No. 13 usually appeared quite sharp—otherwise, the people in the interrogation room wouldn’t have been so afraid of him at first sight. In the past, there had been women drawn to his looks who tried to throw themselves at him, only for him to mistake them for terrorists and lock them up for a day.
It was fine when No. 13 remained clueless, but the moment he tried to wise up, it only highlighted how much better off he was when he stayed oblivious.
No. 4 grabbed No. 6, who had been chatting with his girlfriend, and pulled him up. "This guy’s the only one among us who’s successfully landed a relationship. Hey, No. 6, give No. 13 some advice!"
No. 6 was the one rumored to be dating a female passenger from first class. No one thought it would last—once she got off the train, they’d surely break up. But No. 6 was utterly bewitched, lost in the throes of passion without a care for the future.
Clearing his throat, No. 6 adopted the air of a sage and began lecturing, "Girls aren’t like us rough men. They’re delicate and soft, with sweet voices, fair skin, and fragrant bodies—precious beings, like tending to flowers..."
No. 9 cut in impatiently, "Get to the point. How do you cheer up an angry girl?"
No. 6 shot him an annoyed look but obliged. "When a girl’s upset, you’ve got to give her a gift she likes. Once she’s happy, she’ll forgive you."
No. 13: "A gift?"
No. 8 chimed in eagerly, "What kind of gift?"
No. 6 hesitated. "Every girl’s tastes are different, so I can’t say for sure. But they probably all like pretty things—flowers, for example."
No. 7 scoffed, "We’re on a train. Where are you going to find flowers?"
No. 8 added, "The train’s stopping at Kloros for refueling. There’s plant life there, but the planet’s barely developed—just mindless carnivorous creatures everywhere. You can’t just waltz into a monster-infested zone to pick flowers."
No. 6 shrugged. "Then I don’t have any better ideas. I’ve got plans tonight, so I won’t be back in the dorm."
As No. 6 left, the others glared after him with envy.
No. 8 gritted his teeth. "No. 6 and his girlfriend are so close. He gets to go to her room every night and sleep holding her."
Being close means you can enter a girl’s room and hold her while you sleep.
No. 13’s eyes lit up.
Xia Miao visited Linda in the infirmary.
Linda’s mental state was still fragile, but she had regained consciousness and her senses. She was grateful for the information Xia Miao brought about Mary.
Xia Miao said, "Now that we know Mary’s card was used, we can check the surveillance footage from that time and find out who took it. For now, your priority is to recover."
Linda nodded weakly. "Thank you, Miss Xia."
A doctor in a white coat entered, carrying a cup of red liquid. "Linda, today’s nutrient solution."
Linda took it and drank it all in one go.
The doctor retrieved the empty cup, reminded her to rest well, and left.
Once they were alone, Xia Miao lowered her voice. "Yesterday, you ran over saying we were all in danger. What did you mean?"
Linda looked puzzled. "Did I say that?"
She seemed to have no memory of the previous day, her expression blank.
Xia Miao frowned. "You don’t remember running down the hallway in a panic?"
Linda hesitated, then smiled apologetically. "That must’ve been a hallucination from my mental breakdown."
"Just a hallucination?"
Linda nodded. "The doctor said I’ve been under a lot of stress, and I’ve been distracted lately—forgetting to take my nutrient solution for days. That’s why my immunity dropped and my mind grew fragile, triggering long-haul train syndrome. The doctor ran a psych eval, and the results weren’t great. I’m sorry if I caused you any trouble."
Seeing Linda’s remorse, Xia Miao asked, "Are you feeling better now?"
Linda replied, "The treatment’s helped a lot. For people like us, stuck on these trains year-round without sunlight, mental issues are common. Thankfully, the nutrient solution stabilizes our vitals. Miss Xia, you’ll be on this train for another year—don’t forget to take yours daily."
Xia Miao murmured an acknowledgment. Since Linda needed rest, she didn’t stay long. Returning to her room, she was about to wash up when a knock sounded at the door.
Peering through the peephole, she saw a man in a black uniform standing in the dimly lit hallway, his figure indistinct. But Xia Miao recognized him instantly by his silhouette—No. 13.
Hesitating, she opened the door and stood blocking the entrance, eyeing him unhappily. "What do you want?"
No. 13’s face brightened. He stepped forward, revealing a bouquet he’d hidden behind his back, thrusting it toward her. "I’m trying really hard to make it up to you. Don’t be mad anymore, okay?"
Xia Miao had no idea where he’d been rolling around—he was a mess.
His uniform was stained with what might’ve been dirt or blood, his face and hands covered in scrapes and cuts that looked gruesome. But the bouquet of unnamed red flowers in his hands was strikingly vibrant, each bloom full and flawless.
Xia Miao stared at him, stunned.
No. 13 wavered nervously, taking another unsteady step forward. His voice was small as he repeated, "Miao Miao, don’t be mad at me anymore, okay?"
Xia Miao: "Your leg is broken! Doesn’t that hurt?!"
No. 13 blinked, then looked down belatedly. His left knee was twisted unnaturally, and with every slight movement, the grating sound of bone scraping against bone tested the limits of human sanity.
He blinked again, then grinned carelessly. "Oh, so that’s why I was walking funny. My leg’s broken."
Xia Miao screamed, clutching her head.
At intervals along the train’s route, it stopped at planets to refuel. These planets typically had nothing but a single fueling station, leaving the surrounding areas undeveloped and perilous.
Today, No. 7 and No. 8 were on refueling duty.
After arriving at the station, No. 7 stood by the window, unmoving for a long time.
No. 8 walked over, puzzled. "What are you looking at?"
No. 7 pointed outside, trembling. "Aren’t there supposed to be some terrifying creatures on this planet?"
No. 8 followed his gaze and froze.
In the black forest, bones littered the ground, and most of the beasts had been torn apart into gruesome fragments. Limbs and carcasses piled up like mountains, while dark blood formed rivulets that soaked the earth, eventually converging into small streams flowing outward.
These very beasts, once notorious for their extreme danger and a constant headache for construction crews, now appeared to have been utterly annihilated—their entire species wiped out in what seemed like a brutal massacre.
What terrifying creature could still exist on this planet to wreak such devastation?
