On the towering city wall, a group of people fell into silence as they watched the flaming train charging out of the Calamity.
Living in Aurora City, they had never dreamed of witnessing such a scene—a train wreathed in flames, like an avenger from the depths of hell… And as they watched it hurtling toward them, an inexplicable fear crept into their hearts.
To them, the Gray Realm symbolized mystery and the unknown. This train emerging from the Gray Realm, along with the blood-red figure aboard it, was even more enigmatic.
"Sir, what do we do now?" an enforcer asked tentatively.
"Headquarters has already issued orders. To avoid causing panic, that train must not be allowed to enter Aurora City," the five-striped enforcer said, putting away his communicator. "First, issue a remote warning. Ideally, he’ll disembark and surrender voluntarily… If he refuses to cooperate, we’ll destroy the train outright."
"What about the Calamities behind it?"
"With the auroras in place, they won’t dare approach the walls. Ignore them."
"Yes, sir."
Just then, Wen Shilin’s voice sounded from behind the enforcer.
The five-striped enforcer frowned and turned around, speaking unhurriedly, "Mr. Wen, since you’re so capable, why not investigate it yourself? Confidential information within the enforcement system won’t be casually disclosed to outsiders."
Seeing this, Wen Shilin didn’t press further. He simply stood quietly, gazing at the approaching train as if lost in thought.
As the two spoke, the enforcers nearby had already prepared the loudspeaker equipment. The five-striped enforcer took it, looked at the train drawing closer, and spoke in a slow, deep voice, "Chen Lin, your identity has already been exposed. Stop the train and surrender now, and you might still have a chance to live."
The voice spread through the loudspeakers at the city gates, carrying over the blizzard. The protesters near the walls heard it clearly, murmuring in confusion as they discussed who this "Chen Lin" could be.
At the same time, on a wooden bench in White Dove Plaza, a figure in a black coat shuddered slightly.
"Chen… Lin?"
He raised his head with difficulty, his cracked lips silently forming the two syllables, as if trying to discern whether they matched the name he knew… No, they couldn’t. The Chen Lin he knew was no heretic.
---
Above the small brown building.
"He’s here." Chu Muyun raised an eyebrow.
"I knew this kid wouldn’t make a small scene." Bai Ye tilted his duckbill cap slightly, a faint smile curling his lips.
"...Who was panicking earlier?"
"Panicking? You remembered wrong."
"How could I… Huh?" Chu Muyun scratched his head in confusion. "What was I just saying… [Queen of Hearts], did you steal my thoughts?"
"I just caught a bug in your memory, but that’s not important anymore." Bai Ye smirked as he looked toward the direction beyond the walls. "I’m curious how this kid plans to enter here under Aurora City’s watch."
---
"Chen Lin, your identity has already been exposed. Stop the train and surrender now, and you might still have a chance to live."
The warning pierced through the blizzard before the city walls, reaching Chen Lin’s ears. He narrowed his eyes, barely making out the numerous figures standing atop the wall. His arrival seemed to have stirred unrest within the city… but that was exactly what Chen Lin wanted.
He climbed back into the control room and saw Zhao Yi looking at him nervously.
"Chen Lin, what do we do now?"
Chen Lin didn’t answer. Instead, he took a walkie-talkie-like communicator from the control panel and walked into the carriage behind him.
The people in the carriage had also heard the warning from Aurora City. Recalling Chen Lin’s earlier words, the entire carriage was now filled with an atmosphere of suffocating despair… Perhaps, as Chen Lin had said, they truly had no chance of entering Polar Light City.
"Do you want to live?" Chen Lin asked bluntly.
At these words, some of the people in the carriage raised their heads, their hollow eyes staring at Chen Lin in confusion.
"You said… Aurora City would never take us in," someone croaked.
"Correct. Aurora City won’t take you in because the high-ranking enforcers stand on the most rational and objective ground." Chen Lin spoke slowly. "But you must understand… Aurora City does not belong entirely to those enforcers."
Bewilderment filled their eyes. They couldn’t comprehend what Chen Lin was saying.
"In theater, the worst thing is for characters to become one-dimensional and homogeneous… because people are different. These differences manifest in their thoughts, emotions, and the choices they make in different situations.
"Not all enforcers in Aurora City can maintain absolute rationality. Some among them must oppose the city’s cold-blooded methods. And beyond the enforcers, there are three million civilians—they are the foundation of this city. And the emotions of the masses are the easiest to stir.
"There are only sixty-three of us. Compared to the powerful beings and three million people in Aurora City, we’re no different from ants crawling out of ruins.
"So the only thing we can do… is pit Aurora City against itself. We must make a second voice emerge within these walls…"
"Chief Chen, you mean… make them turn on each other first?" Xu Chongguo, being a businessman, was the first to grasp Chen Lin’s meaning. "But… with just a few of us, is it worth it to them? Will anyone really speak up for us?"
"They will." In Chen Lin’s mind, the image of a figure in a black coat flashed. "They definitely will."
"Chief Chen, teach us… what exactly should we do?"
Though the others might not have fully understood Chen Lin’s words, from the exchange, they sensed that they weren’t entirely without hope. Flickers of light returned to their dull eyes as they looked at Chen Lin, awaiting his answer.
Chen Lin’s gaze swept calmly across the carriage before he took a slow step forward, stopping before the crowd.
In front of him was a middle-aged woman with frostbitten cheeks, clutching a five- or six-year-old child in her arms. The child’s body was covered in severe burns, his skin charred black, his breathing already faint… He likely wouldn’t last much longer.
Noticing Chen Lin’s gaze, the woman slowly raised her hollow eyes to meet his.
"Your child is dying," Chen Lin said calmly.
The woman trembled at these words, agony and despair resurfacing in her empty eyes.
"But Aurora City has excellent doctors. If he receives treatment inside, he will definitely live." Chen Lin paused, then spoke his second sentence.