"Hmm? Xia Ya?"
After a long silence, Xia Ya suddenly raised his head and smiled at the leader standing before him.
Seeing this, the leader forced a smile as well.
"Fuck your mother."
"Huh?"
"Bang!"
His fist struck the nose of the middle-aged, paunchy leader in front of him, who looked no different from a fat pig.
Expressionless, Xia Ya pinned him onto the desk and punched him... once... again... Every punch! seemed to vent the endless fury... and sorrow in his heart.
"You've disappointed me so much, Xia Ya!"
"Slap!"
Inside the deputy chief engineer's office, Xia Ya's father slapped him across the face!
"Do you know who he is? How dare you hit him like that!? Even I can't protect you now!"
"Father, do you... know what he said?"
"Of course I know! But... couldn't you have come to me about it!?"
"What use would that have been!? Did you have the authority to push through such a large-scale rectification at the group meeting!?"
"Have you heard? The 956 incident should have been a major disaster, but now that it's been handled, anyone connected to it can rise a major step."
"How so?"
"All I can say is, it was a good thing that the one called Luo Mu died. All they have to do now is promote it heavily, and it'll become a political achievement."
Inside the restroom, one of the two chatting men pointed upward with his finger.
"And the person at the very top has reached his time, too... If he plans to move closer to the city government, this is the perfect opportunity."
"Huh!? No wonder... That Luo Mu really died at the right time."
"Who can say otherwise? Once he died, everything was resolved."
Xia Ya slowly walked out of the group's main entrance.
A light drizzle fell on his head. Unable to understand, he raised his eyes toward the sky, yet... the rain seemed to be blocking every questioning word in his heart.
The rain grew heavier, and Xia Ya sat dejectedly and blankly on the steps.
People carrying umbrellas passed by. At most, they gave Xia Ya a curious glance before walking away indifferently.
His lips trembled as he opened them halfway, as if he wanted to say something.
Yet...
In the end, he closed his mouth. Xia Ya slowly rose to his feet, his eyes once again filled with determination. But hidden beneath that determination, there also seemed to be a trace of madness...
Some things could not be solved with words—only the most direct action could settle them.
······
I couldn't understand why people reacted with such indifference to the loss of a life.
I couldn't understand why, when a hero sacrificed himself, the powerful people at the top only ever thought about their own promotions.
I couldn't understand. Was the weight of a life still not enough to crush the distortions in their hearts?
This society, this Mode Capital Metro—their souls seemed bound by the gravity of this planet, unable to break free and unable to be redeemed.
Luo Mu, someone like you... In the world after death, you probably couldn't even breathe...
I would correct all of this.
I, Xia Ya, swore by my name that I would make this world, this society, understand once more what the weight of life was!
I would make them understand what truly deserved to be valued, what truly deserved attention, and what truly deserved to be remembered.
It definitely wasn't political achievements, honors, or some dispensable subject of gossip!
It was the mission of bearing the pain of lives lost and continuing forward.
······
Xu Qi clenched the letter in his hand.
He... understood everything now.
Luo Mu... You deserved the respect of every one of us!
But!...
Xu Qi slowly stood up.
The people of the Golden Courtyard also rose one after another, and everyone's eyes gathered on Xu Qi once more.
"Everyone, thank you for everything you've done for me. I... think I know what Xia Ya is planning."
"What is he planning?" Kevin had also finished reading Xia Ya's near-confessional letter, and his expression had turned unusually grave.
"I can now say for certain that 914's runaway was absolutely no coincidence! Xia Ya... He's probably planning to recreate the accident that happened to 956—brake failure."
Everyone's expressions became exceedingly solemn at that moment!
"I'm going to stop him... I have to stop him! No matter what, I can't just stand by and watch this happen!"
"It's two-thirty in the morning." Kevin glanced at his watch.
"The first train leaves at five-thirty. We have at least three hours to stop this from happening. Xu Qi... rely on us more!"
24. Vil-V Wasn't Just Pretty
"Vroom!!"
The roar of an engine tore through the night sky as a heavily modified GTR sped along the ring expressway. The turbulence trailing behind the car interwove with its engine's roar, sending ripples through the city beneath the night sky.
It was the middle of the night, and there were few cars on the road. Though there was a speed limit, the person driving this car clearly had no intention of caring about it.
"I hope Eden won't get angry when she returns and sees us abusing her beloved car like this." As he spoke, Kevin pressed down on the accelerator again.
He was pushing the car's performance nearly to its limit.
In the back seat, Vil-V, who was adjusting the equipment, rolled her eyes when she heard him.
"You only need to tell Eden it was for Xu Qi. She definitely won't say a word—the woman spoils Xu Qi more than any of us."
"That's certainly true." Su nodded in agreement. "Speaking of which, this plan is really bold... Kosma, we'll most likely be up all night. Why don't you get some rest first?"
"..."
Kevin glanced at Kosma in the passenger seat. Seeing the boy's intensely focused and nervous expression, he understood his determination to see this through.
"He should be fine."
"!"
Kosma turned to look at Kevin. The excitement of receiving Kevin's approval made it even harder for him to fall asleep.
"I hope things go smoothly on Xu Qi's end. Of course, we're only acting as insurance." Vil-V closed her laptop and once again went over everything they needed to do that night in her mind.
"Since suspending service the next day is impossible, then... we have to move fast!"
······
A little earlier, in the large conference room on the first floor of the Golden Courtyard.
"First, we need to establish one thing. The best option would obviously be to suspend service the next day and inspect every train on Line 9, but that's clearly unrealistic."
Xu Qi brought up a three-dimensional simulation of Line 9. Don't ask where the technology or data for such equipment came from. The answer was simply that the people of the Golden Courtyard were incredibly capable.
"Even the mayor wouldn't dare issue such an order. Line 9 is one of the busiest lines in the city. Forget suspending service—even a slight delay would be unimaginable.
"And we don't have the ability or sufficient evidence to convince the mayor to shut down such a busy line."
"Wait." Kevin interrupted. "How can you be sure Xia Ya will cause the accident on Line 9?"
"For two reasons. First, as the technical supervisor, Xia Ya's main area of work has always been Line 9. Although the six departments oversee Lines 7, 12, and 14,
"Lines 7 and 14 both have their own technical supervisors. Unless there's an emergency, Xia Ya generally doesn't interfere with those two lines.
"Line 12 is more complicated. It was essentially outsourced, so Xia Ya has no chance to meddle with it. Therefore, the only line where he's most likely to tamper with a train is Line 9."
The evidence was solid, and the analysis was well-founded. Su continued.
"And the second reason?"
"Actually... the second reason is the one I believe in most, though it's a little mysterious. I spent more than a year with Xia Ya, so I understand him to some extent.
"Since he wants to recreate the accident from back then, whether he means it as revenge against humanity or against the Mode Capital Metro, he'll definitely choose Line 9.
"Because that was where Luo Mu died. He wants to use this accident to pay tribute to Luo Mu."
Alysia let out a long sigh.
"I actually find myself more willing to believe your second reason... And we have limited manpower. It's best to assume Xia Ya will only do this on one line."
"Then the necessary conditions are clear."
Xu Qi highlighted Line 9 on the projection and circled three locations.
"Line 9 has two bases. We've already visited Jiuting Base tonight, so the other is in Jinqiao. I suggest splitting into three groups.
"Kevin, Su, and Vil-V will go to Jinqiao Base. I'm familiar with the day-shift inspection team leader for Jinqiao's Line 9 tonight. He'll help receive you and complete the inspection.
"Elysia, Yae, Fu Hua, and Pardofelis will go to Jiuting Base. I'll find a way to contact someone there and have them help you.
"Mei and I will go to Xia Ya's home. If we confirm that Xia Ya is home, there may still be a chance to save everything. But if..."
"If Xia Ya isn't home at three or four in the morning, then the plan has probably already been put into action."
Sister Yae's one sentence made the atmosphere in the room unbearably tense.
"Yes..." Xu Qi's expression was complicated. "So he'd better be home..."
Kosma, usually taciturn, suddenly asked, "What about everyone else?"
"The rest will guard the house. The Golden Courtyard can't be left empty."
"..."
Kosma fell silent for a while before suddenly saying, "I want to take part in this operation too."
Xu Qi raised an eyebrow. He first looked toward Kevin. When Kosma noticed Xu Qi's gaze, he frowned and raised his voice again.
"I believe in my abilities. I can help."
"Then go?" Kalpas lit a cigarette. "I'll take care of things here at the Golden Courtyard anyway."
Kevin nodded as well.
Seeing this, Xu Qi said to Kosma, "All right. You'll team up with Kevin—be careful."
"...Yes!"
Kosma nodded firmly. This time, he didn't want to remain an outsider!
Aponia affectionately stroked Little Griseo's head.
"Then we'll stay home. Be good, Griseo."
Only Mobius frowned.
"Hey, kid, did you forget about me?"
Before you continue