Chapter 40 Midnight Subway (9) Meanwhile, in Yokohama...

Meanwhile, Yokohama was gradually awakening in the morning.

The old train that once served as the subject of the "Midnight Subway" ghost story is now quietly parked in a maintenance depot at an ordinary terminal station.

It looks no different from other trains that have been modified after operation, except that it looks slightly outdated.

The first person to notice the strange anomaly was a maintenance worker on the early shift.

"Strange." He took the clipboard and walked around the train, muttering to himself, "Which line did this train come from? There's no record in the system, and this model of train should have been scrapped a long time ago, right?"

The repairman scratched his head, completely baffled.

He tried to open the driver's side door, only to find that the lock was broken and opened with a gentle push.

Everything inside seemed normal, except the dashboard was completely black, as if it had completely lost power, and there was a faint, indescribable smell in the air.

With no other option, the maintenance worker had to report it. The operations department quickly reviewed all the surveillance footage and discovered that the train had appeared out of thin air, quietly entering the station in the early hours of the morning without any departure record.

The train number and serial number of this train could not be found.

"It could be a system malfunction, or it might have accidentally entered from some abandoned branch line?" The person in charge frowned. "Let's set it aside for a full inspection and figure out where it came from first."

Thus, this mysterious, unclaimed subway train was temporarily isolated, becoming a minor mystery for the operations department.

No one knows that it once traversed the gap between reality and the underworld, carrying countless lost souls.

Now, the core of the ghost story has been destroyed; it is now just an empty shell, containing only a forgotten past.

Those passengers rescued by the train faced different situations.

Mie Watanabe did not go home, but went straight to the company.

She had taken too much personal leave, and the backlog of work was overwhelming. When her colleagues saw her pale face and dark circles under her eyes, they rushed over to comfort her, thinking that she had not yet recovered from the shock of her disappearance.

After boarding the subway, Watanabe Mie disappeared for a week. Her boss tried to find her but couldn't, so he called the police, and it even made the news headlines.

Considering Watanabe Mie's situation, the company did not dismiss her but instead granted her personal leave.

Knowing about this, Watanabe expressed her gratitude to her boss, otherwise she would have lost her job.

When her colleagues asked her where Mie Watanabe had gone, she didn't answer, because even if she did, it would be too unbelievable and inconceivable, so she might as well not say anything.

She sat at her workstation, her fingers tracing the cold surface of the desk, her mind replaying endless painful memories of the US and Canada, and the recurring phrase of her sister's final, relieved "goodbye."

The heavy boulder in my heart seemed to have been half removed, leaving behind an empty wound that was no longer bleeding.

Mie Watanabe turned on her computer and began processing emails. Her movements were a little clumsy, but her eyes were more focused and determined than ever before.

Live on.

This includes the portion from the US and Canada as well.

This thought is no longer an empty self-comfort, but a power that grows from the depths of the heart.

During her lunch break, she even took the initiative to invite her colleagues out for lunch. Although she still didn't talk much, she was no longer as completely closed off as before. Her colleagues were slightly surprised by Watanabe Mie's change and accepted her invitation.

The changes are subtle, but they are definitely happening.

Meanwhile, another young commuter on the train, the man who had confessed his sins to an empty seat in the carriage, was sent home in a daze and slept for a whole day.

When I woke up, my pillow was soaked with tears.

He dreamt of his ex-girlfriend whom he had broken up with long ago; it wasn't about their previous arguments, but a peaceful farewell.

He picked up his phone, hesitated for a long time, and finally did not dial the number he knew by heart. Instead, he opened his contacts and deleted the person he was destined to never contact again.

Love is not harassment.

Expired love is not about disturbing the other person's life in the name of love.

Then he got up and began cleaning the dusty apartment. Only after letting go of some obsessions could he see the road ahead clearly.

The elderly woman humming a lullaby was sent back to the nursing home by social workers.

She still often sits by the window, looking at the garden outside, but she no longer holds the imaginary grandson in her arms; instead, she holds a photo album in her hand.

She would point to the photos and chatter to the volunteers who came to visit her about the funny things her grandson did when he was little. Although her eyes still held a sense of nostalgia, they were less obsessive.

She started participating in handicraft activities at the nursing home, knitting small sweaters with her aged but steady hands, saying she wanted to give them to the children at the nearby welfare home.

Of course, not all passengers were able to get over the trauma immediately.

Some people remain in a daze and require psychological intervention.

Some people have only vague memories of that disappearance, treating it merely as a bizarre dream.

However, life is slowly but surely returning to them.

Special Abilities Department.

Command Center.

Ango Sakaguchi received a request for assistance from the transportation department regarding the mysterious subway train.

Ango Sakaguchi immediately dispatched professional technicians and a ghost story investigation team to the scene.

"The residual energy is extremely weak, but its nature is highly consistent with the previously recorded 'Midnight Subway' ghost stories." The personnel at the scene reported through encrypted communication: "The train itself is not abnormal, but all investigations to trace other sources have reached a dead end. It is as if it appeared out of thin air, and the disappearance of the subway ghost stories is very likely the same train."

Ango Sakaguchi adjusted his glasses and said calmly, "Seale the train's secrets and conduct a more in-depth analysis. Obtain memory blurring for all unrelated personnel who had contact with the train."

He issued the order: "The confidentiality level of this matter is raised to Level A."

"Yes, sir."

Armed Detective Agency.

Kunikida Doppo is compiling a report on this incident.

Dr. Yosano Akiko reviewed the shared data from the Special Abilities Division regarding Takeichi's physical condition.

“It’s a matter of the soul. This kind of injury is extremely difficult to treat unless there’s someone with the ability to heal the soul. Even then, it’s still quite troublesome.” Yosano Akiko crossed her arms. “This kid is really lucky to have survived. Although he broke a few ribs, it’s unusual in itself. And according to Atsushi and Kyoka’s descriptions, that bell…”

"What's wrong with the bell?" Kunikida Doppo asked.

"It doesn't seem like a product of a supernatural system. Where did you find so many amazing items? And don't you feel that these things resemble magical artifacts used by certain priestesses or monks as recorded in ancient texts?" Yosano Akiko said mysteriously, "This kid has quite a few secrets."

Edogawa Ranpo, who was munching on potato chips nearby, mumbled something when he heard this, "Secrets are more interesting, right? As long as he doesn't use these gadgets for bad things, everything is fine."

"Besides, he helped us solve a big problem, didn't he?" Edogawa Ranpo didn't seem worried about Takeichi's change, or rather, he trusted his judgment—Takeichi at least didn't have any ill intentions towards the Armed Detective Agency.

Fukuzawa Yukichi listened quietly, and finally spoke: "Maintain the status quo and keep an eye on him. The Armed Detective Agency should maintain a friendly attitude until he actively seeks help or shows any signs of threat."

Atsushi Nakajima and Kyoka Izumi sat to the side. Although they were somewhat worried about Takeichi's condition, they felt a little relieved after hearing the president's words.

Meanwhile, even after this incident was resolved, the morning news front page at newsstands still carried follow-up reports about the recent mysterious disappearances and subsequent reappearances of several citizens.

The news report was carefully worded, attributing the cause to possible collective hallucinations or some unidentified environmental factor.

The name of Watanabe Mie did not appear in the report, which may be the result of the Special Ability Department's intervention in information control. Watanabe Mie bought a newspaper that day and understood the reason from the vague description.

After I got off the bus, I was met by a group of people from a mysterious department who investigated and questioned me. I guess this was their doing; they looked like government officials.

Watanabe Mie glanced at her watch, then quietly rolled up the newspaper and headed towards the company.

The underground analysis room of the Special Abilities Department.

The mysterious, isolated subway train sat quietly in a specially designed quarantine area.

Technicians wearing protective suits used various sophisticated instruments to scan and sample the train.

"The vehicle's structure is normal, and the degree of metal is consistent with the age indicated by its appearance. There are no signs of any supernatural enhancement."

"Air sample analysis completed. Apart from dust and musty smell, no abnormal energy particles or known psychoactive substances were detected."

"The power system is completely scrapped, and the internal wiring is severely aged, as if it has been retired naturally for many years."

"The cockpit was unbelievably clean, as if it had been thoroughly cleaned by some force."

The technical supervisor in charge of the site reported the preliminary results to Ango Sakaguchi, his tone filled with confusion.

"In other words, aside from its inexplicable origin and the fact that the energy residue detection matches the 'Midnight Subway' ghost story, this train itself is just an ordinary old subway that should be sent to a museum?" Ango Sakaguchi concluded, finding it hard to put into words.

“It seems so far… yes, sir.” The technical lead nodded awkwardly: “It’s like a used and discarded shell.”

Ango Sakaguchi was deep in thought.

The core of the ghost story was destroyed, and the carrier lost its abnormal characteristics, which makes sense.

But such a clean ending reveals something unusual.

Moreover, the only one connected to the ghost stories, Zhu Yi, inevitably makes people think of him. Was it just purification? Or did he also deal with the traces left on the carrier itself?

“Continue the analysis, focusing on finding any microscopic evidence that might point to its origin,” Ango Sakaguchi ordered. “At the same time, initiate a cross-comparison of all recent records of the handling and transportation of abandoned subway trains. I don’t believe it really appeared out of thin air.”

"clear!"

Inside the Armed Detective Agency.

The atmosphere was relatively relaxed as Kunikida Doppo completed the final revision of the report and filed it.

"Speaking of which, about that Ms. Watanabe you mentioned," Jun'ichirō Tanizaki said, glancing at the blurry information in the newspaper, "her sister's case seems to be related to that dispute we handled before."

Yosano Akiko, who was wiping her machete, paused upon hearing this: "Ah, yes, that's right. Poor child, she didn't make it through. Her sister's condition was very worrying back then, it's a miracle she's made it through this time."

This serves as a reminder that ghost stories are often closely linked to unresolved obsessions and tragedies in reality.

Solving the ghost stories is important, but the lives of the ordinary people who are caught up in them are equally worthy of attention.

"Should we do a follow-up visit?" Kenji Miyazawa suggested. "Let's see if any of the rescued people need any help."

Fukuzawa Yukichi nodded slightly: "Okay. Naomi and Kenji will be in charge in the name of community care. Be careful not to cause unnecessary panic or attention."

"Yes, President!" Naomi Tanizaki happily replied.