Chapter 75

Ever since Shi Jian boarded train 4444, although she had faced grim reality, an emo ghost girl, and the train attendants, she hadn’t yet witnessed anything truly gory.

But now blood was continuously seeping in through the crack beneath the door…

Faced with such a horrifying scene, Shi Jian’s first reaction was to quickly move her feet out of the way. Then she looked toward the mirror.

Did her eyeliner get messed up?!

She had paused her eyeliner midway when the strange noises and sensation of flowing liquid started. She wasn’t sure if the sudden jolt had ruined it.

Thankfully, Shi Jian confirmed—it hadn’t.

She let out a breath of relief, but then immediately tensed up again as she realized the real problem.

Someone had died.

It might not have been the streamer, but a passenger instead. Still, no matter who died, it signaled that danger had arrived.

Shi Jian wanted to curse the scenario: She had barely settled into the soft sleeper for half a day, and things were already going wrong again—and in a big way.

...

Jiang Xinyue had been lying on Shi Jian’s bed to rest.

High schoolers were still growing and needed sleep. Shi Jian could tell she hadn’t rested well, so she let her sleep peacefully and watched over her.

But now, the noises outside had woken Jiang Xinyue up. She sat straight up, her drowsiness vanishing instantly. With a tense expression and lowered voice, she asked Shi Jian:

“Sister Shi Jian, did something happen outside?”

The buzzing sound of “vrrr vrrr vrrr” was still going, and Jiang Xinyue had seen the fresh blood trickling into the compartment.

Shi Jian tried to keep her voice steady as she told Jiang Xinyue, “…It sounds like a chainsaw.”

Someone was wielding a chainsaw and rampaging through the train, killing indiscriminately with no specific target. In just a few minutes, the outside had become a chorus of screams—a living hell.

Shi Jian didn’t know whether this chainsaw killer had boarded at the last station or had been hiding on the train the whole time.

She and Jiang Xinyue couldn’t see what was happening, but they could hear it—and what Shi Jian suspected was now confirmed.

“What the hell’s going on? I was sleeping just fine—what’s with all the yelling…”

That was a passenger who had just been woken up. Shi Jian heard him open the door and grumble—understandable, as most people wouldn’t think something so dangerous could happen on a train.

Then, without warning, he came face-to-face with the chainsaw maniac.

“Chainsaw—ahh! Don’t come near me! Stay away!”

The complaints instantly turned into a sharp, high-pitched scream, and once again Shi Jian heard the sound of a blade cutting into flesh and bone.

Another unlucky passenger had apparently just been in the corridor. After witnessing the entire scene, she collapsed on the floor in terror. She first cried out, “Help!”

No one came to save her. So she began to plead as the chainsaw killer approached step by step:

“Please don’t kill me… I’m begging you… I’ll give you anything you want…”

The chainsaw killer didn’t say a single word—he just ended her right then and there.

As an actress, Shi Jian could easily imagine vivid scenes based solely on sounds. Her mind instantly pieced together a horrifying visual. But she honestly felt like not seeing it would’ve been better.

Goosebumps ran down her arms. She instinctively held her breath.

In this situation, even breathing felt like it could trigger uncontrollable danger.That ruthless chainsaw maniac was right there in the corridor of their train car, dangerously close—he could burst in at any moment.

But then Shi Jian noticed an even closer threat.

The elderly man who had been resting in the next room had, at some point, quietly gotten out of bed and was now silently standing behind them.

Shi Jian instinctively shielded Jiang Xinyue behind her, turned her head, and asked the old man in a hushed but sharp tone, “What are you trying to do?”

In a scenario like this, the NPCs in the instance could turn into ghosts or monsters at any time. Even if the old man looked harmless, no experienced streamer would ignore him. And the fact that he suddenly appeared behind them like this was extremely suspicious.

Shi Jian was already preparing her high heels as a weapon.

But unexpectedly, the old man gave them a gentle smile. He looked nervous too and, imitating Shi Jian, lowered his voice.

“What’s going on outside? It… sounds like someone’s being killed.”

Jiang Xinyue confirmed, “Someone is being killed…”

The old man looked even more uneasy but then tried to comfort the two of them.

“Don’t be afraid, children. God will protect us.”

He didn’t seem to have any intention of attacking them. He had simply moved closer to talk to them quietly. He didn’t shout or do anything that would alert the chainsaw maniac. Instead, after speaking, he started quietly mumbling prayers.

Things like: “God, where are you? Please come save us.”

Shi Jian: ?

Shi Jian felt like praying to a god wasn’t going to be much help here, but at least the old man hadn’t turned into a monster.

...

The old man’s prayers, unsurprisingly, didn’t do much good.

Jiang Xinyue clung close to Shi Jian, trying to draw a bit of courage from her.

She whispered, “We’re in a private cabin with a door. As long as we don’t go out, we should be okay, right?”

Shi Jian hoped so too, but she could already hear the sound of a chainsaw cutting into the door of the next compartment.

It was probably because the chainsaw killer had already slaughtered everyone in the corridor. After hearing all the commotion, no one in the compartments dared to come out—but that wasn’t enough for the killer, who had now started sawing through the compartment doors.

Shi Jian: “…”

Jiang Xinyue: “…”

The screeching grind of metal teeth against the door made Shi Jian’s scalp tingle. The maniac was sawing into the door of the compartment right next to theirs. The door was quickly broken through, and after a wave of terrified screams and wailing, the neighboring compartment fell silent once more.

Why the silence? Because everyone inside was dead.

Without a single pause, the buzzing chainsaw came to a stop in front of their door. The chainsaw killer’s next target was clearly Shi Jian’s compartment!

The livestream audience collectively held their breath. Some of the more fainthearted viewers couldn’t even bear to watch anymore.

Shi Jian and Jiang Xinyue stared intently at the door. Jiang Xinyue gripped her shield—her tool was ready, but they had no idea how long it could hold.

Just then, the elderly man who had been praying suddenly walked quickly over to the private restroom inside their cabin. He opened the bathroom door and motioned for Shi Jian and Jiang Xinyue to come over.“Both of you, go hide inside.”

“I’ll run fast in a moment and lure him away!”

Both the viewers and Shi Jian were stunned by the old man’s decision. But the old man simply smiled at them and said, “Since God can’t protect us, I’ll go out there.”

“You’re still young, with a long life ahead of you. I’m already old…”

He didn’t finish the last sentence, but everyone could see what he meant from his eyes.

He had seen much of the world and lived a full life, but Shi Jian and Jiang Xinyue’s lives had just begun. So he chose to protect them, to give them a chance.

This elderly stranger, unexpectedly, radiated deep humanity.

The chainsaw maniac had already begun sawing at the door to Shi Jian’s compartment, sparks flying. Shi Jian and Jiang Xinyue walked over to the old man—but then Shi Jian suddenly shoved both the old man and Jiang Xinyue into the bathroom.

She didn’t go in.

Jiang Xinyue used her shield to block the door. Her eyes welled with tears, and she was trembling with fear. “Shi Jian-jie?!”

She seemed to realize what Shi Jian was about to do and struggled to get out.

But Shi Jian held the shield in place and shook her head firmly, her voice leaving no room for argument. “Be good. Stay in there.”

“Child?” The old man, pushed inside, hesitated.

Shi Jian spoke quickly to him, “Grandpa, I’ve always been the protagonist. I won’t be polite about it this time—let me take this one.”

It was only because of the old man’s words that Shi Jian even thought of the idea of luring the killer away. She gritted her teeth and decided it should be her.

Between one old man and one young girl, she was the most suitable choice.

Shi Jian shut the door. Just as her voice fell, the compartment door was destroyed by the chainsaw killer.

The noonday sunlight poured in—this was the brightest and most intense light of the day. Shi Jian stood facing the light, her whole figure bathed in golden rays, even the strands of her hair seemed to sparkle.

Viewers in the livestream knew the situation was dire. By all logic, their eyes should have gone straight to the chainsaw killer.

Until now, they'd only heard his killing spree but had never seen him. This was his first appearance on screen.

But even though the chainsaw killer had finally shown up, everyone ignored him completely. Their gazes were irresistibly drawn to Shi Jian.

...

【Holy sht holy sht holy sh*t, sis is so badass!】

【That “be good” line was so damn smooth!】

【Wife, I’ll be obedient, I promise. (puppy eyes)】

【Waaahhh, our streamer’s all grown up. As an old viewer who’s followed her since her very first instance, I’m so proud. It’s that joy of watching her grow. She used to shake like noodles in fear, and now she’s protecting others.】

【Wait—shaking like noodles? I’m a new viewer. She always seemed confident to me. Can you elaborate?】

The story of Shi Jian’s noodle legs got dug up again, as always, whenever the old viewers were around.

But that pride and joy of watching her grow was real—though it came with deep worry for her now.

The bathroom door wasn’t fully closed, so Jiang Xinyue and the old man could still see Shi Jian through the gap.Jiang Xinyue clenched her fists: God really did appear! Shi Jian-jie is her goddess!

In the livestream chat, however, other voices were mixed in.

【Too reckless, just playing the hero. Should’ve let the old man go—what’s so bad about staying alive? I bet a yacht the streamer’s gonna get chainsawed to death right there. Such a waste of that face.】

Comments like that, cold and mocking, were a minority. More were questioning in a gentler tone.

Can she really do it? Is she that confident she can draw the killer away?

Shi Jian faced the chainsaw maniac. Her first reaction was—

So tall, so bulky, and such a strong smell of blood!

The chainsaw maniac wore work overalls, a mask, and a cap—his face mostly covered, with only a pair of fierce, slanted eyes visible. He was towering, his body packed with thick muscles—bulkier than Jiang Hai. But the most terrifying part was the suffocating stench of blood radiating from him.

He was already splattered in blood, and the chainsaw still humming at his side dripped crimson liquid with every drop.

The maniac kicked open the door and saw Shi Jian. He hadn’t expected the prey to be right in front of him—though there was plenty more he hadn’t expected.

Shi Jian immediately stepped forward and—PAK—PAK—slapped him twice across the face with full force.

With haughty indignation, she demanded, “Who gave you permission to open the door without knocking and interrupt a lady while she’s getting ready, you pervert? Shame on you!”

Chainsaw maniac: ?

Viewers: ?

Whether it was the sudden slaps or Shi Jian’s righteous outburst, he was momentarily dumbfounded.

And just like that, Shi Jian bolted from the room.

Shi Jian: Being the protagonist is tough—throwing hands was terrifying!

Still, she felt like she handled it pretty well. It would've been better if she didn’t have to run away afterward, but that just wasn’t realistic.

…

The chainsaw maniac stared at her fleeing figure and finally processed what had happened—she’d stunned him on purpose.

But his reaction was still quick. Lifting the chainsaw, he gave chase without even glancing at the room. He only wanted to shred that brazen woman into minced meat.

Earlier, some viewers worried that Shi Jian wouldn’t be able to lure him away—but now they realized their worry was pointless.

Who could tolerate getting slapped across the face twice? That wasn’t just physical pain—it was a blow to the ego.

Veteran viewers in Shi Jian’s personal livestream couldn’t help but sigh: when it comes to aggro-pulling, Shi Jian is always top-tier.

Hatred magnet: SSS-rank.

And they didn’t forget: 【To the one who said the streamer would die immediately—time to send that yacht.】

That viewer didn’t hide—they sent a yacht and insisted, “Her dying under the chainsaw is only a matter of time. Once she gets caught, it’s over.”

Though this time, he didn’t dare make any more bets.Shi Jian was sprinting through the train carriage, the relentless buzzing of the chainsaw behind her like a death sentence.

The first thing she did after bursting out of the compartment was look for train staff. Shouldn’t they be responsible for passenger safety?

How could someone board a train carrying a chainsaw? That’s completely against the rules, right? This place was clearly unprofessional! Where she came from, they wouldn’t even let you bring an iron rod onto a train.

However, even after running through several carriages and seeing plenty of panicked passengers, Shi Jian didn’t see a single train staff member.

No attendants, no ticket inspectors—before, there was one every two carriages. Now they’d all seemingly vanished into thin air.

There was no one left to handle the situation.

This had turned into a full-blown, one-sided slaughter game.

Passengers and streamers alike were just targets to be killed.

This instance was anything but simple.

Realizing this, Shi Jian’s legs began to give out. If it weren’t for the viewers watching, she would’ve absolutely obeyed her body’s instincts and just sat down on the spot.

Though the chainsaw maniac wasn’t as fast as Shi Jian in her Barbie-pink heels, he wasn’t slow either.

With no train staff to turn to, Shi Jian had to keep thinking of another solution. But nothing came to mind immediately—except for a sudden new discovery.

She was still holding an eyeliner pen.

Shi Jian remembered—she had only done eyeliner on one eye before the chaos broke out, and had kept the pen in her hand. The other eye hadn’t been done!

Shi Jian: Oh, well obviously she had to finish the eyeliner first.

Whatever plan, whatever murderer—those could wait. Right now, her only concern was the perfect makeup look. Having eyeliner on only one eye was just too weird.

Any other streamer wouldn’t care about missing eyeliner in this situation, but for Shi Jian, eyeliner was everything.

So what if this was a death match?

Even with a killer chasing her, she couldn’t be seen wearing only half a look—that would be a disaster.

If she hadn’t already slapped the chainsaw maniac earlier, she might’ve tried to reason with him to wait until she finished—but she figured he definitely wouldn’t agree now.

So she had no choice but to run while doing her eyeliner.

Fortunately, Shi Jian had a steady enough hand to draw eyeliner even while sprinting.

She even gave a PSA: “Dear viewers, please don’t copy me—doing eyeliner while running might stab you in the eye.”

Shi Jian had been feeling shaky from being chased, but once her focus shifted to finishing her eyeliner, she somehow felt like she was running even faster?

Viewers: Got it, Teacher Shi!

Still, aside from her, who else would even think about doing eyeliner right now?

Her reminder was thoughtful—but completely impractical.

…

With all the chaos on the train, the carriages had exploded into panic. The rear cars were a mess, passengers and streamers alike flooding the aisles in a frantic rush.

Yet amid the crowd, Shi Jian was still the most eye-catching of them all.It wasn’t just because of her looks, nor just because she was at the front of the crowd—it was because she was drawing eyeliner. By hand. While running!

Drawing eyeliner while sprinting! The difficulty level just kept going up!

Other streamers: Huh? Eyeliner?

And honestly, it looked pretty good.

A streamer who hadn’t seen Shi Jian before marveled, “Her technique is so steady. If I had even a tenth of her skill, I wouldn’t be worried about my makeup game!”

“Are you a streamer?” someone asked Shi Jian.

Whoever asked that had to be a streamer too. Shi Jian nodded as she ran.

The male streamer was running too. He had been in a rear carriage and didn’t know what had happened up ahead, so he casually asked her:

“Was there a fire?”

Shi Jian, kindly, replied, “There’s a chainsaw maniac running in this direction.”

?! A chainsaw maniac?!

The male streamer was even more confused. From Shi Jian’s actions, he really couldn’t tell that she was being chased by a murderer. Well, she was running fast…

“Then why are you… doing eyeliner?” he asked, baffled by the situation.

The male streamer felt like if he didn’t ask, he’d regret it forever—assuming he lived long enough to regret anything.

He guessed: Could this be some kind of ritual to activate a special item? Or maybe a summoning process?

Shi Jian had already passed him. “...No reason. I just didn’t finish.”

What kind of useless question was that?

Still, Shi Jian gave him a kind reminder: “You probably shouldn’t follow me. He’s specifically chasing me.”

Her eyeliner was now complete. Shi Jian finally felt more at ease—and to her surprise, it wasn’t just in her head; her speed really had improved.

Good news!

While she’d been doing her eyeliner, the chainsaw killer had completely vanished from view.

Bad news: Now that she’d stopped applying makeup, her legs were starting to feel weak again.

Shi Jian: “…”

Well, her makeup wasn’t totally done yet anyway. Since doing makeup didn’t slow her down and helped keep her mind off the terror, Shi Jian returned the eyeliner pen to her bag and began pulling out other items—eyeshadow, blush, lip oil…

The male streamer and the viewers in the livestream chat: Watching the busy Shi Jian and thinking about the chainsaw maniac behind her, they couldn’t help but want to ask on his behalf—

Shi Jian, are you serious right now?

How can you still be doing makeup at a time like this?!

And yet somehow, the tension and pressure instantly felt less oppressive. Was this the superstar’s way of showing disdain for a serial killer?

It was a little odd.

And kind of ridiculously cool.…

Shi Jian had always valued her audience's experience, so as she applied her makeup, she also gave a live tutorial. “When applying eyeshadow, use a small amount and build up gradually. For the lower lid, just use the leftover powder…”

“Blush, when used correctly, adds vitality. If used incorrectly, it’ll just make your makeup look dirty.”

Shi Jian’s mini beauty class had officially started!

She was naturally beautiful—striking even without makeup—but with makeup, she could unlock all kinds of styles.

Shi Jian’s personal livestream viewership once again peaked, with numbers still climbing.

Let’s be honest, who wouldn’t want to watch a female streamer who can slap a chainsaw maniac and still do a full face of makeup while being chased?

She had completely claimed both thrills and beauty content.

【??? I never imagined I’d be learning beauty tips from a horror game stream.】

【Her eyeliner looks amazing, and the blush too. I want to buy it—can we get a product link? I want a full set for myself, and one for my bestie too!】

【Waiting for the link drop. I’m sold on the dress too.】

【Guys, let’s not get carried away. This isn’t a sales livestream, it’s a horror game stream. No links here.】

【Wait—this isn’t a product sales stream? I was just marveling at how far streamers go for product placement these days, even setting up immersive horror scenarios…】

Shi Jian’s finished look gradually took shape. It was one of those natural, effortless styles—nothing too obvious, but her eyes seemed bigger, her features more defined, her lips more hydrated… For a top-tier beauty like her, those subtle upgrades were already remarkable.

Shi Jian was now looking outrageously gorgeous.

She hadn’t used a mirror—just intuition. And as she became more focused on her makeup, she ended up completely widening the gap between herself and the chainsaw maniac.

She couldn’t even hear the buzzing chainsaw anymore.

But she was starting to get a bit tired from all the running.

So she paused for a moment, still chatting with her unseen audience. “Learned it yet?”

Her eyes scanned the surroundings, trying to find a place to hide.

Shi Jian: Makeup complete √, chainsaw maniac shaken off √

She really was amazing!

Except… this carriage looked kind of familiar?

“I didn’t learn it.”

A voice spoke from nearby.

Shi Jian: ?

Did she just hear a livestream viewer talk back?

No—it wasn’t a viewer. It was the non-mainstream-style female ghost. Shi Jian had recently learned her name—

Wang Shufen.

Wang Shufen was standing very close to Shi Jian. The voice had come from her. She no longer seemed to be suffering any backlash from her abilities—everything about her appeared normal now.Shi Jian was a little choked up.

Now that Wang Shufen was back to normal, things were going to get difficult for her.

Only now did Shi Jian realize why this place felt so familiar—this was the hard-seat carriage she had entered at the very start of the instance!

She had used Wang Shufen’s ticket to sneak into the soft sleeper, and now, chased by the chainsaw maniac, she’d ended up running right back here.

A wolf in front, a tiger behind—Shi Jian sighed internally. If she had known this would happen, she wouldn’t have antagonized Wang Shufen so badly.

【Oh no! Why is Wang Shufen here? It’s over—it’s over! There’s nowhere to run! The streamer is caught between two threats. Wang Shufen is definitely here to settle the score!】

Wang Shufen glared at Shi Jian with a fierce expression. After all, Shi Jian had really made a mess of her.

Just when Shi Jian and the audience thought Wang Shufen was going to lunge forward and strangle her again, Wang Shufen didn’t move. Instead, she opened her mouth and said:

“Teach me how to do makeup, and I’ll help you deal with whatever’s chasing you.”

It looked like Wang Shufen had wrestled with this decision quite a bit—her tone was even a little shy.