Eating Melons Until I Saw News of My Own Death Chapter 74

The wind howled and the rain poured down in torrents.

The sky, churning with dark clouds, seemed to have a giant hole, with rain falling like seawater pouring through, attempting to drown the entire city.

It was the weekend. The streets were nearly empty as three figures in raincoats, their features obscured, entered a hotel.

The filthy water from their feet inevitably dirtied the hotel lobby. Without pause, the three hurried into the corridor and arrived at a room in the corner on the first floor.

"Knock knock—"

The door was pulled open shortly after the knocking sounded.

"All taken care of?" Tang Shuyan asked, yawning.

"Mm. Pack up, we're leaving," Tong Yang said.

"Leaving now?" Tang Shuyan looked surprised. "This thunderstorm isn't fit for flying. We should at least wait for the rain to let up."

"No. We'll take other transportation. We leave this place immediately."

Ye Huai, sitting on the sofa, asked, "Is there a situation?"

"Yes. The Parallel World is cooperating with the Black Market, providing them with my coordinates so they can come kill me."

"Have you contacted the military?"

"Yes. I spoke with Mr. Du. He wants us to return to the capital first."

"What do you think?"

Tong Yang was silent for a moment. "I don't want to go back, to just sit and wait."

Mr. Du wanted her to return to the capital, naturally intending to place her under protection. Tong Yang was unwilling. She wanted to take the initiative, to go out and eliminate all those idiots. They were truly detestable.

Those who cooperated with the Parallel World were simply insane.

"Then where do you plan to go?"

"To the next city where Parallel World humans appear."

Tong Yang looked at the four people in the room. "I asked Mr. Du. Under these circumstances, we won't be held legally responsible."

"Mm, I know."

Tong Yang continued, "I don't want to return to the capital. You all decide for yourselves. Being with me will definitely drag you into this."

Xu Junyue shrugged. "Wherever the boss is, I am."

Chu Shiyu said, "Me too."

Tang Shuyan repeated his usual line, "I have no objections."

Ye Huai pressed his lips together. "I probably won't hold you back."

Tong Yang didn't try to dissuade them. Handling this alone was indeed impossible. Xu Junyue and Tang Shuyan were basically no cause for worry. Although Chu Shiyu wasn't as capable as them, she was at least not foolish and could help with cleanup.

As for Ye Huai, who couldn't carry heavy loads or do manual labor, his advantage lay in being clever enough and a decent shot, making him okay for providing cover.

"Alright. Do your best to ensure your own safety. If you encounter a sudden situation you can't handle, run. If unfortunately you die..."

Xu Junyue blinked. "You'll enter a loop to save us?"

Tong Yang shot her a glance. "Then rest in peace. I'll do my best to avenge you."

"Tch!" Xu Junyue rolled her eyes.

That's what she said, but it would depend on the situation.

"Pack up. The police have prepared a car to take us to Xincheng Railway Station."

The rain in Yaocheng was too heavy for helicopters. The flight from Yaocheng to the next location wasn't until tomorrow afternoon, so they could only travel by train.

The location of the next human death from the defective injection was a small town in the south, inaccessible by any direct transportation.

After arriving at the freight station, they sat in the waiting hall. Tong Yang sent a message in the gossip group chat, asking Hu Yigou to help inquire with Police Officer Lin if the future death locations had changed. The answer was no.

Tong Yang breathed a sigh of relief. Fortunately, nothing had changed. The Parallel World people didn't know Tong Yang had already grasped all their movements. The initiative was still in their hands.

Due to the train tickets being purchased last minute, the five of them were in three different carriages, and their seats were far apart.

Tong Yang and Ye Huai were in the same carriage, but in different seats.

The journey from Yaocheng Railway Station to the city near the southern town took about eight hours. During this time, they kept the group voice chat connected to avoid any accidents.

The train stopped at several stations along the way, taking on new passengers.

Tong Yang sat in the aisle seat. During stops, passengers came and went beside her. A tall, well-built man accidentally bumped into her.

"Sorry."

"It's fine." Tong Yang lowered her gaze, her eyes catching the man's hand hanging at his side. There was a thick callus on the webbing between his thumb and forefinger, clearly worn from years of gripping a knife.

"My seat is next to yours, but I prefer being by the aisle. Could we swap? You take the window seat." The man curved his eyes into a friendly smile.

"Be careful," Ye Huai reminded over the chat.

Tong Yang stood up to make way, politely refusing, "Sorry, I prefer the aisle seat."

"Is that so? What a pity."

After saying this, the man didn't insist and took his seat inside.

"I have a younger sister, about your age," the man struck up a conversation, acting like an ordinary passenger.

"Really, what a coincidence," Tong Yang responded amiably.

"Your hair color is really nice."

Tong Yang pinched a strand of her golden-yellow hair and smiled. "Thank you."

"My sister likes this color too. Unfortunately, I haven't seen her in a long time."

"Do you miss her a lot?"

"Of course, I miss her very much. Seeing you reminds me of her, so I feel a sense of familiarity. I hope you don't mind."

"Not at all," Tong Yang said flatly.

"Tsk tsk tsk, this pickup line is so old it's gathering dust. Boss, you're not buying it, are you?" Xu Junyue exclaimed over the chat.

Tong Yang didn't respond, looking down at the ends of her hair.

"Are you listening to music?" the man asked.

In her earphones, Xu Junyue kept talking as if no one else was around.

Tong Yang nodded slightly. "Yes, the talking sounds better than singing."

"Wow! You're not making fun of me, are you?" Xu Junyue said, feigning shock.

Tong Yang ignored her.

"Are you traveling alone? Where are you headed?" the man continued.

Tong Yang said, "Alone, why do you ask?"

"Great, so the rest of us aren't human," Xu Junyue chattered on.

"Xu Junyue, shut up," Chu Shiyu finally couldn't take it anymore.

"Oh."

"You're so young, traveling alone? What if you encounter bad people?" The man's tone was concerned, like a caring older brother.

Tong Yang smiled and said, "That won't happen. There aren't that many bad people around nowadays. You seem perfectly nice, big brother."

"Little sister, appearances can be deceiving. You must be very careful."

"Thank you, big brother. I understand."

"He's putting on quite an act," Xu Junyue muttered.

"Where are you going? The final stop? Maybe we're headed to the same place."

Tong Yang randomly named a station along the route.

"What a coincidence! I'm getting off there too."

"Is that so? Big brother, we really hit it off."

"That much is true."

"I'm going to the restroom."

"Alright."

Tong Yang moved to let him pass, and the man stepped out of the row.

Ye Huai said over the chat, "I'm closer to the restroom. I'll go take a look."

Tong Yang lowered her voice. "Be careful."

"Mm."

The man didn't enter the restroom. He stood in the empty smoking area. The restroom was right next to it.

Ye Huai entered the restroom. After alerting the others, he hid his phone in a concealed spot, turned off the Bluetooth connection, and then left.

"Excuse me, could I have a cigarette? I'm out. I can pay you."

A man was looking at his phone with a cigarette dangling from his lips when a voice suddenly addressed him.

He looked up and asked, "You smoke?"

"Yes, I do. Sorry to trouble you."

The man stared at him for a few seconds, then nodded. "Sure, no need to pay. Here, let me light it for you."

"Thank you."

Ye Huai took the cigarette. His fingers instinctively tapped it, a motion like flicking off ash, before placing it between his lips. He leaned forward to block the wind and used the man's lighter to light the cigarette. He took a drag and exhaled a puff of smoke.

"You enjoy it. I need to step inside for a moment."

"Okay, thanks."

The man then walked into the restroom.

Shortly after, the sound of the man talking on the phone could be heard.

"Yeah, found her."

"She's getting off at Luanjiang. Make the preparations in advance."

The man snorted with a laugh. "Listening to them talk, you'd think it was some big deal. Just a snot-nosed kid who doesn't know any better."

"If there weren't so many people on the train, I could finish her off right now."

"Don't be so jumpy. She's no threat. The stories are probably eighty percent exaggeration."

"Alright, alright. I know what I'm doing."

"Young man, still smoking?" The man opened the restroom door and came out.

"No, thank you. Are you finished? I'd like to wash my hands."

"All done. Go ahead."

"Thanks."

Under the man's watchful eye, Ye Huai entered the restroom, retrieved his phone, and returned to his seat.

"Did he say anything?" Ye Huai asked.

The man's approach to Tong Yang had been too deliberate. His excuse to leave his seat for the restroom was definitely suspicious. While the man was smoking, Ye Huai had slipped into the restroom first to hide his phone for eavesdropping. Then, using the cigarette as an excuse to stay in the smoking area, he forced the man to enter the restroom alone if he wanted to do anything.

"I looked it up. Smoking isn't recommended for people with heart conditions," Tong Yang remarked coolly.

Ye Huai chuckled. "I didn't inhale into my lungs."

"Besides, any illness is linked to one's state of mind. I've been in a very good mood lately."

Tong Yang gave a noncommittal hum and lowered her voice. "There's a problem. They have accomplices at Luanjiang Station."

"What's the plan?"

Tong Yang let out a soft, amused snort. "Don't worry about it. I have my own way."

A few minutes later, the man returned to his seat and continued making small talk with Tong Yang.

Tong Yang played the part of someone completely unaware, obligingly chatting about herself—though most of the information was fabricated.

"Judging by your accent, you're not from Luanjiang. What brings you there?"

Tong Yang replied, "A friend of mine is studying in Luanjiang. It's the weekend, so I thought I'd visit her for a day."

"Why not take the high-speed train?"

"Couldn't get a ticket last minute."

"You young people have it so good. Not like me, running around every day just to get by. Finally started seeing some success in business, and then someone had to go and ruin it."

"Someone ruined it?"

The man sighed. "Yeah, what a shame."

"Mister, you seem like a good person. Whoever messed up your business will get what's coming to them."

The man seemed intrigued. "What kind of comeuppance do you think they deserve?"

Tong Yang thought for a moment. "If it were me... I'd wish for them to be rolling in money."

"Why? Is that a punishment?" the man asked, puzzled.

"Of course. With money, they'd inevitably lose a lot of things."

"Like what?"

"They'd lose their ability to work, just loafing around waiting to die, becoming a complete and utter waste of space."

Xu Junyue: "..."

"No sneaking in your personal wishes! And they'd also lose all their worries, right? You really never take a loss, do you?"

The man gave a dry laugh. "Little sister, you're still too kind-hearted."

"Really? Seems I still have some growing up to do then."

The two chatted quite pleasantly for the rest of the journey.

"Dear passengers, the next stop is Luanjiang Station. Please take all your personal belongings with you when disembarking and mind the gap."

"The train will stop for five minutes."

With only one stop left to their final destination, hardly anyone boarded at this station.

"Luanjiang's here," the man reminded her.

"Mm, I know."

After the train stopped, Tong Yang shouldered her backpack and followed the man out of the carriage.

"Shall we head out together?"

Tong Yang shook her head. "No need, mister. You go ahead."

The man didn't insist, smiling as he said, "Alright, take your time then."

"Okay."

The man turned and left, walking at a moderate pace. Tong Yang, with her backpack, walked slowly behind, glancing at her phone.

The man looked back at her occasionally, making sure she was following.

"How's it going?" Ye Huai asked.

"All good."

When she reached the very last carriage, Tong Yang stopped, turned, and ducked inside.

The man was taken aback. Suddenly realizing what was happening, he broke into a run towards the train doors.

There was only one minute left before the doors closed. The man chased after Tong Yang back into the carriage.

The aisle was mostly empty. Tong Yang glanced back, then immediately dashed to the next carriage, leaped out through the exit, and quickly melted into the crowd of departing passengers.

The man realized he'd been tricked. Cursing under his breath, he turned and ran out of the carriage to give chase.

But outside, the platform was swarming with passengers coming and going. Tong Yang's figure was quickly swallowed by the crowd, vanishing without a trace.

"Damn it, that little brat!" the man swore through gritted teeth, pulling out his phone to call his accomplice. "She got away. Block the exit..."

"Hey."

The warning chime sounded as staff began locking the train doors.

A familiar voice rang out from his left. The man instinctively looked over.

Tong Yang stood inside the train door, waving at him.

The man's eyes widened, words caught in his throat.

The door sealed shut completely. The man's chest heaved violently. His partner's frantic questions still buzzed from the phone, but he couldn't hear a single word.

Tong Yang stood by the window, raised her hand, and gave him an internationally friendly gesture. Then, in high spirits, she walked back towards her own carriage.

Thud!

A dull thump made passengers look over in shock. A phone had been hurled hard against the window. The glass remained undamaged, but the phone shattered into pieces.

Outside the window, a tall, well-built man stood with an extremely ugly expression on his face, his jaw clenched tight, veins bulging.

Several train security personnel began converging on him.

"All settled?"

"All settled."

Tong Yang strolled leisurely back to her carriage. Passing Ye Huai's seat and noticing the one beside him was empty, she sat down.

Only one last stop remained to their destination—a two-hour journey. It was unlikely any new passengers would board during this leg.

Seeing the smile on her face, Ye Huai asked, "Enjoyable?"

Tong Yang nodded. "Very."

It wasn't that she particularly enjoyed games of cat and mouse. Rather, she relished the thrill of having others completely under her control.

Really no brains at all. What young woman wouldn't see through such an obvious pickup attempt?

With the immediate threat gone, Tong Yang relaxed a little, chatting idly with Ye Huai.

As they were headed towards a relatively remote city, very few passengers remained in the carriage, making it exceptionally quiet.

After traveling for a while, a faint crackle of static sounded over the intercom.

"Next, we will pass through a very long tunnel. Please remain quiet."

A mechanical voice announced over the speakers.

Suddenly, all the lights in the carriage went out as it plunged into a pitch-black tunnel.

"A tunnel?"

"Since when was a tunnel built here?"

"I don't know."

"It's so dark, I can't see even a glimmer of light."

A sense of unease spread through the darkness, and Tong Yang clenched her jaw.

She had forgotten that the things from the parallel world could actively pull them in.

"Please remain seated. Attendants will distribute eye masks. Please rest well until the train reaches its destination."

Tong Yang took a deep breath. Once passively drawn into a parallel world, the actions of humans were restricted; they had to follow the game's rules to proceed.

"Everyone, don't be nervous. It seems like an activity to help passengers relieve fatigue."

The others caught on, using similar explanations to soothe the other passengers.

"It seems there's even a game to play! There's a cash prize if you win."

"I've heard about that too!"

"Not just a cash prize, right? You can even ride the train for free in the future."

"My friend rode it before, and there were even scary NPCs."

"Cash prize?"

"What cash prize?"

"We get to play a game? And there's a cash prize? Free train rides?"

"There are even scary NPCs?"

"Wow! That sounds fun!"

The train was mostly filled with young people, who were very interested in this novel experience. The others, hearing about the cash prize and free train rides, also became excited.

"But no recording or taking photos, please. It's still in the trial phase, and leaks could lead to legal liability."

Word spread quickly from person to person, and the story soon reached the carriages in front and behind.

"Please remain quiet."

With the lure of the cash prize and the game, the carriage returned to calm.

The sound of wheels rolling on the floor and high heels clicking approached.

In the pitch-black carriage, the faint green emergency exit lights glowed at both ends.

The darkness amplified the excitement in their hearts. Passengers in their seats frequently turned to look toward the source of the sounds.

The sound of wheels stopped beside the aisle. A pair of pale hands reached toward them in the darkness, holding out two eye masks.

In silence, Tong Yang took the masks, handing one to Ye Huai.

Then, the attendant, whose figure was hidden in shadow, pushed a small cart forward.

Tong Yang leaned back in her seat, her breathing slightly heavy. Pulling a train with hundreds of people into a parallel world... even if they could barely explain it away as a game or an activity, and even if Mr. Du could contact the railway station to corroborate their story afterward, the risk of exposure was still high.

Most importantly, Tong Yang couldn't bring them all back to the real world herself; they could only return by following the game's rules.

This problem was rather tricky.

"Let's take it one step at a time," Ye Huai whispered.

Tong Yang nodded, checking her phone. There was still a signal; it was probably connected to the parallel world's satellite network.

She sent a message to Mr. Du, briefly explaining the situation and asking them to make preparations in advance. It was unclear how many would die on this trip.

"Please turn off your phone."

A chilling voice suddenly sounded beside her.

Tong Yang glanced sideways. By the faint light of her phone screen, she saw a deathly pale face.

Tong Yang sent the message and then turned off her screen.

"Please put on your eye masks."

The passengers in the carriage obediently put on their masks. Tong Yang and Ye Huai did the same.

"No matter what happens, please do not remove your eye masks."

The mechanical voice repeated in the darkness, heightening everyone's tension.

They pressed themselves against their seats, wearing the masks, holding their breath.

An unknown amount of time passed before the sound of high heels came from the front of the train.

"Attendants will now check if passengers are wearing their masks properly. Those who violate the rules will lose their game qualification and be taken to another carriage."

Hearing this, Tong Yang had an idea and removed her eye mask.

Being taken to another carriage meant not immediate death; there might be an opportunity.

So what if she lost her qualification? They were all on the same train; it was impossible to return to the real world alone.

However, there was some risk. Following the game rules would temporarily prevent harm, but Tong Yang was tired of being at the mercy of others.

"I'll go with you," Ye Huai said quietly.

"No need, don't get involved."

"Xu Junyue, Tang Shuyan, come with me."

"Understood."

"No problem."

"Chu Shiyu, you and Ye Huai cooperate with the game. Adapt as needed."

"Got it."

The sound of high heels grew closer to Tong Yang's seat. Fortunately, the passengers in the carriage were very cooperative, and no one was taken away.

Finally, the attendant reached Tong Yang.

Tong Yang kept her eyes open, seeing a shadow standing in the aisle, leaning down toward her.

She didn't move, feeling something icy brush against her right hand.

Probably Ye Huai's finger.

By the faint light, a pair of pupils were almost pressed against Tong Yang's cheek. They reflected a tiny glimmer, and breath brushed the tip of her nose, creating the illusion that moving forward just a bit would bring her lips into contact with his.

Tong Yang gritted her teeth, cursing inwardly, You lunatic.

As if confirming her presence, Ye Huai hooked his little finger with hers, making no other move.

At the same time, a hand rested on the back of Tong Yang's hand, gripping her wrist, leaving a wet, sticky liquid on her skin.

Tong Yang tapped Ye Huai's shoe with her toe and, following the attendant's lead, stood up and left her seat.

Their seats were close to the carriage exit. Tong Yang was led by the attendant to check the last few rows of passengers before being taken into the smoking area.

The safety exit light illuminated the attendant's feet. Tong Yang could vaguely make out her silhouette. Aside from an overly stiff walking posture, nothing seemed unusual.

It seemed each carriage had its own attendant checking. After passing through several carriages, Tong Yang saw a yellow light ahead in one carriage.

The attendant led her to the carriage door, pushed it open, and released her hand.

This was their destination.

A dim, yellowish light spilled onto the floor, starkly different from the darkness of the train.

Tong Yang didn't enter immediately. Instead, she wrapped an arm around the attendant's neck from behind and pulled her into the carriage together.

Looking around, the carriage was empty.

"I've reached a separate carriage," Tong Yang said to the others via her earpiece.

The attendant began to struggle. Tong Yang simply snapped her neck and threw the body onto a seat.

Receiving no response, Tong Yang didn't idle. She first checked the situation in the carriage, finding nothing unusual, then returned to the attendant's body.

The attendant wore a blue jacket with a badge on her chest. It didn't have a name, but the number corresponding to a carriage.

Carriage Three. The carriage where Tong Yang and Ye Huai had been.

"This might come in handy."

Tong Yang took the badge and tucked it into her own pocket.

This was likely the last carriage, with no door leading to the next one at the rear.

What puzzled Tong Yang was that she hadn't seen any other train attendants on her way here.

Tong Yang waited in the carriage for a while until sounds finally came from the front. A train attendant led Xu Junyue to the carriage doorway.

"Boss!" Xu Junyue waved at her.

"Bring her in." Tong Yang, sitting in her seat, tilted her chin towards them.

"Okay." Xu Junyue pushed the attendant into the carriage, glanced at the third attendant with the broken neck, and understood immediately.

Moments later, the two attendants' bodies lay side by side on the seats.

"What are these things trying to do anyway?" Xu Junyue said.

Tong Yang shook her head. "Not clear."

It felt like their objective was ambiguous.

Not long after, Tang Shuyan was also brought into the carriage.

To prevent being suddenly locked in, Tong Yang propped one of the corpses against the carriage door.

Tang Shuyan sat down lazily. "We've lost our game qualifications. So, what now?"

"Wait for the next game instruction. It's different from previous situations."

Tong Yang took all the number tags from the corpses and handed them out to the other two.

"The train will be arriving shortly. Please do not leave your seats."

"This stop will last two minutes."

Tong Yang was startled, clearly feeling the train slow down, yet outside remained pitch black.

After the train stopped, the doors opened automatically.

Under a green, eerie glow, a figure walked in, passed through the smoking area, and entered the preceding carriage.

Then came the second, the third figure. They poured into the carriages, sitting in every empty seat.

They completely ignored the presence of Tong Yang and the other two.

"What on earth is going on?" Tang Shuyan frowned.

"The train is about to depart. Please fasten your seatbelts."

"Now, please return your eye masks to the train attendants."

"Bang—"

The restroom door was pushed open, and a train attendant walked out.

"Please, attendants number one, one, and three, return to your assigned carriages."

Tong Yang looked at the number tags in their hands, recalling when Xu Junyue first entered the parallel world and they had used chains to impersonate the attack targets in the game.

Could it be that obtaining an item representing an identity allows you to replace an NPC?

"Please, attendants number one, one, and three, return to your assigned carriages."

It seemed the game couldn't proceed without the attendants, as the announcement kept calling for them.

"Put on the number tags and go back to the front carriages."

"Okay."

The three of them pinned the number tags to their chests and walked through several carriages, returning to the positions corresponding to their tags.

Passing through several carriages, they saw attendants uniformly standing by the doors, seemingly waiting for something. Only after they were all in place did the attendants move.

"Please return your eye masks to the train attendants."

So, the number tags could indeed represent identity. Their identities in the game had been usurped.

However, Tong Yang found it strange. Even now, no clear rules or penalties had been stated, unlike previous games.

"Let's do as she says."

With no other choice, they could only go along for now.

She entered carriage three, went to the seats, and collected the passengers' eye masks one by one.

When she reached the row where Ye Huai was sitting, the empty seat beside him was now occupied by someone else.

Ye Huai reached out to hand over his eye mask. Tong Yang subtly tapped the back of his hand twice.

His movement paused, as if he realized something, and he let go.

After collecting all the eye masks in carriage three, the door to the restroom on the right slowly opened, indicating she should enter.

Tong Yang looked at the cramped space, hesitated for a moment, then went in.

"Bang—"

The restroom door closed, plunging the surroundings into silence.

"Whoosh—"

Suddenly, a text message popped up.

Tong Yang frowned, took out her phone, and glanced at it. The message was sent five minutes ago.

[Tong Yang, the train you were on had no issues.]

[Only you all disappeared.]

The sender was Mr. Du.

Seeing the message content, Tong Yang was completely stunned.

Only they disappeared? What did that mean?

"Pfft... hahaha..."

"I can't hold it in anymore!"

"I finally get to see it! You really are as sharp as they say!"

A childish laugh suddenly came over the broadcast.

"What was that sound?"

"Tong Yang?"

Xu Junyue and the other asked, confused.

"Hahaha! This is killing me!"

"You're so serious! But, I was just joking!"

"It's so fun watching you guys like this!"

"Too bad there's no concrete plan. I wanted to keep playing."

"You'll return to the shadow world after arriving at the station. Tong Yang, sister, I hope you like my gift!"

The boy's laughter, filled with glee, echoed through the train.

So that was it. Tong Yang had felt something was off, because there were simply no rules.

Tong Yang replied to Mr. Du's message that they were fine.

If only the five of them had disappeared, it meant everyone else on the train wasn't human, and there were no rules to follow. Then there was no need to be so cautious.

Tong Yang twisted the restroom door handle. It wasn't locked.

"Are you guys okay?" Tong Yang asked.

"We're fine."

"So, there was never a game at all?"

Tong Yang said, "Mr. Du said the train is fine, only we went missing. Everyone on board is from the parallel world."

Tong Yang turned on her phone's flashlight and saw Ye Huai stand up from his seat and walk towards her.

"Come over here," Tong Yang said.

Soon, the other three made their way from the front carriages.

"Boss, what's the plan?" Xu Junyue asked.

"He's definitely in one of these carriages," Tong Yang said.

Tang Shuyan looked at the blurred figures sitting in the seats of the carriages ahead and behind. "There are too many. We can't kill them all."

The people in the seats looked numb and vacant-eyed, likely order maintainers.

Tong Yang roughly understood the current situation.

To attack them after pulling them into the parallel world required operating within the rules.

However, the boy on the broadcast hadn't prepared a proper "plan" in advance, making the game unplayable. Therefore, there were no rules, and he couldn't take action against them.

Once the train arrived at the station, they could return to the real world.

So, his goal wasn't to kill Tong Yang, but to toy with them.

If that's the case...

"I've never been messed with like this before. I won't let her get away with it!"

"Yeah, it's too despicable!"

"That person is so clever! To have us dancing in the palm of their hand!"

"Right! I was almost scared to tears!"

"What do we do? Can we still go back?"

"Boss, I'm so scared!"

"Wah... I want to go home."

"Me too..."

"People from the parallel world are so powerful. I'll never dare oppose them again."

"Yeah, who would have thought? They were just toying with us."

"If he appeared in front of me, I'd be scared out of my wits!"

"I'm so scared..."

"Pfft—"

A clear laugh came from carriage one.

"Ah! Who's laughing!"

"I'm just sooo scared..."

On a seat, a boy's shoulders shook as he desperately tried to hold back his laughter.

At that moment, a hand silently appeared above his head, patting his shoulder.

The boy looked up and found several figures surrounding his seat.

They stood in the aisle, curling their lips at him, revealing devilish smiles.

"Having fun, sweetie?"

"Fu-fu... Ah!" Xu Junyue held a dagger and drew a slash across his neck.

With the police's help in arranging things, their weapons hadn't been confiscated.

"Wait, don't kill him yet." Tong Yang stopped her action.

"We have at least an hour until the next stop. Killing him now would be too boring."

Tong Yang gently placed a hand on his head, stroking his hair, and said with a smile, "You know what I hate the most?"

The boy asked innocently, "What?"

"A. Waste. Of. Effort."

Tong Yang grabbed his hair, forcing his head back.

Perhaps Tong Yang pulled too hard, blood slid down his scalp, wetting his cheeks.

With a calm expression, Tong Yang grabbed his head and smashed it hard against the window.

"What I hate number one, is a. Waste. Of. Time."

The boy's head was smashed inward, blood staining the glass and sliding down like raindrops.

The flesh at the wound squirmed, healing.

Tong Yang took down the safety hammer and drove it into the boy's temple.

"Ah!"

"Thank you, for making my journey so pleasant and entertaining."

"My turn! My turn!" Xu Junyue rubbed her hands eagerly. "His eyes are so pretty, I want to dig them out. Boss, let's make his eyeballs into amber necklaces!"

Tong Yang, sitting in her seat, chin propped on her hand, said with a smile, "Sure. I want his left eye."

"Then I'll take the right!"

"Wait, wait..." Seeing the knife tip about to pierce his eyeball, the boy's voice became shrill. "Shiyu sister! Shiyu sister!"

"Don't you remember me? I'm Yang Lin! I'm Linlin!"

Chu ‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‍Shiyu, who had been standing in the aisle deep in thought, was startled, then suddenly realized, "No wonder he looked so familiar. It's you!"

The little boy breathed a sigh of relief.

"Shiyu sister, I know I was wrong. I was just playing with you, really!"

Chu Shiyu ignored him, looking at Tong Yang instead. "Tong Yang, if I peel off his face and swap it with the burned areas on Linlin, would that work?"

"He's been injected with gene serum. It's feasible."

"Oh..." Chu Shiyu looked at the boy, a meaningful expression on her face.

"Shiyu sister..."

Xu Junyue licked the knife in her hand and said to Chu Shiyu, "Come on, which part do you want? Help me hold him down, I'll do the peeling. We can take the skin from his whole body."

"Shiyu sister! No! I'm sorry! I know I was wrong!"

"Mom, save me!"

Tong Yang sneered, "Pull his tongue out too."

"Mom! Mom!" the boy screamed hysterically.

"Stop!"

A stern voice came from behind.

Everyone turned around. "Yang Lin's mother" stood at the carriage door, looking at them with a grim expression.

"Auntie..."

Looking at the familiar face, Chu Shiyu murmured.

"I have no intention of harming you."

Tong Yang laughed dismissively. "Oh really?"

"The train has been rigged with explosives."