[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-lord-of-the-proles":3,"chapter-lord-of-the-proles-lord-of-the-proles-chapter-9":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","Lord of the Proles",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},2290307,4478,"Chapter 9: Three Forks","lord-of-the-proles-chapter-9",9,"\u003Cp>He Jiaqing reminded Li Banfeng to strictly follow the train’s rules.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Banfeng quickly closed the curtain and locked the cabin door.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He took out two boxes of instant noodles, filled them with hot water from the cabin’s tea heater, and ate them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It seemed like some kind of imprint left on the soul—on the train, instant noodles became incredibly delicious.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After eating, Li Banfeng sat on the chair and replied to He Jiaqing: “Now tell me, what exactly is going on?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He Jiaqing replied: “I’m trapped in Yaowang Gou. When you get to my place, we’ll talk face to face.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“First tell me, where exactly is Yaowang Gou? Is it still in Yuedong Province?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It’s not in Yuedong Province—it’s in Puluo Province. Without that item, I can’t get out.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What is Puluo Province?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Brother, I’m drained—I’m about to collapse. Let’s wait until we meet.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What’s inside the package?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Let me rest for a bit—I’ll tell you for sure. But remember, don’t open the package.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He Jiaqing stopped sending messages.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Banfeng took the package out of his backpack and placed it on the dining table, staring at it silently for a long while.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To say he wasn’t curious was false.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To say he wouldn’t open it was impossible.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The key was when to open it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Banfeng concluded that something rare and priceless was inside.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But he remembered the phone call from the big-eyed man—the man named Xiao Gang had said this thing would kill many people.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Was it some kind of poison, or a pathogen, a virus—a biochemical weapon?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He Jiaqing didn’t send any more messages—he was truly drained.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Banfeng was also exhausted; he couldn’t sleep at all in the dormitory, but now in the cabin, drowsiness hit him hard, impossible to resist.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He pulled out his phone and began searching for information on Puluo Province, Yaowang Gou, and Lüshui Wan.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The phone’s results were all over the place, hard to sort through; Li Banfeng searched for a long time but found nothing useful.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The cabin lights were dim—the lampshades held bulbs he hadn’t seen since childhood, casting a yellow glow that made his eyelids heavy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The curtains were tightly shut, sealed perfectly; all he could see were the receding shadows of the outside scenery.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The steam train’s wheezing, the clatter of wheels on rails, and the occasional whistle formed a hypnotic white noise, lulling Li Banfeng into the bedroom, where he lay down on the bunk and fell asleep.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He didn’t remember how long he slept—he’d drunk water, gone to the toilet—until a violent knocking at the door jolted him fully awake.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Big brother, big brother! Please open the door, let me in for just a moment, just a little while!” A woman’s voice came from outside, urgent, panicked, trembling with sobs.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A child was also pleading: “Uncle, please open the door, I beg you!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The child cried.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Banfeng didn’t open the door.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The train announcement had said: never let strangers into the cabin unless necessary.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And there was another critical question.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>How did they know I was a “big brother”? How did the child know I was an “uncle”?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Since boarding, Li Banfeng hadn’t left the cabin; besides the ticket inspector, he hadn’t seen a single person.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Big brother, I beg you, let me in for just a moment—I’ll leave right away!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Uncle, open the door…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tap-tap-tap!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The knocking grew more frantic, the sobs more heart-wrenching.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Banfeng gave no reply—and at that moment, the steam train was slowing down.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The announcement came: “Ladies and gentlemen, San Tou Cha station is approaching. Passengers getting off, please gather your belongings and prepare to disembark.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I beg you, big brother, let my child in to hide for a moment—I won’t come in!” The woman outside screamed desperately.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What had happened? Why did they have to hide in my cabin?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Banfeng moved to the door, intending to peek through the crack—when he faintly heard a man’s voice: “Kick it down—he won’t open.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Banfeng quickly stepped back from the door, scanning the cabin for anything usable as a weapon.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Were there three people outside?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And there was a man too!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I underestimated the risks on this train.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Kick it down! If you don’t, it’ll be too late!” The man’s voice came again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Would he really kick the door down?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I think he won’t—if he would, he’d have done it already.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Inside and outside, both sides were locked in a standoff.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hssss~\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With a long hiss of steam release, the train stopped.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Clatter!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Banfeng heard the cabin door open—the attendant lowered the steps.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Open the door! Open it! I’m telling you to open it! Are you opening it or not…” The woman screamed wildly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The door shook violently—she started kicking it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Strange—why was it this woman kicking the door?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though he couldn’t see, the rhythm of the shouts and kicks made it clear: the same person was screaming and kicking—the woman!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The door shook violently, about to be kicked open at any moment.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Banfeng prepared his spicy strips and the cabin’s thermos—his only two handy weapons.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His neck itched.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He couldn’t free a hand to scratch!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No good—it was itching too badly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Why now, of all times?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Banfeng set down the thermos, scratched his neck hard twice, then immediately picked it up again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Bang! Bang!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The door was about to burst open—another voice came from outside: “You’re at your stop. Get off immediately.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was the attendant’s voice!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The attendant was warning the woman she had reached her stop.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Banfeng’s heart eased slightly; he set down the thermos and scratched his neck a few more times.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The woman screamed: “I won’t get off! I’ll find a way to pay— I can’t get off at San Tou Cha! The peddler’s already gone—I must get off at the next stop, I must go to Haichiling!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What peddler?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The peddler’s gone—why must she go to Haichiling?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Banfeng was still bewildered when he heard a struggle and shoving outside the cabin.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The woman shouted: “I won’t get off!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The child shouted: “We won’t get off!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The man shouted: “We’ll pay later!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The woman’s, child’s, and man’s voices all rose together—the struggle and impacts never ceased, but the sounds grew distant; they seemed to have fought their way down the train with the attendant.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Soon after, the attendant retracted the steps and closed the door.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Banfeng sat back on his chair, wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, scratched his neck, and pieced together what had happened.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They wanted to enter my cabin to avoid paying.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If I’d let them in, they’d have taken over the cabin—this was the least of it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They dared to kick the door, dare to fight the attendant, and had no money—they’d surely rob me once inside.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If I couldn’t beat them, my money, instant noodles, spicy strips, chips, and He Jiaqing’s treasure would all be gone.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Everything else was secondary—but the instant noodles couldn’t be taken; without them, how would I survive this journey?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sitting by the window, Li Banfeng drank several sips of water to calm himself.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Huff~ huff~\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After a ten-minute stop, the steam train started again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His neck itched more and more—it felt like a rash was breaking out!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Banfeng pulled out his phone, about to check the time, when he heard a tapping on the window.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Who was tapping on the window?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Was it those three people again?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thump! Thump! Thump!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Muffled knocks continued.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The train sped up—but the tapping never stopped.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Is this person chasing the train, tapping on my window?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>How fast must he be running!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Banfeng was stunned and dared not sit by the window any longer.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He wanted to pull back the curtain and look outside, but remembered the broadcast’s warning and refrained from reaching out.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As the train passed a streetlamp, the light cast the figure of a man outside onto the curtain.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Banfeng saw a broad palm, powerful arms, a wide chest, and shoulders wider than the chest.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Upon those broad shoulders sat three heads—though they flashed by in an instant, Li Banfeng was certain he had not imagined it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Was this the man who had kicked the door outside just now?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It must be!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Banfeng had thought there were three people outside the door, but there was only one—a man with three heads!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The conversation he had heard earlier was the three heads of this one man taking turns speaking.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This place is called Three-Headed Fork.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Is there a necessary connection between this three-headed man and Three-Headed Fork?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As the train passed a row of streetlamps, the three-headed man’s figure repeatedly flickered across the curtain.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>One hand gripped the outer edge of the window, his body hanging in midair, while the other kept pounding on the glass.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The window glass seemed ready to shatter at any moment.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Banfeng picked up the spicy strip and thermos again, bracing himself for battle.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Suddenly, a pole descended from the train’s roof, jabbing repeatedly—ten, fifteen times—until it knocked the three-headed man off the window.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was the conductor.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The conductor shoved the three-headed man off the train, retracted the pole, calmly leapt to the carriage connection, and returned inside.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Banfeng stood in the center of the carriage, neither near the door nor near the window.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Squeeeee~\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The broadcast sounded again: “Ladies and gentlemen, welcome aboard Train 1160. Passengers already on board, please do not move about randomly…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His neck grew increasingly itchy; Li Banfeng scratched a few times and found the skin had broken, bleeding.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What’s going on?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Why is only his neck so itchy?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Am I going to grow two more heads?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What if they actually grow?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Let them grow! It’s lonely being alone!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“We’ve always been with you—we can keep you company!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Banfeng thought he heard two voices speaking beside his ears!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>PS: Four updates today—another at midnight.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>(End of Chapter)\u003C\u002Fp>",1657,"2026-06-20T03:43:13.043Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","575247cbd9c4c157ce25aee2518c4f967b99944aef0454fb3419aaaf3c540f2d","lord-of-the-proles-chapter-10","lord-of-the-proles-chapter-8",863,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Flord-of-the-proles-cover.jpg"]