Every time Linda passed by the laboratory, she would hear terrifying noises coming from inside.
Rumors had it that during the recent commotion, many people had been injured. The armed team had discovered a batch of alien creature embryos, which were then sent to the lab. No one knew what kind of research was being conducted there now, but the dreadful sounds never ceased.
It was as if there were man-eating beasts roaring inside, carrying an aura of deadly danger—and it was highly contagious.
Lately, among the crew members, some horrifying whispers had begun to circulate.
It was said that a terrifying ghost haunted this train. If you were unlucky enough to catch its attention, you would become its prey. That was why, from time to time, stories of missing passengers surfaced.
Linda suspected that Mary had encountered this legendary ghost, which was why she had gone missing.
And every time she passed the lab and heard those noises, she couldn’t help but wonder—was that so-called ghost inside?
Summoning her courage, Linda knocked on the door.
After a moment, someone inside cracked it open slightly. "What is it?"
"Hello, the medical staff are busy, so they asked me to deliver the reagents you requested."
The researcher took the items from Linda. "Thanks for your trouble. You can leave now."
The door shut quickly.
Just as Linda turned to go, a violent crash erupted from inside, followed by panicked shouts.
"It's out of control!"
"Sedatives! Hurry, inject the sedatives!"
"No good, we can’t restrain it!"
"Watch out—don’t let it bite you! It’ll infect you!"
Fragmented voices slipped through the door’s gap, interspersed with frenzied banging and the sound of flesh being torn apart.
Linda had a gut feeling she should leave immediately, but her curiosity gnawed at her. Something told her that whatever was inside might be connected to the disappearances.
Gripping the hem of her clothes, she crouched low and slowly inched closer, peering through the narrow gap beneath the door.
Suddenly, splatters of blood sprayed onto her face.
Long Shenting had been restless these past few days—Xue Fufu hadn’t come to see him in a while.
This was the first time Long Shenting had ever felt what it meant for time to crawl. Without realizing it, Xue Fufu had become so important to him.
She had always been the one to seek him out. Now that she was gone, he suddenly realized how little he knew about her—he didn’t even know which room she stayed in.
But Long Shenting was rich, and in any era, money could make the devil turn the millstone. Yet the people on this train were oddly principled, refusing to disclose passenger privacy.
Their stubbornness was almost otherworldly.
Since that was the case, Long Shenting decided to find Xue Fufu himself.
As luck would have it, he ran into the woman he despised.
Xia Miao had also been in a foul mood lately. The moment their eyes met, it was like sworn enemies facing off—the air crackled with tension, a cosmic battle on the verge of eruption.
"Xia Miao, I haven’t settled the score with you yet," Long Shenting said through gritted teeth, though he made sure to keep a fifty-meter distance, lest those barbaric people came to drag him away again without asking questions.
The scar on Long Shenting’s forehead had long healed, but the faint mark stood out starkly against his devastatingly handsome face.
Xia Miao smiled. "I don’t recall owing you anything. What score is there to settle?"
"Xia Miao!" Long Shenting took a step forward but stopped himself. His expression was icy. "Out of respect for your gender, I won’t lay a hand on you. But I hope you have the self-awareness to make it clear to your family—I will never marry you."
"Of course not," Xia Miao retorted without mercy. "My family may be eager to find me a match, but they wouldn’t stoop so low as to pick a filthy, hideous worm."
Long Shenting’s face darkened.
In the armed team’s break room, No. 15 rushed in breathlessly.
"Guess what I just saw while patrolling?"
The others leaned in. "What?"
"I saw Long Shenting and Miss Xia chatting and laughing together!"
"That can’t be. Weren’t they always at each other’s throats?"
No. 15 scoffed. "None of you have ever been in love, so how would you know? Feelings between young people can change in an instant. One second they’re mortal enemies, the next they’re locking eyes—that’s called love-hate chemistry, got it?"
Since Xia Miao had frequently shown up around them before, always looking for No. 13, the rest of the armed team had paid extra attention to her.
No. 15 had spotted Xia Miao and Long Shenting talking during his patrol. He couldn’t get too close, so he only caught fragments of their conversation—but the word "marriage" had stood out.
"You have no idea—they were even discussing marriage! I heard it with my own ears. They mentioned their families too—good grief, are they about to meet the parents and make it official?"
No. 4 nodded. "Now that you mention it, they’re from equally powerful families. A marriage alliance makes perfect sense."
No. 7 added, "I’ve heard rumors that their families were already considering an arranged marriage."
No. 8 grinned. "So it’s a match made in heaven—power meets power!"
No. 3 sighed. "No wonder Miss Xia hasn’t been around lately. She’s already got someone."
Clang!
A chair suddenly toppled over, the crash piercing the air.
Standing against the backlight, a tall, lean figure exuded a lazy aura. He nudged the fallen chair with his foot—a seemingly light tap, but the chair shattered into pieces.
As if what he really wanted to crush wasn’t the chair, but something else entirely.
The young man smiled. "I always said these chairs were poorly made. So fragile."
That’s because you kicked it!
The others wanted to retort but didn’t dare.
No. 13 casually pulled out a chocolate bar from his pocket, unwrapped it, and took a bite. Beneath his orange-yellow hair, his face was all smiles—but his clear blue eyes hinted at an approaching storm.
He strolled out of the break room at his usual leisurely pace, as if nothing was amiss—yet the atmosphere felt undeniably off.
The others exchanged uneasy glances.
No. 7 muttered, "Was it all just a game?"
No. 8, ever the instigator, smirked. "He’s rattled. He’s definitely rattled!"
The others shot him a look. "Shut up. We’re not blind!"
