Having completed her previous mission with relative ease, Eric returned to the inn to partake in a modest afternoon snack before heading back to the mission hall to undertake another task.
Standing at the threshold of the mission hall, Eric hesitated momentarily, her gaze drawn toward the imposing gateway of the paranormal instance.
On the eleventh afternoon since entering the Endless Escape instance, having conquered two standard missions and fulfilled her daily quota, Eric found herself compelled to venture into the paranormal realm.
The impulse rose unbidden and refused to dissipate.
Originally, she had intended to amass further experience within the standard missions, accumulating more points—certainly not today.
Yet why should it not be today?
Tallying her remaining resources, she realized she had exhausted all her healing packs obtained through information exchanges. With seventy-four points left, she could procure three healing packs suitable for paranormal missions.
No amount of preparation could guarantee survival upon entering the supernatural instance. Whether she faced it now, a month hence, or two months later, the outcome seemed no more assured.
Fate waits for no one—today was as good a day as any.
Resolute, Eric strode decisively toward the ominous gates of the paranormal mission.
The forest of stone pillars here bore no distinguishable difference from that of the standard instance. Selecting a portal at random, she stepped through—and in the blink of an eye found herself aboard a train.
Clatter-clatter—
The train…
The carriages seemed vaguely familiar. Eric's eyes instinctively sought the window. Outside stretched an endless desert.
Composing herself, Eric slowed her breathing, striving for calm.
This instance was evidently the one she had previously endured—the [Murder Train]. In that unrehearsed slaughterhouse, devoid of rules and facing bleak prospects for survival, Eric had smashed a window with a safety hammer and leapt into the wilderness. It took her half a month of perseverance to reach the train station, where she fled alongside veteran players such as Jessica.
Only upon completion did she learn that this formerly standard mission had mutated into a paranormal instance. Her unscathed escape bordered on miraculous fortune.
Thus, when she chose to enter a paranormal instance voluntarily for the first time, encountering a familiar mission was, in fact, a boon—her prior experience afforded her some familiarity rather than plunging blindly into darkness.
Masking her anxieties, Eric sat quietly, observing her surroundings. Fellow passengers chatted amiably and munched on snacks, children fussed playfully—the atmosphere lively, almost mundane.
She felt into her pocket; last time, a ticket had rested there—now, it was absent.
Memories of that mission surged unbidden—restrooms, severed limbs, instant noodles, a fork plunged into a throat, screams and frantic flight…
Yet, to this day, Eric had discerned no pattern in the carnage. Survival seemed to demand merely quiet stillness.
Still, she had smashed the window with the safety hammer and suffered no harm.
The chaos was absolute.
Disorder was the sole imprint this instance etched into her mind.
Eyes settling on the safety hammer near the window, Eric wavered on whether to replicate her previous escape attempt.
Yet no.
Last time, the [Murder Train] had only partially mutated, hence the chaos—and her unconventional approach had succeeded. That did not guarantee the same tactic would prevail amidst the fully mutated paranormal version.
Guided by her last so-called "successful" experience, Eric resolved to steady herself and observe covertly.
It never pays to stick out; prudence seldom errs.
Five minutes into the instance, a palpable chill descended. The glaring sun outside, radiant moments before, gave way to ominous clouds pregnant with rain. The carriage dimmed accordingly; passengers' faces slipped into shadowy obscurity, evoking in Eric the eerie semblance of being surrounded by countless phantasms.
The instance had begun.
Eric's heart surged, pounding like a war drum.
In that moment, a voice echoed within her mind:
[It has lost its treasure. Should you retrieve the scattered shards, it may be willing to return your ticket.]
Eric's surprise was genuine.
This was her first ever mission clearance hint! Swiftly, she analyzed the message. "It" must be the killer aboard the Murder Train—a being that not only kills but also seeks the fragments of its lost treasure.
Eric pondered: I must survive beneath its grasp and simultaneously locate the treasure to redeem my passage ticket.
A shiver of dread mingled with relief coursed through her—fortunate indeed that upon recognizing this instance, she had not retraced her prior impulsive path of smashing the window to escape. Had she leapt before receiving this newfound clue, returning to the train in time would have been impossible.
"Why has it suddenly grown so dark? How is my son supposed to finish his homework now?" a female passenger complained loudly. "Attendant! Hey! Someone, please turn on the lights! Your negligence has already caused my son's eyesight to worsen—are you prepared to compensate for that?"
Eric turned toward the voice, only to catch a fleeting white flash before the expression of the woman seated diagonally behind—once resentful and defiant—froze utterly, unyielding.
At her side, a young boy rubbed his eyes, looking up. "Mom, may I stop writing? I'm so tired."
Murmurs rippled among the other passengers.
"That person is so rude. If he's so tough, why not fly instead of riding the train?"
"It's about time the lights were turned on; it's pitch dark outside."
The mother ignored her son's plea, her gaze fixed ahead, still searching for an attendant.
"Mom?" the boy reached out to nudge her.
At last, she lowered her head to glance at him.
Her head slipped off.
"Ahhh!" The boy screamed in terror, his eyes bulging before he fainted.
Screams echoed from other carriages, signaling more deaths elsewhere.
Inside the carriage, the NPC passengers were thrown into panic; shrieks rose in waves.
"Attendant! Where's the attendant?"
"Call the police, quick!"
Chaos reigned. Eric's thoughts drifted to the young player whose decapitated head had rolled smoothly from its neck mere moments before her eyes.
The attendants finally arrived, carting away the bodies and severed heads.
"Please remain calm. We have already contacted the authorities," one attendant soothed in a sinister tone, then lazily wiped a seat before departing.
Their grim countenances silenced further inquiries.
"Have you noticed something odd about the attendants?" an NPC swallowed nervously.
"They are strange, indeed. I dare not speak." Another produced a phone. "No signal at all. How about everyone else?"
"Same here! Damn it, what is this sudden curse?"
Unperturbed by the passengers' uproar, Eric focused on scrutinizing the carriage. Her eyes skimmed the luggage racks. Where could the treasure be hidden? How could she search their contents unnoticed amid prying eyes?
Perhaps this was no mere treasure hunt.
What locations on the train held greater significance?
The hot water room, restrooms, dining car, or attendants' lounge?
Pondering this, a passenger abruptly stood and snatched a suitcase from the rack.
"Hey! What do you think you're doing? That's my luggage!"
"Sorry, sorry, I grabbed the wrong one," the other replied sheepishly, taking another nearby bag. Another NPC rose, protesting, "That bag is mine; what gives?"
Eric recognized that one as another player.
Realizing that examining luggage would prove futile, Eric rose and resolved to investigate the nearby hot water room.
Finding no clues there, Eric proceeded to the next carriage.
A vast crimson stain greeted her—a grisly scene of death with copious blood pooling into the aisle.
"So tragic. As rude as that person was, constantly kicking my seat, how could they die so horribly? Their head—"
"Don't say anymore! I'm scared!"
Eric cast a glance at the NPC speaking and continued onward. At the carriage's end stood a restroom, just as a male NPC entered.
Eric halted—this face stirred memories of one lying headless on the floor.
She first checked the adjacent vacant restroom thoroughly but found nothing amiss. Standing in the corridor, she awaited the reenactment of that remembered moment—would it unfold?
Her eyes fixed unwaveringly on the restroom floor.
Inside, a male passenger, uneasy and fearful as he used the toilet, felt his urgency wane. Whispers beyond the door unsettled him. Despite strong urges, waves of apprehension caused his bladder to retreat.
He zipped his fly, neglected flushing, spat carelessly beside the waste bin, and muttered, "I told them not to go on vacation, but no—they insisted. Probably walking into a murder scene! What bad luck!"
Seemingly reassured by his curse, he reached for the lock to open the door just a crack—when suddenly blinding white light flashed before his eyes.
The world spun, then abruptly blanked. His severed head rolled several times, striking the bin before resting muzzle-up against the restroom door.
Outside, amidst the cacophony, Eric faintly discerned the sound of something falling in the restroom—akin to someone collapsing or a ball rolling.
Her complexion darkened; she fixated on the restroom door.
"Need to use the restroom? If you don't go in, I will," an NPC approached, peering for an open stall. One doorway had just closed; another stood ajar where a young woman lingered. Another stall door was cracked open—but why stand idle, staring?
Eric remained silent.
"Weirdo," the NPC reached to push the door. Despite the fears of a murderer on board, nature's call is unyielding.
"Wait," Eric stopped her. "Look."
As the train jolted forward, thick red liquid oozed from beyond the door—blood.
The NPC recoiled. "Why is there so much red water—"
With a creak, the unlocked door swung fully open.
The headless corpse appeared, matching Eric's memory precisely.
The NPC screamed aloud.
"Ah!"
"What now?!"
"Seems something happened by the restroom."
Eric slipped inside before others arrived. She upended the trash bin but uncovered no clues—still no sign of the "treasure."
Handwashing at the faucet, she exited before the crowd assembled.
Once more the attendants arrived to collect the corpse. Watching their backs, Eric wondered where they would take the bodies.
After a moment's thought, she followed them.