Former Colleagues

"This is the feeling!"

Lin Xian's heart cried out. Feeling the roaring power surging from the train, the shadows of last night were quickly swept away. At this moment, he seemed to merge with the entire train, experiencing a thrilling sense of unstoppable momentum!

Clang, clang, clang, clang, clang, clang...

On the open tracks outside University City Station, a few zombies in tattered uniforms wandered. Suddenly, these monsters seemed to simultaneously detect the strange noise coming from the tunnel; the rails beneath their feet had already begun to tremble.

"Urgh... ah..."

"Gurgle, cough..."

The sounds seemed to squeeze out from tracheas as decayed as rotten wood. The zombies, as if pulled by invisible ropes, slowly turned their heads, their murky, lifeless eyes fixed on the pitch-black tunnel entrance.

Woo!

The whistle exploded, like a roar from the abyss. The crimson mechanical beast, like a war god awakened from ancient slumber, burst out of the tunnel with endless fury and the power of years long sealed, thundering forth!

"Urgh! Ah!"

They howled, charging forward like a pack of mad beasts. But their rotting brains couldn't comprehend that the source of this deafening noise wasn't their coveted prey, but a steel giant with a terrifying 18,500 horsepower!

Crunch, crunch~

The accelerating Infinite crushed everything in its path, instantly splattering a rain of blood and flesh, sending countless limbs flying. In the cab, Lin Xian's eyes trembled. The gloom that had weighed on him for over ten days was finally released in this moment!

"Awesome!" Lin Xian roared.

At this moment, there was an unparalleled thrill of breaking through the darkness into the dawn!

It meant the first step of his plan had been successfully taken.

Clang, clang, clang!

Carrying his excitement, the heavy locomotive charged along the tracks. Lin Xian looked at the city, now reduced to ruins, constantly scanning for useful information.

Zombies wandering the streets, unless they triggered a massive horde, posed relatively little threat to ordinary people.

Of course, animal-type zombies—like dogs or wolves—were often far more troublesome than regular humanoid ones.

Doo-doo~

Chen Sixuan's phone was already unreachable.

Unable to get through, Lin Xian put away his phone and decided to go pick her up directly.

He wasn't the type to second-guess himself. Once a plan was made, he wouldn't hesitate too much. Unless Chen Sixuan was already dead, he wouldn't change it lightly.

The subway tracks were much clearer than he'd expected. Perhaps because the rail lines were usually enclosed, and no one was foolish enough to drive a car onto the tracks, he encountered no obstacles along the way.

The nearest subway station to Jade Water Garden Building 3, Apt 901 was called Sports West, once a bustling transit hub. As the train entered the underground tunnel, Lin Xian slowed down a bit.

Because he'd have to get off soon to find someone. If he made too much noise and attracted too many zombies, moving around wouldn't be convenient.

Shh~

Lin Xian didn't pull into the platform. Instead, he stopped a little farther away.

Then, he first went to Carriage 2 and found the girl still sleeping. He found it strange.

Who could sleep this long under normal circumstances?

"Hey!"

Lin Xian patted her cheek. No response.

So he simply pinched it. The girl's face was soft and elastic, though stained with blood, it couldn't hide her delicate features—a real beauty in the making.

Some rich family's daughter, probably.

Forget it. Let her sleep.

Lin Xian thought it over and, to be safe, sealed the gates between Carriage 3 and Carriage 1.

Then he picked up his short blade, carefully observed his surroundings, got off the train, and ran along the path beside the tracks into the platform.

Jade Water Garden Building 3, Apt 901.

Chen Sixuan hadn't slept all night. The intense mental pressure had left her utterly haggard, her pretty face drained of all color.

She curled up in the corner of the sofa, her head buried tightly between her knees.

Around her were piles of books about the Orbital Ring. Chen Sixuan's gaze was vacant, her dry lips moving constantly as she muttered under her breath:

"Jiangyu Line, number HX05681, total length 1,256 kilometers. Stops at first-class stations: Jiangning Station, Yubei Station... second-class stations: Yushan Station, Beiwan Station..."

Ever since she'd made that last phone call yesterday, Chen Sixuan had placed all her hope on waiting for that speeding train.

But as time ticked by, bit by bit, despair gnawed away at her last shred of sanity.

"Beiwan Station, maintenance depot..."

She murmured, then her voice cut off abruptly. A flicker of emotion trembled in her eyes.

Her mind recalled that student she'd never paid much attention to.

Ordinary family, warm smile, usually reserved, not great at socializing, not great at sports...

It was as if... everything was so ordinary.

Then she thought back to the "Orbital Train" plan he had mentioned—starting up a heavy locomotive and racing along the Orbital Ring to escape...

Didn't that sound... a little too sci-fi?

"Does he even know how to drive a train? If there's that much gasoline or energy, wouldn't a car be more convenient?" she muttered to herself. Each question was like a sharp blade, slicing through the hope in her heart.

What if the track breaks? Would he, the student, know how to fix it? Or would she, the foreign language teacher, be the one to repair it?

One after another, questions she dared not think about surged up, slowly swallowing her, making the last shred of hope she clung to feel utterly ridiculous...

Tears the size of beans welled up in her eyes, then fell, drop by drop.

But Chen Sixuan refused to resign herself to fate. She clenched her teeth tightly, holding back the flood of tears, and repeated in her mind.

He promised... he'll come...

"North Bay Station, one main line, two arrival-departure tracks..."

In the empty living room, Chen Sixuan's murmurs echoed once more...

Knock knock knock~

A knock at the door was like a stone breaking the calm surface of a lake, instantly rippling through the silence—deafening in this hollow room.

Chen Sixuan lifted her head, a flicker of surprise rising in her eyes.

Was it him?

She dashed barefoot from the sofa to the door, but didn't dare look through the peephole. Panicked, she called out.

"Who... who is it?!"

But the voice that answered from outside was that of a middle-aged man.

"Teacher Chen, it's me, Liang Wei. I've been calling you for two days and you never picked up. I got worried, so I came to check on you."

Chen Sixuan's heart plummeted into an icy valley.

Director Liang was a former colleague of hers. The man was a complete hypocrite—back at school, his eyes were always wandering over her inappropriately. She'd also heard that Liang Wei had messed around with several female students; he was a genuine beast in human clothing.

Whether it was because of some connections or not, a scumbag like him had somehow climbed to the position of office director at the university. Chen Sixuan loathed him and rarely interacted with him.

But unfortunately, Director Liang lived in the same complex, same building as her. Since the apocalypse began, Liang Wei had been calling her every few days. At first, he kept up a proper front, saying everyone needed to stick together in a crisis, claiming he had plenty of supplies and she could ask him if she ran short.

But gradually, his true nature came out. Especially after learning that Chen Sixuan's supplies were running low, he grew impatient, sending her messages urging her to move upstairs and live with him.

Hearing Director Liang's voice now, Chen Sixuan—whether from dashed hopes or sheer irritation—felt a sudden wave of nausea. She replied coldly.

"I'm fine."

Bang! Bang! Bang!

The knocking outside grew heavier.

"Fine? Didn't you tell me before that your food was almost gone?!"

Seeing that Chen Sixuan still wouldn't open the door, Liang Wei outside pressed his face against the peephole, trying to peer in. Chen Sixuan frowned and instinctively stepped back as he leaned in.

But Liang Wei spotted the shadow of a figure inside, and his eyes lit up. He quickly called out.

"Teacher Chen, are you hungry? I've still got plenty of bread, crackers, canned beef, and bottled water. If you want some, I'll bring them down to you right now."

Bread, crackers, canned beef, bottled water...

The names of those foods hit Chen Sixuan's ears like some kind of temptation that shattered her reason.

She... had been starving for two days.

But she also knew that no matter whether Director Liang was telling the truth, the moment she opened that door, she would become this disgusting scumbag's apocalypse plaything.

But between shame and survival, which was more important?

Perhaps because he got no response for so long, Director Liang outside finally lost what little patience he had left. His expression shifted, and he suddenly slammed his palm hard against the door!

Thud!

"Chen Sixuan, you fucking bitch! Stop acting all high and mighty! People are dying all around us—if you stick with me, you'll at least last a few more days. It's not like I'm gonna eat you, what are you so afraid of?!"

"Open the damn door!"

Thump! Thump! Thump!

As he spoke, the pounding turned into kicking. The loud noise terrified Chen Sixuan, her face turning pale. She spun around, grabbed the fruit knife from the shoe cabinet for self-defense, and held it to her chest, her eyes full of struggle.

New book, please follow along!