Chapter 1: Accidents

Taking advantage of the year-end company holiday, Lin Xiao and a group of seven people boarded a train, preparing to travel to Ming Island for leisure.

"Mom!" The little girl cried out loudly, bursting into tears.

Lin Xiao took a deep breath; he understood that this was blood

Bang

The woman is petite and adorable, named Ye Dongling, appearing to be around twenty-four or twenty-five years old. She is in a romantic relationship with Sun Yaojie. As they sit together, Ye Dongling's entire body is almost nestled into Sun Yaojie's embrace

Lin Xiao gasped heavily, feeling that beneath his body were people, and above him were also people. All around, there was blood everywhere. Wen Ningxuan, who had just been tightly held in his arms, was also thrown aside, and now he had no idea where she had been flung. The air was filled with cries and screams.

Everyone let out a gasp of shock, and Lin Xiao instinctively embraced Wen Xuan, who had fallen into his arms, shielding her with his body as they crashed heavily into the chair in front.

This train has broken into three sections, twisted and lying on the ground, with severe damage

The train, resembling a colossal steel dragon, at this moment appears to be a mere toy in the hands of the heavens, being tossed about at will, with a terrifying thunderous roar that shakes the very earth.

What happened

At that moment, he saw a thick blue and white lightning bolt streaking across the sky through the sealed glass of the car window

Lin Xiao handed the little girl over to her mother, let out a gentle sigh, climbed out of the car window, and looked outside, suddenly becoming transfixed.

On the other side, several car windows were also shattered, and those who were nearby, disregarding the risk of being cut by the glass, desperately pushed their way out, wanting to escape from this place

Suddenly, Lin Xiao noticed that through the glass of the car window and the library, he could vaguely see blurred black shadows moving outside, and then they began to tap against the glass

Do not—

The carriage was in complete chaos, with people pushing against each other and trampling one another. Lin Xiao felt a sharp kick from someone, and he himself seemed to have stepped on someone else. However, there was no time to dwell on such matters; in this turmoil, the only thought for everyone still alive and able to move was to get up and escape from here

Sitting next to Lin Xiao is a fair-skinned and delicate girl named Wen Ningxuan. Her long black hair is as smooth and silky as satin, and her jade-like face is free of any blemishes

The incident occurred suddenly, and everyone in the carriage was caught off guard. Those standing in the aisle swayed in all directions. Ye Dongling, sitting opposite Lin Xiao, let out a sharp scream, while Wen Ningxuan, who was immersed in the world of a novel beside her, swayed even more and directly fell into Lin Xiao's arms

Lin Xiao closed the book in his hands, rubbed his brow, and felt somewhat drowsy

All three of them are male, among whom the one with a thin, dark appearance is named Shi Lei, appearing to be around twenty-five or twenty-six years old

The turmoil outside lasted for more than ten minutes before gradually quieting down. Aside from the casualties, the passengers who had originally been crowded in the carriage and were still able to move began to crawl out one after another through the cracks that had opened up or the shattered windows. Lin Xiao, holding the unknown little girl, also crawled out along with the others.

The New Year is approaching, and students studying away from home and migrant workers are gradually returning to their hometowns. The Spring Festival travel rush has already begun, and every train carriage is packed with people

Due to the weather, in a short period of time, the glass had already fogged up, making it impossible to see what the dark shapes outside www.hetushu.com were. Then, he noticed several dark figures moving, seemingly entangled with one another. Suddenly, a strange, sharp cry echoed.

Lin Xiao rubbed his brow, feeling somewhat fatigued after reading for a while. He turned his face towards the car window, hoping to enjoy the scenery outside to refresh himself.

Lin Xiao was desperately struggling, trying to get back up

Bang

What is going on

After the intense shaking, the carriage finally ceased its rolling, and after sliding for a distance, it gradually came to a stop

Seven people are seated in a row. Apart from Lin Xiao, Wen Ningxuan, Sun Yaojie, and Ye Dongling, the remaining three individuals are seated to the left of Lin Xiao, with an aisle separating them in the middle

The whistle of the steam locomotive, accompanied by the tremendous sound of "clang clang," reverberated as the S601 train raced along the tracks from Jibei City to Mingdao, appearing from a distance like a giant steel dragon

Sun Yaojie was holding her close, his face revealing a look of happiness and tenderness, whispering something into Ye Dongling's ear.

Surrounding the area are piles of peculiar rocks, upon which are accumulated variously sized, colorful, and oddly shaped objects resembling spores.

Lin Xiao picked her up and held her in his arms, using his arm to shield her from the crowd. He pushed forward with all his might, trying to hand the little girl over to the woman who was shouting anxiously.

With a thunderous roar, the train, which was traveling at high speed, suddenly began to shake violently

Lin Xiao's face changed color, unable to resist turning his head to look at the crack in the carriage more than twenty meters behind him. The wailing seemed to be coming from outside, and along with the books, a crowd was beginning to surge towards that crack, causing a commotion.

Ah

Ah—

A woman is standing by the shattered window; although she could easily climb out through it, she is instead desperately pushing deeper into the crowd, shouting hoarsely, "Xiaoli, Xiaoli—"

Wū——

The carriage is overcrowded and chaotic; for such a small child, without the protection of an adult, it is highly likely that they could be trampled to death by the crowd

Suddenly, a piercing scream echoed from afar

Driven by instinct, Lin Xiao held onto Wen Ningxuan to protect her, feeling as if the world was spinning. The entire carriage seemed to be turning over, and the people inside were like beans thrown into a soy milk machine, colliding everywhere.

A gust of wind blew, causing these variously sized spores of different colors to scatter and dance in the air. In just a short time, a layer of these colorful spores covered the exterior of the three broken train cars lying here.

The person with a short and stout figure is named Fang Zhirong, and the last one, who is quite tall, is Wu Wenxu. Their ages are similar to that of Shi Lei

She was quietly flipping through a book, reading with great concentration, her face revealing a hint of sadness, clearly moved by the story within the pages, completely immersed in the novel

Oh my God

With a thunderous roar, there was another explosion-like sound, and the carriage shook violently. Lin Xiao felt his body being tossed around, surrounded by people. At one moment, he collided with a man's stomach, and at another, he bumped into a woman's back.

The safety factor of traveling by train is the highest among transportation means such as buses, ships, and airplanes. Lin Xiao did not expect that a train accident could occur. The only fortunate aspect is that he only scraped a bit of skin on his arm, and aside from that, he did not sustain any other injuries

Bang

He had just finished asking when a second scream followed, then a third, and a fourth...

Inside the carriage, chaos ensued as people tumbled in all directions, struggling and shouting. Following this, there was another deafening roar, akin to thunder, that left everyone’s eardrums ringing. The entire carriage suddenly tilted violently.

"Hey, hey, Fang Zhirong, wake up quickly, you pig. Your snoring is about to deafen my ears." Wu Wenxu said while pushing and couldn't help but mutter under his breath.

Lin Xiao's mind was in a state of confusion, constantly recalling the terrifying experience he had just gone through. He thought of the thick lightning he had seen earlier. Could it be that the lightning that struck down from the sky hit the train, resulting in the derailment and causing this accident

These spore-like formations, varying in size from as large as a basketball to as small as a glass marble, have accumulated into mounds of spore rock, making these rocks appear from a distance like a series of lurking monsters

Help!

Sitting opposite Lin Xiao were a man and a woman. The man, named Sun Yaojie, appeared to be around twenty-seven or twenty-eight years old. He wore black-rimmed glasses, had fair skin, and looked refined and cultured, a person of notable appearance

Xiao Li! The little girl's mother, who was standing by, saw her daughter and immediately rushed over, holding her tightly in her arms

Lin Xiao protected the little girl, pressed against a glass wall by the crowd behind them. Through the fogged glass, he saw shadows moving outside, accompanied by the sound of something being torn apart like leather. Then, liquid splattered onto the glass from the outside, slowly trickling down. This liquid was a glaring bright red

Looking up, the entire train carriage was packed with people, with even the aisle in the middle filled to capacity.

Unfortunately, there are simply too many people, crowded together, making it nearly impossible to move even an inch. It is astonishing that a mere distance of seven or eight meters is proving so difficult to traverse.

Mom, Mom—" From deep within the crowd, the faint cries of a young child could be heard

The crowd, already shaken by the recent incident, suddenly heard a piercing scream that sent a chill down their spines. Next to Lin Xiao stood a middle-aged man, his body quivering as he stammered, "What is happening?"

Nearby, a small boy was directly propelled into the air, and under the immense force of the impact, he crashed into the carriage window, with bright blood splattering out, mixed with white brain matter.

Various screams and wails echoed, rising and falling in intensity. The people crammed inside the carriage could not see what was happening outside, and everyone was inexplicably panicked. The chaotic crowd began to retreat, and Lin Xiao felt the pressure of the surrounding crowd increasing, forcing him to grip onto a seat to barely steady himself.

Lin Xiao heard the sound coming from beside him and looked down to see a small girl, about five or six years old, with her head covered in blood on the ground

Fang Zhirong's head was resting on the shoulder of Wu Wenxu beside him, and he had already fallen asleep, snoring like thunder

The carriage has been severely deformed, and about twenty meters ahead, a huge crack can be faintly seen in the ruptured carriage. The passengers who are still able to move are frantically crawling towards that enormous crack, attempting to escape outside

Wu Wenxu could not help but wake him up several times, while Fang Zhirong smacked his lips a couple of times, tilted his head, and fell asleep again

The little girl cried with her face covered in tears, mingling with blood as it flowed down.