Chapter 281
New Life
Chapter 281 New Life (2)
Where am I?
Someone in the Anning City team couldn't help but ask a question.
She looked around, her eyes filled with fear, completely unable to understand where she was. Her ticket was clearly for the next city, so how come she was back in Anning City after only ten minutes?
Moreover, why has this place suddenly become deserted?
"Did the train break down? How did it end up here?"
"Are we still at the train station? Where is everyone else?"
Another newcomer asked a question with a blank look on her face; clearly, she didn't understand what was going on either.
Am I still dreaming? Another world? Or have I traveled to a parallel universe?
Some people looked panicked and made wild guesses.
"I knew that ticket that suddenly appeared was some kind of special prop! My friend even said I was crazy, thank goodness I got on the train! Hey, do you guys know what happened? Can you tell me?"
Some people even looked excited.
"Oh no!"
Jiang Jing, who came from the capital, looked at the restless crowd in Anning City: "These newcomers have no idea what's going on. It seems that the people in Anning City didn't even tell them anything about the train and the platform when they were on the train?"
Lu Jinzhao carefully observed the expressions of the newcomers and listened to what they said, and made a guess: "It is possible that the newcomers themselves do not know that they have entered the supernatural train. Some of them may have just boarded an ordinary train."
Ning Jianwei's expression became even more serious: "If that's the case, then things are worse than we expected."
There has never been an incident before where people on a regular train were suddenly pulled onto the platform.
This may also be a result of the paranormal phenomena being leaked into the real world.
Originally, passengers needed to obtain a ticket and board the train independently. Now, this screening mechanism is gone, making it easier for ordinary people to enter the platform without realizing it, which is definitely not a good thing.
"What a pity," she sighed. "These people are going to die in vain."
No one believed these newcomers would survive this death platform.
"Let's make contact with them first." Her gaze fell on the passengers from Anning City. She could tell at a glance who was a newcomer and who was a veteran among the 11 people.
However, no matter how the newcomers asked, none of the older folks had any intention of explaining.
It seems they were convinced these people were doomed, and some even kept silent to avoid being entangled with the newcomers.
Ning Jianwei took the lead, and Lu Jinzhao and the fortune teller exchanged a glance to confirm that neither of them wanted to "take the lead," so they followed Ning Jianwei and walked towards the crowd in Anning City.
"Hello, you must be the passengers from Anning City this time?"
Before joining the platform, Ning Jianwei was a headhunter. She had a keen eye for people and was very good at interpersonal communication. She was also very skilled at controlling her tone of voice, body language, and even eye contact when speaking.
If it was just to greet the regular passengers in Anning City, she didn't need to add that last sentence; it was intentional, meant to attract the attention of the new passengers.
Because she also knows how to place the right people in the right positions.
Since these newcomers are destined to die, she wouldn't mind helping to arrange for them to die in a more useful way.
Of course, she needs to gain their trust, or rather, convince them, first.
Several of the old passengers in Anning City had met the fortune teller and Ning Jianwei, but even those who had met them once did not show any trust or joy. Their faces only showed fatigue, numbness, and a persistent unwillingness to die.
Lu Jinzhao watched Ning Jianwei talking with the newcomers from Anning City, who showed no intention of joining. She raised her arm to look at them, then glanced outside the platform. At that moment, she was thinking that they were still in the train station, but before they came in, the fortune teller had taken her to a certain residential area. If nothing unexpected happened, their mission location this time should most likely be there.
Will the mission directly require them to go to that neighborhood?
Ning Jianwei only exchanged a few words with the newcomers and asked them how they got here. Unfortunately, more than half of the passengers said that they had originally bought train tickets to other places, but somehow ended up here.
"Standing here isn't a solution, let's head outside."
She didn't answer the newcomers' questions, but instead made a demand in a forceful tone. Regardless of whether the newcomers agreed or not, she strode out of the station with them.
Those newcomers can only follow.
As they walked out of the train station, they saw a bus parked outside.
Lu Jinzhao recognized this bus; she and the fortune teller had taken it to their neighborhood.
"It seems we don't have to walk to our destination this time; there's a car to take," the fortune teller laughed, as if he had no idea where the destination was.
After she finished speaking, she walked towards the bus with a relaxed expression.
A newcomer behind them questioned, "What's going on here? A bus can't drive this far, can it?"
"Are you sure you want to get on this bus? There isn't even a driver."
Lu Jinzhao sighed inwardly. She looked at Ning Jianwei, but she had no intention of explaining. She let the newlyweds stand there and wonder about this strange bus that shouldn't be there.
She knew what Ning Jianwei wanted to do. First, she only asked questions without explaining, and then she led the team without saying anything. Next, she ignored the newcomers who came out behind her, letting them hesitate and worry.
She is selecting, choosing newcomers who are weaker-willed, more conformist, and easier to control.
Whether the newcomers who didn't get on the bus will die is not important.
Lu Jinzhao looked at these newcomers. She had no intention of saving or protecting them, and even thought that these newcomers were doomed. But at least, they shouldn't be selected as tools in a daze and then die without knowing anything.
"Get in the car first," she reminded them, then ignored the newcomers and walked towards the seat the fortune teller had reserved for her. Ning Jianwei glanced at her, said nothing, and tacitly approved of her actions.
She didn't want to create conflict with the people of Yuncheng over these insignificant newcomers.
Having one more tool or one less tool makes no difference.
Lu Jinzhao knew perfectly well that Ning Jianwei didn't care.
"What? Can't bear it anymore?" the fortune teller teased, a strange look appearing in his eyes as he looked at Lu Jinzhao.
She didn't think Lu Jinzhao was such a kind person. In her opinion, Lu Jinzhao was a much colder person than her. Her temperament was no longer human; she was more like a ghost.
But Lu Jinzhao's actions at this moment made the fortune teller feel that she was still human, a person who was more human than he was now.
Lu Jinzhao shook his head: "I just feel that they deserve a chance."
She didn't care about the newcomers, nor did she feel any pity for them. By now, not only were her physical functions not human-like, but her emotions were also much weaker than before.
When she realized this, she set a rule for herself: to be the one who leads the ox, not the one who wields the knife, without endangering herself.
The reason for offering this reminder now is neither out of empathy nor due to emotional factors; it's simply a way of showing off to myself.
You're so kind.
The sheepskin suddenly appeared, but Lu Jinzhao knew it was mocking her, mocking her "fake kindness."
Because both she and Yangpi knew perfectly well that she wasn't really kind-hearted; she was just playing a role, pretending to be a normal, empathetic Lu Jinzhao.
Lu Jinzhao looked at Lin Lin.
Was Lin Lin playing the role of her past self in front of her?
Presumably, yes.
What role does the fortune teller play?
There are also.
On her way back to Yuncheng, she had briefly seen the real fortune teller.
Is there any trace of it?
Yes, her tone of voice, her body language—everything about her was calculated.
Who truly reveals their true nature?
Very few, I'm afraid.
Lu Jinzhao didn't feel hypocritical, nor was she ashamed of Yangpi's mockery. After all, she did it not to gain anyone's approval, but only for herself.
For the sake of today's deer.
The bus had no driver. After the last person boarded, the doors suddenly closed about five minutes later, and then the bus started moving, swaying and wobbling towards its destination.
The atmosphere in the car was somewhat oppressive.
After what happened at the bus door, Ning Jianwei, who was originally seen as "friendly" by these newcomers, began to change in their minds. They no longer dared to casually ask Ning Jianwei questions, and they began to observe her expression.
This is what Ning Jianwei wanted.
As for Lu Jinzhao.
This pale-skinned woman with an eerie demeanor was someone they had warned, yet no one dared to approach her.
She simply stood there, silent and expressionless, yet she already instilled a sense of fear in them.
It was as if the person standing there wasn't a quiet person, but something dangerous, something they couldn't describe in words.
They don't seem to appreciate your efforts.
The sheepskin laughed.
Does that matter?
Lu Jinzhao stared blankly out the window, not understanding why Yangpi was taking such a trivial matter so seriously.
The car swayed and bumped as it arrived at its destination, which was the entrance to a residential community.
--squeak
The bus stopped and the doors opened.
A gloomy, cold wind rushed into the bus as the doors opened. The closer they got to the residential area, the more oppressive the sky became. Now, the bus was parked outside the residential area, and although it was daytime, the light was as dim as if it were approaching night.
Passengers disembarked one after another. When they came into contact with the outside air, their first impression was that it was sticky, followed by an unpleasant odor.
Before anything even began, they could already sense the oppressive atmosphere and impending terror from their surroundings.
Once everyone had disembarked, the mission finally began.
Some newcomers had never experienced this before. When the burning pain appeared on their arms, some cried out in pain unexpectedly, and they finally saw the hint that hell was giving them.
[Within two hours, go to room 401 to borrow today's videotape and watch it in its entirety.]
(End of this chapter)