Yama Rising

Wang Chenghao nimbly ran to his seat and fastened his seatbelt. Qin Ye did likewise. Oda Nobutada was still in his seat when they arrived, and his seatbelt had already been fastened a long time ago. As soon as they returned, he immediately bowed his head and remarked softly, “What intense Yin energy.”

Qin Ye nodded and turned to the bewildered Wang Chenghao, “This is the third tunnel of Pusan, but it’s also not.”

“What does that mean?”

“When the Yin energy and air of resentment trapped within a particular location accumulates beyond a certain point, it would create a special supernatural zone.” Qin Ye glanced out of the carriage, only to realize that a series of louvres had already been lowered over the windows, blocking out all sources of light from outside.

Wang Chenghao’s eyes widened, “Who is it? Whose Yin energy is it? Whose resentment is it? Just what the hell is going on around here?!”

Qin Ye massaged his temples in dismay, “Did you really only inherit your family’s fortune and not the smarts? Didn’t I make myself clear enough? Why don’t you try sensing it for yourself?”

Wang Chenghao shut his eyes and released his Yin energy.

At once, two incomparably sharp sources of Yin energy jolted straight through his mind.

They were filled with resentment and hostility. At once, a monochromatic image appeared in his mind, showing a pregnant lady holding the hand of a young little girl.

Click, click, click… Then, just like old films, the images began to run in sequence. The ladies quickly drew closer and closer, until the last frame which depicted the lady and the girl at point blank, right in front of his face!

Whoosh… Four bloodshot eyes peeked right out of their disheveled hair. Blood poured right out of each of their seven apertures, while the middle of their brow revealed a gaping bullet hole!

“Haa--...” Wang Chenghao gasped loudly as he opened his eyes.

“Are these… Hellguards? Two Hellguards?!” He patted his beating chest as he did everything he could to soothe his thumping heart, “Is this… the pregnant lady and the little girl you were talking about?”

“It’s actually the three of them.” Oda Nobutada spoke with a deep voice, “There’s another one in the pregnant lady’s womb. But, even though there are three of them… they move with one body, bound by a single strand of fate and destiny.”

Qin Ye’s eyes flickered wildly as they spoke, “They were the only ones who made it out alive in ‘Train to Pusan’, and they can naturally be seen as one entity - the two, together with the unborn infant in the pregnant lady’s womb. Oda Nobutada’s right. Not only are they Hellguards, they were… born as Hellguards.”

“And what’s most special about them is that they’re also earthbound spirits.”

“By earthbound spirits, I mean that they are forever bound to a single location, unable to leave on their own volition. One thing is certain - they must be overflowing with resentment. It might be because they want to see their loved ones, or perhaps they have an intense desire to give birth to their child… but they couldn’t. The film ends with them arriving just a few hundred meters from the exit.”

“So close, yet so far. To perish only when you see the light and have come so far; and to die by the hands of your own people even after narrowly escaping the grasp of the living dead. They were completely helpless. They had no ability to refuse, and no ability to resist. They… were fated to spend the rest of eternity with the living dead. Their resentment against the world is immense. Thus, as their Yin energy grew, they consumed everything around them… and constructed an entire supernatural domain around them that is akin to the third tunnel in the mortal realm, but which does not occupy the same physical space. Incidentally, all trains headed to Pusan would have no choice but to pass through this tunnel.”

Wang Chenghao sighed with great emotion. A split second later, his eyes widened, “Hang on a minute… Are you telling me that… Train to Pusan… is a true story?!”

“That certainly seems to be the case.” Qin Ye sighed.

How cruel…

First, it was the incident of MV Sewol, and then, we’re seeing the aftermath of Train to Pusan… Do casting myths and fabricating miracles always have to come at the cost of human lives?

It shouldn’t be this way… The gods of the past never once took human lives either… Qin Ye shook his head and shelved these thoughts for now.

“What the Daehan government has been desperately covering up is probably the great stir caused by the living dead that have been transported from Pusan to Gwangju. When the film premiered, one of the only things it probably lacked was a line that says - ‘This film is adapted after a true story’.” Qin Ye sighed, “Retract your Yin energy and get some rest. This three-in-one Hellguard isn’t something that either of you can handle. It’s not easy to find naturally born Hellguards, even in Cathay. Who would’ve thought we’d encounter two of them in our short stay in Daehan thus far.”

Just then, an announcement came on again, “Dear passengers, we’re currently experiencing a system failure with the train’s power supply. We are currently working on it, and expect that the power supply will be restored in approximately thirty minutes. Please remain calm. We repeat…”

Qin Ye leaned over and looked down the aisle, only to discover that a tempered glass door had already been raised in the connecting corridors between carriages. Bzzt! The entire train fell into pitch-black darkness.

The rest of the passengers remained completely still and silent in their seats, almost as though they were used to this.

“Good excuse. Power supply system failure, huh…” Qin Ye continued to gaze out of the window after the lights went out.

Knock knock… Just then, there was suddenly a soft knocking sound at the window!

It was clear and distinct, and evidently no trick of the ear. They were currently travelling with a high speed train across the inexplicable third tunnel of Pusal, and yet to think that they would actually hear strange knocking sounds on their windows?!

Who’s… knocking on the window in the dark?

It was neither fast nor slow, and incredibly rhythmic and consistent. Yet it was precisely because of this that the knocks felt almost as though they were hammering straight into his heart.

It was suffocating.

“Farewell to thee, farewell to thee… The charming one who dwells in the shaded bowers…” As the train continued to plough through the darkness, a soft cry suddenly cut through the tense silence of the third tunnel. [1]

It was a child’s voice. Although Qin Ye wasn’t sure whether this was something that ordinary humans were able to perceive, he soon got his answer. He was keenly aware that the breaths of all passengers on board the train immediately quickened as soon as the singing began.

The passengers tightened their grips around the armrests, and several of them even drew a deep breath.

They clearly knew this song.

Train to Pusan… This is the exact same song sung by the little girl in the last scene! It’s exactly the same!

“One fond embrace, ere I depart… Until we meet again…” The girl’s voice crescendoed as she sang the chorus of the song. It sounded normal at first, but her voice soon bore a trace of madness. Qin Ye tutted softly, and then made a few hand seals. At once, the louvres right beside him lifted slightly.

And as soon as it did, a ghastly, pale face instantly appeared on the crack along the window!

She pressed herself against the window, almost as though she could touch Qin Ye if she went any further.

Her pallid white face and contorted features masked the fact that she was only a little girl. Her short hair was completely disheveled, and blood poured out of her seven apertures. Yet perhaps what was most striking of all was the gaping bullet hole that was right between her eyes.

“Ooo…. Uurrggghhh…” She stared at Qin Ye with bloodshot eyes, and her throat made a raspy, guttural sound that was audible from the other side of the carriage. Qin Ye smiled faintly back at her. And then, a split second later, copious amounts of Yin energy erupted from his seven apertures, and his eyes lit up with menacing netherflames!

BOOM!!!

Outside the carriage. The rush of the wind outside battered hard against the little girl’s seemingly feeble body. Her hair and clothes fluttered wildly, yet her menacing expression froze as she stared aghast at the man on the other side of the glass window.

Wait a minute… Aren’t I supposed to be the one scaring the people within?

Why does it feel like… I’ve slipped up this time?

The little girl’s expressions grew more and more twisted and contrived as time passed. Three seconds later, she pouted.

“Uuu… WAAAAAHH!!!”

Qin Ye watched in astonishment as the little girl bawled at the top of her voice and flew away like a kite with a broken string.

She’s crying…

She’s actually crying?!

Since when do ghosts cry?!

Oh no… What have I done... Forgive me for frightening a poor little child to tears… Qin Ye clasped his hands together and made an insincere prayer before glancing out the window again.

As far as he could see, both sides of the railway tracks were lined with an endless horde of the living dead!

The dim lights on the exterior of the train cast just enough light on the surroundings to illuminate the pallid appearances of the twisted figures outside. Each and every single one of the living dead were currently staring intently at the train as it passed.

Just then, Wang Chenghao snapped back to his senses and whispered softly to Qin Ye, “Brother Qin, why didn’t you take her in?”

Qin Ye shook his head, “Of course I’d have loved to take her in. She would be an excellent sprout to nurture into a fine ghost. Unfortunately… we’re not at the third tunnel just yet.”

“Didn’t you understand my explanation earlier? We’re in the same world, but in a completely different space. We may quite possibly be chugging along out in the wilderness, or parallel to the national highway. Do you understand what I’m saying?”

“Their essence and true form are still located within the real third tunnel to Pusan. We’ll have to go there if we want to take them in. Unfortunately, we don’t have the luxury of time to achieve something like that right now. The high speed rail takes no more than ten seconds to travel through the entire third tunnel from end to end. That’s far too little time to reap the souls of the three-in-one Yin spirit that was a naturally born Anitya Hellguard.”

“So, let’s keep this on the backburner for now. We’ll revisit this when the opportunity arises.” With that, Qin Ye shut his eyes and finally got some rest.

It should be fine. Besides, what’s a little girl doing jumping out at a fast-moving train in the middle of the darkness? They should be studying hard and working on their future! What happened to proper parenting these days?

Sigh… Being the responsible King Yanluo of Hell that I am, I guess I’ll have no choice but to help discipline her… I wonder if her mother will spank her on the ass when she gets back…

“Didn’t I tell you to study hard?! What are you doing scaring people all day long? You’re banned from having your blood and flesh today!”

“Uuuu… Mama, I didn’t scare anyone today… A big brother scared me instead…”

Qin Ye’s imaginations ran wild.

……………………………………………………..

The Train Captain’s room was completely dark.

A middle-aged man sat in his seat, completely stunned as he stared at the panels of instruments in front of him.

“The train’s power supply was restored in just 12 minutes… Doesn’t it usually take 30 minutes to cross the ‘Abyss of the Third Tunnel’? Why did it take 18 minutes less this time?”

“It’s only natural.” A voice responded from the darkness, “We’re talking about envoys sent by a top underworld after all. Did you really think these little ghostlings from the little country of Daehan would be able to oppress them?”

The man’s appearances remained hidden in the shadows and yet he spoke with clearly suppressed excitement. The Train Captain responded, “Sir, then… should I ignore them and carry on as scheduled in five days’ time?”

“Yes. As scheduled.” The voice calmly responded, “This world can only be rebuilt after razing it to the ground. Your predecessors have already made a magnificent contribution with their involvement at the MV Sewol. Don’t you want to etch your name as one of the pioneers of rebirth as well?”

“Of course!” The Train Captain’s voice burst with excitement, “Just say the word, and I’ll send the train off its rails at once!”

“No hurry.” The voice slowly faded into the background, “Five days, as scheduled… The end is only just beginning…

“Pusan to Hanyang… Haha… Everything you have done will surely rock this entire world. And my Lord will most certainly open the gates of the underworld and welcome you with open arms.”

Qin Ye was naturally oblivious to all these things.

It didn’t take 30 minutes. In fact, they soon ‘exited’ the third tunnel as soon as Qin Ye scared away the naughty poltergeist earlier.

The screen ahead told them that they were only 15 minutes away from Pusan now.

We’re finally arriving… Qin Ye glanced about at the houses and fields passing by on both sides on the train. His expression turned grave and somber.

This was the place of the second act of the script of death!

Just then, something stirred excitedly from within his clothes.

He paused for a moment, and then pulled out the perpetrator.

He opened his palm, and the ballpoint pen spun around like the needle on a compass, before finally pointing towards a particular location!

“Is it her?” Qin Ye asked.

Seconds later, Kwon Kyung-ho responded, “Yes.”

“She… is in Pusan!”

“I can’t tell where exactly just yet, but the closer we get, the more easily I’ll be able to detect her presence!”

1. These are lyrics of Aloha ‘Oe.