This time, Eric remained silent, slipping into her seat as the NPC frantically smashed at the window.
The assailant struck repeatedly, yet the window remained impervious—unyielding and unblemished. Spectators, growing impatient, volunteered, "Let me try!"
Despite several attempts, the pane defied every blow. The trio emerged unscathed, suggesting that breaking the window was no cause for demise. Eric recalled her own past experience shattering windows—then, the glass had yielded; now, with the instance having fully devolved into a supernatural realm, escape by smashing the window was unequivocally barred.
Attendants arrived, deftly handling the corpse. The deceased's wife recovered consciousness, clutching the body as if to anchor her grief, weeping shatteringly, "You owe me an explanation!"
The attendants regarded her with a lifeless stare, so chilling it compelled the woman to relent and release her hold.
The corpse was then carried away.
Watching the attendants' retreating backs, Eric strained to recall the flicker of insight—a web of decapitation, corpses, treasure, and fragments of treasure.
Could there be a connection?
Straightening abruptly, she chided herself for her sluggish cognition; there must surely be links woven herein!
Rising eagerly, Eric resolved to give pursuit.
Rumble—
The carriage door swung open as an attendant wheeled in the dining cart.
"Care to purchase something to eat?" the attendant inquired, fixing her with a penetrating gaze.
Eric shook her head.
The cart blocked her path; under the scrutiny of those unyielding eyes, she stepped back, clearing the way.
Once the cart progressed further inside, she resumed the chase, albeit delayed some ten seconds. Following the path toward the dining car, Eric watched as the attendants entered; her hopes dimmed upon discovering the two corpses had vanished yet again.
Recalling how she had repeatedly brushed past clues, unease gnawed at her. Helpless, she could only retreat for the time being. Speaking pragmatically, she would need to await another murder in order to verify her conjectures through the appearance of fresh decapitations.
Within the dining car, diners were engaged in their meals. Habitually, Eric cast a cursory glance across them. Turning to exit, a frown creased her brow, prompting her to pause and reflect.
Something stirred within her; she turned once more to glance back before withdrawing her gaze and leaving the dining area.
"Lunchboxes, instant noodles, beverages, bottled water, peanuts, sunflower seeds..." the attendant called out methodically.
Fear notwithstanding, with six hours until the next stop and many passengers having boarded without provisions, hunger gnawed fiercely. Though the attendant appeared somewhat unsettling, the famished passengers braved the cold dead eyes to timidly inquire, "I—I'd like a lunchbox. What's the price?"
"Vegetarian's fifteen yuan, meat's thirty," came the reply.
The passenger swallowed nervously. "Vegetarian please." Having witnessed two decapitations, meat was hardly appetizing.
The attendant handed her a lunchbox; the passenger paid fifteen yuan. Upon opening, it revealed cabbage and tofu over rice. Remarkably, quite ordinary fare.
With one taking the lead, others swiftly followed suit in placing their orders.
Eric herself felt a pang of hunger, yet lacking funds—and even if she had, unwilling to trust the train's fare—she discreetly retrieved a chocolate ball from her pocket, savoring its sweetness as it melted slowly in her mouth, soothing her anxious heartbeat.
Heaven forgive her for how those few steps out of the dining car felt like an eternity! When the door shut behind her, sweat drenched her back.
If her suspicions were accurate...
"Mom, I need to pee."
"Well, the restroom isn't easily accessible... can you hold it for a bit?"
"How about using a bottle, near the smoking area up ahead?"
The woman nodded gratefully. "You're right! Thank you!" She hastily retrieved an empty water bottle from the trash bag and, clutching her child, headed toward the smoking area.
The unfolding events mirrored her previous experience, so Eric paid scant attention, her senses alert and ears attuned, ready to rush upon the thread's lethal strike.
The door to the next carriage swung open as a restless player hurried through. Where was the treasure?
The woman fastened the child's pants and reached for the bottle placed on the floor—only for the player to kick it aside. The yellow liquid spilled forth, some splashing onto his trousers and shoes.
The player, thwarted in his search for clues, felt profound frustration rise. He opened his mouth to curse but recalled how an NPC in the same carriage, annoyed and smoking, had spat smoke rings at others and insulted them, only to lose his head moments later. Swallowing his expletives, he grumbled instead, "What's this? Think you can pay for messing up my shoes?"
Those boots cost five points! And the pungent stench of the child's urine on them was nauseating.
Ashamed, the woman apologized, "I'm sorry—I can compensate—"
Thud! Thud!
Two heads landed, one after another. The child pulled up his pants and trotted to retrieve the bottle. "Mom, I picked it up! I—waaah, Mom! Mom!" The child collapsed to the ground, his piercing cries ringing in Eric's ears. She leaned forward in shock, rising abruptly.
How could this be?
Eric hurriedly stepped forward and swung open the carriage door. Two headless corpses lay strewn upon the floor, their severed heads rolled motionless into a corner. Fixating on the disembodied heads, she gritted her teeth and swiftly crouched down.
The child, overcome with terror and despair, clung to his mother's head, wailing inconsolably.
Eric selected the male head. Turning her back to the child, she touched the man's head, which immediately vanished into the supermarket, before she hastened away, refraining from returning to her former seat.
Other passengers, hearing the commotion, gathered anxiously. Those less resilient broke down in sobs, pleading, "I want to leave, let me go! Waaah!" as they pounded against the door.
"How can two people have died, yet there is only one head?"
"This is horrifying! Where is... where is this person's head?"
The attendants appeared unobtrusively, commencing the grim task of removing the bodies. One attendant gazed at the headless male corpse and inquired, "Where is his head?"
"I—I don't know!"
The attendant cast a sinister glare upon the passengers. "Someone among you is a fare evader! Someone is riding without a ticket!"
These words carried a heavy portent, even as the train's broadcast crackled to life.
The train's intercom had crackled to life several times following the murders, offering reassurances to the passengers, but this broadcast was distinctly different from the previous ones.
A voice, androgynous and laden with menace, emanated from the speakers:
"It appears someone has evaded fare payment. Ticket inspection will commence in ten minutes. Passengers, please have your tickets ready. Heh, better find them quickly. If the attendants determine you've evaded payment, heh heh heh…"
The passengers shuddered with dread!
This voice… merely announcing a ticket inspection, yet the way it spoke instilled profound fear in their hearts.
One passenger swallowed hard. "I—I overshot my stop. My ticket expired at the last station. I was planning to pay the fare after getting off. So, I'll just pay now, alright?" he asked the attendant.
The attendant's eyes gleamed with fervor. "You don't have a ticket? You don't have a ticket?!"
The passenger, startled, stammered, "I—I do! My ticket was only valid until the last stop. I'll pay now! Didn't you say the inspection is in ten minutes? I'll pay right away!"
The attendant, suppressing his eagerness, replied indifferently, "Oh, those needing to pay should go to the conductor's office car."
"I seem to have lost my ticket—" another passenger spoke up. The attendant, like a vulture catching a scent, immediately turned his gaze. The passenger's voice trembled, "I definitely bought a ticket. Your system must have my purchase record, right? I have the payment receipt on my phone!"
"I can't find mine either, but I bought it online. Can't you use the digital receipt for inspection?"
Failing to get what he wanted repeatedly, the attendant's interest waned, and he finally lifted the corpse and departed.
"This is… this is too horrifying…"
"This train is so bizarre. How much longer until we get off?"
"Five more hours. My God, did you hear the tone of that broadcast? And the attendants' strange expressions. I feel like anyone caught evading the fare will be killed by them."
"Yes, yes, I've got goosebumps all over…"
Eric, heading toward the dining car, also heard the broadcast. Ticket inspection? Wouldn't she be caught immediately?
She quickened her pace. Though uncertain if her conjecture was entirely correct, the urgency of the situation left her no choice.
Navigating through the carriages, she saw some NPCs frantically searching for their tickets, while others, still oblivious to the gravity of the situation, clamored about lodging complaints against the train's service after disembarking. She also noticed a visibly panicked passenger; their eyes met, and the person rushed toward her.
"You're one too, right? Do you have any clues?"
Eric, pressed for time, replied, "What do you mean? I don't know you."
"You're not a player?"
Eric pushed past him. "Don't delay me; I need to pay for my ticket!"
Watching Eric's retreating figure, the man clenched his teeth, seething with envy toward the NPCs. NPCs could buy tickets with money, while players had to exchange treasures for them. It was so unfair.
Unable to contain himself, he spat on the ground, "Damn it—"
A flash of white light. The man swiftly rolled aside, narrowly avoiding it. As he sat up, he saw a strand of hair floating down from mid-air—his own hair.
Angry at his carelessness, he wondered: was it the spitting that triggered the killing intent, or the unfinished curse?
He surmised it was the spitting and, chagrined, got to his feet.
Feeling his pocket, he found only a stolen diamond watch from the sleeper car. After an exhaustive search, nearly getting caught in the act, this watch was the only item he could deem a "treasure."
With time slipping away, the male player decided to take a gamble. Passing the restroom, he saw a woman emerge, carrying a package that reeked of blood.
Auntie Yue, having discovered a corpse in the restroom, had locked herself in with it, intending to remain hidden until the train reached its destination. But the sudden announcement of the ticket inspection forced her out. Having experienced several supernatural instances, she knew hiding in the restroom to evade inspection was futile, so she resolved to exchange for a ticket in advance.
Her luck, however, ran out. The moment she stepped out, she encountered the male player, and her heart sank. She attempted to pass by him nonchalantly, but the player instantly recognized the item in her hand as the key to clearing the instance. Without hesitation, he lunged to seize it.