Chapter 4 Racing Time
“The next station arrives in fifteen minutes. Passengers getting off, please prepare.”
I jolted upright.
It was a major station.
Dozens of platforms, constant trains, massive crowds.
What if Miaomiao hadn’t wandered off?
What if someone had taken her?
The next stop would be the perfect place to get away.
I couldn’t sit still anymore. I shot up from my seat.
I rushed to find the Train Police again.
Before I reached the next Carriage door, a crew member appeared.
“Hello! You’re the one whose sister went missing, right?”
Tears nearly burst out as I grabbed his arm.
“Yes! It’s my sister!”
“I think she might have been taken by traffickers! Doesn’t the train have cameras?”
“Please check them quickly!”
Seeing my desperation, he quietly spoke into his shoulder radio.
“I completely understand how you feel right now. But only the driver can access the cameras.”
“Please stay calm. I’ve already requested it for you.”
Watching the scenery blur past, anxiety burned inside me.
I prayed everything I was imagining was wrong. That I was just scaring myself.
But what if it wasn’t?
I couldn’t take the risk. I could only hope Miaomiao would stay alert.
Cold sweat poured down. The more I thought, the more afraid I became.
This was all my fault.
I slapped myself twice, hard, forcing the tears back.
Ding ding!
A new message.
“Miaomiao isn’t bothering anyone, right? You have to keep an eye on her, Big Brother!”
Mom’s text broke me.
I couldn’t reply, but if I didn’t answer soon, she’d know something was wrong.
Guilt crushed me even harder.
“Sir, please don’t cry. Is there anything else about your sister that would be instantly recognizable?”
The crew member interrupted my thoughts.
Instantly recognizable?
I’d already told him everything. What else was there?
I clenched my teeth. Then a flash of inspiration hit.
Wiping my tears, I pulled out my phone again, fingers shaking as I opened an app.
“Searching for bound device location. Please wait…”
I held my breath, staring at the screen.
I’d bought Miaomiao a children’s watch phone once.
She kept using it to buy snacks behind our backs, so Mom and Dad confiscated it.
This trip was far, so for emergencies, they’d sewn it into her little bag.
In my panic, I’d completely forgotten.
“Signal weak. Please wait…”
The train was passing through remote countryside. The location wouldn’t load. I grew frantic.
The crew member kept patiently comforting me.
Ding ding!
The location tone finally sounded.
I zoomed in as far as it would go, staring at the screen about to refresh.