The number of people on the Death List was not fixed, adding another layer of pressure to their situation.
Yan Wei, however, merely raised an eyebrow, not particularly surprised. “Which two?”
“Neither of them is from our group,” Xu Miaomiao said. “Two people from carriage thirteen. They came in together and are staying in the same room. They’re probably gathering information from the Attendant now.”
Yan Wei nodded. “Now that everyone knows about the Death List, those selected have no time left. The Attendant is the hardest but also the quickest way to break through.”
Ding Xiao was handing something to Xu Miaomiao—likely some Items. As she passed them over, she said, “They went to the Attendant to gamble. Others have also come to inspect the bodies. It’s not hard to figure out, and I’m sure you’ve all thought of it too.”
Yan Wei had naturally considered it.
The point was so obvious that they hadn’t even bothered to bring it up explicitly.
Ghosts don’t need weapons to kill. If a Ghost kills on its own, like He Dong, who died because he ran too far, the death is brutal—his neck was snapped. But the bodies in the Death List all died from weapons—precision knives used for dismemberment, the blade that cut open Cao Qun, the fork that pierced the victim’s throat.
When Ghosts use such tools to kill, it doesn’t seem like an instinctive attack but rather a fixed method of death.
This situation only leaves two possibilities: either the method of death is piecing together information, or these methods are the ways the Ghosts themselves died.
In either case, the only one who could casually access such tools or even use utensils to kill is the Attendant.
By now, no one would think the Attendant is just a functional NPC.
Yan Wei stared at Cao Qun’s body, his gaze somewhat unfocused, lost in thought for a moment. He said, “We can exchange information with those two. The Death List… I don’t think it’s random. I wanted to see what these people did to get targeted, but Cao Qun’s death was too sudden. Now we’ll have to ask the two from today.”
“Alright, we’ll split up. Some of us will—”
Yan Wei paused, glancing behind Ding Xiao, where Xu Miaomiao was making faces at him. He chuckled, “What are you doing? Can’t you just say what’s on your mind?”
Xu Miaomiao: “…”
She looked at Yan Wei, somewhat exasperated, and said, “Sister Ding, what do you think we should do next?”
Yan Wei understood.
Xu Miaomiao was being considerate, afraid that he might take charge and upset Ding Xiao. From the perspective of Yan Wei’s second Ascension, Ding Xiao was indeed the most experienced Player among them.
Ding Xiao chuckled softly, “It’s fine. Yan Wei isn’t wrong in what he said.”
Xu Miaomiao muttered under her breath, “…Blinded by beauty.”
Yan Wei: “…”
He continued, “We need to find out what happened on this train, what the three people on the Death List have in common, and how they differ from us. As for Retrospection, Ding Xiao, Lin Qing, and I will go find the Ghost’s remains and force a Retrospection. Yan Mingguang…”
Yan Mingguang had been watching him the whole time. At these words, his eyes flickered slightly.
“Will you take Xu Miaomiao to investigate the Death List?”
Yan Mingguang didn’t answer immediately.
The man stared at him intently, his dark eyes deep and unreadable. For a moment, Yan Wei felt as if Yan Mingguang had seen through his thoughts.
After a pause, Yan Mingguang replied, “Mn.”
Then, he glanced at Xu Miaomiao, signaling for her to follow, and turned to walk toward the dining car. Xu Miaomiao, who usually held great respect for Ding Xiao and had a somewhat competitive friendship with Yan Wei, was slightly intimidated by Yan Mingguang.
As soon as Yan Mingguang took a step, she immediately fell in line behind him, following at a steady pace.
Yan Wei’s gaze followed them through the narrow corridor, watching as Yan Mingguang moved toward the next carriage. He said, “I think I know where the Ghost’s remains are. Ding Xiao, I’ll need your help.”
“You shouldn’t say it like that,” Ding Xiao replied, her tone reverting to a more respectful one now that Yan Mingguang and Xu Miaomiao were gone. She smiled warmly, “I’m happy to assist you.”
Yan Wei still said, “Thank you.”
Ding Xiao’s skill was forcing a Retrospection of Ghosts. This skill could be incredibly powerful at times, but at other times, it was almost useless.
In instances where Retrospection was everywhere, where every step was filled with the Resentment of Ghosts, Retrospection became the difficulty of the instance, rendering the skill useless. But in their current situation, where there was no Retrospection, being able to force a Retrospection was like finding a shortcut.
However, Ding Xiao’s skill had significant limitations—it required a related keyword and the presence of a Ghost or a corpse.
The keyword had already been established yesterday after Yan Mingguang found the painting of Prometheus bound. As for the corpse…
Yan Wei watched as Lin Qing, without batting an eye, pried open the metal cover around the squat toilet. He couldn’t help but pinch his nose, not wanting to say a word—this was undoubtedly the biggest challenge this instance posed to his cleanliness.
Ding Xiao smiled as she watched for a few minutes, but eventually, she couldn’t take it anymore and looked away.
Soon, the smell of rust and decay in the air intensified tenfold, and Lin Qing’s calm voice broke the silence, “It’s done.”
Yan Wei and Ding Xiao turned their attention back.
The train continued to rumble forward, the slight swaying causing the fully opened top layer of metal to teeter on the edge, as if it might fall at any moment.
The bathroom revealed what lay beneath the top layer of metal.
Old pipes and mechanical structures were exposed, with a shallow layer of water pooled inside. The water was so murky that nothing beneath the surface was visible. It was likely rainwater that had seeped in over the past two days.
Amidst the crowded structures and the filthy water lay a grotesquely twisted, rotting corpse. Half of the body was submerged in the dirty water, while the other half was exposed to the air, leaning against the pipes, covered in maggots. The head was completely unrecognizable, having rotted for who knows how long. If not for the supernatural elements, it would have long since decomposed into a putrid, stinking sludge.
For veteran Players like them, this sight was far worse than witnessing a dismemberment.
Lin Qing washed his hands and stepped out of the bathroom. “The maggots were brought out by the water. The rainwater seeped in over the past two days, soaking the body and breeding these maggots. You were right. These workers were killed and hidden beneath the metal, turning into vengeful Ghosts. But there’s only one corpse here.”
“Not just one,” Yan Wei said, nauseated and turning his head away. “We just picked the nearest bathroom. We haven’t checked the bottom of the carriage. There might be one in every bathroom of every carriage.”
He turned to Ding Xiao, “The Retrospection we need to see is related to the endless train, Punishment, and kitchenware.”
“Kitchenware?”
“There’s nowhere else on this train that would have those fine, sharp tools. Kitchenware and utensils are the most likely murder weapons.”
“Got it.”
Yan Wei: “Thank you for your trouble.”
Ding Xiao stepped forward, taking in the scene before her.
“…” It was probably too late to take back her earlier statement of “I’m happy to assist you.”
As Ding Xiao, stone-faced, walked into the bathroom, Lin Qing closed the door and leaned against the corridor wall, pretending to chat with Yan Wei to prevent other Players from disturbing Ding Xiao.
With Yan Mingguang and Xu Miaomiao gone, and Ding Xiao inside forcing the Retrospection, only Yan Wei and Lin Qing were left alone.
Lin Qing was about to close his eyes and ponder when Yan Wei, hands in his pockets, standing on the other side, suddenly asked, “You really have no memory of Yan Mingguang from before?”
Lin Qing was taken aback but didn’t question why Yan Wei brought this up. He simply shook his head, “No.”
“Before I was reformatted, the last time we met, what did I say? Every word, every sentence—do you remember? Did I tell you anything about where I might have hidden additional memories?”
Lin Qing naturally remembered.
He repeated the same content he had previously shared with Yan Wei, “…and then you said—’Everything is arranged, don’t worry, I’ll find a way to come back.’ You didn’t say anything else.”
Yan Wei frowned, silent.
This matched his current memories exactly. He had indeed said that to Lin Qing. Could the feeling that he had forgotten some small fragments of memory just be an illusion? Impossible. Before mistaking the fake Yan Mingguang, he had never experienced such illusions.
Yan Wei casually brought up some events from his first Ascension. Whenever he mentioned something Lin Qing had been present for, Lin Qing would respond, and Yan Wei privately compared the memories, finding no discrepancies.
He had also spoken with Ding Xiao a few times, mentioning their initial meeting. What Ding Xiao remembered matched his own recollections.
Yan Wei had a sense of what was going on.
The occasional gaps in his memory weren’t due to the natural fading of details over time but rather the precise omission of certain details related to Yan Mingguang.
Rather than saying his restored memories from the coin were flawed, it was more accurate to say that they were a complete memory with a small fragment deliberately removed. The timeline was intact, but some embellishments were missing.
Yan Wei lowered his gaze and changed the subject, “Lin Qing, what do you think of Prometheus? A heroic fire thief or a suffering betrayer?”
“…”
Not long after, Yan Mingguang and Xu Miaomiao returned.
Yan Mingguang carried a worn-out folder, his expression still calm and composed. Xu Miaomiao, however, was frowning deeply, frequently glancing behind and around her.
“Our findings from earlier,” Yan Mingguang raised the folder in his hand, “Shall we go back to the sleeper car and take a look?”
Xu Miaomiao: “Lin Qing and I will wait here for Sister Ding. Once the Retrospection conditions are met, it’s bound to succeed, but the difficulty varies, and so does the user’s exhaustion. Sister Ding will probably need help when she comes out, and Lin Qing can’t handle it alone.”
“Then Yan Mingguang and I will go study this.” Yan Wei naturally agreed. He didn’t ask how they got the folder, as Yan Mingguang would explain later.
Xu Miaomiao added, “Be careful. After we got this, I’ve had this creepy feeling, like we’re being watched. It might even be a Death trigger.”
“Got it.”
Back in the sleeper car, Yan Wei reached out to take the folder from Yan Mingguang. But the man held it tightly, not letting Yan Wei touch it, clearly worried it might trigger death.
He said, “I’ll flip through it for you.”
Yan Wei wasn’t having it. His brows furrowed slightly, his eyes narrowing in annoyance. “I have hands, you know.”
“It’s dangerous.”
“I’m not afraid of anything today.”
“Mn, very brave.”
“?”
Yan Mingguang ignored his protest, sitting down beside him and leisurely opening the old folder, not letting Yan Wei touch it at all.
Yan Wei: “…”
