The Cloud-Veiled Station (1)

First Part: The Vanishing Passengers The space inside the train carriage was far more spacious than it appeared from the outside, illuminated by a few dim, flickering yellowish-brown lights, eerily empty. Besides Su Yue, only a few figures sat in the front row near the window. They all had their heads bowed, dressed in extremely old-fashioned attire – some like the long gowns of the early Republic of China era, others like old-fashioned work clothes from decades past. All sat motionless in their seats. Su Yue chose a seat near the door, attempting to look out the window. However, beyond the glass was only a dead, silent darkness, devoid of even the shadow of a tree or distant lights. The glass reflected only his own pale, bloodless face. Suppressing his unease, he turned to a middle-aged man in the adjacent seat, intending to ask about the train's final destination and journey time. As he leaned closer, however, he was startled to find the man's face appearing extremely stiff and bizarre in the dim light – it wasn't the skin of a living person at all, but like that of a paper effigy, painted with exaggerated, eerie rosy blush. His lips were purplish-black, forming a stiff, dead smile. Though the man's eyes were open, his pupils were cloudy and vacant, staring straight ahead without any sign of breathing. To be continued...