Chapter 33

That night, Pam was, as usual, gripping a small broom, conscientiously fulfilling the duties of the train conductor, performing the final pre‑sleep cleaning in the Observation Carriage.

Soft amber light bathed the carriage, everything peaceful and orderly.

Just as it hummed an off‑key train tune, it suddenly heard movement from the door connecting to the Party Carriage, and wanted to check——

Pat!

After a soft sound, the lights in the entire Observation Carriage went out instantly.

Darkness, like thick ink, flooded everything in an instant.

Waaah!

Pam was startled by this sudden change and let out a cry, almost dropping its small broom.

It instinctively shrank its neck, its long ears perked up warily, and it nervously swiveled left and right.

Only the light emitted from the eternal Star Sea outside the Observation Window and the Black Tower Space Station provided a faint source, casting blurred, distorted shadows inside the carriage.

Familiar furniture outlines turned strange and menacing in the darkness.

Who, who Pa? San Yue Qi passenger? Star passenger? Don't scare Pam Pa!

It called out in a tearful, childish voice, timidly shouting a few names most likely to be pranksters, but the only response was the train's unusually amplified humming.

(Pam's thoughts: Someone must be playing a joke on Pam Pa! Too awful!)

It steadied itself, decided to go and flip the circuit breaker switch back on.

Relying on Memory, it felt its way to the wall, its small hand touching the familiar switch panel——

The switch was pushed up, in the 'on' position!

Eh?!

Pam froze, its tiny paws toggling the switch back and forth a few times, confirming it was fine, but the overhead lights remained dead.

Impossible Pa! How could the Starry Sky Train lose power Pa! The energy core has always been stable Pa!

A chill crawled up Pam's spine.

If it wasn't a power outage, what caused the lights to go out?

Wiring fault? But why didn't the train's self‑check system sound an alarm?

It nervously looked around; in the darkness, the familiar outlines of the sofa, coffee table, and bar seemed to come alive, silently 'watching' this helpless little train conductor.

It even felt as if something was writhing in the shadows' corners.

Scary, scary Pa……

Pam clenched its small broom tightly, treating it as its only weapon.

It dared not stay any longer, deciding to rush back to its own room and hide under the covers!

It took its short legs and ran toward the door to the Cabin Carriage as remembered.

However, when it reached the doorway, it was shocked to discover——

That door was now ajar!

Behind a narrow gap in the door lay even deeper darkness.

(Pam's thoughts: Wrong Pa! I clearly remembered…… this door was shut tight Pa!)

Just as it froze at the doorway, its mind blank, a creepy sensation washed over it—it clearly felt as if countless icy gazes from all directions were shooting toward it, pinning it in place!

That gaze carried no emotion, and even…… a hint of amusement?

At the same time, a delicate, cool fragrance, like a violet under moonlight, faintly drifted into its nostrils.

The scent was pleasant, yet starkly different from the usual coffee aroma on the train, carrying a sense of deep mystery.

Waaahhhh——Ghost Pa!!!

Pam could no longer bear this mental pressure; it let out a short scream, abandoning any pretense of conductor dignity, and with all its speed shot like a fluffy cannonball, 'whooshing' through the ajar door gap, charging down the corridor without looking back, diving into its own room, slamming the door shut with a 'bang', and bracing its small body against it, as if that could seal out the unknown horror outside.

【Now-Starry Sky Train Observation Car】

Pam, still shaken, finished recounting its 'ghost encounter,' its tiny paws still unconsciously patting its chest.

Lights out……door opening on its own……so many eyes watching……and a cold scent?

San Yue Qi ticked off the keywords on its fingers, face not scared but excited and sparkling, 'This sounds like a classic haunting! Maybe some prankster hopped aboard our train? Dan Heng, do you have any similar legends?'

Dan Heng crossed his arms, analyzing calmly: 'No. More likely some kind of energy entity we don't yet understand……or perhaps a high‑level void dweller?'

Walter pushed up his glasses, the gaze behind the lenses deep.

What Pam described deepened his doubts.

This is certainly no ordinary malfunction or hallucination.

(Thoughts: Could it be that besides me last night……there was a second 'visitor'?)

Jizi looked at the frightened Pam and gently soothed: 'All right, Pam, it's fine—perhaps just a temporary system glitch plus your imagination. Tonight I'll join you in checking the entire train's wiring, okay?'

Xing Ze rubbed his still‑aching head, thinking the 'ghost' might be a bit friendlier than Jizi‑sister's coffee.

【Perspective Shift: The 'Borrowed' Carriage—Heimu's Laboratory】

Meanwhile, inside the Safe House just one door away, the Black Curtain Lady was conducting a new 'creation'.

She took the data stream harvested from the Star's true form, together with the Star's basic image data, and handed it to the system.

Purplish‑red energy, like a cocoon, wove and reconstructed the data packet.

Moments later, the light faded, and a figure identical to the Star appeared in the carriage's center—same gray shoulder‑length hair, same outfit, same height and build.

At that moment, Heimu's ear picked up the system's notification tone:

【Based on secondary pleasure feedback from the Train Group, Core Repair Degree increased by 0.5%.】

Heimu raised an eyebrow slightly, somewhat surprised.

But she didn't dwell on it, turning her attention back to the newly created 'Star'.

The figure slowly opened its eyes.

However, those eyes that should have been golden and full of vitality were now a dull gray lacking highlights, like dust-covered glass beads.

Heimu stepped forward a few paces, examining his new creation with interest from head to toe, and gave a slight nod.

(Inner thought: Appearance perfectly replicated, energy structure stable…… Looks good.)

She raised her right index finger to the Star's face and, in a testing tone, asked, "What is this?"

The replica Star's hollow gaze fell on her finger, and it replied in a cold, monotone voice, "One."

A flicker of imperceptible satisfaction passed through Heimu's eyes.

(Inner thought: Excellent. Logic clear, answer accurate. If it were the genuine Star Core Essence, it would probably already be spouting nonsense by now.)

But this overly normal reaction instead made Heimu sense a hint of something odd.

What this body carries seems to be more than just basic logic.

She seemed to suddenly think of something, and in a tone like casual chatter, she whispered:

"So… do you know Ailixiya?"

In a Shana instant!

In the depths of the replica Xing Na's originally lifeless eyes, a faint flow of light appeared, flickering like a struggling spark!

Her body tensed for a moment, her lips trembling slightly, as if something sealed were trying to break free.

But she ultimately made no sound, simply returning to silence, gazing at Heimu with those hollow eyes.

Heimu quietly observed all this, his mind already clear.

(Inner thought: As expected…… it carries that memory. Not the trash‑digging Star Core Essence, but…… the shadow of her data that once walked in Past World Paradise.)