WTNL Chapter 677

Infinite Train
Chapter 677: Terminal

Pushing open the heavy iron door, a back kitchen that wasn’t much different from his memory appeared before his eyes.

Perhaps because the instance had already been closed, the steam and blood filling the air had completely vanished, and the gloomy, bizarre, tall chef was also gone, replaced by an empty, scattered mess.

Anise walked quickly forward, seemingly unable to wait.

Walking through the kitchen, Hugo turned his head, his gaze inadvertently sweeping past a nearby cabinet, and his line of sight couldn’t help but pause slightly.

The cabinet was skewed; the spot where corpses should have been piled up only had a patch of black, dirty bloodstains left. Everything that happened when he hid here last time seemed vivid in his mind.

“One minute!” Pinocchio had promised pitifully.

He ended up taking three minutes.

An unreliable guy.

But he always came in handy at crucial moments.

After doing all of that, he stuffed Hugo, who had lost his combat capability, behind the cabinet, changed into a chef’s uniform himself, and walked out following the Student Council members.

“Hey!”

A hoarse voice came from not far away, dragging Hugo from his memories back to reality.

He looked up to see Anise standing not far away. Those slightly bulging eyeballs were staring fixedly in this direction, and his tone carried unconcealed urgency,

“Why did you stop walking?”

“…”

Hugo’s eyes flickered slightly. He expressionlessly stepped forward.

Pushing open the back kitchen door, a deep passage leading underground appeared before them. Perhaps because this place was closer to the core of the instance, this path suffered no damage. Following this road all the way deep inside, a massive warehouse appeared before the two of them.

Tall shelves were arranged in the darkness, topped with sacks full of grave soil.

Hugo tilted his head, his gaze sweeping over the back of one of the shelves.

On the ground, brownish bloodstains remained.

That was where he had hidden before.

“…” Hugo withdrew his gaze and looked toward a tightly shut door ahead: “This one.”

Pushing the door open revealed a bizarre staircase leading upward. On both sides of the stairs was pitch-black lake water. The water was dark as ink, bottomless, emitting a bone-chilling cold air, standing like two steep walls on either side of the stairs.

A trace of red light cast down from above, falling into the lake water, making this scene even more eerie.

“I haven’t personally been ahead.” Hugo held a cigarette between his lips. With a click, a cluster of flames leaped up, illuminating his cold, stern profile. He said simply, “Raise your vigilance.”

This area was basically explored independently by Pinocchio. His knowledge of this place basically came from Nightmare’s briefing. However, in an instance of this level, unless one walked through every single pitfall, no area could be said to be 100% safe.

The two ascended the stairs and soon arrived at a fork in the staircase.

A tightly shut gate appeared not far away.

And here was the real Principal’s Office inside Yuying Comprehensive University.

As long as it was destroyed, the entire campus would cease to exist—with Nightmare’s assistance, this was a breeze.

And this also meant that the “School Principal,” whose fate was bound to the campus, would also cease to exist.

Whether it was the principles he had upheld to this day or the friendship of fighting side by side, everything would be completely left behind at this moment.

Where no one noticed, Hugo’s jaw muscles violently bulged. His expression was almost hideous, as if he were enduring some continuous and invisible pain.

Not far ahead came the sound of door hinges being pushed.

“…”

Hugo closed his eyes. The momentary wavering from just now vanished, replaced by emotionless indifference.

He looked up and stepped forward.

Ahead, Anise had already pushed the door open, preparing to walk forward.

A bizarre pricking sensation suddenly hit him. A sense of danger roared over out of nowhere, making him shiver all over, like having thorns in his back.

Hugo’s pupils shrank. Seeming to realize something, he abruptly looked up.

Since some unknown point in time, the eerie red light overhead had disappeared, leaving only the pitch-black, lightless lake water heavily pressing down from above.

Not good!!

“Wait—”

Before he could finish speaking, the invisible barrier previously holding back the lake water vanished. The cold, terrifying lake water crashed down with a roar. In the black water, countless pale faces swarmed in, wearing bizarre smiles, as if they had been waiting for a long time.

---

At this moment, above the surface of the lake.

A young man and a young woman stood side by side. In front of them was a pitch-black lake surface as calm as a mirror. No matter how fierce the struggle below was, not a hint could be seen from the outside.

“It’s about the same as what you said,” Yun Bilan raised her eyes and said. “They’re still struggling—but they won’t last long.”

During the long wait, only the sound of violently surging water currents within the lake could be heard.

Finally…

After an unknown amount of time, the lake water quieted down.

Wen Jianyan: “How is it?”

Yun Bilan: “Everything went smoothly.”

As her voice fell, the pitch-black lake water before them parted once again, revealing a long passage.

Looking at that passage, Wen Jianyan paused: “This was actually easier than I thought.”

“What?” Yun Bilan glanced sideways at him, letting out a teasing chuckle. “Are you doubting your own layout?”

Wen Jianyan shrugged: “Not exactly.”

Under the protection of the instance, Wen Jianyan could not be touched. If they wanted to complete their mission, they had to destroy the instance first.

The safest plan, naturally, would be to use every method to hide and protect the Principal’s Office, and then use their manpower advantage to snipe Hugo and Anise. But the flaw in this was obvious: Hugo was equally familiar with this place. With Nightmare’s buff, given his and Anise’s strength, it would be very difficult for the ghosts they controlled to block them completely. Once it turned into a war of attrition, it would be extremely disadvantageous for them—as the red light in the sky intensified, Nightmare was irrefutably continuing its invasion.

Thus, Wen Jianyan chose a riskier and more radical strategy:

Open the path to the Principal’s Office and wait for Hugo and Anise to arrive.

This lake was an excellent advantage for them.

Hugo’s Innate Talent was smoke; to ensure his smoke wouldn’t be extinguished, he would be forced to prioritize self-preservation, thus tying his hands.

Although Anise’s Innate Talent could control ghosts, he had no resistance against the lake water, much less any effective defensive methods.

However, this was not without risks.

Once the other side chose to use the fastest speed and most extreme methods, disregarding their own safety just to destroy the Principal’s Office, then they would be in trouble.

Because Wen Jianyan had no control over the world beneath the lake’s surface, the gambling element was arguably huge.

It was normal for Anise to be completely oblivious—after all, he hadn’t been here before—but Hugo was different.

Even though he didn’t understand this area as well as Wen Jianyan did, with Hugo’s abilities, it wasn’t completely impossible for him to guess. After all, the empty kitchen, the overly safe path, and the unfavorable terrain beneath the lake were all danger signals—it wasn’t that Wen Jianyan didn’t want to execute things better, but the time left for them was too tight; this was already the best situation they could achieve.

Wen Jianyan originally thought it would be a tough battle, but that wasn’t the case.

Compared to his sharpness and decisiveness when he chose to chase the train earlier, Hugo seemed to be distracted by something else this time, to the point that he didn’t perform at his best level.

As the lake water parted, pale-faced Student Council members appeared before Wen Jianyan. Behind them were two figures firmly bound by fine red threads—Hugo stood motionless, his iron-gray eyes staring at him coldly, while Anise struggled vigorously. His gaze was nailed to Wen Jianyan, seeming to want to open his mouth to say something, but the red threads surged as if conscious, firmly gagging his mouth.

Wen Jianyan poked his head out from behind Yun Bilan and flashed him an arguably radiant smile.

Anise: “…”

He could only stare fixedly at Wen Jianyan not far away, intense malice pouring from his eyes like venom.

“What next?” Yun Bilan turned to Wen Jianyan. “What are you going to do?”

“I’ll leave the ugly one for you, and I’ll take the other one away,” Wen Jianyan said.

Anise: “……!!!!”

His body struggled even more violently, looking like a giant mantis. The resentment in his eyes almost solidified into substance, but he could only let out hoarse sounds from his throat.

“Sure.” Yun Bilan nodded.

She waved to a nearby Student Council member, who stepped forward and handed over one end of the blood-red thread.

Wen Jianyan knew this thread.

The last time he came to this instance, he had seen these fine threads at the bottom of the lake. Anyone bound by them would fall into a deep sleep in the water like a human cocoon, losing consciousness and the ability to move.

“It can help you restrict that guy’s abilities, but I’ll appropriately loosen a small portion so he won’t fall into a deep sleep like those people,” Yun Bilan glanced at Wen Jianyan’s arms and legs, adding, “After all, if he completely loses consciousness, I reckon you wouldn’t be able to carry him away.”

Wen Jianyan: “…”

Although it was very considerate, that look was somewhat hurtful.

Wen Jianyan thought for a moment: “Can you give me one of your Student Council armbands?”

Yun Bilan nodded without asking for a reason. Very decisively, she tore off the armband from one of the Student Council members’ arms and tossed it to Wen Jianyan: “Here.”

Wen Jianyan stuffed it into his pocket: “Thanks.”

Yun Bilan glanced behind her: “And what about that guy?”

Behind them, Anise was being held down wretchedly by several Student Council members. Hearing this, he abruptly looked up, staring fixedly at Wen Jianyan. His mouth was still gagged tightly, unable to make a single sound.

“Up to you,” Wen Jianyan said. “Kill him if you want, or keep him to help you with chores. As long as you don’t let him out to get in my way, it’s fine.”

Yun Bilan seemed to think of something: “Right, your wrist was broken by that guy, wasn’t it?”

Wen Jianyan: “Yeah.”

“Mmph! Mmmph!” Anise struggled violently once again, but this time, his eyes no longer contained just hatred and malice; they also held a rare panic and fear. However, all his struggles appeared so pale and powerless under the suppression of the fine threads and the Student Council. He was firmly pinned down like an insect.

“Very good.” Yun Bilan pulled a silent smile. The aura of a living person on her vanished, leaving only a cold, eerie, malicious energy. “We will entertain him well.”

Anise was dragged out of Wen Jianyan’s line of sight.

“Other than that, is there anything else you need?” Yun Bilan asked.

“No more,” Wen Jianyan took a deep breath.

“Alright,” Yun Bilan said. “I’ll have the school bus give you a ride.”

Wen Jianyan had to leave.

He knew this, and Yun Bilan knew it too.

There was no need to delay an inevitable farewell—it was meaningless.

Yun Bilan escorted Wen Jianyan to the school gates. A dust-covered school bus was already waiting there, its engine roaring. The doors were open, waiting for its passenger to board.

Wen Jianyan paused and turned to look at Yun Bilan.

“Wait for me,” he said. “When everything is over, I will come back to find you.”

Yun Bilan froze. She looked up at Wen Jianyan, but suddenly burst into laughter with a pfft.

“You…”

Her eyes softened. In that instant, she looked as if she had returned to the past—back to before the hideous thorn patterns grew out, looking cheerful and prone to laughter.

“You’re so smart, why do you always like to lie to yourself.”

Saying this, Yun Bilan reached out and grasped Wen Jianyan’s hand.

Her palm was icy cold, her skin stiff, as if it had been frozen for a long time, having long lost its elasticity.

Overhead, the red rift had grown even deeper. Eerie red light spilled down, illuminating her pale, cold, lifeless face.

“I am already dead.”

Yun Bilan said gently.

The truth was so cruel and heartless, piercing straight into the heart like an ice pick without reservation.

Yun Bilan had already died.

She was the new Principal of Yuying University. Both her flesh and soul were forever bound to this ghost school. Her fate had been sealed the moment she decided to stay, with no possibility of being rewritten.

“However, my consciousness is still maintained and hasn’t dissipated,” Yun Bilan let go of Wen Jianyan’s hand, her tone still relaxed. “I haven’t become a ‘ghost’ that operates purely on mechanics yet—I have completed my mission and protected what I wanted to protect, isn’t that enough?”

“…”

Wen Jianyan stared fixedly at her, feeling a lump in his throat.

No one knew better than him how much Yun Bilan had longed to leave Nightmare.

After the Amusement Park instance ended, she was the first to join his obscure little guild—without hesitation, without reservation.

The person who most hated being restrained was now forever trapped in a lightless, narrow world, never able to step half a pace out of the campus again.

He opened his mouth, hearing his own voice sound hoarsely in his ears.

“I’m sorry.”

Wen Jianyan didn’t know what he was apologizing for.

Was it for her current situation, or for his own powerlessness?

However, the next second, Yun Bilan narrowed her eyes, clenched her fist, and punched Wen Jianyan heavily in the stomach.

“Cough! Cough cough cough!” Caught off guard by the punch, Wen Jianyan doubled over.

Yun Bilan looked down at him:

“If you let me hear that phrase again, I’ll hit you again.”

Wen Jianyan: “Cough cough cough!”

“First of all, I chose this path myself. No one can influence my decision—not even that brat Su Cheng,” Yun Bilan crossed her arms and sneered. “Firstly, he can’t beat me in a fight, and secondly, he’s nowhere near as glib as you. If you think I was influenced by him or whatever, then you’re going to get another beating.”

Wen Jianyan: “N-no—cough cough—I didn’t…”

“Also,” Yun Bilan looked at Wen Jianyan, her tone calming down. “We’ve all experienced this instance. You also know what is hidden inside this instance.”

The floors, walls, and ceilings of the buildings here were all made of sleeping malicious ghosts. The school bus traveled back and forth every day, transporting grave soil onto the campus to keep them asleep.

Even after the instance ended, her job as “Principal” hadn’t stopped.

Once the Principal disappeared, the campus rules would also collapse. After losing the suppression, such a massive number of malicious ghosts would inevitably create more bloodshed and suffering.

“I’m staying here not just because I want you to accomplish what I can no longer do…” Yun Bilan lowered her eyes and said softly, “But also because this is what I must do.”

Since someone had to fulfill this responsibility.

Let it be her.

And so, she stepped into the cage, never to leave.

Yun Bilan reached out and helped the young man in front of her stand up.

“Alright, stop acting, I didn’t hit you that hard.”

Wen Jianyan stood up straight. His eye rims were red, maybe from coughing, or maybe not.

“Alright.”

Yun Bilan opened her arms and gave Wen Jianyan a body-heatless hug.

“It’s time to say goodbye.”

The school bus engine in front of them roared, seemingly urging them on.

Yun Bilan took a step back, waved at him, and smiled: “…Alright, go.”

Go, go dispel the Nightmare that has shadowed the world for so many years, and bring us the light we haven’t seen for a long time.

She would stay in the darkness and bear witness to it all.

---

The school bus stopped in front of the train station.

Wen Jianyan got off the bus, with Hugo following behind him. His body was tightly bound by red, living-like fine threads, and one end was firmly gripped in Wen Jianyan’s hand—this was a gift from the Principal of Yuying Comprehensive University, ensuring that Hugo lost his combat ability and couldn’t attack him again.

Ever since he was fished out from under the lake, Hugo hadn’t said a single word.

He just swept his cold gray eyes over Wen Jianyan once, then closed his eyes, falling into an endless silence.

And Wen Jianyan didn’t seem prepared to strike up a conversation with him either.

After dropping them off, the school bus restarted and soon vanished into the darkness.

Wen Jianyan brought Hugo to the station.

“Sit?” He pointed to the bench.

Hugo looked at him expressionlessly, not moving.

Wen Jianyan shrugged, not minding it, and sat straight down on the bench.

What followed was a long wait.

The station was dead silent. One stood and the other sat, with quite a distance between them, looking like two distinct statues.

Finally, after an unknown amount of time, accompanied by a choo-choo roar, the ground vibrated. A pale beam of light pierced through the darkness—a train pulled into the station and stopped in front of the two of them.

Wen Jianyan stood up and said, “Follow me.”

Hugo, being under someone else’s control, was fairly cooperative.

The two boarded the train one after another and found a compartment suitable for humans to sit in.

After a brief stop, the train roared and started up again.

Wen Jianyan took out the Student Council armband from his pocket and slipped it onto his arm.

As a living person, one couldn’t be sent to a station by the train. Therefore, the train would stop before the next station, and one couldn’t stop it before getting off. But the red armband could change the wearer’s identity—Wen Jianyan reached into his pocket.

Sure enough, a piece of spirit money appeared in his pocket.

“Excuse me,” Wen Jianyan muttered as he leaned over and reached into Hugo’s pocket, similarly pulling out a piece of spirit money.

Soon, the ticket inspector came to check tickets as usual.

Wen Jianyan handed over the two pieces of spirit money in exchange for two train tickets.

One ticket was his—the words “Yuying Comprehensive University” were written after the destination station.

However, since the train had already left this station, there was a high probability that it would only stop at that station again after going around a full circle.

And the other ticket belonged to Hugo.

Wen Jianyan lowered his eyes and swept over the text on it.

Hah.

He curled his lips, revealing a silent smile.

That’s right, this was the true reason why he had to take Hugo with him, even at such a great risk.

In that corridor containing the cabins of all the top ten streamers, only Hugo’s room showed—Occupied.

Because of this, on this train, his destination determined by the rules wouldn’t be the real world, but rather the place Wen Jianyan needed to go to the most right now, and exactly the place he wanted to go to the most…

Above the pitch-black Dead Sea floated a ship of skeletons.

A wound-like red scar stretched across the night sky.

Under the red light, the train roared like thunder, racing toward the beginning of everything, and the end of everything.

—Next stop, the Lucky Cruise Ship.

Support me on Ko-fi