tkworld #342 - The Shinkansen train is full of dangers, and the journey to purgatory begins (2 in 1 order re
#342 - The Shinkansen train is full of dangers, and the journey to purgatory begins (2 in 1 order re
As the sky began to lighten with the first hint of dawn, Kitahara and Emi arrived at Nagasaki Station.
In contrast to the growing chaos in the city, Nagasaki Station was orderly, with passengers queuing to board the trains.
After the two had their tickets checked and were heading down the platform with their suitcases, an announcement played over the station's loudspeakers:
"The Shinkansen bound for Tokyo, operated by JR Kyushu, is about to close its ticket gates. Passengers, please proceed to board in an orderly fashion."
Attendants stood politely at the train doors, guiding tourists from afar.
In the front cab of the train, the train conductor, Junichi Fukuyama, was making preparations before departure.
He took a large gulp of coffee as usual and turned on the radio:
"This is Fukuyama, calling dispatch center."
A mechanical male voice came from the dispatch center: "Fukuyama, this is dispatch center. Route is clear, permission to depart…"
However, in the latter half of the call, the voice on the radio gradually became strange:
"Eh, who are you… Hey, hey, what's, what's going on? Uh, ah, ah, ah, ah!"
Fukuyama was utterly confused and fiddled with the radio: "Hello, hello?"
He threw down the radio in annoyance and muttered, "That bastard, there's a time and place for jokes. I'm going to report him to the stationmaster later."
On platform 9, Kitahara and Emi boarded the train.
A young female attendant was in charge of guidance:
"Sir, Madam, your seats are this way, please follow me."
The female attendant chatted as she guided them:
"You two look so in love. Did you just finish your honeymoon?"
Kitahara muttered with resentment, "Actually, we're going to register our divorce…"
"Oh, I'm so sorry."
The female attendant secretly made a face, and a more senior male attendant quickly came over, bowing apologetically:
"I'm so sorry, this is a new trainee at JR Kyushu, please excuse her."
He apologized as he dragged the trainee away.
Kitahara and Keiko sat in the window seats, without saying a word.
After a moment, Kitahara spoke: "Did you send a message to Mom and Dad?"
Keiko nodded: "Yes, Mom said that since there are going to be unsafe riots in the city, she wants to go to the supermarket early to buy enough vegetables and staples to last a week."
Kitahara sighed: "Alright."
The two of them silently looked out the window again. At this time, a group of high school students in school uniforms were boarding the train.
They were members of the baseball club from a high school in Nagasaki Prefecture, wearing sportswear and baseball caps, with baseball bats on their backs. The banner they held read, "Aim for Koshien!" in bold, passionate characters.
Several girls, probably the team's female managers and cheerleaders, were surrounded by the sturdy boys.
"Youth is so wonderful," Emi murmured.
Kitahara: "We both experienced such wonderful times, didn't we?"
Emi looked ashamed: "I'm sorry, Kensuke."
Kitahara: "You don't need to apologize. We still have to raise Minako together."
A ringing telephone broke the delicate atmosphere.
Kitahara stood up and walked to the empty space between the cars to answer the phone:
"Hello? Officer Kikuchi?"
Kikuchi's relieved voice came from the other end: "That's great, I finally got through, Deputy Inspector Kitahara! Where are you now?"
"I'm on the JR heading back to Tokyo, about to depart."
"That's a pity, I was hoping you could help support Arasaka Science Garden today."
Kitahara was puzzled:
"Science Garden? Didn't all the police force sent by the Metropolitan Police Department to assist with the tax investigation go there?"
Kikuchi's voice revealed fatigue:
"It's not just a tax evasion issue anymore. We only withdrew last night, and this morning we woke up to our phones ringing off the hook.
According to the Nagasaki police, there have been riots in the Science Garden and nearby neighborhoods all night. I'm preparing to lead a team to deal with it."
Kitahara: "Thank you for your hard work. I'll buy you a drink when you get back to Tokyo."
Seeing that no one was around, he lowered his voice and continued:
"How is Yosaku Ueda of Arasaka Pharmaceutical doing? Your people didn't make things difficult for him, did they?"
Kikuchi's voice also became cautious: "Don't worry, Ueda has been successfully bailed out and has probably left Nagasaki by now. I had my subordinates pin the blame for tax evasion and illegal business operations on those unimportant directors and the chief accountant of the company."
Kitahara breathed a sigh of relief: "That's good. Next time we drink, I'll send you a few boxes of caviar sushi, as usual."
The phrase "send sushi" was Kitahara and Kikuchi's code for sharing bribes.
Kikuchi's tone was delighted: "Then I'll thank Senior Kitahara in advance."
……
After returning to his seat, Kitahara fell asleep on the seat due to days of travel fatigue.
Emi, bored, began to browse through the advertising booklet provided on the train.
The cover of the booklet was completely occupied by an advertisement for Arasaka Pharmaceutical's new drug:
"The new drug for treating Alzheimer's disease - Corningle, is about to be launched."
"Arasaka Pharmaceutical has been researching for ten years, using new biotechnology to activate the body's nerves and rejuvenate."
"Call now to pre-order and enjoy a special price: 18,000 yen (6 tablets)."
"So expensive…"
Emi curled her lips and put down the booklet.
She leaned her head on the back of the chair, boredly looking out the window.
Outside the window on the platform, the duty officer was confirming whether there were any more passengers boarding. After confirming that there were none, he signaled to the crew.
The crew nodded, preparing to close the doors.
Suddenly!
As the door was halfway closed, a fat man wearing a large windbreaker and a hood stumbled over from the platform.
The platform duty officer was startled by the blood on his face and wanted to help him:
"Sir, are you alright?"
His voice revealed fear and irritability:
"Get out of the way, you bastards, let me on the train, let me on the train! I've had enough, I want to leave this hell!"
After pushing the duty officer away, the burly man rushed into the car.
After rushing in, his body began to twitch, and he couldn't stand still. Afraid that the surrounding passengers would notice him, he tightened his hood.
After hiding in an empty corner between the carriages, he rolled up his sleeves, saw a row of deep, bone-deep tooth marks on his arm, and then trembled as he poured things out of his waist bag:
"Damn it, damn it! Why did those lunatics bite people?
Damn it, what should I use, vitamins? Antibiotics? Disinfectant alcohol? Bastard, I'm going to get off at the next stop and get a rabies vaccine, bastard… bastard!"
……
At this time, Emi, who was observing by the window, shook her head when she saw the man rudely rush into the car.
There are too many low-quality people these days.
The train started to move, slowly pulling out of the station.
She changed direction and found that there seemed to be an uneasy commotion in the waiting platform, as if someone was fighting.
Could the tax riots that occurred in the city have spread here?
That's too exaggerated, even for taxes, there's no need to go to this extent.
As she thought this, she saw the duty officer who had been standing on the platform being knocked down by someone rushing into the platform.
"??????"
Because the train had already started, Emi couldn't see what was happening.
She was frightened and subconsciously wanted to pull on Kitahara's sleeve, but after looking at the sleeping Kitahara, she stopped.
That's right, they will no longer be husband and wife soon, so what position does she have to rely on him?
Emi calmed down again.
She was too rushed when she left in the morning, and she didn't have time to go to the bathroom. Now she was a little anxious to urinate, so she got up and walked to the end of the car.
……
At this time, in the restroom at the end of this car.
Yosaku Ueda, the director of Arasaka Pharmaceutical's First Research Institute, forced a thin man in a white coat into a corner.
Ueda looked fierce: "Endo, you bastard, who told you to get on the train too? Don't you know that the Metropolitan Police Department is looking for you?"
The researcher named Kazuki Endo was pale and trembling with fear.
"Mr. Ueda, it's over, it's all over. We shouldn't have blindly conducted biological experiments. No one expected the impact on the nerves to be this great…"
Ueda quickly covered the other person's mouth and threatened, "You idiot, don't say anymore!"
Seeing that no one was around, Ueda continued in a low voice:
"Where are the other members of the project research lab besides you?"
Kazuki Endo: "T-they were too scared and left on an earlier Shinkansen. Some went to Osaka, some went to Tokyo, and some went further north…"
Ueda breathed a sigh of relief: "Good, you weren't stupid enough to act as a group and be caught by the police all at once."
He took out a bank card from his pocket and handed it to the other person.
"Take this money and get off at the next stop. Don't let me see you again! Until you reach the next stop, you stay in this bathroom and don't let anyone see you."
After he finished speaking, he walked out.
As soon as he closed the door, he saw the male attendant walking towards him.
"Sir, we have received several complaints from passengers that this restroom has been occupied for a long time. Do you know who is inside?"
Ueda said unhappily: "I don't know."
As soon as he finished speaking, he noticed Emi following behind the attendant.
His pupils shrank—
He had seen photos in Kitahara Kensuke's background investigation file, so he knew this was Kitahara's wife.
Could Deputy Inspector Kitahara also be on this train?
He thought, it's best not to create any incidents, it wouldn't be good to provoke Kitahara.
He instantly changed his tone and said with a smile: "I'm sorry, this is a friend of mine, because he had a bad stomach this morning, so…there's nothing I can do. I told him not to eat too much sashimi, but he just wouldn't listen."
Ueda kept saying "I'm sorry" and bowing repeatedly, but his body blocked the door of the restroom, not allowing anyone to approach.
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"I'm sorry, Madam…"
Ueda's waist was bent almost 90 degrees, making Emi a little embarrassed. She smiled:
"Not at all."
Emi had to go to the restroom in the next car.
There, she saw a mohawk-headed uncle forcefully pinning a high school girl in uniform against the door of the restroom.
The girl's uniform belonged to the high school baseball team she had seen earlier. She should be the team's female manager.
This uncle was tall, wearing a black windbreaker, sunglasses, and a scar on one side of his cheek, and seemed to be the boss of some gang.
The girl tried to break free from his hand, but he forcefully held her arm.
"Let me go!"
"What do you want me to do to get you to listen to me, you bastard!"
When Emi saw this scene, she mustered up her courage and said:
"Sir, what are you doing? I'm going to call the attendant. By the way, my husband is from the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department and is on this train right now."
The sunglasses man turned his head: "Madam, you misunderstood, this is my daughter."
The girl reluctantly turned her head away: "He is indeed my father."
"Oh." Emi opened the door and entered the restroom with a blank expression.
Outside the door, the father and daughter were still arguing:
"Dad, I'm an adult now, it's my freedom to like what kind of man I like, right?"
"Hmph, you're a sixteen-year-old girl who still needs to get living expenses from her parents, so don't try to pretend to be an adult. Also, that brat is obviously unreliable, he just wants to play with you, don't be stupid!"
"Why do you say that about him, you don't even understand him!"
"Silly girl, only men understand men the most. The reason I'm so sure is because I see myself in him!"
"But you still cheated my mother, didn't you, so why can't I be cheated by him."
"You…"
"We clearly started the school trip with the dream of making it to Koshien, but you're secretly following your daughter because you have dark and strange controlling desires over your adolescent daughter, you're such a terrible adult!"
Silence fell outside the door.
When Emi came out of the restroom, she found the mohawk-headed man standing alone in a mess. Obviously, his daughter's words had hit him hard.
She nodded awkwardly at him and walked towards her car.
……
At the same time, car 5.
The hooded man in the coat who had rushed in earlier had come out of the restroom.
His skin had lost its vitality and had a pale, gray tone.
His eyes became empty, with only a patch of darkness left in his pupils, as if even his soul had been swallowed.
His mouth was slightly open, revealing sharp and uneven teeth, and saliva mixed with blood dripped from the corners of his mouth.
Now, this man had lost consciousness, like a walking corpse, and could only rely on instinct to constantly search for prey in endless thirst, making frantic and painful roars.
When he walked to the open space between the cars, his huge body crashed to the ground.
His body twitched uncontrollably, his limbs twisted and deformed, his muscles bulged and were misshapen, and blood vessels protruded on the surface of his skin, ready to burst at any time.
Not far from him, a young female attendant was approaching, she was teasing on the walkie-talkie:
“Senior, you are right to reprimand me. I shouldn’t have judged the relationship between the guests so casually, but that couple really did look like they were married. I never expected them to be getting a divorce.”
A male voice came from the walkie-talkie: “That's not the point at all, I think you're a little lacking in boundaries.”
At that moment, the female attendant saw the man on the ground and said in a panic, “Senior, let's not talk about this now, I found a passenger on the ground convulsing, it looks very dangerous!”
“Which car is he in?”
“Car 5!”
“Without determining the cause, don't act rashly, I'll be right there!”
……
The game perspective returns to Kitahara Kensuke.
Kensuke, who was asleep, suddenly woke up, and he suddenly realized that Emi was gone.
Just then, the phone in his arms rang again, the caller was Officer Kikuchi:
“Detective Kitahara, the situation is more serious than we thought. It wasn't just the Arasaka Science Park that had an incident last night.
Although I don't know the reason, it's definitely not as simple as a riot. Some people say that this large-scale riot has spread from Kyushu to Shikoku Island and Honshu Island, and even across the country!”
While listening to the other party's description, Kitahara checked the television hanging in the carriage.
The TV was broadcasting the news:
Many riot police were holding shields, lined up in a row, trying to stop the rioting crowd.
But those rioters had completely lost their minds, rushing forward to bite the police, and the line of defense quickly collapsed completely.
The news headline read: “Unexplained riots spread across the country, the Ground Self-Defense Force is about to be dispatched in the Kansai direction”
After seeing the news, Kitahara felt uneasy and wanted to find Emi first.
“Kikuchi, we'll talk later.”
After hanging up the phone, he walked towards the front of the car.
In the seat behind him, an old couple wearing beach casual clothes watched the scene of rioters tearing apart the police while sighing.
Wife: “The world is going downhill, how can people hurt each other like this?”
Husband: “Now there are riots at every turn, because of taxes and the like, and the result is that the country is in a mess. These people should have been shot long ago.”
Not far from the rear of the car, at the door of the restroom, Ueda Yusaku watched the TV news footage, a strange look flashing in his eyes.
……
Gap in Car 5.
The young intern female attendant was frantically rummaging through the storage box next to her, and as a result, medical alcohol and bandages were spilled all over the floor.
“Calm down, calm down, Sonoko! Just like what you were taught during the internship training, this gentleman seems to have suffered a lot of external injuries, so you should clean the wound and then use a bandage to stop the bleeding... Come on, Sonoko, you can do it!”
The female attendant rummaged through the first-aid kit, and behind her, the man in the coat had slowly climbed up from the ground.
His body twisted strangely, his eyeballs had completely turned red, and Sonoko's fair neck was reflected in his pupils, and hot saliva kept dripping.
Feeling that something was wrong, Sonoko turned her head and saw the tall man had opened his bloody mouth and lunged at her!
……
At the same time.
When Emi was walking back from the restroom, she encountered the male attendant running in the opposite direction in a panic.
He kept calling into the walkie-talkie:
“Sonoko, Sonoko? How are you?”
The signal of the walkie-talkie was intermittent, and the screams of a young woman kept coming.
“Damn it……”
The male attendant sped away.
Emi tilted her head in confusion and said, “What happened?”
……
When playing here, G-chan couldn't help but say:
“Wow, that scared me to death, let me take a sip of water to calm down.”
The live broadcast screen was frantically spammed:
“The atmosphere of this plot performance is really amazing, wouldn't it be more immersive to play with VR?”
“Indeed, the rhythm is great, I almost forgot to breathe just now!”
“Whether it's the camera work or the art, the texture is very good, Peach Village is awesome, you can make a big movie!”
“I can't wait to see the plot behind, streamer GKD, GKD!”