"Finally dead, huh?"
From the black suitcase, a large amount of putrid blood seeped out through the cracks. Charles was splattered with it, his face stained in large patches!
The strange voice that had been buzzing in his ears had disappeared at some point.
The ghostly figure near him cautiously retreated, as if fearful of waking Charles from his silence... Yet, it accidentally made a slight noise.
The ghostly figure felt its buttocks tense up!
Holding its breath, it dared not even take a small gasp of air.
Nevertheless, Charles, holding a scalpel, slowly turned around.His face, stained black by blood, carried an eerie smile, and his eyes glowed red.
He looked like a demon that had crawled out from hell!
The shadow floating in the air was frightened by Charles's expression and fell to the ground, tumbling and crawling backward.
"You...don't come any closer!"
The ghost frantically retreated as Charles steadily approached, its body beginning to tremble.
What the hell is this person or thing that entered?
Why so damn ferocious? He's not thinking of killing me, is he?
Finally, it found itself cornered in the sixth train car, back pressed tightly against the wall, shivering uncontrollably.
Charles stepped closer and finally got a good look at the ghost.
It was a little girl. Quite pretty, but not very cute.
"Whimper, whimper..."
She curled up in a corner, softly crying.
"I didn't mean to harm you. I was forced to..."
Charles stepped forward, put away the scalpel, and gently patted her head, comforting:"Don't be scared, I'm a good person."
The little ghost girl looked up with tear-filled eyes, her already-decaying face appearing so wronged at that moment.
"Really, Old Geezer?"
Charles suddenly grabbed the ghost girl by her neck. "You... I'm giving you one more chance. Choose your words carefully!"
The little ghost quickly corrected herself.
"Really, dear brother?"
Charles's face instantly softened, and he released his grip, gently patting her head.
"That's more like it. Now tell me, what has happened on this train before?"
The little ghost bit her lip, her face turning pale.
"I... I can't say! It... It's watching me. If I say anything, it will sense it right away!"
Charles narrowed his eyes. "Who is 'it'?"
The little ghost shook her head, trembling fiercely.
"On page 29 of my textbook, my teacher told me that secrets shouldn't be shared indiscriminately. I am a good student, so I can't speak recklessly!"
Charles glanced at the graffiti-covered textbook next to the suitcase and patted the little ghost on the head.
"I get it, if you don't want to say, I won't ask."
He turned around and approached the black suitcase, tossing the textbook into his own storage space. He then placed the other items back into the tattered backpack and put the scattered pens into the pencil case.
Charles then stood up and handed the backpack back to the little ghost, smiling, "Don't throw your stuff around; otherwise, you'll cry when you can't find it later."
The little ghost was momentarily stunned and awkwardly accepted the worn-out backpack from Charles, holding it in her arms.
Her head lowered, her hair obscuring her face, she seemed lost in thought.
As Charles turned to leave for Car Five, the little ghost suddenly called out, "Thank you!"
Charles turned his head, offering a faint smile.
"You're welcome."
The little ghost's expression was conflicted, but she finally said through gritted teeth, "If you want to leave alive, go to Car One!"
Charles paused for a moment, then waved at the little ghost.
"Got it!"
Watching Charles depart from Car Six and enter the dark fog of Car Five, the little ghost's gaze returned to the black suitcase. Clutching her tattered backpack, her eyes began to bleed...
Between Cars Six and Five, there was a short corridor—typical of old trains.
After leaving Car Six, Charles took out the little girl's textbook and flipped to page 29.
There was an essay on the page, marked in four different colors of ink.
At first glance, it seemed to be nothing, but after reading it a few times, Charles discovered its secret.
The words circled in the same color could be pieced together to form a sentence.
"The control room has the latest map and information on the Blood Moon Tower."
"The train needs diesel fuel to run."
"Do not go to the cockpit."
"It's always watching you!"
...
Stepping into the impenetrable dark mist, Charles felt a brief daze before his vision cleared. He headed straight for Carriage No. 1. In the other carriages, he found four more people; apparently, they were not as perilous as the little ghost girl had claimed.
All five were alive, no losses.
Under Charles' lead, they entered Carriage No. 1.
There were no seats here.
Only a bloodstained wooden table blocked the path to the driver's cabin. On it lay six ghastly human heads, their expressions grotesque, skulls and scalps sliced open, a green-flamed candle burning in each of their brains.
The train attendant turned around, her neck broken and hanging by a thread of skin, cackling at everyone, "Welcome, everyone... to the Abyss Train!"
Upon seeing this woman, Charles realized, the real test had just begun.
"Speak up, what is your intention?"
Tony seemed eager to prove himself, taking the initiative to speak and stepping forward.
He cast a challenging glance at Charles, as if wanting to measure who among them was better suited to survive in this unforgiving world.
Yet Charles missed Tony's provocation entirely, preoccupied as he was with scratching an itch inside his underwear.
He sniffed his fingers afterward.
A bit foul-smelling. It had been days since he last washed.
Such were his thoughts.
"Shall we play a game?"
The train's stewardess revealed what she believed was a beautiful smile, unaware that in the eyes of the onlookers, it was grotesquely unsettling.
"Earlier, you were all separated into five different compartments. After you complete your trials, you'll be able to uncover some hidden clues."
"Then, you can use these clues to accomplish more tasks."
"Here we have five ghost candles. Each can burn for one hour. During that hour, whoever holds the candle will not be attacked by other ghosts on the train."
"The ghost candles can also dispel some of the darkness outside the train, making those predatory spirits lurking in the darkness regard you as one of their own... That doesn't mean, however, that they won't attack you!"
"When all the ghost candles are burned out... The seal on the driver's cabin behind me will be opened!"
Saying this, the stewardess's lips curled into a sinister smile.
"What happens when the seal is opened?" Tony inquired.
The stewardess shrugged, her rotting skull bobbing unsettlingly on her shoulder, sending chills down everyone's spine.
"It's no big deal. It just means that the train conductor and another passenger, who I can't disclose for now, will emerge."
Although it was unclear what exactly was the deal with the train conductor and the mysterious passenger, it was evident that their emergence would expose everyone to grave danger.
"And one more thing... The door of compartment number one is the only door here that can be opened."
"Once you choose to open it, you can go outside... but so can whatever is out there."
Having said this, the stewardess stood there, wearing that eerie smile, observing everyone present.
In full view of the crowd, Charles picked up one of the ghost candles.
The moment it was lifted, leaving the brain it had been stuck in, it began to slowly weep tears of blood-red wax.
The countdown had begun.