Chapter 154: Sprint

After saying those words to the residents of Zone 3, Chen Ling never returned to the carriage. He needed to let their despair deepen.

“Chen Ling, it seems there are still scattered refugees ahead…” Zhao Yi said, uncertainly.

“If there are any, stop the train. Don’t leave anyone we see on the road behind.”

Chen Ling said without hesitation.

Under Zhao Yi’s control, the train stopped beside the refugees who were reaching their limits. The sight of the speeding train startled them all. But when they saw many Zone 3 residents already in the carriages, they were ecstatic to be brought aboard. These people were in small groups, either having strayed from the railway tracks or gotten lost in the snowstorm. Unfortunately, even all of them combined amounted to only a dozen or so individuals. Including those already picked up in the carriages, there were only sixty “spectators” in total.

These sixty people were likely the last survivors from Zone 3.

“Chen Ling, the path ahead is entirely a reflection… no matter which direction we drive, it seems we’ll enter the Grey Zone.” Zhao Yi said, frowning as he looked at the vast expanse of white ice ahead.

“The two realms are rapidly converging. It’s impossible now to find a completely normal path.”

Chen Ling looked at the road ahead and sighed deeply to himself.

There were no more survivors from Zone 3 ahead, meaning he only had sixty “spectators” prepared outside Aurora City. This was far short of his performance target of at least a hundred people. Now, he could only find a way to mobilize “spectators” from within Aurora City.

“What do we do then?”

“How much further to Aurora City?”

Zhao Yi looked at the map next to the dashboard and replied, “If we go at full speed… about ten minutes.”

“There’s no other way; we’ll have to break through at full speed,” Chen Ling said slowly. “Aurora City has the Aurora’s protection nearby. The convergence of the Grey Zone will definitely stop there. As long as we can pass through this patch of Grey Zone ahead, we can return to the real world and reach Aurora City.”

“Break through by force, then…” Zhao Yi licked his dry lips, a determined look appearing in his eyes.

“You all better hold on tight.”

His fingers instantly gripped the withered hand on the dashboard. He pulled it forward with all his strength. The flames in the boiler blazed to their maximum, and a thunderous roar erupted from the chimney, with misty white steam gushing into the sky like a torch!

Everyone on the train felt a surge of propulsion. The clanging of the transmission rods against the wheels grew more frequent, and the surrounding snowstorm began to streak past at an astonishing speed!

Clank—clank—clank…

To everyone’s horror, the train’s speed reached its peak, and it plunged without hesitation into the reflection of the ice plain, disappearing into the vast snowstorm.

***

Aurora City.

Chu Shiduo pushed open the tea room door and silently walked to the figure sitting in front of the courtyard, respectfully taking a seat.

Tan Xin was still wearing his black trench coat, calmly watching the tree branches sway in the wind in the courtyard. He slowly spoke: “How long has it been?”

“It has been twenty hours and thirteen minutes since the Aurora disappeared. The area outside Aurora City has completely become Grey Zone territory. According to our estimations, the Seven Zones have been completely annihilated, with no survivors.”

“…Is it over?”

Tan Xin picked up his teacup, took a small sip, and a flicker of complex emotion crossed his face.

Just then, a commotion gradually approached from afar, as if many people were gathered together, shouting something. Even through the courtyard wall, it was clearly audible.

“What’s going on outside?” Tan Xin suddenly asked.

Chu Shiduo replied with a sigh, “Master, it’s a spontaneously organized protest march…”

“A protest march? Protesting what?”

“Protesting… you.”

Tan Xin raised an eyebrow, looking at Chu Shiduo in surprise.

“The news about us abandoning the Seven Zones still leaked… Those who already harbored hostility towards the Enforcer system seized the opportunity to incite public sentiment, accusing Aurora City of being cold-blooded and ruthless, and condemning the Enforcers for their inaction despite having the capability. They claimed that 300,000 people from the Seven Zones were abandoned without a second thought, and they even said…”

Chu Shiduo paused mid-sentence, hesitating.

“Said what?” Tan Xin asked casually, as if he wasn’t the one being accused.

“They said… you are a coward.”

Tan Xin smiled. His smile was gentle and harmless in the sunlight, as if he had thought of something amusing. Then he waved his hand, “Let them say what they want.”

“The matter of the Seven Zones cannot be kept secret; this day was bound to come sooner or later… Have the people from the Aurora Daily and Bonfire Radio arrived? It’s time to release the official report about the disaster in the Seven Zones.”

“Yes, they have, but they are all blocked outside the gate by the protesting crowds. They’ve already started interviewing the protesting residents.” Chu Shiduo paused. “Master, I’m concerned that after being influenced by the protestors, they might release reports unfavorable to us…”

“Let them conduct their interviews. After the protest ends, you can make the official statement on my behalf.”

“Me?” Chu Shiduo asked, puzzled. “Master, for such a significant matter, won’t you appear in person?”

“I don’t want to waste time explaining what has already happened. I don’t care how they judge me… I have more important things to do.”

Seeing this, Chu Shiduo nodded slightly. “Right, there’s one more thing.”

“What?”

“Xi Renjie has entered the city.”

“Oh? What was the outcome?”

“Chen Ling didn’t take the bait… No, I should say Xi Renjie got soft and didn’t make a move against Chen Ling at all.”

“It seems like more bad news,” Tan Xin said calmly. “What happened to Xi Renjie?”

“He didn’t survive the soul-shattering interrogation… He went mad.”

“…Understood.”

“There was also something rather interesting in Xi Renjie’s memories… Chen Ling had a message for Aurora City through him.”

“A message?”

“He said: Aurora City wants to keep him out, but he won’t let us have our way. He will pay a visit to Aurora City.”

Tan Xin’s eyes narrowed slightly, seemingly intrigued.

“Interesting… I’d like to see how he plans to pay that visit.”

After reporting the situation, Chu Shiduo rose and exited the tea room.

He walked through several corridors of the headquarters. Just as he exited the headquarters through a side door, he saw that the main avenue in front of the building was already packed with people. Large crowds, holding flags and banners, moved slowly along the street. Led by several individuals, they rhythmically chanted slogans, their thunderous shouts shaking the street.