Free Web NovelChapter 1976: Chapter 1118: Plan B
In short, this night yielded great gains. With the help of Kato Shinjiro, the pathfinder, they uncovered the key to the task and managed to eliminate the detestable Watanabe Gou.
Of course, for Xiao Lin Zhengyan, the best news was knowing that Yamamoto Chunai was still alive.
He had experienced a nightmare task before, and this was his second time. So he knew that no matter how injured a person was, even if barely alive, as long as they could be taken out, they would recover fully.
He was determined to save Yamamoto Chunai, as he had once promised to bring her home.
After a hazy night’s sleep, Xiao Lin Zhengyan awoke to find Yang Xiao sitting alone at the desk, leaning back in the chair, with a map spread out on the table and an empty coffee cup sitting at the edge.
Takagi Reina was sprawled across the sofa, sleeping so soundly that she was oblivious to the world.
"Mr. Chu, did you not sleep at all?" Looking at the slightly fatigued Yang Xiao, Xiao Lin Zhengyan was suddenly overwhelmed with a strong sense of guilt.
In his eyes, Chu Xi was a very capable person, and he owed his survival to his care. Originally, staying up all night was his responsibility. How could he let Mr. Chu Xi be troubled by such mundane tasks?
Before going to bed, he had volunteered to stay up, but Chu Xi refused, saying he couldn’t sleep and needed to think things over. He promised to be woken for the next shift, yet Chu Xi never did.
Yang Xiao had his reasons for staying up all night. Last night, he took a risk and answered a call from Kato Shinjiro, knowing the Clapping Ghost was nearby.
No one could be sure if this would bring trouble, so Yang Xiao insisted on staying up all night, trusting no one else.
Takagi Reina was clever but lacked insight due to her low status, and Xiao Lin Zhengyan, despite his good nature, was powerless in true danger.
"Wake her up; we need to have a meeting." Yang Xiao signaled to Xiao Lin Zhengyan.
Soon, Takagi Reina and Xiao Lin Zhengyan were seated on either side of Yang Xiao, like attentive students, as Yang Xiao began outlining his plan.
"The key tonight lies in three points: First, the arrangement on the Ghost Train. Tonight, the person chosen will be you, Mr. Xiaolin." Yang Xiao turned to Xiao Lin Zhengyan, speaking with calm detachment. freeweɓnøvel.com
"Yes." Xiao Lin Zhengyan instinctively straightened up.
"Tonight, we will board the train early and all choose carriage number 5. This way, when transferred to the Ghost Train, we’ll still together. Mr. Xiaolin, once selected as the ’ghost,’ give your ticket to me, and I’ll conduct the final search." Yang Xiao said.
"Understood!" Xiao Lin Zhengyan had immense trust in Yang Xiao’s ability.
"Miss Takagi, you’ll assist me in searching for people," Yang Xiao turned again to Takagi Reina.
"Got it." Takagi Reina’s expression turned unusually serious.
"If all goes well, we will get off with that radio fragment. Next, we need to control Yandeta Chiyoda."
Yang Xiao paused, his voice growing colder: "Kato Shinjiro informed me that the Clapping Ghost can actively track and is inescapable. To reach our destination smoothly, we need a substitute death, and I can’t think of anyone more suitable than Yandeta Chiyoda."
"Ha, I’ve long wanted to deal with that old hag. We can’t let her go this time." Takagi Reina’s gaze turned sinister.
"Yes, she hurt Miss Yamamoto, we can’t let her go!" Xiao Lin Zhengyan could vividly recall the scene of the old woman coming to them late at night to make them scapegoats. The grievances between them were profound.
"Hmm, my plan is to control her after getting off the train, then take her to the underground city. I’ll be in charge of navigation, and I’ll need you, Mr. Xiaolin, to carry her." Yang Xiao shared his plan.
"No problem, I can do it." Xiao Lin Zhengyan knew there was no such thing as a free lunch. If he wanted to survive, he had to contribute; it seemed fair to him.
Yang Xiao nodded and continued, "If everything goes smoothly, we can use Yandeta Chiyoda to buy time and reach our destination to turn off the radio."
"But there are too many variables, so we must be ready. If unexpected events occur, like insufficient time bought by Yandeta Chiyoda, we’ll execute Plan B."
"In Plan B, I will shut the radio down, while the two of you distract the Clapping Ghost." Yang Xiao’s tone intensified.
"Distracting the ghost..." At these words, Xiao Lin Zhengyan’s face paled. It wasn’t a lack of trust in Yang Xiao, but he simply couldn’t bear such a responsibility.
Plus, he knew that the Clapping Ghost’s killing was almost inevitable, relentlessly tracking until its target was dead.
Oh no, it didn’t kill. It only trapped a person, stripping their control over their body and eternally imprisoning them in this bizarre terror world.
In some ways, this was more frightening than death.
Seeing Xiao Lin Zhengyan’s pale face and white lips, yet not arguing or finding excuses to back down, Yang Xiao was fairly impressed and continued: "I certainly won’t let you die in vain. Truth be told, I once encountered a Fierce Ghost in a mission, whose tracking methods were similar to the Clapping Ghost."
"Whoever attracts the Clapping Ghost first should quickly move closer, getting nearer before its next clap to divert its attention, then continuously keeping it engaged." Yang Xiao laid out the Yinren instance strategy.
Takagi Reina was quick-witted and grasped it instantly, but Xiao Lin Zhengyan’s comprehension was slower, requiring Yang Xiao to draw illustrations to clarify.
"Mr. Chu, will this... will it work?" He understood the theory, but practically speaking, he wasn’t confident. It was too risky; any slip-up could lead to being caught.
"Rest assured, as long as you follow what I said, it will be fine; that’s how we did it back then."
Although he said it that way, Yang Xiao didn’t tell him that the team they had back then was of very high caliber. Besides himself, the others executing the plan were Jiang Qingluan and Chen Nang, all of them seasoned players.
The reason he didn’t tell him was that he didn’t want to put too much pressure on him. After all, the arrow is on the bowstring and has to be shot; when the time comes, whether it works or not, it must be pushed forward, there isn’t another choice.
If possible, Yang Xiao also didn’t want him to cooperate with Takagi Reina, but his own task was even more crucial to success, and he couldn’t trust it to Xiao Lin Zhengyan, this half-newcomer. free𝑤ebnovel.com
In the following time, Yang Xiao found a vacant lot near the office building for a real-world simulation.
He stood at a high place, directing the two people’s actions, trying to cultivate their tacit understanding.
A morning passed, and it was quite effective. Yang Xiao emphasized that they must not be too far apart and should try to stay within each other’s line of sight.
To respond to unexpected situations, Yang Xiao had also marked three suitable places on the map for attracting ghosts and dealing with them, for temporary decisions based on the situation at the time.
During training, Yandeta Chiyoda called Yang Xiao to ask if Kato Shinjiro had sent any messages the previous night.
Yang Xiao replied no, believing there was no need to explain to someone who was about to die.
Perhaps to ease the tense atmosphere between them, Yandeta Chiyoda’s tone was much better this time and even invited the three of them to meet at night, the location set at Renyuan Shrine Station, which Yang Xiao agreed to.
Yang Xiao spent the afternoon resting; he was indeed a bit tired from overthinking last night, replaying the night’s actions in his mind, as this was the last chance.
Everything was ready, and around 9 o’clock at night, Xiao Lin Zhengyan received the Ghost Train Ticket, and the group, fully equipped, set out immediately.
At the agreed location, they met Yandeta Chiyoda, who had been waiting there for some time. Yandeta Chiyoda was draped in a black coat, making her appear slightly bulky, with an ordinary shoulder bag on her back.
"Mr. Chu, Mr. Watanabe and Mr. Kato are both gone; tonight, it’s just us left. I apologize for my offenses in past events; I’m sorry to everyone." Yandeta Chiyoda slightly bowed to the three.
"Tonight, I think only by working together can we have a chance of surviving. I hope we can put aside past grievances and fight side by side." Yandeta Chiyoda’s attitude was entirely different from before, almost as if she were a different person.
Naturally, Xiao Lin Zhengyan despised a person like this, but thinking of the plan for tonight, he couldn’t be bothered to expose her, after all, he couldn’t spoil Mr. Chu Xi’s big event.
"Senior Sister Yuanda, you’re being too serious. Everyone was at fault before, and now that the mission is at its most critical point, we should indeed unite; unity is strength." Yang Xiao showed impressive composure.
"Mr. Chu Xi is magnanimous, truly admirable," Yandeta Chiyoda said with a smile, her expression unprecedentedly kind.
"Senior Sister Yuanda, you’re too kind. We look forward to your help tonight," Yang Xiao smiled even more sincerely than Yandeta Chiyoda.
"Clang!"
Suddenly, a discordant noise broke the warm and friendly scene; a wrench fell out from Takagi Reina’s pants, clattering to the ground.
The mood on-site instantly shifted, Yandeta Chiyoda’s smile froze, but Takagi Reina quickly reacted, rubbing her hands and laughing awkwardly, "Um... I’m afraid there might be danger under the station tonight, so bringing a wrench for self-defense is quite normal, right?"
"Just look, child, bringing such a big thing for self-defense might cause misunderstandings, right?" Yang Xiao mildly scolded Takagi Reina while bending over to pick up the wrench to throw it away, but the next second, another "clang" was heard, as an old iron hammer with a wooden handle fell from Yang Xiao’s lower back, heavily hitting the ground.
At this moment, the scene fell into silence, Yandeta Chiyoda’s eyes nearly popped out, while Yang Xiao chuckled several times. Takagi Reina knew he was easing the embarrassment because there was really nothing to say.
"Well... I nailed a few nails with a hammer this afternoon and casually put it on my body, you see... nobody reminded me, hahaha, what a blunder..." Yang Xiao scratched his head, his smile more awkward than Yandeta Chiyoda’s expression.
As a train pulled into the station, Yang Xiao conveniently stuck the hammer back behind him, changing the topic by asking, "Senior Sister Yuanda, the train is here, let’s all get on together."
"Let’s all sit together so we can take care of each other."
Takagi Reina also extended an invitation, and if one ignored the wrench in her hand, her smile was quite sincere.
Yandeta Chiyoda couldn’t help her mouth twitch; she thought of how these three people intended to deal with her, but she hadn’t expected such crude and vile means.
This bunch wasn’t even pretending, or perhaps they messed it up.
In any case, no matter how Yang Xiao and his three companions persuaded her, Yandeta Chiyoda just wouldn’t get on the train, leaving no choice but for Yang Xiao and his companions to get on first, scattering as they did.
Once the train left the station, out of Yandeta Chiyoda’s sight, the three regrouped in car 5.
After confirming Yang Xiao’s group’s departure, Yandeta Chiyoda took a deep breath, a trace of mockery flashing in her eyes. She had known they would try to attack her, but she wasn’t that easy to deal with; she had already thought of a way to break free from this deadly predicament.
In fact, for her, Watanabe Gou’s death might not be a bad thing; at least it made this group drop their guard.
As the next train slowly pulled into the station, Yandeta Chiyoda boarded and sat in a corner.
Looking out at the nighttime scenery, the night was extraordinarily quiet, and Yandeta Chiyoda slowly exhaled a breath buried deep in her heart, her hand resting against that shoulder bag.
This was her key to survival tonight.
