Translator: CinderTL
"Any findings?" Zhao Xingguo's voice was strained with urgency. Pan Du's condition was dire. Though his heart still beat, every other aspect of his body was indistinguishable from a corpse. Even more terrifying, his flesh had begun to decay.
Jiang Cheng steadied his nerves and pointed to the last car. "Look closely. What's different about this car compared to the others?"
From the surviving photographs, the entire Mayflower train appeared to be hastily assembled. The first few cars were relatively uniform, but the rest seemed to have been salvaged from other trains and cobbled together.
Still, this was wartime—there was little room for complaint.
Seeing that no one responded, Jiang Cheng continued, "Though many cars were pieced together, this last one is unique." He emphasized, "This isn't a passenger car. It's a freight car."
"You're right," Linghu Yong said, his gaze flitting between the photographs. "It has no windows. And the size and placement of the door are wrong."
Despite the dim lighting, the last car gave everyone an unsettling feeling—a sense of unease that was palpable just by looking at it.
The rectangular carriage was shrouded in shadow, resembling a stifling coffin.
Hearing Jiang Cheng and the others discussing it, Wu Dali, the one who had brought the photos, curiously leaned in. Looking at the photos, he said, "You're talking about the last carriage, right? I know a little about that. The young man is right—that carriage was indeed empty, used for cargo."
"What kind of cargo?" Jiang Cheng asked, looking up. He had a vague intuition that the problem lay in the last carriage.
"Hmm," Wu Dali pondered for a moment before saying, "It was probably grain, winter clothing, and other supplies. Master Feng had a kind heart and knew the refugees were lacking food and clothing, so he prepared some for them."
Chen Qiang seemed to realize something, his eyes narrowing slightly. "So... the supplies in the last carriage were prepared by Master Feng."
"Exactly," Wu Dali nodded.
After speaking, Wu Dali noticed a change in the group's demeanor and couldn't help but ask, "Is something wrong?"
"Nothing's wrong," Luo He replied, his expression as calm and detached as ever. He met Wu Dali's gaze, and the man felt a sense of peace wash over him. "It's just surprising that Master Feng was able to help the refugees in those times."
"Oh, right, I have something else to do. I'll take my leave now," Wu Dali said, waving to everyone. "If you need anything, feel free to come find me. I'm usually not at the police station. Just ask around at the tea stall—they'll know where to find me."
Following Wu Dali's finger, they saw an open-air tea stall. A dilapidated awning provided shelter, and beneath it were a few wooden tables. The business seemed decent, with a diverse crowd of patrons—a clear indication that this was a gathering place for people from all walks of life, a place where information often flowed freely.
Once Wu Dali had disappeared into the bustling crowd, everyone turned their gaze back to each other. A shared worry was evident in their eyes.
"I have a feeling something's wrong with the last carriage," Huai Yi said, stroking his chin. "The Feng Family probably hid something significant in that carriage. Their act of charity in sending the disaster victims was likely a cover—their real goal was to smuggle that object out of Grey Stone Town."
"That would explain everything that followed," Chen Qiang added. "The Feng Family's downfall was likely the object's revenge."
Pi Ruan swallowed nervously. "What... what are you talking about? Only a ghost could have reduced the Feng Family to this state."
"Are you saying the Feng Family sealed a Ghost in the last carriage, intending to send it out of Grey Stone Town? But the Ghost escaped mid-journey and slaughtered everyone on the train?"
Pi Ruan's voice grew increasingly strange, a mixture of fear and confusion.
The Feng Family naturally couldn't control a Ghost. But by now, everyone had a strong suspicion about what was sealed in the last carriage.
And they were 90% certain they were right.
The last carriage contained something just like them—a Disciple of the Door.
And it was likely on the verge of losing control.
By piecing together the clues they had, Jiang Cheng and the others boldly speculated that this Disciple had come from the Feng Family, possibly even being a direct blood relative.
Because the Gate within the Disciple's body was about to go out of control, the Feng family had sealed him in the airtight carriage while he still retained a shred of consciousness, hoping to send him away.
But something went wrong during the journey. The Gate within the Disciple was completely corrupted, and the Curse erupted.
The thing behind the Gate had escaped, and this was the true cause of the Mayflower Train Massacre.
Fu Fu habitually chewed on her nails, her usual arrogance completely gone as she focused on the problem. "It sounds like that's what happened, but there's one thing that doesn't make sense."
"Why did some people die inside the train cars, while the rest mysteriously vanished?" Fu Fu pointed out the crux of the issue.
Like humans, most ghosts have their own behavioral patterns. According to their understanding, the ghost in Feng Manor killed people in a bizarre way.
Furthermore, the dead would be left with a grotesque smile on their faces.
But as far as they knew, this ghost didn't have the ability to make people simply disappear. And with hundreds of disaster victims on the train, such a large-scale disappearance couldn't be explained away as a coincidence.
They didn't have enough clues to go further, and continuing the discussion would be pointless. But after weeks of investigation, they had reached several key conclusions.
First, the Ghost haunting the Feng Family was not one of the disaster victims from the Mayflower train. The victims were also victims.
Second, the supernatural event on the Mayflower was caused by a Disciple of the Door in the last carriage. The Disciple came from the Feng Family. During the journey, the Gate within him was completely corrupted, allowing the entity behind it to escape and trigger the disaster.
Third, this Ghost is specifically targeting the Feng Family for revenge and is currently within Feng Manor.
"Our top priority is to uncover who the Feng Family hid in the last carriage back then," Linghu Yong said after a moment of thought. "Perhaps they can provide clues about the Ghost's abilities."
Since the Feng Family chose to send this person away, they must have noticed something strange about them.
In other words, this person must have activated the power of their Gate.
But Jiang Cheng shook his head. "They won't reveal anything until the very last moment. This matter is too sensitive. If the townspeople of Grey Stone Town discover that the Feng Family was responsible for the Mayflower incident, they won't spare them, even if the Ghost doesn't kill them all."
(End of the Chapter)
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