Chapter 82 Part 2
Lai Jun, the Yin messenger, possessed the attendant. The anxious expression on Chen Ying’s face vanished. Looking at the attendant, she snapped, “Why aren’t you checking tickets? What are you staring at?!”
The attendant was stunned. “O-oh, sorry, ma’am. Welcome aboard. Need help with your luggage?”
Chen Ying glanced at her scrawny arms and legs disdainfully. “Move.”
Her fiancé watched as Chen Ying, her pinky effortlessly hooking the suitcase handle, boarded the train, and it departed.
Along the way to her seat, worried passengers looked at her, “Young lady, why did you get on?! We told you not to! There’s something wrong with this train.”
Lai Jun, inside her body, chuckled and found her sleeper bunk.
Entering, the sounds of “First Blood,” “Double Kill,” Wu Su was playing his game intently, a manic grin on his face.
His son’s soul rarely visited, and opportunities to enjoy such gaming sessions were precious.
“New passenger?” The young woman, her eyes tired from gaming, looked at the newly arrived Chen Ying.
One of the men had tried climbing out the window, to no avail, dragged back by Uncle Wu to continue gaming.
Lai Jun, dumping the ashes from the container into the trash can, his own soul now inside it, said to Wu Su, ‘Uncle Wu Su, your son hired a gaming companion for you.’
Chen Ying, a shiver running down her spine, her eyes fluttering open, “I’m… on board?”
Then a middle-aged man asked excitedly, “Young lady, do you play Chicken? The underworld version.”
Chen Ying: “…”
Wu Su discovered his gaming companion was a godsend, a true expert, even providing commentary. It turned out she was a professional gamer.
Chen Ying felt uneasy, “Ping An village… why would Wei Wei be there?”
Wu Heng’s second live stream started, the screen grayscale, few viewers.
[Why the grayscale? Is there a problem?]
[I’m reminded of that ghost, Tang Xueshan. Is Doctor Wu connecting with ghosts again in his second stream?]
[Isn’t it the friend of that fur coat’s owner? Is she a ghost too?]
[Seems like they’re on a train, could that be G4044? The online information isn’t being updated anymore.]
[I think I just saw my dad. Can only G4044 passengers’ families access this live stream?]
Wu Heng, looking at the camera, a faint smile on his lips, said, “Dad, how’s your gaming companion?”
Wu Su gave him a thumbs up, deeply impressed. “Amazing.”
Wu Heng turned to Chen Ying. “There’s no signal after you get off the train. Only ghost internet access in that village.”
Chen Ying, realizing why she could talk to him now, it must be the underworld network, “Can we… get off the train?” A man in the upper bunk asked, hope flickering in his eyes. As long as he could leave this train, he could find help.
Wu Heng replied, “Yes, even if you don’t want to, they’ll force you off, so don’t be scared.”
They were stunned into silence, everyone could leave? Something wasn’t right. It didn’t feel like an escape, more like walking into a trap.
Chen Ying, quick-witted, her voice trembling slightly, “Doctor Wu, are you saying it’s safer to stay on the train?”
Seeing him nod, her heart sank. “Ping An” (safe) village, really safe?
She was familiar with G4044, Nie Wei had taken this train to visit her, and then… the accident… several cars derailed, countless casualties…
But Nie Wei’s body was never found. Officially, she was a missing person.
A voice announced, “We are arriving at our final destination, Ping An village. Please disembark in an orderly fashion. Thank you for choosing train G4044.”
Many passengers, seeing the village outside through the window, were overjoyed.
Wherever this was, at least they could leave this train.
They woke up their sleeping companions, anxious to escape.
A man in the upper bunk above Wu Su, hearing the commotion, jumped down, not even bothering with his shoes, and shouted, “Don’t get off yet! Doctor Wu said it’s dangerous!”
“There’s no internet access on this train! How can he be live streaming?! You’re all ghosts, tricking us!” a university student, on the verge of a mental breakdown, shouted by the door.
“Exactly, that grayscale screen, that’s underworld technology, a scam!”
The other passengers, in their panic, didn’t think rationally, grabbing their valuables, abandoning their luggage, their only thought, escape.
But some, remembering Wu Heng’s live stream, hesitated, then sat back down.
[My God, Mom, it’s really Doctor Wu! Believe me!]
[Preying on their fear, these ghosts are clever.]
[There are at least a thousand people on this train! What are they planning?! Mass murder?]
As soon as the train stopped, the doors opened. A passenger, tentatively extending his hand, and finding he could actually leave, jumped off.
More and more followed, taking out their phones, but still no signal. They reassured themselves, “It’s normal to have no signal in mountainous areas. As long as we find people, we can call for help!”
“There! Smoke and lights! That must be the village!” a man with sharp eyes pointed at the distant lights, excitedly.
They rushed towards the village, the only visible destination, some still hesitant, but the fear of the train attendants greater, so they followed the crowd.
Safety in numbers.
Some ran out through the doors, others jumped out windows, the train quickly emptying.
Those who remained, sitting anxiously in their seats, saw the attendant with the ash box meal, a sinister smile on her face, ‘Any passengers staying? Need some food to replenish your energy?‘
The young woman who was playing games with Wu Su earlier kept her head lowered, tears streaming down her face, whispering, “What should we do, Doctor Wu? They’re back, they’re back again.”
[Holy crap, that’s terrifying! Staying on the train is scary, but leaving is also scary! What a dilemma!]
[Wuwuwu, I miss the police! Can’t they deal with these evil ghosts?!]
[Heng Bao, what do we do?! My dearest mother is on that train! She just bought a secondhand dress, she didn’t commit any crimes, can’t poor people even live?! Why is this happening to us?!]
Wu Heng reassured them, “Don’t worry, these are just merit points for the Yin messengers.”
Then the urn on the counter tipped over, and Lai Jun, having rested, emerged, he had counted twenty-five souls earlier, he took out his soul-snatching rope and, with a flick of his wrist, lassoed the attendant, ‘You’re coming with me.’
The ghost attendant, seeing the Yin messenger emerge from a box of ashes, screamed, ‘An undercover cop!’
Lai Jun chuckled, dragging her through the train cars, his rope collecting more and more souls with each car, like flowers on a vine, all the train’s staff.
Yuan Song, amidst the disembarking passengers, hearing the screams, turned to look, seeing Lai Jun’s excited face through the window, faintly hearing the word “merit.”
His heart stirred, escorting souls wasn’t always equal. Meritorious souls or criminals earned more points.
They had boarded the train without a proper ticket. They hadn’t earned any merits yet.
014’s voice, his arms crossed, his lantern tucked under one arm, his back to Yuan Song, said, ‘Xiao Yuan, aim higher, ignore the small fry, the big fish are in the village.’
‘That one on the train is a prime example of what not to do, mindlessly working for Yama.’
Those few passengers remaining saw blurry figures moving through the cars, the once arrogant attendants screaming as they were bound together.
‘Twenty-five, not bad, Lai Jun, pulling them into his lantern, happily counted his earnings.
Wu Heng smiled at the stunned passengers. “You should be safe now.”
A clean sweep, what was there to be afraid of?
[Doctor Wu sent an underworld cop! That’s why! Although we can only see blurry figures.]
[Isn’t this worse? A few are safe on the train, but most ran towards the village.]
[What’s so scary about a village? Is it full of ghosts?]
[Thankfully my mother is disabled, she was slow getting off the train. Thank god!]
Chen Ying looked at the distant village outside, the faint smoke rising, her friend lived there, and she was determined to go. But her phone was connected to Wu Su’s hotspot. If she went too far, she would lose her connection with Wu Heng, and she would truly be alone.
She looked at Wu Su, hesitating, not knowing how to ask him for such a risky favor.
Wu Su, sensing her dilemma, asked, “Can we still play games after we get off?”
Chen Ying, surprised, nodded, “Yes, I’ll add you as a friend.”
Wu Su immediately got up, his hand on the door, then turning to her, “Let’s go then, gaming buddy.”