After ending the call, Tang Wulin carefully put away the Soul Guidance Communicator.
Zhao Defa, who was standing next to him, asked with a smile, "Friend?"
"Yes, a former classmate."
"Young man, making more friends is a good thing." He took a thermos from the luggage rack, unscrewed the lid, and took a sip. A strong aroma of tea wafted from it. "When you're away from home, having more friends means having more options. I learned this the hard way when I was young, and now I understand the importance of friends."
Tang Wulin nodded, his gaze returning to the view outside the window.
The scenery outside the window changed from hills to rolling mountains, and occasionally a few Soul Beast could be seen running through the forest in the distance, but they quickly disappeared from sight. The train passed through a tunnel, and the lights in the carriage turned on and off again, turning the world outside the window into a play of light and shadow. The tunnel was long, and the darkness lasted for almost a minute before the sunlight reappeared.
Tang Wulin closed his eyes and leaned back in his chair.
His master said that the Sun Moon Imperial Soul Master Academy was the best academy besides Shrek. He chose it not only because it was the best academy besides Shrek Academy, but also to learn about Soul Tool, or rather, to learn about Mecha.
That's right. After seeing his master's Mecha, he was envious and decided to work hard to get one for himself.
His forging skills are already quite good; he's a level five forger, absolutely far ahead of his peers.
However, he knew almost nothing about Soul Tool. The Sun Moon Imperial Soul Master Academy was the best Soul Tool academy in the Federation, and he wanted to go there to learn something and make up for his shortcomings.
but...
He opened his eyes and looked at the darkening sky outside the window, feeling a vague unease in his heart.
For some reason, he felt a little uneasy.
"I hope I'm not that unlucky..." he muttered to himself.
Zhao Defa didn't hear clearly, so he turned his head and asked, "Young man, what did you say?"
"It's nothing," Tang Wulin quickly waved his hand.
Zhao Defa didn't press further. He took another paper bag from the luggage rack, opened it, and inside were several pieces of pastry. He handed one to Tang Wulin: "Want some? My wife made it this morning, it's still warm."
Tang Wulin initially wanted to refuse, but upon seeing the golden, crispy pastry, his stomach growled involuntarily. He took it somewhat sheepishly and took a bite. Crispy on the outside and soft on the inside, sweet but not cloying, it was indeed delicious.
"It's delicious," he said sincerely.
Zhao Defa smiled smugly, "Of course, my wife's cooking skills are unmatched for miles around."
The two ate and chatted, and time flew by. The sky outside the window darkened completely, and the train lights came on, illuminating the carriage. Tang Wulin checked the time; almost two hours had passed, and they still had about two-thirds of the journey to go.
Just then, the train jolted violently.
Tang Wulin instinctively grabbed the handrail. The lights in the carriage flickered a few times before returning to normal. Passengers looked up, glancing around, and murmurs rose and fell.
"What happened?"
"Did something happen?"
"Please do not panic, passengers. This is a normal bumpy ride on the tracks."
The train attendant walked over from the other end of the carriage with a professional smile on her face, reassuring the passengers as she went.
"Attention passengers, this was just a normal track fluctuation. Please do not panic."
Before the words were finished, a loud bang came from the front of the train.
"Boom--"
The entire train shook violently, and the scenery outside the window tilted sharply. Tang Wulin's expression changed, and he grabbed Zhao Defa's shoulder.
"Hold on tight!"
As soon as he finished speaking, the train lights went out completely.
The carriage was plunged into darkness.
Screams, gasps, and cries mingled together, echoing in the confined space. Tang Wulin closed his eyes, extending his spiritual power to sense everything around him. He could feel the train slowing down, the wheels screeching against the tracks.
Then, the train stopped.
Someone in the carriage turned on a soul-guided flashlight, its pale light flickering in the darkness. Tang Wulin opened his eyes, his gaze falling on the carriage window. Through the glass, he could only see the pitch black outside.
They were no longer in the wilderness, but inside a tunnel.
Tang Wulin's heart sank. Being in a tunnel meant there was no guarantee of receiving a signal, the chances of calling for help were slim, and there was no guarantee that he would be detected.
Even if a fight breaks out, one must be careful not to cause large-scale environmental damage, lest a collapse bury them alive in the mountainside.
And we don't even know how long this tunnel is...
This is almost the worst-case scenario.
Attention passengers--
A strange voice came over the radio, cold and deep.
"This train is now under our control. Everyone stay in your seats and do not move. Otherwise, you will face the consequences."
The carriage was deathly silent.
Zhao Defa gripped the handrail tightly, his voice trembling. "Young... young brother, this... this is..."
"Someone hijacked the car," Tang Wulin answered for him, his tone calm.
But in his heart, he was already cursing Xie Xie to the core.
His jinx really came true!
I'll definitely have to teach him a lesson later.
Zhao Defa's face turned even paler, his lips trembled, and he wanted to say something but couldn't utter a word.
Tang Wulin didn't look at him; his spiritual power had already extended out of the carriage, spreading towards the front and back of the train. He sensed Soul Power fluctuations at the head and tail of the train. There were two people at the front, two at the back, and three more in the middle, cleaning up each carriage one by one. There were seven people in total, and he couldn't tell their cultivation levels.
Seven people, seven Soul Master.
Tang Wulin clenched his fist. His current strength was level thirty-nine, close to level forty. He was confident he could defeat them one by one. But there were still so many passengers on the bus. If he acted rashly, the other side might take hostages, and the situation would be even worse.
He needs to wait, wait for an opportunity.
"Young man..." Zhao Defa's voice came from the side, trembling with sobs, "You... you're Soul Master?"
Tang Wulin glanced at him but didn't say anything.
Zhao Defa, as if grasping at a straw, raised his voice a few decibels. "You're Soul Master, right? You can save us, right?"
"Shut up! Don't make a sound!" Tang Wulin hissed.
Zhao Defa quickly covered his mouth, not daring to speak again.
The door at the connection between the carriages was pushed open, and a figure walked in.
It was a man wearing a black cloak, the hood covering half his face, revealing only his chin and tightly pursed lips. He held a short knife in his hand, the blade still stained with blood. His gaze swept around the carriage, landing on the trembling train attendant in the corner.
"All of you stay put." His voice was hoarse, like fingernails scratching a blackboard. "Anyone who dares to move will suffer the consequences."
He brandished the short knife in his hand, the bloodstains on the blade particularly glaring in the beam of the soul-guided flashlight.
Several screams rang out in the carriage, but were quickly covered up.
The man in black walked around the carriage, his gaze lingering on each passenger for a moment. When his eyes fell on Tang Wulin, he paused slightly. Tang Wulin lowered his head, avoiding his gaze. The man in black looked at him for a few seconds, then looked away and turned to walk towards the next carriage.
Tang Wulin looked up and watched his figure disappear through the doorway.
I don't know exactly how many people there are, but the leader, whose aura is the strongest, is in the middle of the train. I don't know his cultivation level either, but the one I just saw seems to be Soul Ancestor. I might not have a chance of winning in a head-on fight, but I can take him down one by one.
However, he still needs to gather more information.