The Terror Train

Chapter 11: The Worst

Blood flowed from all seven orifices of the goblin as it fell heavily to the ground. James， Nickel， Fiona， and others rushed forward， mercilessly stabbing at the goblin’s vulnerable spots. James， tall and strong， grabbed the goblin’s head， his knife slicing deeply across the creature’s throat. Blood sprayed out， the cut nearly severing the goblin’s neck， delivering the final blow to the already mortally wounded creature.

　　As the goblin lay dead on the ground， everyone exhaled a long sigh of relief. Fiona， with both hands， gripped the wooden stake that had pierced halfway into the goblin’s body and pulled it out forcefully. The stake， now drenched in blood， dripped continuously as she handed it to Ajex， saying，“Ajex， you’re amazing. This time， we didn’t even have any injuries.”

　　Her broad， basin-like face wore a friendly smile. Ajex， slowly getting up from the ground， took the stake with a wry smile and thanked her. He still felt the pain from the fall， as if his bones had come apart.

　　Chris spoke gravely，“Against goblins， these long wooden stakes are much more advantageous than short knives. Fortunately， there are plenty of trees around us. Let’s find more of these stakes， and we won’t have to fear these goblins anymore.”

　　Fang Xinyi glanced at him， thinking he was basking in the glory of hindsight. Now that everyone had seen Ajex’s effectiveness against the goblin， who wouldn’t know that a wooden stake was more lethal than a short knife? What was the point of his statement?

　　As she retrieved her thrown knives， Fang Xinyi returned one to Henry. Henry chuckled，“You’re incredible. That one strike， swift as a flash， hit the goblin’s vital spot， and it fell dead. One strike， one kill， impressive indeed.”

　　Fang Xinyi rolled her eyes at him， laughing，“Stop exaggerating. I’m not that great. I think your mouth is more powerful. With that mouth of yours， you could probably blow these goblins to death.”

　　Henry was taken aback， then burst into laughter. This time， they had killed a goblin without any casualties， and everyone seemed at ease.

　　A man in his forties， his teeth yellowed from years of smoking， looked at the sharpened stake in Ajex’s hand and said，“This stake is indeed effective. Let’s all get one， sharpen it， and use it as a spear. The goblins won’t be able to get close to us…”

　　He was interrupted by several exclamations of surprise from nearby. As he turned， a chill wind struck him.“What’s happening?” he cried out， only to feel a sharp pain in his throat as it was torn open by fearsome fangs， followed by a heavy blow to his face.

　　With a scream， the man’s face was covered in blood， and he was flung away， his face smashed open like a burst watermelon， his throat split wide. He hit the ground and died instantly.

　　“Stay calm， don’t run—” Chris shouted， almost simultaneously with the man’s death. No one expected that just then， two goblins would suddenly leap out from a thicket about twenty meters away.

　　The goblins pounced into the crowd like lightning， causing everyone to cry out in shock. There was no time to react; in an instant， the middle-aged man with yellow teeth and another young man with a parted haircut were killed. The attack was so swift that neither Ajex nor Fang Xinyi could respond in time.

　　As the lifeless bodies of the unnamed middle-aged man and the young man fell， the two goblins resumed their attacks on the remaining group. Panic erupted among the explorers. Nickel， Ethan， and others with timid instincts turned to flee. The goblins had infiltrated their ranks， and anyone could be the next victim.

　　Ethan and Nickel stared， their faces drained of color， as they witnessed the gruesome fate of the bloodied men who had been bitten to pulp. Chris’s stern command urged everyone not to run， but one goblin leaped into the air， pinning down a fleeing man. Its gaping maw clamped onto the man’s neck， severing it halfway. The man writhed on the ground， his life fading rapidly.

　　Another goblin targeted Fiona， who hesitated between bravery and flight. Just as she turned to escape， a blood-stained wooden stake swung horizontally， blocking the goblin’s attack on her. The goblin shifted its focus， now lunging at the person wielding the stake.

　　That person was Ajex.

　　The chaos intensified as the two goblins wreaked havoc among the group. Ajex parried the goblin that had threatened Fiona. She regained her courage and joined the fight， accompanied by Chris and a burly young man. Meanwhile， Fang Xinyi， James， and Henry engaged the other goblin that had just killed a second person.

　　The situation spiraled into confusion.

　　Suddenly， another terrifying roar echoed from behind. Nickel and Ethan， attempting to escape the chaotic melee， glanced back. To their horror， two more goblins emerged from the rear， like gray arrows propelled by a whirlwind， hurtling toward them.

　　Nickel， the fastest runner， found himself closest to the newly arrived goblins. Desperate， he tried to change direction， but it was too late. One goblin leaped three meters， its claws latching onto his shoulder. Nickel’s screams for help were futile; he was alone， facing two goblins. Ethan and the others， equally fearful， were too slow to intervene.

　　In his final moments， Nickel heard the crunch of his throat and neck bones as the goblin’s massive jaws severed them. The goblin flung him aside， and Nickel’s Damascus blade remained unused until his last breath.

　　Now the same goblin lunged at the nearest person: Ethan.

　　Ethan was nearly unhinged. He spun around， desperate to rejoin the group， brandishing his short knife wildly to intimidate the goblin. The goblin hesitated， eyeing the flailing blade， then abruptly turned and lunged at another man who was already fleeing. Its sharp claws pierced the man’s back， slicing downward， splitting his back muscles open.

　　The wounded man screamed， writhing on the ground. Meanwhile， the second goblin targeted Ethan. Its bloodied maw clamped onto his thigh， and its other claw plunged into his waist. Ethan’s screams echoed as he tried to retaliate， but the goblin’s strength was overwhelming. It flung him aside， leaving a gaping wound nearly two feet long， revealing organs and bone.

　　Ethan lay gasping， unable to summon the strength to rise. The earlier victory against a goblin， achieved with Ajex’s wooden stake， had left them elated. But now， two more goblins had emerged unexpectedly， disrupting their progress. Ajex and Fang Xinyi were equally stunned.

　　Four goblins had infiltrated their ranks， causing chaos. Five or six casualties occurred in the blink of an eye. Even Panda， who had carried a bundle of vines， abandoned it and drew his short knife. Fearful but resolute， he faced one of the goblins head-on.

　　Ajex’s wooden stake struck the goblin that had threatened Fiona， creating an opportunity. Fiona’s blade left a shallow but bleeding gash on the goblin’s back. Ajex seized the moment， smashing the goblin’s forehead， leaving it dazed and swaying.

　　Yet， Ethan’s desperate cry interrupted Ajex. He turned to see Ethan flung away by the goblin， which now targeted him. Ajex’s heart raced. Despite Ethan’s reputation for timidity， he and Ajex had a good rapport. Ethan’s scream sent Ajex sprinting toward him， abandoning the goblin in front of him.

　　With a fierce cry， Ajex tightened his grip on the wooden stake and swung it horizontally. The goblin， previously lunging at Ethan， hesitated as the stake bore down on it. Ajex reached Ethan’s side， but the sight of Ethan lying there， his side slashed open by the goblin， filled Ajex with despair. Ethan’s fate was sealed.

　　Ajex and Ethan shared a close bond. While others mocked Ethan’s timidity， Ajex never did. He knew Ethan’s backstory—the single-parent household， the absent father， the hardworking mother， and the younger sister still in school. Ethan’s docile nature had developed from a desire to avoid burdening his family. He’d rather endure than cause trouble.

　　Ajex remembered Ethan’s words:“Sometimes， it’s better to tolerate and retreat for the sake of peace.” But now， as Ajex knelt beside Ethan， he realized that sometimes courage was necessary—even if it meant risking one’s life.

　　Ethan’s eyes dimmed， but he glimpsed Ajex charging toward him， desperate to save him. Ethan tried to smile， but his facial muscles betrayed him. Ajex’s words echoed:“Ethan， life isn’t about endless tolerance. Sometimes， even if you know you’ll die， you must fight with all your might.”

　　Ajex’s scream pierced the chaos. He brandished the stake， charging at the goblin before him. Another man， wearing a leather jacket， joined the fray. He’d noticed Ajex’s effective use of the long stake and grabbed a bundle of slender sticks from the ground. These sticks were fragile， unlike Ajex’s sturdy stake， but the man wielded them with determination.

　　The goblin swiped its claws， snapping several of the slender sticks. Simultaneously， the man released his grip， revealing a hidden secret—a foot-long dagger concealed within the stick. The goblin hadn’t anticipated this move.

　　The goblin， having dismissed the slender sticks， believed the human before it was no longer a threat. It prepared to strike the leather-jacketed man， but to its shock， the man charged forward. Hidden within the bundle of sticks was a concealed dagger.

　　The man thrust the dagger into the goblin’s right side， piercing its abdomen. Although wounded， the goblin fought back， raising its head and opening its bloodied maw， aiming for the man’s skull. But the sudden injury overwhelmed it. The goblin’s eyes widened， limbs slackened， and its head drooped. The gaping jaws， moments away from clamping down on the man’s head， now hung impotent.

　　The leather-jacketed man， still trembling， withdrew the dagger from the goblin’s belly.“Thank you，” he murmured. Without Ajex’s intervention， he would have perished.

　　Ajex’s eyes blazed red. He seized the blood-soaked stake， which had penetrated the goblin’s neck. The nearly two-meter-long stake had driven deep into the creature’s abdomen. Ajex’s ferocity brought him perilously close to the goblin， and his grip threatened to pierce the goblin’s entire body.

　　The goblin， previously intent on biting the man， recoiled in agony. Its eyes bulged， and its limbs went limp. The gaping maw， moments from clamping onto the man’s skull， now sagged uselessly.

　　The leather-jacketed man， still in shock， withdrew the dagger.“Thank you，” he whispered. Without Ajex， he would have died.

　　Ajex， hands gripping the stake， roared anew. He yanked it from the goblin’s body， blood spraying. Turning to Ethan， he intended to say something， but Ethan lay motionless， life extinguished.