Volume One, Chapter 12: The Diary on the Wall

At that moment, Qin Shang noticed that the stench he had first detected upon entering the second carriage had intensified somewhat. Perhaps he had developed a resistance, having grown accustomed to the environment after spending some time there. Now, the foul odor no longer made him as nauseous as before.

“Hey! Strange... Wait a minute, aren’t these newspapers taped to the window in English? Somehow, I feel like I can understand them…”

“Since I started working on the train, I’ve felt much better. I also got to know Mr. Jack, the train conductor, who’s a good man. Every day while driving, he shares interesting stories with me. From him, I’ve learned quite a bit about the outside world, though much of it relates to politics or military affairs.”

“Although he’s witty and humorous, I’m not really interested in those topics. What fascinates me more is his past—he told me he once served in the Middle Eastern battlefield and showed me his wounds, each one a grim reminder, a soldier’s badge of honor. I feel honored to work alongside him.”

“But it seems the train is hiding some secret. My colleague, Elle, is terrified every day and keeps writing letters, as if trying to send some message to the outside. Lately, she’s looked at me with a hesitant expression, as though she’s discovered something terrible. However, whenever I ask her, she never responds directly. I suspect the train harbors a dark secret.”

Mr. Jack!?

Just a moment ago, there was a Miss Mary, and now suddenly a Mr. Jack?

Damn, the developers of this fantasy game must be Chinese; otherwise, they wouldn’t use such common Western names.

Qin Shang muttered a complaint but couldn’t help frowning.

These “newspapers” weren’t newspapers at all.

They were someone’s diary?

Now he understood why he could suddenly comprehend English.

Having dropped out of a technical school, Qin Shang prided himself on recognizing all twenty-six letters, which he considered an achievement.

[Decipher] — a skill reserved for teachers!

He could subconsciously read any language.

Judging from the style, the diary must belong to one of the train’s staff members.

“But this staff member seems severely unwell; the diary’s entries contradict each other. She first praises Mr. Jack as humorous and enjoys chatting with him, yet later complains that she’s uninterested in what he talks about.”

Qin Shang pursed his lips and continued reading.

“I told Mr. Jack about Elle’s letter writing, and he was surprised. I wanted to inquire more about the train, but Mr. Jack seems afraid I’d discover something. He’s been giving me days off and evading many of my questions.”

“Today was another day off. I overheard some crew talking about eerie footsteps heard last night, but I slept too deeply to notice. It’s clear everyone is frightened. I think I should ask Mr. Jack about it.”

“I went to the conductor’s room today but didn’t see Mr. Jack. However, I found the letters Elle wrote, all piled in a corner. Elle asked me once how to affix postage stamps, and those stamps belonged to her.”

“Her letters never seemed to have been sent. I don’t know why they all ended up with Mr. Jack…”

Qin Shang’s expression stiffened. Apparently, this staff member named Elle was the first to notice something amiss on the train and tried to send messages to the outside world. For some reason, Mr. Jack intercepted her.

A chill surged from his feet to the crown of his head.

Why would Mr. Jack conceal the train’s secrets?

He had a bad feeling that Elle was in trouble.

“Today was another day off. On days off, I just lie in the dormitory and rest, but I’m bored. I haven’t worn a skirt in a long time, so I changed into my usual clothes and walked through the carriages. The passengers looked at me strangely, with eyes full of ill intent—no gentlemanly manners at all.”

“I escaped back to the dorm. That night, my roommate Elle didn’t return. She might be in danger. The next day, I asked Mr. Jack, who told me not to go out recently.”

Wait! Isn’t the chronology off?

“Today is still a day off,” then in the same diary entry, it mentions events from the next day?

This doesn’t sound like normal narration. My brain is about to short-circuit.

If the entry was written the day after events occurred, it should refer to the previous day, not muddle the timeline.

Damn, my head feels itchy.

What’s going on?

Strangely, it feels like my childhood brain from playing Plants vs. Zombies is growing back!

“Day off again. I’m so bored. I heard that after Elle, someone else went missing.”

Another disappearance!?

So first it was crew member Elle, then passengers began to vanish one after another?

The diary writer clearly isn’t mentally stable.

No wonder. If I were a crew member on this train, and since boarding it, everyone was on edge, with colleagues and passengers disappearing one after another…

Such a horror-movie atmosphere would drive any sane person mad!

“Mr. Jack said someone knocked on the door last night, and something was wandering in the corridor. Before Elle disappeared, she also reported knocking sounds to Mr. Jack. After these knocks, whoever opened the door vanished—colleagues and passengers alike. That thing knocking seems to be keeping track of time!”

That “thing”!

It’s the first time he’s seen this word used!

What is this “thing”?

The truth behind the passengers’ disappearances?

No... not “he,” it should be “she”—the diarist is a woman.

She wears a skirt, so the writer must be female.

“Day off. Mr. Jack told me not to leave the dormitory. I agreed, but I’m still very scared. I want Mr. Jack to stay with me, but he didn’t agree. Thankfully, no passengers disappeared in these three days.”

This sentence’s logic is off too!

Day off — these three days no passengers disappeared...

A linguistic inconsistency!

This crew member is truly unwell!

“Day off again. These people’s constant chattering is annoying. One passenger mocked my outfit, and the next day, he disappeared. Yes, more people are going missing, but his disappearance was timely.”

Qin Shang frowned.

“Still a day off today, the last one. I think I might survive and return home. I’m terrified, though. Last night, I also heard the knocking. Will it be my turn today?”

“Mr. Jack said we should investigate starting from Elle’s letters. I didn’t see Mr. Jack at night—maybe he discovered something.”

Qin Shang’s Adam’s apple bobbed involuntarily. He hadn’t expected the diarist herself to be harassed by that “thing.”

This is a foreigner’s diary, yet the game’s [Decipher] function translated it so naturally—in fact, it even rendered the idiom “to shiver with fear.”

Had this been a game translation, Qin Shang would have mocked such an out-of-place phrase. But now, he couldn’t laugh.

The atmosphere was too eerie and sinister.

And what exactly was that “thing” mentioned in the diary!?

His gaze darted further down and suddenly locked on a line that made his eyes widen in shock.

His mind exploded as if a C4 had detonated inside.

Chaos reigned within him.

“Mr. Jack is missing!”