Translator: CinderTL
Hearing this, Luo He cautiously scanned the thick fog surrounding them. The mist was so dense it resembled water; when he brushed it aside with his hand, ripples formed. "We haven't gone anywhere. We're still in the room, you just can't see it."
Pan Du's eyes narrowed. "Is this the Ghost's ability?"
Luo He nodded, lowering his voice. "You were blinded by the Ghost. If I hadn't noticed the unusual fog outside, you'd already be dead."
When they first entered, they had been deceived by a Ghost that had infiltrated their group, and they had been trapped in the tunnel, unable to find their way out.
Later, Luo He had claimed it was Na Ruhu.
But Pan Du knew the real Na Ruhu had died long ago in a supernatural event.
The thing that had been following them was merely a Ghost wearing Na Ruhu's corpse as a disguise.
"Brother Luo," Pan Du said cautiously, "I just walked a long distance through the fog in a straight line without bumping into any buildings or walls. I suspect this isn't Feng Manor anymore."
"At least, not the Feng Manor we were in before."
Pan Du looked extremely nervous. The disappearing figure he had seen earlier had not reappeared, giving him a very bad feeling.
The surrounding mist seemed eerie, and Pan Du even speculated that it might connect two different worlds. Their survival depended entirely on escaping this fog.
Luo He's sudden appearance was remarkably calm. He still held the black-covered book, resembling a missionary.
He remained motionless, standing in place as if waiting.
But what exactly was he waiting for? Pan Du dared not ask. He had already tried to escape on his own, but it was impossible.
If Luo He hadn't appeared, that figure running backward would have killed him.
"Listen," Luo He said. "Do you hear anything?"
Hearing this, Pan Du stopped turning and fell silent. Slowly, a strange sound reached his ears.
It wasn't loud, but it was highly distinctive.
It was the sound of a train starting up!
He immediately looked up in a certain direction. As the ground beneath his feet trembled slightly, Pan Du realized a train was approaching them through the mist.
"It's a train!" Pan Du exclaimed. "A train is coming!"
Almost simultaneously, Pan Du confirmed one thing: this fog was inescapable. The only way out was to board the train.
There might be dangers on the train, but they had no other choice. Staying in the fog might prolong their survival for a while, but the end result would inevitably be death.
The figure running away from them had left a deep psychological scar.
The pace slowed. They could feel the train coming to a stop. After determining the general direction, Luo He immediately started walking toward it.
"Wait for me, Brother Luo!" Pan Du hurried after him. If they got separated in the fog, they might never see each other again.
After walking for several minutes, the fog suddenly thinned. Then, a dilapidated black iron train materialized before them.
The moment Pan Du saw the train, he recognized it: it was the very train that had brought them here!
The Mayflower!
But now, the Mayflower stood before them, its doors open, silent as death.
Through the train window, Pan Du could barely make out that the carriage inside was empty.
No passengers. It was an empty train.
When he first heard the train approaching, Pan Du had been overjoyed. But now, standing before it, he hesitated. The train was just too eerie.
Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Luo He standing by the door, already lifting his leg to step aboard. "Wait!" Pan Du exclaimed.
Luo He turned to him, his gaze strange, and asked in a low voice, "What are you doing?"
Pan Du jogged over. From his position, the interior of the train appeared dim and hazy, as if filtered through an antique lens.
He swallowed nervously and looked at Luo He, whispering, "Brother Luo, I have a bad feeling about this train."
"I know it's not right, but our only chance of survival is on board," Luo He replied. "If we miss this train, I don't know how much longer we can survive in this fog."
Following Luo He's gaze, Pan Du suddenly realized that the surrounding fog had thickened dramatically, more than doubling in density. Slowly, even Luo He's face began to blur before his eyes.
Suddenly, the train lurched forward without warning.
Luo He glanced at Pan Du and said, "I'm getting on. Do what you want." Then he leaped onto the train.
Pan Du ran a few steps after him, finally steeling his resolve and jumping aboard as well.
The moment they were both inside, the doors slammed shut. Simultaneously, the lights in the train car slowly flickered to life.
The dim, yellow light dispelled the gray mist that had filled the car. The next second, Pan Du's pupils snapped wide, and his breath hitched.
The car was packed with people, shoulder to shoulder.
But what was even more unsettling was that every single person was facing away from him.
That couldn't be right! Some seats faced him directly. Forcing himself to focus, Pan Du finally saw the horrifying truth.
The people in the seats facing him had their legs positioned normally, their toes pointing toward him. But their upper bodies were twisted a full 180 degrees, leaving him only a grotesque view of their backs.
He instinctively reached out to grab Luo He beside him, but to his surprise, his hand closed on nothing.
Luo He had vanished.
How could this be?
Just moments ago, he had been—
Without giving him time to think, he stood between two train carriages. Suddenly, the overhead light flickered as if making poor contact.
In his peripheral vision, he saw something move inside the carriage, but when he looked up, everything inside remained unchanged.
All the passengers had their backs turned to him. The only thing that gave him a sliver of comfort was that no one had noticed him yet.
Just as he exhaled a sigh of relief, the light above him flickered again. The next second, Pan Du's face drained of all color.
He hadn't seen anyone move, but the distance between him and the passengers had inexplicably closed.
It was as if they had all taken a step toward him while he wasn't looking, in a way he couldn't possibly comprehend.
The flickering of the lights grew increasingly rapid, like a phone's continuous flash. Pan Du endured the swelling pain in his eyes, not daring to relax for a moment.
Each time the lights flickered back on, the passengers drew closer.
Initially, the closest passenger had been five meters away. Now, only two meters remained.
He could even see a thick, oily liquid dripping from the passenger's chin, accompanied by a foul stench that assaulted his senses.
In an instant, the passenger was right in front of him.
The lights in the carriage plunged into darkness once more.
"Ah! Ahhh!"
Pan Du's mental defenses shattered instantly. Without looking back, he turned and fled, his mind blank.
In his panic, he ran for an unknown distance until he collided with a Gate. As he forced it open, he immediately slammed it shut behind him, bracing it with his body.
(End of the Chapter)
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