Chapter 1946: Chapter 1102: Trust (Part 2)
"I’ve always had a question I couldn’t figure out," Xiao Lin Zhengyan asked, "Suzuki Takashi is also an experienced player. Logically, his vigilance should have been sufficient. How did he not notice the smell of paint before being attacked?"
Thinking of this, Yang Xiao sighed, "Speaking of which, his luck was indeed bad. I remember Ogawa Haruka said that Suzuki Takashi caught a cold the night before, so his nose was stuffy."
"So that’s how it is." Xiao Lin Zhengyan’s doubts were resolved, but he couldn’t help but sigh, it really was a matter of timing and fate.
If it weren’t for the issue with his sense of smell, with Suzuki Takashi’s vigilance, he might have had a chance to leave some clues before his death.
For example, if he smelled the unexplained paint odor and casually asked a nearby teammate, he would have realized something was wrong.
Like Yang Xiao, who only realized the problem after confirming that Takagi Reina couldn’t smell the paint odor.
To survive in the Nightmare World, luck and strength are indispensable, and many times, luck is even more important than strength.
Speaking of the paint smell, Yang Xiao lifted his half-broken arm and sniffed it. The paint smell that originally lingered on the broken arm had completely disappeared.
"Could it be that the Paint Ghost’s ability is related to the curse? Last time it failed to attack but left the curse on you, and it came again tonight following the curse,"
"But you escaped the attack this time, so the curse is equivalent to being lifted. It won’t come looking for you again in the future," Takagi Reina said in one breath.
Hearing this, Yang Xiao looked at her with a slightly surprised gaze, but soon his gaze softened again, nodding, "Not bad, there’s progress. I thought the same."
"In such a situation, you’re still in the mood to joke. I really have to hand it to you." Takagi Reina could never figure out Yang Xiao’s thought process. The way he looked at her just now was indescribably strange.
Hearing that Yang Xiao would no longer be troubled by the Paint Ghost in the future, Xiao Lin Zhengyan and Yamamoto Chunai were genuinely happy for him.
As time passed, under Yang Xiao’s arrangements, everyone checked themselves from head to toe every 10 minutes.
For some reason, maybe due to not having rested properly while staying up all night, Xiao Lin Zhengyan felt unusually tired, his eyelids drooping, several times nearly falling asleep.
Not only him, but everyone else was the same, including Yang Xiao, feeling drowsy. It was an illogical fatigue, making Yang Xiao acutely aware that something was amiss.
After all, Xiao Lin Zhengyan and Yamamoto Chunai aside, he and Takagi Reina were experienced players and had just slept; there was no reason for this fatigue.
Just as Yang Xiao lowered his head, on the verge of sleeping, he forced himself awake with his strong willpower.
Waking up, Yang Xiao’s whole body was sore, gasping for breath, like a drowning man breathing fresh air again.
He immediately woke up his three teammates. Takagi Reina was almost asleep.
The three were shocked awake, feeling a lingering fear from what seemed like a nightmare, as if some force had compelled them to fall asleep.
Yang Xiao was also relieved that his willpower was firm enough; otherwise, he didn’t know what trouble might arise.
Over the years navigating the world of martial arts, besides good fortune, Yang Xiao’s most dependable trait was his willpower. After all, not everyone could survive under the merciless female demon.
But just as Yang Xiao looked at the clock on the wall, pondering the timing for the next full-body check, a shocking and even terrifying scene occurred.
"When was the last time we checked ourselves?" Yang Xiao stared intently at the clock and asked.
"It seemed... it seemed to be just before 9 o’clock, just a few minutes before," Xiao Lin Zhengyan remembered quite clearly.
"That’s what I remember too," Takagi Reina confirmed.
But at this moment, Takagi Reina also looked fearfully at the clock. The clock showed it was already 9:23.
In just the blink of an eye, half an hour had passed. It was absolutely impossible.
Even if one person’s sense of time was off, it’s unlikely that all four of them would simultaneously lose track of time.
At this moment, Takagi Reina felt a chill, like a ghost silently stole their time.
"Quick, check yourselves!" Yang Xiao was the first to stand, checking his coat pockets.
Ten seconds later, Yang Xiao’s face darkened. He stopped the other three and then, under their gaze, slowly took out a crumpled old train ticket from the inner pocket of his coat.
Strangely, at that moment, Yang Xiao felt little fear. Instead, there was a sense of relief, as if a weight had been lifted from his heart.
"It’s me." Yang Xiao put the ticket back into his pocket, letting out a long breath.
This was actually within his expectations: no panic, no complaints. After calming his mind, Yang Xiao began assigning tasks.
"Tonight I’ve been chosen. Based on last night’s experience, Takagi Reina will automatically board the Ghost Train too, so tonight, Takagi Reina, you’ll come with me."
"Alright." Takagi Reina nodded. With her, she could assist Yang Xiao.
Yang Xiao looked at Xiao Lin Zhengyan and Yamamoto Chunai. He could see the fear in their eyes, "You two, don’t be afraid. Tonight, don’t go to the station; just stay here and watch things."
Knowing Yang Xiao was doing this for their benefit, Xiao Lin Zhengyan felt genuinely touched, "Thank you, Mr. Chu, but... but what about Yandeta Chiyoda..."
"Don’t worry about them. I’m the main character tonight," Yang Xiao interrupted.
"Understood!" Xiao Lin Zhengyan was in awe of Chu Xi, feeling it was best to simply follow his words.
"I don’t intend to drag you into this, but given the current situation, you shouldn’t be too optimistic. After all, the Paint Ghost visited tonight, making it hard to determine whether you were affected."
Based on previous experiences, whether affected by the Water Ghost or the Paint Ghost, those involved would be drawn into the Ghost Train incident; last night’s Ogawa Haruka was an example.
Yang Xiao quickly walked to the desk, opened a drawer, and took out some papers prepared by Kato Shinjiro, which were copies of the layout of Youjian Mountain Station.
"There are four copies here, one for each of us. You two keep them safe."
"Once you board that Ghost Train tonight, anything can happen. If either of you is unlucky enough to be thrown off the train, having this at least gives you a chance," Yang Xiao explained.
After ensuring they had secured the maps, Yang Xiao looked at Xiao Lin Zhengyan, then turned to Yamamoto Chunai, his scrutinizing gaze making them both uneasy.
"Mr. Chu, what do you want to say?" Yamamoto Chunai mustered the courage to ask.
"Do you trust me?" Yang Xiao suddenly asked.
"Yes, of course!" Yamamoto Chunai almost blurted out instinctively.
Xiao Lin Zhengyan’s response was the same as Yamamoto Chunai’s, with even more conviction.
"Good, then I have a plan that might help you." Yang Xiao said calmly, "I’ll design an action for you, a subtle one, that you can treat as a signal. As long as you make this gesture, I can avoid you when searching on the train, thereby preventing you from being thrown off."
Upon saying this, Yang Xiao clearly saw Xiao Lin Zhengyan’s pupils quiver, and Yamamoto Chunai was momentarily stunned.
After all, they may not be very experienced, but they weren’t stupid. They clearly understood what this meant.
It was essentially putting their lives in Yang Xiao’s hands.
Armed with information on the two of them, Yang Xiao was already in an undefeatable position tonight, even if he hadn’t found anyone else, he could use them as substitute deaths.
Even stepping back, those "selected" were never as reliable as these two ready answers. This was clearly a gamble with their lives.
"I understand. You two take care of yourselves tonight." Seeing the fear and hesitation in their eyes, Yang Xiao stopped wasting words. He had done all he could; whether they lived or died now depended on their own fate.
If not for Yamamoto Chunai coincidentally saving him tonight, Yang Xiao wasn’t sure he could do this much for them.
As for whether they trusted him or appreciated it, that’s their problem. He wouldn’t persuade further.
No complaints, no so-called heartbreak — regardless of their choice, Yang Xiao understood.
After all, everyone was human, wanting to survive, and in the face of life and death, so-called trust was often a joke.
