Chapter 28 The Four Seasons Train (5)
Staring at Zhu Ming and the candy in her hand, the ghost reluctantly handed over its food coupons.
Under the golden autumn sky, Zhu Ming smiled. “Don’t worry, the competition won’t be too fierce. The carriages are cramped; there’s not enough space for too many ghosts.”
They needed to leave some opportunities for others, and they also had an invalid with them. This time, they planned to eliminate only half the ghosts in the carriage.
Perhaps their arrogance was too much for one ghost to bear. A tall, thin woman in bell-bottoms, who had been silent until now, walked over and handed Zhu Ming her food coupons. “Since you’re so eager to die, I’ll be happy to oblige.”
As soon as she handed over her coupons, the other ghosts who had been considering vying for the train ticket quieted down, as if her presence alone eliminated any hope for the rest of them.
That reaction was… interesting.
Wenren Tu zipped up her backpack and shook her head at Zhu Ming.
Zhu Ming sat down. “It seems everyone else is reluctant to trade. We’re very democratic here. If you don’t want to trade, that’s fine.”
This ghost was different.
Night arrived as scheduled. The perpetually moving Four Seasons Train entered the dark tunnel. The lights flickered, and the ghosts reappeared.
Thanks to her accelerated metabolism, Legs had recovered from her illness. She huddled behind Zhu Ming and Wenren Tu, close to the door, ready to jump into the next carriage—wait, why were there so many ghosts in carriage 15 too?!
Wenren Tu suddenly remembered. “Oh, these are the ones I didn’t finish off last time!”
Legs despaired. She wanted to press herself against the door to carriage 17, but the aisle was packed with ghosts.
Because of the bell-bottomed ghost who had appeared earlier, the number of ghosts that appeared at night wasn’t as high as Zhu Ming and Wenren Tu had anticipated, only about a dozen or so.
But the crowded aisle made it difficult for them to move, hindering Legs’ ability. She had to hide and provide support, leaving the fighting to Zhu Ming and Wenren Tu.
Zhu Ming looked at the ghosts, her expression hardening. She said to Wenren Tu, “I didn’t go all out before because you weren’t here. Now that you are, I want to see what I can really do. Atu, if I lose control, it’s up to you.”
Wenren Tu smiled. “Don’t worry, I’ll electrocute you, just like when we first met.”
She unbuckled the long blade at her hip and handed it to Zhu Ming. “I’m not good with this. Here.”
Zhu Ming smiled and drew the blade. “Thanks.”
Contrary to their expectations, the ghosts in the carriage weren’t aggressive, seemingly reluctant to attack. Zhu Ming and Wenren Tu decided to make the first move. They couldn’t just leave these ghosts for the next unlucky participant who entered carriage 16.
Wenren Tu flicked her wrist, and a silver chain shot out from her bracelet, wrapping around a ghost. The ghost convulsed as electricity coursed through it.
Zhu Ming, avoiding the electrified chain, jumped onto the back of a seat and swung the blade. In a flash, the bell-bottomed ghost looked up and grabbed the blade with her bare hand!
Clang—
The blade struck her palm, the sound like metal against stone. So hard! This ghost was different from the little girl. She was strong!
Zhu Ming stared at the bell-bottomed ghost, whose skin had turned grayish-white. She quickly retreated, jumping off the seat. A ghost lunged at her, but she flipped over its back and landed beside Wenren Tu.
Wenren Tu retracted her silver chain. The ghosts facing them, seeing the bell-bottomed ghost stand up, backed away.
“Looks like we have a tough one here.” Zhu Ming smiled, flicking the blade. “Atu, normal attacks can’t penetrate her defense. Why don’t you give it a try?”
Wenren Tu stepped forward. “Alright.”
She shot out her silver chains again. The chains had limited range, but the bell-bottomed ghost didn’t dodge. She even stepped forward and grabbed them!
“How arrogant,” Wenren Tu frowned, sending a surge of electricity through the chains… The current stopped abruptly when it reached the bell-bottomed ghost. She looked at Wenren Tu impassively and tied the two chains together.
Wenren Tu: “What the…?”
She yanked on the chains, pulling Wenren Tu forward. Zhu Ming couldn’t help but laugh. “Looks like her defense isn’t just tough skin, it’s like… stone.”
Wenren Tu was completely countered. Gripping the back of a seat, she yelled, “Stop watching and do something!”
Zhu Ming’s expression turned serious. “I haven’t used my full power in a long time, Atu. Don’t hold back if I lose control.”
Wenren Tu said quickly, “I know, I know! Hurry up!”
Zhu Ming took a deep breath, stretched her legs, and aimed her fingers, like a gun, at the bell-bottomed ghost. A tense silence filled the carriage. Everyone backed away. The bell-bottomed ghost, looking wary, yanked on the chains, pulling Wenren Tu in front of her as a shield.
She pressed her arm against Wenren Tu’s throat, almost choking her. Trapped against the large, insulating form, Wenren Tu couldn’t move.
A few small ghosts whispered behind them. Wenren Tu yelled, exasperated, “What are you looking at?! Come here and let me electrocute you! Zhu Ming! Hurry up!!!”
“I know! Shut up! Almost ready!”
Finally, the burning Yang energy coalesced. Poof—a spark ignited, then sputtered and dwindled, finally settling into a weak, tiny flame at Zhu Ming’s fingertip.
Zhu Ming: “…”
Wenren Tu’s jaw dropped. “Zhu Ming… are you hiding a lighter in your hand and trying to trick me?”
Zhu Ming looked surprised. “I think my ability has… atrophied from lack of use… I was holding back…”
Apparently, her full power and her restrained power were the same.
Zhu Ming coughed, extinguishing the flame. Her face hardened. “It doesn’t matter if I don’t have any abilities. Let her go, and let me handle this!”
She lunged forward again, using the blade as a feint to distract the bell-bottomed ghost and force her to release Wenren Tu. The blade was knocked away, but Zhu Ming, with a swift movement, wrapped her arms around the ghost from behind!
Sizzle, sizzle—nothing Yin or evil could withstand the burning Yang energy. Few people could store such intense Yang energy within their bodies, not even Wenren Tu with her lightning, but Zhu Ming could!
The bell-bottomed ghost winced, her brow furrowing. She kicked Wenren Tu away and tried to pry Zhu Ming’s arms off.
Zhu Ming’s fingertips ignited, and she struck several pressure points on the ghost’s body, leaving burn marks. But the burns weren’t deep. Her defense was truly formidable.
Wenren Tu, having fallen to the floor, scrambled up and watched as the bell-bottomed ghost slammed Zhu Ming against the wall.
The carriage couldn’t be damaged! Zhu Ming’s back hit the wall hard, the impact sending a jolt of pain through her, a metallic taste rising in her throat.
“Go deal with the other ghosts!” she yelled to Wenren Tu. As the bell-bottomed ghost moved forward to slam her against the wall again, Zhu Ming slipped out of her grasp.
She kicked off the wall, using the momentum to propel herself forward. She chuckled coldly, knowing the bell-bottomed ghost wasn’t invulnerable. The burns on her back were proof of that.
The bell-bottomed ghost frowned, touching her back, realizing her situation wasn’t good. She turned to leave.
Seeing an opening, Zhu Ming jumped and grabbed her again from behind. If it weren’t for the ghost’s thick defenses, she could have channeled her flames directly into her body, incinerating her from within. But judging by the burns, her defense was about to break!
But this time, the bell-bottomed ghost didn’t try to shake her off or slam her against the wall. She grabbed another ghost, looked up at Zhu Ming, her eyes cold and empty.
Then, she started tearing into the ghost she held, biting and ripping.
The ghost screamed as the bell-bottomed ghost devoured its essence, the burns on her back rapidly healing.
No wonder the other ghosts were so afraid of her, giving up the hunt as soon as she appeared. Those who had already traded their food coupons had no choice but to participate, otherwise, she would have been the only hunter tonight.
Wenren Tu also noticed this, but she could no longer focus on clearing out the smaller ghosts. The rejuvenated bell-bottomed ghost was even more ferocious now, her limbs cracking ominously. She twisted her arms and neck 180 degrees, suddenly turning to face Zhu Ming!
She slammed Zhu Ming against the back of a seat again, their hands locked in a struggle. Damn, this ghost was as strong as Yun Zouchuan! Zhu Ming couldn’t overpower her!
Worse, the carriage doors had opened. They only stayed open for about a minute. If they missed this window, they would have to face the bell-bottomed ghost again!
Zhu Ming’s body was forced backward, exposing her throat.
Across the terrifying ghost, Wenren Tu’s eyes met Zhu Ming’s. A silver chain shot out, wrapping around Zhu Ming’s leg. Just as the bell-bottomed ghost lunged for her throat, electricity surged through the chain.
Zap—
The bell-bottomed ghost froze.
No matter how thick her skin, her mouth wasn’t made of stone!
Zhu Ming also convulsed from the shock, but she was used to it, and lightning was particularly effective against evil entities. So, while trembling, she continued to crane her neck forward, pulling one hand free and shoving her fingers into the bell-bottomed ghost’s mouth.
A small flame flickered to life and entered the ghost’s body.
Wenren Tu immediately cut off the electricity. Zhu Ming grabbed the back of the seat, twisted her leg around the bell-bottomed ghost’s waist, and slammed her to the ground, falling with her.
The doors were closing.
Wenren Tu, still holding the chain, dragged Zhu Ming towards carriage 15. She knew Zhu Ming was probably still numb from the shock and couldn’t run fast.
Zhu Ming’s head banged against the floor as she was dragged along. “Can you be a little gentler?!”
Wenren Tu, without looking back, yelled, “I’m afraid you’ll get stuck in the door!”
Just in the nick of time, they slid into carriage 15. Legs, a blur of motion, retrieved the discarded blade.
Zhu Ming looked back at the bell-bottomed ghost, who was clutching her stomach and trembling. She stared at Zhu Ming silently, her grayish-white body curling into a ball just as the doors closed completely.
Zhu Ming, her face impassive, flipped her off, her middle finger still twitching.
Finally, she was dead.
Wenren Tu glanced back. The ghosts waiting in carriage 15 all backed away.
A moment later, as Zhu Ming recovered from the shock, the train entered winter.
The temperature plummeted. Looking at the snow falling outside, Legs, clutching her full backpack, pulled out a down jacket and handed it to Wenren Tu. “Put this on, Atu-jie! It’s warm!”
But there were only two down jackets? It seemed they had run out of food coupons. Legs offered the other one to Zhu Ming.
Zhu Ming waved it away. “You wear it. This windbreaker is fine for me.” She wasn’t really cold.
“But it’s freezing!” Legs said worriedly. “And you’re injured!” She glanced at Zhu Ming’s ankle. Her pants were still torn, but the wounds were gone.
Perhaps her accelerated metabolism had healed them quickly. Legs didn’t think much of it.
The unexpected difficulty with the bell-bottomed ghost annoyed Wenren Tu, but after recovering, she and Zhu Ming resumed their antics.
Legs thought that after their encounter with the bell-bottomed ghost, they would be more cautious, but she was wrong. They showed no restraint!
She knew Zhu Ming was strong and Wenren Tu was powerful, but together, they were a chaotic force.
“This is a robbery! Hand over your food coupons! Hey, you think I want your coupons? I don’t! Ow! Which asshole hit me?!”
Conductor: That would be me!
Their mission seemed to be annoying the ghosts to death. They selectively collected a few food coupons, not many, mainly because Wenren Tu had already swept through this carriage, and many ghosts were expected to appear at night.
The surviving ghosts from her previous visit glared at her resentfully.
Legs worried. What if there was another bell-bottomed ghost among them?
While Zhu Ming was in the bathroom, Wenren Tu smiled and patted Legs’ shoulder. “What’s wrong? Worried something will happen?”
Legs was embarrassed. She wasn’t the main fighter here and felt she had no right to question their methods. “What if you get injured?”
Wenren Tu’s smile faded slightly. “If we don’t eliminate the stronger ones, what about the people who enter this carriage after us? You know better than anyone that not all Awakened are combat-oriented.”
Legs paused, realizing that Wenren Tu, usually cheerful and playful around Zhu Ming, had a cold, calculating look in her eyes as she observed the human-faced ghosts.
Perhaps their arrogance was deliberate… Wenren Tu was a member of the Paranormal Affairs Bureau. How could she have forgotten that, blinded by Wenren Tu’s boisterous personality?
A wave of gratitude washed over Legs. She, too, was being protected!
Just as her gratitude reached its peak, Wenren Tu muttered, “We’ve taken care of the strongest ones. Leaving a few ordinary ghosts shouldn’t be a problem for them, right?”
Legs deflated slightly. “If it were me, I’d still have a problem with it.”
…
Night fell, the ghosts reappeared, and Zhu Ming and Wenren Tu, working together, unleashed their pent-up frustration from carriage 16.
They continued to the next few carriages without encountering any particularly strong opponents, making smooth progress, but they hadn’t encountered any other living participants.
Until they reached carriage 12, in the second round of autumn. The carriage was empty of ghosts, but…
All three of them covered their noses, staring in shock at a plump man who was pulling up his pants, his face flushed. “What are you looking at?! Haven’t you ever seen a man use the bathroom?!”
He was human, a living participant…
There were no ghosts in this carriage, only the participant, and… several pixelated puddles on the floor.
It was a scene Zhu Ming would never forget. The three of them reached a silent agreement: leave. Now.
No one wanted to fight here, and no one wanted to eat here.
Zhu Ming took the ghost’s usual seat and opened the window, letting the wind blow through the carriage. This autumn journey felt incredibly long.
As night approached and the train entered the tunnel, Zhu Ming looked expectantly at the door. There were no ghosts in carriage 12, so they hadn’t collected any food coupons.
The plump man yelled, “Close the window!”
Zhu Ming instinctively slammed the window shut, but Wenren Tu was a step too slow. The darkness outside surged in through the gap, thick and viscous like asphalt. Wenren Tu quickly closed the window, severing the tendril of darkness. The black, asphalt-like substance landed on her hand, sizzling and burning her flesh.
“Ow!” Wenren Tu hissed, instinctively summoning electricity, which slowly, agonizingly slowly, dissipated the darkness.
But the burning wasn’t the worst part. She had instinctively inhaled… Wenren Tu’s face turned green, and she almost vomited.
The plump man, long past caring about embarrassment, snorted. “Survival of the fittest.”
None of them dared argue with him. They quickly fled carriage 12. Zhu Ming wished she could erase the memory entirely. As for the plump man, they tactfully avoided mentioning teaming up. He clearly wasn’t their kind of person.
Legs, her face pale, mumbled, “How could anyone… eat… that… just to avoid being chased by ghosts…? Why… does the bathroom… even need… food coupons…? Ugh…”
Zhu Ming/Wenren Tu: “Ugh—”
They continued their journey, finally escaping the suffocating stench after a few more carriages.
The second round of winter. Carriage 11. Bloodstains, no ghosts.
The third round of spring. Carriage 10. Several ghosts waiting.
The third round of summer. Carriage 9. Empty. Wenren Tu and Zhu Ming resumed their ghost-provoking antics.
Then, at the end of the third autumn “night,” they entered carriage 8.
This carriage was strange. It was filled with ghosts, almost all of them present and visible.
But they were all quiet, their faces pale and listless, their eyes unfocused, showing no intention of attacking. Their docility made Zhu Ming and Wenren Tu hesitate. Should they strike first?
Something was amiss.
Wenren Tu walked ahead, scanning the carriage.
Who was that?
She noticed a woman with long hair, wearing a white shirt dress and a khaki windbreaker. Judging by her appearance and demeanor, she was a living person, another participant.
And she looked familiar, yet Wenren Tu was sure they had never met. It didn’t make sense. She wouldn’t forget such a beautiful woman.
The strangest thing was that the ghosts weren’t attacking, even though there was a participant present. They couldn’t possibly be showing mercy just because she was beautiful. There was only one explanation: this woman was powerful, perhaps even a match for Wenren Tu herself.
Wenren Tu quickly assessed the situation.
The woman in white sat by the window, the three seats beside her empty. A teacup sat in front of her, containing a small amount of light brown liquid. A faint scent of milk tea lingered in the air.
Wenren Tu subtly gestured behind her back, signaling Zhu Ming and Legs to behave themselves, then sat down opposite the woman. Just as she was about to greet her, she noticed Zhu Ming’s expression turning strangely distorted.
Zhu Ming stared at the woman in white, her mind reeling. Real or fake? Another illusion? Illusion… kisses… That’s all you’ve got…
Wenren Tu was embarrassed for her. Zhu Ming, she knew you had been single for years, but you didn’t have to freeze at the sight of every pretty girl!
“Zhu Ming! Zhu Ming!” Wenren Tu called out to her.
Zhu Ming snapped out of her daze, shuddered, and instinctively turned to run—but the doors were closed. She crashed into the door with a thud.
Wenren Tu was stunned. “Why are you running?!”
Zhu Ming was equally stunned. “Yeah, why am I running?” She had no idea what she was doing!
Wenren Tu finally understood. This wasn’t love at first sight; Zhu Ming knew this woman.
The train exited the tunnel, transitioning from summer to autumn, the scenery outside turning golden, the temperature dropping sharply.
Yin Yu opened the window, the wind playing with her hair. She turned to Zhu Ming, smiling. “We meet again, Mingming.”
Zhu Ming: “…”
Damn it! Why did seeing Yin Yu always trigger memories of that illusion? She was going to get PTSD.
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