Quick Transmigration and Childbirth: The Target is Not Human

At four in the morning, the sky was still pitch black, but the train was slowly slowing down.

This southbound train will stop at Linan Station for half an hour.

Xia Yangyang was gently woken up from her sleep.

She opened her sleepy eyes. The carriage was pitch black. Lu Xize's face was very close, his eyes reflecting the lights from the window. His voice was very low:

"Get off the train. No need to disguise yourself. Someone will be waiting for us outside the station."

Xia Yangyang instantly regained her senses.

A noisy argument came from the next carriage, as if some dispute had occurred.

"What's happening outside?" she asked anxiously as she quickly sat up and put on her cotton-padded coat.

According to the original plan, they should have changed trains in Shanghai, not at a small station that is almost nowhere to be found on this map.

"It's nothing, just a common argument between a few drunk men."

Lu Xize handed her a pre-packaged parcel.

Xia Yangyang paused as she took the package, inwardly lamenting that she hadn't even tried those expensive cosmetics yet.

"But why did you get off the bus early?" she asked warily as she tied her scarf.

"Someone's following us." Lu Xize handed her a scarf and gloves, his movements as natural as if he'd done it countless times. "There's a cigarette vendor in carriage number seven. He hasn't slept since he boarded at Shanhaiguan. I went to the smoking room for some fresh air and saw him signaling there."

"Signal?"

"Use cigarette butts."

He spoke with such conviction that Xia Yangyang, who knew very little about the stories of espionage during the Republic of China era, also became nervous. At the moment, she had no choice but to listen to him.

*

As the train pulled away, the two men waited outside the platform for the person he had mentioned who would meet them.

In the dead of winter, the damp cold of the south was even more biting than that of the north. Xia Yangyang's cheeks were red from the cold. She waited and waited, but no one came. She asked in a low voice, "Uncle, why are we the only two getting off at this stop? Don't the soldiers—"

Before he could finish speaking, a dull thud came from the southern railway tracks.

She turned her head abruptly.

In the darkness of night, an orange-red fireball exploded in the middle of a train in the distance.

The firelight illuminated half the sky, followed by the ear-piercing shriek of tearing metal, the crash of shattering glass, and the belated sonic boom that made her eardrums ache.

The carriage was like a can torn open by a giant, with the roof lifted up and flames shooting out from the central window.

"Fire...train..." Xia Yangyang's blood ran cold. "Isn't this the one we were just on?"

Lu Xize stood beside her, staring blankly at the firelight.

Under the moonlight, his profile resembled a stone sculpture, with only the leaping flames reflected in his eyes.

"The contact you arranged—" Xia Yangyang suddenly saw something terrifying through his face, her voice trembling, "There was no contact at all..."

"..."

"Why didn't you react... Did you know there would be an explosion... You knew there would be an explosion, didn't you?"

Lu Xize did not deny it: "The traitor will not let go of this opportunity to go south, and neither will I."

His cold and ruthless face even made people suspect that he was the one who orchestrated the explosion.

"Aren't there still people you brought on the bus? How many people did you bring?" She grabbed his arm, her nails digging into his coat. "Say it! How many people!"

"Only half of the carriage is occupied, around 60 people." His voice was as calm as if he were talking about the weather. "Including the train attendants, it won't exceed 65."

"Are you insane?!" Her voice suddenly rose, sounding harsh and piercing on the quiet station platform. "Sixty-five lives! Just to lure out the spy you suspect?!"

"It's not doubt, it's confirmation." Lu Xize finally turned to look at her. "And my people won't die."

"What did you say?"

"I've calculated the amount of explosives. The location is at the connection between our carriages, with the nearest seats being 25 meters apart. I've arranged for two people to be on the train; before the explosion, they'll create a commotion to lure them away."

"Calculate...?" Xia Yangyang shook off his hand, took two steps back, as if she were seeing this person for the first time. "Lu Xize, that's a living, breathing person! What if your calculations are wrong? What if someone happens to be passing by? What if someone wasn't lured away?!"

In the distance came piercing screams and cries for help, drifting in the cold winter night wind.

Xia Yangyang turned to run towards the railway, but Lu Xize grabbed her arm.

"Where are you going?" he asked, frowning.

"Help! Can't you see? Someone's shouting for help!"

"This is what I want to see." Lu Xize's hand was like an iron clamp; with his other hand, he pulled military binoculars from his coat pocket and looked at the explosion site. "The smoke from the explosion is perfect for transmitting light signals. If I were him, I wouldn't miss this moment. Look closely, besides the chaos, what else is there?"

Xia Yangyang struggled, but suddenly froze.

In the grove of trees not far from the platform, she vaguely saw... a faint, flickering reflection?

Flash, flash, flash—

The bursts were short and regular, unlike a fire source, but rather like the explosive flashes refracted by a glass shard or mirror.

"He was indeed in the car." Lu Xize gripped his binoculars, a cold smile curving his lips. "Within four minutes of the explosion, he found a safe location and used his personal tools to transmit intelligence—standard emergency procedures from an advanced espionage course."

"...You just wanted to see those few glints of light?"

"To find out who he is," Lu Xize pointed towards the grove of trees. "The grove is 80 meters southeast of the train, which means he was at the front of carriage 7 when the explosion happened, and he reacted extremely quickly, jumping out of the window to escape to a hidden place immediately. I got the passenger list for train 203 three days ago. There are only three people who fit the location and have the characteristics of being trained."

He gave his name:

"Flight attendant Zhao Danian, 48 years old, has worked at Shanhaiguan Station for 12 years."

"Li Fuli, a 36-year-old herbal medicine merchant, claimed to have gone to Beiping to purchase goods."

"Zhou Mingyuan, 28 years old, reporter for the newspaper, is a correspondent for the Morning Post in Fengtian."

"Now," Lu Xize pointed the camera toward the woods, the flash gone, "we just need to see which of these three people has gunpowder burns on their hands, tears in their clothes but the least serious injuries, and—is looking this way."

As soon as he finished speaking, a dark figure peeked out from the edge of the grove, looking towards the platform.

The moonlight illuminated the person's face.

"Zhou Mingyuan," he uttered the name.

The young newspaper reporter, his face covered in coal dust and his jacket sleeves torn, did not panic like the other survivors. Instead, he cautiously observed his surroundings.

His gaze met Lu Xize's across the distance.

Zhou Mingyuan was stunned for a moment, then realized what was happening and turned to run into the depths of the woods.

"Gotcha," Lu Xize said softly.

The tone seemed to say that it was all worth it, or as if to say, "The moon is beautiful tonight."

*

Half an hour later, the "rescue team" arranged by Lu Xize, who were actually his men disguised as railway workers, arrived at the scene.

As he predicted, one person was seriously injured, seven people were slightly injured, and no one died.

The roof of carriage number 8 was completely destroyed, and carriage number 7 was partially damaged. The train did not derail.

The initial official assessment was that the passenger was carrying flammable or explosive materials, which was the most common cause of train accidents at the time.

All the injured were taken to nearby hospitals, and the railway bureau promised compensation.

In the chaotic world of warlordism, such a lucky explosion wouldn't even make the headlines.

Zhou Mingyuan was also captured by Lu Xize's men in the woods.

His true identity is that of a Chinese spy trained by the Foreign Special Higher Police, who was sent abroad for training at the age of 12.

His mission was to confirm Lu Xize's true purpose for going south, and to send telegrams along the way at a specific frequency. The transmitter was hidden inside a camera, and his contact was Masao Ono, the manager of the "Mitsui & Co." in the Tianping Concession.

On the way to the inn, Xia Yangyang stroked the small snake on her wrist with her fingertips, remaining silent the entire time.

Two weeks ago, amidst a hail of bullets, with real bullets grazing his face, he maintained the same attitude, as if life were merely a cold, hard number.

The so-called three days of preparation were actually to catch the spies and set up an ambush.

Yes, that's Lu Xize. How could he possibly settle for second best and let those spies monitor his every move?

The two sat side by side in the back row when suddenly, Lu Xize felt a weight on his shoulder.

He glanced down and saw that Xia Yangyang had tilted her head and fallen onto his shoulder.

"Next time you do something so dangerous, can you at least give me a heads-up?" Her cheeks were flushed, her breath was hot, and her voice was hoarse and soft.

"..."

"Even if you just tell me a minute in advance so I can be mentally prepared, I'm not a burden to you and shouldn't be kept in the dark."

Lu Xize didn't move his shoulder, but took off his glove with his other hand and placed it on her forehead: "You have a fever?"

As soon as I put it on, she slapped it off with one hand.

"Big brother, you've been up and about since four in the morning. I'm not made of iron, it's normal to be a little sleepy if I haven't slept enough." She deliberately made her voice sound more energetic.

In reality, it was just a cover-up; his eyelids were so heavy he could barely keep them open.

Lu Xize didn't expose him: "..."

In the dim light, his jawline appeared somewhat taut.

"Keep your voice down." Her beautiful brows suddenly furrowed.

I didn't say anything.

"The heartbeat is too loud."

This seemingly unconscious complaint made the already cramped back seat feel even more confined.

Lu Xize's Adam's apple bobbed, and after a two-second pause, he spoke coldly and hard: "My heart has been pounding like this the whole time. You came over here by yourself... If I'm disturbing you, you can go sit by the car window."

Xia Yangyang was jolted awake by those words, and she opened her eyes groggily.

My vision blurred for a moment before I could focus on the man's profile so close to me.

The light shone through, illuminating his high nose and tightly pursed thin lips.

She frowned slightly, as if she had seen something extremely offensive: "Huh? How did I end up leaning against you?"

His tone was full of disbelief and disgust.

After saying that, she actually used some strength to turn around, tucked the little black snake into her arms again, and then pressed her burning forehead against the cold car window.

"Young Marshal, huh?" she muttered to herself as she slept. "Cold-blooded, ruthless, bad-tempered, and stingy... He's got a mouth that can't produce anything worthwhile..."

A nameless anger surged within Lu Xize: "???"

He turned his head, intending to retort, but the other person's long eyelashes remained motionless; they were already asleep.

The road was bumpy, and with a dull thud, Xia Yangyang's forehead hit the glass hard. She gasped in pain, but was still feeling dizzy.

Lu Xize reached out and grabbed her head, securing it to his shoulder.

And then, not forgetting to be sarcastic, he said, "Getting a fever every time you're startled, what else is that but a burden?"