Chapter 5: Former Colleague

“It’s this feeling!”

Lin Xian cried inwardly, feeling the train’s roaring power; the shadows of last night were swiftly swept away—he now felt as one with the entire train, a sense of unstoppable momentum surging through him!

Ding dang dang, ding dang dang…

Outside University City Station, on the open railway, a few zombies in tattered uniforms wandered aimlessly; now, these creatures seemed to simultaneously sense the strange noise coming from the tunnel, the tracks beneath their feet beginning to tremble.

“Ugh~ Ah”

"Guguk coughs~"

The sounds emerged laboriously, as if squeezed from rotting, decayed airways; the zombies, as if pulled by invisible ropes, slowly turned their heads, fixing their clouded, lifeless eyes squarely on the dark tunnel entrance.

Wu!

The whistle exploded—a roar from the abyss—as a crimson mechanical beast, like an ancient war god awakening from slumber, roared forth from the tunnel with boundless fury and long-dormant power!

“Eh! Ah!”

They howled, surging forward like a pack of mad beasts; yet their decayed brains could not comprehend that the deafening noise was not their desired prey, but a steel giant with a terrifying 18,500 horsepower!

Kachak, kachak~

The accelerated Infinite Train crushed through like a stormwind, instantly spewing a rain of blood and flesh, limbs flying everywhere; Lin Xian, in the cab, trembled with his gaze—the darkness Yayi ed for over a dozen days was finally released in this moment!

“Awesome!” Lin Xian roared.

In this moment, there was an supreme sensation of breaking through darkness into dawn!

It marked the first successful step of his plan.

Kuang dang, kuang dang!

With a heart full of excitement, the heavy locomotive raced along the tracks; Lin Xian gazed at the city now reduced to ruins, searching ceaselessly for useful information.

Zombies wandering the streets posed relatively little threat to ordinary people unless they triggered a massive horde.

Of course, animal-type zombies—dogs, wolves—were often far more troublesome than ordinary humanoid zombies.

Du du~

Chen Sixuan’s phone could no longer be reached.

Unable to reach her by phone, Lin Xian put away his phone and prepared to go directly to her door.

He was not a man who hesitated; having made his plan, he would not overthink it—unless Chen Sixuan was already dead, he would not change his course lightly.

The subway tracks were far more open than he’d expected; perhaps because the lines were generally enclosed, and no one was foolish enough to drive vehicles onto the rails, he encountered no obstacles along the way.

The nearest subway station to Yushui Garden was Tiyu Xi, once a packed transit hub; as the train entered the underground tunnel, Lin Xian slowed his speed.

Because he would soon need to disembark and search for her; if he made too much noise and drew too many zombies, his operation would become far more difficult.

Chi~

Lin Xian did not enter the platform, but stopped farther away.

At this point, he first went to Car 2 and found the girl still asleep—this surprised him.

Who could sleep this long under normal circumstances?

“Hey!”

Lin Xian tapped her cheek; no reaction.

So he simply pinched her face; her skin was soft, elastic, though smeared with blood, yet still revealed exquisite features—a true beauty in the making.

She must be from some wealthy family.

Forget it, let her sleep.

Lin Xian thought for a moment, and for safety’s sake, sealed the doors between Car 3 and Car 1.

Then he picked up his short knife, carefully observed his surroundings, and stepped off the train, running along the narrow path beside the tracks into the station.

…

Yushui Garden, Building 3, Unit 901.

Chen Sixuan had not slept all night; the intense mental pressure had left her utterly drained, her beautiful face pale as death.

At this moment, she curled up in the corner of the sofa, her head buried tightly against her knees.

Around her lay piles of books on the Ring Star Line; her gaze was vacant, her dry lips moving constantly, whispering softly.

“Jiangyu Line, No. hx05681, total length 1,256 kilometers, stops at first-class stations: Jiangning, Yubei… second-class stations: Yushan, Beiwan.”

Since yesterday, when she finally made that last call, Chen Sixuan had placed all her hope in waiting for the train to come racing toward her.

But as time slowly slipped away, despair crept in, inch by inch, devouring her last shred of reason.

“Beiwan Station, maintenance section…”

She whispered, then fell silent; a flicker of tremor passed through her eyes.

Her mind recalled that student she had barely noticed: ordinary family, warm smile, quiet personality, poor at socializing, not athletic…

It was as if… everything about him was utterly ordinary.

Then she remembered his “railway train” plan—to drive a heavy locomotive along the Ring Star Line to escape…

It sounded… too sci-fi, didn’t it?

“Can he even drive a train? If he had that much fuel or energy, wouldn’t a car be easier?” she muttered to herself; each question was a sharp blade slicing through her fading hope.

What if the tracks were broken? Would this student fix them—or would she, a foreign language teacher, fix them?

One question after another she dared not even consider emerged, slowly swallowing her whole, making her last sliver of hope seem absurdly ridiculous…

Large tears welled in her eyes, dripping, drip… drip…

But Chen Sixuan refused to surrender; she clenched her teeth, holding back her tears, whispering to herself.

He promised… he would come…

“Beiwan Station, one main line, two arrival/departure tracks…”

In the empty living room, Chen Sixuan’s murmurs echoed again…

!

Dong dong dong~

A knock on the door shattered the stillness like a stone breaking a calm lake, sending ripples through the silent room—deafening in its emptiness.

Chen Sixuan lifted her head, her eyes lighting up with surprise.

Has he come?

She immediately ran barefoot from the sofa to the door, yet dared not look through the peephole; instead, she spoke in a panicked voice.

“Who… who is it?!”

But the voice that answered from outside was that of a middle-aged man.

“Miss Chen, it’s Liang Wei. I’ve called you twice these past two days and got no answer—I was worried, so I came to check.”

Chen Sixuan’s heart plunged instantly into an icy abyss.

Director Liang had been her former colleague—a man of hypocritical virtue who, back at school, had often leered at her with greedy eyes; she’d also heard he had preyed upon several female students, a true wolf in sheep’s clothing.

Somehow, despite his vile nature, he’d risen to the position of Office Director—perhaps due to powerful connections; Chen Sixuan despised him and avoided him whenever possible.

But fate had placed them in the same residential complex, same building; after the collapse, Liang Wei had called her intermittently—first with solemn concern, saying they needed to band together in crisis, claiming he had plenty of supplies and she could take what she needed.

But gradually, his true nature surfaced; especially after learning her supplies were low, he grew impatient, pressing her to move in with him.

Now, hearing Liang’s voice, Chen Sixuan felt a sudden wave of nausea—whether from dashed hope or inner irritation—and replied coldly.

“I’m fine.”

Pong pong pong!

The knocking outside grew louder.

“Fine? Didn’t you tell me your food was almost gone?!”

Seeing Chen Sixuan Chichi not opening the door, Liang Wei pressed his face against the peephole, peering inside; Chen Sixuan recoiled, frowning, stepping back as he leaned forward.

But when Liang saw her shadow inside, his eyes lit up and he cried out quickly.

“Miss Chen, are you hungry? I’ve got plenty of bread, biscuits, beef cans, bottled water—if you want, I’ll bring them down right now!”

Bread, biscuits, beef cans, bottled water…

These food names struck Chen Sixuan’s ears like irresistible temptations, shattering her reason.

She… had not eaten for two days.

But she knew—whether his words were true or not, if she opened the door, she would become his plaything in this apocalypse.

But which mattered more: shame or survival?

Perhaps sensing her prolonged silence, Liang’s last shred of patience vanished; his expression darkened, and suddenly he slammed his palm hard against the door!

Pong!

“Chen Sixuan, you bitch! Stop pretending to be pure! In this world, everyone’s dying—stay with me and you’ll live a few more days! I won’t eat you, what are you afraid of?!”

“Open the door, now!”

Dong dong dong!

As he began kicking the door, the violent noise turned Chen Sixuan’s face deathly pale; she spun around, snatched the fruit knife from the shoe cabinet, and held it before her chest, her eyes filled with torment.

New book, please follow!

(End of Chapter)