Chapter Summaries

Lin Yu and her companions learned about the Despair Train’s gangs and planned to question the factions in Dining Car 9 about the Baron and the tickets. Wang Yuyang objected to keeping Pankto in the group, but Pankto refused to leave unless Lin Yu asked him to.

• Pan Yuqiang explained that the Great Purges and the train’s faction structure forced passengers to cooperate while fueling suspicion and conflict, and named the Lion Gang, Blue Blood Team, and Iron Thorn Gang as the other groups.
• Wang Yuyang proposed killing the remaining gangs to collect tickets, but Pan Yuqiang rejected the plan, and Lin Yu suggested posing as Airport Gang members to learn about the Baron from the gangs in Dining Car 9.
• Chen Zhuo asked why Dining Car 12 was empty, and Pan Yuqiang explained that a powerful, indiscriminate killer was entrenched there.
• Wang Yuyang realized that Pankto was the feared killer and said the risk of keeping him outweighed the benefits, while Li Nian explained that she had hidden the truth to prevent Wang from confronting him.
• Pankto told Wang Yuyang he could not promise to remain lucid, but insisted he would not leave the group unless Lin Yu asked him to.

Lin Yu’s group entered Carriage 9 to ask about the Baron and negotiated with the Blue Blood Team and Iron Thorns. After their Airport Gang cover story was exposed, Lin Yu threatened them and revealed Pankto, leaving the carriage stunned.

• Lin Yu vouched for Pankto, and Wang Yuyang reluctantly let him join the group while warning Lin Yu not to trust the Truth Company.
• Lin Yu’s group entered Carriage 9, where the Blue Blood Team and Iron Thorns occupied separate sides of the carriage.
• Lin Yu provoked the Iron Thorns and asked them about the Baron, prompting the Blue Blood Team to challenge his presence.
• The Iron Thorns’ middle-aged man exposed Lin Yu’s Airport Gang disguise, and Lin Yu admitted his group had dealt with the gang and demanded their cooperation.
• Lin Yu had Pankto reveal his Truth Company uniform and insignia, silencing the carriage as Lin Yu asked them to help him reach the Baron.

Lin Yu used Pankto's appearance and a confident guess about the Baron's hiding place to persuade Iron Thorns to contact him. After the Baron agreed to meet, Lin Yu postponed the meeting, saying he first planned to find the person from carriage D-5 who had boarded with him.

• Pankto's arrival made the passengers in carriage 9 fear Lin Yu and led Iron Thorns to offer to contact the Baron.
• Lin Yu told Iron Thorns to pass on that he knew the Baron was beyond carriage 3 and could be reached through random doors by changing the probability.
• The Baron spoke through the communicator, acknowledged Lin Yu's B-3 Permission card and restoration of the Delta Squad leader, and agreed to meet him.
• Lin Yu declined to meet immediately and told the Baron he would first find the fellow who had boarded with him in carriage D-5.

Lin Yu explained why she had made the Baron believe the group needed his knowledge of the train, then proposed searching Carriage 6 for the missing Player. The group left Carriage 3 with Chen Zhuo and Pankto, whose conversation about anime had unexpectedly comforted him.

• Lin Yu explained that revealing the group's limits could encourage the Baron to cooperate by making him feel his train permissions were valuable.
• Lin Yu and the others discussed why they wanted to find the remaining Player and concluded that Carriage 6 was the next place to search.
• Li Nian called Chen Zhuo back from talking with Pankto, and the group decided to head to Carriage 6.
• Pankto praised Chen Zhuo for comforting him with fables, and Chen Zhuo explained that he had shared anime stories and famous lines.

Lin Yu and the others searched the dining cars for the last Player, then learned he might still be in Carriage Five. They entered the carriage and found Fu Luo being chased by a tiny boxing robot.

• Wang Yuyang used weapons he created from thin air to defeat the Lion Gang members in Carriage Six.
• The group learned from a Lion Gang member that the newcomer from Carriage Five had not yet triggered the dining car’s challenge notice.
• Wang Yuyang decided to meet the missing Player, and the group headed for Carriage Five.
• Lin Yu used Pankto’s Permission card to open the sealed door to Carriage Five.
• Lin Yu recognized Fu Luo, who was fleeing a small boxing robot and begging it to stop.

Fu Luo was rescued by Wang Yuyang, then introduced himself as the Detective and reunited with Chen Zhuo, revealing their bitter forum feud over Conan and Ai Haibara. When Li Nian tried to explain the group’s affiliations, Fu Luo abruptly knelt and reversed all his previous insults to win Chen Zhuo’s favor.

• Pan Yuqiang recognized Fu Luo and urged Wang Yuyang to rescue him, so Wang disabled the robot with two throwing knives.
• Fu Luo introduced himself as Sherlock, and Chen Zhuo recognized him as Fu Dog, the forum user he had argued with as Ai-chan.
• Fu Luo and Chen Zhuo argued over Fu Luo’s insults about Conan and Ai Haibara, leaving the others baffled.
• Lin Yu asked Li Nian to stop the argument, and Li Nian introduced the group and their affiliations to Fu Luo.
• Fu Luo suddenly knelt, grabbed Chen Zhuo’s hand, and declared Ai Haibara the most perfect woman in the world while praising Conan.

Fu Luo recognized the train’s connection to Truth Company and warned that Baron Coleman and Pankto were tied to a deadly factional struggle. As the group sought the baron for tickets before the next Great Purge, Li Nian pressured Fu Luo to stop hesitating and help investigate.

• Chen Zhu and Fu Luo reconciled, and Fu Luo agreed to work with the group, claiming he knew Truth Company well.
• Li Nian told Fu Luo they were seeking a baron, and Fu Luo identified him as Baron Coleman, who had allegedly been executed for trying to assassinate Truth Company’s president.
• Pankto revealed that he had once befriended Jerry Coleman, and Lin Yu explained that Pankto had been the leader of the δ Group.
• Fu Luo explained that Coleman and the δ Group leader had supposedly died seven years earlier, and warned that their case involved a power struggle within Truth Company and his Rank Advancement Trial.
• Lin Yu said they needed to find the baron to obtain train tickets before the Great Purge, and Li Nian used Wang Yuyang’s fearsome reputation to push Fu Luo into action.

Lin Yu and his companions entered Carriage 2, where Fu Luo explained the train’s containers and tried to draw Baron Coleman out. Lin Yu identified the baron hidden among the bodies, and the baron finally revealed himself.

• Lin Yu led the group into Carriage 2, where they found jars of organs and preserved human bodies.
• Fu Luo identified the jars as Emotion Amplification devices and the bodies as reserve material, impressing the group with his knowledge.
• Fu Luo guessed that Baron Coleman was hiding in Carriage 2 and called for him to come out, but received no response.
• Lin Yu spotted a healthy-looking man in a container and reasoned that his build, protective posture, and life-support liquid set him apart from the other bodies.
• The man opened his eyes, stretched out, and greeted Lin Yu as the honored lady.

Lin Yu negotiated with Baron Coleman for a way to obtain a ticket off the Despair Train, offering to help with Coleman's unfinished mission against President Paris. After Lin Yu revealed the divine mark on his wrist, Coleman accepted his abilities but questioned whether he would keep his promise.

• Pankto recognized Baron Coleman, and the two exchanged familiar teasing despite Pankto's incomplete memories.
• Lin Yu asked Coleman how to obtain a ticket quickly and offered to help him in exchange for the information.
• Coleman revealed that he had once intended to kill Truth Company's current president, Paris, and warned that Paris had become even more terrifying.
• Lin Yu showed Coleman Veil Valetti's Identity card and claimed to be him in a sense, then revealed the gray mark on his wrist.
• Coleman recognized the mark as a sign bestowed by a god, drained the tank, and told Lin Yu that he believed in his abilities but doubted he would honor his promise.

Lin Yu secured Baron Coleman’s cooperation, and Coleman agreed to lead the group to the train tickets. At the sealed entrance to Carriage One, Li Nian opened the mechanical lock herself.

• Baron Coleman explained that he had spent six years in the tank and could access only carriage reports and basic sentry controls, not fully control the train.
• Lin Yu inferred that Coleman had been spared because Truth Company’s leaders wanted something he possessed, but Coleman refused to reveal the secret yet.
• Coleman announced that he would show the group the most convenient way to find train tickets and led them toward Carriage One.
• Coleman explained that the key to Carriage One was kept in an exterior maintenance box, but Li Nian rejected the proposed detour.
• Li Nian used her master-thief skills to open Carriage One’s mechanical lock in an instant.

Li Nian opened the door to Carriage One, where Baron Coleman explained that the Despair Furnace rewarded intense negative emotions with Ticket Fragments. Coleman deceived the furnace into distributing supplies and complete tickets, and the Players learned that tearing a ticket would summon the City That Never Sleeps VIP Express.

• Li Nian stole the lock’s core and bolt to open the door to Carriage One without triggering its alarm.
• The group found the Despair Furnace, a tank filled with living human heads, and Baron Coleman explained how the furnace powered the train and issued tickets.
• Lin Yu asked for the most efficient way to earn a ticket, and Coleman said they could deceive the furnace’s detection program.
• Baron Coleman produced convincing sobs, prompting the furnace to distribute supplies and Ticket Fragments that fused into golden tickets for the Players.
• Baron Coleman explained that tearing a ticket would summon the City That Never Sleeps VIP Express and provide safe, private travel.

Lin Yu persuaded the Players to stay aboard the Despair Train after securing their escape tickets, so they could pursue greater benefits and expand their influence. Baron Coleman asked each of them to reveal their true goals, and Fu Luo and Li Nian explained theirs.

• Lin Yu convinced the group to remain aboard the train, while Pan Yuqiang explained that staying in a relatively safe Instance could offer greater rewards.
• Baron Coleman assumed the Players had come for more than an escape route and asked them to state their real purposes.
• Lin Yu brought Fu Luo forward, and Fu Luo revealed that his Rank Advancement Trial required him to investigate three wrongful cases aboard the train.
• Li Nian said she had come to search the train for Truth Company's inventions and prototypes to steal.

Baron Coleman gave Chen Zhuo an Identity card and told the group where to find the Despair Train’s sealed Cargo Hold. After Li Nian, Wang Yuyang, Pan Yuqiang, and Chen Zhuo left, Lin Yu insisted that Fu Luo stay to hear the truth behind the wrongful case.

• Pan Yuqiang said she wanted the Despair Furnace’s blueprints or components, and Wang Yuyang agreed to help her obtain them.
• Baron Coleman gave Chen Zhuo an Identity card that let him move safely around the train, and warned him to avoid being caught in the coming pursuit.
• Baron Coleman revealed that the train’s former Cargo Hold, now a Warehouse above the carriages, held company equipment and the Despair Furnace blueprints.
• Li Nian and Wang Yuyang offered to oppose the president of Truth Company and his subordinates, then left with Pan Yuqiang and Chen Zhuo.
• Fu Luo tried to leave, but Lin Yu and Baron Coleman said he had to stay to learn the truth behind the wrongful case, while Pankto shut the door.

Baron Coleman recounted how investigating suspicious accounts at the Truth Company led him to uncover a secret Ghost Laboratory and a forbidden project. He revealed that the project used Professor Dort’s technology and was connected to Dort’s sole prized disciple, Veil Valetti.

• Baron Coleman explained that he had been falsely accused and that his grievance had led him to assassinate the Truth Company president.
• Eight years earlier, after becoming head of Independent Laboratory No. 7, Coleman discovered discrepancies between its funding records and expenses.
• Coleman investigated the discrepancies and found ghost employees and matching accounting problems across four of the Truth Company’s twelve independent laboratories.
• Coleman concluded that the hidden funds and personnel supported a secret Ghost Laboratory researching technology that had been shut down fifty years earlier.
• Coleman told Lin Yu that the forbidden technology came from Professor Dort and named Veil Valetti as Dort’s only prized disciple.

Lin Yu reunited Fu Luo with the story of Veil Valetti’s notebook and identity card, while their conversation exposed a mystery around May and the online detective Sherlock. Baron Coleman explained why Fear technology had been forbidden and revealed that a respected former researcher had died in a hidden laboratory at home.

• Fu Luo recognized Veil Valetti’s name and claimed he was the last person to have seen him, but Lin Yu showed him Veil Valetti’s notebook and identity card.
• Lin Yu and Fu Luo realized they both knew May, who had exchanged the items with Lin Yu after receiving help from Fu Luo.
• Fu Luo denied investigating Fluoxetine or the Psychology Society, leaving Lin Yu unsettled about who had been posting as Sherlock on the forum.
• Lin Yu asked Coleman about the forbidden technology, and Coleman explained that Fear research had been halted after Professor Dort died and Veil Valetti disappeared.
• Fu Luo suggested he might know the danger behind Fear research, but Lin Yu delayed his explanation to hear Coleman’s account first.
• Coleman said he had investigated the nonexistent laboratory and found that a retired researcher who had worked with Professor Dort had died in a laboratory inside his own home.

Baron Coleman explained that he had been framed for murdering researcher Reed Christopher and revealed that Veil Valetti’s Ancient Notebook could reconstruct the crime using his memories and company records. Lin Yu and his companions prepared to use the notebook under the Truth Company’s surveillance, while Coleman urged them to act quickly.

• Baron Coleman told Fu Luo and Lin Yu that he had been accused of murdering Reed Christopher eight years earlier.
• Pankto recalled that the Ancient Notebook had helped advance research at the Truth Company, and Coleman explained it could store and transform information, including memories and emotions.
• Coleman said they could reconstruct the murder using his memories, the notebook, and records accessed with Veil Valetti’s Identity card.
• Fu Luo realized the Despair Furnace monitored Carriage One through the company network, and Coleman admitted he had chosen the location so the Truth Company would witness their meeting.
• Coleman took the notebook from Lin Yu and said they needed to finish before the Truth Company intervened.

Baron Coleman used the [Ancient Notebook] to draw people into the memories of File L-269, and Lin Yu prepared to enter with him. Lin Yu awoke inside the Truth Company headquarters eight years in the past.

• Baron Coleman placed a memory fragment in the [Ancient Notebook] and used Veil Valetti's Identity card to unlock File L-269.
• Baron Coleman sent Fu Luo and Pankto's souls into the notebook, then explained that Lin Yu could eventually use it without undergoing modification.
• Baron Coleman summoned two Sentry robots to guard their bodies while they entered the notebook.
• Baron Coleman exposed Li Nian, who revealed she had returned from the Cargo Hold and agreed to protect Lin Yu.
• Lin Yu entered the notebook with Baron Coleman and arrived at the Truth Company headquarters eight years in the past.

Lin Yu and Baron Coleman used the Ancient Notebook to explore a remarkably lifelike reconstruction of Truth Company's headquarters and headed toward the crime scene. Meanwhile, Mr. Paris learned of the events aboard the Despair Train and ordered armed personnel to execute the intruders.

• Lin Yu and Baron Coleman arrived at the vast Truth Company headquarters reconstructed inside the Ancient Notebook.
• Baron Coleman explained that the Ancient Notebook was far more powerful than the memory-copying Universal Recording Paper and led Lin Yu toward the crime scene.
• Mr. Paris reviewed a recording from the Despair Train and noted that several people and important items had reappeared, while Dott's legacy had reached a woman from outside the company.
• Mr. Paris ordered Group Delta to deal with the intruders aboard the Despair Train and instructed the armed personnel to execute them on the spot.

Lin Yu and Baron Coleman reached the hidden laboratory where Reed Christopher had been murdered eight years earlier. Fu Luo examined the locked-room crime scene, where evidence had pointed to Coleman, and called it a standard locked-room murder.

• Baron Coleman led Lin Yu through Truth Company's headquarters to a disguised security door in a warehouse.
• Lin Yu and Coleman found Fu Luo and Pankto waiting at the laboratory checkpoint, which Lin Yu opened with a B-Class Permission card.
• Coleman guided the group through a hidden passage to Reed Christopher's laboratory, where they found Reed's body on an experimental table.
• Fu Luo noted that the laboratory had no ordinary exits besides its locked main door and the hidden passage, and Coleman explained why the evidence had made him a suspect.
• Fu Luo concluded that if Coleman was not the murderer, Reed's death was a standard locked-room murder.

Fu Luo reconstructed Reed Christopher’s murder and challenged Baron Coleman to reveal what he was hiding. Lin Yu realized that Reed’s friends and family had likely suspected Coleman because they believed he had a motive, but the reason remained undisclosed.

• Lin Yu reminded Fu Luo that supernatural elements could make the murder more than a conventional locked-room case, but Fu Luo said the investigators’ conclusions supported a trick rather than advanced technology.
• Fu Luo examined Reed Christopher’s body and reconstructed how a professional killer had stabbed him from behind while he worked at the laboratory table.
• Baron Coleman admitted he had learned to kill with knives and fists after joining a lower-district gang, explaining why the murder method had fit his style.
• Fu Luo accused Baron Coleman of concealing a crucial, unrecorded detail, and Lin Yu concluded that Reed’s friends and family must have believed Coleman had a motive.