Blind Jack drew in a sharp breath. “Damn, this William Clark is really devious.” Then he snapped back to his senses. “Hey, you can understand Japanese?” Even though they’d been friends for years, Logan Reed still managed to surprise him from time to time.

Logan Reed smiled and said, “Just a few simple phrases, enough to get by. Blind Jack, I think the Japanese will be searching our compartment soon…”

Before he finished speaking, the compartment door was pounded on heavily. When they opened it, sure enough, it was the same group of Japanese soldiers from earlier, with a train conductor behind them looking helpless. One of the Japanese soldiers shouted, “Search!” Several Japanese soldiers barged in without explanation, ransacking the compartment, even frisking Logan Reed and Blind Jack. This time, they found a priest’s certificate on Logan Reed, which actually proved his innocence.

The Japanese soldiers found nothing and left their compartment to continue searching further back. The entire first-class carriage was thrown into chaos by the Japanese soldiers.

Blind Jack wished he could rush over and take down all those Japanese soldiers, but it was just a thought—since they had guns, acting rashly would only bring trouble.

Logan Reed quietly asked a conductor, “What happened?”

The conductor gave a bitter smile. “A Japanese officer was knocked out in a compartment, and his briefcase disappeared. They say it contained secret documents. They’re searching the whole train—it’s not aimed at you.”

Logan Reed nodded. Once everyone had left, he closed the compartment door and locked it from the inside. He walked over to the window and looked out, watching the sunlight cast a long shadow of the train along the tracks. He opened the window.

A blast of cold wind rushed in from outside. Blind Jack sneezed twice in a row from the chill and asked in surprise, “What are you doing?”

Logan Reed pointed to a shadow not far behind them. “There’s someone on the roof!”

Blind Jack couldn’t stand the glare, so he squinted his small eyes into slits and quickly put on sunglasses. Only then could he vaguely make out what Logan Reed was pointing at.

Logan Reed had already taken off his coat and was leaning halfway out the window.

Blind Jack hurried over and grabbed his thigh. “Damn, are you trying to get yourself killed?”

Logan Reed said, “I’m just curious what exactly he stole.”

William Clark pulled his coat tight and crouched low on top of the train car, his right hand gripping a black briefcase, pressed close to the roof. The train was moving at about fifty kilometers per hour, but the wind was still fierce. There was unmelted snow on the roof, and flurries kept blowing into his face, making it hard to keep his eyes open. He was waiting for the train to slow down so he could escape. His handsome face was as cold and stern as the harsh northern weather.

Up ahead was a railway bridge. The train let out a deafening roar, and the steam engine spewed out thick white smoke. William Clark looked up, his yellow-green wool coat whipped by the wind, his whole figure like a hawk about to take flight.

At that moment, he sensed something was wrong. He turned and saw several dark figures climbing onto the roof at the rear of the train, sprinting toward him.

William Clark raised his pistol and aimed at the leading figure. Bang! A shot rang out, the bullet piercing the Japanese soldier’s forehead. The man let out a scream and fell from the roof.

Bang! Bang! The Japanese soldiers who had climbed onto the roof fired their guns at the same time, bullets whistling toward William Clark. William Clark dodged left and right on the narrow rooftop, returning fire as he went. His marksmanship was extremely precise—almost every shot hit its mark. In an instant, he had already killed four Japanese soldiers. But now his magazine was empty, and as he was about to reload, a figure appeared on the roof of the next car behind him—a tall, strong Japanese officer had climbed up from a window. Bang! A shot rang out. Although it didn’t hit a vital spot, it struck William Clark’s pistol.

William Clark felt a numbness in his right hand and a violent jolt in his arm. His Browning pistol flew out, arcing away from the train and landing far behind in the snowy field.

Chapter 0011: Spring at Ming Lake (Part 1)

The Japanese officer saw that his opponent was now unarmed. Gripping his pistol, he approached William Clark with a sinister grin. He gave a slight wave of his gun, signaling William Clark to hand over the black briefcase.

William Clark nodded and slowly handed the black briefcase over. Just as the officer was about to take it, William Clark suddenly smashed the case into his face. Then, bending his legs, he sprang forward like a leopard, wrapping his arms around the officer’s waist and tackling him hard onto the roof.

The black briefcase tumbled across the roof, bounced once, and rolled off the side. The Japanese officer’s gun hand was gripped tightly by William Clark, and as he squeezed the trigger, both bullets shot harmlessly into the air. The officer was clearly much stronger than William Clark; with his left hand, he clamped down on William Clark’s neck, while William Clark grabbed his left wrist. The two of them wrestled and rolled across the roof. Bang! Bang! Two more shots rang out, this time the muzzle pointing down into the compartment below, where terrified screams erupted.

Relying on his physical advantage, the Japanese officer finally managed to pin William Clark at the edge of the roof. William Clark lay on the roof, his head trapped at the edge, half his body hanging off the side of the train. The train’s whistle sounded again as it was about to enter a tunnel. William Clark’s eyes were wide with fear.