Chapter 222: Cleansing the Heart and Reforming, Becoming a New Person

In Buliangsi Province, a dedicated train that departed from Cosmo was speeding through the forest.

At first glance it looks like an ordinary green‑skin passenger train, but its interior is as luxurious as a palace; the cars and undercarriage are fitted with heavy armor that can withstand bombs, and the windows are bullet‑proof, so even a direct rocket strike would not derail the train.

In one carriage, a few sofas were arranged; Qiao Bagefu was eating. His appetite had been poor lately, so his meal was simple—a single serving of "Arish Hill" made from lamb, eggplant, chili, etc. He took a few bites and set down his utensils.

Then he picked up a document on the table and began reading, shaking his head as he went.

Why is it like this?

I clearly intend to save this country, yet everything now seems to be spiraling out of control; the strategies I once envisioned as beautiful, when carried out, are always exploited by those damned opportunists and twisted into unexpected directions.

He felt exhausted in body and mind; even though he is the leader of the world's second‑largest political entity, at this moment he only felt a terrifying pressure like a mountain pressing down, almost suffocating him.

Two guards stood on each side of the carriage; after the incident during his last vacation, he had replaced everyone around him, and these four were also new faces. He looked at one of them and said, "Pavlov, where are we?"

"We just passed Karuma Province; in two hours we'll reach Buliangsi, Mr. President."

Qiao Bagefu looked out the window; on both sides rose towering camphor‑pine forests, with sunlight filtering through the foliage, giving the autumn scene a somewhat bleak, somber feel.

Suddenly, he saw something different.

It seemed to be a bird—a black crow—flying along the edge of the forest; after a short while it came close to the train, almost pressing against the window.

The crow flew parallel to the train outside the window for a while, its bean‑sized black eye staring at him, causing Qiao Bagefu to feel a hint of surprise.

But soon the crow let out a call, abruptly rose higher, and disappeared from view.

Curious, he glanced upward and saw dozens of crows taking off from various points on the train, converging in the air; while he was stunned, a sudden flash of bright light, like a strobe, made him instinctively shield his eyes, and when he looked again the crows had vanished without a trace.

"This…" he thought he was almost seeing things.

But at that moment Pavlov said, "Mr. President, we are entering a tunnel."

In an instant the train entered a tunnel; the view outside the window darkened abruptly, the air seemed to cool a degree, his eardrums felt a slight discomfort, and he lifted a glass of cocktail from the table and took a small sip.

"Pavlov, did you just see…"

Before he could finish, a strange voice shouted, "Nox!"

The bright lights in the carriage suddenly went out, plunging everything into pitch darkness.

Qiao Bagefu was startled, but heard Pavlov shout, "Spell! Protect the President!"

But immediately a crimson flash cut through the darkness, "Stupefy!"

The moment the light flared, he saw Pavlov struck, collapsing to the floor with a bang.

"Pavlov! Quick! Call rein…"

"Avada Kedavra!" A terrifying green flash lit up; Qiao Bagefu saw a gaunt man holding a wooden stick, his face twisted in an excited grimace, pointing at another guard, who was hit by the green light and, before finishing his sentence, fell backward.

"Great oak, spirit of the ancestors, I request…" Qiao Bagefu recognized the voice as Sergei's, but suddenly it seemed someone had clamped his mouth shut.

Then, another thud.

All of a sudden the light flared again, and a trembling Qiao Bagefu discovered six more people had appeared in the carriage.

And his guards had all been knocked to the ground.

Among them, the youngest man was unbelievably handsome, clad in a black robe; he crouched, glanced at the guard struck by the green flash, then suddenly slapped another young man's face.

"Why use the Killing Curse?"

"Sorry, Master…" Xiao Batike Ke Lao Qi's bloodthirsty smile vanished instantly, "I, I…"

"Your hand itches, huh? You're sick, huh?" the terrorist who looked not even twenty glared at the man, "You killed him; how will you use Polyjuice Potion later? If you can't control your desires, how can you achieve greatness!"

With a thud, the man knelt on the ground, "Sorry, Master… I, I was wrong…"

Murphy clenched his teeth, wanting to kick him, but this wasn't the time for rules. "You all, quickly, follow the plan and clear the battlefield. And you, stop kneeling, pull a few hairs from him; he's just died, maybe there's still some lingering breath."

Having said that, he finally came to stand before Qiao Bagefu.

The latter trembled all over, "Who—who are you? Who sent you? What do you intend to do?"

But Murphy merely sized him up, then shook his head, "Qiao Bagefu?"

"You're… United Kingdom people?!" Qiao Bagefu recognized his accent, "Do you want to spark a Great War?"

"Great War?" Murphy sneered, "Because of you?"

How truly pathetic.

"Help! Help!" Qiao Bagefu shouted suddenly.

"Don't waste your effort," Murphy said, the carriage already under a silence Spell he had set, no sound could escape. "Relax, you won't die."

"What exactly are you trying to do? What benefit do you get from assassinating me now?" Qiao Bagefu demanded.

"Who wants to assassinate you? Don't you like acting? We're just borrowing your face for a bit."

Murphy raised his wand and shouted, "Stupefy!"

Two minutes later, when the chef pushed the carriage door open again, he saw Qiao Bagefu shoveling large bites of food from his plate.

"Mr. President, your appetite seems good today?" the chef said cheerfully.

"Even such a simple dish can be this delicious," Valery Lermontov, who had become Qiao Bagefu through Polyjuice Potion, swept the last bit of minced meat into his mouth, dabbed his mouth with a napkin, smiled, and said, "No wonder so many people want to be president."

"You are truly humorous," the chef laughed as well, "What has made you so happy? Did something good happen?"

Valery pushed his plate aside, stood up, and looked out the window.

Sunlight filtered through the treetops, bathing his face, making him feel that everything still seemed full of hope.

The chef inexplicably sensed that the President today seemed different; his back was straight, and he appeared much younger.

"Yes, some good things have happened," Valery said.

"And in the future, even more good things will happen."

"Until every criminal who wants to bury this country alive has repented, reformed, and become a new person."

(End of Chapter)