Back to the present.
The "man" moved toward the carriage with an uncanny gait, the expression on his face shifting constantly.
Gradually, his movements became smoother, almost indistinguishable from a normal person's. At last, he stepped into the carriage with a peculiar smile tugging at his lips.
The uncle sensed movement beside him and barked nervously, "Who's there?!"
He swung his arms in the air, trying to feel out his surroundings. "Nobody move, y'all hear?!"
The man replied with a smile, "...It's me, old fella."
The voice struck the uncle as oddly familiar. "Who?"
"The one chattin' with you just now."
The grin on his face stretched wider, nearly splitting his cheeks—until he seemed to realize the form was slipping. With one hand, he forcibly adjusted the smile back into place.
"Oh, it's you! Gave me a fright."
Back when the lights first went out, Meng Changyi had instinctively reached for her phone to turn on the flashlight, but a lingering dread made her reconsider—what if it attracted something?
Now, hearing the man's voice, a chill ran down her spine.
Something's wrong. How did he make it back so easily in the dark?
Even if he could see a little, shouldn't there have been at least a few stumbles—or some kind of sound?
And what about the others who left earlier? Meng Changyi remembered at least one holding a cup—likely to fetch water. But none of them had returned. How long does it take to get water?
Worse still, after the broadcast warning, not a single one of them rushed back? Had something happened to them?
Bzzzt... bzzzt...
The lights flickered, then finally returned, casting the carriage back into brightness. A collective sigh of relief spread among the passengers.
Meng Changyi shielded her eyes—Heavens, do my poor eyes deserve this torture?
Once she adjusted to the light, she glanced around at the others—and caught a brief, almost imperceptible twitch of a smile on several faces.
Her heart skipped a beat, a wave of unease rising in her chest.
Why were they smiling?
Was it joy at the return of the lights? Or... something else?
The bespectacled man rubbed his eyes, squinting from the glare. "Let's hope that's the last of the weirdness..."
He turned to look out the window, but the world beyond remained murky and indistinct.
The young woman had also adjusted to the brightness and leaned coquettishly into her boyfriend. "Ugh, that scared me so bad just now," she said, patting her chest. "Honey, you better protect me."
"Of course, babe."
The uncle still hadn't relaxed his furrowed brow. Staring at the overhead lights, he muttered, "This damned place..."
He took a sip of water, as though to calm his nerves. "Really gets under your skin."
The mother gently stroked her daughter's head. "Don't be scared, Jia Jia," she murmured tenderly. She glanced around, worry still clouding her eyes. "At least the power's back..."
The train continued to barrel forward through the "special section," the eerie tension still hanging thick in the air. No one knew what might come next.
"Hello, do you have any trash to throw away?"
The cleaning woman went on collecting garbage under the lights, as if nothing had occurred. Only the occasional flicker in her eyes betrayed a hidden, complex emotion.
"If anyone's got trash, just pass it to me anytime."