Futile Devices Scans

“The principal offender was sentenced to five years, while the others received sentences ranging from three years to six months.”

Xie Chun Ye spoke with a frown and opened the suspects’ front-facing prison photographs.

The principal offender’s face had been pixelated, but it was still obvious that he was a tall, muscular bald man.

Using the relevant keywords, Xie Chun Ye quickly found several more related reports. Some media outlets had even shared surveillance footage leaked from inside the airport. Although portions had been censored, the sequence of events remained perfectly clear.

The subway station had been packed with tourists, while the attendant worked hard to maintain order.

She advised the bald man not to cut the line and told him to remain behind the yellow line and away from the gap beside the tracks, lest he encounter danger when the train arrived.

The bald man, however, had a violent temper. Believing that she had provoked him, he immediately flew into a rage.

He pulled out a bottle of vodka he had purchased at the duty-free shop and smashed it over the attendant’s head.

The bald companions traveling with him brazenly shoved the other passengers aside and surrounded her together.

Before the silent stares of the crowded travelers, the neatly dressed attendant was gradually left with her hair disheveled.

Glass fragments sliced through her palms and cheeks. Blood seeped from the bruised corner of her eye, and her dark-blue skirt was thrown directly into a trash bin.

Not a single traveler dared step forward to help her. It was not until the security guard, who had slipped away to smoke in the restroom, hurried back that anyone intervened.

Yet even the guard could do nothing against the bald man. He barely dared to mediate and behaved almost obsequiously, leaving him no choice but to call the police stationed upstairs.

One week later, the subway footage spread widely online. Yet someone photographed the bald man drinking and boasting arrogantly at the night market, proving that he had not been detained. He even declared that he would take revenge on the meddlesome security guard who had called the police.

The internet erupted. Travelers who had previously visited Tianhai City began sharing all manner of dreadful experiences.

—These bald men appeared to enjoy an excessively privileged status within Tianhai City, which was why they dared disregard the law so arrogantly.

The following day, the attendant lay down on the tracks at her workplace and took her own life.

Once the victim was dead and gone, the uproar online was eventually worn away by time.

“Because that bald man refused to line up properly, everything that followed was set in motion… That’s why she now wants to kill anyone who refuses to maintain order.” Xie Chun Ye looked thoughtful as he handed the phone to Song Zang so he could read it as well. “The scenes we experienced today were probably recreations produced by the obsession she left behind.”

Song Zang did not interrupt. He quietly read through every report Xie Chun Ye had opened.

Why had the bald man and his companions been so arrogant, able to remain beyond the reach of the law for so long? Either their identities were unusual, or they had powerful backing. Even causing someone’s death had not mattered. Such incidents appeared to be commonplace in Tianhai City.

However, although the news had briefly become popular online, the offenders’ true backgrounds were never exposed. Every media outlet vaguely described them as members of a local criminal organization.

Once public interest faded, there were no further developments.

Song Zang raised an eyebrow slightly and committed those details to memory before returning the phone to Qiu Shuang.

“So is she a ghost?” Lin Wen Jing suddenly asked.

“More or less, but ghosts can also be good or evil,” Xie Chun Ye replied calmly. “She doesn’t kill us, so we have no reason to kill her.”

“If I die, I want to become an awesome female ghost like her too,” Qiu Shuang said indignantly. She looked toward the attendant with sympathy and admiration shining in her eyes. “But this makes me so angry! She suffered so much. Big Sister was still far too kind!”

“Qiu Qiu, have some ice cream. Don’t be angry.” Xiao Li Li calmly offered her a spoonful. “I smuggled the emergency hammer past security. If you’re still upset, you can take it and help Big Sister crack some skulls!”

Lin Wen Jing’s expression did not change as she watched their interaction. But when Xiao Li Li finished that last sentence, she suddenly smiled and said, “No. Give me the hammer for safekeeping.”

Xiao Li Li choked, yet actually handed the emergency hammer over to Lin Wen Jing without protest.

Xie Chun Ye ignored them, but what happened next was somewhat beyond his expectations.

After sharing the rest of the chocolate sundae with Xiao Li Li, Qiu Shuang regained her spirits and unexpectedly began closely monitoring the behavior of the other travelers.

She paid particular attention to the accomplices who had appeared in the news footage.

When she saw one of the bald man’s companions trying to sneak away from the yellow line, her eyes immediately lit up. Boldly waving her hand, she called, “Big Sister, Big Sister! That man cut the line!”

The attendant smiled and raised her baton, diligently beginning another skull-cracking operation. At the same time, the gaze she directed toward Qiu Shuang became inexplicably much gentler.

Song Zang was probably the only player trembling with fear.

He did not dare look directly at such a violent scene. He lowered his head and stared at the tips of his shoes, his face exceptionally pale.

The smell of blood inside the subway station became increasingly pronounced. At some unknown point, a faint vibration began beneath the floor, and barely visible blood slowly seeped from the gaps between the marble tiles.

“Ah!”

Song Zang cried out, causing Xie Chun Ye to lower his head as well.

Xie Chun Ye clicked his tongue softly, then reached down and lifted Ning Si Si into his arms.

The little girl appeared to be experiencing being held so high by an adult for the first time. Her face filled with novelty, and she laughed aloud.

Just then, the subway train they had been waiting for finally arrived at the station.

The attendant returned the baton to the security guard and walked lightly toward Qiu Shuang.

In an exceptionally gentle voice, she said, “Dear passenger, please do not eat aboard the train, avoid speaking loudly, and refrain from making phone calls on mobile devices.”

After delivering that seemingly abrupt statement, she smiled, turned around, and left.

“What does that mean?” Qiu Shuang asked blankly.

Lin Wen Jing stroked her hair. “No eating or drinking, no speaking too loudly, and no making calls on your phone.”

“Ah…”

“Everyone, turn off your phones. Those are the rules she revealed to us in advance,” Xie Chun Ye added. “You must obey them, or you may lose your heads.”

Qiu Shuang’s expression stiffened. She hurriedly turned off her phone and threw the cola with two sips remaining into the trash before boarding.

The attendant’s warning proved extremely valuable. The train had barely begun moving when something happened.

“No! No!”

A somewhat familiar child’s crying sounded beside them.

It was the little boy whose actions had indirectly caused his grandmother’s skull to be split open. He wanted candy and clutched it tightly, refusing to let go no matter what.

His mother appeared close to breaking down. While loudly insisting that he could not have it because bad children who caused their grandmothers’ deaths were not allowed to eat candy, she rolled up her sleeves and prepared to spank him in public.

Seeing this, Xie Chun Ye immediately turned to warn the others, “Don’t settle too comfortably into your seats. Be ready to run at any moment.”

“W-What does that mean?”

The change arrived even faster than he anticipated. In the next instant, several thunderous crashes overwhelmed the noise of the moving train and came from behind them.

They were seated in the last carriage. Looking backward through the wide glass window, they could faintly see a dark-red tide.

The tide moved faster and faster, closely pursuing the speeding subway train like a predator refusing to release its prey.

“What the hell is that?” Qiu Shuang exclaimed quietly while clinging to Lin Wen Jing.

The moment she finished speaking, something struck the glass with a sharp smack. A dark-red lump of unknown composition had slammed against the window. Eerie, bloodlike liquid burst from the impact and streamed down the glass, while even the reinforced window appeared to develop a hairline crack.

The carriage fell silent for an instant. Then countless “blood clots” began flying toward the windows one after another, like bait thrown by the pursuing tide.

“Run. Follow me.”

After speaking in a low voice, Xie Chun Ye swept Ning Si Si into his arms, turned around, and ran toward the carriage ahead.

The other passengers had yet to react. They stood rooted to the floor in a daze, or leaned forward and shouted in alarm at the surging “flood.”

Song Zang’s face turned slightly pale. Biting his lip, he followed behind Xie Chun Ye. He did not run slowly, but he was certainly not fast either.

He needed to move slightly faster than the three women while still maintaining a visible gap between his stamina and Xie Chun Ye’s. Controlling his pace was rather troublesome.

By the time Xiao Li Li, who had voluntarily taken the rear, leisurely crossed through two carriage doors, the glass in the final carriage had finally shattered completely.

Everyone who had broken the rules appeared to have been marked by the “blood clots.” Their heads were pierced through directly, leaving them no time even to release a final scream.

Some travelers who narrowly escaped began shrieking in terror, only making the situation even more hopeless. In the blink of an eye, the floor was covered with headless bodies.

The pristine white floor and walls were forcefully drenched and stained with blood, while the stiff, cold, headless corpses were gradually swallowed by the rising crimson water.

The increasingly concentrated smell of rust and dampness spread wildly through the train. The survivors, who could not understand what was happening, stood stunned and horrified.

When they saw Xie Chun Ye’s group sprinting past, they hurriedly followed with trembling legs.

Xie Chun Ye carried Ning Si Si in one arm but remained agile, weaving left and right to avoid every stunned traveler blocking the way.

Song Zang obediently followed behind him, while Qiu Shuang accidentally collided with a middle-aged man.

Her forehead reddened from the impact. She clamped both hands over her mouth in embarrassment and hurriedly ran before she could cry out.

Song Zang clearly heard Lin Wen Jing laugh softly, the sound carrying traces of helplessness and amusement.

What exactly was the relationship between those two women? How could Lin Wen Jing still laugh at a time like this?

How strange. He did not understand.

They continued running until they reached the middle of the train. Only after barely leaving the tide behind and establishing a safe distance did Xie Chun Ye slowly stop.

His face was neither flushed nor breathless. He remained as composed as ever.

Song Zang, however, bent over slightly and leaned against a handrail, pretending that he could not catch his breath. Shimmering moisture gathered in his eyes. He looked so pitiful that one passenger could not resist considering giving him a seat.

But after looking around, the man ultimately decided to offer the seat to Xie Chun Ye, who appeared to be a single father traveling with a child.

“Thank you.”

Xie Chun Ye did not refuse. He settled the delighted Ning Si Si into the seat and casually told the traveler the three rules they needed to observe.

The bewildered man still had no idea what was happening. He looked at Xie Chun Ye, then followed his gaze toward the rear of the subway train.

The dark, surging sea of blood continued expanding forward without restraint. Grotesque blood clots sprouted several fleshy tendrils and crawled or leaped toward the panicked people, attaching themselves to the faces of those shouting in terror.

“W-What kind of monsters are those…?”

The traveler’s lips turned white, and his entire body trembled.

“Keep your voice down,” Xie Chun Ye said flatly. Then he continued warning everyone, “Stay alert. Don’t let those blood clots touch you. Even if they don’t intend to kill you, they may still contaminate you.”

“Brother Xie, what does… contamination mean?” Song Zang asked softly between breaths.

“I’ll explain after we get off the train.”

Xie Chun Ye did not elaborate. His expression merely darkened slightly, and for some inexplicable reason, he took Ning Si Si’s hand again.

Ning Si Si happily hugged his hand and swung it back and forth.

He was highly experienced in dealing with little girls. Not only had Ning Si Si caused no trouble throughout the journey, but she had remained exceptionally enthusiastic, clearly regarding Xie Chun Ye as a handsome big-brother figure.

Song Zang silently committed the word “contamination” to memory and touched his wrist with interest.

Could the bloody maw on the bus, the strange black thread that tried to strangle him, and the pale blue flames that burned the thread away all be considered different types of contamination sources?

Perhaps that was why Wang Shu had suddenly become so hysterical.

As for now, the thing that looked most like a monster was still wrapped around Song Zang’s wrist…

But Song Zang did not feel contaminated at all.

His emotions remained stable, and his acting skills appeared to be improving through practice.

As though sensing Song Zang’s confusion, a strange sensation suddenly brushed across his left wrist, like something licking him soothingly.

Song Zang silently pursed his lips and turned his gaze toward the window as a disguise, a faint, uncomfortable blush coloring his cheeks.

From an outsider’s perspective, he had merely become flushed because of his poor stamina and the prolonged running.

Only that indecent creature knew the truth. It smugly wound itself around his wrist and rubbed back and forth, making his skin hot and unbearably ticklish.

Why did it keep treating him like this…? How strange.

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