See the Law of Deception

Chapter 1 Sheepskin and Tickets

Early spring.

As the weather warmed up, it should have been a beautiful spring day with flowers blooming. If Lu Jinzhao's college roommate, Lin Zhao, hadn't suddenly jumped off the dormitory building and smashed her head open on this day...

Worse still, the night before Lin Zhao fell to her death, she held Lu Jinzhao's hand tightly and asked him a few strange questions.

"Little Deer, do you believe in ghosts?"

"Believe it or not, you must remember that I am not trying to harm you."

"I put my things in locker number 504 on the underground platform of the train station. The password is 144."

When questioned by the police, Lu Jinzhao was unable to utter these strange sentences for some reason. Every time he tried to speak, it was as if something was stuck in his throat, and he could not continue.

Ultimately, Lin Zhao's death was ruled a suicide, as surveillance footage clearly captured the entire process of her suddenly leaving her dormitory and climbing onto the rooftop late at night.

However, there were rumors circulating among the students that Lin Zhao seemed to have struggled and hesitated for a long time before jumping off the rooftop, and that the way she finally jumped was very strange, as if she had been pushed off by something.

But this is just a rumor; no one dares to say they witnessed it with their own eyes.

At first, Lu Jinzhao didn't understand what Lin Zhao meant by "thing" until she discovered that her "talisman" was missing.

Calling it a "talisman" is not accurate; more accurately, it was a keepsake left to her by her parents—a piece of sheepskin the size of a palm.

Considering that she could not tell anyone else Lin Zhao's "last words," Lu Jinzhao felt that things seemed to be getting a little strange.

But she must get the amulet back.

There is only one operating train station in Yuncheng. When Lu Jinzhao went there, even though it wasn't a holiday, the train station was still bustling with people.

Having made thorough preparations, Lu Jinzhao arrived at the underground platform. After checking the overhead surveillance cameras and the security personnel not far away, she walked to the locker and found the one Lin Zhao had mentioned.

Enter your password. Password correct.

With a bang, the locker door popped open.

Lu Jinzhao looked over and saw the few items placed in the cabinet: a palm-sized brown sheepskin and a white card.
"Did you write something?"

Lu Jinzhao took out two items. The card was stacked on top of the sheepskin. It was the same size as a train ticket, but it was blank.

Just as Lu Jinzhao was wondering, suddenly, she felt a sharp pain in the fingertips holding the paper, as if a needle had pierced her finger. The next instant, like a scene from a science fiction movie, the pure white card began to change color from where she was holding it.

The black and white patterns gradually spread across the entire card, and the originally white paper instantly transformed into a black, old-fashioned train ticket that exuded an eeriness.

"Train ticket?"

Lu Jinzhao looked at it carefully and confirmed that it was indeed a train ticket. The ticket contained a lot of strange information, which seemed like some kind of prank or a prop from a horror movie. What made her even more uncomfortable was that her name was engraved on the train ticket.

"Class D train, from Yuncheng Station to Thailand?"

Are you kidding me?
"Departure time is half an hour later, and there's still no seat available."

The amount displayed is 100, and below it is written [Limited to ride on the same day and on the same train].

This is all the information on the ticket. It has less information than a normal ticket, and the color is so strange that it looks like a train ticket to the underworld.

What am I thinking?

Putting aside whether ghosts really exist, the fact that this train ticket is from Yuncheng to Thailand is just too ridiculous!

As she pondered, the stinging pain in her fingers had long since disappeared, as if it were just an illusion. Lu Jinzhao picked up the ticket to look at the back, but her gaze froze when she saw the sheepskin underneath.

She had originally thought that the blank paper where words should have appeared was blank, but now there was an extra line of words on the parchment where words shouldn't have appeared.

Do you believe in ghosts?

Lu Jinzhao's expression was not good. She subconsciously thought that Lin Zhao was responsible, after all, Lin Zhao had asked her that question while holding her hand that night.

The sheepskin held special significance for her. Lu Jinzhao had carried it with her and protected it extremely well all these years. How could she remain calm now that someone had written words on it with red ink?
However, the next second, what she thought was red ink suddenly melted, dissolving from the sheepskin like blood. A large amount of red liquid seeped into the sheepskin and disappeared, leaving only two bright red characters.

[There's a ghost]

"What is it?"

Lu Jinzhao felt a chill run down her spine. She had to admit that, although she didn't know what kind of trick it was, she did feel a little scared for a moment.

But this wasn't the end. Blood-red foam continued to emerge from the sheepskin, as if the newly seeped red liquid was causing indigestion. As the foam increased, a line of text reappeared.

Look around

All around?

Lu Jinzhao's body stiffened. Only after Yang Pi's "reminder" did she suddenly realize that the train station had become unusually quiet.

No sound could be heard at all, whether it was the sound of people moving around, trains coming in and out of the station, or the occasional announcements; all of these had disappeared without a trace.

She looked up and immediately discovered a horrifying truth:

Disappeared.

Both the staff and the flow of people disappeared along with the sound.

The huge train station seemed to have only her there at that moment.

The light gradually dimmed without us even noticing. It had been sunny when we came in, but now it felt like a storm was about to break.

Lu Jinzhao inevitably thought of the two words he had just seen on the sheepskin: "There is a ghost."

What else can explain the current situation besides "paranormal"?

Even if it were a prank, no one would use the entire Yuncheng Railway Station to cooperate!

It's even more impossible for any terrorist attack to be carried out so silently in this day and age. She didn't hear a sound at all; everything happened silently within minutes!
An ominous premonition lingered in Lu Jinzhao's mind, and goosebumps rose uncontrollably on her arms, as if her subconscious was warning her that her current situation was extremely dangerous.

She thought of something and looked down at the ticket and the sheepskin again. Sure enough, new words appeared on the sheepskin.

You're dying.

No.

That's not what she wanted to see.

The sheepskin seemed to know what she was thinking and continued to change its words. [Boarding the train will give you a chance to survive.]

If you don't get on the bus, you're doomed.

Lu Jinzhao was completely bewildered by the situation and couldn't help but ask, "What exactly is that train?"

Is this strange ticket in my hand the one I'm using to board that train?
Sheepskin did not answer her, but instead uttered the last line of text.

Paying a price to survive

Then, the blood-written words disappeared, and no matter what Lu Jinzhao said, Yangpi no longer responded.

A gust of wind blew into the underground station, chilling Lu Jinzhao's already cold body. She couldn't control the terrible thoughts that kept popping into her head. After all, no matter how you looked at it, she seemed to have encountered some kind of bizarre supernatural event.

Is what the sheepskin said true?
Is this ticket real?

Is there really a train that she has to get on, or she will die?

She thought of Lin Zhao again. Now she finally understood the strange things he had said. But Lin Zhao had also said that he was not trying to harm her. It is said that a person's words are kind when they are about to die. But now, no matter how you look at it, it was Lin Zhao's actions that put her in this situation.

why?
They were both freshmen, and although they weren't very familiar with each other, they certainly hadn't developed any conflicts.

"Forget it, there's no point in thinking about it now."

Her immediate priority was to figure out whether all of this was real or fake; simply standing here and letting her imagination run wild would not yield any results.

Lu Jinzhao wandered around for a while and then realized one thing: she couldn't leave the underground platform.

Whether in the elevator or the stairs, she would be trapped in a maze-like situation, unable to leave, with no cell phone signal, and unable to make even an emergency call.

"Looks like I really have seen a ghost."

A bitter smile appeared on the girl's face. Her experience could no longer be explained by "science". Even though she pretended to be calm, only Lu Jinzhao knew that the back of her clothes was soaked with cold sweat and her legs were weak. She was only able to move because of her willpower.

Even though she felt terrified and scared because of what she was experiencing, her heart was pounding, cold sweat was pouring down her forehead, and her brain was buzzing, Lu Jinzhao was not so frightened that she could not move. She could even maintain basic thinking. Lu Jinzhao admitted that she was not exceptionally smart, but she knew better than most people how to stay calm.

Having confirmed that the next step is unavoidable, perhaps it's time to check the ticket gate. After all, to board the train, you have to get a ticket, right?

Thinking this, Lu Jinzhao walked towards the ticket gate, but after only a few steps, he heard a series of hurried footsteps coming from the stairs behind him.

It's as if someone is rushing here in a hurry, afraid of missing the train that's about to depart.

Lu Jinzhao had no intention of hiding. Based on the information she had gathered, she guessed that there was no danger inside the station at the moment. The danger would likely arise after boarding the train, or rather, after the train arrived at the station and she was not boarding, or after she was already on the train.

It's not time yet, the train hasn't arrived at the station.

Sure enough, as the footsteps drew closer, a figure gradually emerged. It was a young woman of about 26 or 27 years old. Her hands were empty, she was dressed casually, and she kept walking while muttering to herself, "Thank goodness, I was almost late. Luckily, I made it in time."

When she looked up after descending the stairs and entering the underground station, she noticed Lu Jinzhao staring directly at her from a short distance away.

"Eh?"

"An unfamiliar face, are you a new passenger boarding this time?"

Upon hearing these two sentences, Lu Jinzhao confirmed that, just as she had thought, the person coming down the stairs was a living person, and someone like her who was about to "board the train."

Upon confirming this, she couldn't help but feel a sense of absurdity rising within her. Could such an absurd thing really be happening?
Thinking this to herself, Lu Jinzhao already wore a polite smile: "I think so?"

The newcomer seemed completely unsuspecting of the strangers who had suddenly appeared on the platform. This attitude further confirmed Lu Jinzhao's suspicion that there was no danger on the platform, at least not before the train stopped.

"It seems there are a few new names on this list. I wonder if the others have arrived yet."

The man walked towards Lu Jinzhao and said in a very familiar manner, "Come on, I'll take you to the waiting room first. The others are there too."

Lu Jinzhao did not refuse, and followed behind her, asking as they walked, "Can I ask what the situation is now?"

"Sure, but we might not have enough time now. There are only about ten minutes left before we board the train, and we'll have to check our tickets soon. How about this, there will be some time between boarding and our arrival at the station, and I'll explain everything to you in detail then."

The man seemed easy to talk to and quickly led Lu Jinzhao to the waiting room. Once inside, Lu Jinzhao discovered that there were actually seven other people in the underground station that she thought was deserted.

With the two of them included, there are now nine people in total.

"You're here? How come you were almost late again?"

After the woman entered the room, someone looked at her with dissatisfaction and then looked at Lu Jinzhao: "The third newcomer, there's only one left. You haven't met her yet, it seems you're too late."

She shook her head. Suddenly, a boy who was probably a newcomer like Lu Jinchao asked, "What if we run out of time?"

Lu Jinzhao thought of the words on the sheepskin: "I will die."

"will die."

Some people gave an affirmative answer.

During the conversation, Lu Jinzhao briefly observed everyone present. These people were of different ages, and judging from their temperament, their professions were probably also different. Including himself, there were nine people in total, five women and four men. Among them, some people showed obvious fear and unease on their faces, who were probably "newcomers" like himself.

But even the elderly women didn't look relaxed; in fact, they carried an indescribable solemnity.

Then, Lu Jinzhao looked at a screen on the right front of the waiting room, which displayed the message "Waiting Information".

[Train class arriving at this station: D]

[Number of passengers on this trip: 10]

[List of personnel: Liu Haoyu, Yang Junjie, Zhou Wenbo, Xu Lei, Lin Shuyue, Cen Duo, Fang Pandan, Feng Xinxin, Jiang Yingzhi, Lu Jinzhao]

[This site: Summoning Ghosts]

[Rumor has it that many methods for seeing ghosts exist among the people, and ten of them, which are widely circulated, have even been made into a movie called "Ten Methods for Seeing Ghosts."]

Can those methods really make you see ghosts?

[Go to a bookstore and buy a copy of "Ten Methods to See Ghosts." Each person will randomly select one method to complete the task. Methods cannot be repeated. After 12 hours, board the return train to complete the mission.]

— Rumble
The rumble of an old-fashioned train gradually approached from afar, and the person clearly in the lead in the waiting room stood up and looked in the direction of the station.

"Let's go, the car is here."

(End of this chapter)