The train had passed the ninth station.
Old Hei’s expression was grim, his gaze sharp as ever. The stark, cold light in the train car illuminated his dark complexion, making him appear even more solemn. He was like a silent steel blade, ready to unsheath and taste blood at any moment.
The players in the car were all silent.
They stared straight ahead, each with a stern expression, as if frozen in the pale light, their figures motionless, as though time itself had been suspended.
Ding-ding-ding!
The sound of the train arriving at the next station rang out—it was Station 10.
Old Hei stood up and looked out the window at the subway platform. Inside the car, the players found themselves face to face with two others who had just dashed down the staircase.
The two new players were running frantically, drenched in sweat, their faces pale as paper. When they saw the train arrive, their expressions lit up with unbridled joy. Without hesitation, they bolted toward the train. But just as they were about to step onto the platform, they froze, one foot suspended midair. Suddenly, they stumbled backward as if realizing something, their momentum causing one of them to fall flat onto the ground.
On the return train, players were only allowed to disembark at any station except the first. Boarding the train was strictly forbidden.
If anyone tried to force their way onto the train, they would be crushed and obliterated by an unseen force, their bodies vanishing into thin air.
The two players stared at the train that was just within reach, unable to suppress their despair. They burst into anguished wails.
Ding-ding-ding!
Forty seconds later, the warning chime sounded, signaling the imminent closing of the doors. From within the train, the passengers watched through the window as a dark shadow slithered across the ground, swallowing the two desperate players whole.
Even through the roar of the departing train, it felt as though they could hear the pair’s terrified, unwilling screams before they were consumed.
The expressions of the players in the car turned somber.
They knew they could easily end up like those two—it was only a matter of time.
Someone finally lost their composure, letting out a hoarse, low curse.
Gu Jiu stood by the window, also witnessing the horrifying scene of the two players being devoured by the shadow. She asked softly, “What was that just now?”
“No idea.” Old Hei took out a cigarette, holding it in his mouth without lighting it. Calmly, he said, “There are many dangerous creatures in these subway stations, and they change every day… The only constant is the Hunter and Sasha at the first station. Honestly, if you think about it, the Hunter and Sasha are kind of adorable.”
As he spoke, a faint smile crossed his lips.
The Hunter and the little girl, Sasha, were indeed dangerous, but their danger was visible, fixed, and unchanging. Players knew they were always there, rarely leaving their posts, and that no other creatures would take their place.
At the other subway stations, however, the hidden dangers and monsters changed daily, making them unpredictable and leaving players with no reliable way to deal with them. Just like those two players earlier, faced with the encroaching shadow, they had no way to escape. In the end, they could only watch the train leave while crying in despair.
The train had been right in front of them, yet they couldn’t board to seek refuge.
The fleeting moment of hope, followed by crushing disappointment, eventually turned into utter despair.
The train continued forward.
Gu Jiu gazed at the darkness outside the window, her expression calm.
Old Hei put away the cigarette he had been holding in his mouth and grinned. “So, are you scared by the difficulty of this game world?”
Gu Jiu remained silent. She sat back down and pulled a lunchbox out of her bag.
The lunchbox was still warm. When she opened it, the enticing aroma of food wafted through the train car, causing the other players to glance over, swallowing hard.
It had been a long time since they’d had proper food.
Before entering the game world, they hadn’t anticipated being trapped here like this. They hadn’t brought much food, packing only what was convenient based on past experiences.
While convenient, such food quickly became monotonous.
With everyone staring so intently, even the dead might feel uneasy.
Gu Jiu took out thirteen lunchboxes. “Here, help yourselves.”
Old Hei chuckled. “Ah, you’re too generous. How could we refuse? Thank you!”
Though his words expressed reluctance, his hands moved lightning-fast as he grabbed a box, opened it, and began devouring the meal with gusto.
The others weren’t shy either, rushing forward to grab a lunchbox as if afraid someone else might snatch it away.
Prepared by a five-star hotel chef and still warm, the meal was a gourmet feast to these players who had been surviving on dry rations for over ten days. Their faces lit up with satisfaction as they ate, their spirits visibly lifted.
The air in the train car was filled with the mouthwatering scent of food.
In the normal world, eating on a subway would be considered impolite, but here, survival was the priority, and etiquette was the last thing on anyone’s mind.
Gu Jiu had ensured the meals were made in large portions. Each lunchbox contained enough food to feed three grown men in the real world. Yet, these players were like bottomless pits; even after finishing a box, they were only partially full.
Despite not being completely satisfied, the taste and warmth of the food brought a deep sense of contentment, rekindling their determination to survive.
“If I make it out of this hellhole, I’m going straight to Boundless City to feast!” Li Jing vowed. “And I’m definitely heading to the Zone 10 for spirit dishes.”
“Count me in! I don’t mind if you’re paying,” someone chimed in.
“Li Jing, don’t forget about me! We’re brothers, remember? Don’t leave me out!” another added.
The group bantered back and forth, all jokingly pressuring Li Jing to treat them. Li Jing, feigning arrogance, kicked at them playfully, refusing to agree.
The atmosphere in the train car grew lively and lighthearted.
Old Hei watched the others, his gaze eventually settling on Gu Jiu, who was eating slowly and methodically. A thought surfaced in his mind: Did she do this on purpose, eating in front of us to lift everyone’s spirits?
The train arrived at the eleventh station.
Like the others, they couldn’t disembark here. As soon as the doors opened, they saw wandering ghosts in the subway station. Several blood-soaked specters turned their heads toward the open train doors, their faces twisting into malicious, hateful grins.
Twelfth station. Thirteenth station. Fourteenth station…
Finally, at the seventeenth station, they saw players on the platform.
Several players stood in front of the train, looking toward it. When the train stopped and they saw the passengers inside, they waved enthusiastically, signaling that it was safe to disembark.
Old Hei, however, didn’t lead the others off in relief. Instead, his expression turned cold.
The train doors closed right in front of the players on the platform.
At first, the players in the station were stunned. Then their faces twisted in anger. Their mouths moved as they yelled something inaudible through the thick glass, but it was clear their words weren’t kind.
Gu Jiu glanced at Old Hei.
Before she could ask, Old Hei explained, “Those people are players. They’re waiting here on purpose, likely to capture other players.”
“Capture other players? For what?” Gu Jiu had just spoken when she immediately realized the answer.
Old Hei nodded. “Exactly what you’re thinking! They’re capturing players to use as bait and cannon fodder to probe the dangers of other subway stations.” He pulled out another cigarette and held it in his mouth. “The game does have rules prohibiting players from directly harming each other. But as long as they don’t kill the players themselves and those players die at the hands of the monsters in this world, it doesn’t count as harm.”
Gu Jiu remained silent.
Since becoming a player, her overwhelming strength had ensured no one dared treat her as cannon fodder. Of course, the game worlds she had experienced so far were relatively safer than this one. None of them were as perilous as the Death Train. Here, tragedies unfolded at every moment, and this place was truly a hell for players.
She glanced at Old Hei and the others but didn’t ask whether they would do the same thing.
It was pointless to ask.
When someone is pushed to the brink of survival, they’re capable of anything. If they hadn’t done it yet, it was only because they hadn’t been pushed far enough. The key was to avoid such situations and strive to maintain the last vestiges of morality.
Although Old Hei didn’t explicitly state it, he was clearly trying to convey this to Gu Jiu. He sincerely wanted to gain her trust and invite her to join their group.
The train’s rumbling wasn’t quiet.
Suddenly, Gu Jiu looked toward the front of the train.
“What’s wrong?” Old Hei asked.
“I hear high heels,” Gu Jiu replied, her voice calm. “The sound is coming from the front.”
Old Hei abruptly stood up, his face changing dramatically. “The woman in red high heels! She’s on the train! When did she get on?”
The others froze, their expressions filled with fear.
The woman in red high heels was a nightmare on the train. They had encountered her before and learned the hard way not to underestimate her.
Amid the sound of the train’s movement, the distinct tapping of high heels striking the floor became audible. Although only Gu Jiu could hear it clearly, none of the others dared dismiss her words.
After what happened at the first station, they all knew how eerily sharp her hearing was.
Gu Jiu’s hands dropped naturally to her sides, and theLingyuan Blade appeared in her palms. She focused intently on the sound of the high heels.
The footsteps were getting closer, yet no one could see anything. It was as though the figure was invisible—or perhaps it wasn’t a person at all, but merely a pair of high heels walking along the walls, just out of sight.
Gu Jiu suddenly looked up. A pair of bright red high heels was hanging upside down from the ceiling, as though being worn by someone. They walked along the roof in delicate, deliberate steps, approaching them.
The others spotted the red high heels on the ceiling and panicked, retreating toward the back of the train car. Old Hei shouted to Gu Jiu, “Run to the back! Don’t let it get ahead of you!”
Without hesitation, Gu Jiu followed them, retreating toward the rear cars.
As they ran, the pair of upside-down red high heels on the ceiling followed closely behind, as if worn by someone, tapping in quick, deliberate steps.
The train was still three minutes away from reaching the next station.
Three minutes could be fleeting or feel like an eternity.
Just as they reached the last train car, Old Hei suddenly turned, his massive steel blade slicing unexpectedly toward the red high heels.
The heels, displaying an eerie sentience, withdrew just beyond the blade’s reach. A single viscous drop of blood dripped from the heel, splattering onto the floor. From that drop, more blood gushed forth, spreading and writhing as though alive, quickly taking on the shape of a human figure.
Old Hei swung his steel blade again, but it could not sever the shapeshifting pool of blood. The others also unleashed their weapons, slashing at the blood, scattering it into distorted, wriggling puddles.
Splurt! Blood sprayed everywhere.
Old Hei quickly pulled out a red cloth and waved it through the air, catching the splattered blood. The blood hissed upon contact with the cloth and the surrounding floor, corroding both and leaving dark, blackened scars.
When Old Hei saw the gaping holes burned into the red cloth, a pained expression crossed his face.
Despite their efforts, the blood continued to shift and morph.
One player trembled as they said, “The woman… she’s about to appear!”
The blood coalesced, gradually forming the outline of a woman. She emerged fully—her red-brown curls tumbling over her pale skin, her eyes void of whites with only jet-black irises, lips as crimson as blood, a dress matching the color of her lips, and the infamous high heels adorning her feet.
She gave them a rigid, unsettling smile, but her movements were anything but gentle. She lunged at them with ferocity, intent on taking their lives.
Old Hei raised his steel blade to block her attack aimed at his throat.
The woman kicked him hard, sending him crashing into the wall. From behind her, the blood spreading across the floor began to lash out like a web of threads, reaching for the others.
The players desperately dodged the blood threads, cutting them apart with their weapons and tools. The severed blood threads hardened on the ground, leaving dark stains.
Several blood threads shot toward Gu Jiu.
Without hesitation, Gu Jiu gripped the Lingyuan Blade and severed the threads, then dashed toward Old Hei, slicing through the web of blood that was about to entangle him.
With one fluid motion, she lunged toward the woman.
The Lingyuan Blade sliced across the woman’s shoulder and arm, leaving a long, bloodied gash.
“Ahhh—!”
The woman let out a piercing scream and whipped her head around. Her black irises expanded, overtaking the whites of her eyes completely, creating an eerie, grotesque visage.
Gu Jiu had successfully drawn the ghost’s wrath.
—
TL: This instance is by far the most exciting for me.