Staff Member: “We will review the surveillance to examine tonight’s situation. Considering your current distress, we’ll deploy two security personnel to patrol this carriage tonight. Please calm down and relax. If you sense anything wrong, call for help, and we will arrive promptly.”
Apart from this, there seemed to be no other better way. Li Qiuzhi sat down on the sofa in a disheveled state and reluctantly agreed, “Fine, it needs to be done quickly. We can’t let the culprit escape.”
Under the reassurance of the staff member, other passengers in the first-class carriage gradually returned to their rooms. When Bai Lixin returned to his room, Dijia, who had been missing earlier, emerged from the bathroom.
Dijia: “I was in the bathroom just now. What’s all the commotion outside?”
Bai Lixin glanced at Dijia’s dry hands, “Nothing much. Li Qiuzhi said someone entered his room, and he seems frightened.”
“Do no wrong, fear no ghosts,” Dijia said casually and sat on the sofa.
Seeing this, Bai Lixin asked, “Aren’t you going to sleep?”
“No, I’m not sleepy anymore after waking up. I’ll use the computer for a while. You rest.”
Bai Lixin: “Then I’ll sleep a bit more. Good night.”
Just as he was about to lie down on the bed, before he could get under the covers, a “heeheehee” echoed from above.
S419: [Oh, it’s here! It’s here! It’s coming with laughter!]
Bai Lixin: […]
“Humph, the enviable lucky one. I didn’t expect you to actually board this train and even get into the first-class compartment! Tell me, what ecstasy soup did you give this man?” The little black furry monster appeared, pointing at the man with broad shoulders and thin waist on the sofa. “You managed to charm such a handsome man? How did you even do it?!”
Bai Lixin looked at Dijia, then at the little black furry monster, silently got up, walked into the bathroom, and in a low voice that only they could hear, said, “You want to learn?”
The little black furry monster snorted and said arrogantly, “I, Lord Ah Mao, haven’t degraded to the point of learning from a lowly, foolish human! But if you insist on teaching, I’ll reluctantly listen.”
Bai Lixin stared at the little black furry monster with a serious expression. “So, you really want to learn. I’ll tell you after I clear the fifth game.”
Little monster: “I don’t want to know! I’m here to assign you a task!”
Bai Lixin nodded seriously, “Alright, I was waiting for you to say that.”
“Ahem,” the little black furry monster said, “In the fifth game, rescue the imprisoned princess.”
“Before the train reaches its destination, you need to find the unfortunate princess, defeat the demon holding her captive, and save the princess from the demon’s clutches.”
“As usual, I must remind you. If you fail to save the princess, you’ll be stuck on this train forever, embarking on an endless journey. It’s still more than two days before the train reaches its destination. Good luck with the game.”
“This is your final game. If you can successfully clear this game, you can leave with generous rewards.”
“But…”
The little black furry monster paused for two seconds, “Unfortunately, no one has ever passed the final gam. Regardless of how lucky you were in the previous games, the success rate for the last one is ‘0’! Surprised or not, expected or not? Heeheehee!”
Bai Lixin frowned, “Rescue the princess imprisoned by a demon – is that the entire task? Is there any other information?”
Little monster: “No. Otherwise, how could we say the fifth game is hell-level difficulty! That’s all for the task contents.”
Having said that, it looked at the young man eagerly, trying to see the anticipated frustration on his face.
“Ah.” The young man lowered his eyebrows and sighed sadly. “Unknowingly, we’ve reached the fifth game. Time flies. Will you only appear after the game is over?”
The little black furry monster became excited, “Of course, I only appear at the beginning and end of the game!”
‘He broke, he finally broke!’
The young man’s face grew more sorrowful, “So, this is our second-to-last meeting. The next time we meet, it will be a farewell. I can’t bear to part with you.”
The excitement vanished from the little black furry monster’s eyes, and it looked at Bai Lixin with confusion, “Is this what you are sad about?”
The young man maintained his mournful expression, “Yes, after spending so much time together, in my heart, you’ve unknowingly become a close friend with whom I can share anything. Parting with a friend is truly painful.”
The little black furry monster’s eyes reddened slightly. After a moment, it shook its head vigorously and said angrily, “You’re being presumptuous! I’m not your friend! Anyway, take care of yourself! I’m leaving!”
The little black furry monster disappeared into the air, its voice slowly lingering in the air, “First, you need to figure out which of the people you’ve seen is the princess.”
Bai Lixin smiled, “Thank you.”
Exiting the bathroom, Bai Lixin lay on the bed and turned over.
S419: [Figure out which of the people you’ve seen is the princess? Isn’t it obvious?]
Bai Lixin: [Who could it be?]
S419: [Xiao Tou, it’s definitely Xiao Tou.]
[In that painting, the way he’s entwined with roses, isn’t it symbolic of ‘captivity’? We also seen the reenactment at the hotel; he was taken away by the God of Misfortune without a choice. Xiao Tou’s beauty matches that of a princess perfectly, right? Gentle, delicate, completely like someone waiting to be rescued.]
[So, the God of Misfortune is the demon imprisoning the princess, and Xiao Tou is the princess. Since that little monster said you have to complete this task on the train, then both the God of Misfortune and Xiao Tou are on this train, right? Lord Host, do you think they are also in disguise like you, or hiding in some corner?]
[By the way, we didn’t check the last two carriages earlier. Based on my extensive experience in horror game copies, those two carriages are definitely suspicious! How about we go take a look at the two carriages at the back while there is no one around?]
The bed beside him sank a little, and then a deliberately lowered magnetic voice called out softly: “Bai Lixin, are you asleep?”
Bai Lixin kept his eyes closed, motionless.
Before long, he felt a warm touch brushing across his cheek and neck, and then he found himself wrapped in a broad and warm embrace.
In the darkness, the man sighed with contentment, “Goodnight, sweet dreams.”
Bai Lixin replied “Goodnight” in his heart and then continued pondering the topic he had with s419, [If I’m not mistaken, Zhou Guang will check those two carriages tonight. I’ll ask him tomorrow. What I’m currently concerned about is the tie found in Li Qiuzhi’s room.]
S419: [He’s an irrelevant person, why bother about a tie?]
Bai Lixin: [Don’t you think a properly tied tie looks quite similar to a rope used for hanging?]
There was a sharp inhale from s419 in his mind, [Lord Host, can you please not use such calm language to say such horrifying things? It’s really scary.]
Bai Lixin: [But you’re not human.]
S419: [But I’m still scared! Don’t discriminate against me just because I’m not human.]
Bai Lixin: “…”
Is Xiao Tou really the princess?
Defeat the demon imprisoning the princess – does it mean defeating the God of Misfortune? Or is it the black-cloaked man who made a deal with the God of Misfortune?
…
The next day, during the daytime, Bai Lixin met Li Qiuzhi when he went out.
Li Qiuzhi no longer looked as disheveled as he did yesterday. When he saw Bai Lixin, there was even a hint of guilt and embarrassment.
“I’m sorry,” Li Qiuzhi spoke first, “I was terrified last night, and after being scared silly, I talked without thinking. I hope you’re not angry.”
Bai Lixin: “It’s okay. I could tell you were really frightened last night. I won’t overthink it. Did the staff member inform you about the surveillance results later?”
Li Qiuzhi: “I’m actually heading to the surveillance room now. They said they’ve retrieved last night’s footage for me to review.”
“That’s good,” Bai Lixin followed behind Li Qiuzhi, “Can I join you in watching? After all, you pointed me out in front of so many people yesterday, I also want to see if I did something.”
Li Qiuzhi became even more embarrassed, “Oh, okay. I am really embarrassed about yesterday. Let’s watch together then.”
Initially, Bai Lixin had planned to find Zhou Guang when he came out. Unexpectedly, he ran into Li Qiuzhi halfway, and now, he could also take a look at last night’s surveillance, which could be considered an unexpected gain. The staff studio was in the sixth carriage. The two walked in silence, feeling a bit awkward. Li Qiuzhi knew he was in wrong and engaged in small talk with Bai Lixin.
“Why were you so afraid of that tie?” as the two walked along the aisle, Bai Lixin asked a question that intrigued him.
Li Qiuzhi: “Because when I was in a relationship with Zhao Ming, he loved giving me ties the most.”
His eyes suddenly became distant, “He said it was like being able to keep me tied to him all the time, giving him a sense of belonging.”
“So when the tie appeared, I was really shocked.”
Bai Lixin: “In these three years, have you often dreamed about Zhao Ming?”
Li Qiuzhi looked at Bai Lixin with scrutiny.
Bai Lixin explained, “Because you said yesterday that Zhao Ming tormented you for three years. I think a deceased person can only torment someone in a dream.”
Li Qiuzhi sighed, “Yes, I often dream about him.”
“I dream that we are getting married.”
