Chapter 160: A Powerful Man
Fortunately, the Red Queen's programming included advanced knowledge of electrical circuits and systems.
"Grab the red wire, and then the blue one," the Red Queen instructed Jake step by step through his earpiece.
He held a wire in each hand, and sparks flew as the exposed copper ends made contact.
Click—the heavy security door slid open automatically, revealing the passage beyond.
Since Jake could bypass the train car security systems himself, the drug-addicted security engineer from the original timeline was no longer necessary. The man and his clairvoyant daughter could sleep undisturbed.
The girl did possess a remarkable ability—a kind of extrasensory perception that let her see through obstacles—but Jake had no particular interest in acquiring such powers.
After opening two more security gates, he passed through the guards' barracks and the protein block manufacturing facility.
The sight of insects being crushed and processed into that black, gelatinous substance was absolutely revolting.
Anyone who attempted to resist was, predictably, dealt with by Jake using his fists and firearms with brutal efficiency.
Soon he arrived at the critical water processing section.
This car was responsible for melting the snow and ice collected at the front of the train into drinking water for all passengers. Therefore, controlling this section meant controlling life support for the entire train.
However, before reaching the water purification car, he had to face over forty masked guards wielding axes and hatchets!
They were the elite force responsible for protecting this vital area.
"Who the hell are you?!" A supervisor with sharp, rodent-like features shouted through a megaphone from behind the formation of armed men.
But before Jake could respond, she added venomously, "Open this door and you'll die! You hear me?!"
She practically screamed at Jake, her face contorted with rage.
The group of men wearing black executioner's hoods said nothing—they simply brandished their weapons menacingly.
One of the hooded enforcers pulled out a live fish, positioned his axe against its belly, and with practiced precision sliced the blade into it.
When he withdrew the weapon, the axe was dripping with crimson blood.
He passed the fish to the next hooded man, who repeated the ritualistic gesture.
The entire section fell eerily quiet, as if some kind of dark ceremony was taking place.
"Excuse me, but I only have five minutes left," Jake broke the oppressive silence matter-of-factly.
At that moment, the tail section passengers—inspired by thoughts of revolution and resistance—rushed forward with improvised weapons.
The further they advanced, the more shocked they became. Who was this man who had suddenly appeared? How could he single-handedly overwhelm every defense and move forward with complete impunity?
Curtis's carefully planned revolution seemed utterly ridiculous compared to this stranger's solo assault.
When they finally caught up at the water processing car, they spotted Jake facing down the axe-wielding guards. This man moved with incredible speed, as if running on smooth pavement, and no matter whether it was a giant enforcer or an armed gunman ahead of him, nothing could stop his advance!
This time, however, he'd stopped. And the reason he'd stopped was the formation of more than forty men wielding axes!
"Fall back! Everyone retreat!" Curtis shouted immediately. The forces were completely mismatched. If an actual battle broke out, his people would all die. The revolutionary journey wouldn't even be halfway complete before everyone was slaughtered!
This didn't fit his carefully laid plans at all.
Curtis took two cautious steps forward, extending his right hand to lightly touch the shoulder of the well-dressed man before him. Although this stranger was considerably shorter than Curtis, the obvious disparity in combat capability made Curtis hesitate for a long moment before even making contact.
"Hmm?" The man turned his head slightly, glancing at Curtis with a questioning expression.
Swallowing hard, Curtis said urgently, "We should fall back and regroup..."
"No need," Jake smiled dismissively—a smile radiating absolute confidence and certainty.
To Curtis's complete disbelief, the man simply charged forward, just as he'd suddenly appeared minutes earlier and opened the four security gates that Curtis had wanted to breach for seventeen long years.
This man possessed immense confidence and decisiveness, and Curtis instinctively understood that these qualities stemmed from overwhelming personal power!
One man against forty armed guards!
The stark numerical disparity made violent conflict inevitable!
Blood-stained axes swung through the air, hacking toward Jake as the confined train car filled with the tense atmosphere of life-and-death combat.
CRACK!
Jake abruptly raised his left hand, striking the first attacker's wrist with a palm strike that jarred the axe loose and sent it spinning through the air. His right hand shot up, caught the flying weapon mid-flight, and brought it down in a devastating overhead chop!
The scarlet axe blade pierced through the hooded man's body, and when Jake yanked it free, the blade was even more crimson with fresh blood!
Two more guards lunged forward, their axes raised high, cleaving through the heavy air of the enclosed carriage, aimed directly at Jake's head!
The friction between the air and the swinging axes carried droplets of blood that floated momentarily before falling in slow motion toward the floor.
SLASH! SLASH! SLASH!
Jake swiftly swung both axes in devastating arcs, left and right, instantly severing the necks of both attackers—even cutting clean through their cervical vertebrae!
He caught an axe from one of the falling bodies, and with several rapid swings, dropped two more men who'd been attempting to flank him!
His black suit remained spotless, the crimson tie providing stark contrast to the blood dripping from the twin axes in his hands.
The suspended blood droplets finally drifted downward, landing precisely on the axe blades Jake held, adding fresh layers of color.
"AAAHHH!!!"
"KILL HIM!!"
A dozen hooded enforcers roared and charged as one, like a massive black wave crashing toward Jake.
They swung their weapons wildly, hacking at the solitary figure in the center of their formation.
For several brutal seconds, the metallic clanging of axes striking axes drowned out the sound of the train itself, along with the screams and cries of terror.
Suddenly, the dark mass was torn apart by streaks of blood-red motion!
A dozen men collapsed to the floor almost simultaneously, leaving only Jake standing motionless in the center, breathing heavily, dual axes still gripped in his hands.
In just those few moments, he'd executed nearly a hundred axe swings—blocking the majority of incoming attacks while simultaneously severing the necks of his assailants with lethal precision!
Jake lifted his left foot, stepping over a fresh corpse.
As he advanced forward deliberately, the remaining twenty-some hooded guards actually retreated backward!
The awe-inspiring, almost supernatural display of martial prowess was absolutely terrifying to witness.
"Now—drop your weapons, put your hands behind your heads, and I won't kill you," Jake spoke calmly—the first words he'd directed at these men since the massacre began.
Although they were clearly terrified, they didn't intend to surrender. Whether their refusal stemmed from worship of the Sacred Engine and desire to protect it, or from some other motivation, no one could say for certain.
While they refused to surrender, they also didn't dare attack as Jake continued his methodical advance. They could only keep retreating.
Unfortunately, this wasn't an open road with unlimited space. Behind them was a solid wall of sheet metal, making escape impossible.
They were quickly pressed against the bulkhead, forced to face Jake with nowhere left to run.
Casually swinging his axes twice to shake off excess blood, Jake turned to the completely stunned Curtis and said, "Come secure these prisoners."
Curtis hesitated for just a moment, then finally managed an "Uh, yeah," and immediately led his group forward, forcing the hooded guards—who no longer dared resist—to the ground and restraining their hands behind their backs with improvised bindings.
At this point, only two minutes remained on Jake's countdown timer.
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