A Manual for Surviving a Weird World

Chapter 406 Notfonud
After some conversation, Ning Zhe learned that only Miao Miaomiao, the girl, had received a train ticket from a messenger, while her boyfriend Ding Wei had come with her.

The reason for bringing the camera was to film the trip – Ding Wei is a video blogger who likes to update content such as his daily life preparing for the postgraduate entrance exam, local customs, and urban legends. He was very interested in what his girlfriend had experienced this morning.

Ning Zhe glanced at the status indicator light on his camera: "Are you recording now?"

Ding Wei nodded and said, "That's right, it's always on. I brought a pack of spare batteries so that the recording wouldn't be interrupted."

As he spoke, he pointed to the backpack behind him, which was bulging with a lot of things.

"If you post a video, remember to blur our faces," Ning Zhe said casually.

"Okay, I'll be careful." Ding Wei's attitude was very kind, with a beaming smile on his face. It was clear that he was the kind of sunny and cheerful young man who was usually very popular. "By the way, who is this lady?"

This refers to Feng Yushu. Considering that Bai Fugui had recently been all over the news, and Ding Wei is an online video blogger, he probably recognized the aunt's face. Ning Zhe thought for a moment and said, "Same as you."

Feng Yushu was somewhat surprised to hear this, then smiled sweetly and silently took Ning Zhe's hand.

Upon seeing this, the two men revealed gossipy expressions of "I knew it," but out of politeness, they did not press the matter further. After exchanging a few words, they sat down together on the bench and waited for the departure time on their tickets.

While we were waiting, several more people came into the museum. Among them were two twin brothers, who were tall and strong. Both of them were students at Yundu Sports School. The older brother was named Zhang Genshuo and the younger brother was named Zhang Genjian.

There was also a refined-looking young man wearing gold-rimmed glasses, a turtleneck sweater, and a Chester coat. He was a professional stock trader who had achieved financial freedom through stock trading, named Xu Beicheng.

As of 17:55 PM, there were seven people in the museum: Ding Wei, Miao Miaomiao, Zhang Genshuo, Zhang Genjian, Xu Beicheng, Ning Zhe, and Feng Yushu.

The group exchanged information briefly in the museum's basement.

Of the seven people present, only Miao Miaomiao, Zhang Genshuo, Xu Beicheng, and Ning Zhe came here with train tickets after receiving the letter; the other three were traveling with their lovers or brothers.

There were 14 minutes left until the departure time on the ticket.

"No one else should be coming." Xu Beichen folded up his gold-rimmed glasses and put them away. He then took out a small mirror from his pocket and put on his contact lenses.

Watching the time tick away on her phone and the sky darken outside, Miao Miaomiao felt a little panicked and said, "Could it be a prank? The messenger who delivered the letter, although he looked lifelike, as if a corpse had really come back to life, might just be someone in disguise?"

"Who's so bored as to cosplay a dead person and go around playing pranks on people?" Zhang Genshuo, the PE student, looked away from Miao Miaomiao's legs and said, "With the strict enforcement in Yundu City lately, anyone dressed like a dead person and wandering around would have been arrested long ago."

Xu Beichen put on his contact lenses, put the small mirror back in his pocket, and nodded, saying, "Zhang Genshuo is right. We just exchanged information with each other. Our residences are quite scattered, and apart from Ning Zhe, we all received the envelopes at the same time—around 5 or 6 a.m.."

Ning Zhe nodded slightly: "Miao Miaomiao lives in the girls' dormitory of Yunhang University in the new city district, while the sports school where the Zhang brothers are located is in the west of the old city district. Xu Beicheng lives in a villa by Yunmengze Lake. The places where they live are far apart, but they were all visited by the same messenger at almost the same time."

Everyone here knows the traffic situation in Yundu. Even in the ideal situation where there is no traffic jam, it takes an hour and a half to drive from the old town to the shore of Yunmengze. This is even if you drive at high speed and ignore traffic lights the whole way.

"Time is almost up," Feng Yushu said softly, leaning on Ning Zhe's shoulder.

As they chatted, time slipped by and it became 6:08 PM, less than a minute before the departure time indicated on their tickets. A collective silence fell over them; the museum hall, usually bustling with visitors, was so quiet you could hear a pin drop.

The seconds ticked down, and the time came to 18:09.

The moon is rising.

Unbeknownst to the seven people in the underground exhibition hall, a thin wisp of night had quietly tinged the azure sky, and a crescent moon, as slender as an eyebrow, had silently climbed the horizon, casting a hazy glow over the world where a hundred ghosts roamed at night.

In that brief moment of haziness, the light and shadow shifted abruptly.

Suddenly, bright lights illuminated the gloomy burial pit, and a cacophony of voices filled the air as traffic surged along the road.

Across the street, a shopping mall was holding a discount event, and crowds were packed in front of the entrance. Street food vendors hurriedly dodged the city management officers, and the aroma of barbecue and seafood wafted from afar.

Ning Zhe sat by the bustling platform, his eyes stinging from the sudden flash of light.

The metallic scraping of a train as it stopped reached my ears, and the sounds of leather shoes and high heels striking the ground rose and fell. The temperature seemed to be dropping, and an indescribable chill filled the air.

Feng Yushu hugged Ning Zhe's arm tightly, opened her eyes, and looked around:

The previously closed and dark environment has long since disappeared. The spacious waiting hall is brightly lit, the central air conditioning is blowing out cool air, and the tiles underfoot are clean and tidy. A bustling and vibrant subway station is now in front of you.

A train was parked at the platform not far behind the ticket gate.

Xu Beichen was stunned for a moment, then quickly took out his ticket from his pocket and checked the train number: "This is the train."

Before he finished speaking, Ning Zhe had already led Feng Yushu to the ticket gate, and Miao Miaomiao's surprised voice came from behind: "Awei, did you record everything?"

"Recording, recording!" Ding Wei, holding the camera, and Miao Miaomiao hurriedly followed Ning Zhe and Feng Yushu onto the platform, muttering to themselves, "This is too bizarre. Will it be accused of being AI-generated if we post it online..."

As this thought occurred to him, Ding Wei suddenly felt a cool, soft touch on the back of his neck, causing him to stiffen.

He subconsciously turned around and saw a middle-aged woman holding a child standing behind him, giving him an apologetic smile. A little girl with two braids sat in her mother's arms, leaning forward and tilting her head back to reach out her chubby little hand to him, giggling.

The cool touch he felt just now was from the girl's fingertips touching his neck.

Looking at the girl's cute face as she giggled, Ding Wei's mind went blank. The brightly lit subway station was bustling with people, and behind him, the line for ticket inspection stretched for a very long time.

"Where did all these people come from?!"

(End of this chapter)