Chapter 124: Next Station
Shen Yu watched the two shadows disappear and moved his lips.
"Hey."
"If you can’t fight back, I have a suggestion."
"Try to keep your answers broad. Don’t limit yourself."
"For example, an answer can be about drinking and fighting. It’s really one sentence, but it answers two different aspects."
"Thanks."
Buzz.
Under the dazzling golden light, the four people waiting at the ticket gate exchanged glances before placing their magnetic cards onto the ticket reader.
Click.
The station’s rolling gate slowly opened.
Woo—! Woo—! Woo—!
On the platform of the Farewell Station, the dusty train sounded its whistle.
Attendant Sandy stood by the train door, wearing the same gentle smile as before.
Her gaze naturally landed on Shen Yu.
"Dear passengers."
"The train is about to depart."
"Next stop..."
"Love Station."
Thud. Thud. Thud.
Seeing that only a few minutes remained on the countdown, everyone hurried back onto the train.
Clang. Clang. Clang.
The train slowly began moving.
Shen Yu subconsciously looked toward the LED display hanging above the carriage.
Next Stop: Love Station
Estimated Arrival Time: 30 Minutes
His brows slowly knitted together.
"Wait..."
"The train..."
"It’s getting faster."
A cold realization surfaced inside his mind.
Could it be...
The more memories they lost...
The faster the train traveled?
Was memory...
Actually the fuel powering this train?
The thought made Shen Yu’s expression become serious.
His eyes drifted toward the station they had just left.
Past Station.
Lost memories of the past.
Next...
Love Station.
A frightening possibility gradually formed inside his head.
"Hahaha..."
Before Shen Yu could continue thinking—
A tall figure suddenly rushed toward the train.
Covered in blood from head to toe...
It was Menloa.
That reckless bear of a man had actually survived.
Clang. Clang. Clang.
Just as the train completely left the station...
Menloa stumbled into the carriage.
He was drenched in sweat.
His neck was covered in blood.
Yet his face was filled with relief.
The moment he saw Shen Yu—
He immediately opened his arms.
"Brother!"
Then—
Bear Hug.
"Your suggestion worked!"
"I really survived!"
Shen Yu’s eyes widened.
"..."
He quickly pushed the giant bear away.
"Easy."
"I only hug women."
"You stay over there."
Menloa scratched the back of his head awkwardly before laughing loudly.
"My Golden Hero traps a specified target inside an alternate space."
"It’s just me and the enemy."
"Our physical abilities become completely equal."
"So when that sculpture tried to tear my head off..."
"I grabbed both of its hands."
"I refused to let it move."
"Then I kept talking."
"’Bathing.’"
"’Drinking.’"
"’Street racing.’"
"’Chopping wood.’"
"’Chasing girls.’"
"’Picking mushrooms.’"
"I kept throwing out answers."
"Eventually..."
"It stopped."
Everyone stared at him.
Speechless.
Shen Yu couldn’t help smiling bitterly.
"...You’re unbelievable."
Who else would think of physically restraining a cursed sculpture while randomly shouting possible answers?
This guy...
Really was built differently.
Then again...
His personality perfectly matched his talent.
A straightforward monster.
Clang. Clang. Clang. Clang.
The train accelerated again.
Outside the window...
Snowflakes quietly drifted downward.
The entire world had become gray.
Not white.
Not black.
Just...
Gray.
Like an old faded photograph.
Buzz...
A strange ringing suddenly echoed inside Shen Yu’s ears.
He instinctively frowned.
Then—
He tried recalling his childhood.
Kindergarten.
Elementary school.
Middle school.
...
Everything felt blurry.
His university memories...
Were becoming vague too.
Only the things that had happened during the last thirty minutes remained crystal clear.
"..."
Shen Yu slowly clenched his fists.
The memories...
Were disappearing.
At the end of the carriage—
Attendant Sandy quietly stood there.
Looking at her...
Shen Yu felt an indescribable familiarity.
As though they had shared many experiences together.
Yet...
He couldn’t remember a single one.
Only one thing remained.
Inside his vision—
A pink heart floated quietly.
Affection: 25
The Goddess Strategy System hadn’t changed.
Although the memories had vanished...
The favorability remained.
"So..."
Shen Yu murmured softly.
"I really did pursue her before..."
Perhaps...
Continuing to approach Sandy was the only way to recover information.
Then another realization struck him.
He could still remember the affection value.
But...
The CG memory associated with it...
Had completely disappeared.
His pupils contracted.
"So now..."
"I can only clearly remember roughly the last thirty minutes..."
"If this continues..."
"I’ll eventually forget why I entered this dungeon."
"I’ll become..."
"Just another passenger."
"No."
"I need to leave myself a clue."
After a brief moment of thought—
Shen Yu lowered his head.
He touched the strawberry mark on his neck.
Then used his finger to slowly write a sentence across his palm.
Trust the voice you hear.
After writing it...
He inexplicably felt relieved.
Perhaps...
One day...
He would forget everything.
Forget the dungeon.
Forget the system.
Forget who he was.
He might even willingly walk toward death.
But...
The outside world would remember.
The Defense Department would remember.
If they spoke to him...
As long as he trusted that voice...
He would still have a chance.
Looking around—
The other participants had clearly reached the same conclusion.
Everyone began writing clues onto their own bodies.
Talent.
Return Station.
Survive.
Various keywords covered their skin.
Only one person remained completely still.
Mealin.
She simply leaned against her seat...
Closed her eyes...
And rested.
No notes.
No reminders.
Nothing.
Shen Yu narrowed his eyes.
Just what kind of talent does she possess?
So far...
Besides Matsumoto Megumi, whose ability had yet to be revealed...
Mealin remained the biggest mystery aboard this train.
Perhaps sensing Shen Yu’s gaze—
She slowly opened her eyes.
Their gazes met.
At that exact moment—
The train speaker suddenly rang.
Attention.
The train is about to enter a tunnel.
Attention.
The train is about to enter a tunnel.
Everyone instinctively turned toward the windows.
The glass had already frosted over.
Ahead...
A pitch-black tunnel stretched endlessly into darkness.
No light.
No end.
Clang! Clang!
The train plunged into the tunnel.
Instantly—
The entire carriage was swallowed by absolute darkness.
Not even one’s own hand could be seen.
Crack...
Crack...
Crack...
A strange cracking sound echoed overhead.
Then—
BOOM!
One of the train windows suddenly exploded.
Countless shards of glass scattered everywhere.
An icy gale rushed inside.
Within seconds—
Everything began freezing.
Thud...
Thud...
Thud...
In the darkness...
Something small...
Something crawling...
Climbed through the broken window.
"W-What’s happening?!"
Bill was the first to react.
Balancing awkwardly on his single remaining leg, he struggled to stand.
But his expression changed immediately.
"...What?"
He couldn’t move.
Looking downward—
Layers of ice had fused his body to the seat.
Every struggle only produced sharp cracking sounds.
Even the skin on his arms was rapidly crystallizing.
"Damn it!"
"What kind of freezing speed is this?!"
Thud...
Thud...
Thud...
Then—
Something moved above him.
"Haaa..."
A strange breathing sound slowly descended from the ceiling.
It carried a terrifying chill.
Bill’s face instantly paled.
"What the hell..."
Slowly...
He raised his head.
His pupils violently shrank.
"You..."
"It’s you..."
Before he could finish—
A gaunt black humanoid creature descended from above.
It crawled on all fours.
Its limbs bent at impossible angles.
Its neck twisted downward until its face hung directly before Bill’s.
Then—
It inhaled deeply.
"Haaaa..."
An icy breath erupted.
Crack!
Crack!
Crack!
Bill froze instantly.
Ice rapidly spread across his body.
Within moments—
He had become an ice sculpture.
The horror remained frozen across his face forever.
"Haa..."
The creature vanished back into the darkness.
No footsteps.
No sound.
Only freezing air lingered above everyone’s heads.
The temperature inside the carriage continued plummeting.
Already...
It had dropped well below freezing.
"It’s still getting colder..."
"Damn it!"
"What was that thing?!"
"Run!"
"My legs!"
"Move!"
"Move!!"
Gene Ben Shua’s seat happened to be closest to Bill’s.
Feeling death approaching—
He desperately tore himself free from the frozen seat.
With a violent pull—
Thud!
He fell heavily onto the floor.
Crack!
Crack!
Crack!
The ground itself was frozen solid.
The moment he touched it—
His face instantly became covered in ice.
"Ugh..."
He wanted to crawl.
But his body no longer obeyed.
"So..."
"So cold..."
His skin rapidly turned dark purple.
His legs still moved...
Yet everything above his waist had become completely numb.
"What..."
"What is this..."
"Haa..."
THUD!
Something suddenly landed on his back.
Gene Ben Shua slowly turned his head.
Then...
His entire body stiffened.
It was...
Picasselin.
The man from Asen Country was crouched on Gene Ben Shua’s back like a giant spider.
His body had become horrifyingly thin.
Like a dried corpse.
Frostbite covered every inch of his skin.
Every breath he exhaled carried freezing mist.
"Haaa..."
The instant that icy breath touched Gene Ben Shua—
His face froze solid.
Ice rapidly spread across his body.
His head tilted backward.
Without another sound...
He died.
Attention.
The train is passing through a tunnel.
Attention.
The train is passing through a tunnel.
The LED lights above flickered weakly.
One flash.
Two flashes.
Three.
In those brief moments of illumination...
The remaining survivors—
Including Shen Yu—
Stared in shock at the darkness surrounding them.