The middle-aged woman abruptly sat up from the bed, drenched in cold sweat.
She looked around and noticed the little girl on the adjacent bed looking at her with a worried expression. “Auntie, are you okay? Did you have a nightmare?”
The middle-aged woman touched her face in panic, and then realized that her back and face were covered with sweat. Recalling the vivid scenes she experienced just now, she looked at the small girl beside her and asked uncertainly, “Did I have a nightmare?”
The little girl nodded, “Yes.”
The middle-aged woman’s expression became complex.
‘Was everything just a dream?
Yes, it must be a dream. How could such a weird thing be true?’
While she was in doubt, the compartment door was gently pulled open from outside. The kind old man from the neighboring bed held up a disposable cup and handed it to the woman, “Miss, have some hot water to calm your nerves.”
The woman smiled politely, and thanked the old man as she took the cup. Her fingertips accidentally brushed against the old man’s rough hand, and she suddenly fell into a trance, staring intently at the old man’s hands filled with the essence of time.
What a warm sensation. Although he looked frail, he gave an indescribable sense of security. It felt like this force had pulled her back from the gate of hell not long ago, cradling her steadily and guiding her to the safest place.
The woman rubbed her head, and after drinking a few sips of hot water, her sensitive nerves relaxed a lot.
As the nerves relaxed, fatigue overwhelmed her. She yawned, bid the grandfather and granddaughter goodnight, then fell into a deep sleep.
A hand quietly slipped a ticket beside the woman’s pillow. Zhou Guang and Li Cangshan looked at each other and quietly exited the room one after the other. Li Cangshan walked out last and gently closed the compartment door.
In the smoking area at the end of the aisle, a young man leaned against the train’s iron rails, waiting for them.
“God Xin, Li Cangshan, thanks to both of you this time.” Since it was late at night, the smoking area was deserted, with only the three of them in the dim corner.
Bai Lixin: “I didn’t do much, it was mainly Li Cangshan who saved the person.”
“I underestimated this train, thinking they wouldn’t check tickets when the train stops. I forgot that this is not a normal train. I won’t make such a mistake again next time,” Zhou Guang blamed himself. “I shouldn’t have involved innocent people.”
Bai Lixin’s attention was not fully on the conversation; he looked through the window at the long pedestrian aisle. When he saw “people” gradually standing up,
He rubbed his brows and said: “There’s only a day and a half left until the end of the game, no time for rest.”
When he saw the ghosts stand up, Zhou Guang and Li Cangshan also noticed it.
Perhaps because the three of them were players, these “people” that seemed very weird to them seemed to have no problem at all in the eyes of other passengers.
Or, one could say, in the eyes of others, they simply didn’t exist.
The three people had different tasks, and in the end, they chose to split up.
After bidding farewell to the two, Bai Lixin navigated through the wandering ghosts in the aisle.
Some ghosts wandered around the train for a while before finding a place to sit. Bai Lixin noticed that they didn’t randomly choose seats but seemed to know the people next to them.
Initially, the wet female ghost who got on the train first sat in front of a sleeping couple, her black pupils staring unblinkingly at the man opposite her.
Her mouth moved silently, conveying something. Bai Lixin focused on her mouth, and slowly, a line of text appeared in his mind.
—I refuse to accept.
—I’m the only one left behind.
-I want to spend the rest of my life with you.
Perhaps sensing Bai Lixin’s gaze, the female ghost suddenly looked up, and her cold black eyes instantly pierced through the passing crowd. Bai Lixin instinctively tilted his head, skillfully avoiding the ghost’s scrutiny.
Another small ghost boldly sat in a woman’s arms. At that moment, there was also a few months old baby in the woman’s embrace. The woman couldn’t see the little ghost, but the baby could.
The baby stared at the position of the little ghost, who, noticing the baby’s gaze, made a face. The baby immediately burst into loud cries.
The crying was exceptionally loud in this quiet carriage. Afraid of disturbing other passengers, the tired woman quickly opened her eyes and gently patted the baby’s back to comfort him.
The little ghost arrogantly looked down at the baby in his arms, silently scolding.
—No crying!
—Cry again, and I’ll take you away too!
—You bad baby, you only know how to make Mom angry. It’s all your fault that Mom forgot about me!
—I don’t like you at all!
The wandering ghosts gradually found the people they sought, some with resentment, others with nostalgia. They silently expressed emotions that were still unbroken on the other side in this narrow train.
Surprisingly, these ghosts had intricate connections with the passengers on this train.
Was this train prepared for humans, or was it arranged for these ghosts holding long-cherished wishes?
Bai Lixin passed through carriages one after another. As he approached the first-class carriage, the overhead lights suddenly flickered twice. In the intermittent light, Bai Lixin felt a touch on his hand, and then he found something new in his hand.
A few seconds later, the lights returned to normal.
Bai Lixin lowered his head, and stared at the extra piece of paper in his hand.
He walked to a corner and unfolded the note. There were only a few elegantly written words on it.
[The princess is in the second carriage.]
The handwriting felt somewhat familiar, but he couldn’t recall where he had seen it. However, the content on the paper grabbed his attention.
‘The princess is in the second carriage…’
The person who slipped this note to him knew his identity and his task.
This note could be a clue or a trap.
But if it was a trap, how would he know if he didn’t step into it?
As he neatly folded the note and tucked it into his pocket, Bai Lixin reached the first-class carriage.
Several ghostly figures floated down the corridor. Among them, he only saw half a shadow disappearing into carriage A-7. In front of carriage A-3 was an elderly couple. They stood hand in hand in front of the door of the A-3 carriage where Li Qiuzhi was, and did not go in. They just stood there like two pillars.
Bai Lixin silently observed these two elderly ghosts.
They were dressed simply, with many wrinkles on their clothes. Their sleeves, shoes, and pants were all dirty, stained with something black.
‘Could these two be…’
Bai Lixin thought of something and inquired in his mind: [S419, check the appearance of Zhao Ming’s grandparents. There incident about the unfinished building and stubborn squatters caused a huge uproar back then, so there should be some reports.]
S419: [Alright, Lord Host, please wait a moment… Found it, I’ll now release it. Please check it, Lord Host.]
An old photo slowly appeared in Bai Lixin’s mind. It seemed to be a candid shot, featuring an elderly man and woman with excited expressions and fierce faces. One held a broom, and the other angrily pointed at the camera, as if ready to rush over and attack in the next second. They looked extremely savage and violent.
S419: [This photo was included in an article and became quite popular “Insatiable Greed Will Eventually Harm Others And Yourself”. The couple also suffered a wave of online attacks. It is estimated that they could not withstand the pressure of public opinion, so they accepted the terms of demolition and moved away.]
[Such a photo coupled with provocative words can easily sway public opinion.]
Bai Lixin: […]
Although the faces of the man and woman in the photo were distorted, he still recognized them as the two ghosts standing in front of him now.
Why would these ghosts seek out Li Qiuzhi?
Ah, he knew.
They weren’t looking for Li Qiuzhi; they were looking for Zhao Ming.
Li Qiuzhi’s anxiety over the past three years was likely not an illusion. It seemed that Zhao Ming had been haunting Li Qiuzhi since his death. Three years later, Zhao Ming still hadn’t let go of Li Qiuzhi.
He was curious about the progress on Li Qiuzhi’s side, but his own task was not yet complete.
After instructing s419 to keep an eye on this situation, Bai Lixin decided to proceed to the second carriage.
Just over an hour ago, he had visited the second carriage, and it was empty then.
Using an invisibility card in the blind spot of the camera, Bai Lixin once again entered the second carriage tonight.
As expected, it was still empty inside.
Moonlight spilled in, and the floor of the carriage only reflected the shape of the window frames.
This carriage’s purpose was unknown before, and its windows were different from the standard ones in other carriages. Some were square, while others were octagonal, giving them an artistic touch.
S419: [Maybe there is a secret room, Lord Host?]
Bai Lixin: [I’ll check.]
For a train whose shape was visible from the outside, he had a rough idea of how much space it had inside.
At a glance, this space didn’t seem to have any gaps or secret rooms.
However, just to be sure, he carefully searched the entire area.
As expected, searching without hope wouldn’t yield much disappointment.
After finding nothing during his search, Bai Lixin leaned against the wall lazily. He had long lost the invisibility buff, but in this place without secret rooms or any surveillance equipment, being invisible or not seemed to make no difference to him.
Bai Lixin sighed in his heart.
S419: [Ah, Lord Host, how come there’s nothing? Could it be a prank from the person who passed the note?]
Bai Lixin: [Who would be so idle, knowing the content of the task and still playing pranks?]
S419: [Um, Lord God?]
Bai Lixin rolled his eyes: [Is he that idle?]
S419 expressed sincerely: [He’s much more idle than this.]
Bai Lixin: […]
‘You better stay this resolute when we return to our world.’
Bai Lixin leaned against the cold wall, his gaze casually sweeping over the window frames and the bright full moon hanging in the sky.
The moon tonight was exceptionally round, and faint clouds drifted beneath it, resembling a bright eye with a layer of glistening mist.
If it had more defined contours, tonight’s moon really looked like a beautiful eye.
Moonlight streamed in from outside, reflecting sharp-edged window frames on the metallic floor.
As Bai Lixin’s gaze passed over those reflections, it seemed like he remembered something, and he swiftly pulled his attention back.
His originally casual gaze became focused, and even his body unconsciously stood upright.
S419’s lazy voice became excited: [Lord Host, did you discover something?!]
Bai Lixin temporarily ignored S419 and began to circle around while staring at the reflections on the ground. Sometimes he walked to the front, sometimes he retreated to the corner. S419 had no idea what its host was up to.
Bai Lixin continued moving around the carriage for quite some time, and finally stopped in a corner diagonally across.
Just when S419 thought Bai Lixin was about to reveal the mystery, he did something inexplicable.
He actually took out the painting “Rose Boy” from his backpack and placed it on the ground in the middle of the carriage.
The positioning of the oil painting seemed casual but also appeared to be deliberately arranged.
Bai Lixin even tilted his head to look at the portrait, then glanced at the moon outside before slowly returning to the corner.
Strangely enough, this “Rose Boy” seemed to be in just the right place where the moonlight was the most intense. The immaculate moonlight spilled onto the oil painting, giving its surface a layer of sacred and hazy radiance.
Rose Boy’s face glowed softly, and there were still tears on his cheeks that had not faded away. He just lay quietly on the ground, looking lifelike, enchanting, and exquisite.
S419 asked blankly:[Lord host?]
Bai Lixin, who was now sitting cross legged on the floor, raised his chin slightly and casually pointed towards a certain spot: [Look.]
Following Bai Lixin’s gaze, S419 was instantly stunned.
From Bai Lixin’s perspective after sitting down, the originally ordinary octagonal window frame, due to the blind spot in the line of sight, had transformed into a diamond shape resembling an eye socket. The round moon was securely embedded in the center of the diamond, forming an eye.
And the place that eye gazed at… was precisely at “Rose Boy” shrouded in moonlight!
In that instant, countless vines emerged from the “Rose Boy”. Like elves who had drank enough moonlight, they grew rapidly, took root, and spread across this space.
S419 stared blankly at the scene unfolding before it.
It stared at the vines in front of it for a while and discovered something.
Although these vines seemed to be casually entwining, they were actually searching for something.
In a systematic manner, the vines explored every corner of the carriage, searching for a while before retreating, then moving in another direction to continue the search.
Interestingly, these vines seemed to have human-like awareness, thoroughly exploring everywhere except the area Bai Lixin was in.
At this time, Bai Lixin had already taken out the scythe and placed it beside him. The vines all carefully avoided Bai Lixin’s side and did not touch him at all.
‘Human-like?’
S419 laughed.
‘What human-like behavior, they are clearly terrified of getting beaten!
Are they afraid that the Lord Host will trim them again?’
The vines searched almost every space in the second carriage, piling up higher and higher and finally sweeping towards the ceiling.
As the vines slowly swept over a certain part of the ceiling, Bai Lixin and s419 heard a sigh, “Finally found it.”
There was an eerie sound of rattling chains, and upon hearing it, Bai Lixin looked up. He saw a figure slowly emerging from the ceiling.
The vines extended into the invisible darkness, wrapped around the figure and forcefully pulled it from inside to outside.
As the figure slowly appeared, Bai Lixin finally saw its full appearance.
It was a monster with a peculiar face. It was dressed entirely in black, with its head originally covered in black fabric. However, due to the torn fabric, the face was exposed.
This monster had long arms and legs, and it was bound tightly in heavy black chains, surrounded by dense black fog.
S419: [This chain looks a bit familiar, it looks like the one that bound the God of Misfortune back then.]
Bai Lixin tilted his head and stared at the unconscious god: [Be confident, remove the “looks like.”]
When Bai Lixin first saw the God of Misfortune, he exuded a domineering aura. He showed up with a dark momentum, and harvested everyone’s lives with a mere lift of his hand.
The God of Misfortune at that time was formidable.
But looking at the God of Misfortune now, the surrounding black fog refused to disperse, and his body was covered in wounds of all sizes. He was skinny and looked very weak.
It turned out the “princess” referred to the God of Misfortune.
The vines carefully brought down the unconscious God of Misfortune. Aside from the vines pulling the God of Misfortune, other vines began to retract into the painting, and within a moment, the vines that had filled the entire carriage had disappeared.
The thorny vines were careful not to harm the God of Misfortune and slowly presented the unconscious god in front of Bai Lixin.
The God of Misfortune lay weakly on the ground as the vines withdrew from his body and slowly formed a few vague words in the air.
[Save it!!!]
Bai Lixin looked at the nearly dead God of Misfortune, got up, and walked to the painting.
In the beautiful rose bushes, the boy as dazzling as a diamond had already burst into tears.
Pearly tears freely rolled down his cheeks, fell into the rose bushes beneath him and disappeared without a trace.
Bai Lixin glanced at the Rose Boy in the painting, then at the unconscious God of Misfortune, and shrugged helplessly.
Two individuals, neither capable of normal communication.
“Alright, how do I save him?” Bai Lixin asked the Rose Boy in the painting.
The vines above moved again, forming new words.
[Kill me, the contract will be void, and he can regain freedom.]
Bai Lixin: “…”
Another crappy “sacrifice multiple choice” question.
“The deadline for the task seems to be tomorrow,” Bai Lixin muttered to himself.
The vines swayed and began to respond to Bai Lixin on their own: [So?]
Bai Lixin sighed helplessly, “So, let’s talk about it tomorrow.”
Without waiting for the vines to form new words, Bai Lixin directly picked up the painting and stuffed it into his backpack. Then, he grabbed the chains on the God of Misfortune, effortlessly hoisted him onto his back, used an invisibility card, and walked out of the second carriage.
On the way back, s419 asked, [Lord Host, how did you know to place the painting there?]
Bai Lixin: [Because the outline and size of the light coming through were just right for the dimensions of that painting. I felt the frame was prepared for that painting, so I placed it there. Besides, the painting we worked hard to obtain in the fourth game should serve some purpose in the fifth game, right?]
S419: [Worked hard?]
‘Hey, young man, do you have a misunderstanding about “hard work”?’
At around three in the morning, when Bai Lixin returned to the first carriage, that elderly couple was still standing at the door in the same position as when he left.
Their positions and postures remained unchanged.
At this time, he was still invisible. He silently opened the door of A-1, sneaked in, and only removed the invisibility buff after entering.
He had so much fun tonight he forgot there was still someone at home.
Now, he truly experienced the fear of being confronted by his husband at the door after staying out late.
As soon as he entered the room, before his foot could settle, the originally pitch-dark room suddenly lit up. A voice full of suppressed anger said coldly, “You finally decided to come back?”
Bai Lixin’s heart skipped a beat, and with a trembling hand, he let the God of Misfortune on his back roll onto the floor.
On a sofa not far away, the man’s back wad slightly arched, and he had both elbows on his legs. His palms formed a small mountain resting under his chin as he stared at Bai Lixin with sharp eyes.
Behind the man, the unhidden black fog continuously leaked from his body. The fog behind him clawed and danced, looking ferocious and terrifying.
Bai Lixin silently took two steps back, “…”
Seeing this, the man frowned, “You dare to step back? Close the door and come here.”
Almost immediately after the man spoke, Bai Lixin obediently turned around, closed the door, and walked to Dijia. He wore an expression of utmost obedience, with eyes that appeared innocent and docile. “Why are you still awake?”
“Heh.” The man sneered, “What do you think?”
Bai Lixin, “…”
‘I dare not say.’
“The first time, you said it was to avoid disturbing my work, I believed it.”
“And today? I didn’t have any work tonight. You left the compartment after eleven, and came back carrying a man at three in the morning. Is it because I’ve been too good to you that you forgot I’m also a young and hot blooded man?”
“One moment it’s a photographer, the next a college student, then an old man, and now there’s this thing that’s neither man nor ghost.”
The man suddenly leaned forward, and pinches Bai Lixin’s chin hard. “Should I learn from this monster and chain you to me so that you can’t go anywhere?”
Bai Lixin’s eyes lit up, “Little dark room play?”
The man: “???”
‘Why do you seem quite happy?’
“Ahem, no.” Bai Lixin quickly coughed lightly to cover the embarrassment, blinking his eyes innocently, “You should calm down a bit. I’m a bit scared when you’re like this.”
As soon as these words were spoken, the black fog that was originally clawing and dancing behind the man suddenly stiffened, and instantly retracted into the man’s body.
The man pursed his lips, but his expression had softened. He slowly sat back on the sofa, adjusted his voice and said lightly: “Speak.”
‘This should not scare him, right?
This young man will get frightened. There is no need to pamper him excessively, but I shouldn’t really frighten him.’
Bai Lixin pointed to the God of Misfortune on the floor, “You’ve seen this person before. We were in room 1719 at Moon Bay Hotel where the God of Misfortune killed a room full of people, that’s him.”
Dijia frowned and glanced at the God of Misfortune, “How did it end up in this state? How embarrassing.”
The middle-aged woman abruptly sat up from the bed, drenched in cold sweat.
She looked around and noticed the little girl on the adjacent bed looking at her with a worried expression. “Auntie, are you okay? Did you have a nightmare?”
The middle-aged woman touched her face in panic, and then realized that her back and face were covered with sweat. Recalling the vivid scenes she experienced just now, she looked at the small girl beside her and asked uncertainly, “Did I have a nightmare?”
The little girl nodded, “Yes.”
The middle-aged woman’s expression became complex.
‘Was everything just a dream?
Yes, it must be a dream. How could such a weird thing be true?’
While she was in doubt, the compartment door was gently pulled open from outside. The kind old man from the neighboring bed held up a disposable cup and handed it to the woman, “Miss, have some hot water to calm your nerves.”
The woman smiled politely, and thanked the old man as she took the cup. Her fingertips accidentally brushed against the old man’s rough hand, and she suddenly fell into a trance, staring intently at the old man’s hands filled with the essence of time.
What a warm sensation. Although he looked frail, he gave an indescribable sense of security. It felt like this force had pulled her back from the gate of hell not long ago, cradling her steadily and guiding her to the safest place.
The woman rubbed her head, and after drinking a few sips of hot water, her sensitive nerves relaxed a lot.
As the nerves relaxed, fatigue overwhelmed her. She yawned, bid the grandfather and granddaughter goodnight, then fell into a deep sleep.
A hand quietly slipped a ticket beside the woman’s pillow. Zhou Guang and Li Cangshan looked at each other and quietly exited the room one after the other. Li Cangshan walked out last and gently closed the compartment door.
In the smoking area at the end of the aisle, a young man leaned against the train’s iron rails, waiting for them.
“God Xin, Li Cangshan, thanks to both of you this time.” Since it was late at night, the smoking area was deserted, with only the three of them in the dim corner.
Bai Lixin: “I didn’t do much, it was mainly Li Cangshan who saved the person.”
“I underestimated this train, thinking they wouldn’t check tickets when the train stops. I forgot that this is not a normal train. I won’t make such a mistake again next time,” Zhou Guang blamed himself. “I shouldn’t have involved innocent people.”
Bai Lixin’s attention was not fully on the conversation; he looked through the window at the long pedestrian aisle. When he saw “people” gradually standing up,
He rubbed his brows and said: “There’s only a day and a half left until the end of the game, no time for rest.”
When he saw the ghosts stand up, Zhou Guang and Li Cangshan also noticed it.
Perhaps because the three of them were players, these “people” that seemed very weird to them seemed to have no problem at all in the eyes of other passengers.
Or, one could say, in the eyes of others, they simply didn’t exist.
The three people had different tasks, and in the end, they chose to split up.
After bidding farewell to the two, Bai Lixin navigated through the wandering ghosts in the aisle.
Some ghosts wandered around the train for a while before finding a place to sit. Bai Lixin noticed that they didn’t randomly choose seats but seemed to know the people next to them.
Initially, the wet female ghost who got on the train first sat in front of a sleeping couple, her black pupils staring unblinkingly at the man opposite her.
Her mouth moved silently, conveying something. Bai Lixin focused on her mouth, and slowly, a line of text appeared in his mind.
—I refuse to accept.
—I’m the only one left behind.
-I want to spend the rest of my life with you.
Perhaps sensing Bai Lixin’s gaze, the female ghost suddenly looked up, and her cold black eyes instantly pierced through the passing crowd. Bai Lixin instinctively tilted his head, skillfully avoiding the ghost’s scrutiny.
Another small ghost boldly sat in a woman’s arms. At that moment, there was also a few months old baby in the woman’s embrace. The woman couldn’t see the little ghost, but the baby could.
The baby stared at the position of the little ghost, who, noticing the baby’s gaze, made a face. The baby immediately burst into loud cries.
The crying was exceptionally loud in this quiet carriage. Afraid of disturbing other passengers, the tired woman quickly opened her eyes and gently patted the baby’s back to comfort him.
The little ghost arrogantly looked down at the baby in his arms, silently scolding.
—No crying!
—Cry again, and I’ll take you away too!
—You bad baby, you only know how to make Mom angry. It’s all your fault that Mom forgot about me!
—I don’t like you at all!
The wandering ghosts gradually found the people they sought, some with resentment, others with nostalgia. They silently expressed emotions that were still unbroken on the other side in this narrow train.
Surprisingly, these ghosts had intricate connections with the passengers on this train.
Was this train prepared for humans, or was it arranged for these ghosts holding long-cherished wishes?
Bai Lixin passed through carriages one after another. As he approached the first-class carriage, the overhead lights suddenly flickered twice. In the intermittent light, Bai Lixin felt a touch on his hand, and then he found something new in his hand.
A few seconds later, the lights returned to normal.
Bai Lixin lowered his head, and stared at the extra piece of paper in his hand.
He walked to a corner and unfolded the note. There were only a few elegantly written words on it.
[The princess is in the second carriage.]
The handwriting felt somewhat familiar, but he couldn’t recall where he had seen it. However, the content on the paper grabbed his attention.
‘The princess is in the second carriage…’
The person who slipped this note to him knew his identity and his task.
This note could be a clue or a trap.
But if it was a trap, how would he know if he didn’t step into it?
As he neatly folded the note and tucked it into his pocket, Bai Lixin reached the first-class carriage.
Several ghostly figures floated down the corridor. Among them, he only saw half a shadow disappearing into carriage A-7. In front of carriage A-3 was an elderly couple. They stood hand in hand in front of the door of the A-3 carriage where Li Qiuzhi was, and did not go in. They just stood there like two pillars.
Bai Lixin silently observed these two elderly ghosts.
They were dressed simply, with many wrinkles on their clothes. Their sleeves, shoes, and pants were all dirty, stained with something black.
‘Could these two be…’
Bai Lixin thought of something and inquired in his mind: [S419, check the appearance of Zhao Ming’s grandparents. There incident about the unfinished building and stubborn squatters caused a huge uproar back then, so there should be some reports.]
S419: [Alright, Lord Host, please wait a moment… Found it, I’ll now release it. Please check it, Lord Host.]
An old photo slowly appeared in Bai Lixin’s mind. It seemed to be a candid shot, featuring an elderly man and woman with excited expressions and fierce faces. One held a broom, and the other angrily pointed at the camera, as if ready to rush over and attack in the next second. They looked extremely savage and violent.
S419: [This photo was included in an article and became quite popular “Insatiable Greed Will Eventually Harm Others And Yourself”. The couple also suffered a wave of online attacks. It is estimated that they could not withstand the pressure of public opinion, so they accepted the terms of demolition and moved away.]
[Such a photo coupled with provocative words can easily sway public opinion.]
Bai Lixin: […]
Although the faces of the man and woman in the photo were distorted, he still recognized them as the two ghosts standing in front of him now.
Why would these ghosts seek out Li Qiuzhi?
Ah, he knew.
They weren’t looking for Li Qiuzhi; they were looking for Zhao Ming.
Li Qiuzhi’s anxiety over the past three years was likely not an illusion. It seemed that Zhao Ming had been haunting Li Qiuzhi since his death. Three years later, Zhao Ming still hadn’t let go of Li Qiuzhi.
He was curious about the progress on Li Qiuzhi’s side, but his own task was not yet complete.
After instructing s419 to keep an eye on this situation, Bai Lixin decided to proceed to the second carriage.
Just over an hour ago, he had visited the second carriage, and it was empty then.
Using an invisibility card in the blind spot of the camera, Bai Lixin once again entered the second carriage tonight.
As expected, it was still empty inside.
Moonlight spilled in, and the floor of the carriage only reflected the shape of the window frames.
This carriage’s purpose was unknown before, and its windows were different from the standard ones in other carriages. Some were square, while others were octagonal, giving them an artistic touch.
S419: [Maybe there is a secret room, Lord Host?]
Bai Lixin: [I’ll check.]
For a train whose shape was visible from the outside, he had a rough idea of how much space it had inside.
At a glance, this space didn’t seem to have any gaps or secret rooms.
However, just to be sure, he carefully searched the entire area.
As expected, searching without hope wouldn’t yield much disappointment.
After finding nothing during his search, Bai Lixin leaned against the wall lazily. He had long lost the invisibility buff, but in this place without secret rooms or any surveillance equipment, being invisible or not seemed to make no difference to him.
Bai Lixin sighed in his heart.
S419: [Ah, Lord Host, how come there’s nothing? Could it be a prank from the person who passed the note?]
Bai Lixin: [Who would be so idle, knowing the content of the task and still playing pranks?]
S419: [Um, Lord God?]
Bai Lixin rolled his eyes: [Is he that idle?]
S419 expressed sincerely: [He’s much more idle than this.]
Bai Lixin: […]
‘You better stay this resolute when we return to our world.’
Bai Lixin leaned against the cold wall, his gaze casually sweeping over the window frames and the bright full moon hanging in the sky.
The moon tonight was exceptionally round, and faint clouds drifted beneath it, resembling a bright eye with a layer of glistening mist.
If it had more defined contours, tonight’s moon really looked like a beautiful eye.
Moonlight streamed in from outside, reflecting sharp-edged window frames on the metallic floor.
As Bai Lixin’s gaze passed over those reflections, it seemed like he remembered something, and he swiftly pulled his attention back.
His originally casual gaze became focused, and even his body unconsciously stood upright.
S419’s lazy voice became excited: [Lord Host, did you discover something?!]
Bai Lixin temporarily ignored S419 and began to circle around while staring at the reflections on the ground. Sometimes he walked to the front, sometimes he retreated to the corner. S419 had no idea what its host was up to.
Bai Lixin continued moving around the carriage for quite some time, and finally stopped in a corner diagonally across.
Just when S419 thought Bai Lixin was about to reveal the mystery, he did something inexplicable.
He actually took out the painting “Rose Boy” from his backpack and placed it on the ground in the middle of the carriage.
The positioning of the oil painting seemed casual but also appeared to be deliberately arranged.
Bai Lixin even tilted his head to look at the portrait, then glanced at the moon outside before slowly returning to the corner.
Strangely enough, this “Rose Boy” seemed to be in just the right place where the moonlight was the most intense. The immaculate moonlight spilled onto the oil painting, giving its surface a layer of sacred and hazy radiance.
Rose Boy’s face glowed softly, and there were still tears on his cheeks that had not faded away. He just lay quietly on the ground, looking lifelike, enchanting, and exquisite.
S419 asked blankly:[Lord host?]
Bai Lixin, who was now sitting cross legged on the floor, raised his chin slightly and casually pointed towards a certain spot: [Look.]
Following Bai Lixin’s gaze, S419 was instantly stunned.
From Bai Lixin’s perspective after sitting down, the originally ordinary octagonal window frame, due to the blind spot in the line of sight, had transformed into a diamond shape resembling an eye socket. The round moon was securely embedded in the center of the diamond, forming an eye.
And the place that eye gazed at… was precisely at “Rose Boy” shrouded in moonlight!
In that instant, countless vines emerged from the “Rose Boy”. Like elves who had drank enough moonlight, they grew rapidly, took root, and spread across this space.
S419 stared blankly at the scene unfolding before it.
It stared at the vines in front of it for a while and discovered something.
Although these vines seemed to be casually entwining, they were actually searching for something.
In a systematic manner, the vines explored every corner of the carriage, searching for a while before retreating, then moving in another direction to continue the search.
Interestingly, these vines seemed to have human-like awareness, thoroughly exploring everywhere except the area Bai Lixin was in.
At this time, Bai Lixin had already taken out the scythe and placed it beside him. The vines all carefully avoided Bai Lixin’s side and did not touch him at all.
‘Human-like?’
S419 laughed.
‘What human-like behavior, they are clearly terrified of getting beaten!
Are they afraid that the Lord Host will trim them again?’
The vines searched almost every space in the second carriage, piling up higher and higher and finally sweeping towards the ceiling.
As the vines slowly swept over a certain part of the ceiling, Bai Lixin and s419 heard a sigh, “Finally found it.”
There was an eerie sound of rattling chains, and upon hearing it, Bai Lixin looked up. He saw a figure slowly emerging from the ceiling.
The vines extended into the invisible darkness, wrapped around the figure and forcefully pulled it from inside to outside.
As the figure slowly appeared, Bai Lixin finally saw its full appearance.
It was a monster with a peculiar face. It was dressed entirely in black, with its head originally covered in black fabric. However, due to the torn fabric, the face was exposed.
This monster had long arms and legs, and it was bound tightly in heavy black chains, surrounded by dense black fog.
S419: [This chain looks a bit familiar, it looks like the one that bound the God of Misfortune back then.]
Bai Lixin tilted his head and stared at the unconscious god: [Be confident, remove the “looks like.”]
When Bai Lixin first saw the God of Misfortune, he exuded a domineering aura. He showed up with a dark momentum, and harvested everyone’s lives with a mere lift of his hand.
The God of Misfortune at that time was formidable.
But looking at the God of Misfortune now, the surrounding black fog refused to disperse, and his body was covered in wounds of all sizes. He was skinny and looked very weak.
It turned out the “princess” referred to the God of Misfortune.
The vines carefully brought down the unconscious God of Misfortune. Aside from the vines pulling the God of Misfortune, other vines began to retract into the painting, and within a moment, the vines that had filled the entire carriage had disappeared.
The thorny vines were careful not to harm the God of Misfortune and slowly presented the unconscious god in front of Bai Lixin.
The God of Misfortune lay weakly on the ground as the vines withdrew from his body and slowly formed a few vague words in the air.
[Save it!!!]
Bai Lixin looked at the nearly dead God of Misfortune, got up, and walked to the painting.
In the beautiful rose bushes, the boy as dazzling as a diamond had already burst into tears.
Pearly tears freely rolled down his cheeks, fell into the rose bushes beneath him and disappeared without a trace.
Bai Lixin glanced at the Rose Boy in the painting, then at the unconscious God of Misfortune, and shrugged helplessly.
Two individuals, neither capable of normal communication.
“Alright, how do I save him?” Bai Lixin asked the Rose Boy in the painting.
The vines above moved again, forming new words.
[Kill me, the contract will be void, and he can regain freedom.]
Bai Lixin: “…”
Another crappy “sacrifice multiple choice” question.
“The deadline for the task seems to be tomorrow,” Bai Lixin muttered to himself.
The vines swayed and began to respond to Bai Lixin on their own: [So?]
Bai Lixin sighed helplessly, “So, let’s talk about it tomorrow.”
Without waiting for the vines to form new words, Bai Lixin directly picked up the painting and stuffed it into his backpack. Then, he grabbed the chains on the God of Misfortune, effortlessly hoisted him onto his back, used an invisibility card, and walked out of the second carriage.
On the way back, s419 asked, [Lord Host, how did you know to place the painting there?]
Bai Lixin: [Because the outline and size of the light coming through were just right for the dimensions of that painting. I felt the frame was prepared for that painting, so I placed it there. Besides, the painting we worked hard to obtain in the fourth game should serve some purpose in the fifth game, right?]
S419: [Worked hard?]
‘Hey, young man, do you have a misunderstanding about “hard work”?’
At around three in the morning, when Bai Lixin returned to the first carriage, that elderly couple was still standing at the door in the same position as when he left.
Their positions and postures remained unchanged.
At this time, he was still invisible. He silently opened the door of A-1, sneaked in, and only removed the invisibility buff after entering.
He had so much fun tonight he forgot there was still someone at home.
Now, he truly experienced the fear of being confronted by his husband at the door after staying out late.
As soon as he entered the room, before his foot could settle, the originally pitch-dark room suddenly lit up. A voice full of suppressed anger said coldly, “You finally decided to come back?”
Bai Lixin’s heart skipped a beat, and with a trembling hand, he let the God of Misfortune on his back roll onto the floor.
On a sofa not far away, the man’s back wad slightly arched, and he had both elbows on his legs. His palms formed a small mountain resting under his chin as he stared at Bai Lixin with sharp eyes.
Behind the man, the unhidden black fog continuously leaked from his body. The fog behind him clawed and danced, looking ferocious and terrifying.
Bai Lixin silently took two steps back, “…”
Seeing this, the man frowned, “You dare to step back? Close the door and come here.”
Almost immediately after the man spoke, Bai Lixin obediently turned around, closed the door, and walked to Dijia. He wore an expression of utmost obedience, with eyes that appeared innocent and docile. “Why are you still awake?”
“Heh.” The man sneered, “What do you think?”
Bai Lixin, “…”
‘I dare not say.’
“The first time, you said it was to avoid disturbing my work, I believed it.”
“And today? I didn’t have any work tonight. You left the compartment after eleven, and came back carrying a man at three in the morning. Is it because I’ve been too good to you that you forgot I’m also a young and hot blooded man?”
“One moment it’s a photographer, the next a college student, then an old man, and now there’s this thing that’s neither man nor ghost.”
The man suddenly leaned forward, and pinches Bai Lixin’s chin hard. “Should I learn from this monster and chain you to me so that you can’t go anywhere?”
Bai Lixin’s eyes lit up, “Little dark room play?”
The man: “???”
‘Why do you seem quite happy?’
“Ahem, no.” Bai Lixin quickly coughed lightly to cover the embarrassment, blinking his eyes innocently, “You should calm down a bit. I’m a bit scared when you’re like this.”
As soon as these words were spoken, the black fog that was originally clawing and dancing behind the man suddenly stiffened, and instantly retracted into the man’s body.
The man pursed his lips, but his expression had softened. He slowly sat back on the sofa, adjusted his voice and said lightly: “Speak.”
‘This should not scare him, right?
This young man will get frightened. There is no need to pamper him excessively, but I shouldn’t really frighten him.’
Bai Lixin pointed to the God of Misfortune on the floor, “You’ve seen this person before. We were in room 1719 at Moon Bay Hotel where the God of Misfortune killed a room full of people, that’s him.”
Dijia frowned and glanced at the God of Misfortune, “How did it end up in this state? How embarrassing.”
