Chapter 240: Train No. 444 – Part 3

Chapter 240: Train No. 444 - Part 3

The train hummed as it moved forward.

The doors had long been shut tight, and on either side of the tracks, rotting corpses roared and tried to jump onto the train, only to be caught in the rolling wheels.

The players paused, checking the information about the strange tale on their attribute panels.

"Strange Tale Name: Train No. 444 – The Death Express"

"Status: Ongoing"

"Strange Tale Description: An old train speeds across an endless wasteland. You sit by the window, gazing out at the scenery, silently pondering: Where will this train go?"

"Strange Tale Hint: This train's single journey takes 3 days. It will make its first stop 24 hours after departure."

"Clearance Requirement: Get off at the correct station."

...

In Carriage No. 1, around twenty people were scattered throughout.

After the train started, the players discovered that the doors connecting each carriage had been locked, isolating one carriage from another.

Currently, in Carriage No. 1, most of the passengers were members of Black Feather and Dark Fire. The few remaining individuals had gathered together instinctively.

The interior structure of the train was similar to that of an old-fashioned green-skinned train, with rows of seats facing each other, separated by tables.

After experiencing a wave of attacks from the rotting corpses, the atmosphere inside the train became inexplicably tense, and everyone looked uneasy.

Lu Cheng reached out and tapped the table, trying to sound relaxed. "Not bad, this table is quite suitable for a meeting."

No one responded.

Gala and Cen San Ya were having a low conversation, as were the members of Dark Fire.

Not far away, five solo players who had formed an alliance were quietly observing the members of the two guilds, unsure if they were being cautious or simply watching.

Qin Fei sat next to the source of contamination, his gaze sweeping past the nearby window.

Just moments ago, it had been daytime outside; now, mere minutes after departure, it had quickly darkened.

Once again, there was the familiar, gray fog.

After the train started, nothing changed inside; there were no additional system prompts or new NPCs appearing.

Initially, the players cautiously observed their surroundings, wary of accidentally causing trouble, but soon they began to get restless and started inspecting various corners.

Near the connection to Carriage No. 2, the solo players divided up to search under the seats and the overhead luggage racks.

The aisle was narrow, making it difficult for everyone to move around, so two of the five did not participate in the search but stood in front of the seats, casually touching things while talking to their teammates.

"I think this transitional strange tale won't be too difficult. It's probably a puzzle-solving type."

The player speaking was a slightly overweight man wearing glasses, glancing repeatedly towards Black Feather and Dark Fire as he spoke.

In the confined space, the five solo players were clearly at a disadvantage both in numbers and strength, which made them feel uneasy.

The glasses-wearing man's opinion piqued the interest of many.

Standing opposite him was a red-haired female player, who straightened up upon hearing this. "Why do you say that?"

"The clearance rules have already made it clear," the glasses-wearing man adjusted his glasses.

"This train travels for three days, and neither the destination nor the stops along the way are specified.

Where is the destination of this train? Which stations will we pass through? What are they like?

All these details need to be explored by us."

He continued confidently.

"The clearance requirement is 'get off at the correct station.'

Since this train is a transitional strange tale leading to the core strange tale, one of the stops must be the entrance to the core strange tale.

Additionally, there should be another stop where we can directly leave the train and return to the Weird Tales Hotel.

Other stops might be more dangerous; getting off at the wrong station could lead to a dead end."

The glasses-wearing man spoke with enthusiasm, spittle flying, and his cheeks trembling slightly.

"That makes sense!" someone from the temporary team exclaimed, slapping their thigh, "Brother Wen Tao truly lives up to the title of 'Brain.'"

The polite yet exaggerated compliment earned a smug smile from the glasses-wearing man.

A few rows away, the members of Black Feather exchanged glances, their expressions somewhat peculiar.

"Brain," Mi Yang mused over the title he had just overheard.

Having spent so much time in the central city, how had he never heard of any famous player nicknamed 'Brain'?

Could it be a self-proclaimed title?

The red-haired girl showed no reaction after listening, merely glancing at the glasses-wearing man before her searching movements became even faster.

The glasses-wearing man remained deeply engrossed in his high-intensity monologue:

"We must search the entire train as quickly as possible. Clues are likely distributed throughout the train, and we need to find a way to check the other carriages."

This is an invisible race. The system prompt mentioned: the train will make its first stop after one day.

Therefore, these 24 hours are our golden opportunity to gather information."

Glasses once again delivered crucial information: "I speculate that the core weird tale's station will appear very early, and it might even be the first stop."

The supportive man once again responded appropriately: "Why do you say that?"

Glasses shook his head: "Do you remember the player who provided us with the information about the weird tales?"

None of the players on this train were the first to try something new.

The player who brought the 'transitional weird tale' information to the Weird Tales Hotel was the first one to board the Train No. 444.

Whether he found key clues on the train or used his skills or items to uncover secrets, he knew about the existence of the core weird tale before anyone else in the entire guild competition.

"Since he knew about the core weird tale, why didn't he go himself?" Wen Tao, with his thick glasses like the bottom of beer bottles, couldn't hide his sharp gaze as he posed a pointed question.

"Was it because he didn't want to?"

The supportive man instinctively shook his head: "No, that's impossible."

No player could resist the immense temptation of ending the guild competition early.

Wen Tao nodded: "Right, that's impossible."

"If he wanted to go, why didn't he?"

"Do you not go to Tsinghua University because you don't want to?

No! It's because you can't!"

Wen Tao declared loudly.

"Therefore, the reason the player didn't go himself but instead shared the information with others is the same—he can no longer go."

"That person boarded Train No. 444 and worked hard to find clues to solve the weird tale;

however, when he finally discovered the most valuable secret of the weird tale, he was already far from the correct station!"

"From this, we can deduce that the core weird tale's station will appear very early, which is also a challenge set by the transitional weird tale for us."

Glasses spoke passionately like a speaker, and the expressions of everyone on the train varied.

...

In Black Feather's seat.

Cen San Ya looked up, his snowy eyelashes covering his eyes, and turned toward Qin Fei: "What do you think?"

Gala remained silent, also wanting to hear Xiao Qin's opinion.

Qin Fei smiled, tapped his knuckles on the table: "I think Brother Wen Tao is right."

Right.

But not entirely right.

Qin Fei believed that Brother Wen Tao was probably oversimplifying things.

Although this is a transitional weird tale, ultimately, the name 'transitional weird tale' was given by the players themselves.

There is no evidence to suggest that the existence of the train weird tale is solely to allow players to smoothly enter the core weird tale.

Moreover, Qin Fei had a vague premonition:

If the so-called 'core weird tale' really contains fragments of corruption and can determine the survival of the entire guild competition,

then, as the only passage and entry screening method, the difficulty of the train weird tale should be higher instead.

Just choosing a few stations to get off seems too easy.

Qin Fei's voice floated softly:

"Did the previous player really spread the news because they missed the entrance to the core weird tale?"

The young man sat in the corner, divided into two halves by the shadows outside the window and the light above, making his pale eyes look exceptionally clear, as if he could easily see through people's hearts.

"I guess, probably not."

If the reason behind it was just that simple, the player could have kept it to themselves and boarded Bus No. 14 again after three days to re-enter the Train No. 444 weird tale.

There are no rules stating that players cannot repeat entering a weird tale.

It's just that repeating weird tales is inefficient, time-consuming, and yields fewer points, so no one wants to do it.

"Brother Wen Tao's reasoning has a flaw.

The reason the player got off the train and returned to the hotel isn't just because they missed the entrance to the core weird tale."

There is another more likely possibility.

"He was scared."

Something happened on this train that scared that player.

A more intense emotion than the desire for victory is the fear of death.

"Wen Tao is right; our most pressing task now is indeed to uncover information about the train station."

"But."

"Who has guaranteed us that while we seek the secrets of the train, no other terrible things will happen?"

Qin Fei's voice was kept low, audible only to those nearby. The dimly lit carriage echoed with an ominous atmosphere, yet he remained seated calmly.

The others either frowned slightly or wore thoughtful expressions.

Only Qin Fei smiled gently and warmly, as if everything he was saying had nothing to do with him.

The source of contamination sat quietly beside him, and it seemed as though an invisible barrier separated them from the others.

Time ticked by, and one by one, Xie Jingtian and the others returned to their seats.

They brought back quite a few items.

This train was not clean; it looked like someone had just used it and hadn't cleaned up. Various personal belongings were left on the seats and floor, and even a few bags were still on the luggage racks.

Xie Jingtian dumped everything they found onto the central table, a hodgepodge of items. Some were sorted out and placed to one side.

These were three small black cards, with "444 Train Rule Card" embossed in gold on the back.

The front also had gold-embossed text:

"The train will stop at three stations."

"Unsolvable world, safe world, and the true final station"

"30min"

Three cards, three rule messages.

Gala squinted his eyes: "The content of the first two cards is continuous."

The train stops at three stations, corresponding to three worlds.

The "safe world" likely refers to the hotel;

The "true final station" is the core urban legend.

As for the unsolvable world, there's no need to elaborate.

But what does "30min" mean?

Mi Yang stared at the rule card, looking frustrated: "Who writes these rules? Are they all riddlers?"

It's bad enough to split a rule into two parts, but then they have to use such cryptic language.

Qin Fei reached out, holding up the "30min" card, a hint of contemplation crossing his eyes.

Thirty minutes.

Does the rule card refer to "thirty minutes after departure" or "every thirty minutes"?

What happens after thirty minutes?

Qin Fei's gaze swept over the clock hanging high across the carriage.

The minute hand had already moved several large segments and was about to be perpendicular to the ground.