Xiao Jinyu was very sure that the passengers on the subway had disappeared in an instant.
The empty subway stopped abruptly between two stations and through the window, he could see that there were walls on both sides of the car. There was no need for him to go to other cars to check; it was just like the New Year. If you stood in the middle car and looked to the sides, you could see the ends at a glance.
Everyone was gone, except…
Xiao Jinyu took a deep breath and eased his heartbeat which was accelerating due to anxiety. He turned around and calmly looked at the man in glasses beside him.
Except for this man.
Xiao Jinyu still had an impression of this man, because the two got on the subway at the same station. When they got on the subway, there were already no seats left. Both of them could only hold on to the plastic handrails and squeeze into the crowd.
“What happened?! Where is everyone?”
The glasses man wasn’t that tall, only half a head shorter than Xiao Jinyu. He naturally noticed at a glance that there were only two of them left in the subway. The majority of the people in the world have never imagined that they would encounter this sort of weird and chaotic scene in their entire life. The man in glasses panicked and kept asking Xiao Jinyu: “I don’t think I fell asleep just now. Where is everyone? Where did everyone go?” He asked as if it could ease his nervousness and fear.
The voice of the glasses man echoed in the empty subway car.
In the face of sudden situations, panicking would always be the most useless way to cope. Xiao Jinyu’s brain quickly processed everything, and his pounding heart in his chest also calmed down. He completely calmed himself down and said: “Sir, the people here really disappeared in an instant.”
It was like grabbing hold of a life-saver when drowning. When someone could answer their questions, they would be more at ease. “What’s the situation now? I take this subway to and from work every day. It’s never been like this before, never!”
“Calm down first, sir.”
The man in glasses suddenly stopped.
Seeing that the glasses man had finally stopped asking questions, Xiao Jinyu lightly sighed and took out his phone from his pocket. “First of all, I have no signal. Do you?”
The man in glasses quickly took out his phone, glanced at it, and then raised his head: “No!”
Sure enough. Xiao Jinyu said: “Normally in the subway, our phones have signals. There are only two answers to this situation. First, someone is playing a prank. Maybe it’s a type of prank variety show? They could have used a signal blocker. But as for how they made everyone disappear in a blink of an eye, I can’t think of an answer.”
Humans are herd animals. When one person starts to analyze a situation, other people will join in for the sake of grouping together. The glasses man’s lips were still a little shaky, but he still tried to calm himself down. He also analyzed: “Maybe someone used some sleeping drug to make us faint, and then they got everyone else out of the subway, leaving only the two of us?”
Xiao Jinyu glanced at him: “Let’s not mention whether or not there is such a magical sleeping drug. Even if there is, then they did it too carefully.”
The man in glasses asked in confusion: “Carefully?”
Xiao Jinyu turned on his phone: “It’s currently 8:45 in the morning, and I left my house at 8:20. It takes ten minutes for me to walk from my house to the subway station. I waited for two subways to pass before I squeezed in. Therefore, it should have been about 8:40 when I got on the subway. It would take a lot of effort to make us faint and then adjust the time on our phones back to the correct time.”
The man in glasses immediately checked his phone’s time. It was indeed 8:45.
Xiao Jinyu: “Such variety shows, or malicious tricks, would expend a lot of effort.”
Whether a thing is worth doing is weighed by the costs and the benefits that could be obtained from achieving it.
In five simple words, weigh the pros and cons.
Xiao Jinyu didn’t think he had any area special enough to be worthy of such efforts…
Suddenly, the black-haired youth squinted his eyes.
Mom?!
Could it be that after discovering his mother’s secret, someone did something like this to trap him here?!
Wait, calm down, calm down first. Even if they discovered mom’s secret, there was no need to trap him like this. When he has school, he won’t be at home all day, so they only need to come to his house while he is not at home. Plus he isn’t the only person trapped in this subway car, and…
The corners of his mouth were slightly raised, and a kind smile appeared on the young, handsome face. Xiao Jinyu looked at the man beside him: “Anyways, we’re already trapped here. We might as well introduce ourselves first.” His long and beautiful eyes curved into a soft arc, Xiao Jinyu smiled and said: “My name is Xiao Yu, the yu from rain, what should I call you?”
Appearances were always an important advantage that mankind couldn’t ignore.
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
A good-looking youth shows kindness to you, even in such an uncomfortable environment. Although the glasses man is a man, he couldn’t help but have good feelings and a sense of dependence on the young man in front of him. He hurriedly introduced himself: “My name is Zhao Zhixin, the zhi from knowing, the xin from old and new.”
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There really was no reason to choose him!
His family was ordinary, and his parents were ordinary people. Growing up, he was never the best in the crowd, nor was he the worst. He was thoroughly average. He got an ordinary undergraduate degree in university, and even his job was the most common in Zhongdu. Even his appearance didn’t stand out at all.
Wait a moment…
Zhao Zhixin suddenly became vigilant. He silently stepped back and stared at Xiao Jinyu: “To be honest, my life is so normal that I can find at least ten people like me in each car. For any variety shows or pranks, there would be no good reason to choose me, but you’re different. You’re good looking, and at a glance, you look like a celebrity.”
Just this? So… this has nothing to do with mom?
He was relieved inside, but there was no change on the outside. Xiao Jinyu frowned, pondered for a moment, and then asked, “Are you thinking that I’m one of the inside members?”
Zhao Zhixin: “Of course!”
Xiao Jinyu: “Of course not. Mr. Zhao, I am a student at Zhongdu University. Like you, my life was a step-by-step process. There’s nothing special. However, I did do something wrong. At this time, we must trust each other, so I will confess that I lied to you just now.”
Zhao Zhixin widened his eyes nervously.
Selecting a photo on his phone, Xiao Jinyu handed it to the other party.
“My name is Xiao Jinyu, not Xiao Yu, this is my student ID. Mr. Zhao, just like you, I actually suspected you since earlier, so I didn’t tell you my real name. But after talking for so long, I believe you didn’t lie to me.” The young man firmly stared at the man in front of him, and Xiao Jinyu’s tone was sincere: “Maybe you still can’t completely trust me, but I really don’t know what the situation is now.”
Zhao Zhixin looked down at the photo on the phone.
This was a student ID card of Zhongdu University taken by a phone. On the blue background, a young black-haired young man in a white shirt looked forwards indifferently and the blurry photo could not conceal his cool and outstanding temperament. And the left side of the student ID were three characters printed clearly—
‘Xiao Jinyu’
The big rock hanging in his chest quickly fell. Zhao Zhixin thought: it seems like he really didn’t lie to me. Now, I know more than him; I know that he is a student at Zhongdu University. On the contrary, he doesn’t have any information on me. So I have the upper hand now.
Zhao Zhixin breathed a sigh of relief and said, “I’m sorry that I suspected you just now. But to be honest, little brother, it’s because my life has always been too ordinary. People like you, who have been outstanding since childhood may not understand, but with stuff like this suddenly happening, I find it difficult to accept.”
Xiao Jinyu glanced at him.
In fact, this has nothing to do with how ordinary someone’s life is. Even if the world’s richest man suddenly encounters such a situation, it would be difficult to accept.
People may suspect once, but when their suspicions are confirmed and the other party’s lies are exposed, very few people will suspect again.
Therefore, what Zhao Zhixin said is almost certainly true.
Xiao Jinyu laughed: “I’m just like you, Mr. Zhao, I have always been ordinary and I also don’t know why they would choose someone like me. But it was also me who first hid stuff from you first. So now we know two things, one, there really is no one else in the subway, and two, we cannot contact the outside world.”
After establishing the trust between them, even Zhao Zhixin himself didn’t notice that he subconsciously moved closer to Xiao Jinyu’s side. Zhao Zhixin nodded: “Yes. Right, also, Xiao… Jinyu”, he awkwardly said this unfamiliar name and asked, “You said earlier, there could be two situations. One was that it was a variety show or prank. What was the other possibility?”
Xiao Jinyu was silent: “Have you not thought of the other possibility, Mr. Zhao.”
Zhao Zhixin opened his mouth, but could not speak.
Xiao Jinyu saw him look like this, knowing that he also thought of that answer.
Yes, normal people will think of that answer.
“Maybe…
“We met a ghost.”
***
If he had to choose between the two choices of a prank or meeting a ghost, Zhao Zhixin would rather it be the former. But Xiao Jinyu didn’t know which he would pick.
It’s really hard to say which of these two choices is better.
People playing tricks, ghosts playing people.
If the former could do something like this, breaking the scope of the law and lines of morality, then whether they could leave this place alive is something that is hard to say.
The latter was ghosts, and it would be reasonable to say that killing them directly should be what the ghosts logically should have done. But since they have lived until now, it means that the ghosts didn’t want them to die just yet.
In any case, he should deal with the situation at hand first.
Xiao Jinyu analyzed: “The passengers have already disappeared, so there’s no point in thinking about them anymore. Mr. Zhao, I will confirm one thing first…Did you hear a subway announcement when everyone disappeared? ”
Zhao Zhixin recalled: “The subway has arrived at the station… Oh yes, the subway announcement said that we arrived at a White Garden station!”
Xiao Jinyu’s face sank: “In the Zhongdu Metro, there is no White Garden station. Even including the radiation-closed platforms, there is no such thing as a White Garden station.”
Zhao Zhixin had an ugly expression on his face: “So do we have to find this White Garden or whatever?”
Thinking for a moment, Xiao Jinyu said, “It’s strange. It said that we have reached a station so we should arrive at a platform, even if it is a deserted platform that no one knows about. But now, we have stopped in the middle of two stations. And it stands to reason that when the subway arrives at a station, the doors should be opened.”
Zhao Zhixin: “Come on, let’s not have the doors open…”
Xiao Jinyu furrowed his eyebrows and repeated softly, “White Garden…” He was sure that he had never heard this name.
“Hey, stop talking about it, this thing sounds terrible.”
Xiao Jinyu looked up at him: “Since the announcement said so, then this White Garden must be an important clue.”
Zhao Zhixin hugged his arms, only feeling the goosebumps all over his body. This dark underground cave, the empty subway car, plus the inexplicable White Garden Station.
However, Xiao Jinyu no longer paid much attention to him.
After confirming that this incident had nothing to do with his mother, the only thing left to do is to leave here. He had no time to calm the fear of others.
Zhao Zhixin didn’t realize that Xiao Jinyu’s attitude was not as enthusiastic and sincere as before. He leaned closer to Xiao Jinyu, looking at the surrounding area with some fear.
“White Garden…”
Xiao Jinyu couldn’t help repeating it again. His expression was focused, and he split the words up in his mind, thinking carefully.
Zhao Zhixin: “Hey, don’t talk about it anymore… Ah!”
“Boom!”
The doors of the subway car opened wide, and the metal sliding doors slammed into the grooves on both sides with a bang, causing the glass in the car to make a humming sound.
Zhao Zhixin made a sound in shock.
Xiao Jinyu was also stunned, and he immediately raised his head to look at the open subway door.
He saw the lights in the subway shine out through the wide open door as if there wasn’t a wall beyond it, and a vague, white silhouette could be seen outside the door.
Obviously, Xiao Jinyu had inspected the subway just now. There were walls on both sides of the subway, but now a white thing suddenly appeared outside the door.
His expression suddenly became cold, and Xiao Jinyu walked to the door.
Zhao Zhixin said in horror: “Don’t go there!”
Xiao Jinyu didn’t respond. He stood at the door and looked out.
That white object is a building! It was like a white house.
The white house wasn’t big and it was far away in the dark depths, about ten meters away from the doors. Xiao Jinyu examined the house from the door. The height of the house was at most one or two meters. While he said it was a house, it was more like a small villa model.
Turning around, Xiao Jinyu calmly asked, “Are you going to go out?”
Zhao Zhixin: “Won’t, won’t…I feel safer in the subway.”
“If you stay here, you can never leave.”
The next moment, Xiao Jinyu retracted his gaze and stepped out of the subway car.
“Hey, Xiao Jinyu! That thing suddenly appeared, it’s so creepy and weird, don’t go.”
The footsteps stopped, and Xiao Jinyu couldn’t help but be stunned.
…Was it weird?
A white house that appeared inexplicably stands in the boundless darkness. It really seemed terrifying, but it was a pity that all his fears, that night, when his mother tilted her head and opened the door to welcome him home, had all disappeared.
Mom…
Xiao Jinyu’s eyes became firm.
He wants to leave here.
His figure almost melted into the darkness, and Xiao Jinyu strode to the white building. After seeing the appearance of the white house, he muttered: “Sure enough…”
Zhao Zhixin shouted from inside the subway: “Xiao Jinyu, what is it?”
Xiao Jinyu turned his head: “a Ming House.”
“Huh?”
Xiao Jinyu’s voice hardly fluctuates, and he calmly repeats: “a Ming House.”
Zhao Zhixin: “What name house?”
The young and handsome face didn’t have any expressions. He repeated each word for the last time: “Do you know those houses for dead people?”
From the subway, the glasses man’s mouth slowly gaped open.
“The houses built for dead people, those houses are called Ming Houses.”
The author has something to say:
The first chapter’s ending was changed, the chapter was changed a bit~
There was originally five people on the subway but now there are only two people left, including Little Goldfish~
If you need to, you can go back and reread it~ I only changed this much~
Because today’s note is at the beginning of the chapter, I will thank everyone who sent gifts tomorrow~ muah =3=
Dude if I was on that train, and my companion said there was a house for dead people outside, you bet I’m gonna make that train my forever home. Well, till I starve to death, or my curiosity gets the best of me.
I don’t know. If it were me, the two possibilities I would think of is that I’d had a mental break and gone insane or that I’d inexplicably died and this was the afterlife. A prank, maybe, but ghosts definitely wouldn’t enter my head. But that’s me.
Well it’s not common throughout the world but there are a lot of local ghost stories related to train. Asian just has a lot of ghost stories and ghost encounter so it’s normal to think of that possibility first. We can also interpret ‘ghost’ as ‘anything supernatural’.
Considering he can get along with his mother like everything in life is peachy, then I’m not surprised at his calm reactions.