---
After firing at the glass to no effect, the man pressed his face against the windshield, trying to get another look at the beauty who had captivated him earlier.
To his disgust, he could no longer see even a shadow inside.
He spat against the glass in frustration.
"Damn it. Come here, beauty. Look at your future brother-in-law. I can teach you very well how to satisfy your future husband, hahaha!"
The man grinned lewdly, face almost glued to the glass, trying to spot the figure who had retreated deeper into the train cars.
"Save that for later, you pervert, and focus on opening the damn train," the old woman snapped.
Beside her, his wife shot him a piercing glare, furious he had said that in front of her.
"Come on, dear, open the door. He was only joking, being the idiot he is. Don't worry, we don't plan to hurt you. We just want to escape the darkness."
The old woman forced the wisest and kindest expression she could onto her wrinkled face.
But when she realized the woman inside the train wasn't falling for it, her fake kindness vanished.
Her face twisted into a scowl.
With a gesture, she ordered her son and daughter-in-law to search for a weak point and force open the door.
---
Meanwhile, inside the giant freezer…
I used the time to meditate and improve my chakra control.
My chakra was powerful, but at the moment I was in a situation much like Kakashi's—strong techniques, pitiful reserves.
I knew practicing jutsu improved control.
And if training existing techniques worked…
Then trying to develop one should work too.
We would likely spend at least one night here.
It was worth trying.
---
"Any noise in there? Any movement?" one man asked Huang Jie.
"No. Haven't heard anything."
He shook his head with an ironic smile.
"They've locked themselves in there like turtles inside a shell. But they're idiots. No water, no food. Like a turtle crawling into its shell… right inside a predator's nest."
He sounded as if he were watching two fools too stupid to realize they were doomed.
Before they could keep talking, the warehouse doors opened.
Two women and a man entered.
"What happened, Mother? Couldn't get into the train?"
"No."
The old woman sat on a small metal stool, irritated.
"Those two idiots warned the woman inside. She hid somewhere in the train cars. And that train is too armored to force open."
She clicked her tongue.
"The only way is getting the key from those two."
Then she barked:
"Now move. Grab crowbars, anything you can find, and open that damned door."
"My old bones can't take many more nights, and soon daylight won't reach this place anymore. You heard it yourselves on the radio."
"But Mother, the do—"
Huang Jie began, but her glare pierced through him.
"No more talking. Move. The sooner we're done, the sooner we'll eat well and live decently."
She radiated the commanding aura of an elder…
While clearly having no intention of doing the hard labor herself.
---
My arm tingled as I focused.
Mind…
Vision…
Intent…
All centered on my hand.
I imagined the Chidori.
Concentrating to the extreme—
A tiny blue spark flickered.
My heart jumped.
But just as I thought I was about to succeed—
BANG!
A heavy strike against the freezer door shattered my concentration.
The technique dispersed.
Then more pounding followed.
I frowned and tried to focus again.
I already knew what they were doing.
Meanwhile…
Lin Xian continued devouring the first freezer apart as if it were just another Monday.
---
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Shhhkrrr—
Hammer blows echoed through the warehouse.
Sometimes followed by metallic screeches as tools slipped across steel.
The two men took turns attacking the reinforced section near the latch…
Only leaving faint white scratches.
"Huff… huff… this isn't working. This door won't open."
"Huff… I know. But Mother thinks it will. I tried saying that before and she didn't even let me finish."
"Then tell her again! We've been beating this cursed thing for thirty minutes and haven't chipped off a piece. No way we're breaking it."
Huang Jie nodded.
This was pointless.
Only exhausting them and making the night watch harder.
He walked over to the old woman while his brother stayed guard.
"Mother… the door won't open like this. We're only tiring ourselves out. Night watch will be harder."
He rubbed his sore arms to emphasize the point.
The old woman sighed.
"Fine. Fine."
"I expected this."
"If these things can stop the monsters that come with the night… we won't do anything to that door."
It was clear now—
She had ordered the attack not to actually break in…
But to intimidate us.
She looked toward the setting sun.
It was nearly gone.
"Chain the door so they can't get out."
"Then we'll hide in the other freezer."
Her voice turned grave.
"We shouldn't stay outside after dark. Closing doors makes noise… and they'll flood this place like a tide of zombies."
She spoke from experience.
Clearly…
She had survived other nights.
Her sons nodded.
They wrapped a thick iron chain around the first freezer.
Then retreated into the second freezer—the one they'd used for the trap earlier.
Inside, they reinforced the entrance with steel pipes.
The latches on both freezers had long since stopped working.
So they trusted steel.
And fear.
---
On the train…
Chen Sixuan looked outside one last time before sealing all the windows.
Then her gaze shifted to the girl who had been sleeping for two days without waking.
She clenched her shirt.
Lin Xian… stay safe.
---
Beep.
Beep.
Beep.
I looked up.
His watch beeped for the second time that day.
18:45.
The sun had fully set.
I returned to practicing Chidori.
Outside…
Low moans began drifting from afar.
Like wind whistling through ruins.
---
19:32
I finally figured out how to consistently produce sparks.
I could feel it—
I was one step away.
---
21:12
At last…
I succeeded.
A crackling sound erupted through the freezer—
Like a thousand birds shrieking at once.
Blue light exploded around my arm.
Outside, the moans multiplied.
"I did it…"
I stared in disbelief.
"I actually learned it."
"It was way harder than anime made it look."
I dispersed the technique quickly.
Every second it remained active consumed terrifying amounts of energy.
Though…
That was normal.
It was literal lightning.
Lost in my happiness, I checked my progress.
---
[Chakra Control]: Lv.2
XP: 580 / 700
---
A huge improvement.
And only a small step from Level 3.
Something that would help immensely with my limited chakra reserves.
Lost in my own excitement…
I didn't even notice the last dismantled freezer disappear.
Nor did I notice Lin Xian stretching nearby—
A strange gleam in his eyes.
Clearly…
He had reached the second level of his system.
And tonight…
Neither of us had wasted our time.
---