Chapter 8: The Terrifying Subway (1)

Chapter 8:

The Federal Protection Zone 15th District Special Incident Handling Department Building

The Regional Team Leader, Li Chu, returned from headquarters with a weary face. As usual, he convened a meeting, instructing his subordinates to report on recent special incidents in the City of Li.

"Captain, the magnetic field has become increasingly unstable recently. The protective device we placed in the city center is showing signs of collapse and needs immediate repair, which requires funding..."

"There have been two C-grade incidents in the City of Li recently, code-named Red-Clad Woman and the Jumping Ghost. They have been successfully resolved, but the equipment used by the execution department is heavily worn. If we don't replenish it soon, we may lose combat capability..."

Listening to his subordinates' reports made Li Chu's head throb. The sight of that ant summoning an ancient god earlier in the morning had already left him mentally unstable, and now he had to face these endless requests for funds and supplies from his subordinates, making his headache unbearable.

"Alright, alright, let the deputy handle these matters for now. I'm not feeling well today, so this morning's meeting will end here..."

With that, Li Chu stood up and left the conference room, leaving his subordinates behind, looking at each other in confusion.

"The captain looks a bit weak today; I hope nothing's wrong..."

"Don't talk nonsense, or the captain will deal with you!"

"Alright, let's disperse. I'll have Sister Li from the medical office check on him later. Everyone, get back to work!"

"Sure thing, Deputy!"

"Deputy, about those worn-out items I mentioned earlier..."

The conference room was filled with banter and laughter. Despite some concern for their captain, they diligently prepared to return to their respective posts.

The frequency of unexpected incidents in the City of Li had skyrocketed recently, making their workload surge. They speculated that perhaps this was why the captain was mentally and physically drained.

But in reality, the reason was far from what they had imagined.

The frequent incidents did indeed exhaust Li Chu, but the main cause was the scene he had witnessed earlier in the morning.

That lingering image in the hologram, a figure standing between heaven and earth, seemed impervious to even the destruction of the world. This sight haunted everyone who had seen it, and Li Chu’s mind kept replaying that figure over and over.

"Can humanity really defeat something like that?" Li Chu mused as he smoked, watching the smoke curl in the air, imagining that colossal deity descending upon the world, destroying humanity's civilization just as it had obliterated the Zerg. He wondered how humanity would respond.

After a long silence, Li Chu simply closed his weary eyes.

Humanity, after all, was far too fragile.

No one knew the complex worries tormenting the captain in his office. Soon, the building returned to its usual hustle and bustle.

Zhao Gang, a B-grade personnel from the execution department, led the trainee Zhang Yun out of the office building.

"Xiao Zhang, you're a trainee, so I don't have high expectations for you. Don't be nervous; our department isn't as scary as it seems, hahaha. Just watch and learn from me. After some time, I'll let you handle incidents on your own."

Zhao Gang had a resolute look, embodying the image of a tough, iron-blooded man, with a bright, sunny smile.

In fact, his work style was straightforward. He never flinched in the face of supernatural events, confronting them head-on without fear. Sometimes, his courage bordered on recklessness.

However, over the past year, he had become much more moderate, perhaps due to the increasing number of colleagues who had died. His personality had changed significantly, but his passion for his work remained undiminished.

"Yes! Senior Zhao!" The trainee named Zhang Yun immediately stood at attention, her expression a mix of excitement and nervousness, her face slightly flushed.

Noticing Zhang Yun’s continued nervousness, Zhao Gang kindly reassured her, "I never believe that gender determines a person's future, so keep it up! As the first female trainee this year, I have high hopes for you!"

Zhang Yun realized that her senior had seen through her nervousness, so she nodded more vigorously, replying enthusiastically, "Okay! I won't let you down, Senior!"

As one of the rare female operatives in the Special Incident Department, Zhang Yun had worked hard to join this department, which she viewed as heroic. She wouldn't allow herself to fail now that she was on the verge of success.

"Alright, our next destination is the City of Li Subway Line 2. Are your tools ready? Even though it's just a C-grade incident, we need to take it seriously!"

"Everything is ready, Senior!" Zhang Yun opened her toolbox to show her senior the tools she had prepared to deal with supernatural entities.

In this era where supernatural entities were rampant, although humanity couldn't eliminate them, they could use various methods to limit their activities, preventing them from endangering human survival.

These tools weren't exactly advanced weapons; they were just items that irritated supernatural entities, used to detect and drive them away—remarkably effective.

These were the best inventions humanity had managed to create after the disaster outbreak. But recently, as supernatural events accelerated in frequency, even these tools were becoming inadequate, unable to keep up with the demand.

Humanity was barely holding on.

Seeing the toolbox, Zhao Gang nodded approvingly, motioning for Zhang Yun to pack up and follow him to the subway.

Sitting in the driver's seat, Zhao Gang quickly started the car. As he drove through the streets, passing serene faces, a shadow of sadness flickered in his eyes that had been smiling moments before.

How much longer could humanity enjoy such peaceful days?

Over the past year, the soaring death rates in the Special Incident Department had shocked everyone who knew the truth. More and more people were dying—not just the staff, but civilians too. Despite the rising death toll causing widespread rumors among the public, the government insisted on keeping it a secret, covering it up for as long as possible, no matter the cost in manpower and resources.

It was almost as if the authorities wanted the people to perish in ignorance.

Faced with this reality, Zhao Gang sometimes felt lost, uncertain about humanity's future—or whether it even had one.

City of Li Subway Line 2.

After finishing the last bite of his bun, Ke Su swiped his ID card to enter the subway station.

The bustling subway station was filled with noise, with people rushing in all directions. Ke Su casually stuffed his hands into his pockets, waiting for the subway to arrive and the doors to open.

Out of money, he couldn't afford a taxi. Although taking the subway was a longer route and required more walking, he had no other choice.

After all, he was broke.

Ke Su thought about his dire financial situation with a blank expression, not noticing the Nameless Mist surrounding him slowly dissipating. In fact, the mist, invisible to the human eye, had been spreading from the moment he left home. Now, it had silently enveloped half of the suburbs of this small fifth-tier city.

No human or machine detected the strange phenomenon in the suburbs of this city, and everything seemed as quiet as usual, gradually sinking into the domain of an unknown ancient god.

As the domain of the ancient god spread, the whole world seemed to reflect under a water surface, slowly becoming blurred.

Beep— The subway doors opened. Ke Su followed the crowd onto the subway, found an empty seat, sat down, and put on his headphones to listen to music.

The City of Li University was quite far from here, and it would take at least half an hour to get there. He might as well take a nap.

“This is the place. The police informed us that several people have gone missing here. Although the number is small, just five, there’s no trace of them at all. They disappeared after getting on the subway, and the surveillance footage revealed nothing.” Zhang Yun read from the portable screen.

After hearing Zhang Yun's description, Zhao Gang frowned. As soon as he stepped into the subway station, he suddenly had an ominous feeling.

This premonition had saved him countless times in previous missions. It was his unique ability, not particularly strong, but very useful in critical moments.

"The police should have informed us earlier. It's been a month already. If it is indeed a supernatural event, its power might have greatly increased by now," Zhao Gang said, instructing Zhang Yun to call the subway manager.

"Stop this line for now, halt all operations, and redirect the trains, or just temporarily shut down the services."

Zhang Yun immediately followed the order and quickly made the call.

“Stop the service? But Sir, this is a public-private partnership, and the daily profits…”

“This is an order from the Special Incident Response Department,” Zhao Gang coldly interrupted the manager's objections.

“…Alright, understood.” Frightened by Zhao Gang’s icy tone and aware of the high status of the Special Incident Response Department, the subway manager reluctantly agreed.

Moments later, though there were still many complaints from the subway department, they obediently announced that Line 2 was no longer in operation.

Zhao Gang felt a bit relieved after hearing the subway manager’s words.

However, after hanging up, he waited on a nearby bench for the subway to stop for a thorough inspection, but it never did. People were still boarding.

“What? Out of service? But it’s still running! Stop joking; I’m getting on. I’ll be there in five minutes~” A stylishly dressed girl chirped on her phone.

“It’s not out of service. I’ll get on anyway. Even if it stops at the next station, I’ll save some time!” An office worker in a suit hurriedly boarded, phone in hand.

“Hurry up! Senior can’t wait any longer!” Several college students rushed onto the subway as the display showed the doors closing soon.

But there was no sign of the subway stopping.

“What…what is going on?” Zhang Yun was shocked at the scene and quickly called the manager again, only to receive the same news: the subway was out of service. Checking the official website confirmed the line had indeed stopped operating, and the route was closed.

“Senior, what…” Zhang Yun looked helplessly at Zhao Gang. Even a fool could see that something was wrong with this subway.

Zhao Gang's temples throbbed as he watched people board the train as if under a spell, immediately realizing that this supernatural event was escalating.

This C-grade spirit, originally lingering between reality and illusion, was now boldly manipulating a subway in the real world, likely far exceeding its previous level.

He knew the wisest course of action would be to leave the station and wait for backup, but if he did, the passengers on this train would have no chance of survival.

"Notify headquarters for backup. I'll get as many people off the train as possible!"

Zhao Gang rushed into the subway, flashed his badge, and shouted to the confused passengers, "The police have received a bomb threat on this train. Everyone, evacuate immediately!"

“Bomb?!”

“Is this for real?”

“Better safe than sorry! Let’s get off!”

Passengers, initially waiting for the train to depart, looked at each other before rushing towards the doors.

Zhang Yun, after requesting backup as instructed, also boarded the train to help Zhao Gang evacuate the passengers. However, there were too many people, and the doors were crowded. Even with help, they couldn’t evacuate everyone before the train started moving.

Beep beep beep—

The subway emitted a sharp warning sound, and a strange countdown appeared on the display screen.

[10, 9, 8...]

The doors began to close with a loud click.

As the countdown neared zero, Zhao Gang decisively pushed the intern Zhang Yun out of the train and reassured the remaining passengers, ensuring no one stayed near the doors.

In supernatural events, lives are cheap; people trapped inside could die at any moment. With his extensive experience, Zhao Gang knew the area near the doors was now the most dangerous, and he couldn’t risk anyone getting caught there.

"Move! Wait for rescue! Stay away from the doors! It’s deadly!" Zhao Gang ordered coldly.

However, not everyone listened to this man who wasn’t even wearing a police uniform.

“Didn’t you say there’s a bomb on this train? Why are you stopping us now? Move aside! Let me out!”

A burly man with dyed yellow hair, full of bravado, ignored Zhao Gang’s warning and marched towards the doors. He knew modern subways had safety features, and the doors would automatically retract if something got stuck.

Zhao Gang knew this too, but he also knew that in a supernatural event, the rules of the real world were meaningless.

“Don’t go near it! Back away!” Zhao Gang shouted desperately as the doors were about to close, with the man almost caught in between.

[0]

Before Zhao Gang could finish, the countdown hit zero, and the doors slammed shut.

Squelch—

Blood and shattered organs splattered across the subway floor. The passengers closest to the scene were drenched in blood. After a few seconds of stunned silence, the car erupted in screams.

“Ahhh!!! Someone’s dead! Quick, call for help!”

“Ahhh!!!”

“Call an ambulance! Why is the train still moving?! Stop it!”

“Ugh—!”

The subway car descended into chaos as it sped away from the station. Zhao Gang saw Zhang Yun’s worried face fading away through the window and sighed.

He had been too reckless, not even as composed as an intern.

Zhao Gang looked at the corpse, now in two halves by the doors, and the colorful organs spilling everywhere.

“Everyone, please calm down!”

After waiting for the passengers to vent some of their fear, Zhao Gang spoke in a commanding tone. At nearly six and a half feet tall, his presence was intimidating, and the car quieted down considerably.

“Sniffle…”

The passengers looked at Zhao Gang, some trembling, others crying silently. They were all terrified, completely out of their depth, having never seen such a bloody scene before.

Zhao Gang frowned and said, “I’m a police officer. Don’t be afraid; I’m here to help. This subway has encountered an issue, and for your safety, you must follow my instructions.”

He raised his badge to ensure his authority. To keep the Special Incident Department’s operations confidential while still retaining the authority to handle emergencies, they typically carried a specially designed police badge, allowing them to claim they were on a secret mission.

“Officer, please stop the subway! I’m so scared! I don’t want to be here anymore…” The stylish girl sobbed, tears streaming down her face.

The other passengers looked at Zhao Gang with desperate eyes. No one wanted to stay in this train car where someone had just died.

Zhao Gang met their hopeful gazes, paused, and then explained, “I’m sorry, but that’s the problem. This subway has been hijacked by criminals and can’t be stopped. The only thing we can do now is wait for rescue. We must stay together to increase our chances of survival.”

In supernatural events, those who were alone tended to die first.

But looking at the passengers, still shaken and terrified, Zhao Gang knew that if he told them they were in a supernatural event, they’d think he was crazy. Then, no one would listen to his advice, and the death toll would skyrocket.

“Now, follow me to the front car. This area might not be safe,” Zhao Gang said sternly, pulling out his gun.

Since the subway doors closed, his intuition had been screaming warnings at him, louder than ever. There was something terrifying on this train, and they had to avoid it at all costs.

Zhao Gang’s instincts told him that if they were discovered, they wouldn’t survive.

Meanwhile, in another car of the subway, seven strangers suddenly appeared in the empty compartment.

[Mission: Survive until the subway reaches the final station.]

"Damn it! That damned Overseer! Another escape mission! There’s definitely a big boss on this train!"

A bald man with a ferocious face gritted his teeth, cursing as he looked at the screen displayed directly in front of his pupils.

Beside him, a young man with long black hair, dressed in a yellow Taoist robe, frowned deeply.

“We’re doomed. My compass shows a great calamity!”

“We were just doing a promotional mission, and the Overseer pulls this on us?” A tall, glamorous woman angrily bent the railing beside her.

Chapter 7 ☜  

☞ Chapter 9