Lucky Star

Railway East Station, Yuezhou City, Yuedong Province. East Station was the oldest station in Yuezhou, featuring six waiting rooms. Passing through were high-speed trains, express trains, and traditional green trains alike. Li Banfeng carefully checked his ticket information: Train 1160. *Why this train again?* Li Banfeng sent a message: "Didn't this train derail?" *Click-clack~* He Jiaqing replied: "The accident has been completely handled. The train service is back up." Handled? Such a major incident, resolved so quickly? There wasn't even a "K" in front of the train number, which meant it wasn't even a regular fast train—it was the slowest class of train. *Hopefully his hometown isn't too far.* The ticket information indicated Ticket Gate 96. Li Banfeng walked through the various waiting areas, noticing many middle-aged men in suits and leather shoes, as well as plenty of casually dressed young people. What left the deepest impression on him were the plainly dressed elderly folks. They carried vast amounts of luggage—strapped to their backs, held in their hands, or hoisted over their shoulders. Many even had large enamel mugs tied to the outside of their bags, making for the most common and unique sight in a railway station. Yet after a full lap, Li Banfeng found no sign of Ticket Gate 96. "Where is Ticket Gate 96?" Li Banfeng texted He Jiaqing. "It moves around. Ask the staff." Li Banfeng proceeded to ask five different station attendants. The first four claimed there was no such thing as Ticket Gate 96. After looking over Li Banfeng's ticket information, the fifth attendant led him toward Waiting Hall 2. Passing beside the restrooms, they walked through a corridor, opened an iron door, and entered an underground tunnel. Underground tunnels were common in railway stations, but this one was peculiar. It was extraordinarily long, and under the dim lighting, waves of damp, foul odors assailed the nostrils. The floor was pitted with potholes, and woodlice crawled through puddles of standing water. An environment this wretched seemed to exist only in Li Banfeng's childhood memories. When he was young, he had often visited an abandoned railway station—not to ride the trains, but to steal scrap metal alongside Old Lady Wu. After walking the length of the long underground passage, the attendant brought Li Banfeng straight onto the platform. The man produced a pitch-black box shaped somewhat like a mailbox. There was a hand crank on the right side of the box. As the attendant turned it, a strip of ticket emerged from the slit on top. It was a ticket—a ten-centimeter strip of soft paper, nothing like the stiff cardboard train tickets Li Banfeng was accustomed to. The attendant stamped the ticket and handed it to him. Printed on the front were every stop along the route and its scheduled arrival time: Santoucha, Haichiling, Lushuiwan, Kudaikan... He didn't recognize a single place name. At the very bottom of the ticket lay his destination: Yaowanggou. Was Yaowanggou He Jiaqing's hometown? Li Banfeng had never been there, nor had he ever heard of it. He checked the departure time: June 28th, 1:53 PM. Roughly fifteen minutes left. Then he looked at the train's arrival time: June 30th, 7:00 AM. Nearly two full days! *This journey is a bit long!* Next, he checked his seat. Carriage 7, Seat 7, First-Class Sleeper. That meant a soft sleeper compartment. A soft sleeper was at least bearable. A line of fine print caught Li Banfeng's eye. Looking closely, it read: *Hot water is provided on this train, but no food will be provided. Passengers are requested to prepare their own.* A two-day journey, and the train didn't even sell food! Where were the melon seeds, drinks, and mineral water? Did they not even have a basic pushcart? *Why the hell didn't he tell me sooner? What am I supposed to eat along the way?* There was food for sale in the main waiting hall, but run all the way back from the platform? With only fifteen minutes until departure, there didn't seem to be enough time. Not to mention the route was far too convoluted, requiring passage through an iron security gate. Besides, if he bumped into that big-eyed man, he would definitely be shot dead. Buy some from someone on the platform? On this ancient platform, Li Banfeng was the only passenger waiting for the train. Find someone to buy from once aboard? Would anyone be willing to sell to him? ... At this critical moment, Li Banfeng's phone rang. A message arrived from He Jiaqing: "Bro, did you buy food?" "You just fucking remembered now? Why didn't you remind me when I was in the supermarket?" "The situation was urgent, so it slipped my mind. Once you board the train, whatever you do, do not leave your carriage." *Why can't I leave the carriage?* *Does going to the restroom count as leaving the carriage?* *I can't very well hold it in for two days, can I?* Just as Li Banfeng was utterly baffled, he saw an old woman walking across the platform carrying a cardboard box. "Young man, want to buy instant noodles?" Li Banfeng regarded her with suspicion. There were actually vendors on the platform! In truth, vendors often operated on the platforms of green trains; having ridden them before, Li Banfeng didn't find it particularly unusual. *But why didn't I see this old woman earlier?* The old woman said, "The train will be here soon, and there's no food aboard. Buy a few bowls to take along!" "How much a bowl?" "Four yuan." Only four yuan! Not just for a railway station, but even in any regular supermarket across Yuezhou, this price was an absolute bargain. "I'll take ten!" Two days, ten bowls—that would be enough to eat. Li Banfeng took out his phone and was about to scan the code when he suddenly saw a tall man in uniform stride onto the platform and snatch the box of instant noodles right out of the old woman's hands. "Who gave you permission to sell things here?" the uniformed man demanded. "I spoke with the station master," the old woman replied tremulously. "I never heard the station master mention it. Confiscated!" Carrying the box, the uniformed man turned to leave. The old woman watched tremblingly, heartbroken over the box of instant noodles, yet not daring to speak up. Li Banfeng stepped forward and yanked the box straight off the man's shoulder, throwing him off balance into a stumble. The uniformed man stared in astonishment. "What do you think you're doing?" "What do *you* think you're doing?" Li Banfeng retorted. "Robbing people in broad daylight?" The uniformed man frowned. "I'm a station attendant. She's operating an illegal business, and I'm handling this by the book!" "What business?" Li Banfeng glanced at the old woman. "This is my second aunt seeing me off on the train, bringing me a box of instant noodles. Is that a problem?" The uniformed man stood speechless. Li Banfeng turned back to the old woman. "Second Aunt, seeing me here is plenty. I'll be boarding soon." As he spoke, Li Banfeng secretly slipped a hundred-yuan bill into the old woman's hand. The old woman looked at Li Banfeng, remaining quiet for a long moment. A full box held twenty-four bowls of instant noodles, which was slightly too much. *Too much is fine! I can share them with Jiaqing once I reach his place.* *Chug! Chug! Chug!* What was that sound? Li Banfeng peered down the tracks into the far distance. First, he saw white smoke. To be precise, it wasn't smoke—it was white steam. Billows of black smoke churned within the steam; that was the real smoke, soot produced from burning coal. *Clang-clatter! Clang-clatter! Clang-clatter!* That was the distinct mechanical clatter between crankshafts and connecting rods. *Woo-ooh!* A true steam whistle, powered by steam! This was... A steam train? Li Banfeng's jaw dropped. There were still steam trains in this era? The pitch-black locomotive belched steam, gradually slowing as it pulled alongside the platform. The green carriage doors opened one by one, and conductors lowered the boarding steps. Carrying the box of instant noodles, Li Banfeng walked toward Carriage 7. At the platform entrance, Xiao Zhenggong and Lightbulb silently watched Li Banfeng's figure, seeing him about to board the train. "Lightbulb, strike!" Xiao Zhenggong ordered. Lightbulb felt his heart shiver. He hadn't expected Captain Xiao to hold back from acting personally despite being right here. *Is Captain Xiao testing me?* *No, it can't be called a test; it must be my final chance.* In truth, Xiao Zhenggong had considered acting personally, but he had spotted the old woman on the platform—the old woman selling instant noodles. She had been watching Li Banfeng the entire time, which filled Xiao Zhenggong with immense dread. He knew her identity. If she was connected to Li Banfeng, striking at him here was completely out of the question, or the consequences would be dire. Yet letting Li Banfeng leave like this left Xiao Zhenggong deeply unwilling. *Was the old woman really looking at Li Banfeng?* *Perhaps she has no connection to him at all.* Rather than letting Li Banfeng escape, it was better to use Lightbulb as an experiment. "Shoot the suspect dead immediately! This is your last chance!" Xiao Zhenggong barked the order once more. Hearing the command, Lightbulb gritted his teeth and prepared to dash onto the platform, only to be held back from behind. Lightbulb turned his head, finding the man holding him was none other than Team Leader Old Chen. When had Captain Chen arrived? Lightbulb hastily saluted. Xiao Zhenggong pointed at Li Banfeng, who was about to board, and said to Old Chen, "Captain Chen, Li Banfeng is trying to flee. He may be carrying a vital item. Now is our only chance to retrieve it." Old Chen nodded and said to Xiao Zhenggong, "That makes sense. Go on then, I'll wait for you here." Xiao Zhenggong's cheek twitched, yet he didn't make a move. Lightbulb was utterly baffled. He couldn't understand why Xiao Zhenggong refused to step forward. *Could it really have just been to test me?* Old Chen looked at Xiao Zhenggong and smiled. "You're scared?" Xiao Zhenggong didn't argue; he was indeed terrified. Lightbulb grew even more confused. Why was Xiao Zhenggong scared? Everyone said he was the strongest in the unit, so why would he fear a mere white lamb like Li Banfeng? Old Chen gazed toward the old woman on the platform. "Li Banfeng took something from Lucky Star, so he is destined to encounter three strokes of good luck. "Ordering Lightbulb to seize him right in front of Lucky Star—isn't that the same as sending Lightbulb to his death?" Those words left Lightbulb completely dumbfounded. Who was Lucky Star? That old woman? He would die if he went? Then why had Captain Xiao ordered him to go? Lightbulb stared at Captain Xiao in shock. Captain Xiao showed no unusual expression, without the slightest trace of guilt. "I wasn't certain that was Lucky Star, nor was I sure whether Lucky Star had any ties to Li Banfeng." *You weren't sure?* *Because you weren't sure, you used me as a guinea pig?* Lightbulb's face turned deathly pale. His impression of Captain Xiao had completely shattered. Captain Xiao continued, "The item in Li Banfeng's hands is critical. We cannot allow him to take it away. We must take certain risks for it!" "And I'm the only one who has to shoulder the risk?" Lightbulb stared straight at Xiao Zhenggong. Xiao Zhenggong said calmly, "This was your duty to begin with. You were the one who lost track of Li Banfeng!" Captain Chen patted Lightbulb on the back, soothing his agitated emotions. Once Lightbulb calmed down, Captain Chen turned to Xiao Zhenggong. "Letting that thing go where it belongs—isn't that fine too?" Xiao Zhenggong's expression was icy. "Li Banfeng isn't a dark energy user. Taking such an important item to Puluo Province is tantamount to suicide. It would be better to—" "I'll say it again: if you want to go, then go," Captain Chen said, his smile unwavering. "Didn't you just say you wanted to shoot this man dead? Hurry along, I won't stop you!" Xiao Zhenggong remained silent. He would not gamble his life to provoke Lucky Star. Old Chen looked toward Li Banfeng's retreating figure, murmuring inwardly: *Young lad, with Lucky Star's protection, you should arrive safely in Puluo Province.* *Yet by the time you return, who knows if you'll still look the way you do now.* *Woo-ooh! Woo-ooh!* The steam whistle sounded again, as if urging passengers to board quickly. Li Banfeng reached the door of the green carriage. The conductor checked his ticket first, used a punch to clip a notch into it, and allowed him aboard. Stepping into the narrow corridor, Li Banfeng found his Seat 7. *This is... a seat?* Li Banfeng pushed open Door 7. Behind it was a small room. A private compartment? Were there private compartments on trains in Huan Country? Inside stood a long bench seat, the kind very common on green trains. Yet in Li Banfeng's memory, there should have been a pair facing each other, whereas here there was only one. In front of the bench was a small table, another standard fixture of green trains with which Li Banfeng was well acquainted. Beside the table was the window, with opening handles and latches at the two bottom corners. Just as Li Banfeng thought to open the window for some fresh air, he discovered two more doors inside this little room. He pushed open one of the doors, and a familiar odor wafted out. It was a restroom; looking down the squat toilet, one could see the tracks below directly. Beside the toilet was a washbasin. It was a standard green-train lavatory. A first-class sleeper ticket came with a private bathroom? Li Banfeng turned and pushed open the other door. Inside was another small room—or more accurately, a berth, containing only a single bed. One bedroom, one living room, one bathroom. Was this exclusively for the first-class sleeper? Worried he had entered the wrong place, Li Banfeng was about to open the outer door to ask the staff when the loudspeaker in the living area crackled to life: "Dear passengers, welcome aboard Train 1160. Passengers who have boarded, please do not wander about. Passengers riding this train for the first time, please draw your curtains tightly, do not peer out the window, and above all, do not open the window. "The train crew is only responsible for checking tickets upon boarding and announcing station arrivals. At all other times, they will not disturb passengers. Unless necessary, please do not allow strangers into your compartment. "We wish you a pleasant journey." *Sizzle~* The broadcast cut off. Li Banfeng was still wondering about the bizarre rules—such as why the windows couldn't be opened and why the curtains had to be drawn—when his phone vibrated. A message arrived from He Jiaqing: "Bro, whatever you do, strictly obey the train's rules."