Chapter 146: Winterfell Extinction

After the locomotive plunged into the thick fog and disappeared, the crowd slowly regained their senses."How could this happen? Where are the train cars?""I think... I saw Officer Chen inside the locomotive?""I saw him too! That red outfit was so conspicuous, impossible to miss!""Why didn't Officer Chen stop to save us?""This train doesn't even have cars, how could it take us? He must have run off by himself!""There seemed to be someone else next to Officer Chen just now... I didn't see clearly.""Was it Zhao Yi? If I'm not mistaken."

Everyone spoke at once, their gazes filled with envy as they watched the locomotive disappear."Don't look anymore... let's go." Boss Xu shook his head. "Officer Chen can't save us. We're on our own now..."The roaring locomotive's departure didn't change their fate. Envying and sighing, they took up their steps and continued forward.

Meanwhile, inside the train's operating room."Chen Ling, I think I just saw Boss Xu and the others," Zhao Yi said uncertainly, rubbing his eyes."Oh.""Aren't we giving them a ride?""This space is so small; three or five people standing here is already the limit. How could we give them a ride?"

Zhao Yi opened his mouth, but ultimately fell silent."I... I can make myself smaller," a faint voice came from the side.Zhao Yi looked over and saw the girl sitting on the floor in the corner of the operating room, hugging her knees and silently curling herself up, occupying a tiny space, smaller than even a watermelon.Zhao Yi couldn't help but find it amusing. "No one's getting on the train now, why are you trying so hard to shrink?"The girl buried her head in her knees, saying nothing.

Since Zhao Yi wasn't driving and had nothing else to do, he simply squatted in front of the girl and asked in a soft voice,"By the way, I still don't know your name.""My... my grandma calls me Ling'er.""Ling'er." Zhao Yi nodded. "How did you get on the train?""Grandma brought me here... Grandma said to secretly crawl under the train, get inside without being seen, and she would pick me up when the train arrived at the station," Ling'er replied quietly, pursing her lips.

Zhao Yi fell silent.According to Ling'er, it would have been impossible for her and her elderly grandmother to walk all the way to Aurora City. So, the only option was to get on this train... Perhaps her grandmother knew she couldn't get on herself, which is why she suggested this method for Ling'er. As for her grandmother, she was most likely shot by the enforcers.At the station, Zhao Yi had lost his father, and Ling'er had lost her grandmother. Their fates were strikingly similar, which made Zhao Yi feel even more sympathetic."My name is Zhao Yi. From now on, if you need anything, just find me!" Zhao Yi said, patting his chest.

Then, as if remembering something, he hesitated before speaking again,"Um... his name is Chen Ling. Sometimes, it might be more useful to find him than me..."Chen Ling did not participate in their conversation. He was focused on operating the train. The last time he had seen something so ancient was in a museum in his previous life. If not for the control manual in the operating room, it would have been difficult for him to even get this thing moving.Even so, the train still stopped occasionally until, after a long time, a familiar platform slowly approached.

"We're here."Chen Ling jumped down from the locomotive, with Zhao Yi and Ling'er following closely.They looked at the desolate town before them, devoid of any signs of life. In the faint mist, only the biting cold wind from the frozen sea whistled mournfully through the houses.

"Is this Winter Harbor?" Zhao Yi shivered from the cold. "It feels much colder than District Three..."Ling'er seemed frightened by the wind's sound; her small face was pale, and she clutched Zhao Yi's coat tightly.

"There's no one here... It seems this place has fallen too."Chen Ling's brows furrowed slightly. "Be careful, there might still be calamities active here."Upon hearing this, Zhao Yi's expression immediately turned grim. He couldn't help but ask, "Chen Ling, why exactly are we here in this godforsaken place?""Follow me."

Chen Ling didn't answer him. Instead, he quickly determined his direction and walked forward.Seeing this, Zhao Yi had no other choice. He took Ling'er's hand and hurried after him. Faint mist drifted through the dim town, and as they walked deeper into it, a strong smell of blood assailed their nostrils.Chen Ling's gaze swept over the houses on both sides; none showed signs of violent damage, nor were there any bodies on the road. The entire town was eerily quiet, as if asleep...

Chen Ling's eyes narrowed slightly. He walked directly to a house and gently pushed open the door.Creak—As the door opened, the inside of the house was dark. On the bed in the innermost bedroom, a figure lay motionless, its neck swollen, eyes wide open, and clearly no longer breathing.

"What's that terrible smell?" Zhao Yi stood at the doorway, involuntarily covering his nose.At the same time, he didn't forget to extend his other hand to cover Ling'er's eyes. Although the body was far away, it was still not good for a child to see.

"It's seawater."Chen Ling bent down and lightly rubbed his fingertips on the ground. A water stain adhered to his finger, emitting an indescribable stench.Chen Ling then pushed open the doors of several other houses, one after another. The situations were similar to the first, and even the manner of death was identical. Even the town's streets were covered in this same seawater.

Chen Ling's frown deepened. Following his memories, he walked along the street to a small general store and pushed open its closed window.A woman's body lay sprawled on the store's counter, her hand near telegraph equipment. It seemed a message had been cut short before it could be fully transmitted, ending her life there.Chen Ling recognized her, of course. When he had previously visited Winter Harbor, he had met with the Twilight Society at this very store. This woman was also a peripheral member of the Twilight Society, and she must have been trying to send a message to them before she died.

"Do you know her?" Zhao Yi asked, noting the complexity in Chen Ling's gaze."...No, I don't."Chen Ling took a deep breath and slowly said,"Something came ashore from the frozen sea... All the residents of Winter Harbor must have died in their sleep, completely unprepared."

Zhao Yi froze, his gaze extending along the town's main road to the sea hidden deep within the mist. In the profound silence, the sound of waves was as clear as someone rubbing sandpaper."Is... is that thing still here?""Hard to say." Chen Ling shook his head."In any case, we should speed up."