[SYSTEM RECORD: FILE #003]Subject: Transport Anomaly / "The Sugar Line"Location: Abandoned Sugar Factory Railway, YunlinStatus: CRITICAL
[Investigator's Note - Day 1, 04:38 AM]
I am standing in the middle of a rice paddy. The mud is soaking into my bare feet, cold and slick like oil.
According to Google Maps, I am standing in an empty field.
But Pan’s map was right.
Rising out of the mist is a wooden platform, rotten and covered in moss. The tracks are rusted red, disappearing into a dense fog that smells of burning sugar and sulfur. A sign hangs from a crooked post: "NETHERWORLD LINE - STOP 44".
I checked my watch. 04:39 AM.
Pan’s note said the train arrives at 4:44 AM. I have five minutes.
The heavy, wet footsteps behind me are getting closer. The "Uncle" is still following me. He’s not running; he doesn't have to. He knows I have nowhere to go."Son-in-law," his voice drifts through the fog, sounding like it's coming from everywhere at once. "The bride is waiting..."
I found a timetable nailed to the station post. It’s not printed on paper. It’s written in calligraphy on a long strip of yellow talisman paper, fluttering in the wind.
PASSENGER MANIFEST & SAFETY PROTOCOLSService: The Midnight Sugar Line (Dormant -> Active)Destination: The Other Side (Target Location Unknown)
Notice to Living Passengers:
You are attempting to board a vehicle not designed for your biology. This train transports "goods" and "returning spirits" to the underworld. If you must board to escape a Local Haunting (e.g., a Ghost Marriage), strict adherence to the following rules is required to maintain your life force.
1. The Arrival (4:44 AM)
The train will approach from the fog. It may look like it is made of paper—brightly colored, stiff, and fragile. Do not touch the exterior. Real paper effigies are burned for the dead; if you touch it, the fire of the engine will consume you. Wait for the doors to open fully.
2. The Currency
The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.
This train does not accept NTD or EasyCards.
The Conductor will ask for a ticket. If you do not have a "Spirit Pass" (Joss Paper), you must pay with something else.
Acceptable payments: A fingernail, a lock of hair, or 10 years of your remaining lifespan.
Warning: Do not try to cheat him. He has no face, but he can smell a lie.
3. Seating Arrangements
Wooden Seats: Safe for humans.
Red Velvet Seats: Reserved for the "VIPs" (Gods and Officers). Do not sit here. You will be crushed by invisible weight.
The Corners: Never look into the dark corners of the carriage. Things that hang from the ceiling like to hide there.
4. The Passengers
You will see other passengers. Some will look like farmers; others will look like students.
Look at their feet.
If their feet are backward (heels facing forward), do not make eye contact.
If they offer you snacks (sugar cane or black eggs), refuse politely. Eating the food of the dead binds your stomach to this train forever.
5. The Tunnel
Midway through the journey, the train will pass through a "Tunnel."
This is not a physical tunnel. It is the barrier between the Living World (Yang) and the Spirit World (Yin).
When the whistle screams, hold your breath.
Do not breathe in the dark air of the tunnel. If you inhale, your lungs will fill with ash, and you will become part of the cargo.
6. The Stop
Do not pull the emergency cord. The train only stops when the Conductor decides.
If you see a station that looks exactly like your childhood home, do not get off. It is a memory trap. Only disembark when you see the "Red Lanterns."
[Investigator's Update - 04:45 AM]
The fog turned red.
I heard a whistle. It didn't sound like a machine. It sounded like a woman screaming in a long, high pitch.
The train is here.
It is terrifyingly beautiful. It looks exactly like the paper models people burn at funerals—flat, brightly painted windows, and wheels that look too fragile to hold weight. But the heat coming off it is real. The air rippled around the chassis.
"Son-in-law!"
The Uncle emerged from the rice paddies. He’s only ten meters away. His face is just a blur of static. He reached out a hand, holding the Red Envelope.
I didn't have a choice.
The paper doors of the train slid open with a sound like tearing parchment.
I didn't jump; I threw myself through the gap.
My shirt sleeve grazed the doorframe as I tumbled inside.
It didn't tear. It hissed.
The fabric instantly disintegrated into gray ash, singeing the skin on my arm. The "fire" of the engine is real.
Outside, the Uncle slammed his palms against the paper walls. The delicate paper should have torn, but it held like steel.
He screamed, furious, but he couldn't cross the threshold.
Even the dead need a ticket to ride this train. And he doesn't have one.
The train is moving. The interior smells of incense and old blood.
My heart is pounding, but then I felt it.A searing heat spreading from my pocket.
I looked up. Sitting in the wooden seat directly across from me... is a young man wearing a Yunlin University uniform.
He is writing furiously in a notebook that looks exactly like the one I'm holding.
Every time his pen scratches the paper, the notebook in my pocket burns hotter.
He isn't writing in the past.
He is writing the entry right now.
He just looked up at me. His eyes are completely black.
He put a finger to his lips.
Shhh.
