"Fuck! What the hell is that thing!"
Scarface crouched behind a large wooden crate with his hands over his head, his voice filled with terror.
The commotion on the roof was completely beyond his comprehension.
That was not the crash of a landslide, much less the mechanical noise of a malfunctioning train.
It was sustained, deliberate destruction.
Riiip-!!
Another piercing sound of tearing rang out.
This time, it was especially clear.
A long crack appeared right in the center of the carriage roof.
Moonlight, wind, and snow poured through the crack, casting a deathly white strip of light into the dark carriage.
In that strip of light, a huge, hooked claw could clearly be seen flashing past the crack.
"A c-claw..." The tall, skinny man's teeth chattered as he pointed at the roof, unable to get his words out. "It's a black bear! A black bear must've climbed onto the train!"
As far as they knew, only the fiercest black bears in the mountains possessed such strength and such terrifying claws.
"How would a black bear climb onto a train!?" Scarface roared, but he could find no other explanation himself.
Fear spread through the carriage like a plague.
The abducted children cried even louder. Although they had no idea what was happening, those deafening crashes from overhead, hammering against their souls again and again, were enough to shatter anyone's mental defenses.
Only Nuannuan was different.
She curled up in the corner, her hands already free.
The coarse hemp rope had rubbed her wrists raw and bloody, leaving them burning with pain.
But she could spare them no attention.
With her newly freed hands, she hurried to untie the rope around her feet.
The rope was tied in a tight knot, extremely difficult to undo in the darkness and jolting motion.
Nuannuan's little hands were frozen like blocks of ice, her fingers refusing to obey her.
She tried several times and failed every time.
Bang!!
A crash louder than any before it rang out.
One corner of the entire sheet-metal roof curled upward, as though someone outside had forcibly peeled it back with brute strength.
A huge opening appeared.
Fierce wind swept through the entire carriage in an instant, carrying icy snowflakes.
The already foul air inside the carriage was swept away, replaced by a cold severe enough to freeze a person stiff.
The tall, skinny man was closest to the opening, and a gust of wind and snow struck him square in the face.
"Ah! My eyes!"
He screamed as the snow blinded him, stumbled, and crashed heavily to the floor. His head struck the corner of a cargo crate, and he went still with a muffled grunt.
Seeing his companion fall, then the pitch-black hole overhead and the unfathomable snowfield beyond it, Scarface was scared out of his wits.
He abandoned both his companion and the carriage full of "merchandise," scrambling toward the door at the other end of the carriage.
It was the only exit that looked safe.
Chaos.
Utter chaos.
This was the best opportunity.
Nuannuan looked at the knot around her feet that she could not undo, a trace of resolve flashing in her eyes.
She gave up trying to untie the rope.
She took the icy medal from inside her clothes and gripped it between her teeth, then braced her hands against the floor and crawled on her knees.
Her target was the fallen tall, skinny man.
Tucked at his waist was a small folding knife used for cutting fruit.
While everyone's attention was drawn to the commotion on the roof, Nuannuan silently crawled over to the tall, skinny man like a little animal searching for food.
The man lay motionless, seemingly unconscious.
Nuannuan reached her trembling little hand toward his waist.
The cold knife handle was within reach.
With difficulty, she pulled the little knife out and unfolded the blade.
It was a very ordinary knife, its edge even slightly rolled, but in Nuannuan's hands at that moment, it was a divine artifact.
Without the slightest hesitation, she sawed hard at the rope around her ankles.
Once, twice, three times.
The rope parted with a snap.
At the very instant she regained her freedom.
Roar-!
A low roar, filled with majesty, came from the opening in the roof.
That was not a bear's roar.
The sound seemed to come from a sovereign atop the snowy mountains, carrying an unquestionable sense of oppression.
Scarface, who had been about to flee, felt his legs give way and collapsed straight to the floor.
He looked up in terror.
An enormous, snow-white head poked through the edge of the opening that had been torn in the roof.
It was a feline face, yet larger than that of any leopard or tiger he had ever seen.
Its fur was like the purest white snow, dotted with mysterious black rosettes.
A pair of ice-blue eyes, devoid of all emotion, coldly surveyed everything in the carriage, like a god inspecting its hunting grounds.
It was a snow leopard!
Scarface's mind went blank.
How could this king of the snowy mountains, a creature that existed only in legend, appear here?
And tear apart a train carriage in such a violent fashion?
The snow leopard swept its gaze around the carriage before finally settling on the two adult men.
Its eyes looked at them as though they were two walking chunks of meat.
Then its gaze shifted to the tiny figure in the corner.
The little one in a tattered red padded jacket, covered in injuries, who alone had neither cried nor screamed, and had even sent it an "invitation."
Nuannuan was looking at it too.
Her little body shivered in the freezing wind, but her gaze was unusually firm.
Facing the snow leopard, she gently raised her hand with all her strength and pointed at Scarface, who lay collapsed on the floor.
Her meaning was clear.
That one was "meat."
The snow leopard seemed to understand.
A satisfied rumble rose from its throat.
The next second, its enormous body leaped nimbly and silently down through the opening in the roof.
It landed steadily on the pile of cargo in the middle of the carriage.
Throughout the entire process, it made not a single unnecessary sound. There was only a soft thud as its heavy body landed, yet it struck Scarface's heart like a sledgehammer.
"N-no... don't come near me..."
Scarface broke down completely. A warm wetness stirred in his crotch, and a foul stench instantly spread.
He scrambled backward on his hands and feet, only to hit the carriage wall, leaving him nowhere else to retreat.
The snow leopard ignored his wails.
With graceful steps, it descended the cargo pile one pace at a time, closing in on that utterly terrified piece of "meat."
Nuannuan knew it was time for her to leave.
The big kitty was keeping its promise.
She, too, had to make the most of her time and do what she needed to do.
She stopped watching the bloody scene and turned away, stepping onto the scattered cargo beside her as she struggled, step by step, toward the violently torn opening that led to freedom.
Wind and snow poured fiercely through the hole, nearly knocking her off her feet.
The wind cut at her little face like a knife.
But she did not stop.
She climbed to the highest point of the cargo pile, only a step away from the opening.
Outside lay a pitch-black snowfield, racing backward.
The train was still moving. Although it was not traveling fast, jumping from here was no different from suicide.
But Nuannuan did not hesitate.
She glanced back.
The snow leopard had already pounced on Scarface, its sharp teeth easily tearing open the man's throat.
Blood sprayed.
She took another look at the other children, curled up throughout the carriage, trembling with fear.
She could not save them.
She could only save herself.
She had to find her father.
That was her mother's dying wish.
Nuannuan took a deep breath, the icy air making her lungs ache.
She took one last look at this hellish carriage, then leaped into the darkness outside that represented the unknown and death.