The man in red swept his piercing gaze across the carriage, scrutinizing each passenger one by one, until his eyes finally landed on the dazed, dialect-speaking man standing in the middle of the aisle.
"Return to your seat immediately," he commanded in a low, resonant voice. "Do not wander around at will, and above all, do not break the rules."
All eyes instinctively turned toward the man, their breaths held in collective anxiety. A heavy silence fell.
He's not… going to be punished, is he?
And if he is—will we be next?
The same fearful thought echoed in everyone's mind.
Meng Changyi unconsciously clenched the hem of her shirt, then slowly released it.
No, she was certain—he wouldn't be harmed.
If that man had intended to act, he would have done so already. Why waste time? The more people involved, the more likely someone might escape.
The man met the red-uniformed figure's eyes—and instantly paled, nearly crying out in terror.
That face—
It was grotesquely assembled, as though someone had forcibly stitched together mismatched features. The proportions were disturbingly wrong, enough to make one's skin crawl.
Heart pounding, the middle-aged man patted his chest and hurried back to his seat, muttering under his breath, What the hell was that? Nearly scared me to death…
Seeing that he was unharmed, the others slowly relaxed.
No need to flee—yet.
Some even quietly drew their extended legs back into the aisle.
Under the weight of the passengers' anxious stares, the man in red seemed satisfied with the silence and lack of further violations.
"In light of this being your first offense, I'll let it go this time," he said gravely. "There will not be a second chance."
With that, he turned and walked away, though the air in the carriage remained unnervingly still.
A long moment passed before anyone dared speak again. Even then, voices were kept to a cautious whisper.
"Damn… that was terrifying."
"Mommy, that man was so scary…"
"Yeah… I thought for sure he'd snap that guy's neck, and then we'd be in some horror-movie battle royale…"
"Shhh, Jia Jia, keep your voice down—what if he comes back?"
"Honey… I want to get off this train. I don't want to ride anymore…"
"Wait, weren't we told to avoid him if we saw him? Why didn't anything happen when we didn't?"
"Alright, alright, we'll get off at the next station…"
"Whew, thank God nothing happened."
"Didn't he say something about letting us off the hook this time?"
"Shh! Don't jinx it. If he hears us, next time might not be so merciful…"
Meng Changyi lowered her eyes, deep in thought, her fingers unconsciously twisting the fabric of her sleeve.
Train Rule No. 2:
There are no attendants in red uniforms aboard this train. If you see one, avoid them immediately. Do not let them realize you've broken the rules.
The rule clearly stated to avoid him.
So why hadn't he acted, even though they hadn't moved away?
Was it because there were too many people, making it inconvenient to act?
Unlikely.
Could the rule be false?
Or… was he telling the truth when he said this was their first offense, and he was giving them a pass?
It felt eerily like… a beginner's grace period.
His behavior…
His behavior…
Suddenly, the rhythmic rumble of wheels against tracks interrupted her train of thought.
Train Rule No. 4:
Please ride with civility. Keep the carriage clean. Do not spit or litter. The cleaning attendant will collect trash every hour.
Meng Changyi lit up her phone and checked the time.
As expected—14:42.
Once every hour, plus the time spent in other carriages. Yes, this was the right moment.
Everyone looked up to see the cleaning attendant slowly pushing a trolley down the aisle.
Her eyes were dull and lifeless, her movements mechanical as she silently collected the trash.