Chapter 144: Let Me... Go Back

Chen Ling's identity had been exposed; it was no longer possible to enter Aurora City through conventional means.

Of course, even so, with the [Faceless] skill, it wouldn't be difficult for Chen Ling to enter Aurora City. For instance, he could kill Xi Renjie and take his identity, or swap places with any Enforcer on the list, and get in without anyone noticing. But that wasn't what Chen Ling wanted.

[Complete a stunning exit in front of at least one hundred witnesses]

If Chen Ling wanted to advance to the Third Stage, he had to complete this performance, and the best stage for it right now was Aurora City.

The moment Chen Ling finished speaking, a line of characters drifted across the snow:

[Audience anticipation +5]

Xi Renjie looked at him in astonishment, wondering if Chen Ling had gone mad. Knowing Aurora City wanted him dead, he still insisted on heading straight for it?

However, he didn't try to dissuade him. After all, their stances were different, and people from the Twilight Society were all lunatics to begin with; it seemed reasonable for them to do things outside the normal human thought process...

Xi Renjie took one last look at Chen Ling and walked away, stumbling along the tracks, until he disappeared completely into the mist.

"...Let's go." Chen Ling said slowly.

"Where to?"

"Get on the train."

Zhao Yi stood beside Chen Ling, looked at the train with its carriages cut in half, and asked in confusion, "The train is in this state... can it still run?"

"Only the middle carriages were severed. The engine's functions are still intact; it shouldn't be a problem to drive it for a distance."

Chen Ling stepped onto the engine, his gaze sweeping over the control room as he began to study how to start it. Just as Zhao Yi was about to follow, he heard a rustling sound coming from the broken carriage behind the engine.

Zhao Yi frowned and looked toward the broken train, but through the window, he couldn't see anyone.

All the Enforcers should have been dead... Could it be a rat?

A flash of doubt crossed Zhao Yi's mind, but after a moment of hesitation, he walked toward the carriage.

He carefully made his way along the collapsed, broken carriage, holding his short blade in one hand and vigilantly observing every corner... Just as he reached the very back of the carriage, a petite figure curled up in the corner caught his eye.

"Who's there?!"

Zhao Yi instinctively took half a step back, aiming his short blade at the figure, but froze when he realized it was a petite girl of five or six years old.

Perhaps terrified, the girl was huddled into a ball, her face deathly pale. She clutched her head with both hands, not daring to look at Zhao Yi, wishing she could hide herself entirely in the gaps of the train.

"A girl?" Zhao Yi asked, puzzled. "Why is she here..."

"She must have snuck on before the train started."

A voice came from behind Zhao Yi, startling him. He realized Chen Ling had appeared behind him at some point, his eyes narrowed as he looked at the girl in the corner.

"Weren't you going to the engine?"

"If you could hear a sound here, naturally I could too."

"..." Zhao Yi caught the sarcasm in Chen Ling's tone and gritted his teeth in frustration. Unable to retort, he could only let out a muffled grunt.

"Bring her along. I need more audience members."

"Need more of what?" Zhao Yi hadn't heard clearly.

Chen Ling shook his head and said nothing more, turning to walk toward the engine.

Seeing this, Zhao Yi had no choice but to put away his short blade and reach out to the girl, softening his voice as much as possible. "Come with me. We aren't those bad people; we'll take you to Aurora City."

The girl opened her eyes timidly. Seeing that Zhao Yi was just a young boy, the fear in her eyes dissipated slightly... The big brother next door to her was about the same age.

"I... my legs are weak."

The girl kept her head down, her voice as faint as a mosquito's.

Seeing this, Zhao Yi simply hoisted her onto his back and walked through the broken carriage toward the engine.

The girl was very light, and even the injured Zhao Yi could carry her with ease. When they entered the engine's control room, Chen Ling gave a casual wave, and the control lever instantly replaced the wooden stick, returning to its original position. He pulled it hard.

Hum—!

The boiler roared to life, and the hum of steam echoed once more.

Chen Ling had already disconnected the engine from the rear carriages. As the transmission rod turned, the engine moved straight forward along the tracks.

Zhao Yi placed the girl on the chair in the control room and walked to the door to look out. The tracks stretched into the end of the thick fog, leading to unknown places in the wind and snow.

"Chen Ling, can we really reach Aurora City going this way?" Zhao Yi felt uneasy.

"Who said we were going to Aurora City?"

"Huh?" Zhao Yi was stunned.

"The final stop for this train is a temporary station outside Aurora City... Without documents to enter the city, we still won't be able to get through the gates." Chen Ling said slowly. "What I need is a vehicle that can go directly into Aurora City."

"A vehicle that goes directly into Aurora City?" Zhao Yi scratched his head. "What does that mean? Where are we actually going?"

Chen Ling paused for a moment, then slowly uttered three words:

"Winter Harbor."

……

Aurora City.

White Dove Plaza.

Gentle, warm sunlight spilled over the lawn, as if plated with a layer of pale gold. In the center of a white brick fountain, the magnificent spray created a mist that shimmered with rainbows.

Directly in front of this fountain, a figure in a black trench coat sat silently on a wooden bench, like a statue.

A group of five or six-year-old children rolled across the lawn, laughing and playing. Seeing the figure on the bench, a flash of confusion crossed their faces. After whispering to each other for a moment, they ran over on their short legs.

"Enforcer brother, aren't you tired?"

"Yeah, you've been sitting here all morning... Come play with us!"

"Do you see that kite flying the highest over there? My dad bought it for me, isn't it pretty?"

"Look, he's like a statue, he really hasn't moved at all!"

The children crowded around the figure, giggling and pushing each other. Finding that the person really seemed to be a statue, they became interested and pulled out colorful markers from their pockets, preparing to draw on his face.

Just then, an old man, also wearing a black trench coat, walked over from a distance carrying two cups of coffee. He patted the children on the head, a smile appearing on his wrinkled face.

"Children, this brother is tired. Let him rest for a while."

Seeing the old man, the children were a bit confused, but they giggled and scattered.

The old man sat down on the wooden bench and spoke slowly:

"Well, have you figured it out?"

Beside him, the figure like a statue still kept his head bowed, his hands resting on his knees. Countless shadows locked him in place, like a prisoner trapped in a courtroom... And at this moment, his eyes were already bloodshot.

Han Meng opened his cracked lips with difficulty, letting out a low, hoarse roar:

"Let me... go back!!"