Xiao Lou thought that drawing the Red Heart 4 card would teleport them directly to the Secret Room World, but to their surprise, they ended up back in Personal Space. In front of the card wall stood a sexy woman in a long red dress, smiling at them and saying, "Gentlemen, we meet again."
Xiao Lou asked in confusion, " Red Heart A? Isn't it only after completing the game that you can meet the Guardian?"
Red Heart A explained, "The situation in the fourth level is a bit special. Before entering the Secret Room World, I need you to make some preparations."
She smiled and snapped her fingers, and Xiao Lou and Yu Hanjiang's clothes immediately changed.
The two men simultaneously changed into a neat set of dark blue uniforms, complete with hats. The cuffs of their uniforms were decorated with several white horizontal stripes, and their black leather shoes were spotless. Underneath the uniforms were clean white shirts, paired with blue and white striped ties.
This doesn't look like a police uniform; it looks more like a suit for some kind of profession.
Xiao Lou turned to look at Yu Hanjiang —the man was already handsome, with a strong, defined face, and in his uniform, he was even more striking, making it impossible to look away. His tall, slender figure seemed born to wear uniforms, and the black leather belt around his waist accentuated the allure of the uniform to the extreme. The visual effect of this outfit was in no way inferior to his real-world police uniform.
Xiao Lou, on the other hand, had never worn this kind of uniform before and felt a little awkward.
Yu Hanjiang turned to look at Xiao Lou, his eyes lighting up slightly. Xiao Lou was adjusting her clothes when she met Yu Hanjiang's gaze and said, "These clothes seem a little too tight."
Yu Hanjiang said softly, "No...it looks great."
The belt around his waist accentuated his lean frame, making it easy to wrap one arm around him.
Although Professor Xiao was a bit thin, his frame was very well-proportioned, with a slender waist and long legs. His smile in his uniform had a unique charm, making Yu Hanjiang unable to look away for a moment.
The two stared at each other for a few seconds, then awkwardly looked away.
Red Heart A, standing to the side, smiled and sized them up, saying, "It's said that men look better in uniforms. Don't you two think the other looks more handsome?"
The two: "..."
This Guardian was indeed very friendly, even making fun of them.
Xiao Lou turned to look at her and asked seriously, "Is the environment of this escape room special? Are we changing clothes for a role-playing game?"
Red Heart A nodded: "That's right, we'll let you experience different suspenseful escape rooms. To make it easier for you to solve the puzzles, we've assigned you identities this time. Please get ready, Red Heart 4 escape room is about to open..."
As soon as she finished speaking, a countdown bar of 10, 9, and 8 appeared in front of the two of them.
When the countdown reached "1", everything went black before their eyes. When they opened their eyes again, they found themselves in a closed space, much like... the upper and lower bunks of a train.
When Xiao Lou entered the secret room, he was lying on the upper bunk. He peeked out and saw Yu Hanjiang sitting on the lower bunk, also peeking up.
The two men's eyes met, and Xiao Lou immediately smiled and said, " Captain Yu, this looks like a sleeper car on a train?"
Yu Hanjiang nodded: "We're dressed like this, so we should be train attendants."
Xiao Lou finally understood.
The uniforms of the flight attendants in this world are quite different from those in the real world. Like military uniforms, they are completely covered from head to toe, exuding a sense of asceticism. No wonder the two of them couldn't judge the environment of the secret room just now.
In retrospect, the plot of Red Heart 4 takes place on a train.
The next moment, text prompts simultaneously popped up in the floating boxes in front of the two of them—
Welcome Xiao Lou and Yu Hanjiang to the Red Heart 4 secret room [ Express Train ].
From now on, the two will stay on this train for three days as "train attendants".
A lot will happen in these three days—yes, someone will die in the car.
Please find the murderer as quickly as possible, use your authority as train conductors to arrest the murderer and take him to the train's police station, then hand him over to the police upon arrival at the station.
If the train reaches its final stop after 3 days and the two have not yet caught the murderer, they will have failed the challenge.
You have the right to check passengers' tickets and ID cards, but you are not allowed to use force against passengers; otherwise, you will be immediately removed from the train by the Train Conductor. As train conductors, you must obey the Train Conductor's instructions. Each of you has a pager on your waist; the Train Conductor will issue notifications at any time, so please pay attention.
The train is about to arrive at the station, please prepare.
...
A piercing roar filled my ears, followed by an announcement: Train KP-7311 has arrived at the station. Please stop at platform 3.
Xiao Lou and Yu Hanjiang exchanged a glance and immediately got out of the sleeper car.
The two discovered there were other rooms nearby, all with upper and lower berths. Many train attendants wearing the same uniforms as them came out of the rooms, quickly turned around, and got off the train. A middle-aged man's voice came through the pager in their ears, saying, "Two interns, get off the train and check tickets. One will be in charge of carriage 4, and the other will be in charge of carriage 6."
They must listen to the instructions transmitted through the wireless headset.
Xiao Lou and Yu Hanjiang followed the other train attendants off the train and quickly observed the layout of the train in the limited time they had.
The train's design is somewhat similar to a real-world high-speed train, with a bullet-shaped front, smooth body lines, and a white paint finish.
The train is marked "KP-7311".
The train has a total of 9 carriages.
The last carriage, number 9, is where the two people were just standing. It is the staff quarters for the train crew, and the police station is also located there.
Carriages 1-4 are hard-seat carriages, with 15 rows in total, and 5 seats in each row. The left side has three-seater seats A/B/C, and the right side has two-seater seats D/F. Seats A and F are by the window, while seats C and D are by the aisle. The aisle in the middle is about the same width as that of a high-speed train, allowing a large person to pass through easily.
Carriages 6-8 are soft sleeper carriages. Each carriage has 8 rooms, with two upper and two lower berths in each room, for a total of 4 beds. Each room has a door that can be closed to prevent outside disturbances. The aisle outside the door is very spacious and has many individual retractable seats. The beds are numbered according to the room number; for example, the four beds in room 1 are numbered 1A, 1B, 1C, and 1D, where A/C are lower berths and B/D are upper berths.
The middle carriage, number 5, is the dining car. When you pass by, you can see the tables and chairs inside through the windows. The tables are covered with blue and white checkered tablecloths and are very clean and tidy.
The train was stopped at platform 3, and the crew was making final preparations; the passengers had not yet boarded.
As Xiao Lou and Yu Hanjiang walked towards their assigned carriages, they observed the entire train. Xiao Lou said, "We're responsible for carriages 4 and 6. Could the deceased be among the passengers in those two carriages?"
Yu Hanjiang frowned and said, "There's a hard-seat carriage and a sleeper carriage, with a dining car in between. The murder on the train can't be that simple. After the train starts moving, we'll meet in the dining car every hour to exchange information."
Xiao Lou nodded: "Okay."
He looked up at the last carriage, number 9, pondered for a moment, and said, "The last carriage, number 9, is the rest room for the train staff. When we first arrived, we were also in carriage number 9... Could it be that at night, all the train staff need to go back there to sleep, leaving time for the murderer to commit the crime?"
Yu Hanjiang agreed: "Possibly. Otherwise, if we had been patrolling the carriages the whole time, the murderer wouldn't have had a chance to kill anyone."
Having experienced the escape room scenario once, both of them knew that some plot points were unavoidable.
In the Red Heart 4 escape room, they temporarily acquire the identity of train conductors—they must follow the Train Conductor's instructions, which is the biggest restriction the escape room imposes on them. When the murderer commits the crime, the Train Conductor might "coincidentally" transfer them away from the scene for various reasons; otherwise, with them constantly watching the passengers in the carriage, the murderer would have no opportunity to kill.
Xiao Lou glanced back at the train and said, "If the train is fully occupied, the amount of information in this secret room will be even greater than that in Heart 3. "
Yu Hanjiang pondered: "Carriage 4 has a total of 75 seats, and carriage 5 has 32 beds. If the incident occurred in these two carriages, we would need to analyze the information of 107 passengers... It shouldn't be that difficult."
Just kidding, 107 people, I can't even remember their names!
In Red Heart 3: Escape Room, the key character Ying Xiaoya stands out. She's the only one late for school on the second day, and she's not wearing her school uniform, practically screaming "I'm the protagonist!" In Red Heart 4: Locked Room, the key character should also have a prominent role. The other passengers are just background characters, like Ying Xiaoya's classmates, and won't affect the case.
Xiao Lou perked up and said, "Let's observe carefully later. The key figures are definitely different from ordinary passersby. Besides, the train carriages may not be full."
Just then, a broadcast sounded in both of their ears.
—Ticket checking for the KP-7311 train from [ Sun City ] to [ Moon City ] has begun. Passengers, please take care of your luggage and children, and proceed through gates A10 and B10 to enter the station. Thank you!
The familiar announcement gave Xiao Lou a fleeting feeling of being back at the train station.
However, the strange station names aroused his suspicion. Besides Moon City, there was also Sun City. In playing cards, the King represents the "sun" and the Queen represents the "moon." Could these two cities be the world's main cities where the King and Queen reside?
Xiao Lou shared his thoughts with Captain Yu, who said, "If they really are two main cities, it would take three days to travel by high-speed train. It seems the distance is very far. The structure of this world is not what we know."
Xiao Lou said, "Yes, the secret room space can be replicated infinitely, and I wonder what the main city is like."
Seeing that passengers were already entering the station through the ticket gate, Xiao Lou said, "I'm going to carriage number 4. See you later, Captain Yu."
Yu Hanjiang nodded and watched him leave.
Carriages 4 and 6 are separated only by the dining car; two people can see each other by simply turning their heads.
The passengers quickly entered the station.
Xiao Lou smiled as he checked the tickets and observed the passengers' behavior.
The ID numbers on the tickets were quite long, with a few digits blurred out. The passengers' names and seat numbers were clearly visible, much like high-speed rail tickets in the real world. Xiao Lou quickly memorized everyone's names by checking the tickets.
The first group to arrive at the carriage door were four college students, two men and two women, holding hands, wearing different matching outfits, carrying travel bags, chatting as they walked, looking excited. They were probably two couples traveling together—their seats were in the eighth row.
Following closely behind was a family of five: grandparents, parents, and a cute little girl. When Xiao Lou checked their tickets, the little girl said in a soft voice, "Thank you, Uncle!" The family looked warm and harmonious, and their seats were in the third row.
There were dozens of passengers who were alone, traveling by themselves, and their seats were scattered.
The probability of a person being murdered while traveling alone is extremely low. After all, there's no reason for strangers to kill each other. This group of passengers can be ruled out. Moreover, their names are all Zhang Ping, Wang Hu, Zhao Long, etc., which seems to be telling Xiao Lou: Don't pay attention to us, we're just passersby.
Then a group of five best friends appeared, all wearing dresses from the same series, though slightly different in color. When they went through the ticket check and boarded the train, they stopped and glanced at Xiao Lou several times, whispering to each other, "He's so handsome!" "I wonder if he has a girlfriend?" "Shut up, he heard you."
Xiao Lou: "..."
Your whispers are a bit too loud; it's hard not to hear them.
Carriage number 4 gradually filled up.
There were relatively few people in sleeper car number 6. A few lone passengers boarded the train with their luggage. Yu Hanjiang checked tickets expressionlessly and, like Xiao Lou, tried his best to remember names.
Just then, a dozen or so people wearing the same red hats lined up and walked toward carriage number 6. They stopped near the carriage and formed a group.
The person surrounded was a young girl holding a megaphone, who said, "Is everyone here, uncles and aunties? 1, 2, 3..." She quickly counted the heads and said, "Okay, all 12 people are here. Our sleeper berths are in carriage number 6! After boarding, please put your luggage down and take your assigned seats. If you have high blood pressure or heart disease and don't want to sleep in the upper berth, please cooperate and switch with us!"
"This trip will last three days, so please be careful about food safety, uncles and aunts. I have some medicine for stomach pain and diarrhea here. If anyone feels unwell, you can ask me for medicine!"
The girl had her hair tied in a ponytail, wearing jeans, a short-sleeved T-shirt, and white sneakers, looking neat and tidy. She was holding a flag that read "Qingyun Travel Agency."
Xiao Lou immediately turned to look at Yu Hanjiang, who gave him a reassuring look.
The tour group consisted of 12 people, all elderly men and women, including some with gray hair, hunched backs, and no teeth, who looked to be over 70. The tour guide, a young woman, was shouting so loudly through a megaphone that it seemed she was worried Xiao Lou and the others wouldn't hear her.
This group's appearance was too high-profile.
But before the incident occurred, nothing was certain; it might just be a random tour group that came on the bus to make up the numbers.
As time went on, more and more passengers boarded the train, and a "ring-ring" reminder sounded in their ears. Xiao Lou and Yu Hanjiang also heard the Train Conductor's voice in their wireless headsets: "The train is about to depart. Please return to your carriages as soon as possible."
Xiao Lou and Yu Hanjiang were just about to go back when suddenly a boy ran down the stairs at the entrance of the station.
His hair was very messy, obviously from running a long distance. The boy's face was flushed and he was panting. His socks were different colors, probably because he got up late and wasn't dressed properly.
He ran while shouting, "Wait! Wait!"
Just as Xiao Lou was about to close the train door, he managed to squeeze into the carriage just as the door was about to close.
After boarding the train, the boy stopped at the connecting area between the carriages, put his hands on his knees, and gasped for breath.
After Xiao Lou calmed him down, she asked, "Which seat are you in?"
The boy said, "Carriage 4, 8F."
Xiao Lou looked back and saw that there were four people sitting in row 8, the two couples from before. The empty seat was F by the window. Xiao Lou smiled and nodded at him, saying, "The train is about to leave, go and sit down."
The boy thanked him and ran over to stop in the eighth row.
He looked at the girl in seat 8D, blushed, and said, "Miss, please move aside."
The girl glanced at the slovenly guy, then turned to her boyfriend and said, "Honey, you can sit here." She switched seats with her boyfriend and moved to seat 8C next to him, clearly not wanting to sit with this slovenly guy. Her boyfriend cooperated and switched seats as well.
An announcement came over the loudspeaker: "Dear passengers, welcome aboard train KP-7311. Our train is about to depart. Please organize your belongings and take your assigned seats according to your ticket numbers. Smoking is prohibited on this train..."
The vehicle starts; the story is about to begin.
Xiao Lou took a deep breath and glanced at carriage number 4 again.
All the seats were occupied.
Many of the lone passengers simply closed their eyes and went to sleep. The only things that caught his attention were a loving family of five, two couples traveling together, a group of five best friends, and the unkempt young man who was late at the end.
This young man is likely a character relevant to the plot, but he may not necessarily be the deceased or the murderer. Furthermore, in Captain Yu's carriage number 6, there was a clearly visible group of elderly tourists.
Xiao Lou smiled slightly, turned around and walked into the carriage, and said loudly, "Please cooperate with us for ticket inspection."
It's normal to check tickets when boarding, and everyone conscientiously took out their tickets.
Xiao Lou wanted to check the tickets again to match the faces of these key passengers with their seat numbers and names, to reinforce his memory.
The train's speed is increasing rapidly.
Outside the window, a thick white fog blanketed the scene; inside the carriage, all was quiet. Who was the murderer lurking on this train? Who would be the victim of a murder? As the train departed, the story of the locked room mystery in Red Heart 4 was about to unfold.