Chapter 141: Weaving lies
After reaching a consensus, Lin Ye breathed a sigh of relief. Without the young girl's help, it would be extremely difficult for him to pass through the Silent Land.
Some time later, the train's broadcast sounded.
"Next station: Botanical Garden."
"Passengers preparing to disembark, please get ready."
The young girl gazed at the various plant forms outside the window, revealing a pleased smile.
After the train came to a complete stop, the Captain's voice once again came through the earpiece.
"...Hey, can you hear me?"
"......"
Lin Ye didn't respond, instead taking off the earpiece to chat casually with the young girl.
This time he needed to delay the earpiece Captain's self-destruction. As long as they could board the train before the burly man appeared, the young girl could control the burly man until they reached the Aquarium. To keep the Captain stable, he needed to make it believe there was still a possibility of achieving its goal.
The Captain wanted Lin Ye to believe the young girl didn't exist. Lin Ye would gradually let it achieve this purpose, but before that goal was fully realized, they would first pass through the Silent Land station.
Lin Ye carefully controlled the rhythm of the conversation. At first, he only occasionally spoke with the Captain, spending most of his time chatting with the young girl. Then he gradually increased his conversations with the Captain while reducing his dialogue with the young girl.
He had to precisely manage the conversation progression - neither too fast to raise suspicion, nor so slow that the Captain lost confidence.
Language was an art form, and while Lin Ye wasn't particularly skilled in this art, he excelled at performance.
Soon, the Captain became entangled in Lin Ye's carefully woven web of lies. As the deception unfolded, the train passed through the Restaurant and Aquarium stations, heading straight for the Silent Land.
The Captain felt it was on the verge of success, but just before achieving victory, the train's broadcast sounded again.
"Next station: Silent Land."
"Passengers preparing to disembark, please get ready."
"Silent Land? This is my stop, Captain. After we pass this station, I'll try the method you suggested. Could you please stay quiet for a while? I'm worried the communication might be affected. Don't leave me alone in a place like this - you're the only one I can rely on."
Lin Ye said with utmost seriousness, barely suppressing his laughter.
"Of course. Once that illusion disappears, I can guide you out of here."
The Captain responded with even more sincerity than Lin Ye.
If he hadn't read "An Actor Prepares," Lin Ye would have completely lost his composure.
The train arrived at the station, doors sliding open. Lin Ye stood by the doorway but didn't immediately step onto the platform. He waited until the final moment before door closure to enter.
As the doors were about to close, Lin Ye removed his earpiece and stepped onto the platform, with the young girl following close behind.
Actually, as a professional actor, keeping the earpiece on would have been more effective. But Lin Ye wasn't sure whether deceiving him or killing him held higher priority for the earpiece Captain.
If it was the latter, the moment he stepped onto the platform, Lin Ye's head would instantly explode.
Lin Ye still wanted to see the Aquarium, so this time he didn't enter the platform wearing the earpiece.
This would definitely alert the earpiece Captain, but like all deceived individuals, it wouldn't react immediately. It would find excuses for Lin Ye's behavior, and until it stopped deceiving itself, Lin Ye's left hand holding the earpiece remained safe.
The sound of heartbeat echoed in his ears. Lin Ye used breathing techniques to control his heart rate, deliberately slowing his vital signs and reducing the operational speed of all his organs. With his previous simulation experience, his condition would be much better passing through the Silent Land this time.
The young girl found the ticket to the Aquarium in the restroom. When she handed the ticket to Lin Ye, the earpiece Captain finally realized the truth.
However, the moment it emitted its first syllable, Lin Ye silently tossed it away.
He had rehearsed this motion dozens of times in his mind. No matter how loud the earpiece Captain screamed, it wouldn't affect Lin Ye or the young girl.
"I... you bastard!!!"
The earpiece Captain uttered its final words before completely exploding in the tunnel, fragments scattering across the tracks and walls exactly as Lin Ye had predicted.
After some time, the next train arrived at the station, and the burly man appeared nearby.
Lin Ye ignored the slowly approaching burly man as the train stopped before them.
While boarding the train, Lin Ye flipped off the figure behind him. The burly man moved behind him, only to be immediately restrained by the young girl who had been prepared inside the train, her tendrils wrapping around all his joints.
Lin Ye sat down to rest and handed the ticket to the Aquarium station to the Train Attendant.
Since he hadn't moved around excessively this time, the damage Lin Ye sustained wasn't severe.
Of course, not severe didn't mean he was fine. Lin Ye didn't dare make any sudden movements now, fearing he might trigger internal injuries and suddenly die.
Humans were just that fragile.
After some time, the train's broadcast sounded again.
"Next station: church."
"Passengers preparing to disembark, please get ready."
Lin Ye looked out the window. Outside, the platform connected to the entrance of a pitch-black church, where a priest sat on a bench at the church entrance.
As the train pulled into the station, the priest stood up and bowed to Lin Ye. Only after the train departed did he turn and enter the church.
More time passed, and the train's broadcast sounded once more.
"Next station: Aquarium."
"Passengers preparing to disembark, please get ready."
"...Finally here."
Lin Ye stood up and moved toward the door, but this time the young girl remained seated.
This was the first time she hadn't followed closely behind him.
"What's wrong?"
Lin Ye asked.
"I don't want to go out."
The young girl kept her head down, her tendrils piercing into the burly man's body. If she just killed the burly man, everything would start over.
"But I have to go out."
The doors opened, and Lin Ye didn't stop walking, stepping into that profound darkness.
The young girl could only lower her head and follow behind Lin Ye.
The Aquarium wasn't actually completely dark. Overhead lights illuminated the platform and a small area of water near the glass walls. But in the areas beyond the light's reach, that profound black curtain overwhelmingly created the illusion of being in pitch-black deep sea.
Lin Ye didn't linger on the platform. Within mere seconds, he felt himself being swallowed by that pitch-black deep sea darkness.
Ascending the stairs and passing through the ticket hall, Lin Ye quickly found the connection point between two puzzle pieces that didn't fit together. The other side clearly wasn't the world where the organization was located.
Just as he had guessed, only by resolving the station's abnormality could he complete this simulation mission.
"Sigh, I wish the organization's station was the Madhouse. Just killing a few madmen would complete the mission."
Lin Ye sighed.
"Who are you people? Are you the ones who turned this place into this?"
From the other side of the puzzle connection, two fully armed squads quickly entered the passageway, aiming their guns at Lin Ye and the young girl.
Clearly, the other side had been monitoring this area. The moment they appeared, the other side sent people over.
"We're exploration personnel from another world. We've encountered the same situation as you. The situation down there is quite complex. I can tell you everything I know... Could you please not aim your guns at me?"
Lin Ye glanced at the displeased young girl and the squad leader on the other side staring at the tendrils, then sighed.