Chapter 1945: Chapter 1102: Trust
"Crash," the coffee cup slipped from her hand and shattered on the ground.
"Ahhh!!" Yamamoto Chunai screamed, shouting with all her might, "Chu Xi, wake up!!"
It was the first time she called Yang Xiao by his alias.
Yang Xiao and Takagi Reina were jolted awake by the yell, scrambling clumsily as they rolled off the sofa, movements embarrassingly awkward.
Yang Xiao reacted swiftly; although he didn’t understand what was happening, as he fell from the sofa, he crawled furiously towards Yamamoto Chunai.
Despite having only one arm and two legs, he crawled faster than Takagi Reina, who was fully limbed.
At that moment, Yamamoto Chunai was petrified, until Xiao Lin Zhengyan came rushing over.
He didn’t know what was happening either, his attention still focused on the direction of the door.
In Xiao Lin Zhengyan’s mind, the only thing capable of launching a nocturnal attack was the Water Ghost, and Water Ghosts needed to knock before killing, but he hadn’t heard anything.
"What happened? Why are you yelling?" Takagi Reina, now in shambles, looked around with fear in her eyes.
Yang Xiao remained relatively calm, observing the surroundings first, but found nothing. All was calm.
"Ghost, there’s a ghost!" Yamamoto Chunai stammered, trembling as she pointed at the wall, "Right... right there, I just saw it!"
Following Yamamoto Chunai’s finger, Takagi Reina held her breath for ten seconds, but saw nothing.
"Is it a Water Ghost? But I didn’t hear any knocking." Xiao Lin Zhengyan couldn’t help but suspect that Yamamoto Chunai might have been mistaken and quickly comforted her, "Miss Yamamoto, maybe you’re too tense, we’re safe here."
After Takagi Reina confirmed the room was safe, a surge of irritation rose within her, knowing she was just asleep and had her sweet dream disturbed.
But Yang Xiao seemed to sense something. He sniffed the air, then slowly approached the wall like an old, sly dog, using his nose to explore. After a moment, he retreated, his expression turning grim.
"She’s right, something was here. I smelled paint, it’s stronger near the wall," Yang Xiao said.
"Is it the Paint Ghost?" Takagi Reina’s face showed alarm, her heart skipped a beat, "It’s... it’s found us here?"
"Yes." Yang Xiao felt waves of lingering fear, his gaze continuously surveying the surroundings, "It’s likely here for me."
"It failed to kill you in broad daylight and will return at night, endlessly?" This was the first time Takagi Reina witnessed such a situation; Yang Xiao was undeniably unlucky.
If true, this Paint Ghost is terrifying. Once targeted by it, one faces relentless pursuit.
Takagi Reina hoped Yang Xiao would survive, as she desperately needed this teammate, despite his occasional annoyance.
Yang Xiao went to inspect the door, finding the lock intact. Aside from the thin scent of paint in the air, the ghost left nothing behind.
This meant once a target is locked, even hiding in a sealed room couldn’t escape the Paint Ghost’s pursuit.
None of the three besides Yang Xiao could detect the paint scent, further proving the Paint Ghost’s sole target was Yang Xiao.
Slowly, under Xiao Lin Zhengyan’s consolation, Yamamoto Chunai calmed down and recounted what she saw.
Just hearing her description caused a cold sweat to form on Yang Xiao’s back.
He had been attacked by the Paint Ghost before and knew its terror; had he not been quick-witted during the day, he’d be with Suzuki Takashi now.
Admittedly, Yamamoto Chunai managed to spot the Paint Ghost early largely due to luck, as it hid very deeply.
"Miss Yamamoto, thank you." Yang Xiao sincerely thanked Yamamoto Chunai, regardless of luck; saving him was an indubitable truth, and he was grateful.
Yamamoto Chunai was taken aback by Yang Xiao’s gratitude and shook her head repeatedly, "No, Mr. Chu, I’m really glad to help you; you’ve helped us so much, it’s my duty."
"Everyone, check yourselves now, especially your pockets, to see if there’s anything new," Yang Xiao commanded.
The four checked thoroughly, almost turning their clothes inside out, but found nothing unusual.
Relaxing slightly, Takagi Reina understood Yang Xiao’s thoughts, "You suspect this Paint Ghost is related to the Ghost Train Ticket, that it came to deliver a ticket?"
"I don’t know for sure, but better cautious," Yang Xiao replied, putting his clothes back on.
Glancing at the time on the wall, Yang Xiao set a rule; from now, every 10 minutes, everyone checks themselves, as based on past experience, the ticket is about to appear.
Yang Xiao’s concern was valid. The first night Kaori Mimura received the ticket, she died. The second night, it was Watanabe Gou, who coincidentally partnered with Kaori Mimura.
The third night was Yandeta Chiyoda, coincidentally the last person who survived the Ghost Train and contacted Watanabe Gou.
Similarly, last night there were only three people who boarded through normal means: Yandeta Chiyoda, Yang Xiao, and Takagi Reina.
Calculating this, Yang Xiao believed the chance of one of them receiving a ticket tonight was extremely high.
