America: John Wick 1924

Chapter 13 Chinese on the Train
The steel-look front end, the wheels covered with various precision parts, the chimney belching black smoke... all exude a unique aesthetic.

Li Yu now understands why so many people love trains.

Men, you know, are always fascinated by huge machines.

If an excavator digging the ground can attract the attention of people of all ages, then a steam train, which represents the pinnacle of steam technology, is even more so.
Li Yu is not a railway enthusiast; his appreciation for steam trains is limited to "how cool," "how big," and "how sturdy."

After briefly observing the locomotive, he and Jane walked side by side to carriage number 7, handed their tickets to the ticket inspector, and boarded the train smoothly.

Their seats were next to each other, located in the middle of carriage number 7.

Li Yu sat in a seat near the aisle, while Jane sat in a seat near the window.

As the train's whistle blared, thick smoke billowed from its massive chimney, and the wheels creaked and groaned, the enormous train slowly began to move and gradually accelerated.

Jane leaned closer to the window and stared intently out the window.

The rapidly receding scenery outside the window captivated her.

When the vast plains and the magnificent mountains in the distance came into view, her eyes shone with the same brilliance as the clear sky.

Li Yu glanced at the scenery outside the car window a few times before losing interest and turning his gaze away.

The carriage number 7, where Li Yu and Jane were, was almost full. Everyone was either reading books or newspapers or taking a nap... a relaxed atmosphere permeated the air.

In recent days, Li Yu has been living a life of hardship, sleeping outdoors to keep a watchful eye on his surroundings and guard against possible attacks—everyone you meet in the wilderness could be a potential criminal—he has to keep one eye open while sleeping, and can't sleep soundly at all.

Hearing the monotonous sound of the wheels turning, he suddenly felt a wave of weariness wash over him.

So, after greeting Jane beside him, he crossed his arms, closed his eyes, and fell into a deep sleep.

……

……

A few hours later—

When Li Yu opened his eyes, it was already dark outside the window.

As the setting sun sank below the horizon, the dark blue night sky pushed aside the orange-red sunset.

Seeing that Li Yu was awake, Jane said to him with a joyful expression:

"Pastor, we're almost in San Francisco."

Upon hearing this, Li Yu turned his head and looked out the window—right in front of the train, countless lights shone, like a dazzling constellation of stars.

Under the lights, skyscrapers and bustling traffic are faintly visible.

Li Yu muttered:

"We've finally arrived..."

Now, as they were about to reach their final stop, the carriage was no longer as tranquil as before.

The passengers got up, stretched, organized their luggage, and prepared to get off the train.

Li Yu also propped himself up and stretched vigorously—after sleeping for several hours on the hard wooden chair, he now only felt a tingling and numb feeling in his buttocks and lower back.

Jane gently stroked the cross necklace around her neck, as if she was considering something.

Suddenly, she abruptly asked Li Yu:

"Pastor, what are your plans once we get to San Francisco?"

Li Yu answered without hesitation:

"I will spare no effort in finding white men with red skull tattoos on their necks. But before that, I need to find a job."

"San Francisco is a big city, and finding someone among hundreds of thousands of citizens is not easy."

"This is a long-term task, so I definitely need to find a job. My savings aren't enough for me to squander for a long time."

"However, I haven't decided what kind of job I want to look for yet, so I'll just take it one step at a time."

He had barely finished speaking when Jane quickly pressed on with another question:

What kind of job are you specifically looking for?

Li Yu spread his hands:

"If I had a choice, I'd like to find a church that would take me in and be a pastor. After all, that's the role I'm best at right now... ah, no, my profession."

Of the four characters Li Yu currently possesses (Priest, Paladin, Berserker, and Good Samaritan), only "Priest" and "Good Samaritan" belong to the daily life category.

Although Li Yu tells everyone he meets that he is a pastor, and he does indeed possess professional qualities that are no less than those of a professional pastor, he has never served in any church to date and remains a "wandering pastor" without a base.

The root cause is still racial discrimination.

The "initial town" where Li Yu previously lived had only one church, which was unwilling to hire a Chinese pastor, much to Li Yu's regret.

If he could become a legitimate pastor in a church, he could play the role of "pastor" every day and gain experience points like crazy!
After hearing this, Jane rubbed the cross necklace around her neck again, a thoughtful look on her face.

Li Yu did not notice the change in Jane's expression—because his attention had been drawn to others.

Three rows in front of Li Yu, a young man in a suit slowly stood up, turned around and walked away... He was probably going to the restroom.

As the young man passed by Li Yu, Li Yu was surprised to find that the other man was a yellow-skinned person with black hair and black eyes, just like him.

Judging from his appearance, it can be basically confirmed that he is Chinese.

The man had neat short hair, regular features, bright eyes and sparse eyebrows. Although he was wearing a formal suit, his temperament and appearance gave people the feeling of a "sporty handsome guy".

To be honest, although half a year has passed since he transmigrated, this is the first time Li Yu has met any other Chinese person in the United States besides himself.

Considering this is a train bound for San Francisco, seeing Chinese people is not unusual—San Francisco has the largest Chinatown in the United States.

Although they didn't know each other at all, Li Yu smiled and nodded to the other person out of consideration for their compatriots.

The other party belatedly discovered Li Yu.

When Li Yu greeted him, he was taken aback for a moment, and then nodded back to Li Yu.

And so, after exchanging greetings, they passed each other by and went on with their own business, each regarding the other as a nameless passerby in their lives, and paying no attention to them.

Almost the instant the young Chinese man entered the restroom at the back, the door to the front carriage was slowly pushed open—and two burly men squeezed into carriage number 7 from carriage number 6.

The two burly men looked very similar and were probably brothers. They both had pale skin, exaggeratedly high noses, and exaggeratedly deep-set eyes... It was obvious at a glance that they were Slavs.

Because they are as strong as bears and have very thick body hair, their exposed arms are all hairy, just like bears—so let's call them "Big Bear" and "Second Bear" for now.

They seemed to be looking for someone.

Upon entering the carriage, they quickly turned their gazes around, scanning the faces of the passengers one by one.

Their gazes froze the moment they saw Li Yu.

Li Yu sensed their gaze, looked up, and saw the two brothers walking straight towards him.

(End of this chapter)