Secret World: I Became a God Through Lies

Chapter 223 Kiss Marks and Ghostly Shadows

Not everyone who stares at you is looking at you.

Some eyes are simply waiting for the moment you close them.

The train continued its relentless march, the sound of steel tearing through the rails like a mournful cry echoing through the narrow, enclosed carriage.

The emergency lights cast a dim, oppressive glow, illuminating every tense face. People gasped for breath, exchanged glances, but no one was willing to voice their most honest suspicions.

—There is a demon hidden among us.

The echoes of the broadcast still reverberated in the air, but the real fear had already crept into everyone's hearts like spider silk.

Wang Yichen remained silent, his eyes fixed on the swaying car window in the distance, a fine layer of cold sweat beading on his forehead.

He clenched his teeth, as if forcing himself not to think about that word. But that sentence was already deeply imprinted in his mind like a curse.

Selene leaned against the door, her long fingers rhythmically tapping the metal wall, producing a disordered, hollow beat.

Her gaze was cold and distant, as if the chaos had nothing to do with her.

Xu Jinxiao remained standing quietly in the corner, her face pale and her eyes unfocused, as if she had long since detached herself from the world outside of this confrontation.

Si Ming leaned against the edge of a row of violently trembling seats, his eyes half-closed, his expression calm yet vigilant.

His gaze slowly swept over everyone, like a blade in the dark night, slicing through the calm air inch by inch.

He didn't speak.

But his gaze itself is a silent interrogation.

—What is a "ghost"?
Without any rules or game hints, they had no way of knowing whether the monster was a single-target killer, an emotional manipulator, or a monster manipulated by probability and perception.

Within this confined space, the unknown itself becomes the deadliest predator.

Someone shivered first, I don't know who it was.

The air in the entire carriage seemed to freeze completely in that instant.

At that moment, the train jolted.

“Crack!”

Suddenly, everything outside the car window turned pitch black, as if we had driven into an endless black hole.

The last remaining emergency light flashed twice before going out completely, plunging the carriage into utter darkness.

—Not darkness in the ordinary sense.

Instead, it's a kind of "silent black" that seems to devour even consciousness.

Everyone instinctively held their breath.

In those three dark seconds, everyone heard it.

The sound of blood flowing.

Or was it just an illusion?
Three seconds later, the lights came back on.

The carriages were restored to their original state.

...No one died, no one acted strangely, and everyone maintained the posture they had before the lights went out.

However, Si Ming narrowed his eyes almost imperceptibly.

His gaze quietly fell on the figure squatting in the corner—

Fabio.

In that instant, even if it was only a fleeting blink of an eye, Si Ming keenly noticed—

he's changed.

Breathing, posture, eyes, even the faint smell of sweat seeping from under the skin.

It's different.

It's not the same "him" as before.

But at this moment, Si Ming did not speak.

He simply stood quietly in the dim light, like a lurking cheetah, waiting for the storm to pass again.

The next moment, Si Ming moved.

The movements were extremely fast, as fast as a cat leaping out of the darkness.

In the blink of an eye, he had already darted in front of Fabio.

"What are you doing?!" He Chengxun shouted, drawing his sword to block.

But Si Ming merely raised his hand, and a playing card flicked from his fingers, hovering in front of Fabio's brow.

"Don't move." Si Ming's voice was low and cold, almost freezing the air. "Just checking."

Fabio looked up at Siming with a bewildered expression, his dark brown eyes revealing obvious confusion and anger.

"What did I do? What are you going to do?" His voice was filled with instinctive defensiveness and dissatisfaction.

Si Ming narrowed his eyes slightly and said calmly:

The question is—are you 'you'?

As soon as he finished speaking, he suddenly stretched out his right hand, grabbed Fabio's jaw, and tilted his head back. He then pointed his left index finger at the floating playing card.

The paper blade snapped in the air, flashing a sharp, cold light as it pointed directly at his throat.

The entire carriage tensed up instantly, the air freezing solid.

The atmosphere was tense, like a battleground.

"Si Ming!" Wang Yichen gritted his teeth and growled, "You can't just do whatever you want—"

But before he could finish speaking, the train shuddered once more.

"Click——"

The current is fluctuating.

The light went out.

Darkness, like the gaping maw of an abyss, swallowed everyone whole.

In that instant, it felt as if my five senses were stripped away, and all that remained in the world was the roar of wheels tearing at the rails.

Three seconds, five seconds... Time stretched out infinitely in the darkness.

Si Ming felt his palm suddenly go empty.

When the light comes back on—

There was no one in front of me.

Fabio has disappeared?
No.

He simply returned to his original spot, sitting calmly as if nothing had happened, looking bewildered.

“You… just now…” Si Ming frowned and slowly approached.

Fabio looked up at him with an innocent expression:
"Me? I didn't do anything. When you suddenly pounced on me, I thought you were going to attack me."

His voice sounded calm and natural, without the slightest flaw.

But Si Ming's intuition was screaming a warning—

Not right.

Something is extremely wrong.

But he could no longer confirm where he had gone wrong.

—The ghost escaped.

No, the "ghost" has been replaced.

In those brief seconds of darkness, it changed hosts.

This time, Si Ming took half a step back, his expression truly solemn for the first time.

For the first time, a flicker of doubt appeared in his confident eyes.

—You guessed wrong.

It's not just the goal that's wrong.

It's the game's mechanics.

The train continued its roaring journey, like a raging steel behemoth tearing at the endless rails in the darkness.

Xiao Lianyin, who was standing to the side, looked at Si Ming, a sharp light flashing in her eyes.

“It seems,” she said slowly as she stepped out of the crowd, her voice calm yet carrying an irresistible sense of dominance, “that you are indeed not an all-powerful gambler.”

"So—it's my turn to take over."

Her voice wasn't loud, but it was like a knife slowly being drawn from its sheath—cold and sharp—that instantly silenced the entire carriage.

All eyes turned to the ten-star mystery master, who slowly took out a dark red lipstick engraved with a fox tail pattern from her bosom.

Si Ming raised an eyebrow slightly, looking at her with a half-smile.

“That is…” he began.

"The whispers of Slaanesh," Xiao Lianyin replied softly, her voice carrying a strange blend of allure and coldness.

"Alluring, mysterious of fate." She smiled elegantly. "You don't mind... being kissed, do you?"

Si Ming's lips twitched, and a hint of helpless amusement appeared in his eyes.

Just as Wang Yichen was about to protest, Xiao Lianyin raised her chin, her movements elegant and composed.

A touch of lipstick, and the dark red sheen slowly spread across her lips, carrying an indescribable allure, like a datura flower blooming silently in a foggy night.

Please forgive my rude behavior—

Before she finished speaking, she had already darted in front of Wang Yichen, bent down, and gently kissed his forehead.

Just touch and leave.

Wang Yichen froze, his face turning red rapidly at a visible speed, his eyes glazed over.

"I...I...I'm willing to take a bullet for you..." he murmured, as if his soul was being gently drawn away.

Xiao Lianyin took a step back, elegantly wiped the corner of her mouth, and said casually:
"efficient."

Everyone was silent.

The air seemed to have solidified into a block of transparent ice.

Then, she turned to Xu Jinxiao.

The boy standing in the corner looked up blankly, his eyes empty.

"Do you lie?" Xiao Lianyin asked softly, her voice as light as a whisper. Xu Jinxiao shook her head blankly.

"Then there's no need to hesitate."

Xiao Lianyin smiled slightly, leaned down again, and gently kissed his brow.

When she arrived in front of Si Ming, the entire carriage seemed to freeze for a moment.

Everyone involuntarily held their breath.

"It's your turn," she said with a smile.

Si Ming: "I refuse—"

Before she could finish speaking, Xiao Lianyin had already pounced on her, her movements as swift as an inevitable destiny.

Her lips landed on his left cheek.

In that instant, the air in the carriage seemed to be sucked out, and the only sound was the beating of a heart.

Xiao Lianyin's kiss was gentle and warm, carrying an irresistible sense of familiarity.

A strange fragrance emanated from the point of contact, like the scent of roses, strong liquor, and old letters mixed in with the breeze of a summer night, slowly seeping into the deepest part of Siming's senses.

That wasn't lust, but something deeper—a cognitive tear.

It is gentle to the point of being merciful, yet eerily like a sweet poison, with a malice that devours the true self hidden within its softness.

In that instant, a whisper echoed in Si Ming's mind.

It is not language, but an echo of some kind of existence:
"Stop thinking, leave it to me."

"You could have submitted."

Why struggle?

The voice was soft and lingering, as if it came from the mouth of another "self" in the mirror, carrying the elements of fate and the poison of deep affection, eroding the defenses inch by inch.

But just as that seduction was about to invade the core—

Si Ming smiled.

The laughter was short and sharp, like nails hammered into the skeleton of a tender dream.

A sharp, gleaming light flashed in his eyes, as if a sword had been drawn from the abyss in an instant.

That smile still had his usual cynical curve, but it carried a sharper sense of self-awareness and alertness—a clarity that came from the edge of the abyss.

"So this is what your 'mysterious' feeling is like," Siming said softly, his tone carrying a hint of appreciation.

"Gentle yet vicious, sweetness concealing a poisonous hook."

Xiao Lianyin raised an eyebrow slightly, took half a step back, her eyes showing no surprise, only deep meaning.

She chuckled softly:
"You're blocking it."

"What a pity," she said softly, "you almost agreed."

Si Ming gently brushed away the barely perceptible dark red stain on his collar and said calmly:

"I have never liked being 'presumed' by others."

"Especially the script that fate wrote for me."

The two looked at each other for a moment.

It was as if invisible blades were clashing in the air, sparking tiny sparks.

A rare hint of approval flashed in Xiao Lianyin's eyes, as if she had finally met someone on this dark gambling table who could gamble with her to the very end.

But before this bizarre struggle could continue, the train shuddered once more.

A deep rumble came from the depths of the tracks, as if something was slowly awakening.

boom--!
Without warning, the train once again entered the dark tunnel, where darkness, like a tsunami, instantly swallowed up all the lights.

two seconds.

Just two seconds later, the emergency lights suddenly turned on.

Everyone instinctively looked around, vigilantly searching for any possible changes.

Xiao Lianyin's sharp gaze swept over—

“Promise tonight.”

He remained seated with his head down, as if he hadn't felt the storm sweeping through him at all.

His posture was stiff, as if he were frozen outside of time.

"Who are you?" Xiao Lianyin's voice was as cold as a knife.

Xu Jinxiao slowly raised her head, her eyes still glazed over, as if she had been forcibly pulled back from a distant dream: "...I don't know."

"He is," Xiao Lianyin said coldly.

The broadcast coldly interrupted her judgment.

Verification failed.

[Incorrect target.]

The air suddenly cooled, and everyone's heartbeats seemed to freeze at that moment.

"This is impossible..." Xiao Lianyin gritted her teeth in a low voice, a rare hint of uncertainty appearing in her eyes for the first time.

She had no doubt about her own secrets.

Her lipstick never lies.

Then there is only one answer——

The ghost is still there, but it has changed.

At that moment, Si Ming raised his head, his gaze passing through the carriage and landing outside the window.

He stared at the tunnel lights that were rapidly receding into the distance.

At a certain angle, those lights reflected eerie and chilling patterns.

“This train…” he murmured, his voice sinking into the storm, “we’re not always moving forward.”

"Instead, each time you pass through a section of 'light,' you experience it again—'exchange.'"

He closed his eyes, as if listening to whispers from another hidden track.

"The answer to the question of ghosts does not lie within us."

"And in the laws of light."

Si Ming's words, like a pebble sinking into deep water, slowly disappeared, yet they stirred ripples in the tense air of the carriage.

He opened his eyes, his gaze fixed on the view outside the window.

The rows of lights hanging from the top of the tunnel should have been evenly spaced, like silver chains woven into the night.

But from some point onward—

The spacing between the lights began to change strangely.

Three lamps in a row, sometimes fast, sometimes slow;

Some lights were bright and dazzling, some were dim and about to go out, and some lights were even moving backward silently.

Si Ming squinted, concentrating his mind to the extreme.

The high-speed train swept past the interlacing light, stretching the points of light outside the tracks into eerie streaks of light that entangled in the night like a spider web.

Each time the train passes through a zone of changing light, the air vibrates slightly, as if existence itself is being rearranged.

It's not air vibration.

It's not that the track is changing tracks.

It's not a change of track in the physical sense, but rather a rotation at the level of existence.

"Light is a switch."

Si Ming's lips slowly curled up, his smile cold and sharp, like a gambler betting his last chip.

"'Ghost' possession is not random."

"It rotates its host every time it 'changes light segments'."

“And we—every time we enter a new ‘light segment,’ we have one more opportunity to ‘see through it.’”

"But once you miss it, it will be completely trapped in the cycle next time."

"This isn't about finding the 'ghost'."

"This is a battle of rhythm."

No sooner had he finished speaking than the red emergency light at the front of the carriage suddenly flashed!
“They’re here,” Celian said softly, her golden vertical pupils reflecting the approaching wall of light.

Everyone was startled, suddenly realizing:
This time, the light switching time was shorter.

The area that was originally illuminated by stable lights for three minutes is now only bright for less than half a minute!
The train, like a ghost, shuttled through one fragmented light zone after another, while time, like sand being poured from an hourglass, flowed at an accelerated speed.

"The next lighting cycle will last only twenty seconds." Xiao Lianyin calculated quickly, her voice so calm it was almost icy.

"If it makes one more mistake, it will be completely trapped in the loop."

“Si Ming.” She suddenly looked up, her gaze sharp as a knife.

"Are you going to gamble?"

Si Ming did not respond immediately.

He simply flicked his wrist, the spell cards spinning rapidly between his fingertips, emitting a sharp, cold friction sound.

He lowered his eyes slightly and murmured:

"The One with a Thousand Faces".

"In this round—I need to lend you a pair of eyes to see through fate."

Under the dim yellow light, his figure seemed to blend into the shadow of the train.

On the eve of the storm, the gamblers have already played their cards.

Just waiting for the final moment to lift the slate of fate—to reveal the bottom.

"Light is in front, shadow is behind. The devil is hidden in the heart, and also in the cracks of the track."

If every time you 'light up' is an opportunity for you to confront yourself—

So before it goes out next time, did you see it clearly?

(End of this chapter)