Secret World: I Became a God Through Lies

Chapter 221 Blood Mist Stands Alone, Destiny Begins
When the train whistle blew
Some have returned; some have never left.

The dim lights flickered in the misty night fog, like candles on a silent eulogy, barely maintaining the station's last sense of existence.

The air was filled with a cloyingly sweet and pungent odor, like a long-suppressed wound being torn open and oozing putrid blood.

The smell slowly spread from the edge of the platform—initially just a faint red line.

Next came wisps of thick blood mist, followed by dark red blood seeping from the cracks in the stone bricks.

The blood flowed slowly, gradually covering the ground like a giant, slowly unfolding blood net.

At this moment, there were only five minutes left until midnight.

In the center of the hall, Si Ming stood quietly under a dilapidated advertising machine with only half of its light remaining, the dim light dividing his face into light and shadow.

He casually twirled a worn-out playing card with his right hand, his expression nonchalant, yet the aura emanating from him was impossible to ignore.

Selene leaned against a broken, bent metal pillar, her nostrils flaring as she sniffed the bloody stench in the air, her eyes revealing obvious irritation and disgust.

She gently rubbed her fingertips together, as if suppressing some kind of wild impulse.

Wang Yichen and Xu Jinxiao stood on the other side, neither of them speaking.

Wang Yichen gripped the flashlight tightly in his hand, his knuckles turning white from the force.
Xu Jinxiao, on the other hand, kept her head down, her expression blank like a speechless stone statue, immersed in an eerie silence.

A series of intermittent, flickering sounds came from afar, like the final groans of a decaying machine.

Immediately afterwards, the long-absent female voice finally rang out from the station's public address system:
"The last train is about to arrive at the station. Please board as soon as possible."

The voice was hollow and mechanical, as if squeezed from the throat of a long-forgotten corpse, carrying a chilling and eerie quality.

The group exchanged glances, their movements barely perceptible, yet they understood each other perfectly.

“Whatever it is,” Siming murmured, his voice tinged with a listless weariness. “We should get in the car.”

Just then, from the other end of the station, a series of hurried and chaotic footsteps echoed through the night fog.

"Hurry! Don't fall behind!"

A clear, cold, and sharp female voice pierced the silence, carrying an undeniable sense of pressure, as if it could forcefully slow down the flow of time.

The next second, a team of six broke through the fog and strode onto the platform.

The leader was a woman dressed in red.

Her long hair cascaded down like a waterfall, the ends curled slightly; her lips were as red as blood; her brows and eyes were cold and stern; she seemed like a phantom that had stepped out of a nightmare from the Dream of the Red Chamber.

He moved with an air of authority, his aura so powerful it was almost impossible to look directly at him.

In the dim light, Si Ming looked up and felt that the other person's presence was too sharp, so he involuntarily stopped playing his cards.

The woman also saw them at that moment. She paused slightly, her gaze sweeping over Si Ming and his group, cold and scrutinizing, her eyes sharp as blades, carrying an innate sense of superiority.

She didn't say much, but simply raised her chin slightly, signaling the five people behind her to quicken their pace.

"Who is that?" Celian asked in a low voice, her eyes filled with instinctive wariness.

“…I don’t know her.” Si Ming narrowed his eyes, his voice low and tinged with a hint of wariness, “But she is definitely not an ordinary person.”

The five or six followers followed closely behind the woman, their expressions varied—some were terrified, some were dazed—but without exception, they all revolved around her, as if she were the only focus.

They didn't even glance at Si Ming and the others, as if the only person in the world was that woman in red.

“She is a mystery master.” Xu Jinxiao suddenly spoke in a low voice, her voice so calm it was almost eerie.

"How did you know?" Wang Yichen asked instinctively.

Xu Jinxiao simply answered in a low voice:

"Look at the way they look at themselves."

"That's not trust...that's infatuation."

The blood had already reached above their ankles, and a chill crept up their spines along the stone bricks.

Just then, the woman in red glanced sideways, her eyes sweeping over Si Ming out of the corner of her eye, and a faint smile appeared on her lips.

"I suggest to everyone," she said softly, yet with an irresistible air of authority,

"If you don't want to drown here, stop wasting each other's breath."

As soon as she finished speaking, she turned and left, her steps elegant yet resolute, leading her team straight into the depths of the platform.

The red jacket, like a burning fox flame in the night fog, broke through the silent darkness, illuminating a bloody path for them into the unknown.

Si Ming silently watched her retreating figure, his gaze slightly grave.

After a moment, he whispered:

"This woman..."

"poisonous."

His voice was soft, but to everyone present it sounded like a dull alarm bell, ringing the deepest premonitions in their hearts before the second night was about to begin.

A blood mist filled the air, and finally the lights of the last train lit up in the distance.

And their second night quietly began.

The radio sounded.

A cold, piercing female voice came from the overhead loudspeaker on the railway tracks, like a rusty metal needle slicing through the soul:

"Attention—the last train is about to arrive. All passengers are requested to board before the countdown ends."

Then came the ticking of a stopwatch.

"60."

"59."

"58--"

The air seemed to freeze at this moment.

Everyone's breath was suddenly cut off, and the surroundings were so quiet that only the roar of blood deep in the eardrums could be heard.

Immediately following was a series of dense and heavy footsteps.

"--run!!"

The God of Fate roared, like a thunderclap tearing through the curtain of deathly silence.

The next second, the entire station started moving.

Bloody water.

The dark red that had been slowly seeping out now seemed to have been summoned by some force.
It gushed forth thick, scalding hot water from the cracks in the floor tiles, drains, and walls, carrying a corrosive stench, as if the entire underground system were vomiting its most filthy parts.

Gurgling.

The blood plasma surged like a tide, spreading rapidly throughout the waiting hall at an unimaginable speed.

The metal handrail at the very front was corroded and was emitting hissing white smoke, with a pungent burning smell filling the air.

"Get moving! Hurry up!" Wang Yichen grabbed Xu Jinxiao and pulled him along as they ran.

The latter was pale, but did not resist; he simply nodded and followed.

Xiao Lianyin charged forward first, her red dress drawing a burning crimson arc in the night mist, like a crimson firework about to fall.

Her five attendants followed closely behind, running wildly across the almost cracked paving stones, their panting almost disappearing into the oppressive air.

In the distance, a blurry light and shadow emerged from the fog.

Rumbling--

The rails trembled, and the metallic clanging of the sheet metal sounded like countless blades gnawing in the darkness.

The train is coming. But it shows no sign of slowing down.

A strangely styled long vehicle slowly emerged from the mist. It was entirely black, with intricate patterns of rust-red and pale metallic textures outlined along its edges.

Its front end resembled a monster without eyes, roaring as it tore through the night.

The windows of each carriage were sealed with heavy iron bars, and the only door slowly opened as the train glided along. The black staircase trembled incessantly with the speed, as if it might collapse at any moment.

The broadcast came on again:

"Time remaining - 30 seconds".

"The speed of the vehicle continues to increase, and there are no stops."

"Please board the train on your own."

Si Ming frowned, a cold glint flashing in his eyes.

“It just won’t stop,” he whispered.

"Jump out of the car." Xiao Lianyin's voice was cold as she uttered those two words without the slightest hesitation.

"Are you kidding me?!" Wang Yichen exclaimed in astonishment, but no one paid any attention.

Blood had already flooded the platform entrance, spreading along the cordon, and the metal railings at the edge emitted a harsh corroding sound.

"25 seconds."

No one hesitated anymore.

The sound of running footsteps echoed under the station's dome, hurried and chaotic, yet filled with the desperation of survival.

More than ten people sprinted with all their might, their target being the train door that was gradually aligning with the edge of the platform as it glided along.

Insufficient speed means death.

Wang Yichen was the first to accelerate; he practically risked his life to crash into the door frame, then leaped into the air.
His knees slammed heavily against the black steps, the pain excruciating, but he gritted his teeth and rolled into the carriage.

Xu Jinxiao followed closely behind, moving silently like a ghost. Stepping on the decaying floor tiles, she cut in at an extreme angle, and her figure disappeared into the train in a flash.

Selene streaked across the scene like a shooting star, leaping over the wall the instant the blood spread to the center line of the platform, flipping through the air, and landing lightly.

"10 seconds."

Xiao Lianyin was almost the last to jump onto the train.

She didn't speed up; she simply stood at the car door and turned slightly to look at the fleeing crowd behind her.

"Seven seconds left." She smiled slightly, a cold curve forming on her lips. "Don't make me save anyone else."

Her words were like a judgment.

Five or six subordinates sprinted desperately, with He Chengxun taking the lead. He broke a railing with his shoulder and jumped onto the train in a disheveled but decisive manner.

Then came Ryoma Takenaka, Fabio, Martin...

The last person—the nameless man—hesitated for a moment before stumbling and starting to run.

He leaped up and barely managed to step onto the last step along the edge of the train.

However, it was half a second too late.

Blood gushed out, and as if it were alive, a blood-red arm suddenly stretched out from the rotting sea of ​​blood and gripped his ankle tightly!

"Aaaaaaahh ...

"don't want!!"

He gripped the edge of the car door with both hands, his knuckles turning white from the extreme force.
His entire body was suspended in mid-air, and blood was rising wildly up his legs, eroding his skin, muscles, and even bones.

"Pull me! Please pull me!!" he cried out, his voice tearing into blood bubbles in his throat.

Martin instinctively reached out by the car door, but Xiao Lianyin pressed her hand down on his shoulder.

"It's too late," she said coldly.

The next instant, a black thread was pulled from her fingertips and lashed out like a whip, severing the bloody hand!
With a shrill howl that seemed to come from the depths of hell, the blood hand exploded into a cloud of black and red mist.

But the man had already exhausted his last bit of strength.

His fingers loosened, and his entire body was engulfed in blood.

His body writhed and struggled violently in the sea of ​​blood, as if being bitten by countless invisible fangs at the same time.
Flesh was torn away inch by inch, bones shattered, and in his final, frantic struggle, he screamed and cursed:
"You sons of bitches—!!"

boom!
The car door is closed.

The blood stopped outside the door, frantically pounding against the metal plate, emitting low murmurs, like a mournful cry of despair.

The train slowly started moving, and the announcement played its final note:
"—Welcome aboard the 'Destiny Train', all passengers."

"I wish you... a safe journey."

The train accelerated and plunged into the thick fog.

The next instant, the wall of blood crashed into the car body like a raging tide, creating a deafening roar!

The entire vehicle jolted violently, the seats and armrests creaking as if they would disintegrate at any moment. Selene abruptly pulled back the curtains and said coldly:
"Don't look, it's useless."

Inside the carriage, a deathly silence filled the air.

Apart from heavy breathing, no one spoke.

Until the train completely left the platform, a sharp metallic screech echoed between the rails and wheels, and the thick fog completely swallowed the world behind.

They finally boarded the last bus in the night.

The train slowly drove into the boundless fog, the platform already submerged beneath a sea of ​​blood.

Through the blurry car windows, fragmented tracks could occasionally be seen receding rapidly, as if they were fleeing a collapsing sacrificial site.

Si Ming leaned against the wall, eyes closed, panting, his fingers silently stroking the slightly warm, mysterious card in his pocket.
It was as if they sensed some kind of impending danger.

He opened his eyes, his gaze as deep and dark as night.

"She's not someone to be trifled with," Si Ming whispered.

"Who did you say?" Wang Yichen asked, still shaken.

"That woman in red." Si Ming raised his eyes, smiled slightly, and there was a hint of coldness in his smile.

“Her teammates don’t seem like teammates.” He paused, his voice low and deliberate, “They’re more like believers.”

The lights inside the carriage were dim and sluggish, with cold white spots of light flickering on the floor.

Bloodstains, not yet dried, still clung to the car door, dripping down the tracks.

Wang Yichen suddenly spoke in a low, hoarse voice:

"Do you feel..."

He looked out at the thick fog, his voice carrying a hint of instinctive chill.

"We didn't get on the train."

"Instead, I stepped into someone's story."

A slight tremor ran through everyone, and the air seemed to freeze for a moment.

In the distance, the train roared, and the tracks snaked endlessly into the darkness.

You think you're on the run.

But some trains were never meant for 'escape'.

They will only send you—into a deeper nightmare.

(End of this chapter)