The Wisteria Train 28

Zhou Caiwei was the first to lose her patience. Releasing her grip on Vigi's shoulders, she stared at him with wide, disbelieving eyes.

“Are you serious, bro? You actually agreed to come to this godforsaken place over an excuse so full of holes? What were you even thinking?”

She looked at him, thoroughly exasperated by his gullibility.

“The station didn't even tell you how long you'd have to stay or if there would be food. They just painted a pretty picture, and you willingly risked landslides and monsters to come here? You're way too easy to fool.”

Vigi's face flushed red at Zhou Caiwei's words. He stammered in self-defense, “I didn't... No, I... My father left a manuscript here. I have to get it back.”

Bai Ci looked at his tense profile and asked in a gentler tone, “Did they tell you the manuscript was inside this wooden cabin?”

At her question, Vigi's shoulders visibly slumped. “It's in the abandoned surveying station within this area. But before I could even start looking, I...”

“...was tied up by the combined efforts of Yan Zheng and Zhou Caiwei.”

Finishing the sentence in one's mind while looking at Vigi's currently bound state made the situation feel rather pitiful.

“We can help you look,” Yan Zheng offered. “When it comes to searching for things, another pair of hands is always faster, isn't it?”

Although Vigi seemed a bit dim-witted in some aspects, he was still far from a complete fool.

When someone who had just tied him up and threatened him suddenly offered to help, how was that any different from a miracle falling from the sky?

“What do you want?” he asked.

Yan Zheng calmly stated his condition. “In exchange, once we find the manuscript, we want to read its entire contents.”

“We need to know what exactly happened when your father built the railway back then, and if he left any useful clues.”

Lest Vigi fail to understand, he laid all his cards on the table.

Bai Ci, on the other hand, didn't need the extra explanation. The moment Yan Zheng made his request, she immediately understood his intentions.

As things stood, they seemed temporarily safe in the wooden cabin, but in reality, their clues had run dry, and they were completely stuck.

They didn't know when the curse would end, how long their food would last, whether Wisteria would find this place, or if there was an even deeper conspiracy behind the station.

Rather than sitting around waiting for death and passively hoping for the curse to end, it was better to take the initiative and gather as many clues as possible.

Learning more about the truth of the past would give them a better fighting chance in the trials ahead.

Even if they chose to avoid direct confrontation and simply hide out, they at least needed to know how long they had to wait here, and what exactly was waiting for them.

Without any mental struggle, Vigi made his decision quickly. “Alright, no problem. As long as you don't destroy it, you can read whatever you want, for as long as you want.”

Seeing Vigi agree, Yan Zheng gave a slight nod and continued, “Do you know where this surveying station is?”

“And do you have any information at all on where the manuscript might be kept, or what's written inside it?”

Vigi shook his head, his voice laced with frustration. “I don't know... My father passed away early, and I was too young back then. I might not remember much of what he said.”

“As for the surveying station, the people at the station only told me that the manuscript was inside the surveying station in this mountain forest.”

“As for its exact location, they claimed they didn't know either, citing archival issues due to the passage of time and missing key records.”

Looking at Vigi's frustrated expression, everyone felt a bit helpless. They had hoped to glean some clues from him, but it turned out to be another dead end.

Just as the atmosphere was about to turn somber again, Zhou Caiwei suddenly spoke up, her tone tinged with uncertainty. “I might actually have a clue.”

Zhou Caiwei continued, “Yesterday, when we were following Vigi into the forest, we passed by an abandoned building. Boss Yan Zheng, do you remember it?”

Yan Zheng thought back for a moment, then shook his head.

Logically speaking, since they had been moving together, how could she have seen an abandoned building while he had absolutely no memory of it?

“Huh?” Zhou Caiwei blanked out for a moment, wondering if her eyes had been playing tricks on her.

Though logically speaking, the one who couldn't see it should have been the one whose eyes were tricked.

Just then, she realized what she had overlooked and smacked her forehead. “Look at me, I completely forgot! Boss and I don't share the same class.”

“Right around the mountainside, where the slope is relatively flat, wasn't there a broken wooden sign standing there?” Zhou Caiwei described in detail.

“As a professional cleaning girl, no speck of dirt can escape my eyes.” As she said this, she felt her face grow hot.

Even though she was merely explaining her class skill to an NPC in a logical way, she couldn't help but feel the nervous flutter of someone telling a massive lie.

She still had a lot of practicing to do in this department. She was nowhere near the level of Boss Arbiter, who could spout chuunibyou nonsense anytime and anywhere without so much as a blush.

“Oh, whatever, you get the point! I could tell with a single glance that the wooden sign said 'surveying station,' and there was even an arrow drawn on it,” Zhou Caiwei quickly summarized, trying to hide her embarrassment.

Vigi responded eagerly, “Really? That's great! I can go right now.”

“You can if you want, but I'm not going,” Zhou Caiwei refused without a second thought. There was no way she was going out in the pouring rain in this pitch-black darkness.

“Don't rush,” Yan Zheng waved his hand and explained. “It's already late at night, and it's pouring rain outside. Visibility is extremely low, and the forest terrain is highly complex.”

“Setting out for the surveying station now would not only be highly inefficient, but we might also run into all sorts of accidents. It would undoubtedly be suicidal.”

He paused, then continued, “I've thought it over. Tomorrow morning, even if the rain is still this heavy, visibility will be much better during the day.”

“When the time comes, Zhou Caiwei, the Young Lady, and I will set out together with you to that abandoned surveying station and see if we can find the manuscript.”

“And this gentleman...” Yan Zheng looked toward Violita. Having never met or heard of him before, he didn't know who he was.

“Violita,” Violita introduced himself.

“Very well. Mr. Violita, since you have mobility issues and are in poor health, you should stay and rest in the cabin. It's relatively safe here, and it will save you from exhausting yourself by traveling back and forth.”

Having said that, his gaze turned to Bai Ci, his tone carrying a hint of hesitation. “As for Miss Lora, you should stay behind as well to help look after Mr. Violita. You ran for so long in the rainy night yesterday; you must be exhausted, and your body might not be able to handle the trek through the forest.”