As the chains broke, the train rattled. Park Noah dreaded it might be overturned but, fortunately, the train did not derail. Across her, Kyle Leonard raised himself and said, “I think we’ll have to arrest all those assassins and hand them over to the detention center.”

The train bound to Battuanu, which Park Noah and Muell currently reside, slowly came to a halt. On the other hand, the train bound to Central Edman began to speed along the railway at a rapid pace. 

Park Noah watched Kyle Leonard turn his back and kick the man who was about to hit him. As the train moved along the tracks, their figures gradually grew smaller.

“…At noon in three days.” She echoed the investigator’s words under her breath, turning around. Confused murmurs from the passengers followed the sudden disturbance.

Despite the looming fear in her mind for things yet to transpire, Park Noah held her chin high, hand in hand with Muell. Then, she flung open the doors to the train, clutching with her other hand the suitcase which she had diligently packed. 

“Who are you?”

Two attendants faced her at the entrance, staring with suspicious eyes. Park Noah shoved her hand into the pocket of her robe and pulled out a crumpled ticket.

“This is a passenger bound for Battuanu!” She squeaked, thrusting the ticket to the attendants.

*

With his keen eyes, Kyle Leonard checked the bullets he had used so far. Seven regular bullets, five specially treated bullets. Ordinary bullets were not worth counting because they were used to prevent passengers from leaving their rooms or getting out of their seats.

All five of the specially treated bullets were lodged on the bodies of Yulem’s assassins, who were laid out on the train’s floor. Indeed, Kyle Leonard barely misses his targets.

“Uck…”

He kicked the body of the man who rolled to his feet, pushing it away. Then, he pulled out his suitcase from the luggage compartment and opened it. 

If bizarre inventions filled Park Noah’s suitcase, Kyle Leonard’s bag was loaded with every variety of weapons, including handcuffs and bullets, daggers and dismantled rifles. 

He took out the handcuffs and cuffed the men’s wrists. As he yanked their hair to look behind their necks, there were traces of a chip being transplanted. Sighing, he piled the bodies in an empty room.

He had planned to retrieve the bullets embedded in the thighs, arms, and shoulders of the assassins, but did not continue lest the train’s atmosphere, which had already turned unpleasant from the commotion, worsened from the smell of flesh. Kyle Leonard would have to simply request the inspection team to hand his bullets.

“The next station is Lestes, arriving in an hour. Lestes Station. From Lestes to Central Edman, we’ll be traveling expressways, so please check your destination.” A calm announcement boomed through the microphones. 

“…..”

The investigator mused. For more than forty minutes, gunfire reverberated throughout the entire train, and yet, the attendant’s voice remained composed, without a trace of panic. 

At this point, the train has to separate and diverge into north and west. Thus, it must slow down and gradually stop. However, the train’s fast pace persisted.

Kyle Leonard slammed the door of the room where the bodies of Yulem’s men were stacked and walked towards the engine room. The locomotives, or the power unit of a train, and the railcars are joined by thick chains. He made a light leap towards the locomotive, landing with ease. 

The black smoke from the train’s chimney stretched like a tail in the wind. Kyle Leonard stood on the roof of the driver cab, passing through the train’s boiler with nonchalant steps, in contrast to the puny Park Noah.

Clang!

“Oh, who is it?”

Suddenly, the window of the driver cab broke, and the operator jerked in his seat. Then, a revolver was pinned against his temple.