Chapter 81
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 81
Chapter Title: Signal Arrow
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Not some renowned scholar from the Academy of Sciences, but a brand-new railway created by a fresh-faced young graduate student with some unheard-of technique.
It was only natural that it would face skepticism, and plenty of people looked on it with displeasure.
His Highness called it a revolution in transportation or whatever, but it was hard to believe.
Was it really worth investing budget in such a new venture? Especially for massive civil engineering projects to lay tracks across the ground and enormous sums to cast giant iron horses.
Thus, the railway project policy was originally slated for rejection, destined to be buried under piles of documents.
That is, if not for all those merchant guilds suddenly taking an interest in this mysterious business and pouring in massive investments.
And as the rights they demanded in return were limited solely to the railway business, the Ministry of Revenue had no reason to refuse.
Rather than the budget being allocated after policy approval, the policy was approved after the budget appeared—a truly bizarre turn of events.
In any case, the railway had become a national project.
A dedicated Imperial Railway Authority was even established to oversee construction and management, and naturally, the tracks and trains all belonged to the Imperial Family.
Therefore, anyone with even a shred of common sense and intelligence had no reason to mess with the railway.
They probably didn't even understand the concept of a railway in the first place—what could they possibly attack?
Rip up the firmly embedded rails to steal them?
Carry off train cars the size of buildings?
Maybe after the business expanded and became commercialized, if someone suffered losses from jobs being taken by the railway's potential.
Or if they targeted high-value cargo being transported in bulk.
But there was no reason whatsoever to target a brand-new railway right now.
Most people weren't even interested to begin with.
Thus, the railway was safe for the time being. No one would reach out their claws toward it.
Unless they were an utter lunatic lacking intelligence and sanity, with no discernment at all.
...Yet astonishingly, the vast lands of the Central Plains always seemed to produce such deficient fools without fail.
In the tail car of the train, where cargo should have been loaded, a dozen black-clad figures were hunkered down.
So-hyang was the only one in the group who noticed them.
This was astonishing.
Even excluding So-hyang, everyone in the group possessed keen senses.
Not to mention the Imperial Princess with her Dragon Eye.
Moon Shadow, trained as a bodyguard, constantly maintained advanced Sensory Path awareness.
Even the eyes of Il-ho, the top assassin and finest archer of the Palace Killer Sect, had failed to detect them.
It wasn't some advanced stealth technique or prowling skill.
Rather, it was a kind of sorcery—a barrier with concealment properties draped over them like a cloak.
It was useless against So-hyang, who dissected all directions with her divine sense in minute detail.
The aura they exuded was quite murderous, as if they might charge out and wreak havoc at any moment, yet surprisingly, they showed patience.
They were waiting for the train to move far enough from the city to escape support, no doubt.
So-hyang waited with pleasure.
"Il-ho, would you like to try this too?"
"Nom nom... Oh! What is this?"
"It's kimbap. I rolled some up before departure."
"How on earth can you keep eating non-stop for half a day since we left...?"
"Hey now, don't say 'stuffing your face' to someone eating so enjoyably. Use pretty words."
"...Yes, ma'am!"
Il-ho's exceptional appetite was just the thing to soothe So-hyang's boredom anyway.
Eating whatever she gave him with relish, his stomach seemed bottomless—it was truly heartwarming.
"Look at you eating so heartily; it's a sight to behold. This kimbap is quite excellent too."
"Right? Want more?"
"...No, this lady will just have a taste."
The train, which departed at dawn, ran non-stop until noon when the sun hung high in the sky.
Until sunlight filtered in just warm enough, thanks to the spells engraved on the cars.
Until Il-ho, forgetting his VIP protection duty in the face of fullness and comfort, dozed off snoring.
Until the Imperial Princess, lounging on the first-class bed leisurely puffing her pipe, drifted into sleep.
And until they reached the vast plain with no nearby counties, offices, or sects to call for aid.
That was when they finally made their move.
They shed their cloak-like barriers and began moving toward the locomotive at the train's head.
The faint vibrations through the floor, their minimized footsteps and warm breaths.
All that information was captured within Moon Shadow's sharpened Sensory Path.
Even in the languid air, Moon Shadow reacted first while maintaining her guard as bodyguard.
She drew her sword in a flash like a beam of light, honing her mind like a blade to watch the rear.
"Hey, something's off behind us—"
Before Moon Shadow could wake her, Il-ho sensed the anomaly and stirred from sleep, moving into action.
"Multiple unidentified intruders detected at train rear."
His face, slack in deep sleep moments ago, now showed no trace of emotion.
"Firing signal arrow. Commencing detailed reconnaissance."
The composite bow coiled around his waist like a belt unfurled in an instant, string nocked, quiver loaded, and bolts fired.
Its signature short arrows—baby arrows—pierced the train's walls and doors, shooting toward the tail car.
But the arrowheads were peculiar: instead of steel tips, tiny flutes with sound holes were attached.
-Piiiiiiiiieeeeeek!!
These were signal arrows, used on battlefields to transmit signals via sound.
The Palace Killer Sect's archery used them differently: infusing inner power into the piercing shriek to scout distances.
Echolocation.
A spatial perception via sound used by bats or dolphins, a skill humans could acquire through rigorous training.
"Ho...?"
"—Second car from rear: sixteen total. Ten first-rate, five peak Profound Realm, one pinnacle. Their qi reactions are turbid—high likelihood of inferior demonic arts."
Not mere spatial detection, but a high-level secret technique using sound infused with inner power to serve as qi sense too.
"Reacting to signal arrow sound, approaching at high speed. How shall we respond?"
Of course, if So-hyang handled it herself, it'd be over in minutes...
"No need for my help, right?"
But the foes were too low-level for that.
So-hyang, Moon Shadow, and even Il-ho could handle them with ease.
"...Yes, we can manage on our own for now."
Moon Shadow agreed.
"Il-ho, we need to interrogate, so capture alive—no kills."
"Acknowledged. Prioritizing non-peak Profound Realm targets for neutralization."
At her order, Il-ho's bowstring twanged repeatedly.
Rapid Strike, Continuous Shots, Silent Arrows.
Dozens of arrows fired in an instant pierced the train walls silently, threading through the black-clad figures' limbs.
"“—Kaaaaaaaagh!!”"
Only screams announced their arrival; the arrows had artfully bypassed major blood vessels to embed deep, causing severe bleeding.
The black-clad intruders, limbs pinned like insect specimens, were displayed against the train walls.
"—Ugh, still scary every time."
Sword qi gleaming on the arrowheads sliced through terrain, cover, or obstacles like tofu to reach their marks.
Thinking of the arrow barrage flying every which way through walls, ceilings, and floors still sent chills down Moon Shadow's spine.
"Still, having him as an ally is incredibly reassuring."
As Il-ho had said, the enemies included a Profound Realm expert.
"—What!? What is this...!?"
Yet even he hadn't sensed the incoming arrows.
Even without their group's advanced Sensory Path, they should have had sharp basic senses.
No matter that the arrows weren't aimed to kill and thus lacked killing intent—even dozens of arrows should have prompted some reaction.
"...Damn it! What the hell is going on!? We were told the train would be empty! Is there a whole archer unit in here!?"
His bewildered outburst, muttered as if to himself, wasn't meant for others to hear.
But Moon Shadow and Il-ho, with their keen senses, caught it and voiced doubts.
"'Empty,' he said...?"
"Doesn't seem like an attack targeting Your Highness?"
Could that be?
Zhu Yeonhwa hadn't hidden her boarding, despite no grand ceremony; station staff and railway employees knew.
A bare minimum investigation should have revealed that.
If not targeting an Imperial Scion, what rational reason was there to attack an Imperial railway?
Then again, if they were rational, they wouldn't attack at all.
"...No point speculating. Better to ask directly."
Moon Shadow ceased her futile thoughts and lowered her stance.
Her eyes sank like a leopard stalking prey, inner power concentrating in her coiled legs.
"—One arrow at the pinnacle. For suppression."
"Acknowledged."
Heavy Strike, Single Shot, Heavy Hammer Arrow.
The essence of "heavy" manifested via bow and arrow: a baby arrow half the usual length weighted like a boulder.
As the arrow launched, Moon Shadow's legs exploded against the floor.
Her movement technique sliced space like a phantom; her charge matched the arrow's speed.
The distance from the front cars to the tail—over ten cars—was closed in an instant.
"—Guh!?"
The sole reactor was the pinnacle Profound Realm warrior at the center, oddly wielding a massive sickle.
But he couldn't respond to Moon Shadow flashing past; he had to deflect the follow-up arrow.
Deflecting the bizarrely weighty arrow stole a breath, and that moment was all Moon Shadow needed.
The essence of fast sword was striking first.
A fast swordsman's peak was unleashing the initial strike; with the foe unaware, adding ambush principles made it perfect.
This was exactly that moment.
Within vision slowed by extreme acceleration, flashes gleamed repeatedly.
Even Profound Realm experts belatedly cloaked in sword qi to defend, but it was too late.
Floating Dragon Sword, Swallow Wing Slash.
Like slicing a swallow's wings mid-flight, the five Profound Realm foes had their limb tendons severed in a blink.
"Kaaaaaaaagh!"
Even at the same realm, skill levels varied wildly.
Against a pinnacle nearing Ultra Profound, lesser foes swarming held slim odds.
A joint assault with the leader might have been threatening, but yielding that instant to a fast swordsman rendered it moot.
Neutralizing fifteen of sixteen took less than a minute.
"You bastard!!!"
Before he could unleash a technique, the black-clad leader—having lost all subordinates in a blink—roared and lunged at Moon Shadow.
But even at full strength, his inferiority was clear; now agitated and under arrow support from afar, victory was impossible.
"—Guh, guhgh...."
Without exchanging blows, his limb tendons were cut and an arrow pierced his crotch, sprawling him on the floor.
"So, who are you? Who’s behind this at—"
"—You foolish wench!! With that much power, why serve a false tyrant!?"
"??"
His sudden scolding left Moon Shadow, mid-interrogation, dumbfounded.
What nonsense was this?
"Don't you know the world is rotten!? Why not escape this hell where kings, nobles, generals, and ministers are born predetermined!?"
"...Shut up and tell me who’s behind—"
"Silence!! As if I'd heed a slave bowing to lizard spawn!"
His insults lumping master and Imperials together made Moon Shadow's eyes flash murderously as she yanked his nails and snapped his fingers.
"Kaaaaaaaagh!!"
"Shut... up... and... tell me... who’s... behind this."
"—Make humanity great again!! Downfall to the tyrant falsely claiming authority!!"
The reason for attacking a train with no gains.
"We'll lose only chains, gain human freedom!! Proletarians of the world, unite!!"
"You madman, what the hell are you even saying!!"
A crazy bastard.
Or, more politely, an ideological offender.
"Hm...?"
Oddly familiar slogans drew a wry smile from So-hyang.