Chapter 25: Begging for Mercy

"You've only traveled less than a hundred kilometers and already encountered two groups trying to rob you—do you really have that much luck every time? You’ve only got two people, and that older sister probably can’t even kill a single zombie. What if you run into a horde? Do you have heating equipment? Do you have a radar system? After stopping, don’t you need a sentry system? A defense system? Moving supplies is easy, but moving equipment—don’t you need transport machinery?"

"And! Humans are fragile. With the global plague raging, what if you get infected or sick? Don’t you need doctors and antibiotics? Long-term vitamin deficiency requires vegetables and fruit—do you have a medical system? Do you have industrial exosuits, repair systems, drone reconnaissance systems? What if you hit a glacier—do you have ice-breaking shields? If you need to repair the tracks, don’t you need steel, small railcars, and track-lifting systems? Can you handle any of that? Do you believe me? Your Infinite Train plan will probably collapse before it even reaches a thousand kilometers—completely done, completely finished, completely over!"

Kiki grew angrier by the second, her eyes wide, her chest heaving, her neat little teeth gnawing at her lip. When she heard Lin Xian dismiss the Dawn Project and cling stubbornly to running his train, she grew frantic.

As if pushed to her limit, her gaze turned serious, and she looked urgently up at the blade above her head.

Lin Xian stared, dumbfounded—not angry at all, but his eyes brightening with growing interest. "Tell me more."

"Wait… slow down. Sentry system, defense system, radar system, transport machinery, medical system, industrial exosuit, repair system, drone reconnaissance system… what else?!"

Lin Xian’s interest surged—he suddenly felt a flood of inspiration for his mechanical ability.

Kiki’s lips parted slightly, her eyes wide with confusion. She hadn’t expected that after dumping cold water all over his prized plan, he wouldn’t fly into a rage—but instead grew even more intrigued. He looked like he was seriously considering following her suggestions…

Kiki snapped, "Do you even understand what I’m saying?!"

"I understand. I need these systems if my train is to run fast and far!" Lin Xian’s face was serious. "Are you also going to say that, when necessary, I should install rail cannons and state-of-the-art mecha units?"

"You—!"

"That’s it? Fine. Bye!" Lin Xian’s expression suddenly turned cold—his shift was swift, utterly inhuman.

"Hey hey hey!" Seeing Lin Xian rise again as if to throw her off the train, Kiki lost all her earlier composure. She looked up at him, panicked. "Big brother, big brother—can’t we negotiate? Fine, fine, I—I—I’ll sleep with you like that older sister!"

At those words, Lin Xian’s expression darkened.

"What did you say?"

Kiki’s eyes darted, stammering, "But you have to wait a few months—until after my sixteenth birthday. Otherwise, it’s statutory rape!"

"Sorry. You’ve got no chest, no ass—I’m not interested." Lin Xian’s face didn’t change.

"You—!"

…

The "Infinite" raced along the Jiangyu Railway, the setting sun casting its glow over the speeding train, highlighting its sleek, mechanical beauty.

In Car 3, the air grew thick and still.

Clunk—whirr~

The hydraulic plate hissed open. Furious, Lin Xian activated it mid-motion, grabbed the girl, and hoisted her like a chick by the scruff, dragging her to the rear of the car.

"The wilderness should be safer than the city. Good luck."

Lin Xian raised his arm as if to toss her out.

"Wait!!"

Kiki panicked, powerless in his grip. Her face turned deathly pale. "Sir, sir—what conditions do you want? We can negotiate!"

Lin Xian released her, staring coldly.

"Do you think you have any value to my team? You stole food. You attacked me. I haven’t killed you yet—I’m being humane."

Even so, throwing her out now was effectively sentencing her to death.

But that had nothing to do with Lin Xian.

"I do!" Kiki’s eyes widened. "I already told you my identity! Keep me, and you can trade me for plenty of supplies."

"I said," Lin Xian smiled coldly, utterly unmoved.

"I have no interest in your suggestions."

"I’m telling the truth!"

"Not needed. Goodbye." Lin Xian closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and lost all patience. He activated his Mechanical Heart—immediately, the "Infinite" began to slow.

Squeee—

Soon, the train rolled to a stop. Lin Xian, face grim, forced Kiki backward until she stood at the door.

"Go."

Seeing Lin Xian had truly stopped, Kiki finally panicked. Tears welled in her wide eyes. She glared at him, struggled for a moment, then turned away with stubborn resolve—but at the edge of the car, she halted. She turned back, face trembling, bit her lower lip, and said:

"You’re testing me?"

Lin Xian frowned. "What?"

Kiki’s gaze turned cold. "You’re testing my ability?"

Lin Xian’s pupils contracted. He said nothing.

Seeing his silence, Kiki’s expression relaxed. Fear vanished, replaced by a sly gleam. She studied him with interest, tears still clinging to her lashes, yet she giggled. "If you wanted to kill me, you’d have done it from the start. You’re testing me, aren’t you?"

The girl suddenly seemed to wake up. She stepped forward, chin raised, staring defiantly at him.

"You know I have an ability, right?"

"Do you have an ability?" Lin Xian smiled, countering.

!

"Of course I do!" Kiki said earnestly. "You saw me survive a helicopter crash, then find your shelter intact in the dark. My ability must be powerful—maybe even strong enough to fight off the night monsters and giant insects. So even though you wanted to kill me, you were curious and wary. You pushed me off just to test me. Am I right?!"

Lin Xian studied the girl before him—no more than fifteen or sixteen—with calm eyes. His face remained expressionless, but his mind raced.

She was right.

If it were anyone else, he’d have killed them already.

That night, when she’d begged for help, he hadn’t moved.

For her to walk safely through a night teeming with monsters to his shelter—unthinkable. The shockwave from that night had shaken him deeply.

Had she not revealed her power by smashing his door, he’d never have risked bringing her aboard.

So when she didn’t immediately use her ability to fight back, he grew suspicious. He didn’t care about sleeping with a teenage girl, nor did he care about the Dawn Project—but her sudden display of power fascinated him… and unsettled him.

That’s why he hadn’t struck first—he’d been testing her. Why pretend she didn’t know her own ability?

Thinking of this, Lin Xian’s tone grew heavy, the earlier amusement gone.

"Aren’t you testing me too?"

"Wh… what do you mean?" Kiki’s smile froze.

"You pretended to be innocent, to see if I was truly a pervert who’d lust after you. When that failed, you switched to bargaining with promises of value. In short—you feared I’d betray you, so you tested my limits."

Lin Xian slowly drew his short blade, face blank.

"Let me tell you—my limit is right here!"

He snarled, lunged at Kiki with the blade, ready to end her life.

Kiki’s face turned white. Her pupils shrank. With nowhere to retreat, as Lin Xian raised the blade before her, she shut her eyes, raised her hands to shield her face, and cried out in terror:

"Stop! Stop! I’m sorry! I confess! I’ll tell you everything!"

Whoosh!

Silence fell. Kiki felt her breath freeze. She opened her eyes slowly—and saw the cold blade resting inches from her face.

Lin Xian’s face was icy. He’d held nothing back—he’d even secretly gathered a wind spear. Yet at the brink of death, this girl still hadn’t used her ability to fight back. He was deeply puzzled.

He forced down his killing intent and stopped.

"Speak."

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(End of chapter)