Guji

The moment Qiu Ya pressed the button, Ye Chuan immediately heard the sound of something crawling. He looked up and discovered that the monster from before had actually returned.

"Gurgle, gurgle... Aunt... hungry..."

The faceless monster, resembling a heap of gore and flesh, slithered in front of Qiu Ya. It glanced at Ye Chuan first. "Kin... gurgle..."

Finally, it extended a tentacle.

"Conductor," Qiu Ya spoke up just then. "Excuse me, when will we arrive at the next station?"

"Gurgle, gurgle..." The monster made an indistinct noise.

"Almost there? I see." Qiu Ya nodded repeatedly.

Clearly, in her eyes, the monster before them looked like a normal conductor. But in Ye Chuan's vision, this slimy thing seemed like it constantly wanted to devour Qiu Ya.

"..."

After a while, the monster squirmed away. Qiu Ya, however, looked delighted.

"Oh my, this train actually has a conductor! I thought there wasn't anyone on board. But that makes sense; if there were absolutely no people, who would be driving..."

Qiu Ya muttered to herself beside him.

Ye Chuan glanced at her and suddenly asked, "Did you ask the conductor about your phone having no signal?"

"Ah, I forgot! I wanted to call my parents to tell them I'm safe." Qiu Ya looked annoyed with herself, but didn't dwell on it. Instead, she propped her chin on her hand and gazed at the scenery outside.

Ye Chuan felt it was a bit strange, but he didn't say anything.

Time passed bit by bit. The monster came by a few times, muttering some gibberish before leaving.

"Kin... eat..." At one point, it even handed a lump of meat paste to Ye Chuan. Seeing the glue-like substance covering his hand, Ye Chuan twitched the corner of his mouth and silently threw it away.

"Ah, little brother, why throw away such a delicious burger?" In Qiu Ya's eyes, however, the object seemed to be something completely different.

The speeding death train seemed devoid of other passengers until Ye Chuan spotted a dark passage in the distance through the window—a tunnel lined with dense rows of teeth. The moment the train passed through, the surroundings dimmed once again.

"There are quite a few tunnels on this route, little brother."

"Little brother, are you still there?"

"..."

A tunnel?

So that means—

When the surroundings brightened again, Ye Chuan observed his environment. Sure enough, there was an extra person.

This time, it was a kind-looking old lady sitting quietly.

"Huh? Where did that old lady suddenly come from? Did she come from the next car?" Qiu Ya whispered to Ye Chuan. "This train seems a little strange."

You're only realizing the train is strange now?

Ye Chuan didn't even know where to begin roasting her logic. Seeing the girl's airheaded expression, he didn't respond and instead observed the old lady.

"Ah... so small... what a pity." When the old lady noticed Ye Chuan, she paused for a moment, then shook her head.

What a pity?

Ye Chuan was confused.

What did that mean?

Nothing much happened in the time that followed. Even as time passed, the world outside the window remained unchanged.

Perhaps bored by the train ride, Qiu Ya asked curiously, "By the way, little brother, what's your name?"

"Wang Batian."

"Wow."

"Little brother, where do you live?"

"..." Hearing Qiu Ya muttering beside him, Ye Chuan simply glanced at her. "You tell me where you live first."

"Okay! If I tell you, you have to tell me, deal?"

"I'll consider it."

"Acting like a little adult." Qiu Ya pouted. However, just as she prepared to say where she lived, her expression froze. She narrowed her eyes, seemingly thinking very hard.

"What is it?"

"It's so weird. Why can't I seem to remember anything?" Qiu Ya hugged her arms.

"Don't remember?"

Qiu Ya tried hard to recall where she lived, but she found that she couldn't remember her address, her parents' faces, or even the location of her school.

"What's happening? Do I have amnesia?!"

Seeing her panicked state, Ye Chuan offered a few casual words of comfort. At that moment, he felt a gaze upon him—

He turned back to see the white-haired old lady passenger. She was wearing a faint smile.

Ye Chuan: "..."

Just then, a sound came from the carriage. The monster appeared once again. "Gur... squish..."

It walked up to Ye Chuan and Qiu Ya, paused briefly, and then moved to the old lady's side.

Seeing this, Ye Chuan frowned.

Is this monster planning to eat the old woman?

However, the outcome exceeded Ye Chuan's expectations. The old woman said something with a smile, and the monster gurgled a few times before slowly squirming away.

"Did the conductor say something?" Ye Chuan asked Qiu Ya.

"The conductor asked the old lady if she wanted a blanket, in case she was cold."

"That's it?"

"Yes."

Ye Chuan felt increasingly bewildered.

At that moment, the train entered a tunnel again. When the light returned, he found a pair of men and women had appeared in his carriage.

The man had dyed yellow hair and wore a leather vest; he was currently unconscious. The woman was dressed in decent clothes and flashy jewelry.

More people appeared.

Ye Chuan watched silently.

Soon, the man and the woman woke up.

"This is... huh?" After waking up, the man seemed to sense something was odd. Why was he on a train?

"Where is this? I want to go home." The woman stood up excitedly immediately upon waking.

"I'm warning you! Behave yourself!" The yellow-haired man grabbed the woman's wrist.

The sudden argument caused a stir in the previously calm carriage. The red and black blood that had been dripping on the floor began to pool toward the man and the woman.

"Squish... squish..." From the adjacent carriage, the monster squirmed over.

Ye Chuan frowned but did not intervene.

"Squish... sacrifice... soul..." The monster's body began to split open, and it suddenly bit onto the woman's body!

"Ah!!!!!"

The monster devoured the woman bit by bit. However, this scene was only visible to Ye Chuan. In the eyes of Qiu Ya and the others, the conductor had simply reached out and held the woman's arm.

"No noise allowed on the train!"

"Squish... gurgle..."