A brief rest was interrupted by a series of urgent sounds. Qin Xuan opened his eyes to find his car had just arrived at a rural railway crossing. The shouts came from a freight train that had just passed them.
Train: Trouble, trouble! The axle says it's about to break!
Qin Xuan: !!!
While he wasn't entirely sure what would happen if a train axle broke, if the train itself said so, it couldn't be a minor issue. Without hesitation, Qin Xuan immediately instructed Lucian to catch up to the moving train. Fortunately, the tracks were laid across a very open plain, allowing Lucian to drive the SUV at its maximum speed. The freight train, being a cargo transport, wasn't particularly fast. In less than ten minutes, they had reached the tail of the train.
Train: Hurry, hurry! The axle says it can't hold on much longer!
The train's urgent call reached Qin Xuan's ears again, this time with significantly more intensity.
"No time to waste, get closer to the train!"
He announced this as he began to unbuckle his seatbelt. Lucian, seeing this, understood what he intended to do and silently maintained the car's speed to match the train's.
"Ah, what is Brother Qin Xuan doing?!"
The rhythmic sound of the train's movement finally woke the two girls. As soon as they opened their eyes, they saw Qin Xuan open his car door and lean out.
"I'm going to make the train stop. It'll be fine," Qin Xuan replied, turning back to smile at them calmly. With that, he leaped directly onto the train, grabbed onto a carriage, and in a few agile movements, stood atop the train.
Train: Faster, faster!
Ignoring the train's cries, Qin Xuan went directly to the train's cabin. However, he couldn't find any way to enter the carriage. With no other option, he climbed back onto the roof and proceeded to the very front of the train. He then leaned down and pressed his face directly against the train's windshield.
"Holy shit!"
Seeing a foreigner suddenly appear on the windshield, the driver's scalp went numb. He immediately pulled the brake lever and stared at Qin Xuan in terror. Only when he confirmed Qin Xuan wasn't injured from being hit by the train did he breathe a sigh of relief.
After a long while, the train came to a halt. The train driver, grumbling, ran down from the train to question Qin Xuan. Qin Xuan, half-truthfully, explained the issue with the axle.
"Axle fracture?"
"Impossible!"
"The trains from our company are rigorously inspected before every departure. There's no way the problem you're talking about could exist."
"You're obstructing my work and slandering my company. Don't leave, I'm calling the police to arrest you!"
The train driver clearly didn't believe Qin Xuan's claim. Especially when Qin Xuan said he could hear the axle breaking – wasn't that ridiculous? He worked on this train every day; how could he not know what was happening on it? If there were any unusual noises, wouldn't he be aware? Without a second thought, the driver picked up his phone and dialed the US emergency number.
Qin Xuan was also helpless. The ability to hear inner voices was indeed difficult to explain; he couldn't just tell the man that the train had spoken to him. But he couldn't *not* act, as a derailed train would surely injure people. This was especially true when Qin Xuan learned that the train was carrying a load of chemical agents, making him even more grateful for his actions. Otherwise, if toxic substances like vinyl chloride, ethylene glycol monobutyl ether, and isooctyl acrylate leaked, it wouldn't just affect the train driver; people within several kilometers, even dozens of kilometers, would be impacted! Mild cases could be allergies or skin spots, while severe cases could lead to cancer or sudden death! A large-scale leak of dangerous chemicals was no laughing matter!
However, since the train driver couldn't understand him, Qin Xuan called Yuan Mengqi to have the Ohio police assist. Soon, Ohio police arrived at the train's location. After discussing the situation with the train driver, they approached Qin Xuan with confusion. At that moment, a notification from above arrived, fully identifying Qin Xuan. The police then abandoned their questioning and asked the driver to call for his company's maintenance personnel.
"My apologies, General Qin. There's been a lot going on today, and my attitude towards you earlier was not ideal." Officer James of the police saluted Qin Xuan while the maintenance crew was en route. This Chinese national was a high-ranking general from China, and his acquittal was only a matter of time. Therefore, he certainly wanted to leave a good impression. However, the incident he had dealt with that morning was so peculiar that it still occupied his thoughts.
Another half hour passed before the maintenance crew arrived, dusty from their journey. Upon learning that the train's axle might have a problem, they immediately went to inspect it. Soon, they discovered that one of the axles was in a very problematic state. Further detailed inspection revealed that if the train had traveled just a few more kilometers, the axle would have certainly broken, leading to a derailment! At that point, with the toxic substances the train was carrying, turning the nearby small town of Ballast into a ghost town would have been entirely possible!
The driver and the police officers who had arrived to handle the situation couldn't help but feel a chill of fear. Simultaneously, they were immensely grateful for Qin Xuan's actions. They were all local residents of Ballast, and if the train had experienced the situation the maintenance personnel described, their families would have undoubtedly faced death. Qin Xuan's actions had saved their families' lives!
With the misunderstanding cleared up, Qin Xuan had no further involvement in the subsequent proceedings. He quickly bid farewell, stating he needed to get to the airport. Upon hearing this, James excitedly said, "No time to spare? I'll help you!"
"I'll lead the way with the sirens on, and you can have the driver follow me to the airport!"
That would be great! Qin Xuan was also pleased to hear that someone was willing to escort him. Although the US wasn't as congested as China during rush hour, there were still many people traveling. With the police leading the way, he estimated he could save nearly twenty minutes on his journey to the airport!
"Okay! Everyone get in!"
"We'll escort General Qin to the airport!"
With everyone mobilized and sirens blaring, Qin Xuan was escorted by the Ohio police back to Cincinnati Airport. After thanking James, he prepared to board the military-arranged plane. James, however, hesitated and then made a humble request.
"Ahem, my son just said he'd like to meet the great hero from China. So, could you possibly say hello to my son, and maybe take a photo with me?"