Chapter One Hundred Forty-Six: Nightfall Descends

The panel blocking the passageway was not tightly secured.

Rotter only needed to exert a little force to pry it open.

It was a rectangular door, about half a meter long, just enough to cover a small window.

“Jianqi, can you come over and lend a hand?”

Rotter shone his flashlight down the passage, but due to the angle, he couldn’t clearly see inside.

So he called out to Jianqi for assistance.

Upon hearing this, Jianqi didn’t say much and stepped forward to help directly.

If Rotter could find clues, it would help them clear the level sooner.

Rotter’s weight was average, but Jianqi, being a heavyweight, easily lifted him up.

As their height changed, Rotter gradually got a clearer view of the passage’s interior.

The passageway was about half the width of the carriage.

As for its length...

Rotter shone the flashlight back and forth but couldn’t see the end on either side.

It seemed this passage ran through the entire length of the train.

“Is it passable?”

Jianqi asked.

“It’s possible...” Rotter responded, shining the light inside to reveal a space only about half a meter high.

Still, it was enough for an adult man to move through.

Rotter climbed down from Jianqi’s shoulders and fell into thought.

Although the passage was navigable, the exit was far too small.

So he immediately ruled out this line of thinking.

No one could squeeze through such a tiny hole.

“If that’s the case...”

“Earlier, when Lina went to the restroom, she said the door was still locked.”

“That means the culprit was still inside the restroom at that time.”

“After Lina left, the restroom door was opened.”

“There was a five-minute window.”

“And at that time, everyone in the passenger carriage was awake, which means the culprit must have fled to the rear carriages.”

As he analyzed this, he looked at Jianqi: “Are you sure no one was seen in the carriages behind?”

Hearing Rotter’s doubt, Jianqi nodded.

“We really didn’t see anything then.”

With Jianqi’s confirmation, Rotter’s brow furrowed deeper.

He felt his train of thought had hit a dead end.

“Could there really be a ghost?”

He recalled the scene he had seen painted in the private carriage.

The smile vanished completely from his face.

Jianqi had no comment on Rotter’s conclusion.

Although the mission did involve killing a ghost, it never explicitly stated the ghost was the murderer.

Some of Jianqi’s own findings also supported this.

“Let’s head back,” Rotter said.

He pushed the panel back into place.

After thoroughly handling the body once more, he spoke.

Jianqi didn’t refuse and nodded in agreement.

...

Elsewhere,

Inside the passenger carriage,

The doorknob connecting to the kitchen was wrapped tightly with a rope.

The other end of the rope was tied firmly to a chair leg.

This way, if anyone tried to enter the kitchen, the rope would be pulled, alerting the person sitting on the chair.

The group’s choice of food was simple.

They picked some bread and a few jugs of drinking water.

Although there were plenty of quality ingredients in the kitchen, at this moment, who had the mood to cook?

After everyone in the carriage ate a little, they returned to their seats, each occupied with their own matters.

Lina touched up her makeup.

Youman cursed under his breath.

A couple playfully bickered.

Someone sat silently, devoid of emotion.

Lucy kept a constant watch on the rear.

Seeing the two return, she immediately stood: “Is the body dealt with?”

Jianqi shook his head at her question.

“We wanted to tidy it up, but it was too troublesome, so we just threw the body off the train.”

Hearing this, Rotter frowned but didn’t contradict, instead nodding to confirm Jianqi’s words.

“Thrown off?”

Lucy’s tone rose noticeably, clearly displeased with the decision.

But she quickly caught herself and lowered her voice: “Hasn’t the body been thoroughly examined yet?”

“Are you not worried about losing important clues by just tossing it away?”

Before Jianqi could reply to Lucy’s doubts, Lina, who was touching up her makeup nearby, spoke without hesitation: “Good riddance.”

“Otherwise, having a corpse next door all night would be downright creepy.”

“Exactly,” Youman surprisingly agreed.

Seeing their unanimous stance, a cold glint flashed in Lucy’s eyes.

Yet she said no more.

With this little interlude concluded, Jianqi returned to his seat and began eating the bread Youman had brought.

The game included a hunger mechanic; although not explicitly displayed, the program simulated this hidden attribute.

While Jianqi ate, Rotter remained restless.

He went to the front door to inspect it, then pulled out various tools from his suitcase to reinforce it before finally starting his dinner.

The night fell rapidly here.

Earlier, they could still catch the last rays of the sun; the next moment, the world plunged into darkness.

Without lighting devices, the inside of the train was engulfed in blackness.

“Screech!”

The sound of something scraping against a surface rang out.

The darkness in the carriage was replaced by a faint candlelight.

Jianqi glanced over and saw the light came from Lina’s side.

The candle on her table was the one from her suitcase, used for melting wax.

The rapid onset of night caught everyone off guard.

Fortunately, Lina lit the candle promptly, preventing any mishaps.

Seeing this, Rotter took out a pocket watch and said, “To avoid accidents while sleeping tonight, we should leave two people on watch.”

“There are ten of us; we can form five groups, each guarding for an hour and a half. That way, everyone will get enough rest.”

“No problem, I’ll take the first shift,” Youman volunteered immediately after Rotter finished speaking.

No one objected.

After all, their safety was at stake.

The watch schedule was quickly arranged:

First shift: Youman and Irene

Second shift: Jianqi and Rotter

Third shift: The emotionless one and the ironclad man

Fourth shift: Bei Yu Qingfeng and Nan Yu Qingluan

Fifth shift: Lucy and Lina

With the schedule set, the group ceased talking.

Except for the first shift watchmen, the others lay their heads on the tables to rest.

Although Jianqi didn’t want to sleep, the game’s mechanics forced him under; the moment he rested his head, his vision plunged into total darkness.

Within this darkness, a countdown starting at 15:00 ticked relentlessly.

“An hour in the game equals ten minutes in real life? No wonder it feels like time’s flying.”

Soon, the countdown ended.

Youman shook him awake.

Apparently, nothing had happened during the previous hour and a half.

It was now his and Rotter’s turn to keep watch.