When the terrible rebellion broke out, Jiang Jiang's first instinct was to find No. 6, but unfortunately, she missed him as he was simultaneously coming to look for her.
Those black monsters were terrifying, and Jiang Jiang had no ability to fight back. All she could do was hide. Fortunately, she discovered a concealed fire cabinet. Once inside, she dared not make a sound, no matter what happened outside.
The fire cabinet was old and worn, with a crack in the door that allowed her to glimpse the horrors unfolding.
She watched as one black monster after another appeared, tearing apart human corpses one by one. A deep dread settled in her heart—she thought she might be next.
But then, gunfire drew closer.
Jiang Jiang spotted a familiar figure—her boyfriend!
Her first thought was that she had finally found him. She nearly rushed out on impulse when suddenly, the hallway lights went dark.
Jiang Jiang didn’t understand what was happening. All she could smell was an overwhelming metallic tang of blood.
When the lights flickered back on, the alien creatures had been reduced to unrecognizable chunks of flesh.
No. 6 and his teammates stood motionless, as if their souls had been drained. They had lost all awareness, their eyes hollow and vacant, like lifeless puppets.
Before them loomed a shadowy figure.
Its blue vertical pupils, identical to those of the alien beasts, gleamed with an icy chill. Hard black scales crept across half its face, blurring the line between human skin and monstrous hide—as if its very existence defied definition.
With the sickening crack of stretching bones, its form twisted and expanded, towering like an enlarged version of the black aliens. Its hunched, half-human, half-beast head bowed low to avoid piercing the fragile ceiling.
Those cold, gleaming eyes fixed on the tiny humans below as it spoke in human words:
"You worked together to kill these monsters."
"You cooperated seamlessly to resolve this crisis."
"You saved the people on this train."
No. 6 and the others were instantly flooded with false memories. Unthinkingly, they repeated:
"We worked together to kill these monsters."
"We cooperated seamlessly to resolve this crisis."
"We saved the people on this train."
Hidden in her corner, Jiang Jiang clamped a hand over her mouth. She was grateful for the survival training No. 6 had once given her—never draw the attention of an enemy you cannot defeat.
Otherwise, her ragged breaths and panicked movements would have given her away.
"I tried asking No. 6 if he remembered the brainwashing, but he recalled nothing. He only remembers working with his team to save everyone."
"This isn’t right..." Jiang Jiang hugged her arms tightly, her voice trembling. "His memories are altered. But how could such a power exist? And..."
Her body tensed. "He still reminds me to drink the nutrient solution every day. I don’t know why, but a strange thought occurred to me—what if I stopped drinking it?"
"Now, it’s been three days since I last had any."
Jiang Jiang lifted her gaze, her face haggard, dark circles under her eyes. The relentless psychological strain had pushed her to the brink of madness.
"Miss Xia, have you ever considered... that we might already be dead?"
After stopping the nutrient solution, fragmented memories surfaced in Jiang Jiang’s mind—memories she’d never had before.
An unforeseen meteor storm, said to occur once in millennia.
Chaos in the train cars, desperate passengers scrambling for escape pods, only to find them shredded by the storm. The derailed galactic train drifted toward the most perilous destination imaginable.
The desolate planet of Cygnus X-1.
A world teeming with deadly monsters.
If these memories were real, then whether torn apart by the meteor storm or stranded on Cygnus X-1, death was the only outcome.
The first time Jiang Jiang saw Xia Miao with No. 13, she wanted to warn her about his monstrous transformation. But No. 13 never left Xia Miao’s side. Only today, when No. 6 mentioned No. 13’s return to duty, did Jiang Jiang muster the courage to approach Xia Miao.
Yet the disbelief or denial Jiang Jiang expected never came. Xia Miao remained eerily calm, as if she had already suspected the truth and only needed confirmation.
Xia Miao asked, "You have doubts. What now?"
Jiang Jiang frowned. "I want the truth. If... if I’m still alive... I need to return to my family."
Self-deception might have been bearable—if she had nothing left to lose.
She gripped Xia Miao’s hand. "Miss Xia, I’ve heard how much your parents love you. Don’t you want to go back to them? Or has that... thing clouded your mind so much you don’t care anymore?"
Xia Miao lowered her eyes. After a pause, she met Jiang Jiang’s gaze and said coolly, "You’re right. Some things must be uncovered."
Before Jiang Jiang could rejoice at finding an ally, No. 6 appeared on patrol. He frowned at the sight of them talking, but Jiang Jiang quickly pulled him away, brushing off his questions with a casual excuse.
No. 6 seemed suspicious but didn’t press further.
Nervously clutching her sleeve, Jiang Jiang asked, "If I left this place... would you come with me?"
No. 6: "Why ask this so suddenly?"
"Just answer me. Would you leave with me or not?"
He thought for a long time.
His initial belief was that he would serve on the train for life, retiring only in old age.
But as he looked at Jiang Jiang—the girl who hadn’t abandoned him even in the face of death—something shifted.
Finally, he nodded. "Yes."
For the first time in what felt like forever, Jiang Jiang smiled genuinely.
