Viewing Danger Through the Structure of a Supernatural Tale
"Please call us if you need anything."
Leaving behind a rather mild, business-like line, a waiter wearing a blue hat, red uniform, and green skirt placed a huge garbage bag on a cart and pushed it away, leaving only four dazed passengers in the room.
The room was spotless, without a speck of dust, except for a faint, sweet, fishy smell lingering in the air. The Ghost Girl, whose clothes had been confiscated by the flight attendant, huddled in the corner of the lower bunk opposite her, shivering under her blanket. The other two looked completely bewildered, as if they had no idea what had happened. The Mango Girl- shaped hairpin even wiped the note off her face and said:
"Should we continue?"
"Ask Xiaolin." Feng Xue gestured with her chin. Mango Girl immediately turned around, looked at Xiaolin's pale face, and shook her head helplessly.
"Since Xiaolin isn't feeling well, let's just forget about it. What kind of garbage cleaning agent did they use on this car? It works well, but the smell is absolutely disgusting!"
Listening to Mango Girl's words, Bread Girl nodded seriously. While packing the mahjong tiles into the box, Feng Xue's gaze kept sweeping over the three of them.
First of all, the four thugs were quite interesting. Only the leader and one of the henchmen interacted with the flight attendant, but the flight attendant cleaned up all four of them along with their trash. This means that although they appeared to be four people, they were essentially one entity.
Lin Jiaxin is also interesting. Although her reactions are close to those of a normal person, the fact that she can break free from the rule that mahjong must be played for a full round speaks volumes.
As for Bread Girl and Mango Girl, they seem to be ordinary people with Cognitive Obstruction, rationalizing all supernatural phenomena and forgetting the dead. They seem like simple-minded teammates, but the fact that their two college admission notices are still not valid is enough to prove their involvement.
After sorting out the logic in my mind, I gained a basic understanding of the Weird Tale system on this vehicle.
Based on what this car has shown so far, it should have at least four systems.
The first system is the vehicle itself, which includes the Weird Tale rules and regulations for Riding Instructions, including the in-vehicle facilities, timetable, and attendants. This system has the highest priority on this vehicle.
The second system should be the passenger system, namely Bread Girl and Mango Girl. It is currently unknown whether other passengers from other carriages will visit each other later. They appear to be ordinary people, but they will intentionally or unintentionally violate the rules of the first system, causing attacks on other passengers in the carriage. They exist in reliance on the first system.
The third system corresponds to emergencies, such as ruthless bandits robbing passengers on board, passengers suddenly falling ill, or sudden Cold Current. The third system cannot affect the first system, but it will affect the second system.
These three systems form a triangular cycle: one overcomes three, three overcomes two, and although two cannot overcome one, it can be immune to the influence of one and thereby affect three.
In Feng Xue's view, these three systems could already form a complete Supernatural Tale System, but what puzzled him was the fourth system, namely the "ghost," which had no strong connection with the first three.
Whether it's Lin Jiaxin, the people offering "benefits" at night, or the eye-catching sights outside the window, they all seem to be derivatives of the First System. But the strange thing is that they are not protected by the First System; on the contrary, they may be attacked by it.
In addition, there were the vendors outside the station who gave Feng Xue a sense of danger. Although it was acceptable to consider them as part of the first system, they were not actually part of the rules and regulations for Riding Instructions. As the third system, their strength was too excessive and could not be controlled by the first system.
"So, this seller system might actually be part of the ghost system? Or perhaps it could actually be a fifth system?"
Feng Xue analyzed that the Weird Tale System wasn't just making trouble for no reason. In fact, he had vaguely realized that simply protecting himself probably wouldn't be enough to complete the seven-day journey.
This is not unfounded speculation, but an analysis based on these four systems.
He suddenly realized that the greatest threat on this vehicle was not the first and second complementary systems, but the third system, which seemed harmless and could be easily dealt with by the first system.
Based on his experience as Weird Tale over the past few years, he is qualified to say that he has "some knowledge of Weird Tale." The four major systems on the train Weird Tale can actually be broken down into several elements that a train possesses.
The first system is the foundation of this Weird Tale; it is the cornerstone, cannot be changed, and therefore has the highest priority.
The second system is the basic condition for train operation. Without passengers, there is no need for the train to depart, so it complements the first system.
Having established the foundation for the most basic train Weird Tale with two systems, what does the third system signify?
The answer is simple: it's the event.
If the first and second systems constitute a static Weird Tale that can exist even without a starting point, then the third system brings this Weird Tale to life.
From the perspective of how Weird Tale are formed, first there was an eerie train, then a group of reckless passengers boarded it, and they embarked on a journey filled with frequent incidents; only then did a complete Weird Tale come into being.
If we analyze it from this perspective, then the incompatibility of the fourth system becomes understandable.
Because their existence is outside this Supernatural Tale System.
This can be illustrated using a simple, eerie story structure.
First, a ghost story needs a location, such as an apartment building, a bus, or a school.
Secondly, there needs to be a group of victims, such as apartment residents, bus passengers, and school students.
Then, these reckless victims did something in this place that ultimately led to a tragedy.
So, is the ghost story over here?
No, usually at this point, a well-developed ghost story will tell you—
These dead have become part of this eerie tale, awaiting new victims.
So, what's the scariest part of this story?
Is it where it happened? Of course it's scary, but as long as you don't break any taboos, it'll be fine.
Are they bad teammates? Of course they're troublesome, but as long as you can suppress them, it'll be fine.
Were they victims lingering inside? Since they were all victims, they must have been the weakest group.
The real challenge lies in those unpredictable and unexpected events.
The unexpected events a train can experience are clearly far more complex than just Cold Current, robberies, and diseases.
Feng Xue took a deep breath. If he wasn't mistaken, this car might not even make it to the final destination.
"Fortunately, it's not too late to realize it. It's only the second day, there's still time!"