Chapter 53: K18

Chen Ling woke up and checked the time. It was about what he expected.

He walked to the District 3 Enforcers' headquarters. As soon as he entered, he saw a familiar figure approaching him.

"Chen Ling? You're finally here." Jiang Qin checked the list. "Now we're all here..."

Chen Ling still remembered Jiang Qin; he was one of the few Enforcers who had left a good impression. On the night his house was destroyed by the Red Paper Monster, it was Jiang Qin who had questioned him and told him he could seek him out anytime if he needed anything.

Chen Ling's gaze swept over the others. Besides himself and Jiang Qin, there were only two other people, both familiar faces from the group of reserve candidates who had taken the martial arts test with him.

"Officer Jiang Qin, are just the few of us going this time?"

Chen Ling and the two other reserve candidates were the top three in this Enforcer examination. According to Han Meng's arrangement, they were naturally qualified to go to the Ancient Armory. However, by convention, veteran Enforcers who had served their three-year term should also be among those going.

"Yes, just the few of us," Jiang Qin shrugged. "Originally, five or six of my colleagues were supposed to come along, but two days ago, their conspiracy with Ma Zhong was exposed, and Brother Meng took care of all of them..."

Chen Ling: ...

"District 3 is already doing well... Look at the Enforcers in Districts 5 and 6; they're either dead or injured. Combined, they can't even muster five people."

Jiang Qin was remarkably optimistic. He put away the roster and led Chen Ling and the two others straight out.

"Officer Jiang Qin, how do we get to the Ancient Armory?" asked one of the Enforcers who had started at the same time as Chen Ling. Chen Ling remembered his name; it seemed to be Zhong Yaoguang.

"The Ancient Armory is located in the Frozen Sea, on the northern border of the Aurora Domain. To get there, we can only take a ship from the port."

"Winter Harbor? That's quite a distance..."

"It's actually fine if we take the train."

"A train?"

Chen Ling was momentarily stunned. He had thought that trains didn't exist in this era, but on second thought, steam-powered trains wouldn't require advanced technology... Still, he had lived on Frost Street and had never heard of anyone taking a train there.

"That's right, Chen Ling, haven't you ridden one?" Zhong Yaoguang's eyes lit up. "You'll be amazed the first time you see one... They're incredible!"

"I haven't either... The tickets aren't cheap," the other silent colleague chimed in.

"Don't worry, Brother Meng is covering the train fare this time."

Jiang Qin smiled faintly.

The three followed Jiang Qin all the way to the border of District 3. A straight railway track stretched from the snowy distance, and in front of them stood a small, dilapidated platform.

It was called a platform, but it was essentially a large shed built on the ground, with a few stone steps. A small ticket booth stood nearby, adorned with a massive "3".

For most residents of the Aurora Domain, especially those in the seven major districts, there was no need to take a train. Their entire lives could be spent within their own district, and the concept of "traveling" to other major districts didn't exist for them...

The development of the seven major districts was essentially cast from the same mold; they were all much alike.

The railway tracks were primarily laid to facilitate the transport of goods between Aurora City itself and the seven major districts. Therefore, it was natural for stations and other facilities to be rudimentary.

Jiang Qin walked up to the ticket booth. After a moment, he returned with four tickets.

"Let's wait. The train will be here in about fifteen minutes."

"We're just in time. This train only runs once a day, so if we miss it, we're out of luck."

The four walked onto the platform. In the desolate wilderness, apart from the ticket booth, only the four of them stood shivering in the cold wind.

The snow had just begun to melt, and the platform was open to the wind on all sides. The group silently hunched their shoulders, gazing eagerly toward the end of the tracks, awaiting the arrival of a train to rescue them from the cold.

"How are you, Chen Ling, are you cold?" Jiang Qin's concerned voice came from beside him. "You're not wearing much."

"No, I'm not," Chen Ling shook his head.

"If you're cold, I can get you a jacket from my bag. We still have to go through the Ancient Armory later, so you shouldn't catch a cold on the way."

Before Chen Ling could reply, Jiang Qin crouched down and opened his hard-shell suitcase on the spot, rummaging through it.

"Really, you don't have to," Chen Ling quickly waved his hand. "I have a strong constitution; I'm resistant to cold..."

Before he could refuse, Jiang Qin pulled out a dark brown overcoat and, without a word, wrapped it around Chen Ling.

"I'm the team leader for District 3 this time, so listen to me," Jiang Qin patted his shoulder. "But even if you catch a cold on the way, it's fine. I brought four doses of cold medicine before we left; that should be enough."

"...Thank you."

Wrapped in the thick windproof overcoat, Chen Ling was momentarily at a loss for words.

"No need to thank me." Jiang Qin stood beside him, hesitated for a moment, then spoke,

"Chen Ling... Some things aren't as you might think... Brother Meng is a very good person. He's just stubborn and often appears unfeeling when working, and he's too lazy to explain misunderstandings to others...

Brother Meng and I had long suspected what Ma Zhong and the other District 3 Enforcers were doing, but we had no evidence... Moreover, Ma Zhong had powerful connections within Aurora City, and without proof, Brother Meng couldn't touch him.

Regarding your brother's matter... we are truly, truly sorry."

Jiang Qin looked at him sincerely, his eyes completely clear. Chen Ling hadn't expected him to suddenly say this and fell silent in the cold wind.

"...I had guessed as much."

If Ma Zhong hadn't had powerful backing, he wouldn't have been able to develop his illicit businesses so flagrantly in Districts 2 and 3. Han Meng was just an Enforcer ostracized by Aurora City; it wasn't easy for him to overthrow Ma Zhong's powerful faction.

"This time, Ma Zhong essentially courted death by trying to assassinate Brother Meng. That's what gave us the pretext to root them out... But even so, Brother Meng was disciplined by Aurora City."

Jiang Qin sighed deeply. "Do you know? If Districts 5 and 6 hadn't experienced a large-scale Grey World convergence, Brother Meng would have been imprisoned long ago... It's only because Aurora City is severely understaffed right now that they haven't dealt with him yet. But even with that, he's still been suspended."

"Imprisoned?" Chen Ling frowned. "Wasn't he the victim?"

"Many people in Aurora City dislike Brother Meng... In this era, those who are too upright and too serious rarely come to a good end."

No sooner had Jiang Qin finished speaking than a rumbling sound came from the distance.

"The train's here!" Zhong Yaoguang immediately exclaimed.

"...That fast?" Jiang Qin turned his head, looking at the clock in the center of the platform. "Ten minutes early?"

As the thunderous rumble grew nearer, a massive, entirely black steel beast, spewing copious amounts of steam, slowly approached the platform along the snowy tracks.

Zhong Yaoguang, standing nearby, nudged Chen Ling with his elbow, winking as he said, "Well? Impressive, isn't it?"

Chen Ling raised an eyebrow but said nothing.

"K18... Yes, this is it." Jiang Qin checked the number at the front of the train against his ticket and nodded slightly. "It seems it really did arrive early."

As the train gradually came to a halt, the attendant opened the door and stepped out, placing a ramp between the stone steps and the train door.

"Those going to Winter Harbor, please board."

At the attendant's call, everyone boarded without hesitation, one by one.

As the whistle's hum sounded once more, the train slowly started along the tracks, and with a clatter, gradually disappeared into the snowy horizon...

A few minutes later, a figure emerged from the ticket booth.

He glanced at the empty platform, a slight smile playing on his lips. Then, he dragged a blood-stained black cloth bag from beneath the booth's counter and walked away into the distance.

Clang—Clang—Clang...

A black steel train passed through the snow and slowly pulled into the platform.

An attendant poked his head out of the train, looked around, and then said, "No one at this stop. Let's go."

The hum of the steam sounded again, and the train gradually disappeared at the end of the tracks. On the top of the black locomotive, three large characters painted in red were clearly visible.