Chapter 1: Ghost Car

Chapter 1: Ghost Car

In 1903, a Japanese named tani Kzui (1) entered Chinas hinterland in the name of religious investigation to carry out intelligence work on geographical exploration. When he passed through Changsha, China, the expedition branch he ledunder the leadership of Japanese businessman Miyuki Hatoyamastayed in a mountain town 160 kilometers north of Changsha for nearly three months. When he left, there were only six people left in the expedition team. A week later, Miyuki Hatoyama submitted a sixteen-page report to the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs Nissin Trade Research Institute that became known as the Hatoyama Report. The report stated that there were "things" buried under the mountain town.

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On August 4, 1949, Cheng Qiandirector of the Kuomintang Changsha Appeasement Office and chairman of the Hunan provincial governmentand Chen Mingrencommander of the First Corpsstaged a revolt in Changsha and peacefully liberated it. The next day, the Fourth Field Army entered Changsha. As head of Changsha Departments Central Special Branch, I urgently summoned an old man that night and talked with him for three hours.

The old man's name was Gu Qingfeng, and he had been a watchman at Changshas old railway station since he was twenty-three years old. I asked him about a strange thing that had happened at the railway station more than ten years ago. As I listened to the old man's account, I gradually saw the beginning of a strange and mysterious event that spread widely at the time.

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According to the old man's recollection, that was Changshas first day of winter, and it was already very cold. The iron hoofs of the Japanese oppressors had already hit Changsha, and the city was very bleak. People with relatives in the southwest went there to seek shelter, but their transportation capacity was limited. After winter began, there were landslides in the southwest, and many people who had left were trapped there.

Gu Qingfeng was a middle-aged man at the time who was in charge of the ticket office. When the black 076 pulled into the station that night, he happened to be the one on duty. It should have been impossible for a train to be pulling into the station at that time, and he hadnt received any prior notice.

In that era, it was normal for many troops and supplies to arrive suddenly because of combat readiness, but prior notice was often given. Moreover, the troops were generally under the control of the army, so the whole platform should have already been full of alert soldiers ready to receive the goods.

But he saw that no one was on the platform even though the train had just pulled in. If it weren't for such a monstrosity making so much noise, he wouldn't have even noticed it.

There was a thin seam on the pigskin that was about as wide as a palm, so Gu Qingfeng tried to get close and peer through the gap to see what was inside.

The lantern kept hitting the glass and dry soil, and the rust and mud was making him sick. He noticed that there was something strange in the gap.

He narrowed his eyes and looked closely. The "skin" was probably loosened by the lantern hitting the glass and fell down. He immediately saw a person in the locomotive floating in the air. When he looked again, however, he realized that it was a hanged man. The man was wearing ordinary labor clothes and hanging from the top of the train. He was looking at Gu Qingfeng coldly, and in those two muddy eyes, the pupils were as tiny as soybeans, while the rest of the eyes were completely white.

The first thing Gu Qingfeng saw were those creepy eyes. He let out a cry, toppled off the train, and fell on the platform. He then rolled over, climbed up, and rushed to the guard room. He had only one thought on his mind: this was a ghost car, and it was coming to Changsha to drag people in.

<Introduction> <Table of Contents><Chapter 2>

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TN Notes:

(1) He was the 22nd Abbot of the Nishi Honganji sub-sect of Jdo Shinsh Buddhism in Kyoto, Japan. He is known for expeditions to Buddhist sites in Central Asia. British and Russian intelligence both suspected that his archaeological expeditions were little more than covers for espionage activities. More info here

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Tiffany's extras:

Wu Xies Private Notes: Chapter 24 Analyze The Heavenly Palace From The Architectural Point Of ViewWu Xies Private Notes: Chapter 25 The Bodies In The AtticWu Xies Private Notes: Chapter 26 The Giant Bronze Door