Santoucha

He Jiaqing had warned Li Banfeng that he must abide by the rules aboard the train at all costs. Li Banfeng promptly drew the curtains shut and locked the compartment door. He pulled out two tubs of instant noodles, filled them with hot water from the compartment's boiler, let them steep, and ate. It felt like some kind of imprint stamped into the soul—instant noodles always tasted exceptionally delicious on a train. Once full, Li Banfeng sat in a chair and messaged He Jiaqing back: "Tell me right now: what on earth is going on?" He Jiaqing replied: "I'm trapped in Yaowanggou. Once you get to my place, we'll talk face-to-face." "Tell me first: where exactly is Yaowanggou? Is it still in Yuedong Province?" "Not in Yuedong Province. In Puluo Province. Without that item, I can't get away." "What kind of place is Puluo Province?" "Brother, I'm completely drained, and I can barely hold on. Let's wait until we meet." "What's inside that parcel?" "Let me rest for a bit first. I'll definitely tell you. Above all, remember: do not open that parcel." He Jiaqing sent no more messages. Li Banfeng took the parcel out of his backpack, set it on the dining table, and stared at it quietly for a long while. To say he wasn't curious would be a lie. To say he wouldn't open it was impossible. The real question was when to open it. Li Banfeng was certain it contained some rare, priceless treasure. Yet recalling the phone call of that big-eyed young man—how the one called Captain Xiao had mentioned that this thing would cost countless lives... Could it be some kind of poison, or perhaps a bioweapon like a germ or a virus? He Jiaqing sent nothing further; he truly was pushed past his limit. Li Banfeng was exhausted as well. Back in the dorm, he hadn't been able to fall asleep no matter how hard he tried, yet here in the carriage, drowsiness rushed over him with overwhelming force. He took out his phone and searched for information on Puluo Province, Yaowanggou, and Lüshuiwan. The results were a dizzying jumble that was hard to decipher. After searching for a long time, Li Banfeng found nothing of value. The light in the compartment was very dim. Beneath the lampshade was an incandescent bulb uncommon even in his childhood, casting a heavy yellowish glow that made his eyelids droop. The curtains were pulled shut, flush against the frame, leaving only the retreating shadows of the landscape outside visible. The panting of the steam train, the clatter of wheels against the rails, and the periodic whistle blended into a hypnotic white noise. Without realizing it, Li Banfeng walked into the bedroom, lay down on a berth, and drifted off to sleep. He had no idea how long he slept. In between, he had gotten up to drink water and use the bathroom, until violent pounding on the door jolted him wide awake. "Mister, big brother! Please open the door! Let me in to stay for a bit, just a little while!" came a woman's voice from outside, frantic, panicked, and choking with sobs. A child was pleading as well: "Uncle, please, open the door, please!" The child began to cry. Li Banfeng did not open the door. The train broadcast had warned not to let strangers into the compartment unless necessary. Furthermore, there was a glaring question. How did they know he was a man? How did that child know to call him "uncle"? Since boarding the train, Li Banfeng hadn't left his compartment once. Apart from the attendant who checked tickets, he hadn't seen a single soul. "Big brother, I beg you, just let me in for a little while! I'll leave right away!" "Uncle, open up, please..." *Thud, thud, thud!* The knocking grew more frantic, the weeping more wretched. Li Banfeng offered no reply, and just then, the steam train began to decelerate. A chime preceded the announcement: "Attention passengers, we are arriving at Santoucha Station. Passengers alighting here, please gather your personal belongings and prepare to disembark." "I beg you, mister, just let my child hide inside for a bit! I won't go in!" the woman shrieked hoarsely outside the door. *What could have happened? Why do they have to hide in my compartment?* Li Banfeng moved toward the door, intending to peer out through the crack, when he faintly caught the sound of a man's voice: "Just kick the door down! He's never going to open it!" Li Banfeng hastily backed away from the door, looking in all directions for any usable weapon. *Three people outside?* *There's a man out there too!* He had seriously underestimated the dangers on this train. "Kick the door! If we don't, it'll be too late!" the man's voice came again. Would he actually dare kick it down? Li Banfeng doubted it; otherwise, the man would have done so already. Inside and out, both sides remained locked in a stalemate. *Hiss—* With a long venting of steam, the train came to a stop. *Clatter!* Li Banfeng heard the carriage door slide open and the attendant lower the boarding steps. "Open the door! Open the door! I fucking told you to open up! Are you opening it or not..." the woman screamed hysterically. The door panel shook violently. She had started kicking it. Strange. Why was the woman the one kicking? Though he couldn't see, the rhythm of the sounds made it clear that the cursing and kicking came from the exact same person—that woman! The door shuddered fiercely, threatening to yield under her blows at any moment. Li Banfeng readied the spicy snack sticks and the compartment's thermos—the only two handy weapons available. His neck began to itch. Li Banfeng had no hand free to scratch it! It was getting unbearable; the itch was far too intense. Why did it have to happen right now? Li Banfeng set down the thermos, scratched viciously at his neck twice, and immediately snatched the thermos back up. *Bang! Bang!* Just as the door was about to be kicked open, another voice called out from the corridor: "This is your stop. Please disembark immediately." It was the attendant's voice! The attendant was warning the woman that she had reached her station. Li Banfeng's heart eased slightly. He lowered the thermos and scratched his neck several more times. The woman screamed, "I'm not getting off! I'll find a way to pay the fare! I can't get off at Santoucha! The peddler is already gone! I have to get off at the next stop, I have to go to Haichiling!" *What peddler?* *If the peddler is gone, why does she have to go to Haichiling?* While Li Banfeng was still utterly bewildered, a scuffle and shoving broke out in the corridor. The woman shouted, "I'm not getting off!" The child cried, "Won't get off! Won't get off!" The man yelled, "We'll pay the fare in a minute!" The voices of the woman, the child, and the man sounded all at once. The scuffling and thuds never paused, but the sounds drifted farther and farther away; it seemed they had fought the attendant all the way off the train. Before long, the attendant hauled up the boarding steps and closed the carriage door. Li Banfeng sank back into his chair, wiped the cold sweat from his brow, and scratched his neck as he pieced together what had just happened. So the three of them had wanted to enter his compartment just to dodge the fare. If he had let them in, they most likely would have commandeered the room—and that was assuming the best. They had dared to kick the door, dared to brawl with the attendant, and had no money for tickets. If they had gotten inside, they definitely would have robbed him. If he couldn't overpower them, his money, instant noodles, spicy sticks, potato chips, and He Jiaqing's treasure would all be lost. Everything else aside, he absolutely couldn't let them steal the instant noodles. Without noodles, how could he possibly survive this journey! Sitting by the window, Li Banfeng took several gulps of water to steady his nerves. *Chuff... chuff...* After lingering at the station for ten-odd minutes, the steam train pulled out once more. His neck grew itchier by the second, as though a rash were flaring up! Li Banfeng pulled out his phone to check the time when sudden slapping sounds came against the windowpane. Who was slapping the window? Was it those three people from earlier? *Thump! Thump! Thump!* Dull thuds sounded in rapid succession. The train gathered speed, yet the slapping never ceased. Was someone running alongside the train and slapping his window? Just how fast could they run?! Li Banfeng was alarmed and didn't dare remain by the window. He wanted to peel back the curtain to look, but remembering the instruction from the broadcast, he refrained from reaching out rashly. As the train passed beneath a streetlamp, the silhouette of the person outside was cast upon the curtain. Li Banfeng saw broad palms, powerful arms, a wide chest, and shoulders broader still. Upon those broad shoulders sat three heads. Though it was only a fleeting glimpse, Li Banfeng was certain his eyes hadn't deceived him. Was this the person who had been kicking the door outside the compartment earlier? It had to be! Li Banfeng had thought there were three people outside the door, but in reality there was only one—a person with three heads! The exchange he had heard before had simply been this single person's three heads taking turns to speak. This place was called Santoucha—Three-Headed Fork. Did this three-headed person have some necessary connection to Santoucha? The train passed under a string of streetlamps, the three-headed figure's shadow flickering repeatedly across the curtain. One of his hands gripped the outer ledge of the window, his body already suspended in midair, while his other hand kept slamming relentlessly against the glass. The pane looked ready to shatter at any second. Li Banfeng snatched up the spicy sticks and the thermos once more, bracing for a fight. Suddenly, a pole extended down from the carriage roof, thrusting a dozen times in quick succession until it shoved the three-headed person right off the window. It was the attendant. Having knocked the three-headed person off the train, the attendant retracted the pole, hopped placidly across the gangway connection, and stepped back into the carriage. Li Banfeng stood in the center of the compartment, not daring to get too close to the door, nor too close to the window. *Screeech—* The broadcast crackled to life again: "Attention passengers, welcome aboard Train 1160. Passengers who have boarded, please do not move between carriages at will..." The itch on his neck became unbearable. Li Banfeng scratched at it, only to find he had torn the skin and drawn blood. *What is going on?* *Why is only my neck itching like this?* *Am I going to grow two more heads as well?* *What if they really start growing?* "So what if they do! Isn't it lonely being all by yourself?" "We've been right beside you the whole time. Now we can keep you company and chat!" Li Banfeng seemed to hear two voices whispering right by his ear!