Chapter 6: A New Death

  "Repeat, everyone try to stay together!" Under Samuel Jones's almost unquestionable and unyielding forceful command, the car became awkward and tense.

  Most of the eleven surviving passengers returned to the observation car, but no one had the mood to appreciate the eerily magnificent data galaxy outside the windows. People spontaneously formed several small groups, maintaining vigilant distances from each other.

  Lily Tang stuck close to Charles as if he were her only lifeline, making him feel somewhat uncomfortable, yet he couldn't push her away. Pierre Chan tried to converse with Samuel Jones and Kenneth Ryder, seemingly wanting to seek allies and form a "mutual protection alliance." Irina Petrova sat alone in the farthest corner, like a coiled leopardess, monitoring everyone. Anya Sharma immersed herself in her datapad, fingers rapidly sliding, trying to extract more information from this virtual environment.

  Leon Schmidt and Sophia Rossi chose completely different strategies. Leon directly stood up, wordlessly walking toward the personal compartment area at the rear of the car, slamming the door shut with a bang, clearly indicating his refusal to cooperate. Sophia shrugged and spread her hands, laughing at everyone and blowing a flirtatious look: "Oh my, crowding together is so boring, and... doesn't seem that safe either, does it?" She glanced meaningfully at where Jacob Lee had disappeared, then swaying her hips, walked toward a compartment in another direction and closed the door.

  David Kim paced back and forth anxiously, muttering about "firewalls," "protocol vulnerabilities," and "forced awakening," completely deaf to Samuel's command to sit down. Carmen Ortiz appeared relatively calm, choosing a position from which she could simultaneously observe both the compartment area and most people in the observation car before sitting down, her eyes profound.

  Time passed slowly in oppressive silence. For the outside world, perhaps only a few minutes had elapsed, but in this stretched consciousness spacetime, every second felt unbearably long.

  [Dear passengers, dinner time is approaching. The dining car is ready, or you may choose to order in your compartment. Enjoy your meal.] The system's gentle voice sounded again, attempting to maintain a false atmosphere of normalcy.

  No one had an appetite.

  "We can't just sit here doing nothing." Kenneth Ryder broke the silence, looking at Samuel Jones and Anya Sharma. "Officer, Doctor, should we take proactive action? For instance, forcibly inspect those who left alone?" He was referring to Leon and Sophia.

  "Without evidence, escalating conflict is not a wise move." Anya replied without looking up. "Moreover, we cannot be certain the threat comes only from those two. Divided attention could be more dangerous."

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  Samuel pondered. He agreed with Anya's caution, but the current situation also frustrated him.

  Suddenly!

  Without any warning, the lights in the car began flickering violently again, more rapid and intense than the last time! The data galaxy outside the windows instantly distorted into a dizzying array of colorful gibberish, emitting a piercing, high-frequency noise!

  "It's happening again!" Lily Tang shrieked, gripping Charles's arm tightly.

  "Everyone! Don't move! Watch the people around you!" Samuel Jones roared, trying to maintain order in the chaos.

  Darkness descended again, this time lasting longer, about five seconds.

  In this absolute darkness and noise, Charles could hear Lily's heavy breathing beside him, Pierre Chan's nervous cursing, and someone's nearly collapsing whimper.

  Five seconds, long as a century.

  The lights suddenly stabilized, the piercing noise vanished, and everything seemed to return to normal.

  "Everyone! Sound off! Report your status!" Samuel immediately called out, his gaze rapidly scanning.

  "Charles Du, fine."

  "Lily Tang, I... I'm okay..."

  "Pierre Chan, safe."

  "Irina Petrova."

  "Kenneth Ryder, safe."

  "Anya Sharma, unharmed."

  "Samuel Jones."

  "Carmen Ortiz, safe."

  Eight people. Only eight people in the observation car.

  "Where's David?" Kenneth Ryder suddenly noticed the young man who had been pacing was gone.

  Almost simultaneously, a muffled "thud" came from the personal compartment area at the rear of the car.

  Everyone's hearts sank.

  Samuel led the way, with everyone following closely, rushing toward the compartment area. Leon Schmidt's compartment door remained tightly closed. And next door, the door to Sophia Rossi's compartment stood ajar.

  Samuel took a deep breath and forcefully pushed the door open.

  The scene before them made everyone gasp.

  David Kim lay on the compartment carpet, eyes bulging wide, mouth open in a horrified "O" shape, his face frozen in extreme terror, highly similar to Jacob Lee's death state. His body showed no external injuries, but had lost all signs of life.

  And Sophia Rossi sat on the edge of the compartment bed, holding a small, non-standard data interface connector in her hand, looking at the intruders with an innocent expression. Her face showed a trace of surprise but no panic whatsoever.

  "Oh my, why did you all come?" She blinked, looking at David's corpse on the ground. "This is really scary. I just came back wanting to rest and found him collapsed in my room. How unlucky."

  [Ding. Abnormal consciousness activity termination detected. Attempting to reconnect... Connection failed. Unit marked. Journey continues. Wishing all passengers a pleasant journey.] The system's death announcement sounded punctually.

  The second "night," the second victim appeared: David Kim.

  The killer had struck again, and this time, there was a direct person of interest at the scene—Sophia Rossi.

  "What are you holding?" Irina Petrova sharply pointed out, her gaze like a blade shooting toward the connector in Sophia's hand.

  "This?" Sophia waved the small device, revealing a charming yet cold smile. "Just a little toy. What, Officer, is this illegal too?"

  Suspicious gazes instantly focused entirely on Sophia Rossi.

  Leon Schmidt's compartment door remained tightly closed, as if the commotion outside had nothing to do with him.