Chapter 299: Chapter 295: Killed with 1 Palm Strike (2)

Although there were some empty seats, the train car was still fairly crowded.

At first, the car was filled with the sound of idle chatter, punctuated by the occasional wails of a child.

Add to that the rhythmic CLACK-CLACK of the wheels against the rails, and the car was anything but quiet.

However, at some point, those sounds seemed to become muffled, as if covered by a thin veil. Though they still existed, they grew faint and indistinct.

Hu Qi remembered that a balding, middle-aged man in his fifties was sitting beside him.

Across from him sat a young couple.

’None of the three of them had a child.’

’So where did this little girl come from?’

Just then, every sound ceased abruptly, and the car plunged into an eerie, dead silence.

Hu Qi instinctively looked up to see the dim, yellow lights in the car flickering incessantly, as if they might go out at any moment.

In an instant, the once-clean car looked as if it had been abandoned for ages.

The car’s exterior was mottled and dilapidated. The original paint was flaking away, revealing dark red rust that looked like dried blood, giving off a terrifying aura.

The seats inside the car were strewn about, some toppled over, others hanging broken in place. The foam from the cushions was exposed, blackened as if gnawed on by something.

Just then, the overhead lights flickered twice more before going out completely, leaving wires dangling down.

They swung in the dimness, like drooping dead vines.

Looking out through the windows, which were caked in dust and grime, the outside scenery was blurry, as if tightly enveloped by a thick fog.

And the passengers who had been sitting in their seats had vanished without a trace.

Now, it seemed the entire car held only Hu Qi and the little girl before him.

"Mister, aren’t you going to eat?"

The little girl spoke again, tilting her head in confusion. The angle revealed a pink, pig-shaped barrette in her hair.

But now, she wasn’t the least bit cute.

Because as soon as she finished speaking, winding trickles of blood began to seep from her eyes.

Her once-rosy cheeks gradually turned deathly pale, losing all trace of color.

Seemingly sensing Hu Qi studying her, she asked in a sharp, bizarre voice.

"Mister, you can see me, can’t you? Why are you ignoring Lingling!"

As she spoke, her lips curled upward, revealing a mouth full of blood-stained teeth.

The sight was bizarre and terrifying.

"You can see me, can’t you? Say something, say..."

Seeing that Hu Qi didn’t respond, the little girl leaned in closer, continuing to press him.

BANG!

The explosive sound was like the air itself being torn apart.

The little girl’s ponytailed head and her entire upper body exploded.

Bits of flesh and brain matter splattered all over the car, and her half-finished sentence was instantly cut off.

"Yes, I saw you. And?"

Only then did Hu Qi unhurriedly withdraw his hand and utter those words.

Unfortunately, the little girl lying on the ground, half her body gone, was naturally in no condition to answer his question.

As an adult, Hu Qi was quite magnanimous about the little girl’s "impolite" behavior. He didn’t take her failure to answer to heart.

He remained in his seat, not getting up, and simply surveyed his surroundings with a careful gaze.

’This situation is clearly a precursor to a so-called Nightmare manifesting in reality, not the actual real world.’

The feeling was quite peculiar; even with his current strength, Hu Qi hadn’t sensed anything was amiss.

’The way this Nightmare manifested in reality was far too subtle, far too seamless.’

The reason he hadn’t made a move was that he knew the little girl must be the monster in this Nightmare. Now that he had dealt with her, he presumed he would soon be able to return to reality.

Hu Qi didn’t have to wait long.

A few seconds later, Hu Qi’s vision blurred, and the surrounding sounds rushed back in like a tide: the sound of the wheels on the tracks, the train’s announcements, and the voices of vendors hawking local specialties.

The sounds were endless. Everything had returned to normal.

The young couple across from him was snuggled together, watching a show on their phone.

The balding man beside him had his eyes closed, pretending to be asleep.

The rust, the dilapidated car, the girl’s corpse, and the splattered blood had all vanished, as if they had never existed.

’Interesting!’

A strange look appeared in Hu Qi’s eyes. He really hadn’t expected to encounter a so-called Nightmare event just from riding a train.

’Oh well. The journey was getting a bit boring, and an incident like this is a decent way to pass the time.’

Just as Hu Qi was preparing to get up,

"Anyone need a boxed lunch?"

Just then, a train attendant passed by pushing a cart. On it were stacks of pre-packaged boxed lunches, with various drinks, snacks, and other items for sale underneath.

The balding man to his side heard and waved his hand, declining.

The couple across the aisle asked for two.

"I’ll have one, too!"

At this, Hu Qi sat back down, took out a twenty-yuan bill, and bought a boxed lunch.

Watching the attendant’s retreating back, Hu Qi averted his gaze, opened the lunchbox, and started eating with his chopsticks.

The lunchbox held two meat and two vegetable dishes. It looked alright, but as for the taste, it was merely edible.

One couldn’t have high hopes for the flavor.

Fortunately, he wasn’t a picky eater.

He finished the contents of the lunchbox in just a few bites.

In the past, this much food would have barely been enough to fill a hollow tooth for him.

As his physique grew stronger, it was inevitable that his appetite would increase as well.

But now, since his Cultivation of the Crimson Sun Demon Elephant Flame Prison Skill had reached the Elephant Heart Chapter, he was able to absorb the surrounding Heaven and Earth Primordial Energy for his own use.

He could use it to sustain his body’s needs, so his appetite naturally didn’t need to be as large as before.

Holding the empty lunchbox, Hu Qi said:

"Excuse me, friend!"

Hearing this, the balding man to his side shifted to let him pass.

Hu Qi thanked him and walked toward the restroom at the front of the car with his lunchbox.

...

Meanwhile, in one of the cars toward the rear of the train, a completely different scene was unfolding.

This was a deluxe private soft-sleeper car, a class above the regular seats and standard soft-sleeper cars.

It was furnished with private berths, a full suite of amenities, and a door that could be closed, forming relatively independent spaces, much like small private compartments.

Each compartment had upper and lower bunks and a private restroom. Of course, such comfort and privacy came at a much higher price, sometimes even more expensive than a plane ticket. Still, its excellent privacy attracted many passengers who had a need for it.

Inside one of these private soft-sleeper compartments, there was a young man and woman, both dressed in overcoats.

One was standing, the other sitting.

Both had high-bridged noses and deep-set eyes, their features as sharp and defined as sculptures. Judging by their appearance, they were clearly not Yu Country People.

The man’s expression held an irrepressible excitement.

The woman, however, remained calm.

She sat quietly on the bed, holding a book in her hands, engrossed in reading it.

"It’s going to start in twenty minutes!"

The one who spoke first was the blue-eyed, brown-haired man.

As he spoke, he raised his arm and glanced at the time displayed on his watch.

His tone was full of mockery, yet laced with a hint of faint anticipation.

After speaking, he turned his head to glance at the silent woman sitting beside him, who bore a three- or four-tenths resemblance to him.

"Nira, should we go out and take a look in a little while?"

the man asked with a cheeky grin.

Hearing this, the woman called Nira lifted her gaze from the pages of her book.

She frowned slightly, glanced at him, and said with a hint of seriousness in her tone.

"Regan, my dear brother, I have told you many times not to call me by my name. Please call me Sister. According to the traditions of the Yu Country, calling one’s older sister by her name is very impolite."

She paused for a moment here.

Her expression grew more severe as she continued.

"Furthermore, I have repeatedly emphasized that once the Dream Eye awakens, it will attack indiscriminately. It is extremely dangerous.

What you need to do now is to behave, stay here, and quietly wait for this blood sacrifice to be completed!"

Regan heard this and opened his mouth, about to retort, when his gaze suddenly fell upon Nira’s shoulder-length hair, which had begun to grow on its own.

In the blink of an eye, her long hair spread from her back like dark tentacles, instantly filling nearly half the compartment.

Nira’s face became incredibly cold, her once-rosy lips instantly lost their color, and her neatly trimmed fingernails turned blood-red in that same moment, exuding a strange aura.

At the same time, Regan clearly felt a bone-chilling aura silently spreading throughout the compartment.

It felt as if the heater blowing warm air from overhead had completely lost its effect, and a chill began to seep into his very bones.

"You’re right, Sister. I was wrong. It won’t happen again! I hope you can forgive my mistake!"

Having nearly lost his life in a previous incident, Regan immediately shuddered.

He knew in his heart that if this continued, the consequences would be more than he could bear.

Thus, he wisely and immediately backed down, bowing in apology.

As soon as his words fell, the bone-chilling aura that had filled the space vanished in an instant, like a receding tide.

Nira’s appearance also returned to normal. Her long hair obediently settled back on her shoulders, and everything that had just happened seemed like nothing more than an illusion.

Seeing this, Regan collapsed to the floor, large beads of cold sweat forming on his forehead. He spoke, his voice filled with lingering fear.

"Oh, my dear sister, you nearly scared me to death."

"I’m sorry, Regan."

Nira seemed to come to her senses then, realizing she had just lost control. A hint of apology appeared on her face as she spoke softly.