Amelia shifted her position, settling into a slightly more comfortable posture. «I only saw it once, on the evening of September 22nd. It was when Brook Lee was observing the Train to Paradise at close range to verify his theory-he used it just that single time.»
Captain Wales jotted down the phrase 'Train to Paradise' in his notes. «Was there any difference between the Paper Puppet you saw that time and the one just now?»
«They are entirely different things,» Amelia explained. «The Paper Puppet I saw back then was extremely crude. It was literally just a piece of paper cut into a rough human shape with scissors…» She went on to describe the entity from that night in painstaking detail.
Listening to her description, Captain Wales felt a mounting headache. This sort of Paper Puppet was essentially an occult counterpart to an autonomous drone, opening up far too many terrifying possibilities. Worse still, its production cost was practically non-existent. Cutting a human figure out of paper and blowing a breath over it-presto! A functional puppet was born. How was that any different from zero cost? Deciding to set the issue aside before it drove him mad, he redirected the interrogation. «So, Miss Amelia, how much do you actually know about this Brook Lee?»
Amelia pondered the question deeply before offering a somewhat self-deprecating response. «Virtually nothing.»
«Virtually nothing?» he repeated.
«Brook Lee was quite reserved,» Amelia said. «In social settings, he preferred listening over talking. He claimed to be a freelance writer, adventurer, and researcher of occultism, yet throughout all the time I knew him, I never saw a single friend from those circles visit him. His daily routine was remarkably structured. I had no idea what he did for entertainment-he didn't even watch television when I was around. He never seemed short on cash, yet he never spent extravagantly either. You know, he lived almost like an urban ascetic, mechanically repeating the same simple routine day after day.»
Impatient with the turn of conversation, Captain Wales steered it toward a matter of personal curiosity. «Miss Amelia, you are an exceptionally attractive woman. After spending so much time together, didn't he show any interest in taking your relationship further?»
Amelia felt a moment of awkwardness. If a woman's charm were rated on a scale of one to ten, she was confident her natural appearance and figure merited a solid seven. Factor in makeup, wardrobe, wealth, poise, and reputation, and she could easily hit an eight or even a nine! Yet Li Yunlong had treated her like air. What was she supposed to do about that?
«So far as I know, he never dated any women,» she replied. «If he hadn't avoided men just as strictly, I would have assumed he was gay. I actually brought it up during a casual conversation once, and do you know what he said? Brook Lee told me his primary focus was Eastern occultism, so if he ever sought a partner, his criteria would strictly align with Eastern occult principles. Can you imagine that? Choosing a romantic partner based on esoteric standards! According to him, looks, figure, and even age weren't the main factors. I never brought up the subject with him again after that.» She held a deep disdain for his outlook, convinced his bizarre standards were nothing more than self-inflicted misery-he thoroughly deserved his bachelorhood!
Captain Wales sighed softly to himself, nipping his darker suspicions in the bud. In his estimation, Amelia's practical value dropped another notch. Two people living under the same roof for so long, and she couldn't even lure him into her bed, let alone make him fall head over heels? If she couldn't handle a simple feat like that, it was no wonder he had abandoned her here without a second thought!
«Miss Amelia,» he said, shifting focus. «Let us discuss the September 22nd disappearance case. How much do you know about it?»
Amelia perked up, recognizing that they were finally arriving at the core issue. «You see the magic circle I'm standing in right now, don't you? That wasn't just a simple disappearance case-it's the curse of the Train to Paradise. I've been afflicted by it as well. If not for the suppressing power of this circle, the curse would have handed me over to the train long ago.»
«Is this curse you speak of the one linked to the video you mentioned during your phone call with your colleague?» Captain Wales asked.
«Yes!»
«You keep using the phrase 'Train to Paradise,'» the captain continued. «Who or what is the Train to Paradise? Why would it spread a curse through a video?»
«The Train to Paradise isn't a person-it's not human at all!» Amelia exclaimed. «It is a terrifying supernatural entity, an amalgamation of numerous malevolent spirits. It has gone completely mad, which is why it's indiscriminately broadcasting its curse through that video.»
At that moment, Adonis leaned in toward Captain Wales's ear and delivered a quiet report: the search for Li Yunlong had yielded zero results. He was requesting permission to expand the search perimeter. The captain gave a silent nod, though he harbored little optimism about the outcome. Turning back to Amelia, he asked, «Miss Amelia, where did you obtain all this information?»
«From Brook Lee, of course,» she answered.
Just as expected, Captain Wales thought with a suppressed sigh. Amelia was little more than a helpless trophy figure. His only option now was to try squeezing whatever residual value he could out of her. «Miss Amelia, on what grounds did Brook Lee conclude that the Train to Paradise had gone mad?»
«Because he conducted an experiment,» she replied, «and even recorded video footage inside the Train to Paradise itself.»
This time, Captain Wales felt a surge of genuine alertness. Stroke of luck-they had struck gold. «Where is the video?» He paused, caught by an immediate concern. «Is the footage you recorded carrying the curse as well?»
«Of course not,» Amelia stated with utter certainty. She then provided the exact storage location of the video file.
Captain Wales immediately dispatched personnel to retrieve the file. Once processed on site, the footage yielded a wealth of professional, actionable intelligence. Leaving Amelia behind for the moment-knowing full well she couldn't escape anywhere-he rushed out to establish emergency communications with various agencies.
Roughly fifteen minutes later, Captain Wales reappeared before Amelia. «Miss Amelia, in the name of the Federal Government, you are hereby conscripted to assist in the investigation of the September 22nd disappearance case.»
Amelia spread her hands weakly. «I can't even lift the curse on myself. What good am I to you?»
Captain Wales was equally frustrated. He was fully aware of her incompetence, but at a critical juncture like this, the truly capable Li Yunlong had unhesitatingly left her behind as a lightning rod while he vanished without a trace. With no other options available, the captain had to rely on whatever was at hand.
«Miss Amelia, given your existing involvement in the case, please sign these documents.» He spoke with absolute authority, invoking the weight of federal mandate. Realizing she had no room to resist, Amelia complied and signed the paperwork.
«You may not be aware,» the captain continued, «but despite the warning you gave your colleague on the call, that cursed video was maliciously disseminated anyway. According to incomplete statistics as of early this morning, the number of missing persons between September 22nd and September 24th has exceeded three hundred. We are racing against the clock. Miss Amelia, we need your full cooperation-their hopes of rescue rest in our hands.»
Amelia turned pale upon hearing the figure. Though she had braced herself for bad news, she had never imagined the scale of the disaster would be so catastrophic. The burden of over three hundred lives-even a fraction of that responsibility-threatened to crush her resolve. Driven by desperation, she threw herself into full cooperation with Captain Wales. Aside from withholding the protective potion Li Yunlong had given her, she disclosed every detail she could recall, offering up every thought, relevant or not. Meanwhile, the captain and his tactical team drew upon their expertise to forge a tailored operational plan for her.
By seven in the evening, complete darkness had fallen. Amelia was fully outfitted in specialized gear. Since she was not a trained combatant, her equipment focused heavily on defense. Instead of firearms and ammunition, her loadout consisted mostly of tracking devices. These were high-powered military-grade units, far superior to civilian technology, designed to ensure Captain Wales could monitor her location with ease.
Captain Wales gave her a firm nod. «Operation begins.»
Amelia nodded back, drew a deep breath, and stepped out from the confines of the magic circle. The moment she lost its protection, her mind was violently assailed by a chorus of bizarre, malevolent whispers. She had barely enough time to clutch her head and let out a single sharp scream before her voice faltered and fell dead silent.
With a stiff, wooden motion, she lowered her arms and stood upright. The vitality had completely drained from her eyes, her skin turned a sickly pale, and to an onlooker, she appeared to have suddenly lost a noticeable amount of weight. Aside from her standing posture, she was indistinguishable from the passengers seen in the video inside the Train to Paradise.
The team, having anticipated this reaction, maintained a safe distance from her. All tracking equipment was fully operational, and support vehicles-including a field command unit and light armored vehicles-were idling, ready to ensure the cursed Amelia remained within their control perimeter.
Yet the development of the situation swiftly defied the expectations of the seasoned professionals. The cursed Amelia did not walk on foot in any conventional sense. She merely adjusted her orientation with awkward, puppet-like movements, took a step forward, and vanished entirely into a sudden patch of darkness.
Captain Wales stared grimly at the monitor as his subordinates rapidly reported the telemetry. «The tracking signals are suffering severe interference, but we can still confirm her location! Her movement speed is absurd-it's as if she's performing a rapid series of short-range spatial jumps. However, she's moving in a straight line. We can confirm her destination is the abandoned Yorba Linda Railway Station.»
«Initiate Plan B immediately,» Captain Wales ordered. «Move to the ambush location at once!»
Neither Captain Wales nor his men were in the habit of wasting time. Having extracted sufficient intelligence from Amelia, they had drawn up several contingency plans and mobilized targeted support forces in advance. As the most probable point of origin for the Train to Paradise, the abandoned railway station had already been secured by a specialized tactical squad lying in wait. Though the manifestation of Amelia's curse had presented unexpected anomalies, Captain Wales remained confident that the overall operation was still firmly within his grasp.