Chapter 54
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The body in the box
The smile on the priest’s face was shallow and reserved, and his clear eyes were fixed on him. “It’s like this, the church learned that the work around the Nightmare Border can’t make any progress for the time being, and decided to transfer me to churches in other areas to help out.”
Ye Zun was taken aback for a moment. “Transfer where?”
“I’m not sure. They said it’s my choice, but in short, I have to leave the Nightmare Border.” The smile on Lin’s face dropped, looking at Ye Zun’s eyes with unobvious restrained tenderness in his eyes. “There is probably no way for us to continue living together. Will you be okay by yourself?”
Ye Zun pursed his lips and said calmly, “I also want to tell you something. I got a ticket for the Pavas District, I have to leave this place.”
Lin raised his eyebrows slightly, as if surprised. “What kind of ticket?”
Ye Zun handed him the ticket he got from Mo Fei, as well as the information about the ticket he bought from the black market, telling him everything.
He knew that the priest might have known this a long time ago, but he still wanted to say it, like he subconsciously wanted that person to know he was also capable, that he could do many things.
After he finished, he lowered his eyes slightly, and said quietly, “The ticket can be bound to a companion.”
The man took the ticket, looked over it carefully, and listened attentively to what he said. His eyes were clear, the curve of his smile grew slightly, and he sincerely praised, “You are amazing*. You’ve grown a lot after only one instance, even more amazing than I expected.”
[T/N: powerful]
Ye Zun lowered his eyes, swallowed lightly, and softly said again, “The ticket can be bound to a companion.”
There was silence.
Ye Zun slowly raised his eyes, meeting Lin’s.
That handsome man’s expression always seemed to have a faint warmth, a small smile like it was being restrained, giving people the feeling of sitting in the spring breeze, but also a cold feeling. As if, even though he was right in front of your eyes, you will never be able to truly reach the warmth.
At this moment, that pair of beautiful eyes looked at him quietly. Clear eyes were layered with a slight curiosity, smiling with a reserved and restrained gentleness, but it also seemed like it was just a kind of customary politeness. “En, are you inviting me to come with you?”
The young man’s pure eyes trembled slightly, as if he was about to shrink away to avoid him at any time. But, he was always watching him quietly.
A mixture of ignorance, fragility, unknowable affection, and with the tiniest and feeble certainty, like waiting for the sun to rise and see him, morning dew mixed with the wind blowing over the slightly chilly surface of the lake.
[T/N: I’m so sorry I literally don’t know what that means, I promise it’s translated word for word]
With that kind of gaze, he looked at the gentle and distant priest in front of him.
Fingers under the cuffs of a black shirt clenched unconsciously, and then slowly loosened.
“Please, bind to me. Let’s enter a new world together.”
“Okay ah.”
The moment he finished speaking, there was an immediate and soft response.
As if he had always been waiting for him to say it, waiting with bated breath, to be able to give that response at this moment.
It was like a silent promise: Anything goes, as long as you say it.
Those clear eyes gazed intently into his eyes, holding a thin warm light inside them. “Okay ah, let’s go to the new world and continue living together, just like now.”
Ye Zun’s Adam’s apple rolled lightly and he looked up at him quietly. The corners of his lips slowly rose.
……
【 In my dreams, I always dream of a long, long road. The trees beside the road are very tall, straight and unclimbable, as if they are shooting straight into the sky.
Next to the road is the harvested wheat field. The sharp splinters sting the soles of the feet walking on it, like the mermaid’s punishment of walking on the tips of knives*.
[T/N: og little mermaid reference (love when there is one)]
Wafting the air was the sap of damaged wheat stalks, the breath of humidity, mixed with the fragrance of wheat ears exposed to the sun.
I walk alone on that endless road.
The brutal sunlight sends people into dizzy spells, and the shadows on the ground are mottled black.
Walking in the sun is like walking in the night.
I can’t see anything.
However, I am not alone.
At an unknown time, a person came to walk with me.
The shade of the trees falls on his body, his figure is hazy and intertwined with the grotesque black shadows. The expression on that face, between the light and shadow, is sometimes gentle and perfect, and sometimes eerie and terrifying.
I feel uneasy, anxious to see the real expression on that face.
But standing under the sun, the tyrannical light blinds my vision and burns away all truth. Only his eyes are smooth like pure spring water.
I used to want to run away, letting go of that hand intentionally or otherwise countless times.
While I was running away, I met other people travelling on foot, like me.
I saw them transform into the monsters that chased them.
I saw their shadows killing their owners, saw the loneliness belonging to people I didn’t know, reaching out to me for help.
I saw countless forks in the road and towers that had been carved out, and the ghosts below.
Some ran away, some died, some left, but I was left standing there.
In the end, only he came to me from the shadows of the forest full of dangers, with a coldness that remained on his body after the slaughter had been washed away.
As if nothing had happened, he smiled and said, let’s continue walking ah.
The endless road is starting to calm down, gradually heading towards the night in the sky.
The mountain road is rugged. That person’s face is still flickering in and out of view, always unable to be seen clearly.
I am still afraid, but I hold that hand tighter.
I want to see where this endless road heads, and where I end up in the end.
And when we arrive, whether he will leave me alone, or, if he will be left alone. 】
……
The train track was on the east side of the Nightmare Border.
All that could be seen was a railway track and a crude shelter, which tried in vain to prevent pedestrians from crossing.
There was only one platform that was very clean, giving the feeling of something that came right out of a fairy tale.
The boy and the man stood there with two suitcases by their feet, one large and one small.
The time on the ticket was half past seven in the evening.
The intersection of dusk and night.
The setting sun was still in the west, and stars had already appeared in the east.
The whistle of a train came suddenly.
Soon, coming from the northern track, it came to a stop.
The train door opened automatically.
The priest picked up the two suitcases and went up first, then opened his hand out to Ye Zun and pulled him up.
The doors of the train closed automatically after he got on.
‘Click click click click’, it began to move.
The train was very steady and there was no other feeling when walking inside.
The train looked normal. There are many people sitting in the carriage, men, women, young and old, all kinds of people, and they all look leisurely. There were not many people, so the green leather-covered train looked spacious.
The priest carried the luggage with one hand and held Ye Zun’s hand with the other.
A five or six-year-old girl in the carriage tilted her head and blinked at Ye Zun. She shook the hand that was held in her father’s and looked curiously at Ye Zun’s hand being held in the priest’s.
Ye Zun pursed his lips. His ears were a little red and his arms were a little stiff.
The priest noticed this and let go of his hand, resting it lightly on his slightly thin for a moment, a gentle caress that almost wasn’t there. “I’ll go and put away our luggage.”
Their seats were on the left side near the window, in the middle area of the carriage.
Bearing in mind that train 404 was a special instance, Ye Zun couldn’t help observing the people in the carriage.
Diagonally opposite was a family of four: a dad, a mum and two children, one big and one small. The youngest was the little girl who watched Ye Zun earlier, and the older one was a boy around Ye Zun’s age, head buried as he played on a gaming console.
There were six men playing cards a distance away, young, middle-aged, elderly, like they were out on a group business trip together.
Sitting on the other diagonal seat across from Ye Zun’s pair was a girl in a blue dress with her hair tied in a braid, looking quiet and peaceful. She was concentrating on reading a book.
Directly in front of them as a couple. The girl was leaning on her boyfriend’s shoulder, talking in quiet voices.
At first glance, there was nothing unusual.
It’s just that everything was too normal. These people are like the people Ye Zun has seen in the real world. They were completely different from the people in the Nightmare Border, in the Demon God’s Amusement Park, and from the players. It was like two different worlds.
After a while, the train attendant came to deliver meals.
Unlike real world trains, the food here looked delicious.
Three dishes and one soup, with meat and vegetables.
Just looking at it made people salivate and move their index fingers.
Ye Zun hesitated slightly. He has always been cautious about the food in instances.
But the priest had already handed out the chopsticks and put a dish in front of him, and then picked up his chopsticks and started to eat.
He looked at Ye Zun, his eyes warm. “It’s pretty tasty, try it.”
Seeing the priest eat, Ye Zun didn’t say anything and picked up his chopsticks to start eating.
The rice was fragrant, the side dishes were more delicious than expected, and the meat dishes were not greasy at all, tasting like the vegetables Ye Zun ate when he was a child.
Even the braised pork belly which he never liked tasted like lean meat with glutinous rice, and he ended up finishing everything.
Everything seemed to be very normal, easy and relaxed, like a very pleasant and safe trip.
In the scenery that grew out of reach and the rhythmic sound of the train, Ye Zun gradually became sleepy.
“Want to sleep for a while?”
The priest stroked his hair and gently pressed his head against his shoulder. “Sleep like this ba.”
Even if it always weighed down his heart, the endless tension and vigilance gradually disappeared in the sleepiness born from long-term comfort and peace.
He blinked, finally and slowly falling asleep on the priest’s shoulder.
That person’s body had the refreshing smell of bamboo leaves. He seemed to have drunk wine before going out, it must be a particularly light and long-lasting wine.
We can try it together next time, he thought.
……
Ye Zun stood on a barren riverside.
There was a grey suitcase beside his hand.
This suitcase was not his.
But, he was the only person here.
There was also a letter in his hand.
[T/N: following letter if written with the formal ‘you’ and addresses Ye Zun with ‘xiansheng’, which I will be using instead of ‘sir’ bc I forgot how I named ppl]
【 Detective-xiansheng, I can not thank you enough for coming here.
It is like this, I have encountered a difficult situation, scary and terrifying, and I can not think of turning to anyone except for you.
For specific events, please open the box. You will find out at a glance. 】
The suitcase was not locked, and it opened with a light touch. Inside was a curled up corpse of an adult male. It was grey and had been dead for a long time. The surface of the corpse was slightly dried.
Ye Zun continued to read the letter.
【 Yes, the situation is what you see.
I originally planned to take the train home, but at some unknown point, my suitcase seemed to be swapped with someone else’s, and there was the dead body of a stranger inside.
Detective-xiansheng, please believe me, I am as ignorant, dazed and terrified as you are, and like you, I do not know the dead man at all and have never met him before.
I am anxious to go home, but, as you can see, it is impossible for me to take such a corpse with me.
When I noticed the body, I had already reached this place. There were no people around, and there was no place to report to the police.
And as you should also be well aware that once I report to the police, I will immediately be involved in an unexplained murder charge. Of course, I believe the police will find the truth, just as I believe you can too, but I really have something very important that I must return home to attend to, I can not let this trip be delayed because of this matter.
But this poor man’s body can not be left alone with no care. Fortunately, I thought of you in time.
I have no other choice but to leave the body here, waiting for you to come.
Please be sure to investigate the identity and origin of the deceased, and find the murderer who killed him, so as to save my innocent self from a disaster.
I am very sorry. I am in a hurry and I am not sure when you will arrive, so I am writing this letter in advance.
This is the only way I can communicate to you if you don’t see me when you arrive.
I believe you will be able to help me solve this tricky and strange incident. 】
[T/N: every ‘believe’ used in the letter has the same meaning as ‘trust’]
Please report us if you find any errors so we can fix it asap!
The body in the box
The smile on the priest’s face was shallow and reserved, and his clear eyes were fixed on him. “It’s like this, the church learned that the work around the Nightmare Border can’t make any progress for the time being, and decided to transfer me to churches in other areas to help out.”
Ye Zun was taken aback for a moment. “Transfer where?”
“I’m not sure. They said it’s my choice, but in short, I have to leave the Nightmare Border.” The smile on Lin’s face dropped, looking at Ye Zun’s eyes with unobvious restrained tenderness in his eyes. “There is probably no way for us to continue living together. Will you be okay by yourself?”
Ye Zun pursed his lips and said calmly, “I also want to tell you something. I got a ticket for the Pavas District, I have to leave this place.”
Lin raised his eyebrows slightly, as if surprised. “What kind of ticket?”
Ye Zun handed him the ticket he got from Mo Fei, as well as the information about the ticket he bought from the black market, telling him everything.
He knew that the priest might have known this a long time ago, but he still wanted to say it, like he subconsciously wanted that person to know he was also capable, that he could do many things.
After he finished, he lowered his eyes slightly, and said quietly, “The ticket can be bound to a companion.”
The man took the ticket, looked over it carefully, and listened attentively to what he said. His eyes were clear, the curve of his smile grew slightly, and he sincerely praised, “You are amazing*. You’ve grown a lot after only one instance, even more amazing than I expected.”
[T/N: powerful]
Ye Zun lowered his eyes, swallowed lightly, and softly said again, “The ticket can be bound to a companion.”
There was silence.
Ye Zun slowly raised his eyes, meeting Lin’s.
That handsome man’s expression always seemed to have a faint warmth, a small smile like it was being restrained, giving people the feeling of sitting in the spring breeze, but also a cold feeling. As if, even though he was right in front of your eyes, you will never be able to truly reach the warmth.
At this moment, that pair of beautiful eyes looked at him quietly. Clear eyes were layered with a slight curiosity, smiling with a reserved and restrained gentleness, but it also seemed like it was just a kind of customary politeness. “En, are you inviting me to come with you?”
The young man’s pure eyes trembled slightly, as if he was about to shrink away to avoid him at any time. But, he was always watching him quietly.
A mixture of ignorance, fragility, unknowable affection, and with the tiniest and feeble certainty, like waiting for the sun to rise and see him, morning dew mixed with the wind blowing over the slightly chilly surface of the lake.
[T/N: I’m so sorry I literally don’t know what that means, I promise it’s translated word for word]
With that kind of gaze, he looked at the gentle and distant priest in front of him.
Fingers under the cuffs of a black shirt clenched unconsciously, and then slowly loosened.
“Please, bind to me. Let’s enter a new world together.”
“Okay ah.”
The moment he finished speaking, there was an immediate and soft response.
As if he had always been waiting for him to say it, waiting with bated breath, to be able to give that response at this moment.
It was like a silent promise: Anything goes, as long as you say it.
Those clear eyes gazed intently into his eyes, holding a thin warm light inside them. “Okay ah, let’s go to the new world and continue living together, just like now.”
Ye Zun’s Adam’s apple rolled lightly and he looked up at him quietly. The corners of his lips slowly rose.
……
【 In my dreams, I always dream of a long, long road. The trees beside the road are very tall, straight and unclimbable, as if they are shooting straight into the sky.
Next to the road is the harvested wheat field. The sharp splinters sting the soles of the feet walking on it, like the mermaid’s punishment of walking on the tips of knives*.
[T/N: og little mermaid reference (love when there is one)]
Wafting the air was the sap of damaged wheat stalks, the breath of humidity, mixed with the fragrance of wheat ears exposed to the sun.
I walk alone on that endless road.
The brutal sunlight sends people into dizzy spells, and the shadows on the ground are mottled black.
Walking in the sun is like walking in the night.
I can’t see anything.
However, I am not alone.
At an unknown time, a person came to walk with me.
The shade of the trees falls on his body, his figure is hazy and intertwined with the grotesque black shadows. The expression on that face, between the light and shadow, is sometimes gentle and perfect, and sometimes eerie and terrifying.
I feel uneasy, anxious to see the real expression on that face.
But standing under the sun, the tyrannical light blinds my vision and burns away all truth. Only his eyes are smooth like pure spring water.
I used to want to run away, letting go of that hand intentionally or otherwise countless times.
While I was running away, I met other people travelling on foot, like me.
I saw them transform into the monsters that chased them.
I saw their shadows killing their owners, saw the loneliness belonging to people I didn’t know, reaching out to me for help.
I saw countless forks in the road and towers that had been carved out, and the ghosts below.
Some ran away, some died, some left, but I was left standing there.
In the end, only he came to me from the shadows of the forest full of dangers, with a coldness that remained on his body after the slaughter had been washed away.
As if nothing had happened, he smiled and said, let’s continue walking ah.
The endless road is starting to calm down, gradually heading towards the night in the sky.
The mountain road is rugged. That person’s face is still flickering in and out of view, always unable to be seen clearly.
I am still afraid, but I hold that hand tighter.
I want to see where this endless road heads, and where I end up in the end.
And when we arrive, whether he will leave me alone, or, if he will be left alone. 】
……
The train track was on the east side of the Nightmare Border.
All that could be seen was a railway track and a crude shelter, which tried in vain to prevent pedestrians from crossing.
There was only one platform that was very clean, giving the feeling of something that came right out of a fairy tale.
The boy and the man stood there with two suitcases by their feet, one large and one small.
The time on the ticket was half past seven in the evening.
The intersection of dusk and night.
The setting sun was still in the west, and stars had already appeared in the east.
The whistle of a train came suddenly.
Soon, coming from the northern track, it came to a stop.
The train door opened automatically.
The priest picked up the two suitcases and went up first, then opened his hand out to Ye Zun and pulled him up.
The doors of the train closed automatically after he got on.
‘Click click click click’, it began to move.
The train was very steady and there was no other feeling when walking inside.
The train looked normal. There are many people sitting in the carriage, men, women, young and old, all kinds of people, and they all look leisurely. There were not many people, so the green leather-covered train looked spacious.
The priest carried the luggage with one hand and held Ye Zun’s hand with the other.
A five or six-year-old girl in the carriage tilted her head and blinked at Ye Zun. She shook the hand that was held in her father’s and looked curiously at Ye Zun’s hand being held in the priest’s.
Ye Zun pursed his lips. His ears were a little red and his arms were a little stiff.
The priest noticed this and let go of his hand, resting it lightly on his slightly thin for a moment, a gentle caress that almost wasn’t there. “I’ll go and put away our luggage.”
Their seats were on the left side near the window, in the middle area of the carriage.
Bearing in mind that train 404 was a special instance, Ye Zun couldn’t help observing the people in the carriage.
Diagonally opposite was a family of four: a dad, a mum and two children, one big and one small. The youngest was the little girl who watched Ye Zun earlier, and the older one was a boy around Ye Zun’s age, head buried as he played on a gaming console.
There were six men playing cards a distance away, young, middle-aged, elderly, like they were out on a group business trip together.
Sitting on the other diagonal seat across from Ye Zun’s pair was a girl in a blue dress with her hair tied in a braid, looking quiet and peaceful. She was concentrating on reading a book.
Directly in front of them as a couple. The girl was leaning on her boyfriend’s shoulder, talking in quiet voices.
At first glance, there was nothing unusual.
It’s just that everything was too normal. These people are like the people Ye Zun has seen in the real world. They were completely different from the people in the Nightmare Border, in the Demon God’s Amusement Park, and from the players. It was like two different worlds.
After a while, the train attendant came to deliver meals.
Unlike real world trains, the food here looked delicious.
Three dishes and one soup, with meat and vegetables.
Just looking at it made people salivate and move their index fingers.
Ye Zun hesitated slightly. He has always been cautious about the food in instances.
But the priest had already handed out the chopsticks and put a dish in front of him, and then picked up his chopsticks and started to eat.
He looked at Ye Zun, his eyes warm. “It’s pretty tasty, try it.”
Seeing the priest eat, Ye Zun didn’t say anything and picked up his chopsticks to start eating.
The rice was fragrant, the side dishes were more delicious than expected, and the meat dishes were not greasy at all, tasting like the vegetables Ye Zun ate when he was a child.
Even the braised pork belly which he never liked tasted like lean meat with glutinous rice, and he ended up finishing everything.
Everything seemed to be very normal, easy and relaxed, like a very pleasant and safe trip.
In the scenery that grew out of reach and the rhythmic sound of the train, Ye Zun gradually became sleepy.
“Want to sleep for a while?”
The priest stroked his hair and gently pressed his head against his shoulder. “Sleep like this ba.”
Even if it always weighed down his heart, the endless tension and vigilance gradually disappeared in the sleepiness born from long-term comfort and peace.
He blinked, finally and slowly falling asleep on the priest’s shoulder.
That person’s body had the refreshing smell of bamboo leaves. He seemed to have drunk wine before going out, it must be a particularly light and long-lasting wine.
We can try it together next time, he thought.
……
Ye Zun stood on a barren riverside.
There was a grey suitcase beside his hand.
This suitcase was not his.
But, he was the only person here.
There was also a letter in his hand.
[T/N: following letter if written with the formal ‘you’ and addresses Ye Zun with ‘xiansheng’, which I will be using instead of ‘sir’ bc I forgot how I named ppl]
【 Detective-xiansheng, I can not thank you enough for coming here.
It is like this, I have encountered a difficult situation, scary and terrifying, and I can not think of turning to anyone except for you.
For specific events, please open the box. You will find out at a glance. 】
The suitcase was not locked, and it opened with a light touch. Inside was a curled up corpse of an adult male. It was grey and had been dead for a long time. The surface of the corpse was slightly dried.
Ye Zun continued to read the letter.
【 Yes, the situation is what you see.
I originally planned to take the train home, but at some unknown point, my suitcase seemed to be swapped with someone else’s, and there was the dead body of a stranger inside.
Detective-xiansheng, please believe me, I am as ignorant, dazed and terrified as you are, and like you, I do not know the dead man at all and have never met him before.
I am anxious to go home, but, as you can see, it is impossible for me to take such a corpse with me.
When I noticed the body, I had already reached this place. There were no people around, and there was no place to report to the police.
And as you should also be well aware that once I report to the police, I will immediately be involved in an unexplained murder charge. Of course, I believe the police will find the truth, just as I believe you can too, but I really have something very important that I must return home to attend to, I can not let this trip be delayed because of this matter.
But this poor man’s body can not be left alone with no care. Fortunately, I thought of you in time.
I have no other choice but to leave the body here, waiting for you to come.
Please be sure to investigate the identity and origin of the deceased, and find the murderer who killed him, so as to save my innocent self from a disaster.
I am very sorry. I am in a hurry and I am not sure when you will arrive, so I am writing this letter in advance.
This is the only way I can communicate to you if you don’t see me when you arrive.
I believe you will be able to help me solve this tricky and strange incident. 】
[T/N: every ‘believe’ used in the letter has the same meaning as ‘trust’]
The body in the boxThe smile on the priest's face was shallow and reserved, and his clear eyes were fixed on him. It's like this, the church learned that the work around the Nightmare Border can't make any progress for the time being, and decided to transfer me to churches in other areas to help out.Ye Zun was taken aback for a moment. Transfer where?I'm not sure. They said it's my choice, but in short, I have to leave the Nightmare Border. The smile on Lin's face dropped, looking at Ye Zun's eyes with unobvious restrained tenderness in his eyes. There is probably no way for us to continue living together. Will you be okay by yourself?Ye Zun pursed his lips and said calmly, I also want to tell you something. I got a ticket for the Pavas District, I have to leave this place.Lin raised his eyebrows slightly, as if surprised. What kind of ticket?Ye Zun handed him the ticket he got from Mo Fei, as well as the information about the ticket he bought from the black market, telling him everything.He knew that the priest might have known this a long time ago, but he still wanted to say it, like he subconsciously wanted that person to know he was also capable, that he could do many things.After he finished, he lowered his eyes slightly, and said quietly, The ticket can be bound to a companion.The man took the ticket, looked over it carefully, and listened attentively to what he said. His eyes were clear, the curve of his smile grew slightly, and he sincerely praised, You are amazing*. You've grown a lot after only one instance, even more amazing than I expected.T/N: powerfulYe Zun lowered his eyes, swallowed lightly, and softly said again, The ticket can be bound to a companion.There was silence.Ye Zun slowly raised his eyes, meeting Lin's.That handsome man's expression always seemed to have a faint warmth, a small smile like it was being restrained, giving people the feeling of sitting in the spring breeze, but also a cold feeling. As if, even though he was right in front of your eyes, you will never be able to truly reach the warmth.At this moment, that pair of beautiful eyes looked at him quietly. Clear eyes were layered with a slight curiosity, smiling with a reserved and restrained gentleness, but it also seemed like it was just a kind of customary politeness. En, are you inviting me to come with you?The young man's pure eyes trembled slightly, as if he was about to shrink away to avoid him at any time. But, he was always watching him quietly.A mixture of ignorance, fragility, unknowable affection, and with the tiniest and feeble certainty, like waiting for the sun to rise and see him, morning dew mixed with the wind blowing over the slightly chilly surface of the lake.T/N: I'm so sorry I literally don't know what that means, I promise it's translated word for wordWith that kind of gaze, he looked at the gentle and distant priest in front of him.Fingers under the cuffs of a black shirt clenched unconsciously, and then slowly loosened.Please, bind to me. Let's enter a new world together.Okayah.The moment he finished speaking, there was an immediate and soft response.As if he had always been waiting for him to say it, waiting with bated breath, to be able to give that response at this moment.It was like a silent promise: Anything goes, as long as you say it.Those clear eyes gazed intently into his eyes, holding a thin warm light inside them. Okayah, let's go to the new world and continue living together, just like now.Ye Zun's Adam's apple rolled lightly and he looked up at him quietly. The corners of his lips slowly rose. In my dreams, I always dream of a long, long road. The trees beside the road are very tall, straight and unclimbable, as if they are shooting straight into the sky.Next to the road is the harvested wheat field. The sharp splinters sting the soles of the feet walking on it, like the mermaid's punishment of walking on the tips of knives*.T/N: og little mermaid reference love when there is oneWafting the air was the sap of damaged wheat stalks, the breath of humidity, mixed with the fragrance of wheat ears exposed to the sun.I walk alone on that endless road.The brutal sunlight sends people into dizzy spells, and the shadows on the ground are mottled black.Walking in the sun is like walking in the night.I can't see anything.However, I am not alone.At an unknown time, a person came to walk with me.The shade of the trees falls on his body, his figure is hazy and intertwined with the grotesque black shadows. The expression on that face, between the light and shadow, is sometimes gentle and perfect, and sometimes eerie and terrifying.I feel uneasy, anxious to see the real expression on that face.But standing under the sun, the tyrannical light blinds my vision and burns away all truth. Only his eyes are smooth like pure spring water.I used to want to run away, letting go of that hand intentionally or otherwise countless times.While I was running away, I met other people travelling on foot, like me.I saw them transform into the monsters that chased them.I saw their shadows killing their owners, saw the loneliness belonging to people I didn't know, reaching out to me for help.I saw countless forks in the road and towers that had been carved out, and the ghosts below.Some ran away, some died, some left, but I was left standing there.In the end, only he came to me from the shadows of the forest full of dangers, with a coldness that remained on his body after the slaughter had been washed away.As if nothing had happened, he smiled and said, let's continue walkingah.The endless road is starting to calm down, gradually heading towards the night in the sky.The mountain road is rugged. That person's face is still flickering in and out of view, always unable to be seen clearly.I am still afraid, but I hold that hand tighter.I want to see where this endless road heads, and where I end up in the end.And when we arrive, whether he will leave me alone, or, if he will be left alone. The train track was on the east side of the Nightmare Border.All that could be seen was a railway track and a crude shelter, which tried in vain to prevent pedestrians from crossing.There was only one platform that was very clean, giving the feeling of something that came right out of a fairy tale.The boy and the man stood there with two suitcases by their feet, one large and one small.The time on the ticket was half past seven in the evening.The intersection of dusk and night.The setting sun was still in the west, and stars had already appeared in the east.The whistle of a train came suddenly.Soon, coming from the northern track, it came to a stop.The train door opened automatically.The priest picked up the two suitcases and went up first, then opened his hand out to Ye Zun and pulled him up.The doors of the train closed automatically after he got on.Click click click click',it began to move.The train was very steady and there was no other feeling when walking inside.The train looked normal. There are many people sitting in the carriage, men, women, young and old, all kinds of people, and they all look leisurely. There were not many people, so the green leather-covered train looked spacious.The priest carried the luggage with one hand and held Ye Zun's hand with the other.A five or six-year-old girl in the carriage tilted her head and blinked at Ye Zun. She shook the hand that was held in her father's and looked curiously at Ye Zun's hand being held in the priest's.Ye Zun pursed his lips. His ears were a little red and his arms were a little stiff.The priest noticed this and let go of his hand, resting it lightly on his slightly thin for a moment, a gentle caress that almost wasn't there. I'll go and put away our luggage.Their seats were on the left side near the window, in the middle area of the carriage.Bearing in mind that train 404 was a special instance, Ye Zun couldn't help observing the people in the carriage.Diagonally opposite was a family of four: a dad, a mum and two children, one big and one small. The youngest was the little girl who watched Ye Zun earlier, and the older one was a boy around Ye Zun's age, head buried as he played on a gaming console.There were six men playing cards a distance away, young, middle-aged, elderly, like they were out on a group business trip together.Sitting on the other diagonal seat across from Ye Zun's pair was a girl in a blue dress with her hair tied in a braid, looking quiet and peaceful. She was concentrating on reading a book.Directly in front of them as a couple. The girl was leaning on her boyfriend's shoulder, talking in quiet voices.At first glance, there was nothing unusual.It's just that everything was too normal. These people are like the people Ye Zun has seen in the real world. They were completely different from the people in the Nightmare Border, in the Demon God's Amusement Park, and from the players. It was like two different worlds.After a while, the train attendant came to deliver meals.Unlike real world trains, the food here looked delicious.Three dishes and one soup, with meat and vegetables.Just looking at it made people salivate and move their index fingers.Ye Zun hesitated slightly. He has always been cautious about the food in instances.But the priest had already handed out the chopsticks and put a dish in front of him, and then picked up his chopsticks and started to eat.He looked at Ye Zun, his eyes warm. It's pretty tasty, try it.Seeing the priest eat, Ye Zun didn't say anything and picked up his chopsticks to start eating.The rice was fragrant, the side dishes were more delicious than expected, and the meat dishes were not greasy at all, tasting like the vegetables Ye Zun ate when he was a child.Even the braised pork belly which he never liked tasted like lean meat with glutinous rice, and he ended up finishing everything.Everything seemed to be very normal, easy and relaxed, like a very pleasant and safe trip.In the scenery that grew out of reach and the rhythmic sound of the train, Ye Zun gradually became sleepy.Want to sleep for a while?The priest stroked his hair and gently pressed his head against his shoulder. Sleep like thisba.Even if it always weighed down his heart, the endless tension and vigilance gradually disappeared in the sleepiness born from long-term comfort and peace.He blinked, finally and slowly falling asleep on the priest's shoulder.That person's body had the refreshing smell of bamboo leaves. He seemed to have drunk wine before going out, it must be a particularly light and long-lasting wine.We can try it together next time, he thought.Ye Zun stood on a barren riverside.There was a grey suitcase beside his hand.This suitcase was not his.But, he was the only person here.There was also a letter in his hand.T/N: following letter if written with the formal you' and addresses Ye Zun with xiansheng', which I will be using instead of sir' bc I forgot how I named ppl Detective-xiansheng, I can not thank you enough for coming here.It is like this, I have encountered a difficult situation, scary and terrifying, and I can not think of turning to anyone except for you.For specific events, please open the box. You will find out at a glance. The suitcase was not locked, and it opened with a light touch. Inside was a curled up corpse of an adult male. It was grey and had been dead for a long time. The surface of the corpse was slightly dried.Ye Zun continued to read the letter. Yes, the situation is what you see.I originally planned to take the train home, but at some unknown point, my suitcase seemed to be swapped with someone else's, and there was the dead body of a stranger inside.Detective-xiansheng, please believe me, I am as ignorant, dazed and terrified as you are, and like you, I do not know the dead man at all and have never met him before.I am anxious to go home, but, as you can see, it is impossible for me to take such a corpse with me.When I noticed the body, I had already reached this place. There were no people around, and there was no place to report to the police.And as you should also be well aware that once I report to the police, I will immediately be involved in an unexplained murder charge. Of course, I believe the police will find the truth, just as I believe you can too, but I really have something very important that I must return home to attend to, I can not let this trip be delayed because of this matter.But this poor man's body can not be left alone with no care. Fortunately, I thought of you in time.I have no other choice but to leave the body here, waiting for you to come.Please be sure to investigate the identity and origin of the deceased, and find the murderer who killed him, so as to save my innocent self from a disaster.I am very sorry. I am in a hurry and I am not sure when you will arrive, so I am writing this letter in advance.This is the only way I can communicate to you if you don't see me when you arrive.I believe you will be able to help me solve this tricky and strange incident. T/N: every believe' used in the letter has the same meaning as trust'
