Chapter 24

Aside from Protective Talismans, the other reward for participating in the Dark Realm Space was the enhancement of one’s Ability.

By completing a task, an Awakened’s overall physical and mental capabilities would be improved. Failing to complete the task wouldn’t necessarily cost a life, but there would be no rewards, and one’s Ability might even be weakened. Moreover, as time dragged on within an instance, the restrictions on ghosts grew fewer and fewer. It was rare for any participant to truly survive peacefully until the very last moment and then leave.

Wenren Tu said, “I don’t recommend just trying to coast through an instance. That will only make you weaker and weaker. When you encounter a combat-oriented instance, you won’t even have a chance to fight back.”

Yun Zouchuan nodded seriously. “I understand. Even if just to save time, I’ll aim to clear instances as quickly as possible.” Being stuck in an instance for days on end was not how she wanted to miss her studies.

Zhu Ming suddenly asked, “How do you find an Instance Core?”

Hearing this, Wenren Tu knew exactly what she was scheming. “Don’t get impulsive just yet. We don’t have a clear understanding of the Cores yet, but once a Core is destroyed, the entire instance collapses.”

Since Zhu Ming and Yun Zouchuan had just come out of an instance recently, they wouldn’t enter another in the short term. Wenren Tu hooked her arm around Zhu Ming’s shoulder and grinned. “Just remember, no matter what happens, I’ve got your back. So what if she’s an ex-girlfriend? We need to let go of the past and start anew. How about we hit a lesbian bar together and find some new romance?”

Zhu Ming shot her a sidelong glance. “Besides egging me on to get a pretty girl’s WeChat ID for you, what else can you do?”

Wenren Tu choked, then argued, “Didn’t I also often take you out to meet new friends?”

Zhu Ming put on a fake smile. “Oh really? How come I remember that every time someone used me as an excuse to find new love, they ended up ditching me on the side, too busy chatting up the pretty girls themselves?”

Wenren Tu gave an embarrassed laugh. “It wasn’t as exaggerated as you say. Alright, alright, let bygones be bygones. Let’s go, let’s go.”

The two beleaguered sisters in romantic misfortune went out to have some fun, leaving Yun Zouchuan alone at home to watch the place. It wasn’t until late at night that the two returned.

Zhu Ming called a designated driver for Wenren Tu. After seeing her off, A-Zou also went back to her room.

Zhu Ming sat on the sofa, leaving only a single dim lamp on. Outside the door, the night was quiet. This area was remote; late at night, there were practically no pedestrians or cars on the road.

Perhaps leaving this lamp on was meaningless, but total darkness would be too lonely.

She sat there all night, eyes wide open.

Dawn was approaching.

Zhu Ming unconsciously rubbed her fingers together. Looking down, a faint flicker of flame appeared at her fingertip.

……

……

On August 30th, Yun Zouchuan, carrying her backpack, stood in the crowd, nervously looking around. This was a major step for her into modern society. Starting today, she was going to be a glorious high school student!

She looked forward to the new life but was also afraid she wouldn’t fit in.

“I think I’m the oldest one here,” Yun Zouchuan muttered softly.

“It’s fine, you have a young face.” Zhu Ming patted her shoulder and accompanied her to collect her books and find her classroom.

Yun Zouchuan really wanted to be a day student, but the studio was quite a distance from Flower Capital No. 3 High School, so she had no choice but to board at the school, only returning home on weekends.

As the students’ parents gradually departed, it was time for Zhu Ming to leave too. Yun Zouchuan reminded her, “Boss, take good care of yourself. If you can’t cook, don’t force it. Just order takeout if you have to.”

“What could happen to me? Worry about yourself.” Zhu Ming said bluntly, “Don’t call me for no good reason. And don’t forget to come back and mind the shop on weekends, or I’ll deduct your pay!”

Yun Zouchuan: “…” Her pay was already next to nothing. If she deducted more, she might as well just drink the northwest wind!

Zhu Ming waved goodbye to Yun Zouchuan. For some reason, she suddenly felt the studio had become empty and quiet.

Fortunately, just after saying goodbye to Yun Zouchuan, Wenren Tu showed up with an Invitation Letter.

“Got any work lately?”

“Does it look like I have any work?”

Wenren Tu beckoned her with a finger. “Perfect. I have a job for you.”

It turned out that the Anomaly Management Bureau’s staff were simply overwhelmed and had to keep recruiting outside help. Rather than different Awakened entering instances and getting caught up in internal strife stirred by ghosts, it was better to team up and tackle them together.

Of course, given the sheer number of instances and limited funds, outside helpers didn’t receive a salary. But cooperating with the Management Bureau at least meant having reliable partners to help each other. For those with long enough intervals between entries living in constant dread of their next Invitation Letter, this was a decent option.

Awakened who had already received an Invitation Letter could also seek help from the Management Bureau, though with their manpower shortages, the help they could provide was limited.

“The Bureau set up a forum to encourage Awakened to help each other. We’ve also posted some instance intel on it,” Wenren Tu said. “If you have time, you can check it out. I’ll send you the link.”

Zhu Ming bookmarked the forum URL but was a bit puzzled. “They don’t even pay. I might as well just wait until an Invitation Letter shows up on its own. My interval is still pretty short anyway.”

Wenren Tu smiled. “No salary, but there are bonuses. Anyone who obtains a White Protective Talisman will receive a reward ranging from a hundred thousand to a million, depending on the instance’s difficulty.”

In short, people who smash the Instance Core get paid!

Zhu Ming’s eyes immediately lit up.

Wenren Tu waved the Invitation Letter in her hand and said generously, “Come into this instance with me. I’ll even personally sponsor you an extra hundred bucks!”

Zhu Ming: “…Well, thank you so very much.”

Back to business. Wenren Tu explained that this instance she was entering was newly discovered, and they had no intel on it yet. Smashing the Instance Core in one go wasn’t easy; the main goal this time was to probe the situation and gather the initial intelligence.

Zhu Ming agreed. Actually, even without that hundred bucks, if Wenren Tu was in danger, Zhu Ming wouldn’t ignore it.

After Zhu Ming pressed her handprint onto the Invitation Letter, a white Invitation Letter instantly materialized beside her hand. It appeared so fast that Zhu Ming didn’t even see the process of its formation.

Opening the Invitation Letter, behind the cover was a design of a peach. Inside, it read: 【We cordially invite you to our world: The Four Seasons Train. Be there tomorrow night.】

So this time, they didn’t have to enter that very night.

The following day at midnight, Zhu Ming gripped her crowbar, and Wenren Tu gripped her long knife. The two sat on the sofa in the Little Fire God Strange News Studio and simultaneously experienced the familiar wave of vertigo.

After the darkness passed, the very first thing that greeted them was a clamor of noise.

Zhu Ming squinted her eyes, taking a moment to adjust. When she opened them, she found herself sitting inside an old-fashioned green train carriage. The carriage was packed full of people… vivid, bustling, lively people.

The seating was in groups of four facing each other, with a small table in the middle. Zhu Ming’s seat was on the aisle side. Beside her sat an old lady, while a middle-aged couple sat opposite.

Zhu Ming looked around. As far as she could see, the car was indeed full, both men and women, young and old, carrying luggage teeming with the atmosphere of life.

What was strange, however, was that aside from her own table, every visible group of four facing seats in the carriage had only three occupants.

Wenren Tu was not in this carriage. Who knew where she’d ended up? Also, everyone’s expressions seemed very natural. It was possible that she was the only participant in this entire carriage.

Zhu Ming thought for a moment, then checked her pockets first. This time, there were three items: the Invitation Letter, a Protective Talisman, and a Ride Permit. The Gray Protective Charm was small, engraved with a totem of a human-headed snake, and nothing else.

The contents of the Invitation Letter had changed:

【We cordially invite you to our world: The Four Seasons Train.

Task: Survive for Five Days

Hints: 1. Beware the darkness.

2. Please comply with the Civilized Train Etiquette.

3. If needed, you can use Food Tickets to purchase items from the cart.

4. You must bear the consequences if you fail the task.

5. Please explore other rules on your own.

Note: After completing the task, tearing up the Invitation Letter will allow you to leave this world.】

As she was reading this, the wrinkled old lady next to her suddenly reached a hand out, her smile warm and kind. “Dearie, which station are you headed to? Want an orange?”

A perfectly normal orange, plump and golden, emitting a citrus fragrance. But Zhu Ming looked at the old woman’s aged hands and said, “No need, you can keep it for yourself.”

Who knew the old woman would be so exceptionally enthusiastic, insisting that Zhu Ming eat an orange. She placed the entire bag of oranges on the small table and also invited the middle-aged couple opposite them to share.

The middle-aged couple didn’t refuse. They ate the oranges, full of praise. As they talked, it turned out they might be a family; the old lady was the middle-aged man’s mother.

As they ate, all three of them turned to look at Zhu Ming, one after another urging her: “Little Miss, you’re just shy, right? Don’t be polite; eating an orange doesn’t mean anything.”

“Exactly. Traveling alone, you scared? Don’t be scared; we’re all good folks.”

“It’s just an orange. Don’t worry about it. Eat up!”

The more enthusiastic they were, the more suspicious it seemed. Zhu Ming narrowed her eyes and said, “Huh? What? I’m sorry, I don’t understand your dialect.”

As she spoke, she glanced out the window. The spring scenery was at its finest. This instance was a bit different from the last one. The environment outside wasn’t the summer of reality. Judging by the instance’s name, perhaps the seasons would change.

Outside the window was a vast meadow of scattered flowers, a gently gurgling stream, tall grass, and flying warblers. Looking ahead and behind, one could faintly see a continuous mountain range.

The temperature was pleasant, the environment beautiful, and extremely comfortable.

The family of three suddenly switched to standard Mandarin. The old lady beamed. “Oh my, looks like a cultured young lady you are. Going to university, are you? Student girls should eat more fruit, it’s good for your health.”

Zhu Ming glanced at her, showing absolutely no sense of respect for her elders. “Who told you I’m going to university? Can’t I just be a dropout going home?”

The old woman: “…”

Just then, a loudspeaker suddenly blared overhead in the carriage: “Attention, dear passengers: Welcome aboard the Four Seasons Train No. 999! During your journey, please strictly observe the Civilized Train Etiquette. Otherwise, our esteemed Conductors will administer a re-education in civilized conduct. We now announce the first rule of Civilized Train Etiquette: No horseplay in the carriages during the daytime!”

While the loudspeaker was broadcasting, everyone in the carriage fell silent, as if these so-called civilized etiquettes were exceptionally important.

A moment later, the carriage returned to its lively hum—talking, eating, reading, all sorts of activities.

Seeing that Zhu Ming truly had no intention of eating an orange, that family of three finally stopped trying to persuade her. Zhu Ming was able to enjoy a rare bit of peace. She closed her eyes, pretending to nap.

A moment later, she suddenly opened them. The person beside her flinched violently. Zhu Ming looked expressionlessly at the old lady, the middle-aged couple, and the people around them.

It was confirmed. They were all staring at her.

In the gaps between conversations, while chewing food, in the split second of turning a page… The full cabin of passengers, seemingly all engaged in their own separate activities, were all stealing glances at Zhu Ming whenever they could.

Those gazes were brimming with malice, practically overflowing.

If they wanted to look, Zhu Ming let them look openly. She got up from her seat and took a patrol around the carriage.

The others watched her movements silently, as if no one else in the entire car found anything amiss here.

The carriage had 96 seats (4 across x 12 rows x 2 sides). At the end of the carriage were one restroom and one washbasin. The doors at the front and back ends were shut, preventing anyone from leaving. Each door had a small glass window, through which one could observe the situation in the carriages ahead and behind.

The number of Zhu Ming’s carriage was 18. Car 17 was ahead, Car 19 behind. The situation in those carriages was exactly the same as her own—all peaceful and ordinary, and every opposite-facing seat group was missing one person.

This most likely meant that across Cars 17, 18, and 19, she was the only participant.

Suddenly, a stranger’s face appeared at the small window in the rear door of Car 19. The person froze upon seeing Zhu Ming, then waved, mouth opening and closing as if speaking.

Separated by a carriage, Zhu Ming couldn’t hear a thing. She shook her head and returned to her seat.

That person was probably another participant. This train seemed very long; all the participants had been scattered.

She suddenly noticed an issue. The doors between carriages were singular—opening one would lead into the next carriage. This train had no doors for getting on or off.

Zhu Ming sat back down.

The old lady persistently peeled another orange. “Dearie, hungry? Thirsty? Have an orange?”

Zhu Ming was lost in thought, her index finger tapping the table rhythmically without thinking. According to the last instance’s experience, the early phase of the task was relatively calm and safe. This instance’s task was also very straightforward: just stay alive.

The Invitation Letter hinted that participants must follow the Civilized Train Etiquette. So far, they’d only stated a very ordinary rule: no horseplay during the day. It also warned participants to beware the darkness. Could it be that ghosts would appear at night?

Zhu Ming tried rubbing her fingers together. Tsk. As expected, her Ability was suppressed again, and she still couldn’t bring her crowbar in.

So boring. What could she do now? Zhu Ming stared blankly out the window at the unchanging scenery. Nice as it was, it still got boring after watching it for too long.

Suddenly, Zhu Ming’s stomach gurgled.

Zhu Ming looked down in surprise, touching her belly. She was actually hungry! Before entering the instance, she and Wenren Tu had ordered a barbecue takeout. It had only been a little over half an hour since then. How could she be hungry?

Not only was her stomach hungry, but her mouth was getting dry too, as if she hadn’t eaten or drunk anything all day.

She began to realize the severity of the situation.

In this instance, the participants’ consumption rate was greatly amplified. This was forcing them to find ways to get food.

It seemed the old lady had noticed Zhu Ming was hungry. She pushed the orange even closer to her. The smiles of the couple opposite grew even more exaggerated. They opened a lunchbox, revealing it was packed full of plump, white, steaming hot buns.

“Missy, eat up.”

“We’ll eat together with you. It’s good, really!”

“Turning this down, turning that down—what if you damage your health from hunger?”

However, no matter how much this family of three tried to entice her, Zhu Ming remained as unmoved as a mountain. Realizing she truly wasn’t someone easy to handle, the old lady snorted coldly and pulled her hand back. “Let’s see how long you can hold out!”

A moment later, Zhu Ming suddenly asked, “What are Food Tickets?”

The family of three looked at each other, that strange smile settling back onto their faces. It wasn’t just them—every single person who heard the words “Food Tickets,” at the exact same moment with the exact same motion, turned their heads to look at Zhu Ming.

The old lady said, “Food Tickets, ah. They’re definitely a good thing. You want some, young lady? I have some here. Just give me your Ride Permit, and I’ll trade you the Food Tickets.”