Chapter 3: The First Victim

  The atmosphere in the observation car froze for an instant, subtle and tense.

  The newly arrived Kenneth Ryder naturally found an empty seat, pulling out a vintage-style metal cigarette case from his trench coat's inner pocket, but seeming to remember something, put it back, only lightly tapping his knee with his fingers.

  Charles forced himself to look away, avoiding prolonged staring that might arouse suspicion. He walked to the bar area and got a glass of water through the automatic beverage dispenser. The water felt ice-cold to the touch, and swallowing it even gave a sensation of moisture—the system's simulation was astonishingly realistic.

  "Quite a marvelous experience, isn't it?" A gentle voice sounded beside him. It was the kindly-looking elderly Asian man, Jacob Lee. Holding his cup with a smile, he looked at Charles. "These old bones have used Stardroop so many times, yet I'm still amazed by this sight every time." He pointed at the data galaxy flowing outside the windows.

  "Indeed... very special." Charles answered cautiously, trying to play the role of an ordinary passenger. "You're a regular?"

  "Work used to require it, traveled frequently." The old man smiled. "Before retirement, I worked in the railway security department, doing some technical assessments. Can't keep up with you young people's thinking anymore." His tone was modest, but the words "railway security" made Charles's internal alarm bells ring faintly. Was this coincidence, or some kind of hint?

  "Charles Du." Charles gave a simple introduction. "Engineer." He deliberately kept his field vague.

  "Pleased to meet you." Jacob Lee nodded, his gaze sweeping over the others, lowering his voice slightly. "This train seems to have rather few people, and... quite quiet."

  Indeed, including the just-arrived Kenneth and Charles himself, there were only six people in the observation car: besides them, there was the cold Irina Petrova, Pierre Chan who appeared irritable after his failed attempt, and the curious young girl Lily Tang. The other six passengers seemed to be in other compartments or hadn't come over yet.

  "Perhaps they're all in their rooms." Charles agreed, while carefully observing Lee's expression. The old man's face showed only gentle curiosity, revealing no flaws.

  Charles left the bar area and walked toward the observation windows. Lily was also at another observation window nearby, gazing outside.

  On the other side, Pierre Chan had finally given up on connecting to the interface, somewhat annoyed as he put away the small device. He straightened his suit, his gaze turning to Irina Petrova, revealing a professional smile: "Miss, judging by that uniform... you must be a senior staff member of Stardroop Railway Company?" He tried to make conversation.

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  Irina glanced at him coldly without any response, instead turning her gaze back to the window, her attitude of keeping people at arm's length painfully obvious. Pierre Chan was rebuffed, his expression turning somewhat unpleasant.

  Lily Tang seemed attracted by this small interaction. She hesitated, then approached Charles, asking in a low voice: "They... seem kind of strange? Is this train really just going to Ottawa? It feels like it's been running for so long." Her eyes held a trace of barely perceptible tension.

  [Attention all passengers.] Suddenly, that emotionless gentle female voice sounded again in everyone's minds. [The train is about to enter an area with unstable signal. During this time, some services may be slightly delayed. Please remain comfortably in your seats or compartments. We apologize for any inconvenience.]

  Unstable signal? Charles's heart chilled: the Stardroop system experiencing signal instability? This was utterly absurd! An ominous premonition instantly surged up.

  Almost the instant the notification ended, the lights in the car flickered violently, brightness wavering uncertainly. The data galaxy outside the windows seemed disturbed, becoming distorted and fragmented, colors mixing chaotically together, emitting a low, unsettling hum.

  "What's happening?" Lily Tang cried out, instinctively moving closer to Charles.

  Pierre Chan and Kenneth Ryder both instantly tensed their bodies, vigilantly surveying their surroundings. Even the consistently aloof Irina Petrova sat up slightly straighter, her hand seemingly unconsciously pressing against her waist.

  The lights stabilized again, but dimmer than before. The data stream outside recovered its flow, but seemed faster than before, appearing more... frenzied.

  Just then, a short, forcibly suppressed scream came from the bar area.

  Everyone's attention was instantly drawn there.

  Kenneth Ryder was the first to stand, quickly striding over. Irina and Pierre Chan exchanged glances and followed. Charles patted Lily Tang's shoulder, indicating she should stay put, then followed as well.

  On the floor of the bar area lay a person. His eyes were wide open, his face frozen in extreme terror, mouth slightly agape, yet without any sound. His body showed no external injuries, but had lost all signs of life.

  He lay there, "dead."

  [Ding.] The system notification sounded again, still peacefully without a ripple of emotion. [Abnormal consciousness activity termination detected. Attempting to reconnect... Connection failed. Unit marked. Journey continues. Wishing all passengers a pleasant journey.]

  Abnormal consciousness activity termination... marked unit...

  Charles felt an icy fear grip his heart.

  This wasn't a simulated malfunction.

  Someone had died. During consciousness transmission, they had been "killed." This meant that in the real world, the person corresponding to this consciousness projection was now brain dead. And for these "new humans" who had undergone cyberbrain and cybernetic modification, this kind of brain death was essentially equivalent to physical death.

  Black Cat's warning was true. The killer was on the train. And they had already begun their actions.

  This "Werewolf" game had claimed its first victim.

  Charles's gaze slowly swept over each person around him: the vigilant Kenneth, the pale-faced Pierre, the expressionless Irina, and Lily Tang in the distance, not daring to come closer.

  The killer was among them.