sound of tractors. Soon, even the tractors went silent.

The spectators weren’t fools; seeing the police forbidding further looting, those with stolen items quickly scrambled away. Even the tractors and carts disappeared. In a blink, the outside noise vanished entirely.

Only those trapped inside the factory remained.

Seeing the crowd quiet down, a bespectacled young man rushed forward, hollering, "Put everything down! Who allowed you to rummage through the factory? This is robbery, do you understand? Robbery, punishable by jail, understand?! Put it down now!"

As threats of imprisonment filled the air, the crowd started stirring. The announcement on the microphone filled the air again, "Drop your items and all will be forgiven! Don’t worry about jail, just drop what you have! Folks, these things belong to someone else and we shouldn’t take them! Can you please put them down?"

A few rounds of shouting later, the sound of items being dropped filled the air.

The young man tried once again to start shouting but was stopped by a middle-aged man in a suit behind him.

What a joke! How many people could those four cars round up? Even counting the few who rushed over after hearing the scheduled sirens that patrolled the riverside before...how many total? Those setting items aside looked sturdy, huddled together tightly — if the crowd was suddenly roused, chaos would surely ensue.

"Didn’t they say that the boss fled, and he didn’t want these things anymore?" someone in the crowd yelled.

"Yeah, didn’t they say that the machines would be ruined by rain? Who would dare take things from a factory cursed by the immortals? We only came here after praying to the Dragon King..."

"Exactly! If the boss doesn’t want it, why can’t we take it..."

Once someone started, more followed suit and made noise in the crowd. A whisper spread, "That’s the factory owner... it’s all his... I thought he had left?"

The young man shouted again, "Who said that we don’t want these things? Who said a bit of rain would ruin the machines? The boss didn’t run away; he is right here! Who is spreading these rumors? Who?!"

After hearing the young man’s shouts, the crowd once again stirred uneasily.

The voice on the microphone came on again, "Folks, don’t buy into the rumours. Boss Yang didn’t say he was giving away his possessions. People have been misled by deliberate rumors. We won’t pursue those who’ve already left with items. We hope you guys can stay calm..."

The young man next to him spoke, "Why shouldn’t we pursue it? We should surely get back what’s been taken away..."

Before he could finish, a middle-aged man dragged him away.

When the crowd finally settled, the microphone continued, "Everyone is here because they believed in the rumors. But now, you have to stop taking any more items. We’ll only hold the rumor spreader accountable..."

Just as they were announcing, a figure slowly walked forward from the crowd. Yan Fei instantly recognized him — it was the old man with the air-dying lamp.

The old man, trembling, walked to the front, holding the air-dying lamp in one hand and a bottle of alcohol in the other.

Seeing this, the microphone immediately stopped. A police officer asked, "Old man, what’s the matter?"

The old man grinned darkly and replied in his unsettling voice, "You want to find the person who spread the rumors, right? I am he. Who do you think spread those lies from village to village? How else could so many people flock here? Or take things so quickly and so thoroughly? They’ve cleaned it out, cleaned it all out..."

"Old man, have you lived too long..." The spectacled young man who had just been dragged to the back immediately rushed up.

Two police officers quickly blocked him, and one of them said to the old man, "Old man, watch your words, this is a jailable offence!"

The old man ignored the officer and chuckled gleefully at the furious young man, "Oh, I have indeed lived long enough! See, I’m prepared to die. Don’t worry, just let me say a few more words before I die..."

He looked towards the two middle-aged men standing not far behind the young man, and chuckled ominously before saying, "Boss Yang, do you remember the mother and child who drowned near Manshui Bridge downstream from here, around this time two summers ago?"

"Ah..." The old man sighed deeply before speaking again. "They stumbled near the river and fell into the water. The mother stood up immediately, picking up her child. But within moments, the child had stopped breathing, even before they could get him to the hospital."

"How tragic! Just like that. A perfectly healthy child, choked on some water, and just like that...gone..."

"Sir..." "Old man..." A policeman and the young man in glasses almost spoke at the same time.

As soon as the old man noticed them talking, he suddenly raised his voice, yelling with a voice like a choked duck, "Listen to me, I’m on the verge of death, let me finish speaking, will you..."

"Yes, let him speak. I know this old man and his story, let him speak..."

"Let him speak..."

Excitement suddenly flared up in the crowd, and the megaphone promptly resumed its call, "Everyone, calm down, calm down, let’s all calm down, we’ll speak slowly, no need to rush, let the old man speak, okay..."

The crowd fell into a brief uproar before falling silent once again.

The old man had used up his breath with his shouting, coughed several times, then resumed, "Everyone thought it wasn’t the mother’s fault, that the water was bad and choked the child. But the mother couldn’t bear it! That very night, she ran to Manshui Bridge and committed suicide..."

"How tragic! The water wasn’t deep enough even to bury a dead body. This foolish woman, she, she..." The old man’s voice choked, then he abruptly raised his voice and yelled in an unpleasant shrill tone, "She drowned herself deliberately..."

After yelling, he quickly lifted the bottle of alcohol and chugged, then bent down to cough violently, alcohol spilling out from the corners of his mouth.

A murmur passed through the crowd behind him, but quickly subsided, leaving everyone watching the old man’s shivering figure.

"Old sir, please calm down..." One of the officers approached, trying to steady him.

The old man suddenly stood upright, "Don’t come closer, I’m not finished..."

His voice, filled with a newfound energy after his drink, not only grew louder, but quicker, "After the mother and child died, my foolish son couldn’t take it! When he was sober, he’d be out of it more than he was aware. He took a bottle of alcohol and jumped off Manshui Bridge!"

"Couldn’t even find his body, all that was left was this alcohol bottle to keep this old man company! Tell me, tell me, how am I still alive!" He held up the alcohol bottle, pointing it at the two middle-aged men and the young man as he shouted, "I lived for this day! Heaven is watching! If you said the child didn’t die because of the water from your factory, some people might believe you. But heaven sees! Heaven has opened its eyes!"

After shouting, he fell to the ground as if he had used up all his energy.

The Air-dying Lamp and alcohol bottle crashed to the floor, rolling away into the distance. The small flame in the lantern was extinguished.

"Sir..." Several officers rushed forward to support him, and a crowd from the surrounding area gathered around.

The old man’s eyes were now lifeless, and he weakly waved a hand, "Everyone go home, it was all lies, this old man will rectify it with his life..."

"Sir, please calm down, we have a car, we’re taking you to the hospital right now..." An officer tried to reassure him, and then shouted to the surrounding crowd, "Everyone, please make way so we can get to the car..."

"It’s no use, it’s too late. I had mixed rat poison into the alcohol in that bottle. It’s over for me, I wanted to see my son, daughter-in-law, and grandson anyway. I’m not sure how they’re doing, or if they’ve found my wife...yet..."

He didn’t finish his words when his body suddenly convulsed, and froth started forming at his mouth...

In a few moments, the already frail body stopped moving.