The most shameless alchemist in history

But just then, a "snap" sound was heard, along with a flash of light!

"Huh, what's going on? This is... a light? This is an electric light?" Kotetsu was startled by the sudden light. He subconsciously raised his hand to shield his eyes from the light. After all, they had been traveling underground in dim light for a long time, and their pupils had become accustomed to the dark environment.

The sudden appearance of a bright light left him somewhat disoriented.

"Electric light? How could there be an electric light here? Could it be a ghost?" Bee Sting was also startled. This discovery was too sudden, because they had never seen an electric light since they left Maple City. Electric lights were not common in the first place.

"Don't be nervous, it's just the power supply equipment in the tunnel. I saw a control room and some power supply equipment nearby, so I tried to start it, and it actually worked." Du Lei's voice came over, which finally put Hu Che and the others at ease.

They looked in the direction of the sound and saw Du Lei walking out of a small control room. At this moment, Hu Che and the others looked around and, with the help of the lights, finally saw that there was a small station nearby, with a control room, a platform, and a metal frame supporting the dome.

The light bulbs were suspended from the top of the metal frame, which gave him the illusion of being in a big city rather than a remote town.

"Power supply equipment and such... Mr. Dure, are you actually an expert in electrical engineering?" Wen Li was very knowledgeable and naturally knew that electrical engineering was a trendy subject. In the capital city of the Snow Kingdom, Frost City, some areas had electricity, but the cost was too high and it was not yet widespread.

"I wouldn't call myself an expert. I just read some related information in a book and tried it out according to the instructions. I didn't expect it to work. Actually, the process is very simple. It's just about starting the generator and turning off the power. Once you understand the principle, you're good to go," Du Lei explained.

“Although it sounds complicated… Mr. Dure, you’ve done a really good job. Now we can see the way clearly. But what exactly is this area…” Winry nodded, not holding back her praise for Dure.

“This area should be the underground station of Chunfeng Town. The minerals mined from underground in Chunfeng Town are transported to other places by train from here. Look, there are handcarts transporting goods over there.” Du Lei pointed to a place not far to the right, and then took out a map to compare it carefully.

“But that train doesn’t look like it’s carrying goods, it looks like it’s carrying people,” Bee Sting said after carefully examining the train.

“These trains are usually dual-purpose in terms of construction; this part is for passengers, and the rear part is for cargo. However… it’s really strange that there’s still a train here after all these years,” Du Lei explained in detail.

He walked over to inspect the train's exterior, which was covered in rust, indicating that it hadn't been maintained for many years.

"According to that old woman, the last train in Spring Breeze Town, the one that came to pick people up when the disaster broke out, should have already left Spring Breeze Town. How come it's here? Did another train come in after that?" Hu Che was full of doubts.

He tapped the surface of the train carriage lightly with his hand, producing a crisp sound.

"Will there be any more trains coming in after that... But Uncle Kotetsu, have you considered one possibility?" Dure repeated what Kotetsu had said, frowning and shaking his head slightly, disagreeing with Kotetsu's opinion.

"What possibility?" Kotetsu valued Du Lei's opinion and immediately asked.

"Is this the same train that left Chunfeng Town to take the townspeople to safety? It just ran into an accident along the way, which is why it's stranded here?" Du Lei hesitated for a moment before finally voicing his speculation.

"What did you say?" Kotetsu suddenly looked up. The most shameless alchemist in history.

Chapter 441 The Last Train

As soon as Du Lei finished speaking, Kotetsu was stunned. Not only Kotetsu, but everyone else also turned to look at him at the same time, because what Du Lei said was simply too unbelievable, because the train should have been carrying the people of the town away, a fact that the old woman had also confirmed.

But if the train didn't leave Spring Breeze Town, but instead stopped underground in the mine, and the people on board didn't return to the town, then there's a very terrifying possibility that even someone like Kotetsu, who has seen a lot, couldn't help but feel a chill run down his spine.

"Mr. Dure and Mr. Kotetsu, what's wrong with you?" Of everyone present, only Winry was still confused. She tilted her head and looked at Dure and the others with their bewildered expressions, not understanding why they had such expressions.

"Miss Winry, please move away from the train!" Kotetsu noticed that Winry was too close to the train. He shouted and rushed over to shield her with his body. He watched the train warily, and his voice echoed in the empty mountainside, lingering for a long time.

"Huh? The train? What's wrong with the train?" Wenli was startled by Kotetsu's actions and stared at him blankly.

“There’s something wrong with this train!” Kotetsu frowned, the more he thought about it, the more reasonable Durei’s suspicions seemed.

"I still don't quite understand the problem..." Winnie was still completely confused.

"We'll talk about the details later. We need to get on the train now to check and verify things." Du Lei was also on high alert. He carefully approached the train, patted the carriage, and then quickly placed his hand on the door, which was stuck due to rust from being old for so long.

"Bai Ling, Yuan Bi, you two stay here to protect Miss Wen Li. Feng Shi, Bao Wei, and Xiao Zi, the four of us will go up and check." Hu Che assigned responsibilities to everyone, and everyone nodded except for Wen Li, who was still confused.

"The door is stuck, I can't open it, Uncle Kotetsu, you can try." After several attempts, Du Lei couldn't open the door with his strength.

"Is there anything you can't handle? Then let me do it. One, two, three... Open!" Kotetsu grinned, grabbed the doorknob, silently counted to three, and then pulled hard. With a "bang," the tightly closed door opened.

"It's finally open. If I'm not mistaken, what's inside is probably already..." Dure stood outside the door looking into the train. He couldn't see anything for the time being, but he had a bad feeling. However, with Winry present, he couldn't be too direct.

"Let's go in and check first, be careful." Kotetsu interrupted Durei. After exchanging a glance with Durei, he quickly rushed in through the door. They had to find an answer on this train.

"Looking at them like this... could there be something terrible on the train?" Although Wenli didn't quite understand what Dure and Kotetsu were doing so mysteriously, as if they were speaking in riddles, she could clearly sense that something bad was about to happen, which made her very worried.

"Miss Wenli, please don't worry. So many things have happened along the way, but we've resolved them all. We'll definitely be able to escort you safely to Rock City," Bailing comforted Wenli from the side, and what she said was indeed true.

"Mmm mmm mmm mmm mmm." The ape-armed man next to him couldn't speak, but after gesturing for a while, he gave a thumbs up, as if praising something.

"I understand. It's all thanks to everyone that we've managed to escape danger time and time again. If it weren't for you, I wouldn't have made it this far." Wen Li looked at Bai Ling and the others gratefully. She knew that she had a great responsibility this time, and without Bai Ling and the others' protection, everything would have been for naught.

“This is all part of our duty. It seems they’ve already found out the results.” Bai Ling looked towards the train door. Hu Che and Du Lei, among others, came out of the train one after another. Compared to their wary expressions when they went in, their faces were now grave and incredulous.

"Captain Hu Che, what exactly did they find inside?" Bai Ling went up to him and asked about Hu Che's situation.

"This kind of thing... is simply impossible, right?" Kotetsu didn't answer Hyakki's question directly, but instead asked Durei in a heavy tone.

"It's hard to believe, but the facts are there." Dure's expression wasn't good either.

"Mr. Kotetsu, and Mr. Dure, what exactly happened? What did you discover?" Winry was also very concerned about the situation inside the train.

“Let me explain. Du Lei’s judgment is correct. This is indeed the last train to leave Spring Breeze Town… the one carrying the townspeople.” Seeing that Du Lei and Kotetsu were both looking somber and silent, Bee Sting stepped forward to explain the situation on Kotetsu’s behalf.

"Huh? The last train leaving Spring Breeze Town? But it was carrying townspeople and stuff... Wait, didn't the townspeople leave years ago? Why is the train still stopped here?" Wenli didn't notice anything wrong at first, but the more she thought about it, the more something seemed off.

“That’s the problem. A train that left Chunfeng Town a few years ago, full of refugees… how could it have stopped here, and remained there for so many years without anyone noticing… no, that’s not right, it’s impossible that no one noticed.” Du Lei thought to himself as he corrected his wording.

"Mr. Dure, what are you saying?" Wenli became more and more puzzled as she listened.

“Every train departure is recorded at the station, and this one is no exception. In other words, this train that came to Chunfeng Town to pick up the townspeople was also recorded at the departure station, but it did not return, and the departure station did not come to investigate…”

The more Du Lei thought about it, the more doubts he had. He paused here and didn't continue.

"What on earth is going on? What... is on the train?" Wenli felt a chill run through her body, and a bad feeling formed in her heart, but she didn't want to believe that the feeling was true. She hoped to get a different explanation from Kotetsu and Durei.

“There are people on the train,” Bee Sting answered Winry’s question for Dure and Kotetsu.

"Who is it?" Wen Li's heart sank, but she was still unwilling to give up and continued to ask.

"The train was full of people, all of them were townspeople who had fled from Chunfeng Town. They didn't escape the disaster on this train, but... they all died on the train, not a single one survived!" Bee Sting said as calmly as possible.

But this matter is destined to be anything but peaceful, and is bound to cause a great upheaval. The most shameless alchemist in history.

Chapter 442 has disappeared again.

Although Winry had a premonition, she was still utterly shocked to hear these words from Bee Sting's mouth. She knew that Spring Breeze Town had already suffered enough disasters years ago, something they had clearly witnessed from the mass grave on the hillside.

Hundreds of townspeople died in that disaster. At that time, being able to escape this dangerous town was a matter of life and death. When Wenli learned about the past from the old woman, she was really worried for the townspeople who had fled. When she heard that they had successfully boarded the train and left.

Wenli was genuinely happy for the townspeople, but now that she learned they hadn't escaped Spring Breeze Town, but had died underground, and in such a silent way, it gave Wenli a chilling feeling, and she began to tremble.

"How could this be... They didn't escape the town and actually died underground? And no one has known for years?" Wen Li was still incredulous. This was too bizarre and too unbelievable. Just as Du Lei had said, there were too many suspicious points.

"This place has an eerie atmosphere, so everyone should be careful," Du Lei solemnly warned. He had seen many dead people, but this was the first time he had ever seen anyone sitting in their seats, dying peacefully without any fear, as he had just witnessed.

"So what do we do now? Should we just go around the train and leave, or what?" Although Kotetsu didn't show any panic on the surface, his forehead was covered in cold sweat. It was clear that even someone as experienced as him had never seen such a bizarre situation before.

“We’d better just bypass this place and leave. We’ve already been attacked twice in the mine. If something else happens here, the consequences will be unimaginable,” Dure suggested. He didn’t want to stay in this eerie place for even a second longer.

“Understood, let’s go now… Bee Sting, what’s wrong?” Hu Che nodded, agreeing with Du Lei on this point. But at that moment, he noticed Bee Sting looking anxiously hopeful, which puzzled Hu Che. He didn’t want any complications at this time.

"Leopard Tail, Leopard Tail is missing. I can't find him anywhere." Bee Sting was a little anxious. In the guard team, she was closest to Leopard Tail and cared about him the most. Before, when Leopard Tail behaved strangely, she was the one who stood up for him and did her best to take care of him.

"What? Gone? How could that be? Wasn't he just checking the carriage with us? How could he be gone?" Du Lei was stunned. He hadn't expected that Leopard Tail would be the one causing the problem at this time. Recalling what Leopard Tail had experienced before, he felt uneasy.

"I don't know either. Is he still on the train and hasn't come out yet?" Bee Sting looked at the train, but she couldn't find Leopard Tail anywhere. The only place he could be was on the train. It was bright all around, so there was nowhere for him to hide. She also asked Nightingale, but she didn't see Leopard Tail come out either.

"Hey, Leopard Tail, what are you doing? Get down here, we need to get out of here." Kotetsu shouted towards the train. The mountainside was very open, and Kotetsu's voice was loud and echoed, but he shouted three times in a row without getting a response.

"Damn it, what's wrong with that kid? He keeps causing all sorts of inexplicable trouble." Kotetsu was very displeased.

"Leopard Tail, can you hear me? You're on the train, right? Answer me if you hear me, Leopard Tail?" Bee Sting called out twice more, hoping to get a response from Leopard Tail, but all she got in return was an empty echo, with no other sound.

"Mr. Leopard Tail... could something have happened to him?" Wen Li said worriedly. This wasn't the first time Leopard Tail had gotten into trouble. Before, on Nightmare Mountain, it was because of Leopard Tail's accident that they were in big trouble and almost wiped out.

"Why do you always have to mess things up at times like this? Miss Winry, you wait here for a moment, I'll go up and drag that kid down!" Kotetsu knew that shouting like this wouldn't solve anything, and he couldn't just leave Leopard Tail here unattended, so he immediately decided to board the train again to look for Leopard Tail.

“I’ll go with you. It’ll be more efficient if we split up,” Du Lei offered to go and search for Leopard Tail.

“That’s fine. Bee Sting, you two protect Miss Winry. Kid, I’ll go this way, you go that way, we’ll split up.” Kotetsu nodded, agreeing to Durei’s request. He pointed to the left and right sections of the train; they boarded from the middle section.

“Captain Kotetsu, I’ll go too. Dure’s skills aren’t up to par, but I can look after him if anything happens. Besides, with Bailing and Yuanbi here to protect Miss Wenli, I think that should be enough.” Bee Sting suggested that she go with Dure to find Leopard Tail.

"You're worried about that kid Leopard Tail, right? Okay, you go with Du Lei. If you find Leopard Tail, bring him out. This place is too strange. We need to leave here as soon as possible. We absolutely can't delay." Hu Che reminded him again, knowing Bee Sting's worries.

"Understood, we'll go look for it now." Dure nodded, and he and Beestaff boarded the train and began searching from the right side, while Kotetsu went to the left.

"Is Mr. Leopard Tail... really alright?" Winry asked worriedly as she watched Kotetsu and the others re-enter the train.

“Ever since Nightmare Mountain, Leopard Tail has indeed acted suspiciously. He was like a completely different person for the past two days. Although he returned to normal before, he has become strange again after coming to this underground station. I really don’t know what’s wrong with him.” Bai Ling also had some doubts.

"I really hope everyone can leave here safely." Winry knew there was nothing she could do but pray.

Meanwhile, Du Lei and Bee Sting carefully moved forward along the aisle in the carriage.

"What's wrong with these people? They all look so peaceful. If they weren't breathing, I really wouldn't believe they're dead." Bee Sting walked into the aisle and saw that the carriage was full of people. She was really puzzled.

Most of the people in their seats maintained normal postures and expressions. Some were eating fruit, some were huddled together as if grateful for their survival, some were holding a book, and some had smiles on their faces with their eyes still open.

These passengers, who seemed no different from normal people, were all lifeless. Their deaths were painless, without struggle, as if they had simply fallen asleep, or as if Death had suddenly slapped them down, freezing time. The most shameless alchemist in history.

Chapter 443 Who is Camus?

In Du Lei's understanding, every human death must have a cause, and some people die of old age and die of natural causes. But at this moment, in the train carriage of the underground station in Chunfeng Town, there are many young people and even some children as young as a few years old. It is impossible for them to die of old age at this age.

Other causes of death include accidents, injuries, and illnesses, which can always be explained reasonably. However, the bodies of the deceased in the car before him had no external injuries whatsoever, nor did they seem to have been attacked by external forces, such as some kind of deadly insect.

Because if even one person dies, it will inevitably cause panic among the others. Humans have an innate fear of death. However, the expressions of everyone in the carriage were completely normal. This can only mean one thing: everyone stopped breathing at the same time.

"This might be related to what was unearthed underground in Spring Breeze Town. Several years have passed, and we are just passing through. It's best not to interfere in what's happening here. Once we find Leopard Tail, we'll take him away from here. I think the truth about the Spring Breeze Town incident will come out one day."

Although Dure was also full of suspicion, he had no intention of investigating the incident. The deaths of everyone in the car were too bizarre. He knew very well that the most urgent task at hand was to get Wenli to Rock City. He absolutely could not afford to cause any further trouble. Even if he wanted to investigate, that would be something to do after the mission was completed.

“I understand. What’s wrong with Leopard Tail? He finally came back to normal, but now he’s suddenly disappeared again. It’s really worrying…” Bee Sting was very concerned. She was the one in the guard team who knew Leopard Tail the most. She really couldn’t understand why Leopard Tail would suddenly become like this.

"To figure out what happened to Leopard Tail, Siegel might have been a breakthrough, but unfortunately Siegel is dead. Besides..." Dure paused here, as there were too many suspicious points about Leopard Tail, which made people think carefully.

"Is it the photo from the mayor's house? Although the boy named Camus should be about the same age as Hyo-Tail, he has a mark on his forehead, but Hyo-Tail doesn't?" Bee Sting asked, having been present when she saw the photo.

At that time, she compared Camus in the photo with the leopard tail, and she could clearly tell that the two were not the same person.

"Let's not think about those things anymore. Let's find Leopard Tail first. The last carriage is just ahead. If we still haven't found Leopard Tail here, then he can only be..." Du Lei searched carefully in the carriage, but he and Bee Sting searched more than a dozen carriages without finding any trace of Leopard Tail.

"Listen over there, that's Captain Kotetsu's voice. He's found something. Leopard Tail must be over there!" Just as Bee Sting was worried about where Leopard Tail had gone, she suddenly heard a noise coming from the back of the train.

“The leopard tail is most likely over there, let’s go take a look.” Du Lei nodded, and he immediately ran towards the tail with Bee Sting. Before long, they found the carriage from which the sound was coming, and they could clearly see Kotetsu’s back in front of them.

"Leopard Tail, what are you doing standing there? Hurry up and come over here!" Hu Che shouted loudly. Du Lei and Feng Ci also saw Leopard Tail's back in front of them, but they didn't know what he was doing squatting on the ground.