Chapter 4: Seeds of Doubt

  The air seemed to solidify.

  The deceased lay on the ground, pupils dilated, reflecting the dim ceiling lights of the car and the faces of the onlookers filled with shock and uncertainty. That system phrase "abnormal consciousness activity termination" echoed like a cold verdict in everyone's consciousness.

  "Good God..." Pierre Chan muttered to himself, his face pale as he retreated half a step, instinctively adjusting his tie as if this could bring a sense of security.

  Kenneth Ryder was the first to crouch down, professionally checking the carotid pulse (though in this consciousness space, whether this had meaning was uncertain). He carefully observed the deceased's eyes and facial expression, his brow immediately furrowing deeply, his expression becoming extremely grave.

  Irina Petrova stood at a slightly greater distance, arms crossed, cold gaze sweeping over the corpse before sharply turning to everyone around her, vigilance raised to maximum.

  "He... who is he? What happened?" Lily Tang's voice carried violent trembling. She hid behind Charles Du, not daring to look closely.

  Charles felt a chill crawl up his spine, colder than the air conditioning. He recognized that cardigan, that face that had worn a gentle smile just moments ago.

  "It's Mr. Lee..." Charles's voice was somewhat dry. "Jacob Lee." That self-proclaimed former railway security consultant who had seemed capable of providing some help, the kindly old man.

  [Ding.] The system voice sounded again, inappropriately calm. [Passenger congregation detected. To avoid congestion, please return to your seats or public areas. Cleaning program will initiate shortly.]

  Jacob's "corpse" gradually blurred and slowly dissipated.

  "No! Wait!" A man in police uniform (Samuel Jones) who had rushed out from a compartment upon hearing the commotion and outcry shouted. He strode forward trying to stop it, but his hand passed through the dust that the "corpse" had become, with no reaction. The police officer's face was filled with helplessness and rage.

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  The shadow of death pressed heavily and cruelly on each survivor's heart.

  "We can't stay here!" A somewhat shrill voice rang out. Everyone turned to see a young Asian man wearing electronic glasses with somewhat disheveled hair (David Kim) peeking out from the rear car, his face written with anxiety. "This isn't right! The system has a problem! We have to do something!"

  "I'm Samuel Jones, Sergeant of New Chinatown Metropolis District 23." The tall, imposing officer tried to compose himself and take control of the situation. "Everyone stay calm! Who first discovered the body? Or noticed any anomalies during the light flickering?" His gaze swept over everyone present.

  "Stay calm? How can we stay calm? Mr. Lee, he..." Lily Tang spoke with a sob, seemingly terrified by the old man's gruesome death.

  "A police officer?" Pierre Chan immediately stepped forward. "I'm Pierre Chan from the Department of Transportation Technical Safety Bureau. This is absolutely a major safety incident! We must immediately abort the transmission!"

  "I'm afraid it's not that easy, Mr. Chan." A gentle, professional female voice came through. An Indian woman in a sharp business suit (Anya Sharma) approached, her datapad flowing with complex code. "I'm Anya Sharma, neuroscience and electronic information researcher. We're currently inside the Stardroop system. All external connection methods have failed. We're isolated. And Stardroop PLUS hasn't judged this incident as an exception requiring transmission termination—it will only continue transmission according to preset programs. Though this is very strange, this is the current reality."

  The last few passengers also arrived upon hearing the commotion.

  A cold-expressioned Latin woman (Carmen Ortiz) quickly surveyed the scene, her eyes sharp and vigilant.

  A solidly built, taciturn German man (Leon Schmidt) stood at the crowd's periphery, hands in pockets, eyes coldly scanning.

  A tall, imposing red-haired Italian woman (Sophia Rossi) appeared quietly, her expression inscrutable, her gaze lingering on Charles for a moment.

  Now all twelve passengers from this journey had appeared, with the first death—Jacob Lee.

  Kenneth Ryder broke the brief silence, answering Samuel's question: "I was probably among the first to come over. I heard a muffled sound. But I didn't see anyone leave." His sharp gaze swept over the connecting doors.

  "When the lights were flickering," Charles suppressed the shock and a trace of fear in his heart (Jacob's death meant he had lost a potential source of information), slowly speaking, "where was everyone? What were you doing?" He had to start gathering information. Black Cat's warning echoed in his mind. The killer acted swiftly, and their target might not be random.

  The question was posed, and the survivors' gazes interwove, suspicion and fear permeating the air. The first seemingly trustworthy person had fallen, and the remaining faces were all shrouded in fog.

  The killer was hiding behind these eleven faces. The interrogation began in oppressive panic. Jacob Lee's death had completely changed the atmosphere in the car.