"Where are you from?"
Wen Xishu felt it was necessary to test a little.
Xiaojin immediately understood and started rambling about their shared past with the other three.
Wen Xishu appropriately said:
"Alright, that’s enough. You’ve proven yourself. What’s the situation on your end?"
"I’m in Carriage 01. There are thirteen passengers and two attendants. I was too scared to move to the next carriage... Brother Shu, I acted on my own and asked some questions, which triggered some conversations. If I don’t go to the second carriage, will it cause you any trouble?"
Only fifteen people in total? One less than his own Carriage 01!
Wen Xishu instantly thought of who was missing.
Indeed, the old man selling tea wasn’t counted among other passengers. He was specifically targeting him.
The old man selling tea also had to follow the Three Towers’ rules. Despite forcibly joining, he had to play the role of an NPC.
So, did the old man selling tea remember the various interactions they had previously?
Could it be that Evil Land is a place outside the Three Towers?
Wen Xishu suppressed these doubts in his mind.
"Don’t worry, Xiaojin. Generally, they won’t give you too much time to stay at the starting point. Have you noticed that the scenery outside the window is constantly changing..."
"This probably means there is a final stop. If we don’t get to Carriage 16 before the train reaches the final stop, we might die."
Actually, Wen Xishu intended to comfort Xiaojin, but before he could finish speaking, Xiaojin started trembling:
"Then... what should we do, Brother Shu? Which carriage are you in?"
Wen Xishu briefly described his carriage position and experience and then said:
"If you triggered an invitation, having a passenger or attendant say, ’I’ll wait for you in the next carriage’ to you... then this will likely lead you to encounter it first in the front carriage."
"Since you provoked that troublesome child, it’s very likely you’ll run into that child if you move forward."
Xiaojin was worried sick:
"If we could just fight directly, it would be better... Brother Shu, I actually don’t want to use my brain at all."
Wen Xishu had yet to encounter that child, so he didn’t know what the situation in the creepy child’s carriage would be.
Most likely waiting for Wen Xishu were the female attendant, the troublesome child, and the female internet celebrity.
Wen Xishu thought for a moment:
"Listen to me, the train initially recommended a number of one to four people. In my view... the train is essentially a solo mission."
"However, as the vortex swallows, it gradually expands and starts forcibly turning into a multi-person mission."
"Logically, there shouldn’t be a carriage 03.5, but now there is. The function of this carriage is clearly to exchange information with each other."
"But this doesn’t mean every one of us has to clear the train; as long as one person clears it, the vortex will still collapse."
Hearing this, Xiaojin was greatly reassured.
After asking around, Wen Xishu found that everything Xiaojin knew, he knew as well.
So he said no more.
The scene outside the window was still moving backward, indicating the train hadn’t stopped.
"We still need to hurry towards Carriage 16."
After instructing Xiaojin to stay on Carriage 01, Wen Xishu hung up the phone.
Next, he made a few more calls.
As expected, the people who answered were Zheng Zai, Nissen, Yue Yun, and Ah Miao.
To Wen Xishu’s relief, none of them chose to leave Carriage 01.
Wen Xishu thought this was a good thing. It wasn’t that these people lacked the courage to leave...
It’s because he himself was there.
As long as Wen Xishu was there, everyone would prioritize thinking whether their rash actions would affect him.
If Wen Xishu weren’t there, this group wouldn’t mind taking risks.
After instructing each person, Wen Xishu told them to wait for him.
Naturally, everyone believed that Wen Xishu could definitely clear the game.
Yue Yun offered his view:
"The structure of the carriages likely means Carriage 01 is a normal one, Carriage 02 is eerie, Carriage 03 is eerie. Carriage 03.5 is for communication. Carriage 04... might be another normal one. Wen Xishu, you might unlock new dialogues and clues when you reach Carriage 04."
Wen Xishu actually thought the same. Every four carriages might form a cycle.
Ah Miao asked another critical question, one only Ah Miao and Wen Xishu knew about.
"Ah Shu, last time, I received an invitation that made me realize... behind every creepy level in Deceit Tower, there’s likely someone waiting for salvation in Desire Tower..."
"Could there be such a person on this train too? Someone with eerie qualities might have died on the train, but his obsession might have turned all the passengers eerie."
"Do you think you’ll find an invitation this time? Who do you think that person is? If you need me to go to Carriage 02 to gather information, I can do it!" Ah Miao said.
Wen Xishu was also pondering this question.
Yes, who could it be?
Two migrant workers, two robbers, a trafficker and the kidnapped little girl, a pair of college students, a small business owner, a family of three, a female internet celebrity...
And two attendants.
Based on his current understanding of Desire Tower and Deceit Tower, except for the last mission related to the ancient saga of Aries...
Almost every Deceit Tower mission corresponded to a story in Desire Tower.