Chapter 4 — The Crowd's Fury
Ren didn't need to say a single word.
Someone from the crowd immediately stepped forward and began explaining the situation to the police officers.
Of course, by now, what they were explaining was already a distorted version of what had actually happened.
The lead officer rubbed his temple.
This was becoming a headache.
He looked at Ren and spoke as calmly as possible.
"Kid, come with us. We'll help you."
"No!"
Ren immediately shook his head and backed away.
"I'm not going anywhere with you! You're trying to silence me, just like in the movies!"
Several people immediately stepped forward and stood between Ren and the police.
"Yeah! He's staying here until this matter is settled!"
"You can't just take him away!"
"You mages think you can do whatever you want just because you have power!"
Those words acted like a fuse.
The crowd's anger instantly erupted.
"Today, you'll have to step over our dead bodies if you want to take that child!"
"Yeah!"
"Don't let them take him!"
"Just because that kid's father is a mage and a police officer, you think you can openly kidnap children and harvest their organs?!"
The story had already become completely distorted.
In reality, Kael's father was merely a normal human and a relatively low-ranking police officer.
But after passing through dozens of people and countless conversations on the magic net, he had somehow become a powerful mage.
The same thing had happened to the teachers and staff at Ren's school.
They were all ordinary people.
Yet in the rumors, they had become mages working together in an organ-harvesting operation.
The situation had transformed from a simple incident involving several children into something much larger.
It had become a conflict between mages and ordinary humans.
The status of mages was indeed higher in society.
Although they couldn't simply kill ordinary people without consequences, that didn't mean they couldn't ruin someone's life.
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A mage could use their connections to get someone fired.
They could use threats to force people into submission.
They could have thugs break someone's limbs.
They could make an ordinary person's life miserable without ever personally breaking the law.
That was why ordinary people rarely dared to offend mages.
They treated them respectfully and stayed away from their affairs.
It was also the reason nobody had entered the alley earlier despite hearing the commotion.
They had assumed it might be some business involving a mage.
The resentment caused by this imbalance had been buried deep within people's hearts.
Now, it had found an outlet.
And the crowd wasn't willing to let it go.
The police officers present were all normal humans.
The police department generally left matters involving mages to mage officers while normal officers handled ordinary cases.
But this was no longer an ordinary case.
The lead officer had no idea how to handle the crowd.
In the end, he could only retreat and contact his superior.
"Sir, the crowd refuses to let us take the child."
He explained the situation as quickly as he could.
By now, the entire incident had already exploded across the magic net.
The police department was well aware of what was happening.
The lead officer continued.
"They believe this is a matter involving mages. If we forcibly take the child away, I'm afraid the situation will become even worse."
There was a brief silence.
The chief understood the situation.
This could no longer be suppressed like an ordinary disturbance.
"Stay there," the chief ordered. "Do not use force. We'll send additional officers."
"Understood."
The call ended.
Not long afterward, more sirens echoed through the streets.
Several police vehicles arrived, along with other vehicles carrying the people Ren had mentioned.
His father and mother stepped out.
His teachers arrived.
His classmates arrived.
The families of the three bullies arrived as well.
The moment they appeared, the crowd erupted.
"Shame on you!"
"How can you allow this to happen?"
"Police protecting criminals!"
"How can you let mages kidnap children and harvest their organs?!"
"Where is the government?!"
The crowd had completely accepted the distorted story by now.
Ren remained protected behind the crowd while countless magic phones recorded everything.
Another police magic car soon arrived.
A higher-ranking officer stepped out.
He was still a normal human, though his position within the police department was much higher.
The police had deliberately avoided sending a mage.
If they sent a mage now, the situation would only become worse.
'The situation has really gotten very chaotic.'
Ren watched the scene unfold.
'Though, if my memory serves me right, everything should work out.'
He thought about his past life.
'If this were a situation in certain countries from my previous life, I wouldn't have made such a big commotion.'
The new leading officer carefully approached Ren.
"Ren, can you tell us what happened?" he asked. "We'll help you get justice."
Ren looked frightened.
He glanced around at the crowd as though seeking their approval.
Several people immediately encouraged him.
"Don't worry, Ren. We're with you."
"Tell them what happened!"
"We'll make sure you get justice!"
Ren took a shaky breath.
Then he began explaining.
He told them how the three bullies had been harassing him every day.
They beat him.
They stole his money.
They threatened him.
And the teachers and classmates did nothing.
They simply acted as though nothing was happening.
Even his parents had ignored him.
Then Ren described what had happened in the alley.
He pointed toward his bruised face.
"Just now... they beat me up again."
His voice trembled.
"The three of them told me that their father was a police officer. They said they were going to kidnap me and harvest my organs."
His eyes filled with tears.
"They said everyone at the school was involved..."
"The teachers..."
"The staff..."
"My classmates..."
"Even my parents..."
"They were all involved in this dirty business."
Ren began sobbing.
"That's why nobody helped me..."
"I was scared they were going to kill me, so I ran away."
"I kept screaming for help because I didn't know what else to do..."
His voice broke as he continued.
The teachers, classmates, Ren's parents, and the bullies' parents immediately began denying everything.
"That's nonsense!"
"We had nothing to do with this!"
"He's making everything up!"
"They were just playing!"
But Ren suddenly shouted.
"But they told me everything!"
Everyone went silent.
Ren stared at them through his tears.
"If you really weren't involved, then why didn't any of you help me?"
Nobody answered.
The teachers exchanged glances.
His classmates fell silent.
Even his parents didn't know what to say.
They had no answer.
A man from the crowd suddenly stepped forward.
"Exactly!"
He pointed toward the adults.
"Even if you weren't involved in child trafficking and organ harvesting, why didn't anyone help this child?"
He pointed at Ren's face.
"Look at him! Does this look like playing to you?"
Then he pointed toward the three bullies.
"Those three were chasing him through the streets while shouting that they were going to kill him!"
He turned toward the teachers.
"And you people call yourselves teachers? Are you all blind or incompetent?"
Then he looked toward Ren's parents.
"And his parents! Were you blind too?"
The crowd immediately joined in.
"Exactly!"
"Why didn't anyone help him?"
"Look at that child's face!"
"How could all of you just ignore this?"
"Shame on you!"
The situation quickly became chaotic again.
Ren's parents were surrounded by angry accusations.
The teachers were being condemned.
The bullies' parents were being questioned.
Nobody could calm the crowd.
And the entire confrontation was being recorded.
Magic phones were pointed toward the scene from every direction.
The videos were being uploaded to the magic net as the confrontation continued.
What had started as Ren's lie in an alleyway had now become a public scandal.
And the crowd wasn't going to let it end quietly.