「Four hours later.」

The police station.

"We just received a notification from the emergency medical services; the person couldn't be saved," Shen Dao said, looking deeply at Qin Mu with a very serious expression.

His officers had rushed to the scene after receiving a report of this incident. Each department was responsible for different aspects of the response, and everything was conducted in an orderly manner. The traffic police determined responsibility, took photos, and gathered evidence before clearing the road and dispersing the onlookers. The emergency medical services had also carried the person to the ambulance and rushed them to the hospital for rescue, but it was already too late.

Through the investigation and questioning of Qin Mu, Liang Chengbin, Bai Xuelan, and the driver at fault, Hua Li, Shen Dao had also roughly learned the ins and outs of the incident.

The incident began with Bai Xuelan, the middle-aged woman. She was walking on the street when the man in the black T-shirt, sensing an opportunity to steal, snatched the gold necklace from her neck and then fled. Following this, Qin Mu and Liang Chengbin, a middle-aged man, acted out of a sense of justice and helped pursue the thief. In the midst of the chase, the thief attempted to dash across the street. The incident happened so unexpectedly that the driver, Hua Qiangli, was unable to react in time, resulting in a dreadful tragedy. Apart from their statements, surveillance videos from various intersections corroborated this fact.

"Dead?"

Liang Chengbin, standing nearby, trembled almost imperceptibly upon hearing this. "Officer, I... I didn't mean to chase him. He just kept running, and I... I just wanted to help retrieve someone's property..." he stammered, grabbing Shen Dao's arm nervously.

Human life! This was the first time he had ever been involved in something like this! After the initial shock, regret overwhelmed him. If only he had known... he wouldn't have chased that man. He hadn't thought much at the time; hearing someone shout "Stop, thief!" had filled him with adrenaline, and he had just rushed out.

"Officer... Officer, does that mean I... I have committed homicide?" Hua Li, the driver involved in the accident, was also terrified, his complexion ashen as he hurriedly asked.

"And... Officer, he stole my things. Do I have to go to jail?" Bai Xuelan, the middle-aged woman whose gold necklace had been snatched, also asked.

This case was tied to all of them; each played an essential part. Upon suddenly learning of the man's death, they were all terror-stricken and at a loss.

By contrast, Qin Mu gradually calmed down after the initial chaos.

This incident was indeed too complex. It involved the original victim, Bai Xuelan; the pursuers, himself and Liang Chengbin; and also the party at fault, Hua Li. Including the man in the black T-shirt, whose rescue had failed, this was an accident with four responsible parties. Common sense dictated that if Hua Li's driving caused the death, the most direct charge would be traffic accident crime. The criminal law explicitly stipulates: Traffic accident crime refers to the act of violating traffic management regulations, thereby causing a major accident that leads to serious injury, death, or significant loss to public or private property. Generally speaking, if a traffic accident occurs without major casualties, it doesn't constitute a criminal offense and only requires simple civil compensation. Even if a crime is committed, according to sentencing guidelines, only if one causes the death of one person or serious injuries to two or more people and is found to be fully or primarily responsible is it considered an aggravated offense. For such aggravated offenses, the sentencing range is three years or less in prison. If the circumstances are particularly severe—for example, causing the death of two or more people or serious injuries to multiple people—the prison term would be three to seven years. Compared to the punishment for intentional homicide or manslaughter, the punishment for traffic accident crime is actually not very severe. This also led to a grim trend in previous years: many drivers who accidentally hit someone would then intentionally run them over again to ensure they were dead. This was because if the person died, only a one-time compensation was required, whereas if they survived, the driver might face lifelong compensation payments. Yet, the perceived criminal responsibility did not differ greatly. However, this notion is actually mistaken. If you accidentally hit and kill someone, you can be charged with traffic accident crime. But if one deliberately hits and kills someone, that directly constitutes the crime of intentional homicide. There's a strict distinction between accidental and intentional acts. This case is no different. If it turned out that Hua Li and the man in the black T-shirt had a grudge, and Hua Li hit him intentionally, then this wouldn't be just a traffic accident. The prison term would rise by several levels! In addition, a conviction for traffic accident crime requires an official determination of responsibility from the traffic police department. Qin Mu had witnessed the entire event. He was certain Hua Li had been driving according to the rules and that the accident was caused by the other man suddenly dashing across the street. Regardless of how much responsibility Hua Li bore, he certainly wasn't primarily at fault. Thus, there was no case for traffic accident crime. However, civil compensation was inevitable. As for Bai Xuelan, the original victim, she bore even less legal responsibility. In the initial crime, she was the victim. Although she participated in the chase, she never caught up and remained at the back. Furthermore, her gold necklace had been stolen; pursuing the man in the black T-shirt was a completely natural human reaction. There was nothing illegal or criminal in her actions.

"According to your statements, you were clearly robbed, so why did you shout to catch a thief?" Shen Dao looked at Bai Xuelan and asked sternly, voicing his doubt.

Bai Xuelan swallowed nervously. She replied with a wry smile, "I... I was worried that if I shouted 'Robbery!' people would be afraid to help, so I shouted 'Stop, thief!'"

Here, she had employed a little stratagem. But who could have anticipated that after a three-kilometer chase, witnessed by hundreds, possibly thousands, of passersby, only Qin Mu and Liang Chengbin would step forward to help?

After listening, Shen Dao nodded. "The records are now complete. You and Hua Li can go home and wait for further news."

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.