Chapter Two: The Empty Carriage

A violent jolt shook him, and then Xiao Zhang’s consciousness fell into a long stretch of darkness. Though he remained aware, there was no sensation of his body at all, a terrifying feeling that chilled him to the core.

In the darkness, Xiao Zhang heard what sounded like a group of people talking…

“RM arrival...team up.”

“...failure...restart.”

“Hurry!” Then came the agonized screams of several people.

At last, Xiao Zhang was certain of one thing: he had to be dreaming! Had he fried his brain after two sleepless nights?

“Looks like several are gone.”

“What happened? Knocked out just after entering?”

“RM sent people too?”

“Well, bad luck for them, wasted a few slots.”

“Right, remember who RM sent this time. When we get back…”

The voices faded away. After an indeterminate time, a faint light appeared, and with it, his consciousness returned to his body, bit by bit.

When Xiao Zhang managed to open his eyes, he clawed his way out from a heap of luggage. Flickering images seemed to flash before him—fragmented, like scenes cut from a film.

The strange, twisted smile of that middle-aged man loomed in his mind, and Xiao Zhang’s awareness was still muddled, not quite fully awake.

Then, the pain in his body slowly filtered into his consciousness—he was alive, wasn’t he?

But recalling the moment he blacked out, Xiao Zhang suddenly snapped wide awake.

That middle-aged man, as Xiao Zhang was thrown aside, had appeared to tear the train attendant apart.

Yes, tear him apart! As if he weren’t a person, but merely a piece of clothing! No, not even clothing!

Once he regained his senses, Xiao Zhang saw nothing but chaos all around him.

The carriage was a mess, luggage scattered everywhere, and he had somehow ended up from the rear to the middle of the car.

His body ached terribly, but he managed to get up, bracing himself. He moved his limbs gingerly—his arms and legs seemed intact, just some scrapes and bruises.

Clearly, something catastrophic had happened, but he was, thankfully, mostly unharmed—at least on the surface. Whether there were internal injuries, he couldn’t tell.

Xiao Zhang instinctively felt something was wrong, but couldn’t quite pinpoint what.

Wait—where was everyone?

“Is anyone there?” Xiao Zhang shouted into the carriage.

He shuffled toward the restroom, anxiety mounting—could what he saw earlier have been real?

Seeing the blood smeared across the floor, Xiao Zhang took a deep breath and washed his face under the faucet.

There were only bloodstains, no fragments of bodies. Maybe it was just his imagination. He consoled himself: as long as he found someone else, it would all make sense—hallucinations, just hallucinations!

“Anyone there? Anyone?” Xiao Zhang called as he moved toward Carriage 2.

Carriage 2 was just as chaotic—and just as empty.

He took a long breath and moved to the next carriage.

Still, no one. Carriages 3, 4, 5, all the way to 15 and 16—empty, except for scattered luggage. Not a soul.

Wait—the engine! They must be at the front of the train! Hope flickered in Xiao Zhang’s chest, though he knew it was unlikely.

Surely everyone hadn’t run off and left him alone? There had to be someone else!

But when he reached the engine and looked inside, his hope vanished—the front was crushed and deformed, impossible to check inside.

Apart from the engine, the whole train was deserted. Only the scattered luggage by the seats hinted at the presence of people. Passengers, staff—everyone was gone! Gone!

When he boarded, his carriage was full—at least dozens of people per car!

Now, looking at himself and the mess of bags around, hundreds had vanished without a trace!

Frustrated, Xiao Zhang reached for his pocket to grab a cigarette, but accidentally pulled out his phone. He stared at it, dumbfounded—what an idiot! He’d forgotten he had a phone!

He looked at the shattered screen and his heart sank further. He slumped into a seat and sprawled out, refusing to play along with whatever was happening.

What was this? Xiao Zhang pulled a hard metal box from under him, labeled “XX Emergency Center.”

Could everyone have been rescued and left? Was he the only one left behind? Had nobody thought to search the luggage for survivors? He felt an overwhelming urge to curse.

“If you won’t rescue me, I’ll rescue myself.” He prepared to get off the train and check his surroundings.

As soon as he stepped out, he was stunned—what was this place? A dense forest? He hadn’t checked outside while inside the train.

Judging by the trees, he guessed he was in a tropical region.

But the exact location was impossible to determine. Even stranger, the bullet train seemed to have materialized out of nowhere in this forest.

Xiao Zhang could only accept the reality, however absurd.

He took a deep breath and ran back into the train. After a moment, he hauled out a suitcase, then went back for another.

He found some food and water in the carriages, then sat on a suitcase to eat.

After his meal, he rummaged through the two suitcases and found a few books and an extendable baton. The baton brought him some comfort.

He fashioned a simple bait out of bread and placed it outside the carriage, wanting to see if any creatures would come during the night.

While preparing his sleeping spot, a small incident lifted Xiao Zhang’s spirits—a phone that worked! Though it had no signal, it was still a comfort.

As night approached, the mood grew increasingly oppressive. Even though he’d locked all the windows and doors in the carriage and blocked them with various items, the eerie silence still unsettled him.

Darkness slowly crept in. Xiao Zhang arranged a comfortable sleeping spot beneath his seat, cleverly camouflaged—no one would notice unless they looked very closely.

Nothing would happen! He’d slept on graves during training, so what was there to fear? How could he become so timid after only a few days back?

He reassured himself, then forced himself to sleep. Tomorrow, he would have to venture out and explore the forest.

With the baton gripped tightly in his hand, Xiao Zhang curled up beneath the seat and drifted off.