Translator: CinderTL
"It's their two missing companions," Jiang Cheng said, stating the obvious.
Director Qiao nodded, instinctively licking his dry, cracked lips. "It's them. Just like the others in the carriage, they were standing with their backs to the Gate, still holding their guns as if they were on guard duty."
"The remaining companions tentatively called out their names a few times, but there was no response—no reaction at all, to be precise."
"Finally, one of them, steeling his nerves, cautiously stepped forward with his gun raised. He first patted one of the men on the shoulder, but when there was no response, he gritted his teeth and yanked his arm."
"To his horror, the man toppled over instantly. He fell backward onto the floor with a rigid thud. The moment the man saw the fallen figure's face, he let out a bloodcurdling scream, nearly fainting from shock."
"His face was deathly pale, his eyebrows arched in an exaggerated curve, his eyes slanted upward at the corners, and his mouth was stretched wide, revealing half his teeth," Director Qiao described with lingering horror. "In all my years in this line of work, I've never seen a grin so utterly bizarre."
"That expression... no living person could make it. He was already dead. Everyone in the carriage was dead."
"They all had the same expression."
"How did they die?" Jiang Cheng asked, having already guessed the outcome when he heard everyone was facing away from the Gate.
"I don't know," Director Qiao sighed, shaking his head.
"You don't know?" Pan Du frowned. "Even if it's bizarre, so many people have died. Shouldn't we at least examine the bodies?"
He'd heard stories of old-era officials treating human lives like dirt, but now he was finally seeing it firsthand.
"Of course we examined the bodies," Director Qiao's voice trembled. "But there were no external injuries. They... they seemed to have died instantly, in a state of extreme happiness. We selected several for dissection, but found nothing unusual."
"Aside from malnutrition, their bodies were in good condition. Some still had fresh, undigested food in their stomachs."
"Wait," Jiang Cheng interrupted. "You said everyone on the entire train has disappeared?"
Director Qiao nodded. "That's right."
"Surely the last car couldn't have held everyone on the train?" Jiang Cheng asked Director Qiao.
Director Qiao looked at Jiang Cheng for a moment before nodding. "Young man, you're right. Aside from the disaster victims we found dead in the last car, the rest have vanished."
"The missing ones make up the majority. Those in the last car were just a small fraction."
After a moment of thought, Huai Yi spoke. "Could the crisis have spread from the front cars? By the time it reached the last car, the passengers were prepared. They locked the doors, but they still couldn't escape."
"At least they left behind bodies," Huai Yi added.
"No," Director Qiao said firmly. "Not everyone in the last car was originally from the last car."
Jiang Cheng looked up, his eyes fixed on Director Qiao. "How do you know?"
After all, in that era, Jiang Cheng didn't believe Director Qiao and his team would have bothered to meticulously track each disaster victim's seat on the train. At most, they would have taken a rough headcount.
In a time when the nation was on the brink of collapse, human lives were as cheap as grass.
Director Qiao didn't hide this. He looked Jiang Cheng in the eye and said, "We didn't keep track of the exact locations of the disaster victims. But all the bodies found in the last car were those of old men and children."
"The young men and women... they're all missing," Director Qiao said in a low voice.
Only the bodies of old men and children were found, while the young men and women had vanished. This situation was truly unexpected.
Based on current evidence, the May Train Incident could undoubtedly be classified as a supernatural event—meaning it was the work of a ghost.
But why would the ghost only kill the old men and children, leaving their bodies behind, while the young men and women simply disappeared?
No one doubted that the missing people were still alive. They were certainly dead, and Jiang Cheng knew their deaths had been particularly gruesome.
Because they had already met them.
Yes, on the May Train.
The severed limbs, the bodies missing half their torsos—those were the remains of the missing young men and women!
A chilling theory began to form in Jiang Cheng's mind. He had wondered earlier why there were so many empty seats when they first boarded the train, only for them to be filled later.
Now it seemed those empty seats had been reserved for the missing young men and women.
Those seats had always been theirs.
But why had they disappeared?
And why had they died such brutal deaths?
That was the mystery they needed to solve. Once they unraveled it, they could complete the mission and return to the real world.
Of course, he wouldn't share this theory with Director Qiao.
He still had another crucial question that needed answering.
"This case has been a cold case for so long. Why did you suddenly seek us out to solve it?" Jiang Cheng asked.
Tens of thousands had died during the war years. And these were just a group of starving refugees. Why would Director Qiao care so much?
Years had passed, yet he still insisted on the truth?
Besides, anyone could see this case was extraordinary. Wasn't he afraid of getting burned?
No matter how you looked at it, this was deep water. Jiang Cheng didn't mind wading in, but he didn't want to be kept in the dark.
Director Qiao's gaze shifted slowly as he looked at Jiang Cheng. "Not bad, young man. It seems I made the right choice in finding you."
Director Qiao stood up and walked toward the door, gesturing for Jiang Cheng and the others to follow.
They descended to the basement, stopping before a door made of old, black iron.
Even through the door, they could feel the chilling air seeping from the cracks.
The young officer who had presented Jiang Cheng and the others' "charges" quickly offered a leather jacket with a fur collar.
Director Qiao took it and put it on, then instructed the young officer to open the door.
After a clatter of keys, the iron gate swung open, revealing a dimly lit room. There were no lights, only a few white candles flickering.
Once inside, they realized the room was larger than they had imagined. A white cloth lay spread across the floor, beneath which a human figure was faintly visible.
The head, face, body, legs, and feet were all clearly outlined.
Combined with the room's extremely low temperature, it was clear this was likely a morgue.
Director Qiao stepped forward and slowly lifted the cloth from the corpse's face.
In the cold candlelight, a grotesque smile was revealed.
(End of the Chapter)
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