Chapter 23: The Train’s Little Thief

“Ugh!” The overwhelmingly gruesome scene finally broke Chen Sixuan’s psychological defenses. As she stepped off the train, the stench of blood hit her like a wall, and she immediately began dry heaving. Lin Xian was about to comfort her, but she raised a hand and said, “No... no need. I’ll be fine.” Her face was deathly pale, but Lin Xian could tell she was making a great effort to adjust to the horrific sight before her. Understanding this, he said nothing more. “Be careful. There might still be survivors... or more zombies.” “Mm.” Chen Sixuan nodded, and the two began scavenging the parked off-road vehicles on the platform. Almost immediately, they discovered a large stash of water and food originally stocked by the Oasis convoy. “There’s so much food!” Deliberately avoiding looking at the corpses on the ground, Chen Sixuan opened the car doors and started gathering supplies. Lin Xian swept his gaze around. Most of the supplies here were relatively intact, which made him frown. He surmised that the Oasis convoy’s downfall wasn’t caused by human attackers—otherwise, the supplies would have been looted already. His eyes fell on the massive insect legs scattered nearby, and his heart sank. Vroom! Lin Xian opened the hydraulic liftgate of Carriage No. 3 and called to Chen Sixuan, “Time is tight. Just toss everything inside for now;we’ll sort it out on the way.” “Got it!” And so, the two began working together, scavenging every bit of usable supplies from the devastated convoy. What Lin Xian didn’t expect, however, was that the Chen Sixuan who had been gagging every few steps and frowning constantly was now completely consumed by the excitement of finding resources. Energized, she moved back and forth between the cars and the train, carrying supplies as if she’d completely adapted to the situation. At one moment, she excitedly told Lin Xian that she had found a large box of instant noodles. In another, she let out a cheer after discovering several crates of canned food. Then, from one of the cars, she somehow managed to unearth a basket full of bottles and containers—skincare and shampoo products—and immediately started jumping with joy. Watching her confidently running around the corpses without hesitation, Lin Xian couldn’t help but marvel at her adaptability, which far exceeded his expectations. “Look, Lin Xian! What’s this?” At that moment, Chen Sixuan found a black leather case inside a large Raptor truck. Opening it, she discovered a purple plastic rod, a small perforated cup, some indescribably lacy lingerie, and even a USB drive carefully preserved in a small box labeled “Precious Teacher Materials.” “‘Teacher materials?’” Chen Sixuan mumbled to herself, remembering that she was a teacher. Curiosity piqued, she thought it might be something important. She pulled out the purple plastic rod with a puzzled look, but as soon as she saw the strange clothing inside, realization dawned on her. “Aah!” She let out a small cry and immediately threw everything away, sneaking a glance at Lin Xian. Her face turned bright red in embarrassment. Lin Xian found it amusing. While he understood that such "personal needs" were normal, bringing so much “gear” on a doomsday escape was a bold choice. Clearly, someone in the Oasis convoy had been... resourceful. The Oasis convoy, having left Jiang City just two days ago, had already been completely wiped out, leaving Lin Xian to reap the benefits. For over half an hour, the two tirelessly loaded the train with supplies. Lin Xian estimated that even if they ate three full meals a day, the amount of food they had collected would last them at least two months. By any measure, it was an enormous haul! He couldn’t help but marvel at Liu Wei’s audacity. He’d seen bandits block roads, and even vehicles, but blocking a train? That was a first. Liu Wei’s overconfidence as an Ability User ultimately led to his death—not undeserved, in Lin Xian’s opinion. And yet, it had left him with a windfall. However, after searching for a while, Lin Xian only found three rifles and one handgun at the scene. All were in poor condition, and there wasn’t a single bullet left. “To fight so viciously... what kind of monster was it?” Lin Xian frowned deeply. He took the guns off the corpses, but without bullets, they were practically useless. “Maybe I should just devour them...” Still, Lin Xian felt it would be wasteful to immediately consume guns that had been so hard to find, even if they were in bad shape. “Forget it. I’ll take them for now.” “Almost done. Let’s get moving,” Lin Xian said, raising the hydraulic liftgate to secure the supplies. The most important task now was to get back on the road. They had gathered everything useful they could. Clang. Clang. The Infinite Train was ready to depart once more. At that moment, Lin Xian’s Mechanical Heart encompassed the entire train, and he suddenly detected movement inside... His brow furrowed immediately. Turning to Chen Sixuan, he gestured for silence. Noticing the seriousness in his expression, Chen Sixuan’s face also changed, her gaze shifting toward the train. “Is there someone on board?!” Lin Xian’s face darkened as he remembered the unconscious girl still onboard—a complete unknown to him. “It’s that girl!” Chen Sixuan finally realized. Lin Xian stood frozen for a moment, half exasperated, half amused. The girl who had been unconscious for three days had apparently been playing a sneaky game with him. Clang! The Infinite Train’s cockpit door opened as Lin Xian and Chen Sixuan entered one after the other, shutting it firmly behind them. Lin Xian promptly started the train and then turned to Chen Sixuan. “Ms. Chen, be careful. That girl likely has some sort of ability. Let me handle her.” Not wanting to waste time while on the move, and wary of the girl’s potential powers, Lin Xian decided to ensure Chen Sixuan’s safety by leaving her behind. “Okay, be careful,” Chen Sixuan replied, still full of curiosity. She had been puzzled by the girl’s condition—how could someone sleep for three days without waking? With time of the essence, Lin Xian had to not only drive the train but also deal with the girl. Chen Sixuan, therefore, took on the responsibility of monitoring the road ahead. As Lin Xian entered Carriage No. 1, he found the sofa empty. On the floor lay a few lengths of rope, clearly untied. Slowing his steps, Lin Xian began closing the doors between carriages as he moved, intending to trap her. When he reached Carriage No. 2, a wooden stick suddenly swung toward him from the front, accompanied by a sharp shout: “Hee-yah!” The girl had clearly used all her strength, determined to succeed in her ambush. However, Lin Xian’s speed had already surpassed that of an ordinary human, and he had been on guard. The moment the stick appeared, his hand shot out and caught it firmly in midair. Realizing her sneak attack had failed, the girl’s expression changed drastically. She screamed, “Ah!” and immediately dropped the stick, turning to run toward the next carriage, attempting to shut the door behind her. What she didn’t know was that the entire train was under Lin Xian’s control. If he wanted the door open, it would open. Clack! The door she had just closed swung open again. Lin Xian, his face cold, stepped forward, gripping his short blade tightly. “I was wondering why you didn’t wake up after so long. No hunger? No bathroom breaks? Turns out you could untie yourself this whole time,” Lin Xian said mockingly. “Ah!” The girl, clutching half a piece of bread, was so frightened by Lin Xian’s imposing presence that she ran while shouting, “Don’t come any closer! Don’t come any closer!” She retreated as far as Carriage No. 3 without realizing it, her path now blocked. In a moment of desperation, her eyes darted around before she grabbed a cardboard box and hurled it at Lin Xian. Taking advantage of the moment he dodged, she tried to slip past him and run in the opposite direction. Lin Xian remained cautious. He suspected the girl possessed a powerful ability, so he secretly prepared his Wind Cannon and was ready to deploy his Ice Shield for defense at any moment. To his surprise, the girl merely threw a cardboard box at him. Bewildered, Lin Xian hesitated. Just as the girl attempted to dart past him, Lin Xian raised a hand, caught her wrist, and yanked her back. A quick trip of his foot sent her tumbling to the ground, where she cried out in pain. “Ow—! I’m sorry, I’m sorry! Big brother, please don’t kill me!” Lin Xian frowned. He had subdued her far too easily, encountering none of the resistance he’d expected. Yet he distinctly remembered this girl hurling Grandpa Li through the air during the night with apparent ease. His suspicions deepened as he noticed a faint trace of cunning flash in her tear-filled eyes. Instantly, his guard shot up. She’s acting! Playing along, Lin Xian coldly rebuked, “You stole my food, then tried to ambush me? Is this how you repay the person who saved your life?” Sensing that Lin Xian didn’t intend to kill her, the girl doubled down on her performance, her face flushed as she pleaded even more dramatically, “I’m sorry, I’m sorry! Please don’t kill me!” Pinned beneath him, the girl flailed wildly. Her short shorts revealed two smooth, bare legs kicking with all their might, struggling to escape.