Isn't Ghost Thing Mary?

Of course, Qin Shang's joy didn't last long before it was replaced by solemnity.

This was because 'Heart-to-Heart Sister' was also a passenger in this round!

The mission details hadn't revealed many clues.

After all, Train Conductor Jack attacked players indiscriminately. He had just concluded that the God Slayer or their Accomplice might not be familiar with Jack's attack patterns.

Therefore, the Accomplice in their team could very well die by Train Conductor Jack's hands!

Immediately, he subconsciously opened the skill tab.

[Skills; Inheritance, Decipher (Teacher, Cooldown 09:27), Heal (Doctor, Cooldown 09:27)]

A nine-hour and twenty-seven-minute cooldown...

The previous [Inheritance] was my own professional skill as a Con artist, with no time limit.

As for the latter two, they originated from the Teacher and the Doctor respectively.

Counting the time since we entered this round, there are only a little over nine hours left?

The last round, when I finished, Path of the Gods indicated that I had passed the first round in fifteen hours.

The total exploration time for the Death Train instance was thirty-six hours.

So, after taking fifteen hours to finish the first round, I only have nine hours left for the second?

That's not right. It only took me fifteen hours to pass last round.

The exploration time for [Death Train] is thirty-six hours. I only entered the second round, so why are there only nine hours left?

Qin Shang's expression froze, and then he realized where the missing twelve hours had gone.

Damn it, Path of the Gods actually counted the event where it sent me back to reality for a break!

Shit!

Qin Shang cursed inwardly. While his thoughts raced, the shadowy figure that had just killed 'Heart-to-Heart Sister' not far away turned its pale, vacant eyes towards Qin Shang and the other person on the corridor.

Qin Shang's heart skipped a beat, and he instinctively lowered his head, not daring to meet its gaze.

It was too damn creepy.

At the same time, a fine sheen of sweat appeared on his palm, and a bold guess surfaced.

Train Conductor Jack seems to be able to see us.

Fortunately, I seem to have figured out the rules of the phantom's attacks on players.

The next moment, the burly phantom, dressed in a skirt and high heels, saw that they weren't moving. It didn't linger, hesitated for a moment, and then slowly approached the fallen 'Heart-to-Heart Sister' with heavy footsteps.

Then, something Qin Shang never expected happened.

"Creak..."

Train Conductor Jack, in its red dress, moved closer and then bit into the corpse.

Seeing this, Qin Shang's eyes widened. They were only a meter apart in the corridor.

Qin Shang watched as the Cross-dressing Enthusiast grabbed an arm and put it into its mouth.

With a simple twist, it tore off 'Heart-to-Heart Sister's' left arm.

Blood splattered again, along with tissue fluid and a mess of minced flesh and debris.

Beside them, 'Grandpa Niu' was completely stunned, his mouth bulging, looking like he was about to vomit.

Qin Shang suppressed the churning nausea and quickly held the Little Loli tightly. To prevent the little girl from seeing the bloody and disgusting scene, he even put his hand through her elbow, picked her up, and turned her around so her face was against his chest.

He held her firmly.

At a time like this, there was no talk of a girl's fragrance or shampoo scent...

Qin Shang didn't feel like he could enjoy holding a young, soft, and fragrant girl in his arms in this environment.

Moreover, as her husband, he had good male conduct and kept a distance from the little girl's "landing strip."

He just held her head, his mind racing like lightning.

The rules for surviving in Carriage No. 3 were not to speak and not to move.

With these rules in mind, Qin Shang suddenly felt that the hidden hint he had just inherited from 'Heart-to-Heart Sister' was no longer appealing.

It was practically useless.

In this train, as long as a sound was made, Train Conductor Jack would detect it.

So...

In other words, I didn't even have a chance to trigger this hidden condition.

Tissue fluid and blood were scattered everywhere, and the crunching chewing sounds echoed in his ears.

Even though Qin Shang had tried his best to close his eyes, the image of Train Conductor Jack gnawing on the corpse as if it were a delicacy couldn't help but appear in his mind.

His stomach churned violently, the disgusting feeling stimulating his nerves.

"I finally understand why the two corpses in Carriage No. 2 disappeared in the first round. Perhaps at some point, when 'Grandpa Niu' and I returned to explore Carriage No. 1, the train happened to enter a tunnel."

"Jack's personality was triggered again, causing this guy to come to the second carriage and start eating people, either because he smelled the blood, or..."

Qin Shang was thinking when he was suddenly interrupted by a violent noise.

Two figures flickered in the darkness.

The Sheriff and the Elder Priest appeared not far away. These two might have been hiding in a sleeper compartment before.

They heard no footsteps outside.

Coupled with the angry curses of 'Heart-to-Heart Sister' just before she met her end, they mustered their courage and wanted to continue exploring the third carriage.

One had to admit, these two were quite brave!

The moment two heads poked out, the Red Skirt Phantom, Jack the Train Conductor, sensed them.

The next moment, a gust of cold wind howled, and he suddenly let go of the human arm in his hand, looking up ahead.

Although Qin Shang couldn't see the creature's expression from his angle, it was clear that its bloodthirsty and violent side had once again taken control of its body.

The most direct manifestation was...

The Red Skirt Phantom grabbed the hunting rifle on the ground.

Its ferocity was fully revealed!

Seeing this, the Sheriff and the Elder Priest were both greatly alarmed and retreated back into the sleeper compartment.

However, Qin Shang's vision blurred. His eyes couldn't keep up with the creature's movement speed; he couldn't see its actions at all.

The Red Skirt figure's speed far surpassed human capabilities, followed by dense 'bang bang bang bang bang' footsteps.

It even sounded like piercing sonic booms.

Clearly, it had charged into the sleeper compartment.

Then, he could still hear gunshots.

Qin Shang's expression stiffened, and a sense of despair surged in his heart.

If the Little Loli wasn't the team leader, then one of those two must have been.

In other words, if those two died, it meant...

This dungeon exploration had failed!

Qin Shang's expression turned ferociously uncontrollable for a moment.

I have the most clues! I had a chance to survive!

If I die like this in the second round, I'll be too wronged!

But just then, Qin Shang suddenly remembered the side quest the Little Loli had mentioned.

Prioritize finding... Miss Mary!?

Mary was Jack, so wasn't that the monstrous entity currently going on a killing spree?

"Wait, I think I've discovered something incredible. Mary and Jack are the same person, but her side quest is asking us to find Miss Mary."

"So, as long as we come to the third carriage and see the guy who's killing everyone right now, we'll have met Miss Mary..."

Qin Shang looked at the loli in his arms. The little girl's head was buried deeply like a quail, and her small body was trembling violently.

They say the pinker the slipper, the fiercer the killing. What's with you, little pink one?

Qin Shang tapped her head impatiently and whispered, "Do you have any notification sounds?"

'Grandpa Niu's' side quest was to find Mary.

So, after seeing this monstrous thing, her side quest should be completed, right?

"N-no..."

However, upon hearing this, 'Grandpa Niu Cosplays Maid to Seduce Zhuang Zhuang's Mom' in front of Qin Shang shook her head blankly, looking somewhat lost.

Because of the continuous gunshots over there, the two had a brief opportunity to converse.

Their voices were completely drowned out by the dense gunfire.

Qin Shang frowned slightly, showing a strange expression.

It shouldn't be like this. Meeting Miss Mary should be equivalent to completing 'Grandpa Niu's' side quest.

But what did that sentence about Mary hiding the key to passing mean?

Could it be that I have to go and communicate with that monstrous thing?

That thing's current state doesn't seem like a creature that can communicate!

Qin Shang recalled the side quest mentioned by the Little Loli, 'Grandpa Niu Cosplays Maid to Seduce Zhuang Zhuang's Mom,' during the first round of exploration.

'Grandpa Niu' didn't have any electronic notification sounds in his ear, so does that mean we haven't met Miss Mary?

Hiss!

Could it be... the monstrous thing isn't Mary?