Chapter Thirty-Six: Authority

A sudden haze clouded his mind, and when his vision cleared once more, Gao Ning found himself back on that spacious sofa. Grandma Liu and Liang Bing were still seated where they had been, drinks in hand, as if everything that had happened was nothing but a dream and their adversaries had never left.

Just then, Liang Bing cried out and spun her head around abruptly.

Startled, Gao Ning quickly realized he was clad in nothing but his underwear.

This shock was so great, it nearly sent him leaping to his feet.

Grandma Liu chuckled, “Well done, Xiao Gao, you actually completed the task!”

“Old Liu, you knew?”

“Of course I did. Our team moves as one—if any member completes the mission, everyone returns. But judging by your appearance, you seem to have acquired more than just a single set of tailcoats. Come, tell us about it!”

So that’s how it works. Gao Ning nodded, about to speak, when Liang Bing tossed him a set of pajamas.

“Hurry up and put this on, have you no shame!”

Gao Ning caught it and glanced down—it was a hotel bathrobe, long and edged with gold.

Light and soft to the touch, it was exceedingly comfortable, clearly made from the finest materials.

He felt a bit embarrassed, but refused to admit it and donned the robe, muttering, “What’s the fuss? I wasn’t indecent—at most, it’s like stepping out of the pool without getting dressed yet!”

Liang Bing quickly regained her composure. Having traversed two worlds and taken lives as a matter of course, such a minor scene wasn’t worth mentioning. She’d merely been startled by their sudden return, the abrupt change of setting, and the appearance of a near-naked man before her—anyone would be taken aback.

“Where did the bathrobe come from?” Gao Ning was puzzled—how had a garment appeared with just a gesture?

“This is our compartment, so here, we possess certain abilities,” Grandma Liu explained. “Creation, erasure, movement by thought—all are possible. Food, clothing, fine drink, anything you can picture in your mind, you can instantly manifest.”

As she spoke, bottle after bottle of fine liquor appeared in her hand, soon filling the coffee table. With a wave, the bottles vanished like phantoms.

“If you’ve handled a tailcoat yourself, you should be able to manifest it as well. Try it.”

Gao Ning’s heart stirred. He closed his eyes, concentrating on the tailcoat. The image grew sharper, nearly tangible; following his intuition, he summoned it forth and draped it over himself, transforming instantly into a pale purple tailcoat.

Liang Bing’s eyes brightened; she closed her eyes, then opened them after a moment, frowning and shaking her head at Grandma Liu.

Gao Ning opened his eyes, delighted as he regarded himself. So, as long as the impression was vivid, these things could be freely created in the train’s space—such wondrous abilities made carrying items back entirely unnecessary.

Grandma Liu laughed, “This is your reward for completing the task. Aside from you, we can’t summon it. But thanks to your efforts, we’ve all received ten hours of reward time. For that, we owe you thanks!”

Gao Ning waved his hand with a smile. “No need. Since we share the same trench, we must look out for one another. This is nothing worth mentioning.”

“True, but gratitude should be expressed. If you have questions, ask directly—anything we know, we’ll tell you.”

Liang Bing lifted her hand, and a goblet appeared, shimmering with golden liquid. She took a sip, her expression relaxing.

Grandma Liu smiled, “After all these days, you finally enjoy champagne.”

Liang Bing shot her a sidelong glance, saying nothing.

Gao Ning tilted his head thoughtfully, recalling past questions he’d discussed with Old Gun, and began to ask them one by one.

Grandma Liu and Liang Bing answered in detail. Some queries they could answer; others, even they knew nothing of. Overall, their replies were much the same as Old Gun’s.

In other words, Old Gun hadn’t lied. Though they were adversaries, and even if chance had led to cooperation, there was no reason for such candor.

What, then, was that old fox plotting?

Unable to fathom it, Gao Ning set the matter aside.

He glanced at the Red Alert interface; as expected, both the main and mini maps were confined to a single train compartment. On the right, the paratrooper summon countdown continued, but Gao Ning knew now was not the optimal moment for their deployment.

Suddenly, he noticed the countdown on the special template and his heart skipped a beat.

Damn, he’d forgotten all about it! He’d intended to enter the information for Super Chenglong, but by chance, had ended up embroiled with Old Gun in a major incident that stirred all of New York’s violent agencies. Then, in the rush to depart, he’d forgotten the matter entirely.

Only eight hours remained on the countdown—what should he do now?

Troubled in mind, Gao Ning betrayed no sign of it on his face.

As his questioning drew to a close, Grandma Liu rose with a cheerful smile.

“It seems your understanding of the Mystery Train is well enough. After experiencing a world, the most important thing now is rest. Come with me—the rest area is just ahead.”

Gao Ning nodded and quickly followed.

Passing through the lounge, they entered a modern kitchen—spacious, with wide windows on both sides that offered views of the outside world.

The left window displayed snowy mountains, dark clouds overhead, snowflakes drifting, as if they were racing across a frozen tundra. But the right window revealed the African continent—a vast, grassy plain, with wild animals occasionally bounding past.

The disorienting clash of time and space gave Gao Ning pause.

Grandma Liu laughed, “Amazing, isn’t it? But don’t take it seriously—it’s all our own design. The Mystery Train’s windows can replicate any train window in the world. Whatever landscape you imagine, the window will instantly connect to it. But aside from scenery, you won’t get anything else, and opening the window is absolutely impossible.”

They walked on, entering a carefully arranged garden. A layer of thick black earth covered the ground, with vibrant flowers blooming on both sides.

Gao Ning observed, and though he wasn’t an expert, he could tell these flowers were rare breeds.

At the end of the garden stood a black door adorned with mysterious patterns.

Beside the doorframe was a dial of three colors: red, yellow, and white.

Grandma Liu rotated the dial so the white faced the doorframe, then turned to Gao Ning. “Come, this is your room.”