Chapter 427: The Train With No Destination

"The Blood Fox actually followed me!" My earlier premonition had become reality. If the Blood Fox could find the Adult Shop, it possessed a special ability to track my location, and that ability was very likely related to the will that descended on my spirit platform through inviting spirits.

"Fox, you and I don't really have any grudges. If anything, you owe your freedom from the Corpse Driving Lineage's bindings to me." Back at Xinhu High School, Ye Bing had been possessed by the fierce entity suppressed beneath the Bridge No. 3 Crematorium. Only because I brought her along to disrupt things was Daoist Priest Xianqing's ritual ruined, allowing the Blood Fox Dry Corpse to escape.

Although this fox had undergone Corpse Reanimation, it was extremely intelligent and retained its sentience. Clinging to a sliver of hope, I tried to reason with it.

The Blood Fox tilted its head and studied me intently for a moment. Opening its claws, it casually tossed aside a still-beating, blackish-red heart. Its pointed snout curled into a smile.

If I hadn't seen it with my own eyes, I never would have believed a fox could smile, let alone so eerily. It seemed to have seen right through all my thoughts, its grin carrying a trace of mockery.

I knew it would be difficult to fool this fox. My eyes darted around, inadvertently catching sight of the clear bite marks on that heart again. A chill shot up my spine, and the urge to retreat welled up inside me.

This fox had been able to fight Daoist Priest Xianqing and the possessed Ye Bing at the exact same time. Its strength was so formidable it defied logic, especially considering it had only just broken free back then.

After a period of hunting the living and devouring their hearts' blood, its fur had turned a vibrant, dazzling red that made me afraid to look directly at it. Staring at it felt like locking eyes with an endless sea of blood.

'Run!' I made up my mind. I cast all thoughts of the livestream aside; in a split second, my brain had calculated the right choice.

Failing the livestream task would result in being hunted down by the Underworld Live Show, but if I didn't run now and got tangled up with the Blood Fox, there was a huge chance it would rip my heart out directly. I would end up just like that corpse behind the billboard, altered beyond recognition.

Sweat beaded on my forehead, and my legs went numb. The pressure this fox gave me was immense.

It seemed capable of seeing right through the human heart and knew I was preparing to flee, but it wasn't in a hurry at all. Its claws dug through flesh and blood, picking and choosing with the elegant movements of a noble.

'This fox isn't afraid of me escaping at all. It's playing cat and mouse, deliberately toying with me.' I couldn't make up my mind. The only reason I had managed to dodge the Blood Fox corpse's attack just now was because of the voice warning me from above my spirit platform. If I had to rely entirely on myself, I would probably be decapitated by now, just like the celebrity on the billboard.

"Mr. Lu, are you alright? I already called the police," Feng Minglong's voice rang out from behind me. In the very beginning, I had told him my name was Lu Xing.

"Don't come over! It's dangerous!" While I said this, a rather malicious plan had already surfaced in my mind: use Feng Minglong to buy myself time. Even a delay of a second or two would be enough to increase my chances of escape.

As for whether Feng Minglong lived or died, I didn't care. Ever since he spent half an hour staring at me in silence from the darkness, I had already put him on my danger list. There was absolutely something wrong with this guy.

It sounds like a long story, but in reality, these thoughts flashed through my mind in a split second.

After shouting, I didn't hesitate at all. I kicked off the ground and shot backward.

Before Feng Minglong could even process what was happening, I had already blown past him, sprinting madly toward the exit. "Run! The fox is killing people!"

"Fox?" Feng Minglong stared blankly at the bloodstains. A flash of red light suddenly darted out from behind the billboard, and then something neither Feng Minglong nor I expected happened.

The Blood Fox corpse didn't even spare Feng Minglong a glance. It leaped high into the air, practically brushing past his shoulder, and shot right in front of me in the blink of an eye.

The only exit from the ticketing area was blocked by the Blood Fox. It licked the fresh blood from its claws, watching me with keen interest.

"What is that thing?"

"Why didn't it kill you?"

Feng Minglong and I spoke at the exact same time, both of us catching a trace of bewilderment on the other's face.

A second or two later, I was the first to answer. "This fox is a bloodthirsty killer. The blood and corpses in the subway station are its 'masterpieces.' You were in the public restroom with me just now, so you luckily escaped a disaster."

"Are foxes really this terrifying?"

"Don't just stand there. Are there any other exits in the subway station? Like an emergency stairwell or something?" I kept my voice very low, afraid of provoking the Blood Fox.

"No more. Our Northern Suburb is the smallest station. Even the public restroom is newly built. There's only one way in or out."

Feng Minglong's words left me utterly disappointed. Right now, the only path to the surface was blocked by the Blood Fox. If I wanted to get back above ground, I could only fight it head-on.

"Feng Minglong, do you know where the tunnels on both sides lead?" I didn't want to let a single avenue of escape slip by.

"Heading south leads to the Jiangcheng Southern Suburbs, cutting straight through Jiangcheng. As for the north tunnel, I have no idea where it goes."

"You don't know either?" I noticed something odd in his tone. If a massive threat wasn't standing right in front of us, I definitely would have interrogated him about it.

"According to Jiangcheng's original urban planning, a new commercial district and schools were going to be built in the north. The underground was also supposed to connect directly with Xinhu City. But it was later shelved for various reasons, which is why the Northern Suburb transit hub ultimately became a terminal station."

He wanted to say more, but when he looked up, he realized that the Blood Fox guarding the outside of the ticketing area had suddenly perked up its ears. Its scarlet eyes rolled as it locked its gaze onto the south tunnel exit.

"What is it doing?" The Blood Fox's unusual behavior drew both my and Feng Minglong's attention.

"I don't know. A fox's senses are definitely sharper than yours or mine. Is something coming through the tunnel?" The clock on the wall had stopped a long time ago. I looked down at my phone; it was now 11:59.

As time ticked by, the Blood Fox's reactions grew increasingly bizarre. Its ears constantly twitched, and its beautiful, flame-like tail began to swish.

A few seconds later, I also felt the ground beneath my feet begin to vibrate. It felt like something was rushing out from deep underground.

'An earthquake?' I quickly ruled out this guess. Flashes of cold light swept past, and not long after, my eardrums vibrated as a dilapidated, old-fashioned train burst out of the south tunnel in the darkness.

"The last train!" Feng Minglong cried out in shock. I, however, appeared much calmer. While dividing my attention to keep an eye on the Blood Fox corpse, I glanced at the clock on the wall. It still read 11:11.

"Something's not right."

Carriage after carriage hurtled past. This train was quite old; its exterior looked more like one of those green-skinned trains from the seventies or eighties.

Each carriage was like a coffin—stifling and oppressive. There was no movement whatsoever inside them, making the train resemble a flowing, black underground river.

After the train appeared, the Blood Fox corpse visibly grew agitated. It guarded the outside of the ticketing area, wanting to come in, yet it also hesitated, seemingly holding a certain degree of reverence for this unknown train.

'For it to make the fearless Blood Fox show hesitation, this train is definitely not simple.' Ever since the roaring sound emerged, my hanging heart had finally settled. This was the true last train. At the very least, I had bet correctly when it came to the livestream task.

'Now the only problem is how to shake off the Blood Fox and board the train alive.' My eyes darted between Feng Minglong and the Blood Fox. For the moment, I couldn't come up with any particularly good ideas.

The speeding train slowly decelerated, coming to a complete halt at exactly twelve o'clock.

One pitch-black train door after another opened. No one stepped off. This eerie train simply sat parked in the middle of the subway station.

An empty platform, mottled bloodstains, rows of open doors, and a train with no known destination.

"Clack!" The turnstile at the ticketing gate was pushed open. A homeless man in tattered clothes walked right past the Blood Fox. The Blood Fox remained completely oblivious, doing nothing to the man.

This homeless man was holding a broken bowl. He hadn't earned much money today. Aside from a few fifty-cent and ten-cent coins inside, only a single ten-yuan bill stood out.

"You're not dead?" I watched the homeless man slowly walk toward me, then shot a glance at Feng Minglong beside me, my palms drenched in sweat.

The homeless man didn't answer my question. Holding his broken bowl, he passed by me and muttered under his breath, "It's time to board."