Chapter 97 - 94: Villain

Chapter 97: Chapter 94: Villain

At night, the train’s whistle blew as it slowly came to a stop at the South Sea City station.

As if by appointment with the moon, the moment the train stopped, a faint silvery halo settled over it, making the locomotive exceptionally dazzling in the early winter night.

The rain falling from the sky seemed to turn a brilliant silver.

...

"Ladies and gentlemen, we have arrived at South Sea Station. Please disembark in an orderly fashion..."

After the conductor’s announcement, the train came to a halt.

The passengers watched in disbelief as the train doors slowly opened.

It was a door that had separated life from death.

"We can go home..."

"Let’s go, let’s go! Time to go home! Let’s get off!"

Cheers erupted inside the train car.

Zhong Shu was startled awake by the noise.

He groggily reached out, grasping at something.

His hand closed on empty air.

Zhong Shu’s eyes flew open. He looked wildly from side to side, searching everywhere for Bai Tasha.

She wasn’t there.

"Bai Tasha!"

Fear gripped Zhong Shu.

He shot to his feet, calling her name loudly.

His voice was quickly drowned out by the din, and he was pushed along by the surging crowd.

In the distance, Zhong Shu saw something, and his eyes slowly widened.

In a nearby compartment, Bai Tasha stood there.

Golden hair, azure eyes, and a sweet smile on her face.

Except, she was now wearing a red train crew uniform!

Zhong Shu felt as if he’d been struck by lightning. His body was numb, and he only regained his senses when the other passengers pushed him to the doorway.

"Bai Tasha..."

All he could see was the young woman in the red train crew uniform waving goodbye to him.

Zhong Shu’s mouth hung agape, something wet—he couldn’t tell if it was snot or tears—dribbling into it.

The girl’s smile was beautiful, but combined with that red uniform, the sight was so piercing he could hardly keep his eyes open.

Suddenly, a hand grabbed Zhong Shu and yanked him out of the crowd.

Zhong Shu finally snapped out of his stupor and looked up at the hand’s owner.

It was a man he had never seen before.

He was gaunt and deathly pale, his face covered in grotesque makeup.

The man put a finger to his lips in a shushing gesture, then pointed out the window.

Outside, it was pitch-black.

It looked nothing like a passenger station should at seven in the evening.

Suddenly, several large floodlights blazed to life, casting a blinding glare.

By their light, Zhong Shu could now see the situation outside the train.

On the platform, dozens of people in gas masks, armed with live ammunition, were aiming the black muzzles of their guns at the passengers.

The looks of joy on the passengers’ faces were gradually dispelled by the sight of these people.

Someone who had already suffered a breakdown on the train started crying and screaming.

"BANG!"

A bullet tore through his body.

The Investigator who fired the shot announced loudly:

"Successfully dealt with one human infected by an anomaly!

The possibility of other humans being infected cannot be ruled out!"

The leader, Zhang Xiao’Er, swept his cold gaze over the crowd.

He randomly pointed to an attractive woman.

This woman was none other than Zhong Shu’s colleague, the actress from the theater troupe.

Zhang Xiao’Er yawned lazily and said:

"After confirmation, everyone except for her has unfortunately been infected by an anomaly. The processing mission is approved."

Two Investigators went over and dragged the trembling actress from the crowd.

Zhang Xiao’Er’s eyes were filled with lust as he pinched the actress’s chin.

"Tonight, you and I will have a nice long chat about what exactly happened on that train."

The moment he finished speaking, a dense volley of gunfire erupted.

The passengers who had just escaped the Sea Train had, in the end, stepped onto the road to Hell.

According to procedure, all passengers should have undergone professional physical and psychological evaluations.

Victims confirmed to be uninfected would sign a non-disclosure agreement and return to society under the supervision of official departments.

But Zhang Xiao’Er didn’t have the patience for that.

Or rather, it was Bai Juzhi who didn’t have the patience.

Whether it was the physicals, the psych evals, or the subsequent monitoring, it was all a huge hassle.

It was more direct to just treat them all as infected and dispose of them cleanly.

Besides, whether someone was infected or not was for the Dusk Investigation Team to decide.

The Dusk Team was an amalgamation of several investigative units led by Bai Juzhi, including the Jackal Wolf Team, the White Wolf Team, the Grassland Wolf Team, and the Gray Wolf Team.

This pack of wolves wasn’t indecisive like the members of other teams.

Every one of them was a sharp blade for the Anomaly Administration Bureau.

They only cared about mission completion rates and ignored everything else.

Accuse them of executing missions without considering the consequences?

Of inflicting more damage on themselves than on the enemy?

Say whatever you want.

A vicious pack of wolves could always complete more, and more difficult, missions.

Most importantly, Bai Juzhi suspected that [Dusk] was on the Sea Train.

The Sea Train was in the South Sea; there was no reason for [Dusk] not to show up.

Bai Juzhi had to be on guard against any passengers on the train who might have come into contact with [Dusk].

Zhong Shu’s eyes widened.

"Who are they?! How could they do this!"

He tried to summon Li Xinyuan from the Twin Life Hand Plate.

Yang Xiao grabbed his hand, stopping him.

The train doors slowly closed.

Just before they shut, a black shadow shot out from the closing gap, piercing straight through the actress’s body.

Zhang Xiao’Er stared at the actress in astonishment and shouted sharply:

"Alert!"

Watching the Investigators’ comical, over-the-top reaction, Yang Xiao couldn’t help but clutch his stomach and let out a mocking laugh.

He was like a naughty child who had just pulled off a successful prank.

Zhong Shu stared at Yang Xiao in disbelief.

"You..."

Yang Xiao casually slung an arm around Zhong Shu’s shoulders and clicked his tongue at the scene outside.

"Such a shame. The Master was originally going to let them go, but the Investigators squandered his good intentions.

Since the Investigators insisted on shedding blood on this beautiful night, we might as well see it through to the end.

Kid, instead of wasting your time being indignant, you should be thinking about how you’re going to beg my Master in a little bit.

Only my Master can let you..."

Yang Xiao pointed a finger toward the back of the car.

"...continue your unfinished love story with a ghost."

Zhong Shu turned to look toward the back of the car.

Bai Tasha was gone.

All the train crew members had abruptly vanished.

Yang Xiao said:

"You should thank her. If she hadn’t suddenly come under the Master’s command, he wouldn’t have let you live."

Zhong Shu froze.

"The Master was going to kill me?"

Yang Xiao shook his head.

"He was going to let you fend for yourself."

Yang Xiao gestured outside again.

"They wouldn’t have let you go. If there were any survivors, your identity would have been exposed."

Zhong Shu understood. Yang Xiao had killed for his sake.

...

In the locomotive’s cockpit.

A black shadow coalesced on the floor, and Yang Xiao climbed out of the shadowy portal.

"Aren’t they afraid of public backlash?"

Yang Xiao looked away, rubbing his chin.

"The station has no power, so there’s no surveillance and no witnesses.

But with so many people dead, how will they explain it to the victims’ families?"

Jiang Chaosheng, who was steering the helm, replied:

"Tomorrow, a news story like this will appear.

Train 401 derailed due to a malfunction. All crew and passengers were lost.

The day after that, major media outlets will expose a pile of dirt on popular celebrities.

Some celebrity involved in a hit-and-run, some squeaky-clean singer having their indecent photos leaked.

In short, the buzz around the train disaster will be quickly suppressed."

After speaking, Jiang Chaosheng couldn’t help but let out a sneer.

"This is the authority Investigators have, and the inevitable consequence of that power overflowing its bounds."

Yang Xiao said, as if he’d had an epiphany:

"My team needs a media guy!"

Suddenly, he thought of something and patted his chest in lingering fear.

"If I hadn’t met the Master, and if I had been a passenger on this train... wouldn’t I have died with my eyes wide open?"

Fortunately, he had met Mr. Dusk, so he was no longer just a lamb to the slaughter.

He had already joined this game of Taboo Items.

Yang Xiao muttered to himself:

"These Investigators... they’re not like the last ones who came to the South Sea."

Jiang Chaosheng recalled the Shocking Court Wood Investigation Team.

Especially that one named Liu Wei. He may have died a miserable death, but he was worthy of respect.

Yang Xiao added, as if to himself:

"This is great. Now I won’t feel any guilt for getting a little heavy-handed."

Yang Xiao looked at Jiang Chaosheng, spread his hands, and said:

"Honestly, Master, I truly hope our opponents are the big bad guys. Otherwise, sometimes I almost feel like I’m the villain."