Translator: CinderTL
"Yes, let's listen to Boss Lin and stay together," Pi Ruan declared righteously. But anyone could see he was just terrified of being left alone and killed by a Ghost.
Their footsteps echoed through the vast tunnel, swallowed by the endless darkness ahead and behind. The deep shadows seemed to stretch on forever.
The surrounding darkness pressed in like a tide, as if the group had been plunged into the deep sea. The suffocating pressure made it hard to breathe.
An eerie atmosphere began to brew.
Unlike before, Jiang Cheng's attention was now focused on those around him.
Amidst the monotonous rhythm of their footsteps and the occasional heavy breathing, he detected something strange.
Splash.
Splash.
The sound was faint, almost drowned out by the group's footsteps. It sounded like someone was periodically stepping in water.
Jiang Cheng immediately grew alert.
Although the mine was damp, everyone had been walking in the center of the tunnel for safety, where the ground was raised to accommodate the railway tracks and thus free of standing water.
Who?
Who was stepping in water?
Pretending to casually scan his surroundings, Jiang Cheng's gaze swept across the tired, even impatient faces of his companions.
He recognized every face. Nothing had slipped in.
Could Pi Ruan be behind this?
Had the Ghost impersonating him struck?
But after observing Pi Ruan, he saw him hunched over, breathing heavily, looking like he was about to die. There was nothing suspicious about him.
Most importantly, he was walking obediently along the tracks, his feet dry.
No!
Something was definitely wrong.
If they didn't resolve this, they'd all be trapped in this tunnel forever.
He deliberately slowed his pace, gradually retreating from the middle of the group to the rear. Soon, he stopped abruptly, making a terrifying discovery.
The number of people in the group was off.
There were three teams: himself, Lin Wan'er, Fatty, Huai Yi, Chen Qiang, and the temporary addition, Pi Ruan—six people in total.
Zhao Xingguo, Linghu Yong, and Pan Du formed a team of three.
Luo He and Fu Fu, the two Night Watchers.
Adding up all three teams, there should be eleven people.
But right now, standing before him, walking away with their backs turned, were eleven people!
Including himself, there were twelve people in the group.
One extra.
As expected.
Something had mixed in.
It was this thing that had clouded their vision, trapping them in an endless, inescapable loop.
More precisely, this was a Ghost Wall.
Jiang Cheng had encountered such a phenomenon before, in an Ancient Script.
At the end of the script, they couldn't escape the rain-soaked mist. The buildings ahead were close enough to touch, yet they couldn't reach them no matter how hard they ran.
In the end, they were forced to abandon An Xuan to escape.
He had been targeted by a Ghost that refused to let him go.
Could it be that they were facing the same situation now? Was one of them also being targeted by a Ghost?
If they didn't abandon this person, they would all die.
But who was the target?
Jiang Cheng shifted his gaze, fixing his eyes on a figure's back.
Luo He.
It had to be him!
They had encountered the Ghost only after entering the tunnel, so it was safe to assume it was related to the supernatural events within.
And Luo He had been the first among them to answer the Ghost Call.
The Ghost's target was clearly him.
They had to abandon him to break free from this endless loop.
Of course, there was another option: to help Luo He shake off the Ghost. But Jiang Cheng considered the risk too high.
This Ghost was even more formidable than the one that had haunted An Xuan in the Ancient Script instance.
Jiang Cheng had observed his teammates ahead countless times, but what chilled him to the bone was that even though he knew one of them was the Ghost, he couldn't identify which one.
Each silhouette felt familiar, and he could name every single person.
This was too abnormal.
Jiang Cheng even suspected the Ghost possessed the ability to distort memories within a certain range.
Under these circumstances, Jiang Cheng felt no guilt about abandoning a teammate who had once threatened him.
It was no surprise that they soon returned to the spot where they had found the stone.
The moment Pi Ruan saw the stone, his face turned deathly pale. Trembling, he stammered, "We... we've circled back again."
With Plan A failed, they had no choice but to try Plan B.
"Let's split up," Zhao Xingguo said, his gaze fixed on the distant darkness before returning to the group. His voice was grave. "There's no other way."
This new grouping might mean they would never see each other again. No one wanted to separate from their original teams, so Jiang Cheng's group would go alone, while the other two teams would stick together.
"Little Earthworm," Fu Fu said, squinting at Pi Ruan. "Do you want to team up with me? I'll protect you. If we encounter a Ghost, you can help me hold it off."
"Bah!" Pi Ruan retorted, refusing to be intimidated. "Watch out yourself, you temperamental girl! I heard the Ghosts here prefer flat chests. They definitely won't miss a once-in-a-millennium runway like yours!"
The solemn atmosphere of parting was completely shattered by their banter.
"Life and death are fated, wealth and honor are heaven's will," Zhao Xingguo said, clasping his hands in a farewell gesture. "Take care."
"Take care," Jiang Cheng replied, returning the gesture.
With that, Luo He, Zhao Xingguo, and the others turned and began walking back.
Just as their figures were about to disappear from sight, Huai Yi's eyes suddenly widened. He pointed across the way, as if he had seen something terrifying. "What... what is that?"
Lin Wan'er reached out and slapped down Huai Yi's outstretched arm.
Luo He, Fu Fu, and Zhao Xingguo—originally a group of five—now had a sixth member!
Trailing at the very end of the group was a tall figure.
The figure was shrouded in darkness, appearing and disappearing like a phantom. It carried a large black bag that completely obscured its upper body.
Several pieces of equipment seemed to be hanging from its waist.
Before anyone could continue observing, Luo He and the others vanished into the darkness.
The Tall Figure also disappeared.
"Holy shit!" Pi Ruan's exclamation drew everyone's attention.
They turned around quickly to find a fork in the tunnel not far away. Even stranger, light was emanating from within.
"Looks like that's the one who trapped us," Chen Qiang said. Having experienced an Ancient Script before, he had some understanding of ghost walls and immediately understood everything.
"Let's go," Jiang Cheng said, stepping forward. "Let's take a look."
They had come to Grey Stone Mountain specifically for the supernatural event, so they wouldn't turn down this sudden detour.
Unlike a normal tunnel, this one had dim yellow lamps spaced at intervals along the ceiling. A single iron rail extended into the fork.
Jiang Cheng crouched down to examine the rail. After a moment, he said, "This should be it."
The rail was covered in rust, and the wooden sleepers beneath it were completely rotten, a stark contrast to the original rail in the tunnel.
It had been at least several decades since this rail was laid.
Such a rail couldn't possibly support a regular train. Only the Ghost Train could run on it.
(End of the Chapter)
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