Chapter 54: Face Stealing

Chen Ling and the three others stepped into the carriage.

The train had a total of six carriages; five were exclusively for freight, and only one was for passengers. As soon as Chen Ling and the others boarded, they saw four figures, also dressed in law enforcement uniforms, sitting together.

Presumably, they were law enforcement officers from the same group heading to the Ancient Military Treasury.

“A3… here.” Following the sign, Zhong Yaoguang found his seat and sat by the window first.

“What a shame, I should have brought some fruit and snacks. The journey wouldn't be so boring then.”

“If you want some, I have them right here,” another colleague offered, handing over a bag of melon seeds from their bag.

“Thanks.”

Chen Ling had no interest in melon seeds. Ever since he boarded the train, he had noticed two lines of characters condensed in the mist on the window:

Audience Expectation Value: 7Current Expectation Value: 36

Something's wrong...

Every time Chen Ling saw the audience expectation value inexplicably rise, his body would tense up, as it often meant something was about to happen.

“Chen Ling, won't you have some?” Zhong Yaoguang proactively offered the melon seeds to Chen Ling.

Chen Ling’s eyes narrowed slightly. This time, he didn't refuse. Instead, he took the melon seeds, crushed them in his hand, and watched them slowly scatter onto the floor…

No poison.

Chen Ling was thoughtful.

“…” Zhong Yaoguang’s eyelid twitched slightly. “Chen Ling… even if you don’t want to eat them, you don’t have to do that, do you? You could have just said no.”

Since they first met, Chen Ling's attitude had been extremely cold, as if he had no desire to get close to them.

To be honest, Zhong Yaoguang wasn't against such a personality; after all, everyone had different upbringings. But Chen Ling's current actions genuinely felt a bit excessive to him.

“Don't argue, be quiet for a moment.” Chen Ling was currently frowning, meticulously searching for what was wrong, and had no interest in bickering with him.

The expectation value had suddenly risen after they boarded, so there definitely had to be something wrong with this train!

“Chen Ling, you…”

“Alright, alright, stop arguing,” Jiang Qin interjected, sensing the moment. “We're all colleagues from District Three. What's there to argue about over such a small matter?… Chen Ling is tired, let him rest for a bit. Zhong Yaoguang, aren't you bored? How about the three of us play some cards?”

Seeing Jiang Qin speak up, Zhong Yaoguang, though displeased, said nothing further. If Chen Ling didn't want to socialize, then they wouldn't bother with him.

“Okay.”

Jiang Qin seemed prepared; he pulled out a deck of poker cards from his bag and started playing with Zhong Yaoguang and the other colleague.

Chen Ling's gaze swept across half the carriage, but even with the enhancement of his Secret Eye, he found nothing amiss… Moreover, he didn't know much about trains of this era, making it difficult to gather any useful information.

So, Chen Ling's eyes fell on the four law enforcement officers at the next table.

“Which district are they from?” Chen Ling suddenly asked.

“Districts Five and Six.”

Jiang Qin glanced at the numbers on their uniforms. “Only four people came, just as on the list.”

As if sensing Chen Ling's gaze, the four law enforcement officers also turned to look at him. After a brief eye contact, they shifted their gaze away, calmly looking out the window.

Chen Ling recalled that since boarding, he hadn't heard any of the four say a single word… not even to each other.

Chen Ling frowned slightly. He vaguely felt something was wrong but couldn't quite pinpoint it.

“Which districts is Winter Harbor in?”

“On the border between Districts One and Two… why do you ask?”

“Winter Harbor should be further from the other major districts; there's no other way for them to get here except by train,” Chen Ling’s mind raced. “But why… are we the only ones on this train, along with people from Districts Five and Six?”

Jiang Qin was taken aback. “Maybe District Seven is too far, so they already left yesterday?”

“What about District Four then? Districts Five and Six chose to depart today, so there's no reason District Four wouldn't take this train… Where are they?”

Zhong Yaoguang said gloomily, “We're on the train, that's what matters. Why worry about whether the people from District Four made it?”

Chen Ling ignored his words directly, because he felt he had grasped something.

“Officer Jiang Qin, how many people came from District Four this time?”

“About ten, I think?”

While the two conversed, Zhong Yaoguang, impatient from waiting for cards, rested his head on one hand and glanced out the window.

“Huh?”

“What's wrong?” his colleague beside him asked.

“Am I seeing things?” Zhong Yaoguang rubbed his eyes, then stared wide-eyed out the window. “…Where are the tracks??”

At his words, everyone froze for a moment. Chen Ling quickly looked out the window. Flurries of snow, whipped up by the wind from the steam train, danced wildly, and everything outside was a blur of white. Unbeknownst to them, the train tracks had vanished.

“Gentlemen, please remain seated and do not move around unnecessarily.” A female attendant approached, carrying a black basket filled with snacks and fruit for sale. She reached a hand into the basket and asked with a smile, “Would you like anything?”

Zhong Yaoguang and the two others were momentarily stunned. Just as they were about to speak, Chen Ling’s voice suddenly rang out!

“Look out!!”

Bang—!!

A deafening gunshot echoed through the carriage. A bullet pierced through the basket and instantly struck Zhong Yaoguang, who was closest, in the head.

The next moment, Zhong Yaoguang's bewildered head exploded, splattering red and white matter onto the colleague sitting next to him, turning them crimson!

This sudden turn of events directly stunned both him and Jiang Qin. Immediately after, the attendant pulled the trigger again!

But almost simultaneously, a powerful whip kick struck the bottom of the basket, sending it flying!

Bang—

A second shot rang out, the bullet embedding itself in the train's metal siding with a piercing screech.

Jiang Qin, being an experienced law enforcement officer after all, reacted extremely quickly. He instantly flashed in front of the female attendant and delivered a right hook to her temple. The terrifying force sent her flying, crashing into a nearby seat!

He drew his pistol from his waist with lightning speed, but just as he aimed it at the female attendant, another bullet shot from a distance!

This time, the shots came from the four law enforcement officers from Districts Five and Six, who were sitting by the window.

They remained calmly seated, their eyes narrowed, their gaze at Chen Ling and the others filled with amusement.

The bullet pierced through Jiang Qin's palm. He cried out in agony, and his pistol clattered to the floor.

At the same time, a figure appeared at each of the carriage's two entrances: a middle-aged man dressed as a conductor and a male attendant. Both stared intently at Chen Ling and the others, sneering, “Good reactions… but unfortunately, you won't escape.”

“Number 17, if you don't act soon, that kid's blood will run cold.”

The female attendant, who had been knocked down by Jiang Qin's punch, slowly rose to her feet. She glared malevolently at Jiang Qin, then walked over to Zhong Yaoguang, whose head had been shattered by the bullet, and placed her hand over his face.

A faint grey light flashed, and Zhong Yaoguang's skin and features vanished into thin air, leaving only a bare, bloody face staring blankly up at the ceiling.

The next moment, the female attendant's face violently distorted, gradually transforming into Zhong Yaoguang's likeness…

She had stolen Zhong Yaoguang's face.

Seeing this scene, Jiang Qin's eyes widened in disbelief!

“Path of the God Thief… You are Usurpers?!”