Chapter 1936: Chapter 1097: The Road to Survival (2)
She couldn’t see the upper body or face of the other, nor did she want to.
The Ghost just stood there in front of the wooden table where she hid, motionless.
A sudden image flashed through Ogawa Haruka’s mind; this Ghost might have discovered her, its head lowered, with milky white eyes staring at her.
Her body trembled uncontrollably, and within those few seconds, Ogawa Haruka recalled her twenty years of life; she was not an Angel Envoy, nor did she have grand ambitions, merely a hapless victim swept into the Nightmare World.
And now, none of that mattered anymore, because she was about to die.
But a few seconds later, something absolutely unexpected happened: the Ghost, which stood in front of her, capable of grabbing her easily by bending down, turned away and left, joining two other Ghosts in exiting the lounge.
As the footsteps faded away, the overwhelmingly relieved Ogawa Haruka collapsed, sitting on the floor, gasping for breath. The reason buried by fear began to recover bit by bit.
She suddenly remembered the caution given by those mysterious people who took away Kato Shinjiro and others.
They warned them that upon entering Youjian Mountain Station, no matter who, do not act recklessly, do not run or scream, remain calm, as those beings from the train cannot see hidden individuals.
From her experience, they were correct. These Ghost passengers were more akin to Chang Ghosts rather than actual Ghosts.
She recalled the second point of their warning: she needed to find a malfunctioning radio, something lost within Youjian Mountain Station, the source of everything.
Now the objective was clear; only by finding that radio would she have a chance to survive, even though she still didn’t know what was going on.
But she understood, simply hiding can’t work. The space here is only so large, those Ghosts will eventually find her.
Even if not caught for now, how long can she hold out? She doubted that these Chang Ghosts were the only things in the station.
There must be something more terrifying here.
Taking a deep breath, Ogawa Haruka encouraged herself; she had to take the initiative, seek a chance to break the situation.
Also, from her close encounter with the Ghost earlier, she noticed something peculiar—the lower body of the Ghost that approached her was a bit wet. The work pants and Leather Boots were all wet, not drenched like soaked in water, but more like being rained on.
This instinctively reminded her of the Water Ghost that visited at night.
After some brief contemplation, Ogawa Haruka took out her phone from her pocket, inserted the battery, and while staying alert to her surroundings, she typed out a message.
She didn’t know whether she would receive a reply, but she wasn’t planning to wait for death.
Soon after, she put away her phone, slowly crawled out from under the table, pressed against the wall, and gradually stood up. Through the window, she only peeked half of her head out, cautiously observing the outside, needing to confirm those Ghost things had left.
The station outside was still enveloped in mist, but the Ghostly passenger shapes were no longer visible. They seemed to have left or perhaps gone elsewhere to find someone.
Just as Ogawa Haruka’s heart slightly settled, she straightened up to relieve the soreness in her knees when, suddenly, she faintly heard a "rustling" sound, like someone slowly rubbing against the wall.
This sound was very close to her, extremely close, almost just a wall away!
The next second, a Ghost Shadow clinging to the wall emerged from the left side of the window, right in front of Ogawa Haruka, facing her through the glass.
It was the Leather Boot Ghost that appeared before; only now did Ogawa Haruka see its true face.
A slightly balding middle-aged man, his remaining hair soaked and clinging in strands to his forehead, features twisted and grimaced, with a pair of milky white eyes fixed hatefully on her.
At this moment, Ogawa Haruka’s mental defenses completely collapsed; she stood there dumbfounded, like a crashing computer, her mind blank with fear.
"Thud, thud, thud"
Another set of footsteps intruded into the lounge, heading straight for her—it was another Chang Ghost lying in wait outside.
She was deceived. These three Ghosts knew she was hiding here; they had been guarding outside, finally waiting for her to expose herself.
The footsteps behind grew nearer, Death’s scythe nearly on her throat, but Ogawa Haruka was already powerless to resist any progress; she hadn’t snapped back to reality, terror shutting down her senses.
One could hardly blame her. After all, there was a Ghost across the window giving her a yearning stare.
Such an opportunity is not something one casually experiences; only those going through it know how terrifying it is.
"Thud, thud, thud"
The footsteps halted not far behind Ogawa Haruka, but refused to advance further. Moments later, the rhythm became chaotic, wandering off randomly.
Simultaneously, the balding Ghost peering at Ogawa Haruka through the window started to move, slowly scanning the lounge.
Almost scared witless earlier, Ogawa Haruka finally reacted, understanding the Ghosts’ killing method.
These Ghosts could only see people in motion; once stationary, their target was lost.
Just like now.
However, she had undeniably exposed herself; these creatures knew she was hidden here, not intending to leave anytime soon.
The balding Ghost outside the window vigilantly kept watch over the room’s movement, while the one behind her wandered aimlessly.
Ogawa Haruka’s urgency was palpable; under such conditions, even if she didn’t move, she couldn’t guarantee the random Ghost behind her wouldn’t bump into her and bring danger.
Her situation wasn’t favorable—move, and death might come instantly; not moving meant slow suicide, inevitably found.
In this most critical moment, change occurred; the two Chang Ghosts barricading Ogawa Haruka sensed something, leaving immediately.
Only when their silhouettes merged into the mist and vanished completely did Ogawa Haruka snap back to reality.
Surviving disaster, though with little joy, this event left her baffled.
But now wasn’t the time for hesitation; her hiding spot had been compromised. Remaining there meant waiting for death; nobody knew when those creatures might return.
Learning from this encounter, she didn’t rush to flee but moved along the wall, ensuring quick concealment upon any Ghost appearance.
Upon leaving the lounge, no Ghost was visible within her sight, even the "rustling" footsteps vanished—a deathly silence once again enveloped the abandoned station.
Yet Ogawa Haruka wasn’t optimistic; she could faintly perceive the blood scent hidden beneath this silence.
It’s a prelude to impending slaughter. These Ghost creatures felt something more terrifying, fleeing ahead of it.
Having undergone numerous experiences just now, Ogawa Haruka’s heart oddly calmed, perhaps due to fear overload, granting her a strange state of mind clarity—amazingly lucid, unimaginable to her former self.
Her mind raced, hypothesizing that more terrifying things might appear, those Ghost creatures were escaping; could their direction imply safety?
Rather than facing an unknown horror, Ogawa Haruka preferred confronting those Chang Ghosts.
Decisively, Ogawa Haruka confirmed the escaping direction of the two Chang Ghosts and pursued them, plunging into the mist.
Whether due to psychological factors or some eerie force altering the station’s structure, Ogawa Haruka increasingly felt the place strange.
She couldn’t describe it precisely—a sense of dislocation; the station appeared fine at first glance, yet its layout oddly diverged from her train station impressions.
Just as she contemplated the path ahead and potential encounters, Ogawa Haruka suddenly halted, her ear instinctively twitching.
She heard some sounds, subtle yet notably distinct in the environment.
"Plop."
"Plop."
...
Footsteps, sounding like a single person.
Soft yet muffled, like someone entirely soaked walking through water.
Upon picturing this in her mind, Ogawa Haruka shivered fiercely.
Though not having met the Water Ghost that sought her fate at midnight, she’d heard enough descriptions—from more than one person—to recognize the sound.
