Secret World: I Became a God Through Lies

Chapter 224 Blood Shadow's End, Ghost Appears

"In the darkness, the truth quietly emerges;"

In the light, lies have nowhere to hide.

The train continued its rapid journey, like a long, black iron serpent, relentlessly plunging deeper into the endless tunnel.

It emitted a mournful roar, like the wailing of steel rails, or the intermittent murmurs of an ancient, slumbering creature.

Inside the carriage, the emergency lights were extremely dim, flickering and casting intermittent light, as if they would be completely swallowed by darkness at any moment.

Outside the car window was an unrecognizable void, occasionally punctuated by flashes of red light and passing shadowy figures.
Like a spy outside a nightmare, it beats against the curtain of the real world, waiting for an opportunity to break free.

The train's public address system fell silent after the "ghost" was identified as a mistake. But everyone knew in their hearts that this was just the calm before the storm.

“…It will move.” Si Ming said in a low voice.

He stood in a corner near the car window, half of his figure torn apart by the dim light, reflected on the floor, casting two distorted shadows.

"Are you sure?" Xiao Lianyin approached slowly, her tone still calm, but she couldn't hide the deep thought in her eyes.

“The first time was Fabio,” Si Ming recalled, his voice low and calm. “I was almost certain it was him at that moment. But—when the light went out, it changed.”

"In other words, it is related to 'darkness'."

Xiao Lianyin lowered her voice, as if afraid of disturbing some being lurking in the shadows.

"Yes." Si Ming nodded, his gaze fixed on the constantly swaying emergency light on the ceiling.

"It doesn't move directly among the crowd, but rather 'disappears' once the moment the lights go out."

The air was thick with the damp smell of rust, the metallic odor of oxidized blood, swirling in the enclosed carriage like an invisible net, tightly binding every inch of skin.

Wang Yichen leaned back in the corner of his seat, his cold sweat still damp, his Adam's apple bobbing. Never before had he longed for the light so desperately.

“We still need to observe,” Si Ming replied in a deep voice, his tone revealing an unwavering determination.

At this moment, he slowly turned his head and looked at Celian.

The red-haired girl leaned back in her chair, her legs crossed, her golden-red eyes showing a hint of languor and impatience.

She licked her fingertips, revealing two sharp teeth that gleamed slightly with a cold light.

"Hmm? It's finally my turn?" Celian raised an eyebrow, laughing freely.

Si Ming nodded.

Xiao Lianyin had no objection, but glanced thoughtfully at those eyes burning with red flames.

Blood Clan——

An existence that transcends conventional life forms, unbound by the laws of light and darkness.

She can "see" in the darkness, making her the deadliest hunter in this battle of rhythm.

Xiao Lianyin opened her mouth as if she wanted to say something, but ultimately remained silent.

at this time--

"Click."

The train lights suddenly went out, as if an invisible hand had instantly crushed the fragile electrical current in the ceiling.

Darkness rushed in, enveloping every inch of the carriage.

Everyone held their breath, their heartbeats seemingly being pulled into this abyss.

There was complete silence, as if even the air itself had been frozen.

Then—a very soft sound rang out.

It wasn't coming from the train itself, but from a delicate sound, like the rubbing of fabric or the gliding of fingertips across skin.

Just for a moment.

Something moved in the darkness.

Everyone felt it.

Including Xiao Lianyin.

She turned her head sharply, her body tensing instinctively, but the sound was too fast and too soft to determine its direction.

The next second—

"Crack!"

The lights come back on.

The dim, faint light tore through the darkness once more.

Standing in the middle of the carriage was Xu Jinxiao Fabio, still in the same spot. He touched his neck, his face pale, and his eyes filled with confusion.

"I... just now..." he murmured, "It seemed... someone was watching me?"

“It’s not you anymore,” Si Ming said in a low voice, his voice like a dull knife slowly cutting through the false tranquility.

"Are you sure?" Xiao Lianyin stared at him.

“I’m pretty sure.” Si Ming stared at Xu Jin Xiao for three seconds, then looked away and loosened his sleeve.

"It's gone."

The air stagnated again.

This time, even Wang Yichen didn't say anything, his face was gloomy and his teeth were clenched.

"...Then, we must seize it next time."

Si Ming's gaze slowly swept across everyone's faces, finally landing on Xiao Lianyin.

"are you ready?"

With a slight upturn of her red lips, Xiao Lianyin smiled, a smile that was both languid and dangerous. She ran her fingertips across the corner of her lips and took out the dark red lipstick.

"It's always been them—get ready to receive my kiss."

Just before the lights went out again, Si Ming stared intently into He Chengxun's pupils.

Those were eyes that were always fervent, defiant, yet also tinged with a kind of morbid submissiveness.

“He’s not a ghost,” Si Ming quickly concluded in his mind.

But the moment he reached out, the train shuddered violently—

The lights suddenly went out.

Darkness descended like a curtain, cleaving all judgments back into chaos.

One second, two seconds...

"Click."

The lights came back on, and the world regained its color.

Wang Yichen remained in the same spot, breathing steadily, with clear eyes.

He didn't move, nor did he try to escape.

“…It wasn’t him.” Si Ming frowned. Xiao Lianyin looked at him quietly, a complex light flashing in her eyes.

She understood—

The God of Fate is right.

They missed it again.

one more time.

The light source inside the carriage was extremely dim, and the yellowish emergency lights were teetering on the brink of collapse, casting intermittent bands of light as if they could be swallowed up by darkness at any moment.

Outside the window, there is an unrecognizable void, with occasional blood-red cracks slicing across the glass, and faint shadows intertwining like prying eyes from outside the nightmare, pounding on the curtain of the real world, waiting to break free.

The broadcast fell silent after the ghost was mistakenly identified.

But everyone understands that this is just the calm before a deeper storm.

"...It's very fast," Si Ming whispered.

He leaned against the car window, half of his figure torn apart by the light, casting a distorted and elongated shadow on the floor.

"It takes on a new host the instant the lights 'disappear'."

The air was thick with the damp, rotten smell of rust and the stench of oxidized blood, lingering in the confined space.

Wang Yichen huddled in a corner of his seat, his cold sweat still damp, his breathing shallow. He had never longed for light so much.

"So what do we do?" Martin's voice trembled as he gripped the red ribbon around his neck tightly with both hands.

"You only have one chance left," Si Ming said in a low but firm voice.

He slowly turned his head and looked at Celian.

The red-haired girl leaned lazily against the chair, her golden-red vertical pupils slightly open, a lazy yet dangerous smile playing on her lips.

"I knew you would come looking for me." She raised her hand to brush away the stray hairs from her forehead, her posture flamboyant.

"How annoying... I always get to do the dirty and tiring work."

"Come on," Si Ming sighed. "I remember you were clearly enjoying it."

Selene licked her fangs lightly, her smile eerily sinister.

"Well then, remember you owe me one more time. Now, step back, it's my turn to perform."

Before she finished speaking, she slowly closed her eyes, releasing the aura unique to vampires.

The next instant, her scarlet vertical pupils suddenly opened, and a faint blood mist ignited deep within them.

She took a step, her voice low and hoarse:
"Locked."

The carriage lights flickered again, and darkness swallowed all vision in an instant.

In that absolute darkness, only the sound of Selian's boots pounding on the metal floor could be heard, clear, precise, and firm.

Like a cheetah in the dark, chasing the lingering scent of its prey.

“It’s going to be replaced,” Celian whispered.

"Unfortunately—I've already seen it."

Boom!

The next second, as the lights came back on, Celian made a lightning-fast move, her claws firmly gripping a wrist!
Everyone tensed up instinctively, their eyes fixed on her prey.

The person who was captured was none other than Takenaka Ryoma.

That man who appeared the most gentle, the most rational, and seemingly the least likely to lie.

Takenaka Ryoma struggled instinctively, his pupils contracting violently, his voice trembling:
"No...it wasn't me...I...I just..."

"Stop pretending." Si Ming interrupted him coldly, his voice as piercing as an ice pick.

"There's another face in your shadow."

Xiao Lianyin also stepped forward, her eyes chilling to the bone.

“I kissed you,” she said calmly. “You shouldn’t have lied to me.”

Ryoma Takenaka's face turned deathly pale, and he almost choked up:
"I didn't... I didn't lie! I don't know why—"

Before he could finish speaking, the radio started beeping.

Everyone held their breath.

After a full three seconds of deathly silence, the broadcast emitted a series of beeping sounds:
[Target Recognition: Ryoma Takenaka]

[Parasitium detachment in progress]

In an instant, the temperature in the carriage dropped sharply.

Liang Zhen suddenly convulsed violently, her body arching backward as if her soul had been pulled out by some force.

A dark crack appeared behind him.

A dark, shadowy figure snaked out, emitting a twisted, piercing wail.

That thing was definitely not a remnant of humankind.

Instead, it was a dark creature born from the abyss, resembling a human in form, but with a protruding spine, a drooping head, and sharp claws like a wild beast.

It tried to struggle and escape.

But Serian had already transformed into a red afterimage, leaping into the air, her claws piercing through the void, firmly gripping the shadow's shoulder, and slamming it hard against the carriage floor!
The shadowy figure struggled and shrieked, finally disintegrating into black mist with a tearing sound, leaving only a scorched mark on the floor.

And one—

Cards.

Low-tier Life-type Card No. 1174: "Wraith of the Hundred-Eyed Demon"

The card flipped over, revealing a pale human face with open eyes on its forehead, which slowly closed as if crying.

The crowd remained silent for a long time.

Until the broadcast came on again:

This round of the game has ended.

The train is about to slow down and enter the next station.

The cold, mechanical female voice on the radio, like the pronouncement of death, echoed in the weary and desperate air.

The train is still speeding along, but its direction has changed.

Next stop.

Perhaps it will go deeper.
Darker.