Chapter 2 : Chapter 2
Chapter 2
At the other end of the train, Xie Chang’an was struggling toward the front of the train.
While traveling to report to the Third Ability Academy, the Dawn train he had boarded was attacked by Aberrants. The creatures entered their carriage through a breach in the earlier cars.
He and his friend had been forced to confront the Aberrant head-on.
“Chang’an, I feel awful.” Gu Lingxue lay weakly against his shoulder and coughed a few times. She said in panic, “Are we going to die here… just like that uncle we saw earlier…?”
“Do not think nonsense.” Xie Chang’an interrupted her.
Although he was not confident in his heart either, the more shaken he became at a moment like this, the lower their chances of survival would be. Xie Chang’an thought bitterly: If only I had not tried to save money.
On wasteland trains, the closer a carriage’s number was to the front, the more expensive the seats were—but the safer they were as well. That was because the first few carriages were specifically reserved for wealthy passengers.
Gu Lingxue came from a rich family, and Xie Chang’an himself currently had quite a bit of money.
But he had wanted to save it.
And because he had tried to save money, they encountered this…
At this moment, Xie Chang’an almost wanted to slap himself to death. But he could not die. He had to bring Gu Lingxue out alive.
After the earlier Aberrant attack, Gu Lingxue’s stamina had already been completely exhausted.
Xie Chang’an’s ability had no offensive power.
He had to be cautious. He had to face everything with even greater vigilance than before. Xie Chang’an knew he had already caused plenty of trouble for Gu Lingxue and the people around them. He could not cause even more.
If necessary, he would abandon himself to ensure Gu Lingxue survived.
“Chang’an, watch out!” Gu Lingxue suddenly shouted.
With a casual motion, she created a wall of ice that blocked the tentacle strike of a mutated octopus climbing up from the left side.
The pristine ice wall shattered.
At the same moment, Xie Chang’an secured Gu Lingxue with one hand and gripped his Tang saber tightly with the other, gritting his teeth as he ran toward the next carriage.
When they reached the entrance of Carriage No. 7, Gu Lingxue immediately condensed ice crystals and shattered the train’s emergency separation device.
Carriage No. 8—the culprit that had wiped out the rear carriages—fell from the elevated railway under the watch of the two of them.
The mutated octopus clinging to the carriage let out a pained wail.
Leaking fuel collided violently with the swarming insects beating their wings, and sparks erupted into a massive explosion.
The two of them could not help closing their eyes.
The uncle they had just met. The little girl they had just met…
All of them were dead.
Sometimes money really could save a person’s life. If they had both been wealthy enough to buy seats in the front carriages, would they have avoided facing such life-and-death partings?
Xie Chang’an noticed that the closer the carriages were to the front, the fewer people there were.
But the damned train company had stubbornly refused to allow them into the front carriages, even after communications had already been lost.
Reason told him that this was the correct decision.
But emotionally, Xie Chang’an gritted his teeth in hatred.
“Chang’an… do you still have the strength to run?”
Gu Lingxue’s voice grew weaker.
The dual exhaustion of mental power and physical strength made her feel terrible. She was already on the verge of fainting.
Because she had been frail and sickly since childhood, her physical stamina had always been poor.
“Of course I can run,” Xie Chang’an forced himself to say.
He looked ahead and saw the sight Gu Lingxue had witnessed—the mutated locusts gnawing on corpses.
Carriage No. 6, like Carriage No. 8, had also had its defenses breached by Aberrants.
They would have to pass through another “Carriage No. 8.”
“Put me down,” Gu Lingxue said weakly. “I cannot use my ability anymore. Leave me here… I want to stay… I want to rest…”
Before losing consciousness, she murmured hazily, “Father… Mother…”
Xie Chang’an did not respond.
He tightened the thick rope binding himself and Gu Lingxue together once more.
In his heart, he resolved firmly: His little sister could absolutely not die here.
His exhausted body moved under the strain of his tense mind.
Xie Chang’an pushed open the carriage door and ran desperately toward the front of the train.
But the scene before his eyes was even more horrifying than Carriage No. 8.
The roof of Carriage No. 6 had already been violently torn open.
Ferocious, greedy mutated locusts flew overhead.
The rushing wind struck Xie Chang’an’s face as he gritted his teeth and forced his already exhausted legs to move, sprinting toward the door of Carriage No. 5.
A mutated moth spotted them and dove straight toward them.
Just as Xie Chang’an prepared to dodge, the moth suddenly cried out in agony and fell straight to the ground.
Xie Chang’an froze in surprise.
Looking ahead toward the carriage, he saw that outside the door of Carriage No. 5 stood a white-haired, green-eyed youth leaning casually against the doorframe, smiling as he waved at him.
The young man looked like the guardian of Carriage No. 5.
The youth tossed a coin into the air and casually shot down another approaching insect Aberrant.
His movements were calm and effortless. He merely kept shooting down the approaching insect Aberrants, as though he had already grasped the outcome.
So strong, Xie Chang’an thought in amazement.
Without a doubt, the youth was the most powerful person of the same age he had encountered so far.
***
Ji Qing pulled the two of them into Carriage No. 5.
He then connected to the train’s internal emergency communication and reported the situation of the rear carriages to Yancheng’s City Defense Department.
“Yes. The rear carriages have been completely wiped out.”
“The survivors are two students from the Third Ability Academy. Please confirm the current situation on your end and approve entry for this train.”
“Yes, yes. All right. I will inform them to wait at the train station and accompany them for testing.”
After finishing his final sentence, Ji Qing hung up the call.
Under remote operation from the train company, the emergency separation device lit up with a red light.
With several clanking sounds of iron chains, Carriage No. 6 officially detached from the rest of the train.
The train, which had been stopped on the tracks for so long, finally began to move again.
The Yancheng government approved their entry.
The price was the total annihilation of the last seven carriages.
Many people died during this journey.
Most of them were civilians.
Xie Chang’an collapsed onto the ground.
He had survived.
Gu Lingxue had also survived.
Now gasping for breath, Xie Chang’an finally had the energy to pay attention to his surroundings.
He secretly observed the white-haired youth sitting not far away with his eyes closed in rest.
The youth wore the same silver-and-blue school uniform, which meant he should be a student from the same academy.
His figure was slender and tall, and his features were gentle. Yet because of his temperament, a hint of cold sharpness surrounded him.
Just imagining having such a powerful ability user as a classmate made Xie Chang’an’s heart tremble uncontrollably.
He had thought that all talented youths had been admitted into the First Ability Academy in Central City.
“Why are you looking at me?” Ji Qing asked with mild annoyance.
He had noticed the other person’s gaze long ago.
At first, he thought the staring would end after a short while.
But instead, it only grew worse.
Even if he was the protagonist of the manga, he could not be this brazen, Ji Qing thought.
Ji Qing knew that “Xie Chang’an is the protagonist of the manga” because the system had informed him before leaving.
It told Ji Qing that he could try helping the manga’s protagonist in order to accumulate Popularity Value.
“Ah—sorry.” Xie Chang’an immediately felt embarrassed.
He took a deep breath and asked, “May I know your name? I would like to repay you in the future.”
“Ji Qing. No need,” Ji Qing said calmly.
He turned to look out the window and spoke casually.
“I only helped those who managed to reach Carriage No. 6. The ones who truly saved you were yourselves.”
The scenery outside gradually shifted from barren wasteland to a bustling urban district.
They had already entered Yancheng.
Yancheng was a fairly large human settlement with a permanent population of more than four million.
The city was located by the sea. Its fishing industry was prosperous, and most of its electricity supply came from hydroelectric power.
When the train arrived at the station, Ji Qing stood up.
Looking at the tightly organized security personnel outside the carriage door, he smiled faintly.
“Instead of thinking about that, you should worry about the upcoming inspection.”
“You two were both direct contacts.”
When the door opened, Ji Qing stepped out of the carriage.
Surrounded by numerous security personnel, he casually whistled and said, “See you at school~”
After all, they would be future classmates. They would have plenty of time together.
And compared to getting close to the manga’s protagonist, Ji Qing would rather find a place to properly read the manga.
He wondered absentmindedly:
How much Popularity Value would his performance just now earn him? He was quite looking forward to unlocking the Popularity Value shop.
[Infection Rate: 26%, Qualified]
The testing device displayed Ji Qing’s current infection rate.
Through some casual conversation, Ji Qing learned that:
The infection rate was an important indicator used to determine whether a human had been parasitized or controlled by Aberrants.
People living in the wasteland were inevitably infected to some extent by the environment. However, only those whose infection rate exceeded 80% were called Infected.
The infection index referred to the probability of infection in the current environment.
Ji Qing covered the puncture wound where his blood had been drawn and asked the nurse, “What about the other two?”
The nurse replied, “The male’s infection rate is 56%, and the female’s is 43%. According to Article 47 of the Federal Infection Prevention Act, they must remain in the monitoring room until their infection rates drop back to the baseline.”
So they would not be able to meet again for now, Ji Qing thought.
He picked up his school uniform jacket and prepared to report to the academy first.
As he left the hospital lobby, he noticed a news broadcast:
“Today, the Dawn train traveling from Haiding City to Yancheng was attacked by insect-type Aberrants. Of the 189 passengers aboard, 14 survived and 175 died. Our reporter brings you…”
Ji Qing glanced at it briefly and did not linger.
Following the directions in the academy brochure, he headed toward the school.
A lot had happened today.
But more than anything, he just wanted to quickly find a place to read the manga.
The Third Ability Academy was located in the outskirts of Yancheng.
The school gate looked quite imposing, and a couplet reading “Welcome New Students!” hung above the entrance.
But when Ji Qing entered the campus, the only thing he saw were stalls being packed away.
He had arrived too late.
Ji Qing did not mind.
After completing the necessary registration procedures, he headed straight to the dormitory.
Although Ji Qing knew nothing about this world, the suitcase he carried contained his identification documents, admission notice, bank card, clothes, and other belongings.
When he retrieved the suitcase, he almost believed he had prepared it himself.
That should not be possible… right? Ji Qing thought hesitantly.
Yet reality lay before him.
His familiar ability, his proficient combat techniques, and his unusually calm mindset…
All of these explained why the system did not realize he was a transmigrator.
Ji Qing sighed deeply.
He had probably been in this world for quite some time already.
However, it was still unclear whether this was related to his amnesia.
The system had hurriedly departed after completing the binding.
Before leaving, it told Ji Qing:
[If you wish to view the manga, you can try closing your eyes and resting. At present, you can only enter the manga space through sleep.]
Ji Qing’s evaluation of this method was simple: troublesome.
He had just tried it earlier.
The method the system described did work.
However, before Ji Qing could even open the manga book, the protagonist’s gaze in the manga had forced him back into reality.
Ji Qing understood why the Bureau refused to directly give him the manga book—it was likely worried that people around him might notice something strange.
But this entry method seriously affected sleep quality.
He would probably give feedback later.
Ji Qing soon closed his eyes.
When he opened them again, he had returned to a pure white space.
The entire space was white.
There was only a computer, a chair, and a manga book.
The manga book was the old version containing Ji Qing’s appearances, which he had specifically requested.
Although Ji Qing really wanted access to the entire manga, the system had firmly rejected the idea.
The system explained:
[The Bureau is not as powerful as you imagine. The reason we can provide the chapters containing your appearance is because those appearances occur only in the early stages of the manga. Providing them will not significantly affect the world.]
[Please treat your world as real.]
[From the moment the Bureau intervened, every encounter was brand new.]
All right then, Ji Qing thought with regret.
It seemed he would not obtain omniscience.
Still, the manga artist must be quite impressive to develop a world this complete from a drawn story.
Ji Qing casually flipped through the manga.
Honestly, the situation was worse than he had expected.
His character was almost indistinguishable from a background character in the manga.
He mostly appeared only in the dialogue of supporting characters.
His only direct appearance was in a scene explaining the class placement system of the academy—and even there, his face was censored.
“Tsk,” Ji Qing said in annoyance.
He turned to the computer and began reading the new version of the manga.
Before reaching the scene where “Xie Chang’an and Gu Lingxue take the train to the academy,” the manga had already completed an entire volume.
The cover of Volume One featured a frontal portrait of Xie Chang’an.
The black-haired, black-eyed youth carried a Tang saber on his back, his gaze firm as he looked forward.
Behind him loomed a dark, skeletal-like shadow.
The manga first introduced the wasteland world from Xie Chang’an’s perspective:
Long ago, a sudden meteor struck Earth.
Eighty percent of Earth’s species went extinct as a result, while twenty percent experienced genetic mutations.
The unknown radiation carried by the meteor completely destroyed the prosperous human civilization of that era.
Countless mutated animals and plants began frenziedly hunting humans.
Yet only a very small number of humans received what was called “the meteor’s gift.”
They awakened abilities and led the surviving humans in building settlements.
People called those genetically mutated species “Aberrants.”
Those humans infected or parasitized by Aberrants were called “Infected.”
Human settlements defended by humanity were called “Safe Zones.”
Territories occupied by Aberrants were known as “Danger Zones.”
The manga then introduced Xie Chang’an’s background:
He was born in Spring City and abandoned at an orphanage.
He had a teacher who taught him how to use a saber.
The teacher lived not far from the orphanage. After becoming his disciple, Xie Chang’an often visited to help him with work and practice his saber techniques.
Gu Lingxue was the only daughter of a wealthy family in Spring City.
The two should never have met.
Until a shocking “multiple disappearance case” occurred in Spring City—and Gu Lingxue was among the missing.
While the kidnappers were transporting their captives, Gu Lingxue awakened her ability and escaped.
That was how she met Xie Chang’an from the orphanage.
At the time, Xie Chang’an was investigating the mysterious death of his teacher.
He deduced that his teacher’s death was connected to the kidnapping organization.
The two immediately joined forces and began investigating together.
At the end of the manga, the kidnapping organization was naturally exposed by the two children, and the missing victims were able to return home.
Under the condition of nearly becoming infected, Xie Chang’an successfully awakened his ability.
But in the final panel of the manga, Xie Chang’an silently gazed up at the sky outside the window.
In his own understanding—
He had already been infected.
“How strange,” Ji Qing murmured softly.
If someone were truly an Infected, it would be impossible to escape detection by the inspection devices.
Those classified as Infected already had parts of their bodies mutated.
Even if machines failed to detect it, the abnormalities should still be visible to the naked eye.
Yet Xie Chang’an appeared completely normal.
“Did I overlook some information?” Ji Qing asked in confusion.
“Or is it simply because he is the protagonist?”