Death Train: SSS-level talent right from the start!

at the same time.

In another luxury suite at the Haitian Hotel, the curtains were half-drawn, and the room was filled with the smell of cigars and tobacco.

Lu Qingchuan was leaning back on the sofa, his right leg crossed over his left knee, with the half-smoked cigar he hadn't finished on the train between his fingers.

At that moment, the door to the room was pushed open.

Wang Zekai strode in, closed the door behind him, and then plopped down on the sofa next to Lu Qingchuan, leaning back and sinking into the soft cushions.

He glanced at Lu Qingchuan, then took out the half-smoked cigar from his storage space, put it in his mouth, lit it with a lighter, took a puff, and exhaled a cloud of smoke.

Lu Qingchuan turned to look at Wang Zekai: "Did you find out?"

Wang Zekai took the cigar out of his mouth and held it between his fingers: "I found out a little. The group that sold us the time-reversal pills came from the G5002 train. They were in the same carriage as Tu Honglie. I heard that Tu Honglie collected protection money from each seat on the train, but when it was their turn, that guy refused outright."

"G5002?"

Lu Qingchuan's brows twitched slightly.

"Yes, the number is much later than ours." Wang Zekai put the cigar back in his mouth and continued, his words muffled, "Those two unfamiliar faces in the top ten of the ranking list shouldn't be him. There's no way someone from train G5002 could be a level 19."

Lu Qingchuan didn't reply immediately. He brought the cigar to his lips, took a puff, and slowly exhaled, letting it disperse in the air.

Wang Zekai continued, "I've been to the trading market a few times these past two days, but I haven't seen the guy who sold us the Rewind Pills. Instead, I saw two of his team members setting up a stall to sell a B-grade sword skill book. It seems that book was eventually sold."

Lu Qingchuan nodded slightly: "So, you still don't know their names?"

Zekai shrugged: "I asked a few passengers in carriage number one, and they all said they didn't know, they only knew it was train G5002."

Lu Qingchuan was silent for a few seconds, then stubbed out his cigar in the ashtray: "Never mind then, we'll find out the name sooner or later."

Wang Zekai leaned back on the sofa and turned to look at Lu Qingchuan: "Brother Chuan, do you think we should help them out? You know Tu Honglie, he's very petty. They were publicly contradicted on the train, so they definitely won't let them off the hook in the next trial. Those people are probably not high-level, no match for Tu Honglie."

Lu Qingchuan smiled slightly: "How do you know they're no match for you?"

Wang Zekai was taken aback: "Brother Chuan, what do you mean by that? The later the train number is when the train is merged, the fewer trials it goes through, and naturally the lower its level. Isn't that common sense?"

Lu Qingchuan turned his head and glanced at him: "Then why do you think someone of low rank would dare to refuse Tu Honglie in front of so many people on the train?"

Wang Zekai thought for a moment, then slowly said, "You mean... he has a trump card?"

"It's also possible that he's just fearless." Lu Qingchuan withdrew his gaze, stood up from the sofa, and stretched his neck. "But no matter what the situation is, we don't need to rush into action. If he's just fearless and doesn't have much strength, then he's not worth our help. If he has strength and trump cards, then we don't need to help him either."

He walked to the window and stood there, his hands in his pockets: "If he and Tu Honglie are evenly matched, we can lend him a hand and do him a favor in the process."

Wang Zekai also stood up and stubbed out the half-smoked cigar in the ashtray: "Okay, whatever you say."

"Go back and rest. We're leaving Infinite City tomorrow, so make sure you're well-rested."

"Um."

Wang Zekai responded and turned to walk towards the door.

The door closed gently behind me, making a soft click.

Lu Qingchuan remained standing by the window, his gaze fixed on the gray-white light outside.

……

The next day.

7:30 in the morning.

As Chen Ye and his group of five walked out of the revolving doors of the Haitian Hotel, the gray-white sunlight had already bathed the entire street.

There weren't many pedestrians on the street; they walked in twos and threes toward the station.

A black figure had already arrived on the steps at the entrance.

Gu Qinghuan changed into a clean black tracksuit, her hair still tied in a high ponytail, her hands in her pockets, and leaned against a pillar in the hotel entrance.

She was very relaxed, like someone who habitually zoned out while waiting for someone, but the moment Chen Ye pushed open the revolving door and walked out, her gaze fell on him.

Chen Ye stopped in front of her: "Waiting for us?"

Gu Qinghuan nodded slightly: "Mm."

"Let's go then."

Chen Ye didn't say anything more and strode towards the South Station of Infinite City.

Gu Qinghuan straightened up from the pillar, followed his steps, and walked alongside him.

The two were about an arm's length apart, neither too close nor too far, so that they wouldn't bump into each other's shoulders while walking, yet they maintained a distance that allowed them to communicate at any time.

Zhao Hai, Wen Ning, and Zhou Yating followed behind.

Qin Zhaoyang walked at the end of the line, his gaze sweeping over the shops on both sides of the street, as if trying to linger in these memories a little longer. Three days of peace were still too short; they passed in the blink of an eye.

"Zhaoyang, hurry up, the bus is about to leave."

Wen Ning turned around and glanced at him.

"They're here! They're here!"

Qin Zhaoyang quickened his pace and jogged to catch up.

The six people walked through the clean and wide streets of Infinite City for about forty minutes until the outline of the station appeared on the horizon.

Ten tracks stretched out side by side, with the black death train quietly parked on each track.

Train G4939 was parked on the outermost track, with all eight carriages' doors open. Many passengers had already boarded, but a few people were still standing on the platform smoking or talking.

Chen Ye did not linger on the platform and stepped directly into carriage number one.

The carriage was about half full. Some people were leaning back in their seats with their eyes closed, some were talking in hushed tones, and some were checking the system panel.

The group sat down in their respective seats.

Su Jin, Yang Qing, and Li Jiahao were already in their seats.

Chen Ye glanced at the clock on the carriage wall.

8: 40.

The train will depart in twenty minutes.

People entered the carriage one after another, their footsteps echoing in the aisle.

Some people were looking for seats, some were greeting acquaintances, and some silently walked to their seats and sat down.

Chen Ye leaned back in his seat, his gaze fixed on the front of the carriage.

At this moment, Tu Honglie was leading four team members into carriage number one.

After entering the carriage, Tu Honglie did not rush to find a seat, but stopped first.

His gaze swept past the other passengers in the carriage and landed precisely on Chen Ye at the back of the carriage, his eyes filled with undisguised malice.

Chen Ye met that gaze, his expression unchanged.

He sat there calmly, as if looking at a stranger who had nothing to do with him.

Tu Honglie's lips curled into a cold smile. The smile wasn't large, but it was enough for anyone who noticed him to clearly understand its meaning.

Then he looked away and turned to sit down in the first row.

The man with glasses sat down next to him.

The short, stocky man sat down in the row behind Tu Honglie, muttering, "This kid's pretty good at pretending. He'll get what's coming to him when he gets to the stands."

His voice wasn't loud, but the carriage was so quiet that his words seemed to drift across most of the carriage.

A few passengers in the front row glanced at it, then casually looked away.

Chen Ye heard it too.

A slight smile curved his lips, but his eyes remained as calm as a deep pool.

Then he looked away, lowered the back of his seat, and closed his eyes to rest in a more comfortable position.