FGCT CH22.2

Tech expert Song Sanchuan easily found all the transportation routes from Fuzhou to Qingchuan City.

Taking a plane would of course be the fastest way, but with the stormy weather and heavy rain, almost all airports are closed, making air travel impossible. Taking a bus would take too long, so the best option is the train.

However, there is no direct train from Fuzhou to Qingchuan City. It’s a long distance, and a transfer is required in Lanshi, Gan Province, before continuing the journey to Qingchuan City.

This is already the fastest route, but the journey will take 48 hours—two full days and nights.

Even so, it’s still the best option for Gou Fugui and his group, and more importantly, this train has been fully booked for a week starting from tonight.

There isn’t even a standing ticket available.

“Everyone’s not stupid,” Jin Mantang sighed helplessly.

Gou Fugui was petting his husky’s head next to him, saying, “Global rainfall hasn’t stopped, and the sea level is rapidly rising. Even if the government hasn’t officially commented on this disaster, anyone with a bit of foresight would want to go to a safer place, right?”

“That’s only natural, don’t overthink it,” Xie Tianlang spoke up.

“Boss, are we going to take the train to Qingchuan City a week from now?” Song Sanchuan asked. Although he could use high-tech methods to snatch tickets from others who had already bought them, he was reluctant to use such methods.

Both Xie Tianlang and the beautiful Gou Fugui almost simultaneously raised their eyebrows and gave a negative answer.

“Are you out of your mind?”

“How could that work?”

They exchanged glances, and then Gou Fugui averted his gaze. Xie Tianlang smirked and said, “It’s natural for everyone to want to get to a safer place quickly. But greed is also… ‘human nature.’”

Song Sanchuan seemed to have an epiphany. At this moment, Jin Mantang couldn’t help but speak up: “Pay the money! Buy the tickets at a high price! The others bought their tickets for a few hundred or a few thousand, and you’re telling me I can’t buy them for tens of thousands or even hundreds of thousands?”

“Brother Song, you’re a super hacker, right? Just check who has tickets for tonight’s train. We can buy them at a high price, right?”

“By the way, we can also buy six tickets for a week from now and give them away for free to those people. That way, they get money and tickets. Sure, they have to wait a week, but someone is bound to be willing to wait for more money.”

Song Sanchuan, the top hacker and tech guru, suddenly understood. As he looked at the three people standing in front of him, he felt completely innocent and harmless, despite the fact that he hacked others’ computers, stole various messages, and even dismantled houses.

But his heart was pure.

On the other hand, some people looked mighty, handsome, elegant, and wealthy, but their hearts were as dark as could be!

Soon, Song Sanchuan got the list of people who had soft sleeper tickets for tonight’s train to Qingchuan City.

He decided to send a mass message to all the passengers in the carriages.

“Dear Mr./Ms. XX, we urgently need to go to Qingchuan City and would like to purchase your train ticket at a high price. We are willing to offer 50,000 yuan for each ticket. If you are interested, please contact this number. We can meet at the train station.”

This message seemed very much like a scam, and Song Sanchuan even wondered if anyone would actually respond to him.

But he soon realized he had underestimated the power of “human nature.” Five minutes after sending the message, his satellite-linked supercomputer started receiving calls from three different people, all asking if they could really sell their tickets for 50,000 yuan.

In the end, Jin Mantang took the calls. After a friendly discussion, he successfully reached an agreement with the three individuals.

One of them even had a family compartment ticket for four people, and he raised the price for it. But Jin Mantang didn’t mind. As long as he could get the four tickets from that person, it didn’t matter if the other two tickets couldn’t be acquired.

The ship departed from Nanhai City at 12 PM. After three hours of rough sailing, it finally arrived safely in Fuzhou.

Although the strong winds and heavy waves had not stopped during the journey, and the ship occasionally shook violently, the large ship could still maintain a stable course for short periods.

When they disembarked, the incessant, torrential rain continued to pour down, but compared to the people of Nanhai City, who had been completely unprepared for disaster, the people of Fuzhou seemed much more organized.

Although the port was also covered by seawater, there were specialized yachts and cars available for transportation from the port to the train station.

Of course, the price was high.

“Where would you like to go? Do you need a place to stay? Or do you want to eat? We’re locals from Fuzhou, you can go anywhere you like!”

When it came to paying, Jin Mantang took the lead and directly requested to go to the train station.

The speedboat driver wasn’t hesitant either: “500 yuan per person. If you’re bringing cats or dogs, large dogs count as one person each.”

It was clear that this was taking advantage of the situation, but Gou Fugui didn’t say a word. Jin Mantang simply waved his hand nonchalantly: “Bring all three large dogs. First, find a phone store where I can buy a new phone and replace the SIM card. I’ll transfer the money to you when we reach the train station.”

The speedboat driver wasn’t shy either. He quickly let Gou Fugui and his group aboard and sped off.

Once Jin Mantang had his new phone, he seemed like a big shot finally unsealing his golden finger. Whether it was paying the speedboat driver, the taxi driver, or transferring money to the three people selling their tickets at a high price, he did it without blinking an eye.

It was a rare moment to show off, and Jin Mantang felt like he could finally hold his head high.

He turned to look at his wealthy brother, Gou Fugui, or Xie Tianlang, expecting to catch an envious glance. But instead, he was met with silence—

Xie Tianlang was staring intently at the high ponytail on the back of Gou Fugui’s head^[1].

Meanwhile, Gou Fu Gui was giving his animal companions a collective lecture:

“You won’t be able to get into the train station through the main entrance. Even now, the station won’t let animals in without a quarantine certificate.”

“So, you all need to work together. We’re sneaking onto the train, understand? We’ll find a little-used path to sneak in, or better yet, a dog hole straight into the station. Then we’ll wait for my signal, and quickly jump through a window to get onto the train!”

“Got it?!”

The police dog, a German Shepherd, and the guide dog, a Labrador, quietly looked at Gou Fugui. Both dogs had obedient, well-behaved expressions on their faces but didn’t respond at all.

On the other hand, the husky nearby was spinning in circles, happily barking a few times in response. But Gou Fugui had no faith in this dog’s intelligence and it definitly had not actually understood what he said.

He then glanced at the orange tabby cat, the black cat, the calico cat, and the Chinese rural cat who was fighting with two poodles. He deeply felt like he was wasting his breath.

Not to mention the two little squirrels hiding in his pocket.

The only animal with any intelligence in this group was the half-bald parrot.

Unfortunately, this bird, which was clearly male but insisted on calling itself “Princess,” now flapped its wings and gleefully mocked him:

“Are you stupid? I can fly!”

“Are you stupid? I can fly!”

A bird that can fly doesn’t need to crawl through dog holes or jump through windows. It just flaps its wings and flies over!

Gou Fugui: “…”

Xie Tianlang couldn’t hold back his laughter and burst out laughing, which almost sent Gou Fugui into a fit of rage.

Gou Fugui had never encountered such an annoying bird before! Where on earth had it learned this from?!

But no matter how much he wanted to strangle the bird, he had to admit that the bird’s method was indeed efficient.

The others, who had been watching in silence, started offering suggestions to Gou Fugui.

Lu Hu: “How about we stuff them into a backpack and sneak past security?”

Qin Feng: “No, there are too many people here, and the German Shepherd, the little tabby, and the husky are all too big. Even Captain Xie wouldn’t be able to hide them and get them through unnoticed.”

Jin Mantang: “Maybe I can use money to pull some strings? With enough money, maybe security will be lenient?”

“Don’t even think about it. Like I said! You might be able to sneak the two squirrels and four cats in, and maybe even smuggle two poodles in your luggage. But those three big ones, do you think the other passengers are blind?”

Song Sanchuan, finally able to criticize the rich, chimed in: “More importantly, if you cram them into a suitcase, one wrong move could suffocate them. That’s extremely irresponsible for their lives.”

“So, what should we do? Even the German Shepherd is unlikely to complete such a difficult task without proper training. The smart bird can’t give orders, so are we going to make someone demonstrate to them and act as their leader?”

Jin Mantang gave a helpless sigh, but as soon as he said this, Gou Fugui’s eyebrows twitched.

There may not have been a “leader” to demonstrate for the animals, but there was definitely a “big boss” they could follow.

As Captain Xie, who had been observing Gou Fugui, noticed the shift, he keenly saw that the young man, who had been furrowing his brow in deep thought, suddenly relaxed, his expression now full of confidence.

Xie Tianlang raised an eyebrow.

The train from Fuzhou to Qingchuan City would start ticket checks at 7:00 PM, and the train would depart promptly at 7:20.

At 6:30 PM, Gou Fugui, along with his animal squad—five ^[2]dogs, four ^[3]cats, two squirrels, and a bald parrot flying overhead—left the waiting hall.

Jin Mantang and Song Sanchuan asked what he planned to do, and Gou Fugui replied, “Don’t worry about me, I’ll figure out how to get them on the train. Just remember to open the window and wait for me when the time comes.”

Jin Mantang and Song Sanchuan were still uncertain about his plan, but just as they were about to ask more questions, Xie Tianlang gave them each a look. Immediately, they fell silent.

“He said he has it under control, so don’t worry about things that aren’t your concern.”

Jin Mantang and Song Sanchuan both turned away, rolling their eyes. At this moment, Qin Feng couldn’t help but feel that there was something strange in the way the team’s most self-centered, reckless leader seemed to care about the long-haired young man in this world.

It seemed like there was an unusual amount of trust and understanding between them.

At this thought, Qin Feng sighed and shook his head. Even if they cared and understood each other, so what?

Captain Xie wasn’t from this world, and their acquaintance was nothing more than a fleeting illusion!

“…Poor souls in this world…” Qin Feng’s words were cut short as he was struck by a deathly glare from Xie Tianlang. He couldn’t help but shudder.

Meanwhile, Gou Fugui had led his animal team to a dark, deserted corner of the train station.

He looked around, and after ensuring there was no one else around, he ordered the bald parrot and the German Shepherd to scout the area. Once they confirmed it was safe, he told the dogs, cats, and squirrels to turn around. He then gently tapped his wrist, and his body began to shrink quickly.

As the transformation finished, he was no longer the long-haired, handsome Gou Fugui, but instead, a sleek, black-coated, and surprisingly intimidating honey badger—still with his white back running from head to tail, exuding a “leader of the pack” vibe.

This was Gou Fugui’s first time truly transforming into a honey badger. As he crouched low, his paws on the ground, he felt a bit awkward adjusting to the smaller and lower view of the world.

But then, the sharp screech of the silly bird echoed in the air:

“Oh my God! Mom, come look! There’s a superhero transforming!”

“Oh, how strange! Why do you have white fur on your head this time?!”

The leader of the group, now a honey badger, was very displeased as the silly parrot kept flying around him and chattering away. When the bird flew in front of him again, Gou Fugui quickly pounced, pinning the parrot to the ground and rubbing it in.

“Oh my God, help! Help! ! I, the parrot princess who speaks five languages, is being killed!”

Gou Fugui, in a fit of irritation, rubbed the bird down once more. “Shut up! If you don’t shut up, I’ll bite your head off!”

At that moment, the parrot’s intelligence shone through. Realizing the danger, it wisely stopped chirping.

Nearby, the German Shepherd, the Labrador, and the orange tabby cat were all slightly puzzled by Gou Fugui’s sudden transformation from human to animal. However, this wasn’t their first time seeing it. As long as his scent didn’t change, they knew he was still the same and continued following him.

Gou Fugui stuffed his clothes into his backpack, and with the help of the German Shepherd, he put the backpack on. He then led the animals toward the train station fence.

Fortunately, the train station in Fuzhou was not a newly built, large-scale station, and the area surrounding the tracks wasn’t filled with towering buildings. The honey badger just led his animal squad along the tracks for a short distance, and soon they found a low enough wall for the animals to climb over.

Once they scaled this wall, they would be able to reach the tracks directly. After walking a few more minutes, they would reach the train platform.

Since this was the starting station, Xie Tianlang and the others could board early, and as long as they opened the window, everything would work out smoothly.

However, they did run into a small problem while scaling the wall—

The German Shepherd and the Labrador crouched, sprinted, and leaped over the wall with style. But the husky nearly ended up howling at the sky from the top of the wall!

If it weren’t for the two clever poodles noticing a metal gate nearby, the husky would have been stuck. The husky barely squeezed through a gap in the gate, and if not for that, Gou Fugui would’ve had to turn back into his human form and carry the husky over the wall.

“You really are useless!”

The angry honey badger scolded his little brother with frustration.

Gou Fugui could hear the husky grumbling quietly, clearly unhappy with being compared to the trained working dogs. The husky wasn’t a service dog, nor a police dog! It had never been trained, so why was it being judged against those highly trained canines? But despite the husky’s grumbles, they had all managed to sneak onto the platform successfully.

The honey badger looked up and saw the green train parked at the platform. This train, a scenic route from Fuzhou to Qingchuan City, was not the typical high-speed train but a slower, open-style train meant for enjoying the view along the journey. It was a bit more fortunate for the animals, as it wasn’t fully sealed.

Soon, the announcement for ticket checks rang through the station, and Gou Fugui led his animal squad, carefully avoiding the ticket inspectors walking around the platform, his eyes locked on the people descending the stairs.

As expected, he saw a tall, imposing figure coming into view.

Xie Tianlang’s eyes swept across the area almost immediately.

His speed was so quick that Gou Fugui barely had time to lower his white head to avoid being seen.

For a brief moment, Xie Tianlang hesitated in his steps but quickly shifted his focus to the German Shepherd and the husky. Once he confirmed their identities, he swiftly passed the ticket check and entered the soft sleeper car, opening the window on the other side, out of sight from the ticket inspectors.

Gou Fugui, still in his honey badger form, quietly led his animal squad to the other side of the train, around the front, and arrived at the open window.

Gou Fugui, now back in his human form, quickly dressed and made his way toward the train with the group. He couldn’t help but wonder if Xie Tianlang had noticed anything—after all, that intense gaze had been almost too perceptive. He hoped that his transformation into a honey badger had kept him hidden well enough. As long as he didn’t activate the honey badger’s bloodline abilities, his hair wouldn’t turn white, and he figured Xie Tianlang wouldn’t be able to notice anything odd… or so he hoped.

As he caught up with the main group and was about to head toward the ticket gate, a sudden exclamation from within the carriage caught his attention:

“Oh my god! I think I just saw a husky climbing the train!”

Gou Fugui froze for a moment. Husky?!

The ticket inspector, a young man who had just heard the shout, looked around in confusion. “What…? A husky?!” His eyes darted about, trying to make sense of what he had just heard.

“Not again…” Gou Fugui muttered under his breath, feeling a pang of frustration. He had hoped for a quiet, unnoticed boarding, but it seemed that his team of animals was far from subtle.

The husky had somehow made itself the center of attention yet again. The situation was getting ridiculous, but there was no turning back now！！