As I was watching a movie in the cinema, a rude child kept kicking the back of my seat. He even took off his shoe and extended his foot next to my face.

I turned around and chastised him to take his seat, but he stabbed me in my neck with a sharp needle.

Feeling the pain, I reached out and wiped the blood from my neck.

His mother chuckled.

“It’s fine, he’s just fooling around with my sewing needle. It’s just a harmless jab. It’s not like it has poison on it. Be a good sport about it.”

I threw the popcorn bucket onto the floor and aimed my phone’s flashlight at the rude child. I roared, “The child’s holding a discarded needle that was used on an AIDS patient in the hospital! There’s an AIDs patient’s blood on it!”

The bright light shone on the needle that was still dripping with blood as the rude child, Charlie Smith, held it.

“Oh my God! AIDS!”

“Quick, run! Don’t let him near you!”

All of a sudden, everyone started screaming and leaping out of their seats.

Everyone in the hall was frantic and terrified.

Charlie’s mother, Mary Smith, was also shocked by the sudden commotion.

Her smile froze as she burst into rage.

“What are you talking about? What AIDS?

“Why are you cursing my son? I’m going to kill you!”

I took a step back and held up my phone to record the scenario.

I glared at Charlie, who was stunned.

“Don’t come near me! What if you have more needles on you?

“Someone call the police! Quick!

“This is a biological attack. This is assault!

“Block the doors! Don’t let them escape!”

My shouts shocked everyone around me.

A few brave men immediately rushed to the doors and blocked them.

“That’s right, we can’t let them escape!”

“They’re evil! How can they simply stab anyone with an infected needle? They’re basically harming innocent people!”

The hall suddenly lit up.

Mary was finally frantic.

She looked at the angry and fearful gazes around her and hugged Charlie.

“What are you doing? Why are you targeting us?

“It isn’t AIDS! That’s just red ink!”

She yelled and explained, but her voice was already trembling.

I glared at her coldly as though I was staring at a dead person.

“Red ink?

“Why don’t you get your son to jab himself with the needle?

“If he dares to do so, I’ll immediately apologize to you!”

Mary was speechless.

She looked at the sharp needle and subconsciously shielded Charlie.

“Why would I do that? As long as I’m around, no one here can harm Charlie!”

At the same time, I felt dizzy.

It was a normal physiological reaction from extreme fear.

Everyone could hear Mary’s screeching voice and Charlie’s terrified cries.

“Mom! They’re bullying me!”

Charlie finally felt scared. He tossed the needle to the floor.

The blood-stained weapon rolled on the floor and stopped in the middle of a walkway.

Everyone retreated away from it like it was poison.

No one dared to touch it.

“Don’t cry, Charlie. Don’t cry!”

Mary hugged Charlie lovingly and then glared fiercely at me.

“What are you doing? Why do you want to scare a little kid? It’s just a tiny jab, do you have to make such a big fuss?

“Didn’t you say you wanted to call the police? Call them! I want to see who they’ll detain after they arrive!

“You’re spreading rumors and slandering me! I’m going to sue you!”

She was still stubborn.

However, her unreasonable screams were nothing against the mass terror experienced by the crowd.

Instead, everyone only grew angrier.

“Shut up! How dare you accuse someone else when it’s your son who stabbed the person!”

“That’s AIDS! You’re harming someone’s life!”

“I saw how your son disturbed others during the movie! He even stabbed someone with a needle! That’s really despicable, how could a child be this evil?”

The few audiences that were affected by the event were scolding her.

The manager of the cinema, Ben Reid, rushed in with a few security guards.

“What happened?

“Everyone, calm down! Don’t create a stampede!”

Ben looked at the commotion and yelled.

I pressed my hand against my neck and walked toward Ben.

I showed him my blood-covered palm.

“This child punctured my artery with a needle. I fear it’s medical waste that carries high-risk viruses.

“I’m requesting the scene to be cordoned off immediately, and for this mother and son to be controlled.

“Call the police and an ambulance. Please also notify the centers for disease control and prevention.”

My logic was clear and my tone was extremely cold.

Ben glanced at the needle on the floor and looked at the blood on me.

His face went pale.

If they did not manage the situation well, the reputation of the cinema would be compromised.

“Quick! Cover that thing up and don’t let anyone else touch it!

“Security! Detain those two people! No one is allowed to leave!”

Ben was decisive and immediately instructed the security guards to take action.

Mary realized she could not leave, so she sat on the floor and started to make a scene.

“Help! The security guards are hitting us!

“Is this a lawless land? How can you bully a poor pair of mother and son?

“My husband is Greg Smith! Touch me and see what will happen to you!

“When he’s here, he’ll tear this cinema apart!”

Greg Smith?

Once Ben heard the name, his expression changed.

That name sounded familiar.

However, the crowd did not care about it.

“I don’t care who your husband is!

“You still have to pay for what you did! Your son is attempting murder!”

“Everyone, take their photos and videos and spread them on the internet! Let’s expose them!”

Everyone filmed Mary.

There were camera flashes.

Mary was frantic. She tried to hide her face and snatch at their phones.

“Don’t you dare take my photos! This is a violation of my portrait rights!

“Put down your phones!”

The situation was out of control.

I stood on the side and felt the wound on my neck getting warmer.

The feeling of the viruses entering my body made me shiver.

However, I had to hold on.

I stared at the needle intently.

It was not a normal needle.

It was a lot thicker with blue marks on the side.

It did not look like a regular injector.

If anything, it looked like a sample from some professional lab.

I studied biology in university, so I had some vague memories of these devices.

Such an item would not appear in a random person’s sewing kit.

Mary was lying, and it was a huge lie.

Ten minutes later, the police sirens could be heard.

A few policemen walked through the crowd.

“Who called the police? What’s going on?”

The leading policeman looked serious.

I stepped forward and recapped the situation to them.

The officer, Peter Swift, put on his gloves and carefully picked up the needle from the floor and put it in an evidence bag.

He glanced at the remnant and frowned.

“This doesn’t look like a regular sewing needle.

“This is a medical needle. Looking at it, it’s usually used for veterinarians or special cases.”

Mary was shocked by the statement.

“Vet?

“Impossible! I simply bought it from a market!”

Her eyes flickered and cold sweat broke out on her forehead.

“We’ll take samples of the fingerprints and remnants, and we’ll know if it’s been bought.”

Peter glanced at her coldly.

“Take her in for investigation!”

The two younger policemen stepped forward and grabbed Mary.

“I’m not going anywhere! Why are you capturing me?”

“My son is still a minor, you can’t detain him!”

Mary struggled. Charlie was crying from fear. Snot and tears dripped down his face.

They no longer looked as smug as they did before.

I followed the police.

When I passed by Mary and Charlie, I stopped.

I whispered in Mary’s ear softly, “Just pray that it’s just red ink.

“Otherwise, I’ll make sure you spend the rest of your life in prison.”

Mary looked up and glared at me.

“Just you wait, my husband is coming!

“Once he’s here, you’ll be begging for a mediation!”

I smirked and grimaced.

“Mediation? If this needle isn’t poisonous, I’ll eat my words up.

“However, if it’s infected, no one will be able to save you.”

I held my hand against my neck and strode out of the hall.

The sun was very bright outside, but I felt cold.

It was a bone-chilling feeling.

An ambulance was already waiting at the entrance.

Someone helped me into the ambulance, and the paramedic started to treat my wound.

I felt a little more awake after smelling the antiseptic.

However, I could only think about that needle, that unique blue mark, and that dark red liquid.

Mary had sounded very confident when she mentioned her husband.

If I recalled correctly, Greg would be the CEO of Kind Hospital, the biggest hospital chain in the city.

Greg’s son held a special puncture needle.

Greg’s wife was making a scene in a cinema.

I was afraid the incident would not be as simple as just a child acting up.

What secret did that needle hold?

A scary thought appeared in my mind.

Maybe I had truly been infected, but it was not AIDS.

It could be something even worse than AIDS.

The mediation room at the police station felt really tense.

My neck was wrapped in bandages as I held the preliminary medical report.

The wound was not deep, but the treatment had to be stopped.

The doctor said that the critical window would be 72 hours.

It would be life or death for me.

Mary was sitting opposite me with her legs crossed. She looked impatient.

Charlie was sitting next to her and drinking milk that the police had given him.

He was sucking the straw loudly as he looked at me tauntingly.

It was as if nothing had happened earlier.

“Alright, don’t act like you’re dead.”

Mary slammed her bag on the table. It was a limited-edition Hermes bag.

“Don’t you just want money? Name your price.

“Fifty thousand dollars, is that enough?

“Take the money and sign this mediation agreement. We’ll let this go.”

She took out her check book and hovered her pen over it. She looked disgusted, as if she was talking to a beggar.

I looked at her and did not say a word.

However, I was gripping the report very tightly.

“Too little? A hundred thousand then.

“Young man, don’t get too greedy.

“A hundred thousand dollars is basically an annual wage.

“Take the money and buy some supplements. Otherwise, I’m afraid you’ll go crazy.”

She snorted and wrote a string of numbers.

She tore the check and tossed it at me.

The check fell onto my shoe.

I did not move. I just stared at that piece of paper silently.

“I don’t need money.”

I finally said with a hoarse voice.

“I just want the truth.

“Where did that needle come from?

“What’s on it?”

Mary’s expression changed before she became even more smug.

“That’s none of your business! I’ve already told you it’s just a toy that I simply bought!”