The Terror Train

Chapter 5: The Squad

The attention of Ajex and the others was drawn to Emily， who opened her backpack. Among the crowd， only a few individuals had managed to bring their backpacks during the escape， and Emily was one of them.

　　Her backpack mostly contained books， but also a few packs of small biscuits. She took out a pack and walked over to the crying little boy， softly saying，“Baby， don’t cry， here’s some food for you.”

　　The little boy eagerly took the food and handed it to his mother， pleading，“Mommy， open it—open it—” as he was too young to tear open the packaging himself.

　　His mother， looking gratefully at Emily， said，“Thank you.”

　　Emily patted the little boy’s head， shook her head， and sighed softly.

　　The surrounding crowd watched silently as the boy’s mother opened the package and fed him the biscuits. The boy ate hungrily， while other children tugged at their parents’ clothes， whispering，“Mommy， I want to eat too， I’m hungry…”

　　“Hell， I think I’m getting hungry too…” Henry licked his lips， eyeing the biscuits in the little boy’s hands， and muttered to himself.

　　“Everyone sees it， right? We have neither food nor water. Staying here is like waiting for death，” said the middle-aged man with a full beard， looking fierce. His loud voice immediately drew the attention of many， who turned to look at him.

　　In fact， many had witnessed Emily giving biscuits to the little boy， and it reminded them that they too hadn’t eaten or drunk for a while. Some felt hungry， others thirsty， and as they looked around the desolate and unfamiliar landscape， they realized the gravity of the situation.

　　Almost everyone’s luggage had been left on the C2123 train. The lack of food and water could be fatal. Without sustenance， people might die within three days. According to the notice board， the Ghost Train would appear every seven days， but without food and water， they couldn’t wait that long.

　　The middle-aged man’s words caught the attention of many. The father of the boy eating biscuits came over and said loudly，“This brother is right， we can’t just stay here. We need to find food and water. While we still have some strength， we can’t waste any more time here.”

　　“That makes sense， but how do we make it happen?” someone asked.

　　The middle-aged man spoke gravely，“I have a suggestion. Let the elderly， women， and children stay here. The rest of us， the able-bodied， will split into eight teams and head in different directions—east， south， west， north， southeast， southwest， northwest， northeast—to search for food and water sources. Any team that finds something will return immediately. Since our phones don’t work， we can’t contact the other teams. Let’s set a half-day limit; regardless of whether we find anything， we’ll return here. What do you think?”

　　Many nodded in agreement.

　　Chris said，“The teams that find food or water can gather some firewood and start a fire. The smoke will signal the other teams to return.”

　　“Right， if we’re lucky， maybe we can even get out of this godforsaken place. And remember to check your phones. If you get a signal， call for help immediately. Also， it would be great if we could figure out exactly where we are.”

　　The tall， thin man about 1.9 meters tall also spoke up loudly.

　　The middle-aged man added，“We’ll need to adapt to the situation. If you find anything else， remember to find a way to inform the others.”

　　Ajex listened without interrupting. The plan proposed by the middle-aged man and Chris was their only viable option. The eight or nine hundred people gathered together all agreed. They couldn’t just sit and wait for death; the desire to survive drove them to actively seek hope for life.

　　“Those who stay here must also be careful. We don’t know if there are monsters or something like that in this place. Those willing to join the search， come stand over here.”

　　“Don’t crowd. Decide based on your own situation. Sir， you’re over sixty， aren’t you? You should stay here and wait for news. What? You’re in good health? I know you’re strong， but you can’t keep up with the young ones. You’d slow everyone down and affect efficiency.”

　　“You’re a girl wearing high heels. How can you come with us? You’d definitely affect others. Never mind， I appreciate your willingness， but you should stay here and wait patiently for good news from everyone.”

　　Under the direction of the middle-aged man， the crowd began to divide into teams. Those too young or too old， as well as most of the women， were left behind. Only a few women， including two fitness instructors and several who had practiced martial arts like karate or taekwondo， were allowed to join the teams.

　　Out of the eight or nine hundred people， over three hundred were chosen to form eight teams， each with about forty members. The rest stayed behind to wait for news. Ajex， Chris， Ethan， Henry， and Wu Xuwén were in the same team. Emily and Isabella， being girls， were left behind to avoid slowing down the others.

　　In the team where Ajex and others belonged， there were a total of forty-three people. Among them were two women， while the remaining forty-one were all men. The first woman was a retired weightlifter， her muscular body even more developed than most men’s. Her face was broad like a basin， exuding a ruggedness that surpassed that of the men.

　　The second woman had a more delicate appearance. She seemed to be in her early twenties and had martial arts training. Just as she was about to join the team， a male member with a rebellious look and bleached hair made some lewd remarks. Without hesitation， she executed a beautiful shoulder throw， sending him flying.

　　The bleached-hair man landed on the ground， grimacing and unable to get up. In his place， she seamlessly took her position， becoming a member of the team.

　　The middle-aged man， who appeared fierce， led the group. They headed eastward. Meanwhile， the tall， slender man， standing at about six feet， led another team that chose the southern direction. Ajex， Chris， and their companions opted for the west. The remaining five teams dispersed toward the north， southeast， southwest， northwest， and northeast.

　　“Since that ghost train left us here and even provided us with several boxes of short knives， there must be a reason or purpose behind it. It won’t simply let us starve or die of thirst. We’ll surely find water and food，” Chris raised his voice， invigorating everyone.

　　“Yaojie， come back safely，” Isabella waved to Chris from a distance.

　　Chris turned back， flashing a sunny smile at Isabella. His confidence radiated through the grin.

　　Emily had already picked up a book and sat quietly on the side. She placed the short knife nearby and immersed herself in reading.

　　“Hey， Ajex， it seems like you’re not putting in much effort. Look at Chris’s girlfriend—she cares so much about him. But your Emily doesn’t seem to show much concern for you，” Henry nudged Ajex， glancing at Emily， who was engrossed in her book.

　　Ajex chuckled，“What nonsense are you spouting? Emily isn’t my girlfriend. Why would she care about me?”

　　Henry looked surprised，“Not your girlfriend? But I’ve always felt there’s something between you two. At the office， Emily is known for being reserved， distant with everyone. Yet， she treats you differently. I thought you two might be secretly involved.”

　　Ajex shook his head， sighing，“Your mind is full of absurd thoughts. There’s no saving you.”

　　Chris chimed in，“Speaking of Emily， you two do make a good match. However， I believe books are her top priority. Boyfriend probably ranks second.”

　　Henry grinned mischievously，“If you keep denying it， I might make a move on her.”

　　“You guys have too much leisure. Let’s discuss this once we can escape from here，” Ajex’s expression grew serious.

　　Chris reassured him，“Ajex， don’t worry. I’m confident my deduction won’t be wrong. That ghost train must have secrets we’re unaware of. It left us here for a reason. If its intention was to kill us， back at the‘Goblin Nest，’ it could’ve simply locked the doors and let the goblins finish us off. No need to go through the trouble of bringing us here.”

　　Ethan nodded，“Makes sense， Chris. Can you guess the origin and purpose of that ghost train?”

　　Chris shook his head，“Am I a deity? All-knowing? The only thing I’m sure of is that there must be food and water in this area. The ghost train didn’t bring us here just to starve or die of thirst.”

　　Ajex held a short knife about a foot long in his right hand， murmuring，“Goblin Nest， Misty Swamp… What’s the connection?”

　　Suddenly， a cry of agony rang out.

　　Caught off guard， everyone turned to look. In the middle of the group， a young man in his twenties had sunk into a mud pit. Struggling and screaming for help， he found himself sinking faster. Soon， both his legs were trapped in the mire.