Translator: CinderTL
The platform was vast, completely deserted. The sturdy concrete surface was riddled with cracks, as if abandoned long ago.
In the cold light, a strange odor hung in the air. Iron tracks stretched from the platform into the unknown darkness ahead.
Dampness had rusted the tracks.
But how could a platform exist inside a mine?
They had walked this path countless times, with no side passages to get lost in. There was no way they could have taken a wrong turn.
Even stranger, lights were on near the platform.
If the lights were on, it meant someone was here.
Could there really be someone in this haunted place?
"Do you think this platform is still in use?" someone whispered, glancing around nervously, as if afraid of disturbing something.
But even they couldn't explain what they were afraid of.
Someone suggested they check out the station since they were already here, but most urged them to leave immediately, speculating that this had once been a secret Japanese base.
As the group argued, a train whistle pierced the darkness in the distance. A dim yellow light cut through the gloom, and a train emerged from the shadows.
It was an ancient steam locomotive, with a large headlight on its front—a relic that should have been long retired. Yet here it was, unexpectedly encountered in this place.
The train gradually slowed, finally coming to a halt beside the platform.
One by one, people began emerging from the waiting room. They seemed to have appeared out of nowhere; there hadn't been a sound on the platform moments before.
Their attire was equally peculiar. There was a beautiful woman in a qipao, a refined gentleman in spectacles and tailored clothing, and an Old Man in plain cloth, carrying a hoe.
People from clearly different eras had converged here, at this eerie station.
They boarded the train one after another, without a sound or any interaction. Their gazes were fixed straight ahead, as if they were completely unaware of the uninvited guests standing just ahead of the train.
In the instant the miners froze in shock, the train suddenly lurched forward, charging straight at them. All the tracks in front of the platform vanished, leaving only the one beneath their feet.
And the oncoming train was barreling down that very track!
At the last possible moment, only the miner seated at the back of the flatcar reacted. He immediately leaped off.
And he was the only survivor.
"So the rest of them were taken by that Ghost Train?" Fatty's chest heaved violently, and his voice had changed.
"That's likely," Huai Yi replied.
"What happened afterward?" Jiang Cheng interrupted Fatty, turning to Huai Yi. He was referring to the miner.
Huai Yi looked at the documents in his hand and explained, "The miner lost consciousness after jumping off the flatcar. When he woke up, he was back in the mine. The station, the train—everything had vanished."
"Of course, the other miners and the flatcar they were riding on were gone too."
"At first, the surviving miner thought he was hallucinating, that everything had been a dream. But when he went outside and saw the blood-stained flatcar, he realized it had all been real."
Huai Yi's expression darkened. "The surviving miner didn't make it either. He often went mad at night, screaming about 'It's coming! The station is coming for me!'"
"At first, people thought he was traumatized and would recover in time. But his condition worsened, and his words grew increasingly terrifying."
"At first, he just said he saw the station again. Then he said he walked over and stood on the platform."
"Later, his emotions spiraled out of control. He said the train had returned, emerging from the darkness."
"On his final night, he raved like a madman, and several people couldn't restrain him. He kept muttering about the train pulling into the station, about seeing the miners who had gone missing long ago, and how they were coming to take him away, to drag him onto that eerie train!"
"He also shouted that he saw the station's name, or perhaps the train's name. By then, his mind was completely gone. He said it was 'May'—that the name was 'May'!"
"The few who stayed to watch over him that night didn't fall asleep until late. But when dawn broke, they found the miner, who should have been asleep in his bed, was gone."
"His clothes and the shoes he'd left under the bed were still there, and the gate was locked. Only the man himself had vanished."
"It was as if he had simply evaporated."
Recalling the miner's final words, Fatty couldn't help but shiver. He realized the miner had probably been telling the truth—that the Ghost Train had really come, taking him away in a way no one could understand.
Disappearing in one's sleep without anyone noticing—this method of vanishing instinctively reminded him of nightmares.
There seemed to be a strange connection between the two.
Perhaps this could be considered a type of Nightmare Aberration, spanning the boundary between dreams and reality. In some ways, it represented a deeper intrusion into reality than ordinary nightmares.
"Hmm," Huai Yi said, setting down the remote control after a moment's hesitation. "I still have some information about May Station. Do you think it's worth hearing?"
From Huai Yi's perspective, May Station was the strangest of the three supernatural events—not just strange, but also incredibly complex.
Moreover, based on the miner's memories before his disappearance, this supernatural event had been active for a long time, at least several decades.
Yet after all this time, it remained unresolved. The implications of this fact were worth pondering deeply.
"Continue," Jiang Cheng said after a moment's thought.
"Brother Jiang," Huai Yi said awkwardly, "you're not actually interested in this, are you? I only picked it to fill out the list."
"Based on my experience, this is a tricky case, and the number of victims is far greater than we initially thought."
"I think it's best to abandon this one. We can choose from the remaining two supernatural events."
"The half-human statue at the Fengcheng Folk Museum, or the Lake Kosner Ghost Ship Incident."
"You handle the introductions," Jiang Cheng said, looking up. "I have my own considerations and won't recklessly put everyone in danger."
"Doctor," Fatty said, turning his head awkwardly to Jiang Cheng. "I think Brother Huai Yi is right. With a platform, a train, and a pitch-black tunnel, it's all too complicated. Maybe we should stick with the first two cases, or..." He licked his lips. "We could always try a D-class case to warm up."
Seeing that Jiang Cheng wasn't paying attention, Fatty wisely fell silent. Huai Yi also refrained from saying more and reopened his laptop.
But as he clicked on the website, a notification suddenly sounded. Huai Yi's expression immediately changed, as if he had just seen something terrifying.
(End of the Chapter)
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