Great! I'm surrounded by villains!
Chapter 137 - 57: Criminal Psychology Course

Chapter 137: Chapter 57: Criminal Psychology Course

After the Peach Blossom No. set off, Ning Ruyue had been feeling extremely anxious. She had read the passenger manual back and forth several times, and knew every rule by heart—more seriously than she ever did back in the Qin Academy.

Unlike the Second Prince, the Wangxu were a bunch of madmen.

Anti-government and anti-society, they could plan a terrorist attack anytime, anywhere, without a care for the number of innocent people who would perish in the attack.

Moreover, the current train master had already verified that the Peach Blossom No. had been bombed 5 times.

In her opinion, it was very likely that the Wangxu would do something like this.

"Can you stop pacing around the room?"

Jiuyue was somewhat annoyed by Ning Ruyue’s anxious pacing, and she gently patted the space beside her, gesturing for the other to sit down next to her.

"But Teacher Jiuyue, sob—"

Ning Ruyue’s mouth was stuffed with mock chicken; the spicy taste stimulated her taste buds.

After the train departed, Jiuyue had ordered one of every dish related to chicken, and the table was filled with a complete chicken banquet.

It was free, and it didn’t violate the passenger’s code of conduct.

Now was the time for her to enjoy cosmic level cuisine, but here was Ning Ruyue, her buzzkill of a student, incessantly wavering in front of her.

Just moments ago, she had made a new discovery.

Spicy mock chicken had nothing to do with actual chicken meat at all.

It was something she could offer to Ning Ruyue.

Jiuyue commanded authoritatively, "This plate is yours, now sit here quietly and finish it."

She would not allow a soy product to appear in her complete chicken banquet.

Her student was clearly worried that members of the Wangxu had infiltrated the train.

Perhaps Ning Ruyue knew a lot about the Wangxu, but Jiuyue thought she definitely did not understand herself at all; if a member of the Wangxu dared to hover around her while she was enjoying her meal, she would twist their head off.

"Although I come from the countryside, Mr. Mingyuan is a genuine big-city man; he’s even worked at a top 500 company in Yunlong City before. He must have heard of the Wangxu, and look, he’s not worried at all, so why are you?"

Jiuyue decided to pass this hot potato to Duan Mingyuan, "If you really can’t set your mind at ease, go have a chat with him."

After the train set off, Duan Mingyuan wasn’t idle either.

This was a rare journey, and they were riding the Peach Blossom No., which had a long history. If not for the passengers’ code of conduct asking them not to leave their carriage easily, he might have already taken out his Life Energy Meter and magnifying glass to study each carriage in detail.

He was grateful to have left Yunlong City, only then could he encounter so many new and unheard-of things.

Life Energy was omnipresent within the Peach Blossom No., and by touching the train’s walls, he felt that this Life Energy formed a film-like coating that enveloped the entire train.

Without a doubt, this was a Barrier.

Perhaps it was also why the first 40 train masters could survive any attack until their retirement.

Similar in principle to the four great arrays of the Yunhai Academy, on the Peach Blossom No., only those who understood the Barrier and Life Energy were qualified to inherit the title of train master.

"Mr. Mingyuan, here, this is for you."

Ning Ruyue, carrying a plate of spicy mock chicken, was sent by Jiuyue to Duan Mingyuan’s side. She decided to make do and presented the mock chicken as a gift to him.

In truth, she wanted much more to eat the large plate of crispy chicken on the table.

"Thank you,"

Duan Mingyuan was not picky; he picked up a piece and tasted it.

As expected of cosmic level food companies, impeccable in quality and standardization, but lacking in creativity.

Maybe that’s the downside of a big company.

If it were him, he might add some chocolate sauce or peanut butter to the spicy mock chicken, creating a dish that only Old Duan’s family could make.

"About the Wangxu matter, what do you think, with your understanding of them, would they bomb the Peach Blossom No.?"

"I don’t rule out that possibility."

Terrorist organizations could well be the freest groups in the world; you could never predict what they will do next.

They might even help an old lady cross the street.

Duan Mingyuan said, "Are you still worried about the Wangxu matter? Although their way of doing things is elusive, there is also an inherent logic to their behavior."

"Inherent logic?"

"They may kill randomly, but the order in which they kill is based on an inherent logic, so to predict their actions, one must delve into their minds."

This was what Duan Mingyuan had read from a book on criminal psychology some time ago. Good detectives or police officers often excel at putting themselves in the perspective of the criminal, empathetically placing themselves in the environment at the time of the crime, hence simulating the criminal’s route of action.

This seems to be an ability that all great detectives have possessed since ancient times.

Duan Mingyuan didn’t know if this could be considered one of the Mysterious Techniques, nor why the library of Yunhai Academy had books written by modern people, but it indeed broadened his horizons.

"Take the You Tao number for instance. If there really were members of Wangxu aboard and they had devised a murder plan, then the first victim would surely be Mr. Lu Renjia."

"Mr. Lu Renjia? Who is that?"

Ning Ruyue was somewhat baffled.

Though it might be a bit impolite to say, the name did sound like someone who was about to be a victim.

"A senior engineer at Tiandao Network Company, one of the VIP passengers on this journey."

"...Is it because his name wasn’t chosen well?"

"Because of Tiandao Network Company."

Duan Mingyuan rubbed his forehead, the world had not become so dark that someone would be assassinated just because of an unpleasant-sounding name.

First, it was the identity of a senior engineer at a network company, and then it was the name that was a bit off.

"The internal network of the train that the train conductor mentioned earlier is maintained by this company. In addition, they are also responsible for the network security within the Imperial Court."

Security work is very well done; it’s hard to imagine in an age where networks are so prevalent that it’s not possible to find any definitive information about the inner workings of the Imperial Court.

"If network security is seen as the fortress of the Imperial Court, then Mr. Lu Renjia would be akin to someone at the level of a fortress commander. Should he fall victim to assassination, those criminals might find opportunities on the network, so if Wangxu really plans to kill someone on the train, Mr. Lu Renjia will definitely be their primary target."

"I see!"

Ning Ruyue immediately looked at him with admiration.

Teacher Mingyuan truly deserves to be the lecturer of the ’Defense Against the Evil Class,’ being so knowledgeable about the psychology of terrorists.

Out of consideration for the Elder Princess’s feelings, Duan Mingyuan did not reveal the latter part of his analysis.

If he were a member of the Wangxu Organization, killing a fallen princess would have no impact on the relationship between the Imperial Court and the Extraterrestrials, and might even help their enemies.

Therefore, Ning Ruyue would likely rank very low on the Wangxu assassination list, belonging to the type of bonus horse that would only be considered by a Wangxu member for a wasteful bullet to be spent during an indiscriminate killing scenario, much like being an afterthought when someone sends a basket of fruit.

"This is all..."

Hurried footsteps interrupted this lively and vivid course on criminal psychology.

The train conductor came in uninvited once more, looking furious.

Seeing Ning Ruyue safe and sound, he breathed a sigh of relief.

"Did you encounter any suspicious people just now?"

"What happened?"

"A corporate executive was killed in the restroom."

"The senior engineer from Tiandao Network?"

"Right... how did you know?"

The train conductor was startled.

Ning Ruyue was also shocked and subconsciously pointed at Duan Mingyuan.

The conductor’s suspicious gaze immediately fell on him.

"First of all, the person wasn’t killed by me, I have an alibi."

Duan Mingyuan’s scalp tingled; he had only used Mr. Lu Renjia as an example earlier to teach his student a lively and vivid lesson in criminal psychology, not actually desiring to curse him.

"An alibi doesn’t hold much persuasive power in this age."

The train conductor was wary, in a world where Strange Gates and Devious Techniques exist, such a thing never had any persuasive power.