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Translator's note: That game is similar to "Red light, green light", which is OK since it is a common game worldwide. However, the author's description of that girl just reminds me of "Squid Game" too much.
Hei Jiji was deep in thought for a moment. Then, she pointed at Zhao Hao and said, "Why don't you call yourself Flora?"
"Huh!?" Zhao Hao was stunned.
"Think about it. You're a man, so your code name should be something opposite. Flora sounds like it has nothing to do with you."
"That's right!" Zhao Hao's eyes lit up. "From now on, I'll be Flora."
"What about me?" Liu Shuai asked with a mix of hope and nervousness.
"You can be Aroma."
"Good name! That sounds totally irrelevant to me."
At this moment, Hei Jiji turned her attention to Fang Xiu. "Xiu, do you want a code name too? You have such a strong presence. Let me think… how about—"
She was cut off by Fang Xiu's calm voice, "It seems you haven't learned your lesson."
Hei Jiji immediately pouted. "Xiu, I meant no harm. It's for your safety. If you don't want to be called—"
"Liar swallows a thousand needles."
His calm words struck Hei Jiji like a thunderbolt. Her heart surged with waves of panic.
'How does he know what I've dreamed of? Is it a coincidence? Or was it deliberate?'
Hei Jiji's eyes became wary. She pretended to be upset. "Xiu, what are you talking about? When did I lie? I just—"
"The Drum Tower is here." Fang Xiu's calm voice interrupted.
Only then did everyone notice that the previously flickering green lights of the Drum Tower station had turned blood red.
They could also feel the train slowing down.
Their hearts tightened, and they quickly looked out the window. In the once pitch-black surroundings, they could now see a faint light far away.
As the train got closer, they finally saw what the light was. It was a lonely wooden Drum Tower, with torches barely illuminating it.
Around it, where the light didn't reach, there was only endless darkness.
The Drum Tower stood alone in the darkness, in eerie silence.
Seeing such a ghostly structure in the darkness was enough to scare anyone, especially on a train.
Gradually, the train stopped near the Drum Tower.
CREAK!
The previously locked door suddenly opened. It seemed to be suggesting that they get off.
But the problem was, getting off meant facing this ghostly Drum Tower.
Unsure, everyone looked at Fang Xiu.
"Xiu, should we get off?"
"The train has arrived. So why not?" Fang Xiu said, staring at the Drum Tower. The Taotie's Mouth on his left palm was itching to move.
At that moment, a cold and terrifying atmosphere suddenly filled the train. It was invisible and intangible, but it felt as if invisible hands were brushing against everyone's skin.
Everyone was instantly alarmed.
"My Spiritual Energy is frozen!" Bai Qi's face turned grim.
"Mine too!"
"Not only is Spiritual Energy frozen, but I can't use my abilities either."
Fang Xiu felt his heart sink as he found that his Spiritual Energy was also frozen. When he tried to use his Specter powers, he couldn't.
This was the special ability of the Specter Train; it could suppress both psychic and Specter powers.
Even worse, as time went on, everyone felt colder and colder, as if they were in an ice cave, and it seemed like their blood was starting to freeze.
Hei Jiji exclaimed, "This Specter Train has the power to freeze everything. If this continues, we will freeze to death. It's urging us to get off."
"Let's go." Fang Xiu took the lead and got off the train.
The moment he left the train, the freezing power disappeared. His body slowly regained its vitality, and he could think clearly again.
This made him even more curious about the Specter Train. If the Specter Train was a Specter, it was at least Class-S.
With his current strength still being suppressed and frozen, it was clear how powerful the Specter Train was.
"My Spiritual Energy is back!"
Everyone followed Fang Xiu off the train.
"It seems we have only one path ahead. If we go back to the Specter Train, we will die. We can only go to the Drum Tower," Yang Ming said seriously.
Hei Jiji had a different opinion.
"Why do we have to go to the Drum Tower? It's dark around here, but it seems to be an open space. Why don't we walk into the darkness and away from the Drum Tower? The Drum Tower looks very sinister."
"Don't go into the darkness!" Liu Shuai shouted, frightened.
"My ability is teleportation, so I can slightly sense the fluctuations in space. The darkness is full of space turbulence. Going in will surely lead to death!"
"Space turbulence? Liu Shuai, are you sure you sensed it correctly?"
Liu Shuai's face was pale as he nodded, "I'm sure. The space in the darkness is chaotic. Once inside, it's very likely we won't come out. We might even be torn apart by space turbulence."
At this moment, the Drum Tower suddenly resounded with the sound of drums. The drumbeats were heavy, slow, and had an eerie rhythm.
In the darkness, a sinister smile unconsciously appeared on Fang Xiu's lips. "It seems the owner of the Drum Tower is welcoming us."
Then, he walked straight toward it.
Seeing this, everyone quickly followed.
Fang Xiu followed the sound of the drums and quickly entered the Drum Tower. The tower was about five meters tall, painted in dark red, with many areas already faded and looking very worn out, as if it could collapse at any moment.
At the very top of the Drum Tower stood a large drum, painted red with a white face, also very worn out.
The booming drum sounds were coming from this drum. Next to it stood a figure, extremely thin, almost like a bamboo pole. The most bizarre thing was her head, which was enormous, about five times the size of a normal human head. She looked like a deformed doll.
This Big Head Doll was repeatedly using her massive head to hit the drum, producing the muffled drum sounds.
Seeing this terrifying scene, coupled with the Specter drum sounds, everyone felt like they had difficulty breathing.
At that moment, a clicking sound of gears turning came from the neck of the Big Head Doll. Her head suddenly rotated 180 degrees to face the group, fully revealing her face.
Her face was perfectly round, like a flawless circle. Thick white powder and eerie blush adorned it. Her eyes were as large as an adult's fist; she had no nose, and her mouth was a small cherry mouth painted with red lipstick.
Her eyes were wide like copper bells but empty, like a soulless puppet.
"So many people here, let's hang out together, hee hee hee..."
A chilling, sharp laugh came from her crimson cherry mouth. The sound was like nails scratching a chalkboard, painfully grating on the ears.
"I love to play Red Light, Green Light. I'll hit the drum three times, then turn around. Don't let me see anyone move. If you move, you'll die. If you can reach the Drum Tower, you win."
Without waiting for them to react, the Big Head Doll turned her head away with a click and started preparing to hit the drum.
"I'll handle this," Bai Qi stepped forward confidently. He trusted his speed. With a height of just over five meters, he thought he could reach the doll before she finished hitting the drum once.
Bai Qi lightly tapped the ground, and his Extreme Speed ability burst forth, sending him shooting toward the Big Head Doll like an arrow.
However, as he leaped into the air, thud!
A heavy drumbeat echoed.
Bai Qi's face instantly changed, feeling as if his bones had dislocated and his muscles were all out of sync. His entire body stiffened, and he fell from midair.