Chapter 45
Danny hovered in the chilly night air, his breath visible even in his ghostly form as the sudden choo choo of a train broke the silence. His glowing green eyes scanned the scene below, and his jaw nearly dropped when he spotted an old-fashioned steam train sitting in the middle of the city. It hissed and let out steam, the metal shining under the dim streetlights.
The train wasn't on any tracks—it simply existed, defying logic. Even stranger, people were coming out of their homes, drawn to it like moths to a flame. From children clutching stuffed animals to elderly men leaning on canes, they shuffled toward the train, their eyes glazed as if in a trance.
"What the fuck is this?" Danny muttered, narrowing his eyes as he descended toward the scene. "The Polar Express or the Galactic Express?" He tried to lighten his own mood with the joke, but his gut churned with unease. This wasn't right.
As he approached the train, a deep, gravelly voice barked out. "Hey, hey! This is the expressway to Beast Zone, and you're not on the list, so scram!"
Danny turned to see a ghost—hulking, muscular, and armed to the teeth. The specter wore a hunter's uniform, a shotgun slung across his back, knives strapped to his legs, and pistols holstered on each hip. His hardened expression made it clear he wasn't about to let anyone through without authorization.
Danny crossed his arms. "Oh, then I guess I'll have to talk to your manager."
The ghost narrowed his eyes and opened his mouth to reply, but Danny wasn't in the mood to wait. "He is allowed," Danny quipped and socked the ghost square in the jaw. The hunter staggered, but before he could retaliate, Danny wrapped him in an ectoplasmic rope, yanking him forward.
"You've been downgraded to cargo," Danny said coldly before summoning his ghostly sword. With a quick, decisive strike, he pierced the ghost's core and absorbed his essence, feeling a small surge of power course through him.
However, as Danny turned his attention to the train, he quickly realized the real challenge. The train itself seemed impervious to his attacks. He threw everything he had at it—ectoblasts, ghostly punches, and even a powerful Rasengan he'd picked up from Naruto—but nothing left so much as a scratch on its shimmering exterior.
"This thing's indestructible," Danny muttered, frustration bubbling in his chest. He flew to the train's door, trying to stop the hypnotized humans from boarding. The task became a race against time as more and more people approached the train, their expressions blank and their movements mechanical.
Danny worked tirelessly, pulling people away from the train and gently laying them on the pavement. He threw out the few passengers who had already made it inside, hoping to break their trance. It was exhausting, and as the minutes ticked by, he could feel the strain wearing on him.