The next morning at 7:30, passengers gradually woke up and went to wash up.
This train is the same as the one I encountered in Red Heart 4, still with 9 carriages.
The last carriage, number 9, is where the train staff live.
Carriages 1-4 are hard-seat carriages, carriages 6-8 are soft-sleeper carriages, and carriage 5 in the middle is the dining car. Xiao Lou and his eight companions were located at the connection between carriages 3 and 4, where they could see people coming to the dining car to have breakfast.
To avoid the morning rush hour, they had already washed their faces and brushed their teeth before 7 a.m. when no one was around. At this time, the aisle was bustling with people, and it wasn't very convenient for them to stay in the connecting area. So Xiao Lou suggested, "Why don't we go to the dining car for breakfast and check if there are any suspicious people on the train?"
Everyone followed Xiao Lou to the dining car and ordered some milk, soy milk, and steamed buns for breakfast.
As we were eating, we saw several young women walk in from the direction of carriage number 6.
They were dressed very fashionably, chatting as they walked. The one walking in front had long, curly hair and a striking appearance; she was probably the leader of the group. The girl next to her had delicate and gentle features, wearing a light blue dress, an exquisite diamond necklace, and a bracelet.
The four girls following behind each had different appearances.
But the clothes they were wearing were all blue and white, with different styles but similar colors, so they were obviously a group of best friends.
Shao Qingge narrowed his eyes and glanced at the jade bracelet on the girl's wrist, saying, "This bracelet should be top-quality pure natural icy jadeite, priceless. It seems this woman is quite wealthy."
Xiao Lou and Yu Hanjiang exchanged a glance.
The two of them had just picked up a steamed bun and were about to eat it, but after looking at each other, they tacitly put the bun down.
Xiao Lou asked softly, "Is the one wearing the bracelet Shu Xiaomeng?"
Yu Hanjiang nodded: "The one walking at the very front with the wine-red hair should be Liu Xiaoyan."
Xiao Lou said, "And Zhang Xiaoning, Wu Xiaofei, Cheng Xiaoli, and Song Xiaoyu."
Listening to their conversation, the other teammates looked completely bewildered. Ye Qi was especially confused by the name "Xiao Xiao," and looked at Xiao Lou in bewilderment: "What are you talking about? Do you know these girls?"
Just then, the group of six best friends sat down at a table not far away.
Liu Xiaoyan readily agreed, "Xiaomeng, how about breakfast today?"
Shu Xiaomeng nodded: "Okay, Sister Yan, everyone can order whatever they want to eat."
Zhang Xiaoning, the short-haired girl next to her, joked, "Mrs. Li has plenty of money. Honestly, you guys are really something, insisting on taking the high-speed train. Flying is so much more convenient! It only takes a day, while the high-speed train takes three whole days!"
A long-haired girl next to her spoke up timidly, "This was Sister Yan's idea. When we went to see the concert back then, Xiaomeng couldn't go because of her health. Later, something happened on the train... cough, so we didn't get to see it either. Finally, this year our goddess is going to have a concert in Sun City again, so we're all taking the high-speed train together. It's like fulfilling a dream."
Shu Xiaomeng agreed, "Yes, no one is absent this time. The six of us will take the bullet train together and travel slowly, just like a vacation to relax."
Listening to their conversation
The other teammates finally realized what was happening.
Ye Qi exclaimed in disbelief, " The Express Train case's group of girlfriends is here again?!"
Shao Qingge glanced thoughtfully at Shu Xiaomeng and said, "The group of girlfriends that Xiaoye and I met back then didn't have these names. They were called Cheng Xuening, Qin Xuefei, and the like... These are the group of girlfriends that Professor Xiao and Captain Yu met?"
The plots of low-level escape rooms are similar, but there are many versions. As Lao Mo once said, it's like an exam paper with versions A, B, and C, which are randomly generated. Therefore, the group of girlfriends that Xiao Lou and Yu Hanjiang met on the Express Train is different from the group that Shao Ye and her partner met.
Perhaps Lao Mo, Liu Qiao, and the Longqu Couple encountered different situations.
Each time they enter a secret room, that room is a uniquely generated copy, and the "NPCs" inside the room also exist independently. For example, the dead person Xiao Lou and Yu Hanjiang encounter in Red Heart 4 is named Li Zhemin, but the one Ye Qi encounters cannot be Li Zhemin — Li Zhemin cannot die twice in a row.
Xiao Lou said softly, "These six are the group of best friends that Captain Yu and I met in Red Heart 4. They went to Moon City to see a concert and on the way, they teamed up to kill the scumbag Zhou Quan. But the murderer was not among them, but Cheng Mu, who got on the bus halfway. After arriving in Moon City, they were taken to the police station for questioning, so they didn't get to see the concert."
Ye Qi was stunned, a chill running down his spine: "So, after so many years, they got together again to fulfill their dream, boarded this train, and went to Sun City to see a concert? And then we met again at different times?"
Xiao Lou nodded: "Yes, Shu Xiaomeng is now Li Mo's wife. Her best friend just called her Mrs. Li. That priceless bracelet on her wrist must have been bought by Li Mo. "
Shao Qingge's expression changed, and he lowered his voice, saying, "I remember the theme of Red Heart 4 was, 'A train to hell.'"
Ye Qi felt a chill run down his spine: "These girls, are they up to something again? Maybe they'll stage a murder and send someone to hell?"
Yu Hanjiang remained silent, his brows furrowed as he gazed thoughtfully at the scenery rushing past the car window.
The escape room scene in Red Heart 4 takes place before Li Mo and Shu Xiaomeng are together. Shu Xiaomeng had a miscarriage and didn't go to the concert with her group of girlfriends. Li Mo planned a senior citizen tour and killed her father, Li Zhemin. Two of Shu Xiaomeng's girlfriends had been betrayed by scumbags. The seven girlfriends gathered together and personally sent off the scumbag surnamed Zhou on that train.
This aligns with what they just said: "We missed the concert back then, so let's make our dream come true together this time."
Not long ago at the Plum Blossom Secret Chamber, everyone encountered Li Mo. At that time, Li Mo was about 35 years old. The time flow in the main city should be the same, so Li Mo's wife, Shu Xiaomeng, is now around 32 years old.
It can be deduced that the current time is 10 years after the " Express Train " locked-room mystery.
Is it just a coincidence that I ran into this group of girlfriends again?
Shao Qingge quickly searched the news on his phone and soon concluded: " There is indeed a concert in Sun City. Pop diva Luo Yan will hold her 20th anniversary concert at Sun City's largest stadium in three days."
Xiao Lou recalled the name: "That's right, they went to Moon City back then to see Luo Yan's concert."
She initially claimed she was going to a concert, but actually planned to deal with her jerk on the train, and in the end, she didn't even get to see the concert.
My girlfriends and I all love pop divas, so it makes sense that we formed a group to go to her concert again after ten years to fulfill our dream.
However, meeting again on the same train, the feeling of time and space crossing still left Xiao Lou with a sense of disarray, as if the 18-year-old girl he met a few days ago had suddenly become a 30-year-old woman when he met her today?
After considering for a moment, Yu Hanjiang whispered to Xiao Lou, "We can't be sure if this is a coincidence yet. Let's ask Director Tang."
Xiao Lou took out his phone and sent a message to Tang Ci: "Mr. Tang, what's going on with the concert?"
Tang Ci replied, " Luo Yan is a female singer with a very strong appeal in the world. She has been in the industry for 20 years and has left behind countless classic songs. She only holds a concert once every five years. This time, it is a commemorative concert for her 20th anniversary. Fans will flock to Sun City from all over the world. The concert tickets were sold out in less than five minutes when they went on sale."
It sounded normal—just a super popular singer holding a commemorative concert, with fans traveling from all over to Sun City to support her. But Xiao Lou still felt uneasy: " Could this be related to the Hunter Organization?"
Tang Ci said, "I'm not sure, we're still checking. There are a lot of events in Sun City lately. Within a week, there have been large concerts, award ceremonies, celebrity autograph sessions, and sports games one after another. The hotels in the whole city are almost full, and the traffic is very congested. After you arrive, go directly to the New Century Hotel. I've booked rooms for you."
Xiao Lou could only reply, "Understood, I'll contact you when the time comes."
He showed the phone conversation to Yu Hanjiang, shook his head, and said, "Mr. Tang isn't sure either. Perhaps this is just a celebrity concert, and we're overthinking it?"
Yu Hanjiang frowned: "I hope so."
He glanced up at the dining table not far away, where Shu Xiaomeng and her girlfriends were having a happy breakfast. The young woman's face was filled with a warm smile. Her husband was a world-renowned tycoon who doted on her. She had left her husband and several girlfriends to go to a concert. It seemed that the girls' friendship was as good as ever.
Does Li Mo know about this? Was the concert held at Sun City Stadium really just a simple memorial concert?
I'm afraid we'll only know for sure once we get there.
Thinking of this, Yu Hanjiang said, " CEO Shao, try to buy a few concert tickets. I want to go see it live."
Shao Qingge searched online and said, "Official channels sold out a long time ago, you can only buy expensive scalper tickets... Let me see, scalper tickets are also very popular, this goddess has too many fans."
Ye Qi thought enviously, "If only I had this many fans when I held my own concerts in the future..."
Shao Qingge said, "I can only buy two tickets. The show starts at 8 p.m. in three days. They are VIP seats. The timing is just right."
Yu Hanjiang glanced at Xiao Lou and said, "I'll go with Xiao Lou. The rest of you can check into the hotel and wait for our news."
He had a strange intuition that he would run into his group of girlfriends on the same train, this time with Shu Xiaomeng added to the mix...
Things are definitely not that simple.