chapter 32

When word got around that the congee was made with female crabs carrying roe, everyone’s enthusiasm was noticeably heightened.

The elderly women who had gotten up early to snatch freebies all crowded together, scrambling to get a bowl.

“Don’t rush, don’t rush! Line up, one at a time, there’s enough for everyone!”

The Old Lady counted out the portions and handed them out to the crowd.

There weren’t many people in the No. 10 Hard Sleeper Carriage-just 60 berths, more than half of them empty, so there were only about twenty people in total.

By the end, there were still two servings of Crab Roe Congee left in the Trolley.

The Old Lady pushed the Trolley over to the berths where Jiang Li and Xia Xiaoqiang were.

“Crab Roe Congee, want a bowl? It’s free, I won’t charge you.”

The Old Lady took out the last two bowls and handed them to Jiang Li and Xia Xiaoqiang.

Xia Xiaoqiang looked at the congee and recalled the scene she’d witnessed in the Dining Car last night-a flicker of terror flashed in her eyes.

This stuff… is it safe to eat?

Xia Xiaoqiang nervously swallowed, then looked up at the Old Lady. “S-sorry, I’m allergic to seafood.”

The Old Lady’s expression changed instantly at those words.

She snorted in annoyance and turned to Jiang Li. “What about you?! Don’t tell me you’re allergic to seafood too?”

There was a threatening edge to the Old Lady’s tone.

Her hand reached under the Trolley, secretly gripping something out of sight.

It looked as if, should Jiang Li offer the same excuse, she’d pull out a hidden knife and swing it right over.

Jiang Li closed her eyes briefly, thinking through her options.

Across from her, Xia Xiaoqiang couldn’t help but worry for Jiang Li.

Jiang Li tapped her index finger twice, then opened her eyes.

“I have stitches in my head. Eating seafood isn’t good for healing. Sorry, Grandma.”

Jiang Li bowed her head, gesturing for the Old Lady to look at the bandages wrapped around her head, and shook the packet of medicine she carried with her.

All those wound medicines had been given to her by the nurse last night.

The Old Lady had been skeptical, but seeing the packet of medicine, she couldn’t find anything to say.

“Hmph, none of you eat seafood!” the Old Lady grumbled, clearly displeased.

After a moment, she bent down and took out two snacks from the middle shelf of the Trolley.

“You can eat Chicken Feet, right? I deboned them just last night. Here, have these.”

The Old Lady was firm, placing the two boxes of Chicken Feet directly onto the small table in front of them.

Xia Xiaoqiang glanced at the food.

The blood-red sauce coated the pale chicken toes, giving off a strong, sickly sweet and fishy smell.

At that moment, Jiang Li noticed that when the Old Lady handed them the food, her right ring finger was twisted at an odd angle.

Jiang Li glanced at the Chicken Feet and, recalling last night’s events, began to form a suspicion in her mind.

Hard Sleeper Rules, Article Four:

[The Hard Sleeper Carriage provides free meals. There is a greater variety of food, and the ingredients are fresher. You may eat with confidence.]

Jiang Li knew this rule was wrong.

No matter what, the things given by the Aberration must not be eaten.

At worst, just keep them and don’t eat.

As Jiang Li was thinking this, a child brought by another grandmother suddenly started to fuss.

“I don’t want it! I won’t eat! This congee tastes bad, I don’t like it!” The child was making quite a scene.

The child’s grandmother stood beside him, holding the bowl and spoon, earnestly coaxing him to eat. “Just one bite, have another bite, it’s nutritious and good for you…”
The child covered his ears, refusing to listen. “Just throw it away, it doesn’t cost anything anyway. It’s so disgusting, I don’t want a single bite!”

The grandmother still tried to persuade him a bit more.

But unexpectedly, the old lady delivering the porridge suddenly got angry!

Her eyes blazed with fury. She pulled a cleaver out from under the trolley, rushed forward a couple of steps, and chopped the two elders and the child into several pieces.

Blood splattered everywhere. Everyone on the train was stunned at the sight.

One woman’s pupils widened; unable to hold back her terror, she let out a horrified scream!

In the next second, her throat was cut, blood spurted out, and her head rolled straight under the bed.

After finishing all this, the old lady put away the cleaver and wiped her hands with a rag from the train.

Then, under the shocked gazes of everyone, she pressed the attendant call button on the carriage wall.

A train attendant in a black vest arrived quickly, carrying a huge black plastic bag.

He listlessly collected the remains into the bag, then cleaned the blood from around the carriage.

He even wiped away the bloodstain in front of Jiang Li’s bed, the one left by the chopped-off finger.

Seeing that everything was settled, the old lady went back to the trolley.

As if nothing had happened, she continued the previous conversation with Jiang Li:

“I’m telling you, young people can’t skip breakfast! Otherwise, you’ll end up sick from hunger sooner or later.

Alright, you two eat first. When you’re done, I’ll come back to collect the boxes. I still need to reuse the lunch boxes.”

The old lady kindly gave a couple of instructions, then left, satisfied.

Xia Xiaoqiang and Jiang Li looked at the two portions of chicken feet, exchanging glances, neither of them moving.

“Sis, what should we do with the chicken feet?” Xia Xiaoqiang asked.

She understood now: these chicken feet couldn’t be eaten, nor could they be thrown away.

Either way, it would get them killed!

Jiang Li recalled the earlier scene and stared at the chicken feet for a moment.

Two seconds later.

She picked up the two portions of chicken feet and put them directly into the Space.

Across from her, Xia Xiaoqiang covered her mouth, staring in shock at the two empty boxes!

She had almost forgotten that Sister Jiang had some special abilities.

After seeing so many unbelievable things on the train, Xia Xiaoqiang had fully accepted Jiang Li’s ability to store things in the Space.

After the morning’s ordeal, Xia Xiaoqiang lay down again on the bed to catch up on sleep.

Jiang Li, however, wasn’t that tired.

She lay on the bed for a while, then went to the toilet.

But when she came out, she realized something was very wrong with the passengers around her…

Not a single person was awake; all of them were asleep in various positions.

Some were slumped over the small tables, some were half-hanging off their beds, and some were even sleeping directly in the aisle.

Jiang Li stepped over these sleeping passengers and returned to her own bed.

She had just sat down when a chaotic sound of footsteps came from the direction of the carriage toilet.

“Are they all asleep?”

“Yes. After eating, they’re all asleep now.” It was the old lady’s voice.

“Then let’s begin.”

“Alright.”

Jiang Li heard the conversation nearby and her heart skipped a beat.

Oh no!

She quickly lay down, adjusted her breathing, and squeezed her eyes shut.