Chapter Fourteen: The Siege

“Humph!” The old lady’s expression changed abruptly, no longer the half-dead look from moments ago. Her eyes swept venomously over Lin Xian inside the freezer. “It’s suffocating in there. If he wants to die in there, then let him.”

“Yeah, it’s even smellier than this room. Let’s see how long he can hold out,” another young woman said, fanning herself with her hand, sweating profusely and sounding somewhat resentful. “This crappy freezer has pretty good soundproofing; my voice is almost hoarse from shouting.”

The old lady glared at her disapprovingly. “You don’t know anything. If you don’t act the part, how are you going to catch the fish?”

“Mom, your trick really works,” one of them said.

Inside the freezer, Lin Xian’s face darkened. He could tell this family had done this kind of dirty work before. Fortunately, he was alert and quick to react; otherwise, in that split second, he might have met his end at the barrel of a gun.

Now, his gaze was icy as he faced off against the four outside. It was clear the old lady was the mastermind, with the other two being her son and daughter-in-law.

“Nonsense, haven’t you heard that age brings wisdom?” the old lady said coldly, glancing at Lin Xian. “This fish is fast, but it’s not too smart—it’s trapped itself in a dead end.”

“Hey, brother, come out and hand over the train keys. I promise we’ll spare your life,” a middle-aged man stepped forward and spoke to Lin Xian inside the freezer.

Sure enough, they had observed his “Infinite” train entering the station in advance and had set this trap just to kill him and seize the train!

“Do you think I’ll believe that?” Lin Xian replied coldly.

“Fine, since you won’t come out, I’ll make sure you stay inside for good,” the man with the long gun sneered, somehow finding an iron chain and locking the freezer door from the outside.

“Dad!” At that moment, an eleven or twelve-year-old chubby boy ran in, looking eager to report. “I just checked—the train only has one woman, and she’s pretty!”

The middle-aged man’s name was Huang Zhaojian, and the one holding the long gun was his brother, Huang Jie.

“Just two people daring to drive the train? They’ve got guts!” Huang Jie laughed mockingly, then looked at the old lady. “Mom, what’s the plan?”

“What plan?” The old lady shot him a sharp look. “You’re such a blockhead. That train must have a lot of stuff on it. If it can run, wouldn’t it be more comfortable to hide on the train than in this freezer?”

“That’s right!” Gong Li’s eyes lit up. “Then we can get out of this hellhole.”

Huang Zhaojian looked at his wife sternly. “Get out of here. Do you even know how to drive a train?!”

“Hmph, I don’t, but can’t someone else drive it? Didn’t A’Le say there’s a pretty woman on that train? Those two young people can drive, so it can’t be that hard.”

“I want to drive the train! I want to drive the train!” The chubby boy got excited at the idea.

“I think so too. Driving a train can’t be that difficult. Bro, don’t kill that beautiful woman—save her for me, ha ha,” Huang Jie said enthusiastically.

“Shut up!” The old lady’s sharp command cut through their excitement. She glanced at Lin Xian inside the freezer and then gave the others a meaningful look.

“Second son, you stay here and keep watch.”

After saying this, she led the others away, seemingly ready to plot something.

“Old hag, stop dreaming!” Just as the old lady was about to leave, Lin Xian suddenly spoke from inside the freezer. He immediately saw through her plan and, in front of everyone, slowly pulled out a walkie-talkie from behind his back.

“Teacher Chen, I’ve got some trouble here. Don’t open the door.”

“Ah? Are you alright?”

“I’m fine.”

“Okay, I definitely won’t open it!” Chen Sixuan’s voice was tense over the radio.

“Damn it!” Huang Zhaojian outside hadn’t expected Lin Xian to have a walkie-talkie. Hearing him communicate openly enraged him, and he furiously kicked the freezer door.

The old lady gritted her teeth, realizing her plan was exposed, but then she walked over and sneered at Lin Xian.

“You’re just a dog locked up. What, you want to waste time with us? It must be awful in there, huh?”

She wasn’t wrong. The freezer was foul, the stench making Lin Xian dizzy. He used his powers to lock the mechanical lock of the freezer door, ensuring temporary safety, but he couldn’t get out either.

“Damn you all!” Huang Zhaojian slammed his palm against the window, shouting fiercely inside.

“Kid, think you can escape? Let’s see how long you last. If I lose my patience, I swear I’ll drag that woman from the train out and let you watch.”

The old lady’s eyes gleamed with malice. “If you’re smart, you’ll cooperate with us. You and that woman drive the train together, and we all escape. I promise to spare your lives. How about that?”

In her eyes, Lin Xian was just a sitting duck. Though she couldn’t harm him yet, she knew the freezer was poorly ventilated and unbearably foul. No one could last long in there. There was no other exit. Lin Xian was just stubbornly resisting.

The two sons, one red-faced and the other pale, almost made Lin Xian chuckle. Though he had his wind cannon skill, fighting two guns was clearly reckless.

Lin Xian wasn’t a battle-hardened soldier or a skilled ranger—he was just a university student with little combat experience. If not for his quick reflexes earlier, he would’ve been killed by those two brothers.

Now trapped in the freezer, with Chen Sixuan outside unable to help, Lin Xian’s mind raced until a crazy idea struck him.

Ignoring the people outside, he took out a flashlight from his backpack and began examining the freezer’s interior.

Outside, seeing Lin Xian ignore them, the old lady, afraid the train might get away, gave a signal. She sent her two sons to check the train.

Click—Lin Xian turned on the flashlight. The huge freezer had neatly arranged shelves, but the goods had long been looted. Blood from thawed frozen meats flowed everywhere, the primary source of the stench.

He moved deeper inside and shone the light on a row of large freezers. His eyes brightened. Though empty, he could use them to absorb energy!

Since he couldn’t leave for now and the freezer was a natural fortress, Lin Xian could safely start absorbing these large appliances. With that thought, he took out the walkie-talkie again.

“Teacher Chen, change of plans. I’m trapped here for now. Stay on the train tonight. Don’t open the door, don’t turn on the lights, and don’t make a sound. Wait for my signal.”

On the train, Chen Sixuan’s face paled hearing Lin Xian’s words.

Through the armored window gap, she saw two armed men crossing the tracks toward her, her voice tight with tension.

“Lin Xian, someone’s coming.”

“I know. Don’t be afraid. As long as you don’t open the door, they can’t do anything to you.”

Chen Sixuan bit her lip and nodded. “Okay.”

Just then, loud knocks came on the driver's cabin door of the locomotive.

“Open up! Open the door, or I’ll shoot!”

“The guy’s in our hands! If you don’t want him dead, open up now!”

Chen Sixuan gripped the walkie-talkie tightly and retreated to Car No. 1. This was her first encounter with such a situation; staying calm was impossible.

But Lin Xian’s words were deeply etched in her mind, and no matter what they said, she would never open the door.

Bang! Bang!

Huang Jie, holding the long gun, climbed to the locomotive’s windshield, lying atop it and shading his eyes to look inside. When he saw the panicked Chen Sixuan, his eyes lit up, nearly drooling.

“Bro!!! She’s right there!!! So damn beautiful!!”

“Bro, let me have her as my wife!”

The apocalypse had come; society had collapsed, yet he was still single. Just thinking about it made him furious. Seeing Chen Sixuan’s stunning beauty made his blood boil. In this lawless, chaotic world, human savagery was magnified. Huang Jie wanted nothing more than to rush in immediately.

Bang! Bang!

Eyes blazing with fury, he grabbed the butt of his gun and smashed it hard against the windshield of the “Infinite” train.

No matter how hard he struck, the windshield didn’t even crack.