Chapter Eighty-Four: Fracture

Hearing Fang Nian's words, everyone’s eyes widened. Only then did they realize that there was actually no lighting in this carriage at all. The reason it had been so bright was because, in addition to more than a dozen enormous floor-to-ceiling windows, even the ceiling was made of transparent glass.

Under such conditions, even if they truly came to blows, so many people with sight would never have taken these blind soldiers seriously.

But if they entered a tunnel, the light would vanish. Facing such a group of blind soldiers in utter darkness was terrifying beyond words. They could very well suffer a fatal blow.

But by then it was too late. Barely a few dozen seconds had passed before the train rushed into the tunnel. The light vanished in an instant, leaving only a long strip of pale illumination behind.

In that last sliver of light, the crowd saw that the blind soldiers, who had moments before looked no different from a group of wooden, dull-witted men, suddenly sprang to life as if flooded with power. A pack of them gripped their machetes and charged straight toward the crowd.

At the sight of this, everyone’s minds seemed to explode all at once. They knew something was terribly wrong and scattered in every direction. But the last thread of light disappeared too quickly; before they could even retreat, they heard a storm of hacking and slaughter all around them. People had already been struck.

Fang Nian cried out inwardly that this was bad. He ignored everyone else, seized Duan Rui, and pulled her into his arms to shield her. With his other hand, he snatched at the air and caught the blade that was coming straight for his face.

The blade cut a deep gash into Fang Nian’s hand, the wound nearly down to the bone. The pain jolted his waning spirits back to alertness. With a sharp twist of his wrist, he wrested the machete away.

Then he tossed it upward, seized the hilt, and counterattacked the blind soldier in a single fluid motion.

Pressed against Fang Nian’s chest, Duan Rui could feel the sharp edge of the blade passing near them. Startled, she asked, "Are you all right?"

Fang Nian raised the blade to block another strike, then used that very blow to finish off the attacker. Only then did he answer, "I’m fine. Really."

Duan Rui reached out to touch his injured hand. The instant her fingers found his wounded palm, she suddenly asked with a trace of indignation, "This is your idea of fine? Such a deep cut."

Fang Nian’s palm throbbed with pain, but he still met the incoming attacks around him with unerring precision.

"Really, I’m fine. It’s just a little wound."

As he spoke, Fang Nian suddenly pressed Duan Rui against the wall. Duan Rui knew this was a favorable position in such a hunt, and they would have to hold it until they reached the end of the tunnel.

Blade after blade flashed. Duan Rui could feel Fang Nian tirelessly swinging his weapon to resist the blind soldiers’ fierce assaults. Yet in this kind of battle fought in darkness, with eyes closed against the world, she truly could not help him. All she could do was curl up in his arms and avoid becoming a burden.

The fight continued for seven or eight minutes. At last, with a whistling sound, the train emerged from the tunnel, and the long-lost light appeared once more before everyone’s eyes.

But when they looked again through the blinding glare and made out the scene before them, everyone was dumbfounded. The comrades who had been beside them only moments ago had been slaughtered in great numbers. There were at least two hundred corpses on the floor.

Of course, some of them were blind soldiers as well, but the ratio was off by several multiples. It was clear how formidable these blind soldiers were.

A grave expression crossed Fang Nian’s face. On the way here, he had studied the route map of the apocalyptic train. According to the map, after leaving this tunnel, there would be a second tunnel eight minutes later.

Scorpion Luo also realized this. After tossing aside a blind soldier he had just crushed to death with one hand, he led the charge directly toward the remaining blind soldiers. The battle flared up again.

The second tunnel arrived as expected, followed by the third... The fighting finally ended after the train emerged from the third tunnel. The rebel army had successfully slain every blind soldier, but the price was nearly four hundred lives, and the corpses nearly covered half the carriage.

Fang Nian’s expression remained heavy. He had never experienced war, yet in this hunting ground he had felt its terror. The old saying that to seize one city, ten thousand must die, was no jest.

After clearing the bodies of their comrades and rescuing some of the wounded, Fang Nian and Scorpion Luo exchanged a look and moved on. But when they reached the door leading to the second carriage, Scorpion Luo suddenly drew a dagger from his sleeve and stabbed toward Fang Nian’s lower back.

From the first moment he had seen Scorpion Luo, Fang Nian knew he was no good man, and so he had always been on guard. Just as Scorpion Luo thought he had succeeded, Fang Nian’s arm suddenly appeared in front of the blade, blocking the thrust.

Scorpion Luo paused, then smiled. "Looks like you really are no ordinary man. You can even block my blade, Scorpion Luo. That makes you a tough one."

Fang Nian gave a ghostly smile. "Brother Scorpion flatters me. I only got lucky."

Scorpion Luo waved a hand, then pointed at the several corpses beside Fang Nian. "The eight corpses around you were all blind soldiers, and judging by their armbands, they were elite among them. You say you dodged my attack by luck. Did you also dodge their attacks by luck?"

Fang Nian was momentarily speechless. He had truly wanted to keep a low profile. If it hadn’t been for protecting Duan Rui just now, he would never have slaughtered so openly. But now it was obvious he could no longer hide it. Scorpion Luo clearly did not want him entering this second carriage; allowing Fang Nian to follow him had only been a way of using him.

Of course, Fang Nian was no less intent on using Scorpion Luo.

Since his purpose had already been achieved, there was no need to tangle with him any further.

So he asked Duan Rui beside him, "Did you find the password?"

Duan Rui nodded. "The password for this door is calculated in base ten. It isn’t difficult. Based on the hint you just gave me, it should be nine-five-two-seven."

Fang Nian was delighted and looked toward Scorpion Luo, who was already standing at the center position.

"Brother Scorpion Luo, since we’ve laid our cards on the table, let’s speak plainly. Can we all go our separate ways?"

Fang Nian’s tone was humble, less like negotiation than pleading—pleading for Scorpion Luo to spare the two of them.

Duan Rui had never endured such humiliation. Seeing Fang Nian actually back down, she was so angry she nearly jumped out of her skin, itching to slap him dead.

Scorpion Luo laughed heartily. "You really are a man made for great things: pliant when need be, unyielding when need be. I misjudged you before. Since you’re so sincere, I’ll give you a chance. If you can kneel before me in front of everyone and bow your head a few times, I’ll consider letting you leave. How about that?"

"Yes, yes, kneel or not? Don’t waste everyone’s time."

"Exactly, Brother Fang. Kneel to Boss Scorpion—what’s so hard to look at? You’ve got to make the effort."

And just as Scorpion Luo and the rebel soldiers were preparing to make a fool of Fang Nian, Duan Rui suddenly opened the door behind them. In the next instant, the two of them slipped through and vanished from sight.