Chapter 1914: Chapter 1086: Relentless Haunting (2)
In the mission, there was no room for luck; not coming meant death.
Yang Xiao clearly remembered that Yumi Hirano was teamed with that old woman Yandeta Chiyoda. Last night, they drew the worst lot and had to undertake the task of boarding the Renhe Line night train.
Obviously, they really went, and something unexpected happened.
"Yumi was a brave person; it’s my fault for not taking care of her," Yandeta Chiyoda’s voice was low and hoarse, seemingly full of self-reproach.
"Senior Sister Yuanda, this has nothing to do with you. If it weren’t for someone rashly getting off the train last night and disrupting the original plan, Miss Pingye wouldn’t have died." Watanabe Gou spoke angrily.
Upon hearing this, Yamamoto Chunai exploded instantly, exposing the opponent’s hypocritical face right on the spot and narrating the events of last night, detailing how Gou Watanabe ambushed them, forcing them to open the door, and how Yandeta Chiyoda timed her arrival, coercing them to board the train as Substitute Deaths.
During this, Xiao Lin Zhengyan also continuously supplemented and corrected some details.
As soon as these people entered, Yang Xiao sensed something was off; Yamamoto Chunai and Xiao Lin Zhengyan’s expressions were very poor, as if they had suffered greatly.
Moreover, Xiao Lin Zhengyan had injuries on his face, obviously beaten, and Watanabe Gou had a cut on the corner of his eye.
"Miss Yamamoto, don’t speak nonsense. Ask yourself, if Senior Sister Yuanda and I weren’t there last night, would you two newcomers have survived until dawn?" Watanabe Gou seemed more aggrieved than Yamamoto Chunai and Xiao Lin Zhengyan.
"Last night, you clearly agreed to cooperate with us, to board together and find clues. But at the last moment, you abandoned us and disrupted the entire plan, leading to Miss Pingye’s tragic death. You executioners!" Watanabe Gou’s voice was louder than Yamamoto Chunai’s, sounding full of grievances, "The spirit of Miss Yumi Hirano will not forgive you!"
"You... You shameless!!" Yamamoto Chunai was not someone who argued well, and this exchange made her furious; this person was utterly shameless, even turning the tables.
During this, the other teammates remained silent, not commenting. It was clear that everyone understood the rights and wrongs of the matter, but due to Watanabe Gou and Yandeta Chiyoda’s abilities, no one wanted to offend them for two insignificant newcomers.
This time, even Yang Xiao and Takagi Reina didn’t join the battlefield because it was pointless; arguments wouldn’t uncover clues and would only waste time.
Finally, under the mediation of Suzuki Takashi, Ogawa Haruka, and others, the matter was set aside, but Yamamoto Chunai clenched her fists and teared up, feeling wronged because no one spoke for them.
Instead, Xiao Lin Zhengyan, who had injuries on his face, saw things more clearly, pulling Yamamoto Chunai aside and comforting her quietly.
After all, this wasn’t his first time in such a world, knowing well the character of these so-called veteran players; there’s no fairness here, only value.
If these old players could vote on who should die last night, most of them would vote for him or Yamamoto Chunai because they were newcomers without ability or value.
Oh, and Sakai Misaki, that person seemed even worse than the two of them; at this moment, for some reason, her face was pale.
After the farce subsided, everyone sat down and began reviewing their encounters from last night, starting naturally with Yandeta Chiyoda and Watanabe Gou, who had boarded the Ghost Train.
The two hardly concealed anything, recounting everything they knew truthfully.
It wasn’t that they didn’t want to conceal, but they didn’t dare. After all, there were too few clues at present, and the investigation was progressing too slowly. If anything was concealed now, delaying the mission more days, fearing most people would be dead.
It must be said, the clues the two brought back were crucial, especially the Half Ghost on the Ghost Train.
This was a completely unfamiliar Fierce Ghost; counting it, there were already two Fierce Ghosts in this mission with entirely different killing methods.
Currently, the Half Ghost on the Ghost Train appears more likely to be the Source Ghost.
After all, the core of this mission is the so-called Youjian Mountain Station, and the Ghost Train is presently the only known way to reach it.
"Passing the baton...," Yang Xiao was thoughtful.
After hearing Yandeta Chiyoda and Watanabe Gou’s account, Xiao Lin Zhengyan felt secretly relieved; fortunately, he decisively fled last night, otherwise, he and Yamamoto Chunai would have surely died.
"When did that Half Ghost appear behind you?" Suzuki Takashi asked for confirmation again.
"It was right after I realized something was wrong," Watanabe Gou explained. "The train we boarded entered Youjian Mountain Tunnel not long after, but was rear-ended by the Ghost Train chasing from behind. We all fainted, and when I woke again, the ghost was already on my back."
"It’s the ticket," Takagi Reina spoke. "The person who gets the ticket will be targeted by the Half Ghost, becoming the first person in passing the baton. How long is this period, have you calculated?"
"I don’t know," Watanabe Gou slowly shook his head. "In that state, I wasn’t sensitive to time, but... but sensory judgment tells me the time wasn’t short."
"Did those ’passengers’ on the train not attack you?" Takagi Reina asked again.
"No, unless I actively approached them, but... that was dangerous," Watanabe Gou honestly said.
Watanabe Gou was well aware of the danger, had Yandeta Chiyoda not revealed Hirano’s disguised identity at the last moment, whether he could have survived the night was uncertain, but there’s no need to let everyone know these details.
"Yumi Hirano was taken off the train, then what?" Ogawa Haruka asked somewhat nervously.
No one answered this time; who could know, unless personally asking the parties involved, but obviously there was no opportunity.
The first issue closed, the next to speak was Kato Shinjiro, who informed everyone of his encounters the previous night.
Last night, the Water Ghost didn’t come looking for Yang Xiao and Takagi Reina, but wasn’t idle; it visited Kato Shinjiro and his partner, who received a call from the missing Hirano Yumi.
After hearing Kato Shinjiro describe Sakai Misaki’s bizarre state last night, everyone’s expressions changed, instinctively distancing themselves from Sakai Misaki.
Some even stared incredulously at Kato Shinjiro, not understanding why, despite this, he dared to bring Sakai Misaki along, wasn’t he afraid... afraid she was a ghost?
"Don’t worry, if she were a ghost, I’d be dead already," Kato Shinjiro reassured. "Building on Mr. Chu Xi’s foundation, I summarized part of the Water Ghost’s killing methods; it can’t enter rooms where the doors are locked, but can briefly control living people inside to achieve a sight-based killing result."
"The flaw lies in insufficient flexibility after possessing living people. Escape is possible with caution; the possession duration is about 5 to 6 minutes, not exceeding 10 minutes at most," Kato Shinjiro recalled slowly.
Though Kato Shinjiro spoke casually, everyone knew last night, facing such a scene, most would have been scared stiff. Remaining calm amidst the chaos and analyzing the way out, this guy was extraordinary.
Afterwards, Kato Shinjiro took out his phone from his pocket, "Last night, I not only received a call from Hirano Yumi but also got a message—it’s a photo, with something very strange on it."
Upon hearing this, everyone instantly became interested, crowding around.
The photo was dim, and Yang Xiao immediately recognized it had the same feel as the photo on Sasaki Sakura’s phone.
This was also taken at that mysterious Youjian Mountain Station, but the difference was the background; the previous photo’s background was the Ghost Train, while this one seemed hastily snapped, the image more blurred, with a wall in the background.
The wall seemed to have some chalk drawing on it.
As Kato Shinjiro zoomed the photo piece by piece, the drawing became clearer; it was an odd human image, entirely black, indistinguishable in such a dim background.
The figure was sitting cross-legged on the ground, wearing something akin to a Kasaya. But strangely, the figure had no face drawn, not even the simplest facial contours, the face entirely blacked out, looking longer invoked a bizarre feeling of being "watched".
"Black Buddha Mother!!" Upon seeing it clearly, Yandeta Chiyoda’s pupils contracted suddenly, exclaiming the next second.
Yang Xiao was as shocked as Yandeta Chiyoda. He couldn’t believe seeing the imprint of the Black Buddha Mother in such a ghostly place, knowing this was Japan.
In that lost Youjian Mountain Station, the imprint of the Black Buddha Mother appeared; Yang Xiao knew he was in big trouble this time.
