The unknown threats lurking in the darkness are terrifying, but the threats that reveal themselves are equally fearsome.
Deep underground, elusive monsters are like bombs ticking beneath your feet, ready to send you flying at any moment.
But even so, it's past three in the morning, and a few exhausted and sleepy individuals find temporary safety in this place... and fall asleep.
Their slumber is peaceful, but not for Hai Baihe. She is actually having a dream.
Perhaps it was the surge of power she unleashed during her fight with the monster earlier, but today her dream is not about leisurely playing in the sea, but about a brawl.
Her opponent in the dream is a shark.
In her dream, Hai Baihe ponders seriously: Is she hunting? Does she want to eat the shark? Are shark fins delicious?
Before she can make sense of it all, she feels herself biting onto the shark's tail, the taste of bloody flesh filling her mouth. However, the shark is not to be underestimated and counterattacks, clamping down on a certain part of her body.
They fight.
They exchange blows and bites. It's difficult to separate and difficult to let go.
In the end, Hai Baihe emerges victorious by a narrow margin, satisfied with the fruits of her labor.
She opens her eyes and feels content from head to tail. But her smile freezes.
Huh? Wait, that shark doesn't seem to be a great white shark.
It looks like... a megalodon? Has her expertise started influencing her dreams? Or does this imply something?
Hai Baihe recalls her knowledge about megalodons. They are an extinct prehistoric creature, incredibly ferocious, with a bite force surpassing even that of a tyrannosaurus rex. They are one of the most powerful creatures in Earth's history.
Did she defeat it in her dream?
What on earth is her heritage?
"Awake?" Someone suddenly speaks next to her, startling Hai Baihe. Liang Xiao looks at her skeptically. "Such a big reaction?"
Hai Baihe tries to conceal her surprise. "Just half-asleep, you scared me."
"Oh." Liang Xiao isn't sure if he believes her. "Is your foot still hurting?"
"Of course..." Hai Baihe's words get stuck in her throat as she reaches to touch her swollen ankle. If she remembers correctly, her bones were supposed to be misaligned, but now they're perfectly fine. There's no longer that piercing pain when she steps on the ground.
Dreams can heal wounds these days?
"It's much better." She quickly responds, deflecting his attention. "Just a sprain, not serious." To shift the focus, she asks, "Where are the others?"
"They went to the restroom."
Hai Baihe and Xiong Baobao's relationship is strained, so she had to rely on Di Ya to accompany her to the restroom.
Using the restroom together as girls carries a special significance, meaning "We're friends." Even Xiong Baobao is not an exception. In the time it takes to go to the restroom, she has already finished telling Di Ya a love triangle story.
In high school, the female protagonist fell in love at first sight with the male lead. They had the same interests and both loved music. When they went to college, they were accepted into the same music school and formed their own band.
The female protagonist originally played the violin, but for the male lead, she changed her style and became a guitarist.
On the band's second anniversary, the female protagonist had planned to confess her feelings to the male lead. However, an alluring vixen suddenly appeared and aggressively pursued the male lead. The male lead, being kind-hearted, didn't want
to hurt the supporting character, so he never gave a clear response. But the supporting character persisted and refused to let go of the male lead.
Clearly, the female protagonist of the story is her, the male lead is Zhuang Yijian, and the shameless supporting character is Hai Baihe.
Di Ya: "..." She really wants to sigh deeply. She could fill in some missing pieces for Xiong Baobao as well. Wang Dong likes her, obviously she's unaware of it. Hai Baihe has lost interest in Zhuang Yijian and has no intention of competing for a boyfriend.
Leader, I didn't know I would become a spy and play palace intrigue. Can we talk about this later?
After pouring out her heart, Xiong Baobao asks with annoyance, "Do you think she's going too far?"
Di Ya smiles. "As an outsider, I can't judge matters of the heart."
Xiong Baobao pouts her lips, showing dissatisfaction. But fortunately, she knows this isn't the time to argue. She just mutters under her breath, "She has no shame."
The two of them return from the restroom, and Wang Dong and Zhuang Yijian take over the duty.
Li Hao wakes up from his unconscious state, but he's not in the mood to use the restroom. He checks the time on his watch and his face turns pale. "It's past five, isn't anyone coming to work?"
The latest scheduled departure time for the subway is 6 o'clock, and it's already 5:40. There's no reason why no one has come to work yet.
No one answers his question, and Liang Xiao ponders for a moment, then goes out to check the subway announcement. It clearly states: First train departs at 5:50.
When Zhuang Yijian and Wang Dong return and see him checking the time, the two boys immediately change their expressions.
"It's almost 5:50." Hai Baihe, her bones healed, couldn't resist the loneliness and went out for a stroll. "Do you know why those creatures haven't attacked us all night?"
Liang Xiao instinctively asks, "Why?"
"Two reasons." She raises a finger. "One, they're full. Two, they know their prey can't escape. So why rush to feast?"
Her final sentence carries a chilling tone, making everyone shudder. Liang Xiao, however, remains calm. "But that doesn't mean we should sit and wait."
"With so many people mysteriously disappearing in the subway, monsters that inexplicably eat people, and a subway station that we can't leave..." Hai Baihe lists the abnormal occurrences. "In such a situation, even if you manage to kill all the monsters, it's unlikely that we can leave."
Liang Xiao looks at her and asks seriously, "What are you implying?"
"Nothing, my mind isn't that sharp. This is as far as I can think." Hai Baihe gives a fake smile. "Compared to Silent Hill, I would prefer a Resident Evil scenario."
Liang Xiao's interest is piqued. He grabs Hai Baihe's hand. "Come here, I have a question for you."
Hai Baihe stumbles along as he pulls her. "Slow down, my foot hurts."
Liang Xiao glances at her and scoops her up, placing her gently in a corner. Hai Baihe feels a surge of excitement. "Hey, are you trying to pin me against the wall?" She looks around and finds the environment quite thrilling. "It's so embarrassing."
"..." Liang Xiao coughs a few times and asks seriously, "Hai Baihe, is this our first meeting
on the train?"
"Are you implying we met in a past life?" Hai Baihe teases him, but seeing his serious expression, she becomes slightly more earnest. "Of course it's our first meeting. If I had met you before, we would have had an epic love story by now. But, in your eyes, am I just a stranger? I thought you wouldn't forget someone like me. You're playing it wrong, and I'm mad."
Liang Xiao wants to roll his eyes, but he can't help but smile. Who knew he couldn't resist it? A playful smile forms on his face. Being with her, even in such a terrible environment, makes him happy.
Hai Baihe pretends to be annoyed. "I'm already so miserable, and you're laughing. I'm really angry."
Liang Xiao lifts her chin and playfully reenacts a classic move of teasing a virtuous woman, then leans down and kisses her on the lips.
Hai Baihe's eyes seem to sparkle. "Is this a fight?"
"You always make me happy," he gently chuckles, "so I wanted to make you happy too."
For a moment, Hai Baihe feels like he sees through her nature as a hedonistic creature.
Liang Xiao looks at her shimmering eyes and finds it amusing. He pecks her nose and smiles before she does, a smile that tightens people's throats.
If it were anyone else, they would probably be intoxicated by his appearance and affection.
But Hai Baihe knows that her physical body is just his casually squandered wealth. Whether it's kissing or going to bed, he doesn't care where her body belongs. But the soul is different.
He wouldn't casually offer his soul to anyone. He cautiously tests the waters, giving it to someone, only to be betrayed.
So his true heart retreats into the darkness, even deeper and farther than before.
Hai Baihe thinks that if she's not sure she can love him the same way, their relationship is better off staying at the physical level.
Loving someone's soul is completely different from loving someone's body.
"I'm happy right now." She smiles and playfully touches his chest muscles, but then feels something off. "Wait, why are you wearing a vest under your shirt?"
Last time, she distinctly remembers that when he took off his shirt, he wasn't wearing one! Alas, woe is me!
Liang Xiao: "..."
"Cough." Wang Dong coughs and slowly approaches them. "Sorry to interrupt, but you two should go back. It's getting noisy."
Unlike these two experienced drivers and Wang Dong, who can't muster the courage to confess to his crush, their expressions remain unchanged as they walk back without a care in the world. Wang Dong asks, "What's going on?"
The situation is simple. It's already past six ten, and there's still no one coming to open the doors. Li Hao is getting impatient, and he attempts to open the door again but fails.
Hai Baihe believes there are two possibilities. One, this is the edge of the map and they can't escape no matter what. Two, in 2018, when the monsters appeared, humans reacted in time and sealed the subway station. It's also impossible to leave.
And now, the office's food supplies are all in her bag, not enough for even one person, let alone so many. With limited water and food, how long can they hold on?
An argument is inevitable, and differences have already emerged.
After Li Hao's failed attempt to break open the door, he proposes an idea: to go to another subway station and see if there's an exit. Regardless of why the Park
Road subway station is closed, there must be a way out elsewhere, right?
But this suggestion is met with disapproval. The incidents that occurred in the tunnels were too terrifying, and no one knows when those monsters might appear. No one wants to face them head-on.
Compared to taking the risk to seek help, it's safer to stay in the subway station, especially when no monsters have harassed them throughout the night. Their dependence on the subway station has grown stronger.
They would rather endure hunger and wait for rescue here than go back to hell.
Especially since there's still half a bucket of water in the office, if they ration it, it could sustain them for quite some time. But will the monsters lurking in the tunnels really allow them to hide here for long?