---
The train tore through the darkness like a meteor.
Steel wheels screamed against the rails as the massive machine raced forward, its headlights cutting through the endless black of the night. In the silent wasteland of the apocalypse, the thunder of the locomotive felt almost surreal—like a star burning through a dead sky.
Ahead of us, the railway vanished into the unknown.
After several minutes of relentless acceleration, I finally caught sight of the cabin.
My body felt heavy from exhaustion, but I still managed to pull myself up and approach the door just in time to overhear Lin Xian and Chen Sixuan talking.
"We're almost at the elevated track of the Third Circular Line," Chen Sixuan said while studying a worn map. "We could stop there until sunrise. According to the map, there's nothing nearby."
She tapped the paper.
"The area around it is open. If anything approaches, we'll notice it immediately."
Her reasoning made sense.
Up there, zombies wouldn't be able to reach us. And the height meant we'd have a clear view of anything approaching.
Lin Xian gave a brief nod.
"That works."
The train began slowing as it climbed onto the elevated railway.
The roaring engine gradually quieted until the massive vehicle finally stopped.
Lin Xian immediately turned off the exterior lights.
The armored shutters slid down over the windows, sealing the train completely so that no light escaped into the night.
Only then did Chen Sixuan turn toward us.
"So…" she said slowly. "What exactly was that thing earlier?"
Lin Xian shrugged.
"Who knows."
His eyes shifted toward me.
"If that thing had attacked us earlier, we'd be lucky if there was enough left of us to recognize the bodies."
He tilted his head slightly.
"Besides… it was probably this idiot who attracted it with his little fight."
I immediately protested.
"Me?! I attracted it?!"
I pointed straight at him.
"You were the one who insisted on dragging furniture out of the warehouse! If anyone attracted it, it was definitely you!"
Though, if I was being honest…
There was a decent chance I had something to do with it.
"But seriously… why did you fight that anomaly head-on instead of escaping?"
"That was a risk you shouldn't have taken."
I leaned back against the wall and sighed.
"I told you something felt strange."
I crossed my arms.
"There were no bodies anywhere near the warehouse. Even you thought that was suspicious."
Lin Xian nodded slowly.
"When I left to meet you," I continued, "I suddenly felt something approaching."
"My first instinct was to run after warning you."
I paused.
"But that thing created several clones and surrounded the exit."
"There was no way out."
"So I had to fight."
Lin Xian frowned deeply.
"Clones?"
"That's strange."
He rubbed his chin thoughtfully.
"There have never been reports of anomalies multiplying themselves."
A moment of silence followed.
"If that's becoming common…" he muttered.
"Then humanity might be in serious trouble."
Then he looked up.
And instantly froze.
Standing directly in front of him were two Drakkons.
Both stared at him silently.
Their eyes glowed with a crimson light.
Lin Xian reacted instantly.
His sword flashed out of its sheath as he stepped into a defensive stance.
But before anything else could happen—
Both Drakkons burst into laughter.
"HAHAHAHA!"
"Man, you should've seen your face!"
"Yeah! You looked like you were thinking: 'What the hell?! My teammate turned into an anomaly and now I'm about to be eaten!'"
The two of us laughed uncontrollably for several seconds before the clone dissolved into particles of light.
Lin Xian's face darkened.
I wiped tears from my eyes after laughing
"Relax that's my new ability."
I raised a hand casually.
"I learned it from that anomaly—but it works differently."
"That thing split its body mass to create clones."
"I split energy instead."
"So I and that thing can't create unlimited copies."
I tapped my temple.
"And the red eyes… you could say they're the core of the ability called Sharingan."
Lin Xian stared at me for several seconds.
Then slowly lowered his sword.
At this point, he probably just assumed it was another one of my insane tricks.
"I'm not asking any more questions," he said.
Then his expression turned annoyed.
"But you could've kept your damn communicator on."
"I called you several times."
He crossed his arms.
"I almost left without you."
"If I hadn't spotted you, you'd still be back there, idiot."
I shrugged.
"Anyway… it doesn't look like that thing followed us."
"We've been stopped here for a while already."
I glanced outside through the narrow observation slit.
"So it should be safe enough."
I turned back toward him.
"We're staying here tonight, right?"
Lin Xian unfolded the map again.
After studying it for a moment, he nodded.
"Yes."
"We'll stay here until morning."
He tapped a location on the map.
"There are freight warehouses near Jiang City's cargo station."
"If we're lucky, we might find an electric locomotive there."
"That could temporarily solve our energy problem."
Most railway systems around Jiang City were electrified.
Those locomotives relied on external power lines instead of internal engines.
Which meant they likely hadn't been moved since the apocalypse began.
But even one could be useful.
If we could connect it to the train, Lin Xian's ability could convert the train's kinetic energy into stored power.
Even if the conversion rate was only thirty or forty percent…
It was still far better than nothing.
Lin Xian suddenly looked up.
"Have you two eaten?"
Chen Sixuan hesitated.
"I… checked our supplies earlier."
She looked slightly nervous.
"If we reduce our meals to one per day…"
"Then we only have enough food for twenty-one days."
She had already included all three of us in the calculation.
In the apocalypse, food was the most precious resource.
Lin Xian had never said we would share equally.
Noticing her uneasy expression, Lin Xian simply waved his hand.
"Don't worry about that."
He pointed lazily toward me.
"That idiot has a storage ability."
"He's hoarding enough canned food to feed… who knows how many lifetimes."
I nodded.
To prove it, I pulled out a can of fruit, a loaf of bread, and a sausage from my storage.
I handed them to Chen Sixuan.
Then tossed the same items toward Lin Xian.
For myself…
I took out a luxury steak plate I had stored from a five-star restaurant before the apocalypse.
Then I began eating with the enthusiasm of a starving wolf.
Both of them stared at me.
Silently.
Lin Xian cleared his throat awkwardly.
"Ahem."
"Anyway."
"You two clean up this mess we call a resting area."
"Install some furniture."
He waved dismissively.
"I'll go repair the damaged hydraulic door in the rear carriage."
Chen Sixuan and I started organizing the carriage.
I pulled out several pieces of furniture I had collected earlier—some of which I personally liked.
After finishing everything, I collapsed onto the large bed I had claimed for myself.
The exhaustion from the day finally caught up with me.
Within seconds…
I was asleep.
---
Some time later, Lin Xian returned to the first carriage.
Chen Sixuan was still sitting quietly on the edge of the bed, her head lowered.
Drakkon, meanwhile, was sprawled across the mattress like a corpse, snoring loudly.
Remembering the massive explosion earlier, Lin Xian understood why.
Drakkon had been the one fighting the most.
Lin Xian looked at Chen Sixuan.
"Why are you still awake?"
"Go to sleep."
"We'll take turns keeping watch tonight."
He glanced toward Drakkon.
"I doubt that guy will be useful."
Chen Sixuan nodded silently.
Not wanting him to see what she was holding, she quietly moved to the sofa.
After removing her shoes, she lay down and soon fell asleep.
Lin Xian grabbed a bottle of water from the newly organized cabinet and drank deeply.
Then he walked toward the second carriage.
The mysterious girl was still lying there.
Unconscious.
It had already been twenty hours since they brought her onto the train.
Yet she hadn't moved once.
Lin Xian crossed his arms.
"If you keep pretending to sleep…"
"I'll throw you out."
No reaction.
"Wake up."
Still nothing.
His expression darkened.
"I'll strip you naked and leave you outside."
Silence.
Finally, he crouched down and pinched her cheeks hard.
No response.
Her expression didn't change at all.
After a long sigh, Lin Xian finally gave up.
If it weren't for the mysterious ability she possessed…
He wouldn't have bothered saving her at all.
At best, she might become harmless baggage.
At worst…
She could become a serious threat.
As the night deepened, the temperature dropped sharply.
Cold air slowly filled the carriage.
After a moment of hesitation, Lin Xian picked up the unconscious girl and carried her to the first carriage.
He placed her beside Drakkon on the large bed.
Drakkon frowned slightly but didn't wake up.
Lin Xian covered both of them with thick blankets.
Then he covered Chen Sixuan as well.
Finally, he returned to the second carriage.
There, under the dim light of a portable lamp, he began forging a new reinforced scythe for Drakkon.
All while keeping watch.
Because in the apocalypse…
Peace rarely lasted long.