Chapter 35 The Four Seasons Train (12)
“I remember you. Mingming cares about you a lot.”
Yin Yu’s kindness flattered Legs, though her words felt a little strange. “Not really,” she mumbled, unsure how to respond.
Yin Yu said, “Of course she does! You’ve only just met, and she’s been carrying you around, protecting you from harm.”
Legs felt a surge of sadness. “That’s because I’m too weak!” she wailed.
Yin Yu said gently, “Everyone has their strengths. Don’t underestimate yourself.”
Legs looked down dejectedly. “But I’m not helpful at all.”
Yin Yu replied, “That’s not true. You’ll play a very important role soon. But Mingming values you so much; I’m afraid she won’t let you take the risk.”
Zhu Ming, who had been pretending to sleep, couldn’t take it anymore. She might be ignoring Yin Yu, but that didn’t mean she couldn’t hear her. “Yin Yu, can you just get to the point?”
Yin Yu chuckled. “Alright. I want this little one to go outside again. Blondy told me you reached the engine compartment but couldn’t stop the train, so everyone’s planning to jump. But Mingming and I agree that we’re not giving up so easily.”
Zhu Ming didn’t argue. They hadn’t discussed strategies much since entering the instance, but Zhu Ming wouldn’t underestimate Yin Yu. She likely had some new discovery they hadn’t noticed yet.
In the previous instance, Yin Yu’s few words had exposed the ghosts’ initial plan, forcing them to improvise a flawed new scheme. Later, reviewing the events, Zhu Ming realized the key had been the hint on the invitation. Just by seeing the phrase “9 participants in this world,” Yin Yu had deduced that the instance would play tricks with their numbers. Given her sharp wit and decisiveness, any clues she offered were worth considering.
Yin Yu said, “We’ve been too focused on the train itself, the ghosts, the carriages, the engine compartment… But a train can’t function on its own.”
Zhu Ming’s eyes snapped open, a spark of understanding igniting. “You mean… the tracks?”
Yin Yu nodded. “Exactly. There are other elements outside the train related to its movement. Besides the tracks, there are also those guard posts at each tunnel entrance and exit, four per tunnel. Normally, you wouldn’t need so many. I want to know what’s inside them. Have your little friend and… what was her name? Tu Wei. Have them each check a guard post, one on the left, one on the right. Although it’s not as far as the back of the train, it might take some time.”
Tu Wei, the tall, silent woman in the mask, was the fourth living person in carriage 60. After calming down, Legs had noticed that, even though it was “daytime,” carriage 60 contained only the four of them, no ghosts.
Legs considered Yin Yu’s request, then agreed. “I need some time. I can go once my ankle heals.”
Yin Yu smiled and stepped aside. “Tu Wei is skilled in massage and bone setting. She can help you.”
As Yin Yu moved away, the masked woman, Tu Wei, squatted down and examined Legs’ ankle. Legs felt a little embarrassed, her body stiff as Tu Wei removed her shoe and sock and began massaging her ankle. She had to admit, Tu Wei’s technique was excellent. Her ankle felt much better already.
They bought some medicine from the vendor. After one “day-night” cycle, thanks to her accelerated healing, Legs was fully recovered.
Injuries healed quickly on this train, but the reason behind it made them wish they didn’t.
To give Legs and Tu Wei enough time to check the guard posts, they moved to a carriage further up the train, planning to have them jump off and check the posts at the tunnel exit during the next autumn cycle. The train was long; it would take some time for the entire train to exit the tunnel, giving them ample time to investigate.
Unlike Legs, who needed assistance getting on and off the train, Tu Wei was much more independent, always silent, like a mute. Although she wasn’t as fast as Legs, she didn’t slow them down either.
The guard posts were surprisingly simple, like the engine compartment, easily surveyed at a glance, requiring no time-consuming search. Legs and Tu Wei quickly returned to the train.
“There’s a small control panel inside with a lever that can only be moved to the left. There’s a diagram of a railway junction on the panel. A solid line going straight ahead and a dotted line going to the left,” Legs described. “Nothing else.”
Tu Wei, breaking her silence, said, “The guard post on the right was the same, except the lever and the dotted line pointed to the right.”
Zhu Ming tapped the table. “So, the guard posts control the track switches. We can’t stop the train, but we can change its route!”
Jia-jie suddenly stood up. “The route map in the engine compartment is circular. Perhaps we should examine it more closely.”
They returned to the empty engine compartment. Zhu Ming saw Yin Yu in carriage 60, her back to the camera, looking out the window.
Jia-jie touched the route map on the display, and the four colored segments shifted slightly. Two dotted lines appeared, connecting the opposite corners where the segments met, the tunnel entrances. Jia-jie said, “After Zhu Ming left, we examined the map and discovered these lines, but we couldn’t figure out what they meant. Now, considering the levers in the guard posts, I think these are hidden tracks inside the tunnels. If we switch the tracks correctly, we can send the train across the diagonal, reversing its direction!”
The unstoppable train, moving forward, stole their lifespans. What would happen if it moved backward?
Legs’ eyes lit up with excitement. “Does that mean… we can get our lost years back?”
Zhu Ming mentally calculated the time. “Yes, if our theory is correct.”
Wenren Tu said, “Let’s ask our dear conductor.”
With a new plan and a new goal, they were eager to try, grateful to have a lead.
Wenren Tu nudged the seemingly lifeless train owner. “This train can switch tracks, can’t it?”
The train owner opened his eyes, his voice flat. “Why would I help you? Since you’ve figured it out, go ahead and try. Later.”
Zhu Ming sat down on the other side, her hand resting on the back of his chair, observing him. “Giving up already?”
The train owner, unfazed by her taunt, replied, “Everything is meaningless until you succeed. Have you considered why the tracks can switch to both the left and the right? Have you considered the consequences of switching to the wrong track?”
Zhu Ming said, “That’s why we’re asking you.”
The train owner said, “Let me down, and I’ll tell you the consequences of switching to the wrong track.”
The ropes were cut. The train owner fell to the floor with a thud. He stood up, chuckling coldly. “The consequences are simple. You’ll be swallowed by eternal darkness. Go ahead, try it. See if you dare take the risk. But don’t expect me to tell you which way to switch the tracks. I’ve never seen such lazy players, asking the GM for all the answers.”
Zhu Ming raised an eyebrow. “You think you’re the GM? Then I have another question: what happens if we switch to the right track?”
The train owner sat back in his swivel chair, smiling. “I told you, I won’t tell you. You have to complete this instance on your own.”
Annoyed by his smugness, Wenren Tu’s fingers twitched. She stood up, about to tie him up again.
Zhu Ming placed a hand on her shoulder, licking her fangs playfully. “Not yet. I’m curious to see his reaction when we switch to the right track.”
…
Knowing they could switch tracks didn’t mean they could immediately reverse the train’s direction. They likely only had one chance.
Jia-jie bought paper and pens from the vendor and drew a diagram of the route, extending the dotted lines representing the hidden diagonal tracks. “If we switch to the wrong track, we might end up traveling through eternal darkness, never to return. There’s no vendor at night. We’ll starve to death. And that’s just one possibility. Something worse might happen.”
Zhu Ming, having climbed onto the roof several times to observe the surroundings, agreed. “The tunnels are inside the mountains. They seem to stretch endlessly in both directions, but our vision is limited. We don’t know how long the mountain range is. We might crash into the mountainside while traveling through a side tunnel.”
In that case, the train would be destroyed, and everyone would be swallowed by the darkness.
Jia-jie pointed at the dotted diagonal lines. “But there is a correct path. The mountain range is probably X-shaped; we just can’t see the whole thing. The train enters from one end, crosses the diagonal, and exits from the other end. It’s possible.”
Having finished her calculations, Zhu Ming said, “The current sequence is spring, summer, autumn, winter. Let’s label the guard posts within each season as Spring 1, Spring 2, Summer 1, Summer 2… The tunnel between Spring 2 and Summer 1, and so on. We won’t distinguish between left and right for now.
If we want to cross the spring-autumn diagonal, we need to switch tracks at Summer 2 after exiting the tunnel and at Winter 2 before entering the next tunnel. The train will then cross the diagonal tunnel and exit at Summer 2, reversing through summer and spring. At this point, the tracks for the spring-winter tunnel will be misaligned. We need to switch them back at Winter 2. The tracks at Summer 2 also need to be switched back to reconnect the tracks into a circle, reversing the train’s direction from winter-autumn-summer-spring to spring-summer-autumn-winter.”
Jia-jie said, “That’s simple. Whoever goes down to switch the tracks just stays there and switches them back at the calculated time. The train’s speed is constant, and the duration of each season is fixed, meaning the distance traveled in each season is the same. It’s a symmetrical, predictable route. We can calculate the time it takes to cross the diagonal. After the train reverses, we pick up the people who switched the tracks, and we all travel backwards together.”
Zhu Ming said, “I want to try that ‘Accelerate’ button then.”
Jia-jie said, “I hope you won’t be too reckless. And I want to be the first to switch the tracks. If switching tracks is a trap and something happens to the train inside the tunnel, I can escape. Don’t mind me, my life is precious.”
Zhu Ming said, “No problem. The first person switching tracks needs to wait for the train to pass, so speed isn’t important. The second switch needs to be done before the train enters the tunnel, so we need someone fast. Legs can do it. This way, Atu and I can stay on the train and keep an eye on the train owner. Any objections?”
Wenren Tu/Legs: “…” They hadn’t even had a chance to speak before being assigned their tasks.
“Wait!” Wenren Tu suddenly remembered a crucial detail. “Forget Spring 1 and Spring 2. The tracks can switch to both the left and the right. Which way do we switch them?”
Zhu Ming shrugged. “Just because the arrow on the route map moves clockwise doesn’t mean the train does in reality. It’s like a map where north is up, south is down, west is left, and east is right. You can’t be facing west and still think north is in front of you. So… I don’t know. Hahahaha!”
Wenren Tu: “…”
Wenren Tu opened the window, letting the wind blow through her hair. “Zhu Ming, look at the tracks from the roof. Since we’re traveling in a circle, the tracks should curve. We can switch them towards the inner side of the curve.”
Zhu Ming shook her head. “I thought about that too, but I couldn’t tell. The tracks looked straight as far as I could see, and the train itself was also moving in a straight line when I was on the roof.”
The route map was circular, but the train was moving in a straight line.
Jia-jie suddenly drew a new diagram on the paper. “The train isn’t moving very fast, which means we should be able to see the curvature of the tracks if they’re far enough. Even without the map, we know we’re going in circles. The actual route is a loop. If we’re moving in a straight line during the day, then there’s only one possibility: the curves are inside the tunnels. The train isn’t traveling in a perfect circle, but a square with rounded corners!”
Wenren Tu gasped. “So we can only determine the direction of the curve during the ‘night’! But when the doors open, all the carriages are in a straight line!”
And when the doors were closed, the passengers couldn’t go outside. The darkness outside was corrosive and would consume them.
Jia-jie tapped her pen against the paper, frowning. “That’s the tricky part. I’ve been observing. The doors open eight minutes into the ‘night.’ By then, the train has already passed the curve, which is why we see a straight line. We need to observe between the fourth and fifth minute. That’s when the train is most likely to be on a curve.”
As night fell, they tried using their flashlights to see outside, but the darkness swallowed the beams, even the light spilling from the other carriages. The darkness was a physical presence, a solid mass pressing against the train. They couldn’t see through it.
The train owner, holding his dog, watched them with a smug, mocking smile.
“Is it because the train is too long? Are our flashlights not strong enough?” Legs asked.
Wenren Tu, crouching by the window, frowned. “That shouldn’t be the case. Do you expect the vendor to sell high-tech laser pointers? Tsk, even if it did, it wouldn’t be much use. This darkness burned a hole in my hand! Who would dare stick their hand out to turn on a light? And we can’t illuminate the back of the train from inside the carriage.”
Ordinary flashlights were useless against the darkness outside, and human flesh was even more vulnerable.
Suddenly, Zhu Ming stood up and slapped Wenren Tu’s hand. “I’ve got it!”
Wenren Tu retracted her hand, rubbing it, and stared at Zhu Ming. “What is it now?”
Zhu Ming smiled, her eyes gleaming. “You reminded me. We do have something that can counteract the darkness outside. Remember? The darkness burned a hole in your hand, but the light inside the carriage neutralized it.”
Wenren Tu’s eyes widened in understanding. “I get it! But we can’t exactly remove the lightbulbs from the ceiling! And based on our experience with opening the windows, that just lets the darkness in. The light inside isn’t strong enough to dispel the darkness outside.”
The train windows acted like a barrier, preventing direct contact between the light and the darkness. If only they could find a way to project the train’s own lights outwards…
Zhu Ming said, “We can. This train has external lights.”
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