"......"

Seeing me take such a firm stand seemed to shake them. I could see their inner struggle.

[The doors close...]

Meanwhile, the doors closed.

"Ah..."

I stepped aside. A few people who had been staring at the closed doors in disbelief were clinging to them.

But no one was shouting at me for blocking them.

Is this enough...?

I was feeling somewhat satisfied when I suddenly heard a panicked shout.

"Hey, everyone in the front car got out!"

"......!"

They all got off?

I immediately looked out the train window.

Not everyone, but about five or six people seemed to have got off at once.

"......"

Sigh.

To be honest, I didn't want to see what happened next.

But I had to see it to be able to make a coherent argument later. Damn it...

Holding back a curse, I squinted through the window, my vision slightly blurred.

"Huh? They're running!"

The people who had disembarked seemed to have made a quick decision to move. I saw five or six figures running towards the exit of the platform, towards the stairs.

But they were too late.

"Agh!"

The platform floor began to boil with a yellow hue, and the runners' feet began to sink into the ground as if melting.

"G-Gold...?"

It was a bizarre sight, as if their lower bodies were turning to gold and fusing with the ground.

They screamed and tried to run, but their movements became slower and slower...

Finally, their bodies collapsed, leaving only their upper halves, which tumbled forward at the foot of the stairs.

Even these turned to shining gold.

The easiest way to experience happiness.

"Heuuuk-"

"Mmph-"

[The train is now leaving Euphoria Station].

Inside the departing carriage, only the sounds of people gasping in shock and sobbing filled the air.

One of the people who was about to get off grabbed me frantically and asked,

"You said you'd take responsibility. Can you really guarantee that we'll find a safe place? Huh?"

"Yes."

I replied firmly.

It was ridiculous how the conversation had jumped to me guaranteeing the right answer, but honestly it was the only one I could give.

This is crazy, really.

My legs were shaking so badly I thought I was going to collapse.

The image of their lower bodies disintegrating kept playing in my head in low resolution, making me sick.

One thing was certain.

Even if I survived this, I wouldn't be able to sleep tonight.

During all this, Baek Saheon spoke to me admiringly.

"You're amazing, teacher."

"Teacher?"

"Oh, I tend to call people 'teacher' when I meet them."

He smiled awkwardly and added,

"There aren't many people like you these days. You know, who can say what's right and what's wrong firmly, instead of speaking in vague terms like 'I think it might be...'"

"......"

"I hope the outcome matches your confidence."

Er... thanks for the encouragement, but this isn't the kind of situation where vague words or detached speech will help.

"If we don't get a good result here, you're dead too, you know...

Wait.

No, this isn't right.

I had missed something while I was whining about how scared I was.

If there's a record of Baek Saheon working as an employee in <Dark Exploration Records>, that means he passed that entrance exam, right?

If that's the case, couldn't I just follow Baek Saheon when he gets off at a station?

If I convince myself and Go Yeongeun, then there will be three of us. If someone actively supports getting off the train, it's more likely that others will follow.

Is it really that simple?

"Baek Saheon."

"Yes?"

"Is there a particular station you want to get off at? I mean... is there a word or a name that, when it appears, makes you think 'I should get off here'?"

"Huh, suddenly?"

"I'd like to hear everyone's thoughts."

"Ah."

Baek Saheon seemed to think for a moment before shrugging.

"Not really. I don't know much about such things."

"I see."

So he doesn't have a clear idea yet.
 

I nodded casually. Anyway, it seemed like a good idea, so I would keep an eye on it...

Ding, ding.

[Attention passengers, this is an Abyss Transpo announcement to ensure a pleasant journey. Please pay attention]

"......!"

The announcement started again.

Everyone stopped talking and immediately looked up.

[The train is about to pass through a curved section which may cause noise and vibration.]

[Please remain seated to avoid accidents.]

Ah, fucking hell.

"Everyone, let's sit down."

Without any objections, everyone quickly sat down.

It was as if my earlier remarks about the announcements had sunk in.

Even the person who had insisted on getting off earlier sat down quietly and was one of the first to find a seat.

But not everyone seemed to follow the same logic.

"Oh no! The people in the front carriage!"

"Those people..."

The passengers in the front car were still standing, apparently too involved in a heated argument.

Although I couldn't hear exactly what they were saying, their raised voices must have drowned out the announcement.

It was clear just by looking at them. They were in complete panic after witnessing the unimaginable deaths of those who had disembarked earlier.

"Shouldn't we tell them something?"

"Hey! Can you hear us?!"

"Sit down!"

The new recruits closest to the front car shouted, but the people there barely acknowledged them. One person who happened to make eye contact with us even walked over.

"Sit down!"

"No, don't come over, just sit..."

It was too late.

[Entering the curved section...]

The lights went out.

"......!"

In the darkness, the train began to shake violently with a loud rumble.

And in the midst of the rumble, a sharp sound rang out.

Screams.

- Aaaaaah!!

- Agh, ah, ahhh...

The sound of something wet bursting.

Like a ripe grape being squeezed too hard.

Then a dull thud.

...As if it were happening on the other side of a door.

"......"

"......"

The people in that car held their breath, trembled, tried to keep quiet.

Then the lights came back on.

- ......

Through the small window in the front door of the train, we could see into the front carriage.

It was covered in blood and dirt.

It looked like living organisms had been thrown into a blender. There was no sign of people.

Everyone was dead.

[You can get up safely now. Thank you for your cooperation].

In stark contrast to the calm announcement, the train was filled with the sound of people panicking.

"Let me out! Let me out!"

"Gaaasp, gaaaasp... what the hell is this? What is this... Mum..."

Even in this state, the new recruits tried to cover their mouths and listen carefully to the announcement, desperately trying to keep quiet.

After all, it had proven to be their lifeline!

Damn.

While the situation was clearly favourable to my survival, the reality was so horrifying that a cold sweat broke out on my forehead.

I wiped it away with a trembling hand and clenched my teeth.

I couldn't look at the car in front of me.

Just concentrate on convincing them...

A few stops later, when the right station comes up, I'm sure people will get off together...

[Attention passengers, this is an announcement from Abyss Transpo to ensure a pleasant journey. Please pay attention].

Another announcement.

"Again?!"

"Hiic, hiiiic..."

Cutting through the sobs of the exhausted passengers, the crisp, mechanical voice continues with its strange message.

[There is a lost item.]

Wait a minute.

I looked up sharply.

[If you've found the lost item, please get off at the next station and hand it over to the station staff.]

I knew this scenario.

A rare case of escape!

 

========================

Dark Exploration Records / Ghost Story /
/ Welcome to Abyss Transpo

3.4 Miscellaneous Records (Escape)

A document recording irregular survival cases where the individual successfully escaped by disembarking at a station.

Several practices were observed repeatedly. (The most common were 'temporary stops for train intervals' and 'lost and found announcements').

========================

 

A guaranteed escape ticket.

As long as you had the announced lost item, you could get off safely!

But...

Only one person can escape.

For someone like me, who can't go alone, it's a survival ticket that's useless from the start.

I clenched my fists.

So who should I send?

No, is sending someone out even the right answer?

And then...

[The lost item is the left eye of a type-A male in his twenties.]

The lost item was something I couldn't have imagined.