As Charles was about to step out the door, Zoe hesitated for a moment before quickly moving forward to grab a candle as well.
"I'll go with you!"
She took a deep breath.
Although she knew the world outside would be dangerous, Zoe didn't want to hide in the compartment. She firmly believed that staying close to Charles was the safest option.
Not to be outdone, Tony also picked up a candle. "The three of us should go explore. As for the remaining two candles...you all can sort that out yourselves," he instructed.
The adorable stewardess opened the door for them, and a piercing cold wind immediately swept into the compartment, making everyone shiver.
The outside world was... exceptionally dark.
Without the ghost candles, they wouldn't even be able to see a meter ahead.
Now, with the ghost candles in hand, their visibility stretched to about ten meters, but the eerie atmosphere still sent chills down their spines.
"Charles, what do you think about our current situation?" Zoe followed Charles, completely unsure of what she should be doing.
Charles looked around as he spoke, "Didn't you find any clues in the compartments?"
Clues? What clues?
Zoe thought back carefully.
She had managed to defeat a zombie using a fire extinguisher, but apart from that, there seemed to be... no special clues.
"Cough, cough..."
Tony cleared his throat from beside them, and Zoe turned her head, casting a curious glance at him.
"Do you have a sore throat?"
Tony looked somewhat embarrassed but still said, "I do have a useful clue. We apparently need to go to a place called the control panel."
Charles corrected him, "It's the control room, which has a map of the train station." The little ghost girl in the sixth compartment had left him a crucial clue: apart from the map, there was also information about the Blood Moon Tower.
There might be something recorded on it.
The path was shrouded in thick mist, and every now and then, some inexplicable, eerie shadows flickered in the distance, disappearing as quickly as they appeared.
Their muscles taut, they cautiously maneuvered around the train station platform, searching for the exit. It didn't seem any different from when they had first entered.
"So what can we do once we find this map?" Zoe inquired.
"I think the way to complete the mission should be outside the train station," Tony spoke up. He looked around cautiously, as if afraid that something would suddenly burst out of the darkness.
Charles added:
"The mission requires us to resolve the grievances. To do that, we first need to understand what kind of grievances exist within the train, and where these grievances originated."
"Only by understanding what happened here and the relationships involved can we possibly complete the mission."
"I've questioned the ghosts inside the compartments, and they all seem to be afraid of something, reluctant to talk about the past."
"This suggests that somewhere in a corner of the train, there's an unseen but terrifying presence watching over both them and us!"
"Therefore, we cannot find out what's happening from inside the train; we can only seek clues outside... such as recordings, notes, newspapers, and so forth."
Charles laid out his line of thinking succinctly, making it clear for both Zoe and Tony.
Even then, part of Charles's attention remained on the information left to him by the little ghost girl in the sixth compartment.
—It's been watching you.
Who is 'it'?
Is it some hidden ghost within the train?
If so, where is it hiding?
If not, then what else is keeping an eye on them?
Walking back through the hallway, they returned to the interior of the train station. The station was even larger than they had imagined.
Some ghosts roamed around, their aggressiveness seeming quite low. Upon seeing the ghost candles in the hands of Charles, Tony, and Zoe, they simply continued their aimless wandering.
When they arrived at the control room, they found it was essentially a large, glass-enclosed office. Outside the door was a hulking security guard ghost. Standing at 7 feet 3 inches, it glared with its massive eyes and held a meter-long baton.
Its body was conveniently hidden by the corner wall, so they only discovered it when they arrived at its side!
Tony and Zoe, who were closest to it, were almost scared enough to pee their pants right then and there!
...
Security Guard Ghost: Extremely Dangerous!
Attributes: Chaotic Evil
Note: Don't be fooled by its open eyes; it's actually asleep. Unless subjected to significant impact or harm, it won't be forced to wake up. Most of the nearby ghosts are very afraid of it! If you get noticed by it... run! The faster, the better!
...
Charles looked at the information about the Security Guard Ghost and unexpectedly broke into a radiant smile.
Seeing Charles smile, Zoe felt a little uneasy in her heart.
What is this guy planning to do now?
"Be careful! This ghost is ferocious; it might attack us!"
As Charles walked toward the Security Guard Ghost, Tony cautioned him.
Even though Tony saw Charles as a competitor, they were all in the same boat right now, and someone like Charles would surely be a great asset. He didn't want anything to happen to Charles.
"No, it won't," Charles casually replied.
"How do you know?" Zoe cautiously asked, following closely behind Charles.
Charles simply reached out and plucked a nose hair from the Security Guard Ghost. "See, it's asleep."
Achoo!
Just as Charles finished speaking, the Security Guard Ghost let out a violent sneeze. Zoe and Tony scrambled back several meters in fright until they confirmed that the ghost remained still. Then, they carefully made their way back.
Seeing that Charles remained completely unfazed, Tony couldn't help but exclaim, "How the hell are you so brave?"
Studying the fearsome Security Guard Ghost before him, Charles earnestly replied, "Don't exaggerate; I've been timid since childhood, that's why I'm so cautious."
Tony nearly choked on his own saliva.
Cautious? You?
Who else would just go ahead and pluck someone's nose hair like that?
Sighing, Tony approached the door of the control room.
He tried to open it.
Failed. The door was locked.
Turning his head, he said to Charles, "Charles, the door is locked... What the hell are you doing?!"
Tony was speechless as he watched Charles. The guy was actually... frantically stripping the clothes off the Security Guard Ghost!
"Can't you see? I'm undressing it!"
Charles exclaimed excitedly.
Tony panicked. He quickly stepped back, ready to bolt at any moment.
Charles was getting increasingly audacious, seemingly fearless of waking up the terrifying ghost before him!
Zoe just stood there, stunned.
Just moments ago, she had contemplated learning from Charles's thought process to improve herself.
But now, she realized that she couldn't understand what was going through Charles's mind at all.
Growing more and more excited, Charles's eyes shone brightly. He even tossed the ghost candle aside. After stripping off the Security Guard Ghost's clothes, he went for the pants. Within a minute, the ghost was left in nothing but floral-patterned boxer shorts.
Embroidered on them was a shrimp.