Chapter 9: Three Forks

He Jiaqing reminded Li Banfeng to strictly adhere to the train's regulations.

Li Banfeng quickly closed the window curtains and locked the compartment door.

He took out two boxes of instant noodles, got hot water from the compartment's tea boiler, and ate them.

It was as if some imprint was left in his soul; instant noodles always tasted exceptionally good on a train.

After eating his fill, Li Banfeng sat on a chair and messaged He Jiaqing: "Tell me now, what exactly is going on?"

He Jiaqing replied: "I'm trapped in Yaowanggou. We'll talk face-to-face when you get to my place."

"First, tell me where Yaowanggou is. Is it still in Yuedong Province?"

"No, it's not in Yuedong Province. It's in Pu Luo Prefecture. I can't leave without that item."

"What is Pu Luo Prefecture?"

"Brother, I'm exhausted, almost at my limit. Let's talk when we meet."

"What's in that package, then?"

"Let me rest for a bit first. I'll definitely tell you, but whatever you do, remember not to open the package."

He Jiaqing stopped sending messages.

Li Banfeng took the package out of his backpack, placed it on the dining table, and stared at it quietly for a long time.

To say he wasn't curious would be a lie.

To say he wouldn't open it was impossible.

The key was when to open it.

Li Banfeng concluded it contained a rare treasure.

But then he recalled the call from the big-eyed man, where a person named Team Xiao mentioned that this item could kill many people.

Could it be some kind of poison, or perhaps a bioweapon like bacteria or a virus?

He Jiaqing didn't send any more messages; he was indeed exhausted.

Li Banfeng was also worn out. He couldn't sleep in his dorm no matter how hard he tried, but now in the compartment, tiredness swept over him rapidly, making it impossible to resist.

He took out his phone and started searching for information about Pu Luo Prefecture, Yaowanggou, and Lvshuiwan.

The information on his phone was varied and difficult to discern. Li Banfeng searched for a long time but found nothing valuable.

The compartment lights were dim, the bulbs inside the shades seemed to be an old kind, rarely seen even in his childhood, casting a yellow glow that made his eyelids heavy.

The curtains were tightly closed, perfectly sealed, only allowing him to see the receding shadows of the outside scenery.

The huffing of the steam train, the clatter of wheels on tracks, and the occasional whistle blasts formed a hypnotic white noise, causing Li Banfeng to unconsciously walk into the bedroom, lie down on the bunk, and fall asleep.

He didn't remember how long he had slept. He had drunk water and used the restroom in between, but it wasn't until a violent knocking at the door startled him fully awake from his slumber.

"Big brother, big brother! Please open the door, just let me in for a moment, just for a moment!" A woman's voice came from outside the compartment door, urgent, panicked, and tinged with tears.

A child also pleaded: "Uncle, please, please open the door, please."

The child cried.

Li Banfeng didn't open the door.

The train's broadcast had advised not to let strangers into the compartment unless necessary.

And there was another crucial question.

How did they know he was a "big brother"? How did the child know he was an "uncle"?

Since boarding, Li Banfeng hadn't left the compartment and hadn't seen anyone except the ticket inspector.

"Big brother, I beg you, just let me in for a moment, I'll leave soon!"

"Uncle, please open the door..."

*Thud, thud, thud!*

The knocking became more urgent, and the crying grew more desperate.

Li Banfeng didn't respond. At that moment, the steam train was slowing down.

The broadcast announced: "Attention passengers, San Tou Cha Station is approaching. Passengers disembarking at this station, please gather your personal belongings and prepare to exit the train."

"I beg you, big brother, just let my child hide inside for a moment, I won't come in!" the woman outside shrieked.

What exactly happened? Why did they have to hide in his compartment?

Li Banfeng approached the door, intending to peek through the crack, when he suddenly faintly heard a man's voice: "Kick the door down! He won't open it!"

Li Banfeng quickly retreated from the door, looking around for a usable weapon.

There were three people outside the door?

And a man!

He had underestimated the risks on this train.

"Kick the door! It'll be too late if you don't!" the man's voice came again.

Would he really dare to kick the door?

He guessed not, otherwise, he would have kicked it already.

Inside and outside the door, both sides were in a standoff.

*Hiss~~*

With a long hiss of steam, the train came to a stop.

*Clatter!*

Li Banfeng heard the compartment door open, and a conductor lowered the steps.

"Open the door! Open the door! I'm telling you to open the door! Are you opening it or not...?" the woman shrieked furiously.

The door panel shook violently; she had started kicking the door.

Strange, why was it the woman kicking the door?

Although he couldn't see, the rhythm of the sounds indicated that the cursing and kicking were coming from the same person – the woman!

The door panel rattled violently, threatening to burst open at any moment.

Li Banfeng prepared the spicy strips and the hot water bottle from the compartment, his only two handy weapons.

His neck felt a bit itchy.

Li Banfeng couldn't free a hand to scratch it!

No, it was too itchy.

Why now, of all times?

Li Banfeng put down the hot water bottle, scratched his neck vigorously twice, and immediately picked the bottle back up.

*Bang! Bang!*

The door was about to be kicked open when another voice came from outside the compartment: "You've reached your station, please disembark immediately."

It was the conductor's voice!

The conductor was telling the woman that she had reached her destination.

Li Banfeng's heart eased slightly. He put down the hot water bottle and scratched his neck a few more times.

The woman shrieked: "I won't get off! I'll find a way to buy a ticket. I can't get off at San Tou Cha. The peddler has left, I need to get off at the next station, I need to go to Haichiling!"

What peddler?

Why go to Haichiling if the peddler had left?

Li Banfeng was still bewildered, hearing only a struggle and shoving from outside the compartment.

The woman yelled: "I'm not getting off!"

The child yelled: "We won't, we won't get off!"

The man yelled: "We'll buy tickets in a moment!"

The voices of the woman, child, and man rang out together. The sounds of struggling and impact never ceased, but they grew fainter, as if they had fought their way off the train with the conductor.

Before long, the conductor retracted the boarding steps and closed the compartment door.

Li Banfeng sat back in his chair, wiping cold sweat from his forehead, and while scratching his neck, he speculated about what had happened.

Those three wanted to get into his compartment, apparently to evade paying for tickets.

If he had let them in, they would probably have taken over the compartment, and that would have been the least of his worries.

They dared to kick the door, dared to struggle with the conductor, and had no money for tickets; he figured they would certainly try to rob him if they got inside.

If he couldn't fight them off, his money, instant noodles, spicy strips, potato chips, and He Jiaqing's treasure would likely all be lost.

Everything else was negotiable, but the instant noodles were crucial – he couldn't let them take those. How would he get through the journey without them?

Sitting by the window, Li Banfeng drank several sips of water to calm himself.

*Whoosh~ whoosh~*

After a stop of about ten minutes, the steam train started moving again.

His neck was getting itchier, as if a rash were developing!

Li Banfeng pulled out his phone, intending to check the time, when he suddenly heard tapping on the window.

Who was tapping on the window?

Was it those three people from before?

*Bang! Bang! Bang!*

Dull thuds continued.

The train sped up, but the tapping continued relentlessly.

This person was chasing the train, tapping on his window?

How fast must he be running!

Li Banfeng was shocked and dared not remain seated by the window.

He wanted to pull back the curtain and look, but he remembered the broadcast's warning and didn't rashly reach out.

As the train passed a streetlamp, its light illuminated the figure of the person outside on the curtain.

Li Banfeng saw broad palms, powerful arms, a wide chest, and shoulders even wider than his chest.

On those wide shoulders were three heads. Though it was only a fleeting glimpse, Li Banfeng was certain he hadn't seen wrong.

Was this the person who had just been kicking the door outside the compartment?

Probably!

Li Banfeng had thought there were three people outside the door, but it was actually just one person—a person with three heads!

The conversation he'd heard earlier was this one person's three heads speaking in turn.

This place was called San Tou Cha.

Was there a connection between this three-headed person and San Tou Cha?

The train passed a row of streetlights, and the three-headed person's silhouette repeatedly flashed across the curtain.

He was clinging to the outer edge of the train window with one hand, his body suspended in mid-air, while his other hand continued to pound on the window.

The window glass seemed like it could crack at any moment.

Li Banfeng once again picked up the spicy strips and the hot water bottle, ready for a fight.

Suddenly, a pole extended from the train's roof, poking the three-headed person more than a dozen times, dislodging him from the window.

It was the conductor.

The conductor poked the three-headed person off the train, then retracted the pole, and calmly jumped onto the gangway between carriages, returning to the compartment.

Li Banfeng stood in the center of the compartment, not daring to get too close to the door or the window.

*Static crackle~*

The broadcast sounded again: "Attention passengers, welcome aboard train 1160. Passengers who have boarded, please do not move around unnecessarily..."

His neck was getting itchier and itchier. Li Banfeng scratched it a few times and found he had broken the skin and drawn blood.

What was going on?

Why was only his neck so itchy?

Was he also going to grow two more heads?

What if they actually grew out?

"So what if they grow! Being alone is so lonely!"

"We've always been with you, just right to keep you company!"

Li Banfeng thought he heard two people talking in his ear!

PS: Four updates today, another at midnight.