NOVGO.NET Chapter 483: Peaceful Train Ride
Chapter 483: Peaceful Train Ride
Jack couldn’t help but feel at a loss…
< Ding! Now Departing! Enjoy the slow ride! >
Enjoy the slow ride, was it? As soon as the door closed, he felt observed, the creature next to him breathing heavily while twisting her fingers nervously, looking rabid.
Anyone else would have long asked her what she was doing here and why she had followed them, but Jack did quite the opposite, staring at the Train’s metallic wall instead.
There was an ad for some breakfast place, one that looked scrumptious.
< Egg-O-Blast: Start your day excitingly! >
The sunny eggs, and glowing white sauce that glimmered with deliciousness and cheese. Then there was the Greek potatoes that looked absolutely fantastic on side.
He simply kept looking at it. A certain Lilly by the side snickering.
“Pfft— How long are you gonna ignore her?”
“What? I’m merely observing the place.”
“All but the idol next to you, eh?”
She couldn’t help but laugh as she saw the stressed Idol who didn’t know where to start. The latter had almost instinctively rushed inside the train, but now she was getting shy.
What should she say? What could she say? She was used to interacting with fans, but this guy was clearly different! Initiating a conversation with strangers was hella hard.
He almost seemed utterly immune to her idol aura, looking bored…
Yet, she wouldn’t give up. She clenched her tiny fist, resolved to make a good impression. If he really was a member of Pumpkin Gaming, then she didn’t want to miss this for anything!
“H-Hey there, I’m— ouch.”
As she bit her tongue from stress, Lilly finally felt pity as she extended her an olive branch, extending a reassuring hand toward her shoulder.
“Take your time. I’m Lilly a pleasure to meet you. You’re that girl from Beat Pink, right? Did you get scared earlier? That must have been scary, right?”
“Ah, yes it was! Usually it’s fine but sometimes there’s bad men who— Wait a minute, that doesn’t matter right now. D-Did you say Pumpkin Gaming before?!”
Her eyes glowed so purely that even Jack almost felt bad.
“So? What’s it to you? You heard of it?”
He sharply asked, but that was the question that changed everything, If before she had been shy, a floodgate came exploding out of her mouth, so fast that it was frightening.
“Pumpkin Gaming’s the best studio! I heard about it from a Pancakes Stream. That guy’s amazing at editing the Demon King’s videos. He turns gold into diamonds. Ah, actually, it’s the Demon King we’re talking about. It’s more like he turns diamond to absolute…”
Was she still going on?! The more Lilly heard, the more baffled she became. She knew he was popular, but only now did she realize how much. The Demonic Legion was THAT great?!
“… So that’s why I was so sad when I learned they’re leaving MeTube. But I’ll definitely subscribe to their new channel as soon as it’s available and—”
Realizing she was getting carried away again, she stopped to catch her breath, her eyes turning incredibly inquisitive as she asked what she really wanted to know.
“So, is it that Pumpkin Gaming? I’ll keep it a secret!”
“That Pumpkin Gaming? Yeah. The Demon King convinced me to join.”
As Jack shrugged, the girl lost her shit, stars glowing in her eyes. Could it be real?! A direct invitation from the Demon King?! “A-Amazing!” She kept repeating over and over.
The only thing was that she was making such a commotion that a few passengers were now curiously looking their way. Then again, they soon minded their business with small smiles.
This was the slow train, and there were lots of older people just enjoying their days. Instead of snooping, they simply enjoyed the sight of youngsters being youngsters.
Ah, the excitement of youth. Many could be seen reminiscing as they refocused their eyes on the landscape outside. He could understand them. The outside was gorgeous.
Greenery, lots of it. It was so different from the concrete jungle.
Honestly turning the tracks into a reserve was the best thing the City had ever done, and ironically almost no one would care, only the riders of this one specific train.
As Lilly and the girl talked in the background, he, too, observed the scenery. There wasn’t just luscious vegetation, but even colorful animals, most of them mutated.
A while back, an atomic bomb had exploded in a nearby country.
Ever since, mutated animals had become the norm. The radiation affecting them had long since been dealt with, but it had left abominations behind, albeit colorful ones.
A pelican with three beaks and four wings.
A beaver with purplish-colored fur
A bunch of multicolored lizards
A flock of Ducks…
As soon as he saw them, he froze. Crazed, chaotic, mutated beyond belief, the critters even had their own enclosure because of how savage and bloodthirsty they were.
As soon as he saw them, he felt his entire body on fire, the phantom pain of being eaten alive overwhelming him. And as his body shook, so did their evil eyes glowed.
A few even waved their wings his way. They waved as one would an old friend. They waved as if they were welcoming him back after a long trip in the underworld.
How?! Only in his last life had he—
“Young man, the ducks sure like you. They usually never bother with humans. It’s the first time I’ve seen them like this.” As an old woman commented, he felt cold sweat.
Yet a second later, it was already over. The ducks were gone, the train was far away from them, and by the side, Lilly was enthusiastically chirping along.
Hearing her happy voice was enough to soothe his soul…
“My brother brought me along to show me HQ.”
“WHAT?! He’s the best brother ever! That’s so freaking great! All my brother did for me was sign me up as an idol, and now I have tours all over the place! Say, Lilly, can….”
“Let me guess, you want to see it too? Well, it can’t be helped. I’m sure if you ask Jack nicely, he won’t say no. Ah, and it will definitely help if you make a promo video for—”
“I’ll do it! I’ll do anything! I’ll stake my reputation on it. I’ll sing for it. I’ll advertise the hell out of it. I’ll do everything you need. Just let me see it!”
Just like that, Lilly had roped in free labor?! Seeing this, Jack gave a wry smile. “Fine, as long as she doesn’t cause trouble, I don’t mind.” He casually shrugged.
As shrieks of joy resounded, a peaceful train ride resumed.
Since the two were the same age, they got along well.
They even added each other on social media.
But the happy conversation was soon to be interrupted as they had finally reached their destination. < New Haven District! Enjoy your Stay! >
The robotic voice happily chimed, with the train’s door opening. But little did Jack know that they were in for one HELL of a welcome! As soon as they stepped out…
“Welcome back, miss! Your bodyguards reporting for duty!”
Rows and rows of black-suit-wearing martial artists could be seen. Not only were they bowing, but they looked so damn serious, as if they were goons for a mafia boss.
“Ah?! You guys found me already?! Sorry about ditching you, but I’m going somewhere with my friend and—” Her voice turned tiny, not knowing how to explain it.
She couldn’t say she had randomly followed a stranger, right?
At the moment, she couldn’t help but worry for Jack. She knew how zealous her bodyguards could be. What if they scared him away with endless questions and scared him?
But it seemed she had been worried for nothing…
Jack started walking ever-so-casually.
“You coming, Beast Pink girl?”
Beat Pink! It was Beat Pink! Yet, even that barely registered in her brain. The scary martial artists? He didn’t mind them one bit. In fact, why did he appear as if he was one of them?!
Actually, no. He truly looked like a powerful mafia boss at the moment! And just like that, they all departed, not caring for the weird glances they were getting.
Jack remained utterly unfazed by it all.
At least until they finally reached the would-be Gaming Studio. As soon as he saw the colossal building, he couldn’t help but choke. How the hell had Pancakes done that?!
It was freaking worthy of a conglomerate…