Chapter 158 Train Defense Battle

397

In a blink of an eye, the day to go to Backlund had arrived.

The earliest train departing from Tingen Station is at five o'clock, and the journey to Backlund takes at least three hours. Because delays are less likely to occur in the morning, even though this time is ridiculously early, many people still choose it.

It was still dark, and Benson stood on the side of the platform, holding two people's boxes in his two hands, keeping a distance of about half a meter from the people around him. He was alert to other passengers around him and asked Melissa to keep an eye on her important belongings.

"There are a lot of people this morning." Melissa whispered, and from her height she could only see countless people's shoulders.

Benson looked around at the dark crowd of heads and was a little surprised:

"Yes, it turns out that there are so many people on the first bus. It must have been affected by Backlund's recruitment boom."

"I heard that in the past morning trains, if only one-third of each car could be occupied, it was already too crowded. This time is still too early."

After that, he took out his pocket watch from his pocket, took one look at it, and immediately put it back: "There are still fifteen minutes."

Melissa nodded, and the brother and sister stood in the sea of ​​people and waited quietly.

Tingen Station is the departure station, and the steam train has stopped on the tracks under the platform, but the time has not yet arrived. A dividing line was drawn halfway in front of the platform, and station staff were running back and forth near the train to confirm the status for the last time.

With eight minutes left before departure, the staff removed the dividing line. Soon, the car door opened and the crowd started to commotion. The staff on the platform began to check tickets and directed people to move to various carriages.

The brother and sister squeezed into the car smoothly and followed the crowd for a short while before arriving at their location.

The first-class seat is comfortable and spacious, with two single seats about one meter facing each other, and a small table connected to the wall in the middle. The first-class seats have special luggage lockers, and they don’t have too many clutter. You can sit on the soft seats and straighten your legs.

Melissa sighed with emotion at this comfortable and luxurious enjoyment - a full 15 soles for one person! First-class seats come with a meal, a piece of bread, a drink, and unlimited hot water, which is enough for breakfast. You can even make do with lunch if you save a little.

But Benson would definitely not let Melissa be so frugal. He made up his mind to take his sister to Backlund for a relatively sumptuous lunch.

Because their savings are completely enough for them to spend their lives safely, but in the past they were reluctant to use the money that their elder brother/younger brother exchanged with their lives, but now they are rushing towards a better life. Klein is in the Goddess’ Kingdom. Would you be happy if you knew this?

Furthermore, Benson's reason is also very good - "We are new here and are not familiar with Backlund's geographical conditions. We don't even have a map. We will definitely buy a map before looking for a place to live. We are not familiar with the road conditions and traffic." Under the circumstances, public carriages and trams are not suitable. We estimate that we will have to walk a long way and look at many houses before we can make a decision. If we don’t have a good meal, where will we have the strength?”

Benson successfully convinced his sister with his excellent eloquence. At this time, a dark shadow flashed out of the corner of his eye, and a figure sat on the empty seat next to them with a suitcase. It was a young-looking gentleman, but Dai Wearing a mask, only a pair of green eyes can be seen.

Melissa was a little stunned.

Mr. Green Eyes noticed them and said hello in surprise: "Good morning, Miss Melissa, we actually meet again."

So Benson glanced at Melissa first, and seeing that she didn't say hello immediately, he quickly stood up with a smile, helped Mr. Green Eyes put the relatively large and heavy suitcase on the luggage rack above his head, and then greeted her warmly. Said:

"Hello, my sister is a bit introverted. What should I call her?"

The green-eyed man, who originally felt a little embarrassed, breathed a sigh of relief and said in a dull and hoarse voice from behind the mask:

"I am Leonard Mitchell, a police officer from Tingen City who was transferred to Backlund. Mr. Benson, I have met you once, and I met your sister on the road the day before yesterday. We actually meet each other today - what a coincidence!"

"Mr. Mitchell, ah, Officer Mitchell..."

Benson's memory did not leave him with his hair, and he immediately remembered what this close relationship meant: "You came to our house in the first place... It was really troublesome for you at that time. The security of Tingen City is thanks to you all. For your hard work...congratulations on the promotion.”

He said a few polite words skillfully, and Melissa stood up and said hello. They are about to live in Backlund, and every compatriot who they can talk to is a resource, and Mr. Mitchell is obviously a kind and enthusiastic police officer, so he will naturally be an important connection in the future.

Of course, Benson believed that his soon-to-be government employee was also a human resource for Officer Mitchell.

So Benson casually chatted with Leonard about Backlund's customs and environment. He thought it was Leonard's first trip to Backlund, but he didn't expect that the other person already had many business trips and case handling experience.

He often stayed in Backlund, but this time it was a formal transfer - no wonder he had hardly seen each other in Tingen. Leonard talked eloquently about Backlund's geography and various institutions and regional divisions. He even knew how many churches of the Goddess of the Night existed in each district. Benson suddenly stood in awe of this devout believer.

This knowledge was exactly what Benson and the others needed. Benson listened eagerly to Leonard's description of Backlund's various living points, taking notes in his notebook from time to time. Melissa also concentrated on asking a few questions from time to time.

Her questions mainly revolve around the community, such as where is the restructured Backlund Technical University located, how much is the rent in the surrounding area, how far is it from the residential area, how much is the fare for public carriages and trolleybuses, how long does it take to walk... …Leonard couldn’t handle these bits and pieces. Since this is all useful information, and the people in this carriage are basically going to Backlund to make a living, no one thinks they are nagging and noisy. Leonard is like this (from time to time in Palles) (under guidance) chatted with the Moretti brothers and sisters for nearly an hour.

Leonard's mouth was dry with conversation, and when Benson began to ask him about his new views on environmental protection regulations, he felt that he was about to run out of ammunition. At this time, he caught a glimpse of Melissa yawning, and her expression suddenly became depressed.

Then, a series of yawns sounded in the carriage.

Drowsiness was like a tide, filling the entire car in an instant.

Leonard suddenly felt as if a basin of cold water had been poured down on him. He pursed his lips and began to pay attention to his surroundings.

Benson also yawned, looked at his pocket watch slightly sleepily, and said to Leonard:

"It's already half past six, Officer Mitchell. I'm a little sleepy too. Let's rest for a while."

Plan 1: Keep the Moretti brothers and sisters awake and highly focused throughout the entire process to resist dream interference, failed!

"Of course I will."

Leonard nodded in understanding, sat up straight and leaned against the back of his seat. He also pretended to close his eyes and pretend to sleep. In fact, he was vigilantly paying attention to the movements of everyone around him. Suddenly, he stood up suddenly - he discovered Everyone around them is not breathing!

Nightmare! This is a nightmare! ——Or did Ince Zangwill do it in a split second? ! He does have such ability!

But Illya-dono should have discovered it!

Leonard stepped forward and came to the Moretti brothers and sisters, stretched out his hand to smell... indeed, there was no more. He quickly checked the heartbeat and pulse again, and found that they had also stopped. The texture of their skin was also like that of a newly deceased person, still warm and elastic.

Melissa was dozing in the scarf on the table. He stretched out his hand and pushed, and Benson fell heavily on the seat.

If this was a dream, then the demigod Ince Zangwill must be infinitely smarter than me, and it would be impossible to find any flaws. Thinking of this, he suddenly turned his head and shouted to the seat in the row behind him: "Old man?"

As soon as he arrived, he noticed that there was an old man sitting behind him. Although his shouting was abrupt, there was nothing wrong with it.

The dead old man didn't answer, and the old man he really called didn't answer either!

Leonard's breath immediately stagnated, and he immediately said in ancient Hermes:

"bright!"

no response.

Leonard was anxious to escape the nightmare and protect people in the real world, but he was not impatient because of this. Several missions have gradually allowed him to develop the ability to respond in emergencies. He immediately knelt on the ground, closed his eyes, and began to recite the names of Archbishop Backlund and Saint Anthony loudly!

At this moment, he suddenly felt that the dream world was blurred for a moment. He immediately ended his unfinished prayer, stood up, poured spiritual energy in the direction of the distant induction, and shouted:

"bright!!"

Leonard instantly felt that his spirituality was being swallowed up quickly, reducing it by a quarter in the blink of an eye. At the same time, he suddenly felt as if he had fallen into a furnace and became violently hot. He suddenly opened his eyes, and it seemed as if a soldering iron had been installed on him The pockets of his trouser pockets were so hot that he stood up.

Pales hummed in his ear: "Not bad."

"Forty-three seconds."

"It took longer than I thought." Leonard looked at the wall clock in the carriage. He felt that he had only been in the nightmare for more than 20 seconds. He immediately stood up and carefully explored the breath of the Moretti brothers and sisters, and found that There is still energy flowing in and out, which makes me feel slightly relieved.

The soldering iron in his pocket was still hot, so he took out the red and hot charm. The car was suddenly filled with warm sunlight, and the indoor temperature rose rapidly. In an instant, he arrived at a high-end mansion with heating.

With this spell, Leonard seems to be able to distinguish between reality and dreams again.

At the same time, he was shocked to find that there were really undead souls in the carriage, which were purified in a flash under the sun.

Is this... could it be...

Leonard walked to the back of the carriage in disbelief - there were 16 rows of seats in a second-class carriage, so packed that adults couldn't even stretch their legs. The first-class seats are slightly more spacious, with 12 rows of seats. He and the Moretti brothers and sisters sat in the third row.

He came to row 9 and found that the passenger sitting here had expired.

The death was very peaceful... very peaceful. The body was still warm and the skin was still elastic.

There is no need to go any further. Leonard immediately turned around, returned to the Moretti brothers and sisters, easily took out Benson's wallet from his pocket, then shook Benson awake vigorously, and pushed the table hard, shocking him. Melissa sat up too.

"What happened?"

"Mr. Moretti, your wallet fell out."

Leonard handed the wallet to Benson and spoke loudly on purpose. In fact, the volume was not too loud, but with the help of spiritual power, he successfully woke up the people who were still alive in the car. They didn't notice that some passengers had died quietly, and they were reminded by him that they all started to check their own bodies. Important items.

Benson finally opened his sleepy eyes, yawned and kept thanking him, and took the wallet. He hesitated for a moment, but Leonard's calm attitude made him relax a lot. He opened the wallet and counted it in front of him. When he saw that nothing was missing, the smile on Benson's face became more sincere, and he commented on Officer Mitchell. It's also higher.

Melissa rubbed her eyes, yawned, and glanced at the wall clock in the carriage:

"It's only been a while?" She was still a little drowsy, murmuring, "How can I sleep so deeply on a steam train..."

"Yeah." Benson agreed, "Maybe I woke up too early and was too sleepy."

After being teased by Leonard, they temporarily sobered up a lot and chatted for a few words. Leonard took the opportunity to sit back, close his eyes and relax, and walked through the carriage in the dream to inform him of what happened and the casualties in his carriage.

After Sost heard this, he immediately asked Dai Li to take action.

Leonard opened his eyes. From the perspective of others, he only rested for a minute or two. At this time, the train arrived at the platform of the city it passed. More than a dozen passengers in rows 9-12 at the back of the carriage stood up one after another, picked up their luggage, and walked quietly after the train door opened.

They walked along the platform and soon disappeared into the distance.

"They left so early?" Melissa looked out of the window in surprise, "They didn't go to Backlund."

"Maybe he changed his mind." Benson added casually.

After all, these more than ten passengers who died accidentally walked out on their own, so they did not attract much attention from others. After the stop time was over, the steam train started again.

The train attendant pushed the dining car past this car and brought Leonard the only good news:

This train will not be delayed!

It's already seven o'clock, and I only need to persist for another hour and a half to reach Backlund smoothly!

398

"The screws of the luggage rack above Melissa Moretti's head were loose, and the train happened to be heading to Backlund for maintenance. The inspector focused on several damaged seats and broken safety doors. on, ignoring the safety hazard on the luggage rack, well, the safety hazard.”

"The screw in row 6 is broken!"

"The entire luggage rack fell three centimeters, the iron rack tilted, and the luggage weighing six kilograms was about to slide off. At this time, Leonard had to stay in the bathroom for 8 minutes and 24 seconds due to sudden abdominal pain that he could not resist."

"The luggage fell down one after another. Unfortunately, Melissa Moretti's neck was not broken because of this. The spirits belonging to Daley Simone were lingering here. They pushed down the glass as a warning, so that Passengers were quickly alerted to the danger."

…………

"The train stopped in York. By coincidence, a wanted criminal in disguise got on the train smoothly."

"He was searching for seats, and it just happened that rows 9-12 of Car No. 4 were all empty, and those passengers were all going to Backlund, so he wouldn't arouse suspicion even if he stayed here for a while. "

"...Well, that's the theory, but a train conductor who was specially notified by the Red Gloves discovered the problem, and he reported the sudden appearance of the passenger to Sost. Sost did not know this. A person's status as a fugitive, but it was obviously not okay to let a person who had no reason to evade fares sit near an important protection target. He realized that this was also a coincidence, so he entered the dream of a wanted criminal and wanted to let the wanted criminal leave on his own. When we got to the carriage where he was, there happened to be an empty spot near him for surveillance."

"Ince Zangwill is very dissatisfied with the development of this matter, but Ilia has confirmed his general direction through the returns of the Red Gloves and the extraordinary items he carries. At this time, Ince Zangwill We are under strategic deterrence."

"Ince Zangwill felt that this story was illogical, so he asked the wanted criminal to pass by Benson Moretti. When he suddenly became unconscious, he took out the dagger that had escaped the security check from his arms and started waving it! God! Well, yes, this wanted criminal happens to be a drug addict!”

"At this time, Leonard Mitchell was suffering from a sudden severe headache and did not get up to stop him immediately. Instead, he threw his thermos cup and hit the wanted criminal on the back of the head."

"The thermos cup is made of double-layer glass and stainless steel. Very good. The wanted criminal was smashed to death, Mr. Mitchell is about to receive additional subsidies, and the dagger he brandished only scratched Benson Moretti's shoulder, clothes and Seat. Ilia also confirmed the location of Ince Zangwill.”

brush! The sky outside the train suddenly darkened!

At the same time, misty singing sounded in the train. Sost and Leonard were instructed to start singing requiem poems at the same time. The singing was relayed by other nightmares throughout the train, and the huge dream instantly covered everyone except the conductor. of all people.

People fell into a dark sleep, their souls were protected by dreams, and the war between the demigods began in the real world.

Stars, red moon, as if a pen dyed with starlight is writing gracefully on the night sky as paper, the power of death and tranquility conflict, the scream of the spirit body is soothed by poetry, thunder and lightning flashes and rumbles from time to time, Leonard can't help but I dared to take a closer look, but I seemed to see a strange brass-colored eye, as if one look at this thing would be able to see through it from beginning to end.

The battle between the demigods came and went quickly. After about ten minutes, the stars gradually faded away, but the sky was not too bright in the winter morning. There was no difference except that the night sky was clearer.

In this way, Ince Zangwill would not stop them during the rest of the trip, and their escort mission was more than half successful.

The dream lasted for half an hour longer, and half an hour later, the passengers woke up one after another. They just felt that they had a good sleep and had a good, hazy dream. It was unclear what they dreamed about, but when they woke up, they felt refreshed, peaceful, and in better spirits.

Woo!

More than an hour later, the steam train arrived at Backlund with countless hopeful people. At this time, the sky was still bright, the fog in the sky was thinner, and the gas lamps hanging above the platform were no longer lit early.

Benson protected his sister and wallet very experiencedly. He carried suitcases, one for himself and one for Leonard, and followed the crowd and walked out of the station.

Along the way, Leonard, who suffered from headaches, stomachaches, abdominal pain, and leg pains, was dying beside him. He no longer needed to deliberately disguise his voice, his voice was indeed hoarse. However, he was wearing a mask, so no one could tell that he looked disheveled and that there was cold sweat on his forehead.

He helped the Moretti brothers and sisters a lot along the way, and the brothers and sisters were also very moved, especially when the drug addict suddenly stabbed someone with a knife - the police officer is indeed a police officer, and a police officer who can be promoted to Backlund in his early twenties is really agile. This was a life-saving grace in a big way. It was neither a relative nor a friend. This enthusiasm was really admirable and strengthened Benson's determination to establish a long-term friendship with Leonard.

Suddenly, they felt a line of sight sweep across them at the same time.

Following the trail, Benson and Melissa saw a young gentleman with neat black hair and dark brown eyes.

The gentleman wearing gold-rimmed glasses pressed his hat and looked past them into the distance.

Instead, Leonard took a beat because of excessive mental exertion, and because he finally breathed a sigh of relief. When he looked, it was no longer easy to tell which person the sight just came from, but his spirituality vaguely outlined the appearance of a person. An ordinary-looking, unfamiliar young man.

There was no hostility, just crossed eyes. This kind of stare-down happened many times a day, and Officer Mitchell didn't think about it.

Benson and Melissa also looked away and looked at the smoke-belching pillars in the garden in the center of the street, looking forward to seeing Backlund's underground transportation.

Klein carried his suitcase and passed them straight with an expressionless face. He faced the large number of people pouring into the "Land of Hope" and the people who were anxious and full of good expectations, and entered the departure station.

They passed each other, walking with their backs to each other, heading towards different expectations and futures.

The end of one journey is the beginning of the next one.

TBC

——————

"Captain Sost... I want to take a leave of absence... take an afternoon off..."

"...Thank you for your hard work, Leonard. We thought that Ince Zangwill would target you and the Moretti brothers more. Unexpectedly, after the first sneak attack failed, he began to pay attention to the goddess. Pay attention to your movements. Our people will guide you in the arrangements for the house in the afternoon. If you still go, it would be too suspicious. We will arrange it later. Okay, you can rest."

"How is the situation with Your Excellency Eye of the Goddess?"

"Victory, but Ince Zangwill is not a big defeat - 0-08 cannot be underestimated. Even though he was fully prepared this time, His Excellency Eye of the Goddess still suffered some minor injuries. However, our mission has been successfully completed. .”