I slay demons and monsters in a bizarre city.

Chapter 21 Psychosis

This time it was even shorter, only a little over three minutes.

After the red countdown ended, was it going to be another ghost train at sea? But this time was different from last time. The bronze shrine in Li Changgeng's mind contained two cards, which could definitely solve the problem if summoned. Li Changgeng was also more carefree this time.

This countdown is really persistent; it seems to only appear within the home area. Li Changgeng decided to stay at his workplace so he wouldn't have to enter the countdown. As the time got shorter, to confirm his idea, Li Changgeng picked up the fruit knife on the table, wrapped it in a cloth, and put it in his pocket.

Can real-world items actually be brought onto the ghost train?

We need to figure out what's going on with this red countdown.

With less than two minutes left, Li Changgeng was still a little nervous. Every time he had a bizarre encounter, he was on the verge of death. He hoped that this time would be better.

This damn red countdown number!
Time ticked by, and finally, six zeros appeared.

The dazzling white light gradually expanded in front of Li Changgeng, covering more and more areas. Everything in front of him was swallowed up by the white light, and the horizon of the distant city was also shrouded in a hazy white light. This time it was almost exactly the same as last time.

Li Changgeng lost consciousness, and the familiar voice of the train conductor gradually rang in his ears.

"Welcome aboard the sea train, passengers. We are happy to serve you. The next stop is Black Sea City Station. Passengers who are getting off at Black Sea City Station, please prepare to disembark in advance."

Li Changgeng woke up to a familiar train carriage and a familiar seat. This time, he had truly arrived at the Ghost Train again, seat number 46 in carriage 3, by the aisle. The seats opposite and around Li Changgeng were full of people. The digital screen at the rear of the carriage displayed the temperature inside the carriage and the real-time speed of the train.

In the game "Mythical Descent," an octopus girl appeared in carriage number five. Originally, the ghost train didn't have carriage number five; only carriage number four contained the skeletal Grim Reaper, guiding players through the rules of death. However, when Li Changgeng arrived in carriage number four, the general plot remained, and the skeletal Grim Reaper was still there, only the rules of death had changed. This means the plot and game content were altered to some extent, and it wasn't the entirety of Li Changgeng's original game design. This diminished Li Changgeng's advantage, given his omniscient, god-like perspective.

He touched his pocket and found that the fruit knife was gone, which proved Li Changgeng's idea that things from the real world could not be brought into the world to which the red number countdown was transmitted.

Using his mind, Li Changgeng was somewhat relieved to find that the bronze shrine was still intact.

"Passenger No. 46, please go to the train conductor's office at the end of carriage 3. Passenger No. 46, please go to the train conductor's office immediately." The announcer's voice was abrupt, and the passengers around Li Changgeng looked at him with surprise. They all knew their seat numbers and obviously knew that Li Changgeng was in seat No. 46.

Li Changgeng stood up and straightened his clothes. This plot hadn't happened before. What did the train conductor want with him?
According to the setting of the previous game "Mythical Descent", a terrifying monster appeared in carriage number 3, and almost everyone in that carriage died.

The train conductor's office door was tightly closed, so Li Changgeng gently knocked on it.

"Come in, Li Changgeng."

A young man's voice came from inside the house.

Li Changgeng wasn't particularly surprised; it wasn't difficult for the train conductor to know his name.

Lin Mo, Li Ying's attending physician at Black Sea City Hospital?

Stepping into the train conductor's office, Li Changgeng couldn't remain calm. This person was Lin Mo, absolutely, without a doubt.

Lin Mo, dressed in the blue uniform of a train conductor, with bright, piercing eyes, was tidying up the messy photos on his desk. "Mr. Li Changgeng, please sit down!" Lin Mo gestured for Li Changgeng to sit down, then flipped through a few more photos and sighed, "Mr. Li Changgeng, there's a reason I called you here. Both ends of this carriage are now welded shut. In other words, no one can escape, not even something that isn't human."

Li Changgeng was completely bewildered. It was clear that Lin Mo didn't recognize him at all, nor could he understand what Lin Mo meant by those words.

They also said that even if the two ends of the carriage were welded shut, couldn't the train's windows still be used to escape?

"I know this is hard to believe, do you know what a fox demon is? You know, the kind of fox demon that has cultivated for thousands of years!" Lin Mo gestured wildly, his eyes wide, and his breathing became rapid. "There are man-eating fox demons, fox demons wearing human skin, or fox demons that are good at transforming into human form in our carriage number 3."

"The police department has given the order: even if everyone in carriage number 3 dies, we cannot let the fox demon escape. We must kill the fox demon!"

"Time is running out. If the train stops at Black Sea City Station, the seals at both ends of carriage number 3 will lose their power. Once the fox demon leaves this train, wouldn't that be like releasing a tiger back into the mountains? No, to be more precise, it's like releasing a fox back into the city. The people of Black Sea City will be in trouble!"

Li Changgeng swallowed hard. The plot had indeed changed. After the unexpected addition of carriage number 5, everything seemed to have changed.

Lin Mo's train conductor's office was messy, filled with books and picture albums about fox spirits, and the walls were covered with many portraits of fox spirits, clearly showing he was a fox spirit enthusiast.

Li Changgeng had always felt that there was something wrong with Lin Mo's mental state, but seeing Lin Mo's condition and his flickering pupils, he realized that Lin Mo's mental state was indeed problematic.

"What should we do? Why are you looking for me?" Li Changgeng finally met someone whose mental state was even more chaotic than his own.

"Aren't you a demon hunter? I searched for you online. Only if you and I team up can we catch this fox demon." Lin Mo held his phone screen up to Li Changgeng. "Isn't this you? Li Changgeng, Master Li!"

When Li Changgeng looked, he realized that the man was indeed performing a ritual to exorcise demons. When did he become a demon-catching master?
"Uh, okay, even if I were a demon-hunting master, there are about a hundred passengers in carriage number 3. Are you sure who is the fox demon?" Li Changgeng looked at Lin Mo's shifty eyes and really wanted to slap him. This kid must have gone "mad" from studying fox demons.

"Look, I took photos of each passenger using the train's 360-degree high-definition cameras, and I also retrieved photos of passengers' ID cards from the passenger information system. After comparing them, I found the problem."

Lin Mo swept the photos on the table with his arm, scattering them on the floor.

With trembling lips, she said excitedly, "These three people, passengers number 21, 22, and 23, these three beautiful girls are sitting in a row, but they all look exactly alike and are dressed exactly the same. Do you believe there are triplets? That's impossible. One of them must be a fox demon! You are a demon hunter, use your magic to expose their true forms."

Triplets do exist, and this kind of judgment is too perfunctory.

However, it is indeed a bit unbelievable and strange that three people who look and dress the same are sitting in a row!

"I'll go take a look first." Li Changgeng pretended to be nonchalant. He passed by seat number 21 and took a special look. Sure enough, there were three beautiful women who looked exactly alike and were wearing crimson Tang Dynasty princess dresses.

The atmosphere in the carriage was strange, completely different from when he went to Lin Mo's office earlier. The passengers all had mournful faces, their heads hanging down in unison, with blood dripping down their faces.

“Their essence and soul have been absorbed, it’s your turn!” the three women said to Li Changgeng in unison, smiles playing on their lips.

……

(End of this chapter)