“Look at that white-haired girl, isn’t she the one from the internet…?”
“Holy crap, I think she really is.”
“That can’t be… I remember the Hero Association said she was seriously injured and needed to rest for a while. How is she healed so quickly?”
“That’s hard to say. After all, you can’t generalize people’s physiques. I once got extremely angry while being extremely angry…”
In the subway car, whispers were everywhere, and not a few people were exchanging glances, but most of their attention was fixed on the same person.
Su Yu stood in the middle of the car, in front of the train doors, one hand gripping the handrail and the other holding her phone almost against her face.
That helped relieve some of the awkwardness.
The voices of discussion were not loud, but there were too many, and even if she didn’t want to listen to the content, she still caught bits and pieces.
‘This is so uncomfortable… like needles on my back.’
Su Yu couldn’t help complaining inwardly, but her gaze remained locked on the phone screen.
That way, to outsiders, she looked like a passerby completely unaware of the surrounding gossip.
As long as I’m not embarrassed, it’s others who are embarrassed.
Right now, she was afraid that a crowd would suddenly swarm around her, in which case her social anxiety might flare up and she’d explode on the spot.
But fortunately, the worst did not happen.
Everyone’s discussion about her was limited to speculation, not confirmation.
After all, Su Yu was wearing a very ordinary set of casual clothes, unremarkable.
Before boarding, she deliberately put on a mask over her face, and she was also intentionally facing away from the crowd.
No one would specifically walk up to her to get a close look at her face, so no one could be certain that she was the “Pure White Valkyrie” who had been so popular online recently.
If someone walked up and found out they were mistaken, how awkward would that be?
Adhering to the principle of “less trouble is better,” most people just got off at their destinations, and no one specifically stayed for her.
Of course, new passengers boarding could hardly fail to notice her, and they launched fresh discussions.
And so she stood for who knows how long, even though there were empty seats beside her.
Su Yu maintained the same posture, motionless, like an ice sculpture.
‘I’m really going to break down…’
Su Yu felt like crying but had no tears.
She had never been watched by so many people at the same time.
The shadow in her heart was gradually eating away at the courage she had painstakingly mustered.
Although Lin Mo had sent a drone to accompany her this time, it was just a cold machine, not a living person, and it remained invisible the whole time, giving her no support at all.
‘I wish Lin Mo could have come out with me.’
She thought this in her heart.
After all, Lin Mo was her only friend.
If he were by her side now and could say a few words to her, she might not feel so embarrassed, and at least she would have some sense of safety.
But unfortunately, that guy Lin Mo was even more of a shut-in than her.
Convincing him to go out was almost impossible, and she couldn’t make such a request.
‘Heavens, God, please let something happen to divert others’ attention. There’s still half an hour left on the trip. How am I supposed to get through this…’
Su Yu sighed imperceptibly, already regretting her choice to come to such a crowded place.
Just as she was thinking about how to make herself look more natural, the subway announcement quietly sounded:
“Ding… The next stop is South Cross Intersection. Please get off in an orderly manner.”
This announcement was nothing special, and Su Yu didn’t pay it much attention.
But she subconsciously looked up and, just as she was about to move aside near the train doors, she saw the people standing on the platform outside still floating in one direction, even getting faster.
“What’s going on? Why isn’t it stopping?”
“Hey, conductor, isn’t this the station? Why is it moving forward again?”
“My date is about to be late, don’t mess this up!”
As the murmurs grew, some passengers who hadn’t planned to get off, along with Su Yu herself, realized something was wrong.
The train arrived at the station but didn’t stop? Was it an operator error?
She didn’t know and could only follow everyone’s gaze, placing her doubts on the conductor who was rushing over.
“Everyone, stay calm, stay calm. I am asking the train control room for the situation. Don’t panic.”
Even though he said that, it was obvious to anyone that the conductor was completely bewildered, without any solid ground, and his reassurance had very limited effect.
The crowd gradually grew restless…
“Hey, hey, hey, Lin Mo, there’s something going on here.”
Su Yu didn’t know what was happening, but she felt she couldn’t just watch.
So she found a secluded spot and began to contact Lin Mo quietly.
“What’s the situation?”
Lin Mo’s voice came through quickly, and at the same time, the drone went online and began collecting nearby information.
“It’s like this. The train seems to have gone out of control. Unknown cause. Do you have any good solution?”
Upon hearing this, Lin Mo frowned.
After maneuvering the drone to scan around, he quickly made his judgment:
“That doesn’t make sense… If it were just a mistake, it shouldn’t keep accelerating. I think there might be something wrong with the train itself.”
Then he instructed Su Yu:
“Activate the Magic Energy Armor. Stay alert and protect yourself. I need more information now.”
After saying that, Lin Mo piloted the drone toward the front cars, leaving Su Yu alone where she was.
‘What the heck…’
Su Yu felt a little nervous, but she didn’t know what to do, and it gave her a headache.
For now, she could only hope that Lin Mo would figure out the situation.
…
Hiss…
A crackling sound came from the broadcast.
Su Yu pulled her thoughts back to reality and subconsciously looked up at the information screen.
Before she could see anything, there was a bang!
All the lights in the car went out without any warning.
Immediately after, panicked screams erupted from the passengers who didn’t know what was happening.
But fortunately, after a few seconds, the backup power kicked in, restoring some light inside the car.
“What happened?”
After going through a series of sudden events, Su Yu actually calmed down and even felt a hint of excitement.
It was the same feeling she had when she first faced a Monster, making the blood in her body surge.
She had a premonition that something was about to happen.
…
Meanwhile, Lin Mo, who had quietly advanced to near the train control room, discovered some clues.
“No security guards. The conductor who was rushing over not long ago is also gone. Where could they hide?”
Lin Mo focused his attention on the tightly closed door of the control room.
Although there were many suspicious points, the passengers behind were already in chaos.
He had to stabilize the situation as quickly as possible.
Without much time to think, he controlled the drone and began hacking into the door’s code lock.
But before he could crack it for long, the lights in the car instantly went out.
He realized something was terribly wrong and decisively stopped the electronic hacking, directly ordering the drone to use physical brute force.
Hum…
A red laser shot from the top of the drone, and soon it melted and cut through the door of the train control room.
As the lock broke open, the scene before him made Lin Mo gasp.
There was no one inside.
The speed on the train’s dashboard had already exceeded a very dangerous value.
More critically, the braking system had been destroyed long ago, making it impossible to stop.
“Damn…”
Lin Mo cursed under his breath.
Just as he was thinking of a countermeasure, he heard another eerie broadcast sound in the car:
“Bzzzt…”
“Hello, self-proclaimed hero, Cursed One. Although you didn’t come here in person, I know you can hear me…”
“Let’s play a game…”