Chapter Five: Former Colleagues

Page 1/3

“This is the feeling!” Lin Xian cried out in his heart, sensing the roaring power emanating from the train. The shadow of last night quickly dissipated, and at this moment, he seemed to become one with the entire locomotive, experiencing an unstoppable exhilaration!

Clang, clang, clang, clang...

Outside University City Station, on the open-air railway tracks, a few zombies in tattered uniforms roamed aimlessly. Suddenly, these creatures appeared to detect an unusual sound coming from the tunnel; the rails beneath them began to tremble.

“Ugh~ ah.”

“Gurgle, cough~.”

The sounds were as if struggling to escape from decayed, rotten throats. The zombies, as if pulled by invisible strings, slowly turned their heads, their cloudy, lifeless eyes fixed relentlessly on the dark tunnel entrance.

Woo!

The whistle blasted—a roar from the abyss. The crimson mechanical beast, like a war god awakened from ancient slumber, surged forth from the tunnel with endless fury and the power locked away for years.

“Ugh! Ah!”

They howled, like a pack of wild beasts charging madly. But their rotten minds could not comprehend that the deafening noise was not the prey they desired, but a steel giant with a terrifying 18,500 horsepower.

Crack, crack~

The Infinite accelerated, crushing everything in its path like a force of nature, instantly unleashing a torrent of blood and carnage, limbs flying everywhere. Lin Xian’s eyes trembled in the driver’s cabin; the oppressive gloom that had weighed on him for over ten days was finally shattered in this moment!

“Refreshing!” Lin Xian shouted wildly.

At this instant, it felt like breaking through the darkness into dawn — an unparalleled ecstasy!

It symbolized that the first step of his plan had succeeded.

Bang, bang!

With a heart full of excitement, the heavy locomotive raced along the tracks. Lin Xian gazed at the city reduced to ruins, constantly searching for useful information.

Zombies wandering the streets posed less threat to ordinary people unless they triggered a massive undead tide.

Of course, if they were animal-type zombies, like dogs or wolves, they were often more troublesome than the usual humanoid undead.

Toot, toot~

Chen Sixuan’s phone was unreachable.

Unable to get through, Lin Xian put away his phone and prepared to pick her up in person.

He was not one to overthink things; once the plan was made, he would not hesitate unless Chen Sixuan was dead. Otherwise, he would not change course.

The subway tracks were much clearer than he had expected, perhaps because the rails were usually enclosed, and no one would foolishly drive vehicles onto the tracks, so there were no obstacles along the way.

The nearest subway station to Yushui Garden was called Sports West, once a crowded transit hub. As the train entered the underground tunnel, Lin Xian slowed down.

He still needed to get off and find her. If too much noise attracted too many zombies, it would complicate the mission.

Swoosh~

Lin Xian didn’t drive into the platform but stopped a little farther away.

At this moment, he first went to carriage number two and found the girl still asleep, which surprised him.

Who could sleep this long under normal circumstances?

“Hey!”

Page 2/3

Lin Xian patted her cheek but got no response.

So he pinched her gently. The girl’s face was youthful and supple; despite the bloodstains, her delicate features remained unmistakably those of a beauty in the making.

He wondered which wealthy family she came from.

Never mind, let her sleep.

After some thought, Lin Xian, to be safe, sealed off the doors between the first and third carriages.

Then, taking his short knife, he carefully surveyed the surroundings and got off, running along the small path beside the tracks into the station.

...

Apartment 901, Building 3, Yushui Garden.

Chen Sixuan had not slept all night. The intense mental pressure left her looking extremely haggard, her beautiful face drained of color.

She curled up in the corner of the sofa, her head buried tightly between her knees.

Around her lay piles of books about the Ring Star Railway. Her gaze was vacant, her dry lips moving silently as she muttered to herself:

“Jiangyu Line, code HX05681, 1,256 kilometers long, stopping at first-class stations Jiangning Station, Yubei Station... second-class stations Yushan Station, Beiwan Station...”

Ever since she made that last phone call yesterday, Chen Sixuan pinned all her hopes on the speeding train.

But as time slipped away, despair slowly gnawed at her remaining sanity.

“Beiwan Station, maintenance section...”

Her voice faltered, a flicker of trembling in her eyes.

In her mind, she recalled the student she had once barely noticed.

Ordinary family, warm smile, introverted personality, not good at socializing or sports...

Everything seemed so ordinary.

Then she remembered his so-called “Railway Train” plan: to drive a heavy train along the Ring Star Railway to escape...

It sounded... almost too sci-fi.

“Can he even drive a train? If there’s so much gasoline or energy, wouldn’t driving a car be easier?” she murmured. Each question was like a sharp blade, cutting through her hope.

What if the tracks were broken? Would the student know how to fix them, or would she—the foreign language teacher—know how?

One question after another she dared not contemplate emerged, gradually engulfing her, making her last shred of hope seem utterly ridiculous...

Tears welled up and dripped down her cheeks.

But Chen Sixuan refused to give in; she clenched her teeth to hold back the flood of tears, whispering in her heart:

He promised... he will come...

“Beiwan Station, one mainline, two arrival and departure lines...”

Her murmurs echoed through the empty living room.

Knock, knock, knock~

A sudden knock shattered the stillness like a stone disrupting a calm lake, rippling loudly through the vacant room.

Chen Sixuan raised her head, her eyes lighting up with surprise.

Page 3/3

Was it him?

Barefoot, she dashed from the sofa to the door but dared not look through the peephole, instead speaking nervously:

“Who... who is it?!”

Outside, the voice that answered was that of a middle-aged man.

“Teacher Chen, it’s me, Liang Wei. I’ve called you for two days with no answer. I was worried, so I came to check.”

Chen Sixuan’s heart sank into an icy valley.

Director Liang had been her former colleague—an utterly hypocritical man. When they were at school, his eyes often roved inappropriately over Chen Sixuan, and she had heard he had preyed on several female students, a genuine scoundrel.

Whether due to some connections or backing, such a man had somehow risen to the position of office director at the university. Chen Sixuan despised him and rarely interacted with him.

Yet, ironically, Liang Wei lived in the same neighborhood and building as her. After the apocalypse, he frequently called her. At first, he spoke earnestly about the dire situation and the need for solidarity, claiming he had ample supplies and could share if needed.

But gradually, his true nature emerged. Especially after learning her supplies were insufficient, he grew impatient in pressuring her to move up to live with him.

Hearing Liang Wei’s voice now, whether due to dashed hopes or inner frustration, Chen Sixuan felt a wave of nausea and coldly replied:

“I’m fine.”

Bang, bang, bang!

The knocking intensified.

“Fine? Didn’t you tell me before that your food was running low?!”

Seeing her still not opening the door, Liang Wei pressed his face to the peephole to peek inside. Chen Sixuan frowned and stepped back.

But when Liang Wei saw a shadow inside, his eyes gleamed, and he hurriedly called out:

“Teacher Chen, are you hungry? I have lots of bread, biscuits, canned beef, and bottled water. If you want, I can bring some down now.”

Bread, biscuits, canned beef, bottled water...

These words seemed to carry a tempting power breaking through reason in Chen Sixuan’s ears.

She... had been hungry for two days.

But she also knew that no matter if what Liang Wei said was true or not, opening the door would make her the plaything of this disgusting scoundrel in the apocalypse.

But between shame and survival— which was more important?

Perhaps long unacknowledged, Liang Wei’s remaining patience snapped. His expression darkened, and suddenly he slammed his palm hard against the door!

Bang!

“Chen Sixuan, you filthy bitch! Stop pretending to be so high and mighty! The world’s almost dead! Staying with me means you’ll live longer! I’m not gonna eat you, so what are you scared of?!”

“Open the door now!”

Bang, bang, bang!

The knocking turned into kicking. The loud noise frightened Chen Sixuan pale as death. She turned, grabbed the fruit knife from the shoe cabinet for protection, clutching it to her chest, her eyes filled with struggle.