Chapter 3: The Major's Gaze

Skylar Vance's sudden, frantic alarm instantly galvanized the train conductor. In that era, the railways were notorious for crime, and staff were trained to react immediately. The burly conductor instantly pulled a police baton from beneath his jacket, his face hardening as he shouted for his colleagues.

"Where is your friend?"

"In the tenth car’s lavatory! There are three of them—all middle-aged men! One has a goat beard, one has a knife scar on his face, and the third is left-handed! They all have black bags filled with stolen goods and their tools!" Skylar provided the exact location and a stream of detailed, concise descriptions of the criminals and their evidence. Her composure, given the supposed trauma, was phenomenal, yet the conductor was too focused on the threat to notice the unnerving precision of a frightened girl.

The conductor ordered Skylar to remain where she was and rushed off with his summoned companions. In those days, trains often employed off-duty police or militiamen to serve as security, armed against exactly this type of organized crime.

Watching them sprint away, Skylar knew she had a brief, precious window. She moved away from the chaotic main area and slipped into the soft-sleeper car—the Ruanwo—a section far more luxurious and exclusive than the hard-sleeper she was in. This was her chance to test the limits of her new ability.

The soft-sleeper cabins were private compartments for two, with locking doors and ample space, priced exponentially higher than the common cars.

Skylar strolled down the plush, quiet corridor, her fingertip subtly tracing the exterior walls of the compartments as she passed. In the first cabin, she saw a family of four—a couple, their child, and an elderly couple—clearly visible in her mind's eye. The second contained two elegantly dressed, wealthy women applying high-end face powder, the expensive brands instantly identifiable through her sight.

By the time she reached the fourth compartment, Skylar was profoundly certain of her Metaphysical Eye. Moreover, she had explored the strange, hidden spatial dimension linked to her palm and confirmed that with a flick of pure intent, she could retrieve and deposit objects at will. The rough stone she had involuntarily snatched was safely stored in this pocket dimension.

Just as she was about to find a discrete place to hide—the traffickers would soon realize she was responsible for the raid—the contents of the fourth cabin arrested her attention.

There were two men inside, both in their mid-twenties. One sat by the window, observing the scenery. His side profile was striking, angular, and severe in the sunlight, his lips set in a resolute, powerful line. His eyes held the steady, uncompromising stillness of a predator, filled with a visceral sense of death and command. He was impossibly handsome, not in the soft, pleasing style, but with a raw, masculine hardness that spoke of discipline and combat.

It was not his looks, however, that captured Skylar’s attention, but the overwhelming, palpable aura of lethal intent radiating from him.

A single glance was all she needed: this man was a killer. He had seen serious combat, carried authority, and was not someone to cross lightly.

In this rural, small-town train, the presence of such a formidable man was a magnet for Skylar’s cold curiosity. Then, the conversation between the two men, which she 'read' through the thick, steel wall using her lip-reading skills and enhanced perception, made her stop breathing.

The other man, speaking softly, was asking: "Major Rourke, should we go outside and take a look?"

Major.

In the military, this rank represented a high level of command. To achieve the rank of Major, a man typically had to be at least thirty. The man inside—Dominic "Dom" Rourke—was clearly younger, confirming that he was either an exceptionally brilliant, rising officer, or someone of immense, powerful family background—no ordinary man.

Though blocked by the wall, the two men had heard the distant commotion. The subordinate was asking for permission to intervene, but Dom Rourke remained utterly unmoved, his features seemingly carved from ice. He gave a chilling, indifferent reply: "Unnecessary." His tone was so flat and cold it seemed to freeze the air around her.

Acknowledging the existence of such a powerful, dangerous man nearby, Skylar decided it was best to cease her explorations and remain hidden.

Meanwhile, the swift action of the conductors had already rescued the sedated girl from the bathroom and apprehended two of the three traffickers. With the victim's immediate testimony, their crimes were confirmed.

“Wait, where is the child who reported this? Has anyone seen her?” The conductor returned, searching frantically for Skylar.

The passengers simply shook their heads. No one had noticed the quiet girl slip away into the throng.

With the main perpetrator—the man with the goat beard—still at large, both the rescued girl and the two captured traffickers were heavily guarded until the train reached its final destination, where they were handed over to the police.

Skylar watched the chaos on the station platform—the jostling crowd, the struggling criminals, the tearful reunion of the rescued victim and her family. Her brow furrowed, a moment of cold satisfaction. Just as she prepared to exit the station, a sudden, swift sound struck her hyper-sensitive hearing—a footstep, rapid and deliberate, cutting through the ambient noise with alarming speed.

Her eyes snapped shut. A sharp, icy flash of metal slashed through the air toward her. Skylar reacted instantly, twisting her slender body in a movement that was pure instinct. She barely evaded the lethal strike. Turning, her eyes met the savage, hate-filled face of the goat-bearded trafficker.

He was stunned by her agility, clearly not expecting the "timid" girl to possess such reflexes. His shock quickly turned to enraged hatred. "Stupid girl! You ruined my business! Today, I’m going to kill you!"

The razor-sharp knife lunged again and again. Skylar’s fifteen-year-old body, despite its agility, lacked the strength and endurance to fight him head-on. She retreated, struggling. Gritting her teeth, she took a desperate, gasping breath and screamed: "Help! He's trying to kill me!"

The trafficker, infuriated that her scream had drawn the attention of the surrounding crowd, had no choice but to turn and flee. He ran along the elevated platform, barreling through the crowds, oblivious to the immense danger approaching.

He didn't notice, but Skylar did. Her eyes, cold as glaciers, focused on the approaching train and the deadly, frozen tracks beneath the platform. She gripped the rough stone she had stored in her spatial dimension. With the raw power now flowing through her, she could use that stone as a projectile, striking his head with impossible velocity, sending his body tumbling onto the tracks for certain, gruesome death.

It would be effortless. Clean.

But just as her intent crystallized, as the stone was about to be flung from her palm, the trafficker slammed into a solid wall of muscle. He stumbled back, bewildered, only to feel an agonizing twist in his arm. His wrist was instantly locked, his arm cranked painfully behind his back, forcing a raw scream of agony from his lips.

The crowd erupted in a frenzy. Station staff swarmed the area, quickly confirming the man’s identity and dragging him away. They heaped effusive thanks upon his rescuer.

Dominic "Dom" Rourke released the trafficker into the custody of the authorities. He refused to give his name or accept any reward. Instead, his dark, penetrating gaze lifted, scanning the crowd near the spot where the girl had been attacked.

If his instincts were correct, the child who had cried for help—the one who had fought the thug with such desperate, icy determination—should have been right there.

But the space was empty. The girl was gone without a trace.

“Major,” his subordinate murmured, reminding him of their schedule.

Dom withdrew his gaze, a deep frown settling between his brows. He strode powerfully out of the station.

At the same time, miles away, Skylar Vance, having escaped her fated death and the dangerous proximity of the enigmatic Major, boarded the public bus headed home. She had just cheated death—and destiny—twice in a single day.