"That suitcase... what's inside it?" Ince had never felt his heart beat so fast. Thump-thump-thump, it sounded like the sudden roar of spring thunder, as if it were about to leap out of his chest.
The man let out a bizarre grin. "A tactical miniature battlefield destroyer, model Phoenix Fire."
Ince's mind went blank instantly.
As a director of cinematography for film crews, he had naturally dabbled in war-themed media. Consequently, he knew about the military products of Universal Heavy Industries. A single battlefield destroyer of this model was enough to level the entire station.
How could someone from the Ascetic Sect get their hands on military-grade explosives of this caliber?
Suddenly, he felt a wave of dizziness. If this was the case, did it mean the Ascetic Sect had already infiltrated their society unnoticed, growing into a gargantuan entity?
From military industry to civil sectors, the thought that the shadow of the Ascetic Sect might be behind every aspect of their lives filled Ince with a nameless dread.
This could never be a simple terrorist attack. There had to be multiple factions involved. He didn't believe for a second that a madman could obtain this type of bomb on a whim.
Ince gave a bitter laugh. He had only been trying to save his career by following a man with a spy-thriller vibe. Who would have thought it would end with him being swept into a multi-party planned terrorist attack?
[Time until Heart's Desire Train No. 0E3605 arrives: 00:01:30.]
There was only a minute and a half left. Once the train entered the station, the travelers from all over the world, himself, and this entire station would be blown into the sky.
He had to find a way to save himself.
Cold sweat drenched his back. Ince looked toward the top of the stairs of Platform No. 1, and his eyes lit up slightly. He saw the tuner from before following them.
It seemed this public security maintainer had also keenly sensed the crisis brewing in the air and realized something was wrong with the man.
The spark of joy in Ince's heart was instantly extinguished by the man's next words, which left him chilled to the bone.
"You're pinning your hopes on that tuner? Silly child, he's one of ours too."
"How is that possible? Even the tuner..." Ince felt his throat go dry.
He felt like a fish on the verge of drowning; the suffocating pressure made it nearly impossible to breathe.
"Aside from these city heroes, who else do you think could carry such a bomb through layers of security and onto the platform?" The man exhaled a cloud of smoke, stubbing his cigarette out on Ince's shoulder.
After patting his shoulder, the man's voice turned calm. "Be at peace, my friend. To die for the great cause of art is your honor. The Supreme Lord of the stars will bless your soul."
With that, the man gave him a meaningful look, picked up the suitcase, and walked to the yellow safety line of the crescent-shaped platform. He checked the time on his watch against the electronic board, then crouched down and began fiddling with something on the suitcase handle.
Ince stood there as if his soul had been snatched away. He knew that the bomb capable of leveling the station had been timed. In the moment the train arrived, his short, wretched, and somewhat ridiculous life would end.
Just like most ordinary people on the Star of Art, he had been raised under the influence of an artistic atmosphere, come out of an orphanage, and struggled in society. He had given his all to avoid being thrown into the Keyboard District, yet he was the type who lacked staying power, failing to get into the Starry Art Academy. As investors often told him, his life was as rotten as the movies he racked his brains to film.
The piercing whistle of the train echoed from afar.
Ince gave one last bitter smile. He thought he should be a bit more carefree, like the protagonist of last year's Best Picture, Traveling Seabird. He should stand before the shimmering sea, feeling the ocean breeze, looking at the clouds filling the sky, listening to the cries of seagulls, and opening his arms to embrace the world amidst the receding sound of waves, departing in peace.
Before long, the train burst out of the tunnel. Its headlights glowed red, and its silver-white, streamlined body resembled a heavy-breathing metal beast. It kicked up dancing sparks against the rails, letting out a roaring hum.
"Vroom, vroom, vroom!"
The train soon pulled into the station. The carriage vibrated slightly, and the screech of friction faded along with the muffled sound of the engine shutting down.
Under the covering of white snow, this metal beast lay on the tracks as if it had fallen into hibernation.
Life was like a play, and today felt like a comedy. Now that the curtain was falling, a comedian like him, a fellow meant for the amusement of the audience below the stage, should make a timely exit.
Thinking this, Ince slowly raised his head.
Speaking of which, this was the first time he had actually seen the Heart's Desire. It was just like the rumors: it appeared before them like a magic trick, with only a single carriage attached to the locomotive.
He wondered what kind of dramatic expressions those travelers from around the world would make when they learned they were about to die the moment they stepped onto the platform.
With a sense of anticipation, Ince watched the doors open, and then he froze.
There was only one traveler in this carriage.
A silver-haired girl stepped out, her dim eyes filled only with confusion, like an infant opening its eyes to a world of white snow for the first time. She slowly exited the carriage, observing this world that was foreign to her.
The girl was purely and breathtakingly beautiful, like the only manjusaka blooming in this world of ice and snow. Pure white flowers grew wherever she stepped, crowding around her boots and competing to bloom.
These pale, sickly flowers gave Ince a strong sense of discomfort. They were too eerily white, as if his eyes would rot and blood would leak from his seven orifices if he stared at them any longer.
"How is there only one person?" the man snorted.
This disappointed him. He had thought he could perform an earth-shattering artistic display. Most passengers on the Heart's Desire were noble scions or elites from all over the world.
But this silver-haired girl... he had never seen such eyes on a living person. Dim, deathly silent, and lost. Just what had she gone through to be left with such a gaze?
Suddenly, his eyes widened as blood sprayed from his arm!
His pupils felt like they were tearing, and his vision turned blood-red. Where he looked, his entire arm lay on the ground.
"Aaaargh!"
The intense pain made the man howl. Before he could even pull out his gun, blood blossomed from his chest, arms, and shoulders. Terrifying blood holes several inches wide tore through his body, and white flowers bloomed from the wounds.
The man collapsed with a dull thud, falling silent in an instant.
Ince stumbled back several steps, fear dancing in his eyes as he looked at the girl.
The girl, who had looked lost just moments ago, now had eyes dyed with the coldest silence. At some point, a lance engraved with patterns had appeared in her hand. Wherever the tip of the lance brushed, an aura of decay and death spread like a raging plague.
Rate on N.U.
