Chapter 34 The Four Seasons Train (11)
Yin Yu released her hold on the blade, which clattered to the roof. She gasped, clutching her chest, her tattered dress barely clinging to her.
The green ghost fire dwindled and died like fading embers as the train entered a new, golden autumn, the gruesome scene masked by the returning chatter and laughter of the passengers.
Zhu Ming retrieved the fallen red train ticket and the blade, then looked at the barefoot woman. “Why didn’t you use your ability?”
If Yin Yu’s ability was a strong offensive one, eliminating the flaming ghost would have been much easier.
Yin Yu tugged at her torn collar, smiling. “If I told you, wouldn’t you be prepared?”
Zhu Ming: “…” She doubted there was anyone more cunning and shameless than Yin Yu.
She walked over to Yin Yu and reached for her sleeve. Yin Yu obediently raised her arms. “Isn’t this a bit inappropriate in public?” she teased.
Ignoring her, Zhu Ming pulled the tattered sleeves of Yin Yu’s shirt dress around to her back and tied them tightly, transforming the simple white dress into a makeshift halter top.
“Your dress is still wearable. Don’t ask me for food coupons as compensation. If you want a new one, buy it yourself,” she said.
Having dealt with Yin Yu’s attire, Zhu Ming prepared to leave. She straddled the window, looking back. Her own torn black clothes weren’t much better than Yin Yu’s.
But bathed in the bright, golden sunlight, she looked like a black gemstone studded with gold. “Go back to your carriage 60,” she said. “Open the window for me when I need it, or I won’t trust you again.”
With that, she climbed out of the carriage and returned to carriage 1. Seeing her tattered clothes, Wenren Tu was furious. She was about to rush out and tear Yin Yu apart. “It was her again, wasn’t it?! I saw you two running around on the roof!”
Zhu Ming slapped her on the back. “Come on, would you even dare go up there?”
Wenren Tu: “…” Probably not.
Getting back to business, Zhu Ming showed them the two red train tickets. They had cleared out a four-seater, and the “passengers” in the other seats were stirring restlessly.
Zhu Ming kept one ticket and gave the other to Wenren Tu. When the front door opened at night, they could finally access the engine compartment.
“Didn’t you say even the siblings’ own sister couldn’t tell them apart? How did you do it? Don’t tell me you just… killed them both?” Wenren Tu asked curiously.
Zhu Ming, occupying two seats, was catching up on sleep. She replied, eyes closed, “I’m not that unreasonable. It’s like this…” She briefly explained her method.
A while later, the blond man returned, asking if they had made any progress in carriage 1. He had gone to carriage 33 during the summer cycle, seeing that there had been no progress in 37 yet.
He had arrived at the right time. Wenren Tu told him about the method for identifying the fake participant and asked him to inform the others in the other carriages. There might be other disguised ghosts, especially in carriages without participants during the transition to the second day.
Learning that they had obtained the red tickets, the blond man was overjoyed. The train could finally be stopped! He hurried back to inform the others, then returned to carriage 1, wanting to see how they would stop the train.
The golden autumn quickly passed. As night fell, Zhu Ming was nudged awake.
Eight minutes into the “night,” the carriage doors opened. The seven participants squeezed into the small compartment. A digital display on the heavy metal door read: Please insert red train ticket.
Without hesitation, Zhu Ming inserted a red ticket into the card reader below the display.
Hum—
The ticket was swallowed by the machine. The heavy metal door vibrated, the small screen displaying cheerful fireworks and playing a celebratory tune as the door slowly opened, finally revealing the engine compartment!
Everyone was excited, even Jia-jie, who usually kept her distance, smiled.
It was a simple driver’s cabin, unlike the train’s antiquated exterior. At the front was a control panel with a digital display and a red button beneath it. A large, comfortable swivel chair sat in the center, currently occupied by a man with his feet propped up on the control panel. Beside him was the familiar cart.
The border collie vendor was napping on the floor. The scene was peaceful and serene.
A round of applause. The chair swiveled 180 degrees, revealing a young, handsome man in a neatly pressed Zhongshan suit and a peaked cap. He looked at them with an approving gaze. “You’ve reached here on only the second day? Quite impressive.”
His appearance, like a final boss, made them wary. Did they have to defeat him to complete the instance? Wenren Tu stepped forward, her tone blunt. “Are you the driver? Stop the train!”
The man shook his head. “I’m the owner of the Four Seasons Train, but that doesn’t mean I can control its movement. Some things are immutable.” He smiled, a glint of amusement in his eyes. “Since you’re here, why don’t you try controlling it yourselves?”
While he wasn’t looking, Legs dashed to the control panel, then quickly returned, her face pale.
“The screen is a monitor showing the train’s route,” she said. “The button says ‘Accelerate.’”
The train owner shrugged. “Don’t be afraid. I’m a civilized man. I’ll allow you to look around, as long as you don’t damage anything. Oh, wait… you can’t damage anything anyway. Hahahaha!”
“Let’s search the place.” Wenren Tu and the others spread out, thoroughly examining the small cabin, especially the control panel.
The digital display showed live feeds from all the carriages. It was daytime, and most carriages were filled with the usual noise and activity. In the center of the screen was a circular route map, divided into four colored sections: pink, green, yellow, and white, representing spring, summer, autumn, and winter. A small black arrow, representing the train, was slowly moving through the white section. The cycle would repeat endlessly.
There were no other hidden mechanisms. The only thing they could interact with was the red button. But the word on the button made them hesitate.
There was no “Stop” button, no way to stop the train, only “Accelerate.”
What was the point of reaching the engine compartment then?!
Despair, confusion, and frustration filled the air, heavy and suffocating.
The night was short. The train entered the fifth round of winter, the scenery outside turning white with snow, the temperature dropping. Perhaps because they had opened the engine compartment, the two doors connecting it to carriage 1 remained open, while the other carriage doors closed as usual.
Zhu Ming walked over to the train owner and tapped his chair, her eyes narrowed.
The train owner, who had been watching the monitors, knew what she was like. He coughed delicately. “You can’t harm me. I have absolute defense in here. So don’t even think about attacking me.”
He was right. Zhu Ming glared at him, summoning a small flame, which dissipated harmlessly against his body. He was like the train itself, invulnerable, indestructible.
The train owner picked up his border collie and stroked it, enjoying their despair.
They had paid the price of a life to discover what the train truly harvested. They had risked their lives, struggled, and finally obtained the red tickets to open the engine compartment, thinking they could finally stop this relentless train, only to realize they were still far from the end!
What could be more satisfying than this? The train owner grinned, shaking the dog’s paw. Their reactions were perfect. His elaborate prank was a success.
He hummed the Super Mario Bros. theme song, then suddenly found himself yanked off his chair by the collar.
The train owner: “?”
He turned to see Zhu Ming sprawled in his seat.
He was both amused and annoyed. “You think you can control this train just by stealing my chair? Don’t be naive.”
Zhu Ming crossed her legs, her tone condescending. “You’re the naive one. I just don’t like people sitting higher than me.”
The train owner was speechless. He had absolute defense; he wasn’t afraid of being attacked… But Zhu Ming hadn’t attacked him. She had simply… moved him. Fine, be arrogant, be smug. In the end, you’ll still have to surrender your lifespan.
Zhu Ming swiveled the chair to face the control panel. Not only were the others stumped, but she had no idea what to do either. She had suspected opening the engine compartment wouldn’t solve everything. Even stopping the train would only minimize the damage, but the damage had already been done.
Wenren Tu, deep in thought, discreetly tried using her electricity to disrupt the train’s systems, but it didn’t work. She placed her finger on the red button, hesitant to press it.
“Even though the label might be fake,” Jia-jie said, “I wouldn’t recommend taking the risk.”
Wenren Tu said, “I know. I was just testing the train owner. Zhu Ming, look! Any reaction?”
Zhu Ming chuckled sheepishly. “I wasn’t looking at him.”
Wenren Tu sighed and retracted her hand. There were no other buttons or controls besides the “Accelerate” button. If pressing it truly accelerated the train, then their lifespans would be drained even faster. Whoever pressed the button would be responsible for everyone’s deaths.
But if it was actually a “Stop” button, and the label was fake, then not pressing it meant continuing to lose their lives.
Frustrated, Wenren Tu slammed her fist on the control panel, then walked towards the border collie vendor, her face grim. “Good boy, I want to buy three ropes.”
The dog dutifully retrieved the items from the compartment under the cart. Wenren Tu uncoiled the ropes. Zhu Ming immediately jumped off the chair and walked over. She knew what Wenren Tu was planning. Excellent. She wanted to do the same.
When it came to causing mischief, they were always on the same wavelength.
Zhu Ming and Wenren Tu approached the train owner, ropes in hand, their intentions clear. The train owner panicked momentarily, then forced himself to remain calm. “What are you doing?! I’m warning you, don’t try anything funny!”
Zhu Ming’s voice was cold. “I know you have absolute defense. We can’t hurt you. Don’t worry, we’re not going to attack you.”
Behind them, Legs, the blond man, Jia-jie, and the other two Awakened individuals all rolled up their sleeves.
The engine compartment was small, and the conductor didn’t interfere here. Outnumbered, the train owner was quickly overpowered. Five minutes later, he was tied up and hanging upside down in the aisle of carriage 1, the luggage racks conveniently serving as anchor points for the ropes.
Blood rushed to his head, making him dizzy and lightheaded. His face red, he yelled, “You dare offend me?! I’ll make this journey a living hell for you!”
Zhu Ming and Wenren Tu sat down, one on each side, taking turns pushing him gently. Zhu Ming said, “The train is on autopilot. It doesn’t even need you to control it. What can you do? Go ahead, try something.”
External attacks had no effect on the train owner, but what about internal ones? He gritted his teeth and thrashed around, his dizziness intensifying, almost making him vomit. And since he was the one moving, the stupid conductor kept hitting him, regardless of his status.
Furious, the train owner vowed to fire the conductor as soon as he got back!
The little vendor, seeing its owner tied up, barked anxiously. The train owner tried to soothe it. “Good boy, Daddy’s fine! We’re just playing! It’s not time for your walk yet. Go back now.”
Bound by the rules, the vendor could only whimper and retreat to the engine compartment.
…
Venting their frustration on the train owner didn’t change the fact that the train was still moving.
The blond man was deeply disappointed. He had thought staying in carriage 1 would allow him to hear the good news first, but he had just experienced the crushing despair of falling from heaven to hell.
Dejected, he climbed out of the carriage, intending to inform his companions that there was no hope of stopping the train and they needed to find another solution.
“Wait,” Wenren Tu called out to him. “You can tell them that they can jump off the train if they want, but we don’t know the consequences. It’s their decision.”
The blond man sighed. “Actually, we considered that when we realized we could climb out the windows.” But firstly, they weren’t sure if it was safe outside, and secondly, there was hope of stopping the train in carriage 1, so they had chosen to wait.
He continued, “We threw some clothes out the window and they came back around with the train. It should be safe outside. It seems jumping off is our only option now. If we stay in one season and don’t move forward, we won’t continue losing our lifespan.”
The train owner clicked his tongue.
Wenren Tu gave him another push. “What? You have a problem with that?”
The train owner shook his head. “No. Jumping off is a wise choice. I find today’s youth quite rational. Very good, very good. Of course, if you’re stubborn and want to waste your lives, I won’t stop you. Don’t think I’m lying. I don’t want to kill all of you. If you leave, there will be more participants. As long as I’m entertained, that’s enough. Hahahaha!”
Wenren Tu frowned dramatically. “Youth? You’re acting like an old man! How old are you anyway?!”
The train owner chuckled mysteriously. “You can guess, but I doubt you’ll get it right.”
Wenren Tu, speechless, gave him a hard shove. He was so annoying!
The blond man scratched his head. “You guys should make a decision soon. Oh, and I hope you won’t press that button too quickly. At least wait until after the next spring cycle.”
He had decided. Spring was the most comfortable season. Jumping off in spring meant not having to worry about freezing or overheating. If they stocked up on food and water beforehand, they had a good chance of surviving until the mission ended.
The blond man left carriage 1 to inform the others.
Zhu Ming, Wenren Tu, Legs, Jia-jie, and the two other participants remained. After careful consideration, the two other participants decided to jump. Zhu Ming and the others wouldn’t stop them.
“What about you? Are you jumping?” Wenren Tu asked Legs.
“I want to wait and see,” Legs said hesitantly. “If they’re safe after jumping, I might go too.”
In this cold winter, debates raged in every carriage. Some argued they should jump immediately to minimize their losses, while others believed there was still hope and they shouldn’t give up so easily.
When the sixth round of spring arrived, someone took the plunge, wrapping themselves in a down jacket and carefully climbing out the window.
All eyes were on him as he tumbled onto the ground, slowly got up, removed the jacket, looked around, and then waved excitedly. “I made it!”
The spring meadow was beautiful and vast, green grass dotted with colorful wildflowers, a gentle breeze, a pleasant temperature, even the sunlight was perfect, warm but not scorching.
With the first successful jump, more and more participants followed. They traded their remaining food coupons for supplies, hoping to survive the fifth day.
Driven by herd mentality, no one wanted to be left alone in another season, especially since the tunnels couldn’t be traversed on foot. The two participants in carriage 1 also carefully jumped, sustaining minor injuries from the moving train, but it was better than losing years of their lives.
The jumpers gathered below. Zhu Ming sat by the window, watching as they became smaller and smaller in the distance.
“No!” Zhu Ming’s face paled, suddenly realizing something. “Why are there so many people down there?!”
Jia-jie, who had also been watching, adjusted her glasses, her voice cold. “The ghosts with train tickets must have jumped too.”
Ghosts who hadn’t been exposed could maintain their human disguises, move between carriages, and even go outside. Many participants were alone and hadn’t encountered such ghosts, so there was no way to verify their identities.
Legs said quickly, “I’ll go down and tell them! I’m fast! You guys can pull me back up!”
Time was running out. Legs put on her down jacket to cushion the fall. Zhu Ming hung upside down out the window, lowering Legs down until she was close to the ground. Because of the low height, Legs landed safely. She scrambled to her feet and ran towards the nearest participant—
No.
She ran past them.
Unable to be sure if they were a real participant or a disguised ghost, Legs targeted a familiar face, waving her arms. “Over here! Come here!”
The person, a little confused, ran towards her.
Legs quickly explained about the discrepancy in the number of participants, then turned and chased after the train.
She was fast, able to reach speeds of 100 meters per second at her peak, but her ability had a fatal flaw: it wasn’t sustainable. And the faster she ran, the shorter the duration. At her top speed, she could only maintain it for three seconds before collapsing from exhaustion.
She ripped off her down jacket as she ran, her body overheating, her face flushed.
Damn it, she was getting tired! Sweat dripped into her eyes, blurring her vision. The train was close, but she didn’t have the strength to climb back on.
“Give me your hand!”
Legs’ spirits lifted. She looked up to see Zhu Ming! She had gone to the back of the train to help her!
Zhu Ming, gripping the railing with one hand, reached out with the other. Legs, panting, her body heavy with exhaustion, swiped at Zhu Ming’s hand, but her sweaty fingers couldn’t get a grip. She missed.
Seeing that Legs wasn’t gaining ground, but falling behind, Zhu Ming hooked her foot around the railing, leaned out, and grabbed Legs’ wrists with both hands.
Legs, tears streaming down her face, yelled against the wind, “I can’t… I don’t have… any strength left!”
Zhu Ming reassured her, “I’ll pull you. I’m strong.”
She pulled Legs closer, but hanging upside down made it difficult to lift her onto the train.
Legs, while running, tried to hook her foot onto the narrow ledge beneath the train, but it was too small. She couldn’t get a grip and almost tripped.
“My legs are too short! Waaaaah!” Legs cried in frustration. “I can’t get up!”
Against the roar of the wind, Zhu Ming yelled, “Try again!”
Legs tried again, but her legs gave out. She screamed as she fell, her body dragging along the ground, held up only by Zhu Ming’s grip on her wrists.
Legs’ fall and the added weight were too much. Zhu Ming’s grip on the railing was slipping!
Just then, a hand grabbed Zhu Ming’s belt, pulling her back.
Yin Yu, leaning halfway out of the last window of carriage 60, held onto Zhu Ming, smiling. “Hello there!” Yin Yu pulled on Zhu Ming, who pulled on Legs, and they finally managed to pull her back onto the train.
They tumbled into carriage 60, one after another.
Legs lay on the floor, tears streaming down her face. Her ankle was injured, and she couldn’t move. She had been dead weight, completely helpless, only able to be dragged and carried by Zhu Ming.
“Don’t worry. We’ll buy some medicine when the vendor comes. You’ll be fine soon,” Yin Yu said, helping her to a seat, her clothes clean and white once more.
Legs sniffled and wiped her eyes, shaking her head. “I’m not scared! It just hurts!”
This woman was so gentle, so beautiful! Legs adored her. But… she seemed to have some kind of conflict with Zhu Ming…
Legs glanced nervously at Zhu Ming, hoping she wouldn’t be accused of switching sides.
Zhu Ming, exhausted, was lying down, resting, oblivious to Legs’ inner turmoil.
Yin Yu sat down beside Legs, gently wiping her tears with a tissue. “Little one, I remember you. Mingming cares about you a lot.”
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