Chapter 79.2 Crimson Sunset Expedition
Everyone began their search according to the assigned carriages.
Wen Shi’s group was assigned to Carriage No. 8.
Qian Laiye was quite talkative as they walked, “This number is lucky. Just like K6666 being much luckier than K9999. Victory surely belongs to us.”
“First comes light, then comes shadow, and in numerical order, it’s six before nine,” Wen Shi said nonchalantly as he unzipped a backpack.
Players definitely should choose trains with lower numbers.
Qian Laiye was at a loss for words. “No wonder, when the train was about to depart, you ran straight for this one, completely ignoring the game’s hint to find the colored flag.”
“Ah!”
“My god!”
Almost simultaneously, two cries rang out—one from Carriage No. 07 and the other from Carriage No. 09.
In Carriage No. 07, a player was close by. They had opened the restroom in the public area, and a body tumbled out. In Carriage No. 09, as a player opened a handbag, a double-headed snake crawled out.
For now, no one needed assistance.
Wen Shi continued with his task, roughly emptying the contents of a backpack. Qian Laiye held an iron tray, standing by to provide protection. The experience of the player in Carriage No. 09 showed that opening a bag was like opening a mystery box, with some containing only disasters.
Wen Shi usually had good luck. The backpack didn’t contain any snakes or pests. As he was about to put things back in, he suddenly stopped and took out his phone to send a group message.
A piercing, anguished scream suddenly pierced through the stifling air.
This was far from just a simple shock. Only under extremely dire circumstances would someone emit such a desperate cry.
Wen Shi and Qian Laiye rushed toward the source of the sound, eventually finding a player in Carriage No. 10, collapsed and coughing up blood uncontrollably. A nearby newbie was desperately explaining, “It’s not my fault, I don’t know how it happened…”
“Move aside!” Wen Shi charged forward, shoving aside others who had also rushed over. He grabbed the player who was vomiting blood and shouted sternly, “No matter what you took, put it back immediately!”
The player’s eyes reflected Wen Shi’s image. From the barely open mouth, it seemed like he understood something. Struggling with his last bit of strength, he managed to shove the candy from his pocket into the side of the backpack.
Finally, the blood that seemed to gush from his very core stopped flowing.
Qian Laiye watched this scene unfold, suddenly recalling a phrase from the broadcast message: “Please take care of your belongings.”
Rifling through others’ luggage was a gray area within the rules. Taking without consent could easily label them as thieves.
The survival experience of veteran players was a double-edged sword. The player coughing up blood saw sour plum candies and instinctively took one. In this hot weather, sour plum candies could quench thirst and slightly cool down. The sugar could also help replenish some of the lost energy. The player put it in their pocket without much thought.
Who could have imagined it would be so deadly?
“No need to thank me,” before the player could express gratitude, Wen Shi stood up. “Remember to transfer me a hundred points.”
The player trembled as he weakly took a potion.
Wen Shi: “Cash on delivery, thanks.”
Buying a second chance with a hundred points wasn’t a bad deal, but being prompted like this made the player feel a bit uneasy. “The game has frozen my points and doesn’t allow transfers. There’s also a usage limit. I’ll definitely transfer it to you once we’re back.”
Standing to the side, Wen Shi finished sending two notices to the group chat and turned to walk back to his original spot in the carriage.
Seeing this, the player nearly spat out blood again. Since he decided to share the message with everyone for free, why bother charging himself? He couldn’t help muttering, “Settling a favor with a hundred points, it’s truly remarkable what he’s capable of doing.”
The newbie’s expression was hard to describe. “With you in this state, asking for a favor from you probably isn’t very beneficial either, is it?”
The player gave him a fierce glare, really wanting to shut that mouth up!
Wen Shi didn’t head directly to Carriage No. 08. As he passed the restroom, he inexplicably became interested in the corpse on the ground.
It was a ghost child of about five or six years old, eyes bulging with just the whites visible, purple muscles twisted, and the entire facial features misaligned. It seemed to have been greatly terrified before its death.
Given that the ghost child had been dead for a while, it was certain that a player didn’t do it, and the game wouldn’t initiate monsters to mutually kill each other at the start. Wen Shi squinted suspiciously, suspecting his parallel world self might be involved. However, he couldn’t understand why the other version of him, if present on this train, didn’t show up.
Qian Lai Ye and Wen Shi were not on the same wavelength, each thinking about a different matter. “Do you suspect that the player who coughed up blood is a shadow?”
Wen Shi absentmindedly nodded. “The broadcast already warned about it, yet he still took something. That’s just too foolish.”
Believing it to be a diversion, he assumed the item the player took was a clue, so Wen Shi specifically asked for a hundred points to gauge his reaction.
“Didn’t expect him to be that foolish,” Qian Laiye said with a perplexed expression.
All that visible displeasure over a hundred points was really hard to understand.
On the adjacent carriage’s shelves, there was a suitcase with python-patterned markings. This had been the ghost child’s hideout, waiting for prey to come knocking. Unfortunately, it had become the target of the hunt instead, losing its lair in the process.
The suitcase wasn’t tightly closed. At the moment, a pair of eyes were peering through a small gap, discreetly observing Wen Shi’s every move not far away.
Such a good child, evident at first sight!
Proper posture and an excellent demeanor. The tattoo on his neck indicated a rebellious side, and the fact that his sleeves were rolled up and the zipper wasn’t fully closed suggested he was relaxed and unconcerned with minor details!
How could there be such a fantastic kid in this world!
Inside the suitcase, the person wiped away a tear from the corner of their eye in contentment. Then, they moved their fingers slightly, and the suitcase shifted forward a few inches, allowing for a closer observation.
The two players who were searching Carriage No. 07 had been forced to abandon the restroom area due to several consecutive monster appearances. They were currently searching at the other end and hadn’t noticed anything unusual about the suitcase behind them.
Qian Laiye didn’t let Wen Shi search alone. He took turns opening mystery boxes. He was quite superstitious and, hearing occasional cries from the adjacent carriage, he felt relieved. “We haven’t pulled out anything filthy so far.”
Wen Shi suddenly turned his head sharply.
Qian Laiye was startled, picking up a tray and glancing around. However, he didn’t spot any danger. Looking somewhat bewildered, he asked, “What’s wrong?”
Wen Shi frowned, “I have a feeling someone’s watching me.”
Since the possession of the Wandering Corpse and the shapeshifting skill, his sixth sense had been unusually strong.
Qian Laiye hadn’t sensed anything, but he was attentive. He instinctively reached for his ghost-hunting item, only to find out that it was locked.
“Should we turn back and search again?”
Wen Shi shook his head.
The side effects of using that kitchen knife were significant. His body’s coordination hadn’t fully recovered yet. His speed and strength were nowhere near what they used to be.
Just then, his hand touched a can, very gently.
Seeing Wen Shi about to open it, Qian Laiye cautioned, “Possessions…”
Wen Shi simply pulled the tab with one hand, “The broadcast emphasized loss, breaking things isn’t a problem.”
Worried that toxic gas might be released, both of them turned their faces away.
Nothing came out, so Wen Shi poured the can’s contents out. A crumpled piece of paper fell out.
【You have found a promotional brochure from Crimson Sunset Travel Agency.】
The content on the brochure was similar to the game’s provided backstory. It talked about helping successful individuals find their original selves. On the back, there was a line of dried blood that read: “Pay attention to items on the train that don’t belong to passengers. Guess where they come from.”
Wen Shi glanced at his phone, thirteen minutes had already passed, roughly half of the mission time had gone by.
In the Sunflowers group chat, someone was asking if anyone had found any clues.
Three players uploaded photos. One from Li Nan showed a clue imprinted on the box of a container of instant noodles: Shadow chose a clever way.
There are two remaining, one of which repeated the clue they discovered, but one had an additional detail: Shadow is left-handed.
The game’s clues were all based on the actual situation. Among the twenty-two players, eighteen were left-handed.
Wen Shi: “It seems that one of the selection criteria for the players in this standalone is being left-handed.”
His phone vibrated again, and another player had found a clue on the brochure.
The more repetitive the clue, the less valuable it usually was.
Qian Laiye didn’t pay much attention at first, but when he saw Wen Shi enlarge the image and stare at it for a while, he reflexively started to take it seriously, “There are many things that don’t belong to passengers: beds, thermos flasks, trash cans… even the water from the faucet.”
Before he could finish counting, he unintentionally met Wen Shi’s speechless gaze, and he paused with an awkward “uh.”
Qian Laiye was familiar with that gaze. He had a young nephew who would make the same expression whenever he struggled with basic addition and subtraction within ten.
Wen Shi sighed. “You’ve already mentioned the correct answer earlier.”
The person inside the suitcase that had been observing in secret nodded vigorously. Displaying intelligence and insight, not needing words to mock others. Just one gaze was enough.
What an understanding and considerate good child!
The person inside the suitcase clutched their rapidly thumping chest, then quickly covered their mouth, as if they were about to blurt out the words “dear grandson.”
In the Sunflowers group chat, someone suddenly sent a voice message, “Quick, come to the restroom by Carriage No. 15!”
There seemed to be some intense thumping noises coming from that direction.
Qian Laiye: “Are we going?”
He wasn’t particularly worried about falling for a trick, but he was concerned about running out of time.
Wen Shi didn’t seem surprised that something was happening at this moment. He smiled and said, “Of course, let’s go.”
Standing a bit away from them, there were already quite a few players gathered ahead. Xiao Hua’s voice reached them before she did, “I’ve walked all the way from the front. If there’s a misunderstanding, you’ll be highly suspected.”
The player who sent the message was using their body to keep the restroom door from opening completely, and the sound of the door being bumped from inside could be heard, “Hurry, come quickly.”
Wen Shi glanced at the players who had arrived before them. There were still a few missing.
Xiao Hua understood his thoughts and said, “Gathering everyone here wastes time. Guild Leader Yu, and a few players near the front of the train will stay behind to continue searching for clues.”
After speaking, she glanced at the player blocking the restroom door and asked, “What’s happening inside?”
“Let me out.” Before the player inside could respond, cries for help could be heard coming from the restroom.
Everyone exchanged looks, thinking it might be a difficult-to-handle monster, only to find out that it was a person.
“It’s the shadow!” The player blocking the door recounted what had happened a short while ago, “I felt something was off when she was so eager to open boxes and rummage through luggage. So, I caught her trying to destroy some clues.”
Xiao Hua frowned and asked, “Explain clearly, what kind of clues?”
“I don’t know either. Her phone happened to fall near my feet, and when I bent down to pretend to help pick it up, I saw her sneakily using her fingernails to scratch something.”
Because of the rule that players couldn’t harm each other, there was still some uncertainty. The player decided to lock the person in the restroom for the moment.
“He’s lying!” The female player inside the restroom’s voice was nearly choked with sobs.
Li Nan, who hadn’t spoken until now, said, “Since everyone’s here, let’s release her.”
As the leader of the largest guild, his words carried authority. The player blocking the door took a couple of steps back, and due to inertia, the female player inside almost stumbled.
Wen Shi reached out and gave her arm a supportive touch.
Tian Shu gripped his arm tightly and pleaded, “You must believe me. It’s him who’s at fault!”
Li Nan checked her backpack and noticed that the date on one of the food bags had been scratched off.
Tian Shu voluntarily displayed her unblemished nails and said, “Moreover, where I scratched, nails couldn’t have caused such easy damage.”
The player blocking the door sneered, “Are you saying I’m falsely accusing you? What’s your angle?”
Tian Shu opened her mouth but struggled to get the words out, “Thief shouting thief.”
“There’s no reason for him to frame you, though,” another player chimed in.
Altering a date on a food bag wouldn’t necessarily reveal anything incriminating. Purposefully using it to frame someone wasn’t a convincing argument for the shadow. Keeping a low profile now was the wiser choice.
After that, someone else looked at Tian Shu and spoke, “When Pei Wenwei boarded the train, everyone was holding their breath against the bloody smell. Only you took a deep breath.”
Tian Shu was infuriated. “Have you ever heard of the story of the stolen axe? It’s all your psychological imagination.”
The person gave her a disdainful look, “You’re wrong. When a person takes a deep breath, their diaphragm contracts. Your chest looked quite a bit fuller at that moment.”
“……”
The more she defended herself, the more loopholes she revealed. Tian Shu sneered, “Fine, if you all think I’m the shadow, then take action.”
No one made a move. After all, killing the wrong person was suicidal.
Her attitude sparked anger among the group. The eyes of the player blocking the door flickered with a dangerous glint, “Find a way to get her alive outside the train.”
If she couldn’t get on the train, death was inevitable sooner or later.
Tian Shu’s defiant demeanor instantly weakened when she heard that. A hint of fear crossed her face.
Just before the group began discussing how to throw her out while keeping her alive, Li Nan suddenly turned to Wen Shi, “What do you think?”
Wen Shi knew that the guild leader was probably testing whether the investment in that team slot was worth it. He smiled and said, “Of course, I choose to believe her.”
As soon as he said that, aside from a few players like Li Nan who remained composed, the pupils of the rest of the group slightly contracted.
The player blocking the door anxiously said, “But she really…”
“She really isn’t the shadow,” Wen Shi interrupted, “The shadow who infiltrated and boarded this train is undoubtedly brave, cunning, and talented…”
After a string of adjectives, he patted his chest and concluded, “Just like my shadow.”
Perfectly inheriting the advantages of the original self.
This narcissism left everyone speechless, yet it had a valid point.
The player blocking the door furrowed his brows. “If she’s not the shadow, why would she intentionally act suspicious?”
Wen Shi didn’t answer, he walked straight up to Tian Shu and helped her tuck her disheveled hair behind her ear, “You’ve been through a scare.”
His gentle tone and friendly gesture made her feel a chill run down her spine. She cautiously asked, “You really… won’t throw me outside the train?”
Wen Shi smiled, handing her the brochure with the blood writing, and answered the previous player’s question, “Her actions were to ensure her identity remained hidden. The sooner she acted, the better.”
The player frowned deeply.
“All the other clues clearly mention ‘Shadow is ***,’ except for one, which was uniformly written on the travel agency brochure.”
The player suddenly realized something and broke out in a cold sweat on the spot.
The brochure mentioned paying attention to items not belonging to passengers and guessing their source. The seemingly valueless repeated clues were similar to a piece of information the game had disclosed earlier: players needed to board a train with the colored flag.
His throat moved as he slowly said two words, “Colored flag.”
And there was only one person who would place the colored flag.
“Guiding tourists to board the correct journey is the tour guide’s duty.” The clarity of the young peach-blossom eyes from his younger years still showed in Wen Shi’s smile. “If we lose you, who will lead the way? Miss Tour Guide.”
As soon as the words fell, many players turned their gazes towards Tian Shu.
Normally, a tour guide wouldn’t accompany tourists on a train journey, but this trip was clearly exceptional. Thirty passengers all departing from the same station at the same time. The game emphasized finding the shadow, causing them to forget the presence of the tour guide.
Breathing halted for a few seconds as Tian Shu weakly smiled, “What tour guide?”
“Travel contracts are usually signed before trips. Let me guess, does the contract include a provision against harming the tour guide? Pretend to be the shadow, and manipulate tourists into harming you. The previous group of passengers probably suffered this fate…” Unlike the smile on his face, the teenager’s eyes turned chillingly dreadful. Three words almost whispered near her ear, “Quite the player.”
Tian Shu’s complexion changed completely.
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