Chapter 26: Testing Each Other

"After the plane crash, I don’t even know how I survived. I just kept heading toward your house. I knew I had an ability, but I didn’t know how to use it. Then that day, when I woke up, I discovered... I discovered..." "Hmm!" Lin Xian shot her a sharp glare, making Kiki shiver in fright. She whimpered tearfully, "I heard you rescued that Chen lady and said something about wanting to sleep with her, then mentioned the Infinite Train Project. It all sounded so sketchy! So, I thought you were... you were one of those scumbags taking advantage of the apocalypse to deceive women, so..." Lin Xian looked at her coldly. "So you were afraid that asking for help would land you in a wolf's den. So, you pretended to be unconscious and then tried to ambush me?" Kiki nodded, then quickly shook her head. With the cold blade before her, she averted her eyes nervously and stammered, "I-I-I wasn’t trying to ambush you. I was desperate. But think about it—I just survived a disaster, woke up, and saw you plotting something against me. Of course, I was scared..." In this apocalyptic world, it’s better to be safe than sorry. Both Lin Xian and Kiki had that mindset. After waking up, she initially wanted to talk with Lin Xian, but ended up misinterpreting his intentions. She mistook him for a complete pervert, and in a panic, decided to keep pretending to be unconscious, searching for an opportunity to escape... But when Lin Xian and Chen Sixuan stepped off the train, before she could finish half a piece of bread, Lin Xian—armed with his Mechanical Heart ability—caught her red-handed. "Well then," Lin Xian suddenly said, "if you don’t even know how to use your ability, keeping you around is pointless, isn’t it?" His statement was chillingly logical. As he spoke, the short knife in his hand inched closer to Kiki’s neck. Her face turned pale, and she shut her eyes tightly. "Wait, wait, wait! Don’t be rash—let’s talk this through!" Kiki peeked open one eye, catching a glimpse of Lin Xian’s fierce expression. She immediately closed it again and blurted out, "Don’t kill me! If you keep me alive, my ability could be useful in a dangerous situation. Besides, my life is already in your hands, isn’t it?" Hearing this, Lin Xian’s gaze sharpened. Seeing the honesty in her eyes, he relaxed slightly. Life and death were at stake. If Kiki really understood how to use such a powerful ability, would she allow herself to be threatened like this? This realization made Lin Xian exhale deeply. "Fair point." Clang— The wheels of the Infinite Train began to roll again. Kiki saw Lin Xian put away the knife, and the tension in her chest finally eased. She looked at him and asked cautiously, "So... are we good now?" Good? Lin Xian smirked to himself. This girl was truly unpredictable. He gave her a meaningful look. "I’ll think about it." "Okay, okay!" Kiki’s expression shifted from panic to relief. "Keep me around—I can really help you!" "But..." Before Kiki could celebrate, Lin Xian suddenly grabbed her by the collar and, with a strange smile, started dragging her toward the 1st carriage. Caught off guard, Kiki panicked. "Hey... what are you doing?" "Guess." Lin Xian’s tone was cryptic. Alarmed, Kiki stammered, "Hey, hey, hey! I said we’re good now. I was wrong! I didn’t mean to harm you—don’t bully me!" "I don’t think so." "Wait! I’m not even an adult yet..." "Doesn’t matter." "Wait, wait! Actually, I’m a guy. Look, I don’t even have... you know, anything. I’m not your type, and you already have that other woman. Just leave me alone!" "I’m not picky." "Oh right, I have an ability, remember? If I accidentally use it and hurt you, what then?" "If that happens, you should thank me for helping you unlock your power." In the 1st carriage, Lin Xian tied up Kiki’s hands and feet with two extra ropes, securely binding her in a classic hogtie and tossing her onto the sofa. He declared loudly, "You reminded me—if your ability activates during danger, I can just use you as a shield. And since you’ve already pulled the stunt of untying yourself to attack me, I had no choice but to add extra layers to prevent any funny business." "You’re despicable! You bastard!" Kiki struggled against the ropes. Lin Xian picked up a roll of smelly socks and held it up. "If you keep yapping, don’t blame me for stuffing this into your mouth." Kiki was absolutely fuming, her face alternating between red and pale. While she was slightly relieved that Lin Xian didn’t have any actual intent to "bully" her, the fact that he tied her up to use her as a human shield was utterly disgusting and vile! But now, she was under his roof and couldn’t outmatch him. Seeing him holding those stinky socks, she decided to stay quiet. However, she glared at him with eyes burning with fury, secretly vowing to get back at him when the chance came. "If you keep glaring, you can spend the night sleeping with the zombies," Lin Xian said coldly, noticing her defiance. Hearing the word "zombies," Kiki instinctively shrank back, cowering under his imposing threat. She remained silent for a long time before finally muttering, her voice barely audible, "Why are you so mean? What if I need to go to the bathroom?" Lin Xian suddenly chuckled. "Why don’t you tell me how you managed these past three days without food—or bathroom breaks?" "That night, you weren’t here. I waited until that lady fell asleep, then got up to eat and use the bathroom." "And last night?" Kiki shot him a glare, her eyes shifting evasively. "Last night you were so exhausted. I waited until you both fell asleep, then got up." Lin Xian frowned. "So, if I hadn’t caught you, you would’ve kept playing dead indefinitely?" "Not exactly," Kiki admitted hesitantly. "I was planning to confess today, but then I got hungry, and since you both were gone..." Lin Xian: ... At 6:45 p.m., the sun dipped below the horizon, and night blanketed the sky. The Infinite Train came to a slow halt on a railway bridge spanning a mountain ravine. After leaving Yushan Station, the train had been racing for nearly two hours, save for a brief stop. Now, the entire train radiated residual heat, only to have its temperature plummet under the intensifying snowfall. The temperature had dropped to minus three degrees, and frost had begun to form on the carriage windows as the snowstorm swept in. Chen Sixuan lowered all the blackout shades and closed the door to the driver’s cabin. Outside the train, the dark valley stretched endlessly, with only faint mountain outlines visible against the night. Inside the 1st carriage, Chen Sixuan cast a peculiar glance at the hogtied Kiki. "She’s been pretending to sleep this whole time?" "Exactly," Lin Xian replied, giving her a look. "We both let our guard down. Last night, she got a live broadcast of everything." "I did not!" Kiki’s face flushed red as she retorted, "I-I-I kept my eyes shut the whole time! I didn’t see anything!" ... Chen Sixuan’s face instantly turned crimson. If it had just been her and Lin Xian, no matter how embarrassing, she would’ve brushed it off as a bit of post-apocalyptic warmth. But with a third person there—and being caught—she felt utterly mortified, even as her moral compass had been warped by the apocalypse. Biting her lip in frustration, she glared at Kiki and asked angrily, "Why did you pretend to sleep? If we hadn’t taken care of you these past two days, you’d already be dead." "I just..." Kiki shot Lin Xian a strange look. "I just misunderstood this bad guy, that’s all."