“The door to Car 1 has opened, you say?”
I immediately moved with the others to Car 2. Baek Saheon rushed out, looking triumphant.
“I did my best to convince the passengers in Car 1 to open the door. Of course, it was a group effort from everyone, venerable Pathfinder.”
“I see. You worked hard.”
It seemed that every time the loop restarted, he had been knocking on Car 1’s door, shouting about how there was a solution and asking them to come out.
– And surely, he must have enthusiastically shared grand tales of the things you have accomplished, Mr. Roe Deer!
– Ah, I wish I could’ve heard those fascinating stories myself… But, fret not! A good friend always chooses to stay by his friend’s side!
Yes. Thank you, legendary host…
I remembered exactly how it had been described on the wiki.
Everything repeated dozens of times.
Blood and madness reigned in every loop.
Those two sentences were crystal clear in my memory.
‘The door to Car 1 only opens after all those loops.’
Honestly, I had planned to break in myself around the 20th loop.
‘But 14 loops in? That’s pretty good.’
No wonder Baek Saheon had earned the nickname Field Exploration Team’s ‘Viper’ on the wiki. I nodded, acknowledging his efforts.
“Well then, let’s proceed to talk with them—”
Baek Saheon hurriedly stopped me.
“Th-The door has shut again.”
“Well, technically, we did make contact. Look at this!”
Baek Saheon frantically handed me something.
A crumpled, filthy piece of paper.
Scrawled in large letters…
JUST ENDURE SEVEN TIMES MORE
…were jagged words that were pressed firmly into the paper, surrounded by dark, reddish-black stains of some vile, slimy substance.
“Th-That stuff… It looks like the rot we saw in the tunnel.”
A murmur of unease spread among the crowd.
“W-Wait. What if Car 1 has turned into some sort of cursed hellhole? Like the tunnel!”
“Right! They shut themselves off and ignored the Pathfinder’s guidance, and now look at them—suffering horribly!”
I quickly shook my head, trying to soothe the crowd on the brink of falling into cult-like panic.
“That’s unlikely. They seem to be in great pain, yes. But give me a moment.”
I headed straight to the connection between Cars 2 and 1.
Then I knocked firmly on the closed door of Car 1.
“It’s useless. I’ve tried multiple times—”
“Hello. I’m the one people call the ‘Pathfinder’. Can we talk?”
I continued calling out.
“Behind me are over 300 passengers. We can help you.”
“We came to offer our assistance!”
“I’m telling you, it’s useless—”
I ignored Baek Saheon’s dumbfounded expression and calmly turned to address the crowd.
“Venerable Pathfinder, what if something happens?”
I smiled, reassuring them.
“If too many people enter all at once, it might overwhelm and frighten the passengers in Car 1. And if something does happen, we’ll just return to the start of the loop, right? I’ll be fine.”
“B-But at least take something for self-defense—”
Thank you. I was waiting for someone to say that.
“In that case, I’ll rely on my colleagues.”
I looked at the two elite team superiors and my fellow batchmate.
The three, who had already been briefed, immediately nodded. Thus, the united front of Daydream Inc. employees entering Car 1 was formed.
It was a relief, especially since I could already see the signs of Jin Nasol’s patience wearing thin.
“Be careful, venerable Pathfinder!”
I asked the passengers to stay in Car 2 until called for, and despite their concern, they reluctantly complied.
…It’s getting harder and harder to manage everyone.
‘Sooner or later, things will start spiraling in unpredictable directions.’
“The only reason we’ve managed to maintain a relatively calm atmosphere so far is because people have been listening to me.”
I could still feel the weight of the small badge inside the pocket of my suit jacket.
The power of the Silver Heart was terrifying—undeniably so.
I took a deep breath.
“Then, I’ll open the door now.”
That was when I felt it.
Jin Nasol’s cold gaze, quietly watching me.
“Isn’t this taking too long?”
“Should it have even reached the 14th loop?”
“A safe clear is important. I’ve minimized variables, gathered experience from the altars, and confirmed the escape method.”
Now, we just needed to execute it.
“That’s why this train ride will be our last.”
Jin Nasol crossed her arms, silently granting me one last pass.
Hopefully, the final one.
“Well, since we’re ready as you say, let’s just get on with.”
As Baek Saheon scrambled after us without any authority to object, Supervisor Dolphin opened the door.
The moment it opened, a sharp, metallic stench hit our noses.
It was the same smell from the altars.
“I’m scared! I’m scared! I’m scared! I’m scared!”
“Blaaargh! Gruuuh, uuurk!”
I stood there, momentarily stunned by the scene before me.
Car 1 was completely contaminated.
Over 50 people inside were thrashing around, laughing hysterically, rolling on the ground, and sobbing uncontrollably.
The floor was a mess of vomit, blood, and torn chunks of flesh.
A small banner, soaked in filth and blood, lay crumpled across the aisle.
[Blue Photography Club – 17th Annual Trip]
The passengers in Car 1 were members of a large group booking—a travel agency tour.
They were people who already knew each other well, who were connected and friendly.
And now, they had ended up …
“These people… they’ve been taking turns throwing each other out the window, haven’t they? Or maybe they’ve been doing it by rotation?”
“What? But 53 people are completely out of their minds. Even if they threw someone out each time, it’s only been 14 loops.”
“You’re right. Which means… just as Supervisor Kim speculated, there’s a ‘person of interest’ among them.”
Unless every single person had been thrown out, there was only one possibility.Someone within the contaminated group had overwhelming influence—strong enough to sway and lead others.
And that someone, within this closely-knit group, likely wore a piece of equipment that could spark extreme persuasion and groupthink.
“The thing I asked for.”
Baek Saheon flinched before hurriedly lowering his eyepatch and scanning the area. His purple reverse-eye darted around frantically until it suddenly froze.
He held his breath and pointed.
I turned slowly to look at the person Baek Saheon was indicating.
A middle-aged man lay collapsed, gripping the handle of the door connecting to Car 2 before losing consciousness.
If I had passed him on the street, I would’ve thought he was just an ordinary, kind-looking man.
That is, if his entire body weren’t convulsing, twisted grotesquely on the floor.
Dark red fluid dripped from his mouth as the veins in his temples bulged. His entire body was covered in self-inflicted scratches where he had torn at his own skin.
“Possible, it’s possible…”
“S-Seven times, seven more times…”
I slowly approached the man as he mumbled into the air.
His shirt had ridden up slightly due to his thrashing, revealing the end of his belt.
There it was—glinting faintly in silver.
A small, shining badge.
“Is this the person of interest?”
The critical figure behind the Tamra Express Disaster—
The Silver Heart Owner.