Chapter 4 Bounty Hunter
“It ain’t necessary. Gloria’s about to start school anyway. Why don’t you take the two girls to Aerions, and Gloria can have a look at what life is like for rich families,” Alyssa said to Martin.
“I want to go with them.” The ten-year-old boy pouted, insisting that he also wanted to go to Aerions.
Alyssa immediately scolded him, “Shut up. Do you think train tickets are free? The Vance family is unbelievable. They didn’t even buy the ticket for their own child.”
Alyssa was notoriously stingy, constantly complaining that the Vance family was tight-fisted. She had been promised that the whole family would be invited to Aerions, yet now, they only wanted Sharon.
Sharon noticed her father was in a difficult spot and spoke up, “I’ll buy the ticket myself. No need for you to pay.”
Martin shook his head. “No, you can’t. You don’t have the money.”
Alyssa chimed in, “She doesn’t have money, but her brothers do. They can casually spare enough for us to live on for a lifetime. After all these years of raising her, buying tickets for us is the least they can do.”
Martin, however, was unusually stubborn this time. He went to the train station and bought several sleeper tickets himself.
Martin and Alyssa argued for days over the tickets, and Alyssa even went so far as to cry and storm off to her parents’s house, refusing to return.
Sharon looked at Martin and tried to persuade him. “Dad, I really do have money. You don’t have to worry about me.”
Martin insisted, “I’m taking you home. There’s no way I’ll let you pay. Sorry, I can’t afford five flight tickets, so you have to endure the train ride.”
“It’s fine,” Sharon replied with a smile.
She wasn’t bothered by the travel arrangements. As long as she was with Martin, she didn’t care about the mode of transportation. What bothered her was that the call from the Vance family seemed strange—it didn’t feel like something her brothers would arrange.
*****
On the day of departure, Alyssa returned home as if nothing had happened. The whole family packed their bags early in the morning and headed for the train station.
Once on the train, they came to their family room. However, since the room could only fit four people, Sharon decided to go to a separate room.
After placing their luggage, Martin said, “Shari, why don’t you come and stay with them? I’ll sleep in the other room.”
Sharon shook her head. “I’d rather be alone.”
Martin was concerned about her safety, but for Sharon, it wasn’t a big deal.
As night fell, Sharon sat by the window with a sandwich in hand, when suddenly she felt a dangerous presence. Someone was on top of the train.
She thought to herself, ‘Who on earth is crazy enough to hang outside the train?’
Not long after, several people passed by the carriage. Their footsteps were steady and powerful. Clearly, they were trained. Sharon guessed that they were probably after the person outside.
She casually continued eating her sandwich, figuring it had nothing to do with her.
Outside the train, a helicopter hovered, following closely.
Nicholas, fully armed and holding a heavy crossbow, was watching the person on top of the train. He asked his man, “Has the interior protection structure been completed?”
“Captain, it’s finished. When do we begin the operation?” replied his man.
Nicholas instructed, “Start the operation to encircle the traitor in one hour. Make sure not to wake any civilians.”
As the night grew darker, Sharon opened her eyes and stared at the ceiling. She could feel the person above her, but they hadn’t moved a bit. Something felt off, like they were staying very still.
Then, with a creak, the room door opened. Sharon heard heavy footsteps, and her pupils instantly contracted. She realized that the person outside was a bait.
The sound of footsteps echoed on the roof of the train, gradually moving closer to the bait. Inside the train, the person who had been sneaking through the carriages arrived at Sharon’s bed, and danger surrounded her in an instant.
Sharon considered attacking the two people outside, but doing so might endanger Martin and her younger siblings, possibly even kill them.
A murderous glint flashed in Sharon’s eyes, and her body tensed. She knew she had to act quickly to prevent the worst.
Outside, Nicholas realized the figure on the roof was a dummy. He looked down at the train, and his face turned dark. “Dang it, get to the carriages down here for backup. It’s a trap.”
Before they could climb down, a shadow was thrown from the train and landed on the ground outside, beaten and bruised.
A voice rang out from Nicholas’s communication equipment. “Boss, we got him. It’s definitely him.”
Nicholas let out a sigh of relief and asked, “Who did it?”
The man on the other end went silent for a moment before replying, “It doesn’t look like it’s one of us. We didn’t get there in time.”
Nicholas frowned, thinking, ‘Could there be bounty hunters inside the train?’
The carriage beneath him soon returned to silence. Sharon lay still on her bed. She sensed someone had come to check the situation but soon left. She thought to herself, ‘It should be fine now.’
*****
At 9 AM the next morning, the train pulled into the station on time.
Sharon got off with Martin and the others. She glanced back at the roof of the train, where everything seemed calm again, as if nothing had happened.
At the exit, several off-road vehicles were parked. Nicholas sat inside one of them, checking the list of passengers from that particular train car, trying to figure out who did that last night.
Nicholas’s subordinate said, “Boss, there are only a few left. Looks like it’s one family.”
Nicholas looked up and saw a very ordinary family of five people. His gaze lingered on the girl walking behind others for a moment. She had a ponytail, black pants, a white T-shirt, and a smooth face.
He quickly averted his eyes and said, “Go back, cross-check their details, and prepare the mission report for the academy’s investigation.”
The off-road vehicles sped away, and soon a Mercedes-Benz pulled up.
A middle-aged man in a suit stepped out and surveyed the crowded train station with a furrowed brow.
He walked straight over to Sharon and said, “Ms. Vance, I’m Enzo Hansen, the butler of the Vance family. I’ve been sent to take you home.”
His tone was casual, but it carried an undeniable air of superiority.
Both Martin and Alyssa were taken aback, unsure of how to respond.
Sharon merely nodded in response. “Mm.” Her expression remained neutral, showing not a hint of surprise or discomfort.
Enzo briefly glanced at Sharon, thinking to himself, ‘This so-called Ms. Vance, who grew up in a poor village, doesn’t seem quite what I expected. She’s not humble or timid at all.’
However, when they arrived at the car, Sharon realized there was only one vehicle, which clearly wouldn’t be enough for her whole family.
She looked up at Enzo and asked, “Only one car?”
Enzo replied, “Ms. Vance, I’ve been instructed to take you back. As for the other guests, they can stay in a hotel outside. Mrs. Vance is waiting for you, and she doesn’t like delays.”
Enzo opened the car door for Sharon, but Sharon didn’t move. The two of them stood there in a tense silence, and the atmosphere became somewhat awkward.
