[Life-Saving Talisman: Steel Heart]
[Properties: A pair of rings made from carbon-silver alloy steel and corundum.]
[Talisman Category: Anti-Spirit/Ring]
[Versatility: In a Spirit Calamity, the talisman can ward spirits away from passengers. Most Spirit Calamities can affect people's brainwaves and optic nerve signals, causing hallucinations. The light of the gemstone can reveal the true environment and guide passengers along the right path.]
[Instructions: Corundum is extremely hard but has very poor shock resistance. Take good care of this sharp yet fragile stone—when you find yourself in a Spirit Calamity, it will naturally help you escape disaster.]
[Manufacturer: Nine Realms Station Ironworks · Lingweng.]
[Note: These matching rings are treasures shared by a passenger and a retainer. Passengers are always traveling between stations, while retainers follow close behind whenever they hear the Summoning Bell.]
Jiang Xueming recorded the information from the instructions in his passenger log, then tore the lone sheet of paper to shreds to make sure no one else would see it.
Next, he pulled another slip of paper from the little pouch beside his lunchbox—it was the instruction sheet for the Magic Wand.
[Mingde's Inferior Work: Magic Wand]
[Properties: A large, sword-shaped iron club cast in a clay mold.]
[Weapon Category: Blunt/Focus]
[Versatility: This club can clear a path and break down doors for passengers. Its simple construction makes it sturdy and durable, but its maker still considers it an inferior work. As a Magic Wand, it can only cast the most basic light spell.]
[Instructions: In dark surroundings, it can light your way. While it shines, use it to strike living and dead things alike.]
[Manufacturer: Nine Realms Station Ironworks · Aoheng]
[Note: A crudely crafted, sword-shaped iron club, scorned by its maker, remained unwanted in the treasury of a terrifying giant beast, waiting for a passenger destined to bond with it. It shines brilliantly, clearing the way for its friends.]
As with the previous instruction sheet, Jiang Xueming wrote down the information and tore the paper into pieces smaller than grains of rice, then stowed them away.
Bu Liuxing had stayed right by Jiang Xueming's side, reading the instructions along with him. Seeing Jiang Xueming tear up paper more efficiently than a shredder, he couldn't help asking, "Ming Ge, aren't you being a little too careful?"
Jiang Xueming didn't explain. You had to be careful when you were out and about.
He took out his lunchbox and began to fill his stomach. The food Xiao Qi made for him was all fitness fare, portioned out in the lunchbox's little compartments.
A Xing was bored watching from the side. A fun-loving guy like him couldn't sit still for a moment, and he wanted to go explore the other train cars.
Jiang Xueming called after A Xing. "Where are you going?"
"I'm going to have a look around the other cars." Bu Liuxing explained, "Our tickets don't say anything, and the BOSS didn't tell us how far this train's going or how long the trip will take. I was thinking, why not ask the other passengers? Maybe there's some old hand who rides this train all the time and would be willing to tell us about the destination."
"Good idea, but..." Jiang Xueming had other concerns. The train was a very unpredictable place. They couldn't both leave and lug their heavy bags all over the train. He absolutely wouldn't feel comfortable letting A Xing deal with strangers alone.
After all, last time A Xing had told a complete stranger in the restroom everything there was to know about him. He didn't have the slightest sense of caution around other people.
So Xue Ming gathered up their bags and bundles. "I'll ask the attendant to watch our things. Let's go sit in another car together."
Just then, A Xing came over to help, reaching eagerly for Ming Ge's bundle.
He touched the brocade box containing the [Magic Wand], then another box that seemed both unfamiliar and familiar.
"What's this...?" Bu Liuxing set the box on the table. He couldn't remember who it belonged to.
Jiang Xueming recognized it immediately. "It's a gift from Big Brother Ye Bei. He's my benefactor. He gave me this collectible to keep me afloat, and told me to sell it if I ever ran out of money."
Bu Liuxing picked up the brocade box that held his own cane and put the two boxes side by side on the table.
Now Jiang Xueming was stunned too.
Big Brother Ye Bei's gift box looked exactly like the box containing the club the station BOSS had given each passenger.
The blue light of the glowing moss outside the window fell across the two boxes.
Their embroidered patterns, dark-red backgrounds, and designs were identical: a monster with a human head and a tiger's body, no limbs, and cloud motifs, like something from an ancient artwork.
But the box Big Brother Ye Bei had given Jiang Xueming was covered in dust and bore termite damage. It looked old—something from a very, very long time ago.
Jiang Xueming immediately untied the red silk ribbon, pressed the beast-jaw clasp, and opened the lid, revealing the yellow brocade lining.
Bu Liuxing opened his cane box too and compared them again. Sure enough, they were identical.
The only difference was that A Xing's cane had no protective wrapping at all. It lay in a groove in the brocade lining.
Ye Bei's gift, on the other hand, was wrapped tightly in a dust cloth. Jiang Xueming struggled to pry it out of the box.
The two of them worked together to get their hands on this mysterious antique—
—Beneath the cloth wrapping was another layer: oil paper to prevent oxidation.
—Beneath the oil paper was yet another layer: gold foil to protect it from fire.
It was clear that the gift was very valuable. Otherwise, Big Brother Ye Bei wouldn't have taken so many precautions to protect it.
From all those layers of wrapping emerged the handle of a club.
Jiang Xueming pulled hard and finally drew it all the way out.
No-Brain and Unhappy were both dumbfounded—
—for a moment, they couldn't even tell what the thing was.
Its handle resembled a thick steel handrail, but was shaped into an awkward polygon. The ridged edges had grooves that showed off the metal's sheen, and the whole thing smelled of sewing-machine oil, the kind used to protect metal from rust.
The shaft tapered into a streamlined shape. It was over three feet long, just a little shorter than Xue Ming's Magic Wand, but awkward to use as a walking cane.
The two of them examined the seams and openings on the club. There were no joins between different materials; it was a single piece.
At the end of the club, a leather sleeve fit tightly over the tip, just like the nonslip rubber cap on a cane.
Bu Liuxing looked baffled. "What is this thing?"
"Maybe it's a cane," Jiang Xueming said. He didn't know either.
Bu Liuxing stared at the handle. "The owner of this cane must have had an iron fist."
Jiang Xueming didn't rush. He called Big Brother Ye Bei to ask him what it was.
"Hello? Is this Big Brother Ye?"
"Oh! What's up?"
"What exactly is the stick you gave me?"
"I don't know either."
"How did you get it?"
"You rely on your parents at home and your friends when you're out in the world! I've helped a lot of people, and they didn't have cash to pay me back, so I took a bunch of strange gifts instead. This stick was one of them. I don't even remember who gave it to me. I figured it must be worth something, so I gave it to you to keep you afloat."
"I see..."
"That's all for now. My wife's calling me to cook. We'll talk when I'm free."
"Okay."
He hung up—
—and Jiang Xueming wrapped the club back up exactly as it had been.
There was nothing else in the brocade box besides the strange club—not even an instruction sheet.
Xue Ming thought it over carefully. The club had to be a gift from the BOSS, meant to accompany a passenger for life. Judging by how worn and rotten the box was, it was from a very long time ago. Big Brother Ye was only in his thirties; he couldn't have been the club's original owner.
Perhaps it had already passed through countless hands, ended up in the antique market, and eventually made its way into Big Brother Ye's shop.
In any case, if he didn't know how the thing worked, Xue Ming would never try to use it.
To him, these strange spirit objects were like Mr. Bourne's AR-15 rifle. If he'd never used one, then he didn't know how.
If they made it back to the station safely, he would take it with him and ask the BOSS about it. Maybe he could trade the ancient club for something else useful.
While Jiang Xueming was repacking the club,
Bu Liuxing couldn't sit still for a moment—
—first, he went to the train's tea room to fetch the attendant and ask him to keep an eye on their luggage. Then he took playing cards and animal chess, two packs of cigarettes, and some chewing gum out of his big backpack, intending to use them to make friends.
A Xing decided that still wasn't enough, so he grabbed two more newspapers. They were publications exclusive to the underground world, called The Sun Times.
Most of the stories in the paper were ghostly news, hard to tell from truth or fiction. There were accounts from passengers exploring unknown territories, serialized novels, and plenty of small classified ads.
Bu Liuxing saw that the paper's issue date was still from last month, so he anxiously asked the attendant for the latest one.
The news was all outdated. It'd be embarrassing to use stale talking points while chatting with new friends.
But he was soon freed from his anxiety over his chronic need to socialize—
—the train stopped at a trade hub near District 31.
The place was called Golden Township. It had a huge underground nonferrous-metal mine, and the station had a large population and excellent facilities.
A Xing wanted to get off and buy the latest newspaper. A busy station like this was bound to have the juicy scoops he was looking for.
But just as he was about to speak—
"Ming Ge, I want to get off and buy something. I'll be quick."
"No. You can't get off." Jiang Xueming frowned, staring at the chaotic, teeming crowd outside. Vendors were pushing carts up to the windows and offering their wares.
He also spotted quite a few shifty-looking people holding pairs of chopsticks and using them to pluck things from the pockets of passengers getting on and off.
It was a common trick among pickpockets. Xiao Qi's club was a pair of silver chopsticks, so perhaps she'd once scraped by the same way.
Armed station employees were already hurrying over, blowing their whistles as they tried to drive away the crowd concealing the criminals.
Bu Liuxing pouted, looking utterly aggrieved, like a little kid stopped by his parents from entering an arcade.
But then fate gave him a second chance.
A pitch-black monster burst through the platform entrance.
Jiang Xueming's heart trembled. He'd never seen the creatures of the underworld before, and his nerves instantly went taut.
Bu Liuxing's eyes widened as he got a good look at the monsters.
They were Wool Sheep—
—giant insects from the underground world.
They wore clothes, neat fabric covering the terrifying fuzz on their legs and their sharp exoskeletons.
To look more approachable, they had employee uniforms in dark blue wrapped around their huge, swollen abdomens.
Their wings vibrated violently, making a high-pitched racket. To drown out the grating, maddening noise, many Wool Sheep carried big cassette players and played cheerful jazz on repeat.
These giant dragonflies carried baskets of goods and darted around both sides of the train, stopping at each window to peddle their wares.
One of the Wool Sheep came over to them.
"Buttered toast, White Lady milk tea, and nine-millimeter Glou rounds—there's something for everyone! The latest issue of The Sun Times has a new novel by Teacher Victor. What can I get for you two handsome gentlemen?"
Its bright-red eyes were covered in tens of thousands of tiny compound lenses. Human language came from the Wool Sheep's mouthparts in an exceptionally sweet female voice, like a girl of seventeen or eighteen.
The creature's wings stretched more than six feet across, and it was around four feet long. It almost completely blocked the window, its presence overwhelming.
Bu Liuxing immediately shouted, "I want a newspaper! The latest issue!"
"The newspaper's free." Miss Wool Sheep bobbed her head and used one thick leg to toss a copy through the window. "Would you like anything else? You don't look like you're short on money."
"How can I contact you?! Miss, can I get your number?" Bu Liuxing hadn't even finished asking—
—when Jiang Xueming covered A Xing's mouth and shut the window.
Even so, the giant insect outside seemed to scratch its head in confusion. Then it dipped a leg into a jar of snack batter and wrote its phone number on the window.
"Nice!" Bu Liuxing memorized his new friend's number, delighted.
"A Xing," Jiang Xueming stressed, "when you're dealing with these things..."
"I know, I know, Ming Ge!" Bu Liuxing nodded vigorously. "Be careful and keep your wits about you!"
The train slowly pulled away—
—leaving the bustling Golden Township behind and heading for the next station.
Once he'd gathered everything, Bu Liuxing dragged Jiang Xueming toward the other cars to introduce himself to his new friends.
Xue Ming followed behind A Xing in silence, without much of an opinion.
That was until the two of them pushed open the redwood door to another car.
The passengers glanced at Liuxing first. Their expressions were fairly normal.
Then they looked at Xue Ming as if they'd seen a walking plague god, and immediately headed deeper into the train.
Within seconds, the car was almost empty. The passengers had all left before A Xing could even let his enthusiasm loose, and his efforts came to nothing.
The other passengers' Inspiration was blaring alarms, urging them to stay away from Jiang Xueming.
"Looks like there's no getting around it!~" Bu Liuxing said with a smile in his eyes. "Ming Ge, you won't stop me this time, right? I'll go sound them out on my own."
"Don't drink. Don't sleep with anyone strange, regardless of their gender or whether they're human. You have one hour. Keep your phone on, and call me if anything happens. Tell me where you are, and I'll come find you right away." Jiang Xueming reminded him sternly.
Bu Liuxing hugged his socializing supplies and gave Xue Ming a thumbs-up. "You sound like my mommy, worrying about me like that!~"
"Don't get too excited." Jiang Xueming turned to go back to his seat and rest. "If you manage to find out anything useful, I'll be happy. But if you get yourself into another ridiculous mess, even if I scare off your new friends, I'll have to stick to you like Siamese twins."
"Got it! Other people might be scared of you, but I'm not!~" Bu Liuxing took his things and charged off toward the cars farther ahead.
As A Xing walked, he flipped through the latest issue of The Sun Times, looking for a trendy topic to open strangers' hearts.
"Let's see what's popular in the underground world lately—Teacher Victor's serialized novel. Wow! It's about romance. Interesting."
Before he knew it, he'd passed row after row of seats, as if some inexplicable magic had seized him. A fun-loving guy never passed up something new and interesting.
"Lovers separated for years keep in touch by letter. In a desolate little town somewhere in Vienna, on a cold, quiet morning, the male protagonist suddenly receives a mysterious package containing his lover's severed hand."
A Xing's pupils contracted and trembled violently.
"What kind of bizarre horror scene is this?! Isn't this supposed to be a romance novel?"
He picked apart the article in the paper, completely forgetting what he was supposed to be doing.
"Oh, oh, oh! This severed hand can write?! So it's alive?! Is it possessed by his lover's ghost, too?"
"She wants the protagonist to search for the rest of her body."
A Xing wore an incredulous expression as he continued down the aisle with his briefcase. He felt as though he couldn't tear his eyes away from the newspaper—
—couldn't pull himself away from the passage.
He seemed to be under a spell, murmuring to himself.
"That night, I held this severed hand and fell asleep, uneasy yet happy. It was a complicated feeling, mingling fear and warmth.
For seven whole years, I hadn't seen her again. Who could have imagined that when we met again, we'd be separated by life and death? I could feel the warmth of life in the five fingers of this hand, and taste the sweet fragrance of love and the terrible dread of death in its tightly clasped palm.
Was this an illusion? It had to be an illusion. I must have missed her so much that I was hallucinating."
A Xing's eyes suddenly swept over the end of the novel—
"—But this severed hand seemed wrong. Early one morning, before dawn, while I was completely unaware—
—she crawled out of bed and crept into the kitchen. Like a walking corpse that couldn't feel pain, she climbed from the storage rack onto the kitchen counter, then fell to the floor again and again, leaving blood everywhere. Good heavens, what kind of evil thing was this? What was she trying to do? My love—what had happened to her?"
A Xing cried out as he followed the story, but then abruptly fell silent.
"The severed hand was holding a knife, though it wasn't very nimble—
—though she had only one hand, she couldn't tell the ingredients apart, so she had to feel each one carefully to identify it.
—She couldn't tell which way the knife was facing. Though she had only one hand left, she had no choice but to test the blade's sharpness with her finger.
—She wanted to make the Austrian pastry she and I had learned to cook together in class seven years ago, when we first met: an apple strudel..."
A Xing stared pitifully at the newspaper, tears welling in his eyes—he had been firmly captivated by Teacher Victor's writing, with no way to escape.
"Margaret. My dear Margaret."
He murmured the name of the story's heroine.
"Who did this to you, leaving you like this? Who made you lose one of your hands?!"
"How are you supposed to knead dough? How will you mash apples?"
"How much did you suffer before you made it back to your beloved?"
"You have no mouth or eyes. You can't speak, and you can't see me. How many things do you want to tell me? I'm so clumsy, I can't make out the gestures you make—and I'm so dull-witted, I can't imagine how much longing and suffering are hidden in those lines you wrote."
"I'll find you. I'll find you! My most precious treasure."
"That's it?! It ends here?!"
A Xing stood there in a daze, overcome with sorrow, and before he knew it, he had stopped in front of the door to the VIP carriage.
"Why isn't there more?! Why does the story just stop like this?"
He wiped away his tears and carefully made out the final paragraph on the last page.
The story ended in the kitchen, with the male protagonist holding the battered, severed hand and weeping uncontrollably in the final scene.
"My dear Margaret—
—I thought you had died a long, long time ago.
We argued over all kinds of things, and decided to end our relationship and live apart.
Back then, I thought we had already died, and only our funeral remained to be held.
When I saw the shattered porcelain bowls in the house, the scattered flour, and those deep cuts that had sliced through flesh, raw and bloody, along with the even brighter blood staining the peach-pink apples, I smelled that overwhelming, unforgettable stench of blood.
I saw it clearly: you had reached for the mask, and even tied a flower-shaped knot around your ring finger with its ear loop. I recognized that knot. It was the way we used to tie each other's aprons.
Only then did I wake from that terrifying night. Only then did I foolishly recognize reality—you weren't some walking corpse controlled by evil magic, nor a sweet yet terrifying illusion conjured by my mind.
In this quiet, desolate little town, just as when I first met you—you were the sun rising over the Alps, sweeping away every shadow in my life.
Forgive me. I'll have to make you wait a little longer.
—Just a little while.
I will,
I will,
I will,
I will bring you back from hell!"
—Everything ended with the male protagonist's deafening roar, like the sound of a gunshot.
Those few words, "I will," pierced Bu Liuxing's heart like bullets.
The text that followed included the tag "[To Be Continued]" and Teacher Victor's full name.
Original Author: Devil Victor
The chapter title was at the very end—
[Hanging By a Thread]
A Xing looked up—
—and saw the owner's name written on the door of the VIP lounge.
It was David Victor.
"The author's right in front of me, the author's right in front of me?! Teacher Victor, are you on this train too? Yes!! I'm so lucky!"
Bu Liuxing's face flushed red, and he panted like an ox, feeling as if ants were crawling all over him.
"This bizarre, uncanny story is like a magician's wand—it's cast some kind of spell on me?! There's only one thought left in my mind: turn the page. I want to know so badly. I want to know what happens in the next installment. I want to know right now!"
He had completely forgotten what he was supposed to do. He knocked on the unfamiliar door, already lost in front of the VIP carriage on this train.
The crimson jewel on the golden lock of his life-saving talisman shone with a fiery brilliance.
It seemed to be warning its owner all along: leave this place at once.
Before you continue