Chapter 14: Besieged

"Hmph!" The old lady's face suddenly changed, shedding her frail, half-dead demeanor. She shot a venomous glance at Lin Xian, who was trapped in the freezer. "It's stuffy as hell in there. If he wants to die inside, let him die." "Exactly, that place stinks even worse than this one. Let’s see how long he can last." Another young woman, dripping with sweat, fanned herself with her hand and complained, "It’s just that this damn freezer’s soundproofing is too good. My throat’s practically hoarse from yelling." The old lady shot her a dissatisfied glare. "What do you know? If you don’t put on a proper act, how are you going to bait the fish?" "Mom, your tricks always work." Inside the freezer, Lin Xian's expression darkened. He could tell this family had probably done this kind of thing before. Fortunately, he was vigilant and reacted quickly. Otherwise, in just half a second, he might have lost his life at gunpoint! At the moment, his cold gaze locked onto the four outside. It wasn’t hard to figure out that the old lady was the mastermind of this family, while the other two were her sons and daughter-in-law. "Of course! Haven’t you heard that ‘the older the ginger, the spicier’?" The old lady cast a cold glance at Lin Xian. "Today’s fish is quick, but he doesn’t seem too smart—ran straight into a dead end." "Hey, brother, why don’t you come out and hand over the train keys? I promise to let you go." A middle-aged man stepped forward, addressing Lin Xian inside the freezer. Sure enough, they had already scouted his Infinite Train pulling into the platform and set up this fishing ploy to kill him and seize the train! "You think I’d believe you?" Lin Xian responded coldly. "Alright, since you won’t come out, then you can rot in there for all I care." The man holding the long gun sneered at Lin Xian and grabbed an iron chain from somewhere, wrapping it around the freezer door handle to lock it from the outside. "Dad!" At this moment, a chubby boy, about eleven or twelve years old, came running in excitedly, his face full of pride as he addressed the middle-aged man. "I just checked! There’s a woman on that train—really pretty!" The middle-aged man’s name was Huang Zhaojian, while the one with the long gun was his younger brother, Huang Jie. "Two people dare to drive a train? Pretty gutsy!" Huang Jie laughed mockingly at the boy’s words, then turned to the old lady. "Mom, what’s the plan?" "What do you think?" The old lady glared at him. "You really are as dense as a brick. There’s bound to be a lot of stuff on that train. If it’s functional, wouldn’t it be better to hide on it than in this stinky freezer?" "True!" Gong Li’s eyes lit up. "That way, we could finally leave this hellhole." Huang Zhaojian scowled at his wife. "Leave with what? Do you even know how to drive a train?!" "Hmph, I can’t drive, but someone else can! Didn’t A-Le say there’s a pretty woman on board? These two young people clearly know how. How hard can it be?" "I want to drive the train! I want to drive the train!" The chubby boy, A-Le, bounced up and down with excitement at the thought of operating the train. "Yeah, driving a train can’t be that hard. Bro, don’t kill the pretty lady—leave her for me, hahaha." Huang Jie perked up, grinning. "Shut up!" Just as the group was getting carried away, the old lady glanced at Lin Xian in the freezer and signaled to the others with her eyes. "Huang Jie, you stay here and keep watch," she ordered. Then, pulling the rest along, she moved away, seemingly to discuss their next steps in private. "Old hag, keep dreaming!" But just as the old lady was about to leave, Lin Xian suddenly spoke up from inside the freezer. He had already guessed her intentions, so he deliberately made his move in front of everyone. Slowly, he pulled a walkie-talkie from behind his back. "Ms. Chen, there’s a bit of trouble on my side. Whatever you do, don’t open the train doors," he said firmly. "Huh? Are you okay?" "I’m fine." "Alright, I won’t open the doors, no matter what!" Chen Sixuan’s tense voice came through the walkie-talkie. "F***!" Huang Zhaojian exploded with rage upon realizing Lin Xian had a walkie-talkie. He stomped furiously at the freezer door. The old lady, seeing her plan exposed, bit her lip in frustration. Still, she quickly approached the freezer and sneered at Lin Xian. "A dog locked in a cage. What, do you plan to drag this out with us? The air in there can’t be too pleasant, can it?" She wasn’t wrong. The freezer reeked of a putrid stench that made Lin Xian feel dizzy. He had used his Ability to lock the freezer’s mechanical door from inside, buying himself some safety for now—but he was still trapped. "F*** your uncle!" Huang Zhaojian smacked the freezer window, yelling viciously. "Kid, you think you can run? Let’s see how long you last. If you piss me off, I’ll drag that woman out and f*** her in front of you!" The old lady’s face turned even more venomous. "If you know what’s good for you, you’ll cooperate. You and the woman drive the train, and we’ll all escape together. I guarantee you’ll live. How about it?" In her eyes, Lin Xian was nothing more than a bird trapped in a cage. Though they couldn’t get to him at the moment, she knew the freezer had poor ventilation and was unbearably foul-smelling. Staying inside for long was impossible. With no other exit, she figured Lin Xian was simply putting up a futile resistance. The mother and son duo played their roles like clockwork—one threatening, the other coaxing—which almost made Lin Xian laugh. While he had his Wind Cannon Skill, taking on two armed men head-on was reckless. Lin Xian wasn’t a battle-hardened soldier or a fearless ranger;he was just a college student. His combat experience wasn’t exactly stellar. If not for his quick reflexes earlier, he’d already be dead at the hands of the Huang brothers. Now trapped in the freezer, and with Chen Sixuan unable to assist him, Lin Xian’s thoughts churned. Suddenly, a bold idea formed in his mind. He ignored the people outside and rummaged through his backpack, pulling out a flashlight to survey his surroundings. Outside, the old lady, fearing the train might escape, signaled her sons to check it out. Click. Lin Xian switched on the flashlight, illuminating the massive freezer. Shelves stood neatly arranged, but the goods had long been looted. Melted blood from frozen meats pooled on the ground, filling the air with a nauseating stench. Sweeping the light deeper into the room, Lin Xian noticed a row of large freezer cabinets on the other side. His eyes lit up as he approached them one by one. Though the cabinets were empty, they had another purpose—they could be devoured! Since he couldn’t leave for the time being and the freezer served as a natural fortress, Lin Xian decided he could safely start devouring the large appliances around him. With this in mind, he picked up the walkie-talkie again. "Ms. Chen, plans have changed. I’m temporarily trapped here. Stay in the train tonight—don’t open the door, don’t turn on the lights, and don’t make a sound. Wait for my signal." On the train, Chen Sixuan’s face grew visibly panicked upon hearing Lin Xian’s words. Through the gap in the armored window, she could see two armed men crossing the tracks and heading in her direction. Her expression tensed as she whispered, "Lin Xian, someone’s coming." "I know. Don’t be afraid. As long as you don’t open the door, they can’t do anything to you." Biting her lower lip, Chen Sixuan nodded. "Okay." Just as she finished speaking, there came a loud bang, bang, bang on the front cab door. "Open up! Open the damn door, or I’ll shoot!" "The guy is in our hands! If you don’t want him to die, then open the door right now!!" Chen Sixuan gripped the walkie-talkie tightly and retreated into the No. 1 carriage. This was her first time dealing with such a situation, and there was no way she wasn’t nervous. But Lin Xian’s words had etched themselves into her mind. No matter what they said, she knew she absolutely couldn’t open the door. Clang! At that moment, Huang Jie, holding a long gun, climbed up to the front windshield. Pressing himself against it, he cupped his hands over his eyes to peer inside. Through the glass, he immediately spotted Chen Sixuan, whose face was pale with panic. His eyes lit up instantly, and he nearly started drooling. "Bro!!! That chick’s right there!!! She’s f***ing gorgeous!!" "Bro, let me take her as my wife!!" Since the apocalypse had come, society had completely collapsed. Huang Jie, still single, had been bitterly holding out. Just the thought of it made him seethe with frustration. Now, seeing such a stunning woman like Chen Sixuan, a rush of heat surged straight to his head. In this lawless and chaotic environment, human savagery had been amplified to the extreme. Huang Jie could barely hold himself back and wanted to storm inside immediately. Bang, bang! Eyes practically blazing with desire, he frantically picked up the butt of his rifle and smashed it against the windshield of the Infinite Train. But no matter how hard he hit, the windshield didn’t so much as crack.