Chen Yifei and the three others entered the carriage.
This train had a total of six carriages, five of which were dedicated to cargo transportation, with only one carriage for passengers. As Chen Yifei and the others just got on the train, they saw four figures, also dressed in law enforcement uniforms, sitting together.
Unless there were any surprises, they should be the same batch of law enforcement officers heading to the Ancient Soldier's Path.
"A-3... It's here." Zhong Yaoguang found his seat according to the sign and sat by the window first.
"What a pity. If I had known earlier, I would have brought some fruits and snacks. The journey wouldn't be so boring then."
"If you want to eat, I have some here." Another colleague from the same period handed him a bag of melon seeds from his bag.
"Thanks."
Chen Yifei had no interest in eating melon seeds because since he got on the train, he had seen the mist on the window condense into two lines of characters:
[Audience Expectation +7]
[Current Expectation: 36%]
This is not right...
Every time he saw the audience's expectation rise inexplicably, Chen Yifei would tense up because it often meant that something was going to happen.
"Chen Yifei, don't you want to eat some?" Zhong Yaoguang proactively handed the melon seeds to Chen Yifei.
Chen Yifei's eyes slightly narrowed. This time, he didn't refuse but took the melon seeds, crushed them in his hand, and then watched them disperse little by little on the ground...
No poison.
Chen Yifei was thoughtful.
"..." Zhong Yaoguang's eyelids flicked slightly. "Chen Yifei... even if you don't want to eat them, you don't have to do this, right? You can just say no directly."
Since they met, Chen Yifei had been extremely cold and seemed unwilling to get close to them at all.
To be honest, Zhong Yaoguang didn't mind this personality, as everyone grows up in different environments. But Chen Yifei's behavior did make him feel a bit excessive at this moment.
"Don't make a noise. Be quiet for a while." Chen Yifei was currently frowning and carefully searching for what was wrong. He had no interest in bantering with him.
The expectation value suddenly rose after they got on the train, so there must be something wrong with this train!
"Chen Yifei, you..."
"Alright, alright, stop arguing." Jiang Qin timely intervened, "We are all colleagues from District Three. What's there to argue about such a small matter... Chen Yifei is tired. Let him rest for a while.
Zhong Yaoguang, aren't you bored? How about we three play cards for a while?"
Seeing Jiang Qin speak up, although Zhong Yaoguang was unhappy, he didn't say much. Since Chen Yifei didn't want to socialize, they would just leave him alone.
"Okay."
Jiang Qin seemed to be prepared. He took out a deck of poker cards from his bag and started playing with Zhong Yaoguang and the other person.
Chen Yifei scanned half of the carriage. Even with the enhancement from [Secret Eyes], he didn't find any issues... Plus, he didn't know much about trains in this era, so it was difficult to obtain any useful information.
Therefore, Chen Yifei's gaze fell on the four law enforcement officers at the next table.
"Which district are they from?" Chen Yifei suddenly asked.
"District Five and District Six."
Jiang Qin looked at the numbers on their uniforms. "Only four people came, as expected... It's the same as on the list."
It seemed that they sensed Chen Yifei's gaze. The four law enforcement officers also turned to look at him. After a glance, they shifted their gaze and calmly looked out the window.
Chen Yifei recalled that since getting on the train, he hadn't heard the four of them say a single word... Not even a chat between themselves.
Chen Yifei's eyebrows slightly furrowed. He vaguely felt that something was wrong but couldn't quite put his finger on it.
"Which district is Winter Harbor in?"
"On the border of District One and District Two... Why?"
"Winter Harbor should be farther from the other major districts. They have no other way to get here except by train." Chen Yifei's mind raced.
"But why... are there only us and people from District Five and District Six on this train?"
Jiang Qin was taken aback. "Maybe District Seven is too far away, so they took the train yesterday?"
"Then what about District Four? If District Five and District Six chose to depart today, there's no reason why District Four wouldn't take this train... Where are they?"
Zhong Yaoguang spoke in a low voice, "It's fine for us to be on the train. Why do we care if those from District Four are on it or not?"
Chen Yifei ignored his words because he felt that he had grasped something.
"Officer Jiang Qin, how many people are there from District Four this time?"
"Ten, I think?"
As the two were conversing, Zhong Yaoguang, who was getting impatient waiting for his turn in the card game, rested his head in his hand and glanced out the window.
"Huh?"
"What's the matter?" his colleague beside him asked.
"Is my vision blurred?" Zhong Yaoguang rubbed his eyes and widened them as he looked out the window. "...Where are the tracks??"
Upon hearing this, everyone was stunned. Chen Yifei quickly looked out the window. The falling snow was swirling in the wind from the steam train, and everything outside was a blur of white. And at some point, the tracks on which the train was running had vanished.
"Please sit down, gentlemen. Don't move around without permission." A female attendant walked forward, carrying a black basket filled with snacks and fruits for sale. She reached into the basket with one hand and smiled as she asked,
"Would you like something?"
Zhong Yaoguang and the other two were stunned for a moment and were about to say something when Chen Yifei's voice suddenly rang out!
"Be careful!!"
Bang——!!
The roar of a gunshot sounded in the carriage. A bullet pierced through the basket and instantly hit Zhong Yaoguang, who was closest, on the head.
In the next moment, Zhong Yaoguang's bewildered head exploded, spraying red and white matter onto the other colleague sitting beside him, turning him blood-red!
This sudden turn of events left him and Jiang Qin terrified. Immediately after, the attendant pulled the trigger again!
But almost simultaneously, a powerful kick struck the bottom of the basket, flipping it over entirely!
Bang——
The second gunshot sounded, and the bullet embedded itself in the metal skin of the train, producing a piercing sharp whistle.
Jiang Qin, as an experienced law enforcement officer, reacted swiftly. He immediately dashed to the female attendant and delivered a right hook to her temple with terrifying force, which sent her flying and crashing into a nearby seat!
He lightning-fast drew his gun from his waist and aimed it at the female attendant, but another bullet came flying from a distance!
This time, it was the four law enforcement officers from District Five and District Six sitting by the window who fired.
They calmly sat in place, squinting their eyes, and looking at Chen Yifei and the others with a teasing glint in their eyes.
The bullet pierced through Jiang Qin's palm, and he let out a painful cry as his handgun fell to the ground.
At the same time, figures appeared at the entrances on both sides of the carriage. One was a middle-aged man dressed as a train conductor, and the other was a male attendant. They fixed their gaze on Chen Yifei and the others, sneering,
"Good reflexes... Unfortunately, you can't escape."
"Number 17, if you don't act now, that kid's blood will cool down."
The female attendant, who had been knocked down by Jiang Qin's punch, also slowly stood up. She glared at Jiang Qin with resentment, then walked to the corpse of Zhong Yaoguang, whose head had been blown apart by a gunshot, and placed her hand on his face.
A gray glimmer flashed, and Zhong Yaoguang's facial skin and features vanished into thin air, leaving only a bald, bloody face staring blankly at the ceiling.
In the next moment, the female attendant's face twisted violently, gradually transforming into Zhong Yaoguang's appearance...
She had stolen Zhong Yaoguang's face.
Seeing this, Jiang Qin's eyes widened in disbelief!
"The Thief's Path... Are you Fire Tamperers?!"