Night deepened across the wasteland as Yin Lie and the others moved farther from the city wall.
There were no buildings here.
No lights.
No voices.
Only the open land — dark and endless — stretching out beneath a sky full of cold stars.
Qin Mian rested in Yin Lie's arms, her breathing soft and light.
Every now and then her fingers twitched, as if reaching for something she feared losing.
Even in sleep, she held onto his shirt.
Chen Gu walked ahead, scanning constantly, his small device blinking faint green.
"I'm picking up structures ahead," he whispered. "Old. Large. Mostly metal and stone."
Thorne groaned behind them.
"Please tell me it's not another cave. Or a sewer. Or a tunnel full of murder drones."
Kai, limping but alert, answered flatly:
"It's the railway station. If we're lucky, it's abandoned."
Thorne threw his hands up.
"Oh great. You said the tunnels were safe too, and we almost died three times!"
Kai didn't bother responding.
Her eyes were focused on the distant horizon — scanning for movement, for drones, for soldiers.
The Directorate would come.
They all knew it.
The ruined railway line appeared first.
Long metal rails twisted upward out of the ground like giant broken ribs.
Old train cars lay toppled on their sides — some crushed, some half-sunk into dirt, others rusted into hollow skeletons.
The wind whistled through the broken windows, creating a soft, ghostly howl.
Thorne shivered violently.
"Okay… I take back every complaint. This is definitely haunted."
Chen Gu elbowed him.
"It's only haunted if you talk too much."
"I TALK TOO MUCH WHEN I'M SCARED!"
Kai muttered:
"You talk too much always."
But her voice softened slightly — barely noticeable.
They walked deeper along the tracks, passing old signs hanging from single rusted bolts, swinging slowly in the night wind.
"Platform 2"
"West Terminal — Closed"
"No Entry Beyond This Point"
Everything was broken.
Frozen in time.
A world abandoned by humans long before Qin Mian was ever sealed away.
Qin Mian stirred slightly in Yin Lie's arms.
"…cold…" she murmured.
Yin Lie adjusted her gently so his coat wrapped around her shoulders.
"It's okay. I've got you."
She relaxed again, breathing quietly against his chest.
Kai watched this exchange out of the corner of her eye — something unreadable flickering briefly across her face.
Finally, they reached the main structure.
It rose out of the earth like a forgotten temple — massive, dark, and crumbling.
The Westbound Railway Terminal.
Its grand stone arches were cracked.
Vines grew over shattered windows.
A giant metal sign, half-bent, hung from twisted cables:
W E S T B O U N D T E R M I N A L 0 6
Thorne whispered:
"…this is where horror movies start."
Chen Gu lifted his scanner.
"No signals inside. No heat signatures. If something WAS living here, it's gone."
Kai scanned the building with a trained eye.
"Or hiding."
Yin Lie said nothing.
He only tightened his hold on Qin Mian and walked inside.
The air inside was cooler.
Still.
Echoing.
Moonlight filtered through broken glass in thin silver lines, illuminating rows of fallen benches, collapsed pillars, and rusted luggage carts frozen in place.
Huge torn banners hung from the ceiling:
"Explore the Westbound Frontier!"
"Your Future Starts Onboard!"
Qin Mian blinked awake slowly, eyes adjusting to the dim light.
Her voice was fragile.
"Lie…? Where are we now…?"
"A safe place," he whispered.
"For tonight."
She looked at the huge hall with wide, uncertain eyes.
"…did people stay here?"
"Yes. They waited for trains."
She reached out and touched the cold stone floor.
"…it feels lonely."
Yin Lie knelt beside her.
"It hasn't seen people in a long time."
Qin Mian frowned — a childlike sadness in her eyes.
"Then… maybe it's happy we're here."
Yin Lie felt something warm inside his chest.
"…maybe."
Chen Gu pointed toward a side corridor.
"There's a maintenance room down there. We can rest inside. Should be stable."
Thorne nodded quickly.
"I volunteer to NOT sleep alone."
Kai ignored him and swept the hall for threats.
Yin Lie carried Qin Mian toward the platform edge.
Old rails disappeared into a pitch-black tunnel.
Qin Mian stared into the darkness.
"…is something hiding in there…?"
Yin Lie touched her cheek gently.
"Just shadows."
She relaxed, but her hand stayed wrapped around his sleeve.
They settled near a low wall that gave them some cover.
Thorne unpacked old emergency blankets from his bag — thin but usable.
Chen Gu started checking the building structure.
Kai remained near the entrance, arms folded, her sharp eyes scanning every movement.
Yin Lie sat on the broken floor with Qin Mian resting along his side.
She slowly leaned her head on his shoulder again.
"Lie…"
Her voice was soft, like she feared the darkness might swallow her words.
"Yes?"
"…the outside world is… so big."
He nodded.
"It is."
"…I don't know if I belong here."
Yin Lie turned her face toward him gently.
"You belong wherever you choose."
She blinked.
"…if I choose you?"
Yin Lie stopped breathing for a moment.
But his answer was steady.
"Then I'm not going anywhere."
Qin Mian smiled — small, tired, warm.
And her eyes fluttered closed again.
Danger in the Dark
Just as the group began to relax—
CLANK.
A metallic echo rang through the hall.
Kai's head snapped up instantly.
Thorne froze mid-sip of his water.
Chen Gu lowered the scanner.
"…what was that?"
Yin Lie moved Qin Mian behind him carefully.
Kai aimed her weapon toward the tracks.
The sound came again—
Scrape… clank… scrape…
Slow.
Heavy.
Mechanical.
Thorne whispered:
"It's a ghost train.
It's a robot ghost train.
We're dead."
Chen Gu slapped his arm.
"Shut up."
The darkness in the train tunnel pulsed like a slow heartbeat.
Then—
Something moved.
A red light sparked.
Small at first.
Then brighter.
Brighter.
A shape crawled out of the darkness.
A drone.
But not a whole one.
A half-destroyed drone dragging itself forward on broken spider-like legs.
One wing missing.
Its metal chassis torn open.
Wires sparking violently.
Its red eye flickered.
On.
Off.
On.
A sick, glitching glow.
Kai frowned deeply.
"This drone… should NOT be working. Not in this condition."
Thorne whimpered.
"Kill it. Kill it now. Kill it before it kills us."
But the drone's ruined voice sputtered out before anyone touched it—
"T-TARGET… RETUR—NED…
REACQUIRED…"
Qin Mian gasped.
Yin Lie stepped in front of her, ice forming faintly along his arm.
Chen Gu shouted:
"How did it FIND us—and survive the shield blast?!"
Kai lowered her weapon, eyes narrowing.
"It didn't survive."
"It's being remote-driven."
Thorne screamed.
"What?! By who?!"
Kai answered:
"The Directorate."
The drone jolted forward, gears screaming.
Qin Mian clung to Yin Lie.
"Lie… it wants me…"
Yin Lie stood tall, ice spreading across his hand.
"No.
It wants US."
He stepped forward.
"Come on then."
The ruined drone launched.
The station shook.
And the battle for the night began.
Chapter 74 — Completed