Thank you @Renea and @thetwelfthplanet for the Kofi.
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Chapter 630: Let’s talk when we meet
They were currently in Car 3, and the Ticket Inspector was coming from the direction of Car 2.
Thump, thump, thump.
Heavy, steady footsteps came from outside the door. Even separated by an entire carriage and the half-closed carriage door, there was an extraordinarily eerie penetrating power to the sound, causing their hearts to constrict.
But soon, the footsteps stopped.
Everyone froze, subconsciously exchanging glances.
“It should be checking tickets for the passengers in the previous carriage,” Chen Mo quickly concluded. “We still have time.”
“What happens if we don’t have money?” Wen Ya asked. “What level of attack will we face?”
An Xin looked grave and shook his head. “…You don’t want to know.”
Like Wen Jianyan, he had personally experienced the Changsheng Building instance, so he naturally knew the terrifying extent of this instance, which far exceeded its rating.
It was like a machine composed of precise interlocking rules, tolerating no errors and offering no room for negotiation or compromise. Any disorderly conduct would result in unpredictably horrific consequences.
Even though he had left that building a long time ago, thinking back to his experiences there still sent chills down An Xin’s spine.
Wen Jianyan: “Actually, if it’s just an attack, that’s not the worst part.”
Hearing this, everyone was startled and turned to look at him in surprise.
Wen Jianyan stood in the aisle between the train seats, his eyes fixed on the direction the footsteps came from. His expression showed rare tension.
“Since this train truly shares the same origin as the Changsheng Building, then the characteristics of these ‘ghosts’ must be common. They cannot communicate, have no form, and even less consciousness—only pure, indiscriminate malice.”
He spoke slowly.
“Although the rules of Changsheng Building are harsh and terrifying, the purpose of those rules is to protect the humans within… because only by obeying the rules is it possible to find a slim chance of survival while dealing with them.”
“So, the worst-case scenario isn’t being attacked.”
Wen Jianyan took a deep breath, turned to look at everyone, and said slowly, “…It’s that the train will no longer provide us with protection.”
Upon hearing this, everyone’s pupils contracted, and they all shuddered in unison.
They were currently on a moving train fully loaded with malicious ghosts—and half of the members were in a state of excessive exhaustion, making it difficult to fight.
If the train no longer provided them with protection, then…
What would happen next?
The answer to this question was too terrifying to contemplate.
“Then how can we get money?”
Chen Mo frowned deeply.
No matter how terrifying the consequences, having no money meant having no money. They couldn’t conjure Spirit Money out of thin air.
Wen Jianyan: “Of course, we get it from whoever has money.”
“First, the Ticket Inspector definitely has money,” he mused, speaking slowly. “However, Spirit Money itself falls under the protection of the train’s rules. So, if we rob him directly, it will easily be seen as opposing the entire train.”
In Changsheng Building, no matter how terrifying the malicious ghosts visiting the shops were, they still had to follow the rules and pay… Even they couldn’t contend with the entire rule system, so Wen Jianyan didn’t think his group could succeed.
Wen Jianyan: “Then, there’s only one path left for us, and that is…”
An Xin suddenly seemed to realize something.
He turned to look at Wen Jianyan, the expression on his face bordering on horror. “Wait, you don’t mean—”
Under An Xin’s shocked gaze, Wen Jianyan didn’t stop at all and said:
“—Get money from the passengers.”
Everyone: “…”
Guessed it. But would rather have not.
Wen Jianyan continued: “Simply put, we can replace the Ticket Inspector and collect money from the passengers.”
“…Bro, you know what?” Chen Cheng leaned against the seat with his arms crossed, looked him up and down, pointed to his temple, and said slowly, “Sometimes you really need some professional treatment.”
Indeed, there were plenty of crazy people in the Nightmare.
But to dare do such a crazy thing in this extreme situation was truly rare.
Wen Jianyan gave a fake smile. “No problem, what’s your psychiatrist’s number?”
Chen Cheng was choked into silence.
“Alright,” Wen Ya sighed helplessly. “We’re somewhat used to it.”
Everyone nodded in agreement.
In fact, after running instances with Wen Jianyan so many times, the suggestions he gave were rarely not dangerous or crazy. But every time, he would prove that what he found was the only path to survival amidst countless dead ends.
What they trusted now wasn’t just Wen Jianyan’s decisions, but him as a person.
“So, what exactly should we do next?” Wen Ya looked thoughtful, raising her eyes to Wen Jianyan. “You already have an idea, right?”
Wen Jianyan smiled and turned to look at An Xin.
“Remember how we played the role of shop assistants in the Changsheng Building?”
In the Changsheng Building instance, they played roles similar to collecting money from “customers.” So, theoretically… he should still be able to do that on this train.
An Xin: “Of course.”
They brought copper oil lamps into the shops. The light emitted by the burning corpse oil attracted customers to enter, and then everything that happened next occurred naturally—
“…Oil lamp?”
An Xin froze, seeming to realize something, and looked at Wen Jianyan.
“Correct.” Wen Jianyan blinked.
“Don’t forget, on this train, both copper lamps and lamp oil are readily available.”
In Car 2, after a brief pause, the cold footsteps sounded again, continuing to walk in this direction.
Time was tight, so everyone immediately sprang into action.
There was only one lamp in a carriage. If removed, the entire carriage would immediately fall into dangerous darkness. Therefore, the oil lamps inside the carriages absolutely could not be removed.
So, the only ones available for use were the oil lamps at the connections between carriages.
Based on the experience from Changsheng Building, the lamp oil would be consumed very intensely the moment customers arrived. And unlike Changsheng Building, this time it wouldn’t be single customers arriving, but rather one person going alone to a carriage with an unknown number of passengers to collect fares…
So, the lamp oil from just one lamp probably wouldn’t be enough.
To be safe, they decided to dismantle two lamps.
Chen Mo, Wen Ya, and Ma Qi were responsible for removing the copper lamp between Car 2 and Car 3.
Wen Jianyan, along with An Xin and Kong Wei, went to the connection between Car 3 and Car 4.
Ma Qi was in charge of keeping watch.
Although her Talent consumption wasn’t low, as a medium, her perception of immediate, fierce terrifying threats was still sharper than ordinary people. So, she was the most suitable person to monitor the Ticket Inspector’s actions.
While she kept watch, the rest divided the work and began to remove the copper lamp hanging at the connection as quickly as possible.
Wen Jianyan stood at the door of Car 4, cautiously pushing it open a crack.
The carriage was filled with darkness that felt substantial, like an airtight wall pressing down so hard one couldn’t breathe. Amidst this pitch-blackness, a point of gloomy light shone in the middle of the aisle.
That was the oil lamp that was already lit in this carriage.
In the darkness, something seemed to be suppressing the light emitted by the oil lamp. That already dim light was squeezed by the darkness to the extreme, like a tiny dot burned onto the retina.
By the faint light emitted from that small dot, Wen Jianyan could still see clearly… the seats in this carriage were a piercing blood red.
Like viscous, un-dried blood.
“…”
Wen Jianyan’s heart sank slightly. Clearly, Car 4 was like Car 2; the passengers were ghosts, not humans.
This meant they couldn’t rashly leave the safe Car 3 to enter the ghost-filled Car 4 just to avoid ticket inspection—that would do more harm than good.
This operation had to succeed in one go.
“Lamp’s dismantled.”
An Xin’s deliberately lowered voice came from behind.
At the same time, Chen Mo and Wen Ya finished their work. They walked over quickly carrying the lamp oil. “Same here.”
Wen Jianyan: “Give it to me, I’ll do it.”
Under his dexterous assembly, a simple oil lamp was soon completed.
“We don’t have much time,” Wen Jianyan spoke very fast. “You guys stay in the carriage. I’ll go be this Ticket Inspector.”
Wen Ya froze. “But…”
Wen Jianyan shook his head. “It’s decided.”
Of everyone, only he and An Xin had experienced the Changsheng Building instance and were most familiar with the rules inside.
Moreover… while the others were almost out of ammunition and food, Wen Jianyan, who didn’t have much combat power, was actually in the best condition and had the lowest consumption among them.
Because of this, no one was more suitable to do this than him.
Wen Jianyan looked up toward the direction of Car 2.
Through the half-open carriage door, he heard dragging, stiff footsteps coming from within.
The footsteps were already very close to them.
Clearly, the ticket inspection in the previous carriage was about to end.
Their carriage would be next.
“Everyone sit at the very end of Car 3. This way, you’re furthest from the Ticket Inspector and can delay for a longer time. If I haven’t returned when you absolutely have to pay, send me a message. At that point, no matter how much Spirit Money I’ve obtained, I will return immediately at top speed—so remember, the timing must be accurate.”
Wen Jianyan stood up, lifting the oil lamp.
“I’ll be right back.”
Leaving this sentence behind, Wen Jianyan strode toward Car 4.
He lit the lamp oil.
The grey-white corpse oil emitted a scent of rotting sweetness. A cluster of flames flickered to life, dispelling the darkness at the connection.
The door to Car 4 was half-open; inside was pitch-black darkness where one couldn’t see their own fingers.
Wen Jianyan heard his heart pounding wildly. He took a deep breath, raised his hand, slowly pushed open the door to Car 4, and then resolutely stepped inside.
Hiss!!
The moment he stepped into the darkness, the lamp wick in his hand suddenly shot up half an inch, burning fiercely with a sizzling sound. However, the light that should have brightened abruptly was swallowed by the surrounding endless darkness. All of this told him one piece of information:
The number of “ghosts” in this carriage was alarming, more than one.
Wen Jianyan’s hair stood on end, and cold sweat seeped from the palm holding the lamp.
The fear he once felt in Changsheng Building struck again, tightening his nerves to the limit.
But he still braced himself, forcing himself to take steps forward into the depths of the darkness.
The wick flickered, struggling to emit weak light, barely illuminating the aisle in front of him and the blood-red seats on both sides.
The seats were empty, without a single person. Under the illumination of the dim oil lamp, it appeared gloomy and eerie.
Wen Jianyan moved his steps, advancing at a steady pace.
Suddenly, just as he reached a seat, something in the air changed—
Cold sweat poured from Wen Jianyan’s forehead. He turned his eyes to look at the spot to his front right.
Although it was only a step away from him, the space above the blood-red seat was shrouded in an impenetrable shadow.
He couldn’t see anything, but he just knew…
This seat wasn’t empty.
Catalyzed by something in the darkness, the lamp wick surged and expanded violently! However, no matter how vigorously or hard it burned, it couldn’t dispel the surrounding darkness. Instead, it was suppressed, becoming smaller and dimmer…
A chilling darkness covered him overhead, pressing down hard on his chest, making Wen Jianyan almost unable to breathe.
Suddenly, a strange, melting warmth radiated from his chest. The warmth spread along his skin, reaching every limb and bone in the blink of an eye.
Wen Jianyan couldn’t help but pause.
His frozen finger joints regained mobility. He raised his hand, subconsciously pressing the spot under his collarbone.
The golden gem hung obediently below his neck, resting quietly against his chest.
It was as if something was whispering softly in his ear…
You are not alone.
The fear dissipated, and his heart calmed down bit by bit.
At the same time, the surrounding pressure gradually faded. The lamp wick no longer burned explosively like before. losing the suppression, the dim lamplight spread out again little by little.
Under the gradually spreading light, Wen Jianyan saw a familiar, gloomy Spirit Money bill appear on the table in front of the seat.
Below the four characters for “Heaven and Earth Bank,” a grey-white dead man’s head stared at him silently.
First bill of Spirit Money obtained.
Creak—
Accompanied by the dry, piercing sound of hinges turning, the door to Car 3 was pushed open from the outside, and a figure holding an oil lamp slowly walked in.
By the faint light of the oil lamp, everyone saw the “Ticket Inspector’s” appearance.
A rough, pale face, a high, blood-red smile, and hollow, pupil-less black eyes.
It was a paper effigy.
“…”
Everyone’s hearts tightened.
This train itself wasn’t an instance and naturally didn’t fall under the Nightmare’s interference. So, unlike the Changsheng Building, the Ticket Inspector on this train wasn’t replaced by a anchor but retained its most primitive form—a paper effigy.
Accompanied by stiff, mechanical footsteps, the light overhead gradually dimmed. As the Ticket Inspector walked closer, the light became darker and darker.
“Damn it,” An Xin cursed in a low voice. “Looks like this Ticket Inspector isn’t anything good either.”
Based on experience in Changsheng Building, the oil lamp’s light would only be suppressed in the presence of malicious ghosts.
On this train, not only were the passengers ghosts, but it seemed the Ticket Inspector was too.
This was logical…
After all, something that could be responsible for the operation of the entire rule system and withstand attacks from malicious ghosts could only be a similar existence.
Otherwise, the fifth floor of Changsheng Building wouldn’t need that terrifying woman in red to guard it.
Holding the oil lamp and wearing a smile, the Ticket Inspector approached step by step.
When the Ticket Inspector reached the middle of the carriage, only the light from the oil lamp in its hand remained in the entire carriage. Everywhere else was as black as eternal night.
In the pitch darkness, they heard their own rapid heartbeats and the similarly disordered breathing of their companions.
Five rows left.
The Ticket Inspector’s walking speed wasn’t fast, but it definitely wasn’t slow either. It was uniform and stable like a program, which made it incredibly oppressive.
Four rows left.
“Send the message now?” Ma Qi’s voice trembled, her face pale to the extreme.
“—Wait a bit longer.”
Wen Ya’s voice sounded like it was squeezed out from between her teeth.
“…”
Chen Cheng remained silent. His blood-stained fingers hung by his side, twitching slightly, seeming to suppress some impulse.
Three rows left.
“Now?” Blond’s voice shook.
Everyone’s eyes stared fixedly at the approaching Ticket Inspector, their bodies and nerves tense together.
Chen Mo’s voice was suppressed deep in his throat, almost like a growl.
“Wait!”
Last two rows.
“Now!” Chen Mo made a prompt decision.
The moment his voice fell, the pre-edited message was sent.
The density of the air was compressed to the limit, and a cold, terrifying threat was approaching.
The paper effigy’s face magnified bit by bit with its steps. They could clearly see the rough texture of the paper on its face and the bizarre arc of its upturned mouth corners.
Thump, thump…
Thump.
The Ticket Inspector stopped.
Its face turned, looking toward Wen Ya, who was sitting at the very front. The smile on its face was stiff and grim, as if waiting for something.
“…” Wen Ya sat stiffly in her seat, cold sweat seeping from her forehead.
Time passed second by second. The Ticket Inspector slowly turned its head, seemingly preparing to move on. An invisible chill slowly rose from beneath her feet.
Wen Ya’s heart sank.
However, just then, something was shoved into her palm hanging by her side.
Crumpled.
Like a piece of paper.
“Wait!!” Wen Ya spoke immediately, her voice slightly distorted under excessive pressure.
Before the Ticket Inspector left, she finally took out the paper money.
The Ticket Inspector stopped, turned its head, and stared at her with hollow eyes.
A few short seconds felt as long as a century.
Cold sweat seeped from Wen Ya’s forehead.
Finally, the Ticket Inspector moved. It slowly bent down, reaching out to take the Spirit Money.
Immediately after, it pulled out a yellowed, old ticket from the crooked small bag hanging on its body and handed it to Wen Ya.
The Ticket Inspector walked backward, collecting Spirit Money one by one and handing out tickets.
Finally, with a creak, the carriage door behind them opened and closed again. The footsteps gradually faded away, entering the next carriage.
With the Ticket Inspector gone, everyone’s spirits finally relaxed.
“Thank god…”
Blond collapsed in his chair, his whole body seemingly devoid of strength. “Finally passed this hurdle…”
Only then did the heavy pressure on Wen Ya’s shoulders gradually lift. Clutching the ticket tightly in her hand, she slowly let out a long breath, only to discover her back was soaked with sweat at some point.
She looked down at the ticket in her hand.
It was a yellowed receipt with a very old style. Most of the text on it had faded, leaving only a few small characters barely legible:
[Destination: Changsheng Building]
Wen Ya turned her head, looking for the others. “Did you all get tickets?”
Everyone nodded.
It seemed Wen Jianyan had indeed collected enough Spirit Money before the deadline.
However, before Wen Ya could relax, her gaze suddenly fell on Wen Jianyan—he was still holding the makeshift oil lamp, panting heavily as if from rushing, his face appearing somewhat pale—
He hadn’t nodded just now.
An ominous premonition struck.
“Wait,” Wen Ya stood up, staring at Wen Jianyan. “You got your own ticket, right?”
Wen Jianyan held onto the carriage door, caught his breath, stood up straight helplessly, and under everyone’s tense gazes, slowly shook his head:
“…No.”
Chen Mo’s pupils constricted.
His lips moved, squeezing out two suppressed words: “…Sorry.”
“No, no,” Wen Jianyan shook his head, explaining helplessly. “It has nothing to do with when you sent the message—I was already on my way back before receiving your message.”
Otherwise, he wouldn’t have rushed back so quickly.
“—There were only seven passengers in Car 4.”
He had walked Car 4 from beginning to end. It was an indisputable fact that there were only seven passengers in that carriage.
According to the pattern, even-numbered carriages were prepared for ghost passengers. This meant that if Wen Jianyan wanted to find the eighth Spirit Money bill, he would have to enter the carriage after the next one—if he did that, he would absolutely not make it back in time. At that point, everyone would have to die.
So, weighing the pros and cons, Wen Jianyan finally decided to return with these seven Spirit Money bills.
“My luck has always been bad.” Wen Jianyan sighed. “Used to it.”
“But this isn’t without good news. After all, moving alone is really too scary… and I’m afraid of the dark,” he actually had the leisure to joke even at this time. “Now it’s finally your turn to protect me.”
But the others weren’t as relaxed as him.
“Is there still time to go to Car 6 to find a Spirit Money bill?” Chen Cheng frowned deeply.
“Probably not.”
An Xin shook his head.
Since this train and Changsheng Building shared the same origin, the rules were likely equally strict—a mistake was a mistake, irreversible.
“What about suppressing his living aura so he can’t be found?” Chen Mo suggested.
After all, there were actually eight of them here, it was just that Qi Qian was currently in a “dead” state, staying in Chen Cheng’s pocket in the form of a paper effigy—because of this, he wouldn’t be attacked even without a ticket.
“Theoretically possible,” Wen Ya’s face was very ugly. “But our items are inaccessible, and there are no relevant Talents in the team that can be used.”
They were not inside an instance right now.
The livestream couldn’t be opened, and all items were inaccessible.
Couldn’t heal, couldn’t feign death.
“Damn it!!” An Xin punched the back of the seat, cursing viciously.
“Then all we can do now is try our best to keep the oil lamp from going out.”
According to the rules of Changsheng Building, the oil lamp would protect those within its light from attack. However, once targeted by a ghost, the lamp oil would be consumed at the fastest speed—if Wen Jianyan really became the target of all malicious ghosts on the train, how long the oil lamp could protect him was an unknown.
“However, since the train keeps running and lamp oil is a consumable, it always needs replenishing,” Chen Mo spoke up. “I suggest we head toward Car 1. Maybe we can find more lamp oil.”
According to the principle, the driver’s cab should be in front of Car 1.
And the Ticket Inspector came from that direction. Since it was the entity carrying the oil lamp to sell tickets on this train, the refillable lamp oil was most likely there.
“Good idea!”
With the strategy set, only execution remained.
They gritted their teeth and finally took down the only oil lamp in Car 3, taking out the lamp oil inside.
The road ahead would only be harder; they could no longer leave themselves a retreat like just now.
With the oil lamp dismantled, the entire carriage fell into darkness. Only the oil lamp in Wen Jianyan’s hand remained lit, emitting a faint, eerie glow.
“You carry the lamp and walk in the very middle of us. Once you encounter any situation, call for help immediately,” Wen Ya instructed Wen Jianyan with a serious face. “Hear me?”
Wen Jianyan nodded.
Just like that, a group of people excessively exhausted to the point of being half-crippled, sandwiching prey targeted by the entire train, carried a dish and a half of lamp oil and advanced toward the front of the train.
The door to Car 2 was pushed open.
Inside the door was pitch darkness so oppressive it was suffocating. The oil lamp burned with crackling sounds, making piercing noises.
The Ticket Inspector had stopped twice in this carriage earlier, which meant there should be two “passengers” here.
The light of the oil lamp was compressed to the limit.
Wen Jianyan moved forward step by step. By the light of the oil lamp in his hand, he glimpsed a pitch-black shadow sitting motionless on a seat not far to the left.
He couldn’t help but freeze.
Unlike before, where he couldn’t see the “passenger’s” appearance clearly in the darkness even with the lamp, this time, even from a long distance, he could already see the other’s outline clearly. Could it be…
Crack, crack.
The passenger’s shoulders remained motionless, but its head slowly rotated, appearing to… “look” over.
“!!” Wen Jianyan was startled and abruptly withdrew his gaze.
His back was damp, and his body felt cold as if fallen into an ice cave.
Correct.
Just as he guessed, without the train’s protection, the “passenger” could lock onto him without hindrance.
Hiss, hiss!!!
The lamp wick burned violently, expanding madly. Under the light compressed to the limit, Wen Jianyan saw the pitch-black shadow slowly standing up from the seat.
“Bad news!” Wen Jianyan lowered his voice, speaking urgently. “We’re about to be attacked!!!”
“Tell me which direction!!”
“Left hand side, three meters!”
Accompanied by the clanging sound of metal colliding, thick chains emerged in the darkness. Chen Mo gritted his teeth, tasting a trace of blood from over-consumption on the tip of his tongue—he shouted hoarsely: “Go!!”
The chains only hindered the black shadow for less than a second.
The next second, the chains shattered!
Chen Mo’s eyes were about to split. He swallowed a mouthful of salty blood viciously and shouted:
“Fast!!!”
Fortunately, with the obstruction of his Talent, although it was a close call, everyone rushed out of Car 2 before being attacked—
Car 1 was right in front of them.
Just as guessed, the light in Car 1 was dim, and the seats were a grey-white symbolizing safety.
Clearly, this carriage wasn’t prepared for ghosts.
The dim lamplight fell on their bodies, bringing not a trace of warmth.
The carriage door closed behind them.
Ma Qi seemed to sense something and turned to look back.
Unknown what she suddenly detected, her pupils contracted abruptly, and she let out a terrified scream:
“They’re catching up!!”
Holy shit!
Everyone cursed in unison in their hearts.
They tacitly quickened their pace, rushing toward the front of Car 1.
When they ran to the middle of the carriage, the oil lamp overhead suddenly dimmed. Silent darkness poured in through the sliding door, and boundless cold aura swept through the entire carriage.
“Hurry, it’s right ahead!!”
Chen Cheng raised his long leg and kicked the carriage door open violently.
However, what appeared outside was not the driver’s cab they imagined—
Staring at the distinct number “7” on the carriage opposite, everyone fell into a daze.
Damn it, outside Car 1 is actually Car 7! This train is a loop connected head to tail; there is no driver’s cab at all!!!
Behind them, shadows approached, malicious ghosts had arrived.
What to do? What to do?!
Suddenly, without warning, the running train below emitted a tooth-aching, violent tremor!!
Screech, screech, screech—
Wheels ground against the tracks, metal colliding and rubbing against metal. Piercing screeches filled the darkness.
The entire train shook. Unprepared, everyone fell to the ground in the swaying.
The train stopped without warning.
Accompanied by a hiss—, the door in front of them slowly opened. Outside was a silence and darkness like a grave. Just looking at it made one’s heart tremble.
And in the center of the darkness stood a desolate, unmanned station.
…The train stopped?
Amidst shock and panic, everyone looked at each other.
Why?
Did they arrive at the station?
But whatever the answer was, they had no right to delve into it, nor any choice—
“Quick! Get off!”
Before the “passengers” caught up, the group didn’t hesitate, jumping off the train one after another.
Wen Jianyan held the oil lamp, panting heavily as he turned to look—
Dark shadows stood deep in the carriage, watching them from afar, seemingly with no preparation to follow.
Thank god.
Wen Jianyan let out a long sigh of relief.
This station was identical to the one where they boarded. Solitary seats, empty platform, rusted station sign.
The train remained motionless in place. Bright headlights pierced the darkness, illuminating the entire station as bright as day.
“Damn it, isn’t this equivalent to returning to the starting point?”
Chen Cheng’s face was grim. Blood dripped from his trembling fingertips.
They knew too well what staying at this station too long would bring.
The headlights would cause more malicious ghosts to appear, attracting them to board the train.
If they boarded, everything that just happened would repeat—or even worse. After all, those few passengers in Car 2 were now hovering at the train door, waiting for them. And Wen Jianyan, without a ticket, going up would be no different from seeking death.
But what if they didn’t board?
Nowhere to go.
Heavy despair followed like a shadow, shrouding everyone’s hearts like a tangible substance.
However, just then—
Buzz buzz!
Wen Jianyan’s phone rang.
The sound came too abruptly. For a moment, no one reacted.
“…” Wen Jianyan’s blank gaze swept over everyone in front of him.
One, two, three…
Everyone was here!
Buzz buzz buzz! The phone rang continuously.
Wen Jianyan hesitated, took out the phone, and pressed the answer button.
Static interference came from the other side, seemingly due to terrible signal. However, amidst the noise, an intermittent voice was mixed in.
“…Is it… you?”
This voice…
Wen Jianyan froze, distinguishing a trace of familiar quality from that blurred tone.
He pressed his ear close to the receiver and said slowly:
“—Bai Xue?”
“…It’s me.” The boy’s cool tone was slightly distorted in the receiver. “Finally… got through.”
“Holy crap! It’s really you!! How did you call in?” Wen Jianyan’s eyes widened, clutching the phone tightly. Questions popped out one after another like exploding beans. “Where are you now? Anchor Hall? No, not right, inside an instance? Wait, you just said finally got through to me, could it be—”
“Too many… questions.”
On the other end, Bai Xue’s voice was intermittent.
“Meet up, then talk.”
“I’ll tell you next, how to go,” amidst the sizzling static, the boy’s voice was as flat as ever. “I am… with Tangerine Candy.”
“We… need your… help.”
Dont want to pick favorites anymore. Everyone please live