The walls, ceiling, and door of the train car were all made of metal. The only non-metal parts were the plastic anti-slip mats on the floor and the plastic seats.
Nidi realized the game had officially begun. She calmly analyzed the situation.
In truth, if Nidi transformed into her angel form, she could probably resolve everything instantly. But, immersed in the game, she didn't want to cheat and decided to rely on her own skills to complete it.
"Ashley, we need to open the driver's cabin door first!"
"But the whole car is electrified right now, and the door handle is metal!"
Ashley's point was valid—touching the handle to open the door would be like signing your own death warrant.
Nidi quickly rummaged through a bag and found a piece of leather.
"Leather's an insulator. If we use it to grip the handle, we'll be fine!"
"Let me do it!"
Bald Guy, always impatient, grabbed the leather and the metal handle to open the door.
Meanwhile, the others weren't idle. They were all second-round players, and surviving this far meant they had some skills.
Black Sister noticed a square section cut into the plastic floor mat. Lifting it revealed a metal grate exit sealed by bulletproof glass.
"Look! There's an exit here!"
Drunkard glanced at the grate and came to a conclusion.
"Looks like we need to figure out how to open this exit to escape!"
By then, Bald Guy had opened the driver's cabin door. Inside was a device resembling a subway coin slot, with a digital display showing the number 9.
"Nine? Do we need to insert nine coins? Anyone got coins on them?"
Back then, many subway stations had coin slots, so people often carried spare change.
Nidi stopped Bald Guy.
"Wait! This puzzle can't be that simple. The coins are probably special. Check for other clues!"
Bald Guy, standing at the door, scanned the driver's cabin and spotted a nameplate that read, "All false advertising must be pulled."
"Pull all false ads? Are the coins hidden in the ads?"
He turned to the others.
Nidi frowned slightly.
"Actually, I noticed one of the ads in the car earlier was missing a letter. I thought it was just a mistake, but now it seems intentional."
"Where's the ad you saw?"
Nidi led them to a tourism ad and pointed at a word.
"Look! 'Yourslf' is missing the letter E!"
Sure enough, they all saw it.
The group split up to find other faulty ads and soon located several more.
But a new problem arose: the ad frames were metal, untouchable without getting shocked, and they had no tools to remove them.
"Maybe we're thinking about this wrong. It's not about removing the ads!"
Nidi closed her eyes, recalling the clue: All false advertising must be pulled. The word "pulled" could mean "remove," but it could also mean "pull" or "yank."
Opening her eyes, she scanned the car and noticed the hanging pull straps.
Those straps were for standing passengers to hold onto during rush hour to keep their balance.
"One, two, three… twenty-five, twenty-six. There are twenty-six straps!"
"What straps?"
Bald Guy looked at Nidi, confused by her sudden counting.
"I mean these pull straps. There are exactly twenty-six, probably corresponding to the twenty-six letters of the alphabet!"
Finally, someone caught on to Nidi's thinking.
Drunkard slapped his hand.
"I get it! The faulty ads are missing letters. If we pull the straps corresponding to those letters, we'll get the coins, right?"
Nidi nodded.
"Exactly!"
Round-Face Sister and Bald Guy sprang into action. Their puzzle-solving skills were average, but their execution was top-notch.
Players like them could pass with a bit of luck.
Bald Guy soon made a discovery.
"I found the strap for E! But these are metal too. How do we pull them?"
Black Sister thought for a moment.
"Anyone got keys? I can cut the leather to make hand guards!"
Who goes out without keys?
Bald Guy quickly pulled out his keys to toss them to Black Sister, but as the metal keys passed near a metal pole, they were zapped by an electric arc, flying off and visibly melting.
The sight startled everyone, serving as a grim reminder.
The electricity running through the car was now dangerously high. One wrong move could fry someone, so they all had to be extra careful.
Black Sister's hands were nimble—probably from past sewing work. In minutes, she crafted a makeshift leather hand guard to protect their hands.
"Alright, now we can pull the straps!"
Bald Guy took the lead again. He knew his puzzle-solving wasn't great, and without showing some courage, he risked becoming the team's weak link.
He pulled the E strap, and a coin marked with an E dropped out. Nidi's guess was spot-on, thrilling the group.
Bald Guy tossed the coin into the slot, and the display dropped to 8.
"Awesome! Eight more coins to go!"
Soon, Round-Face Sister and Ashley found two more correct letter straps, securing two more coins and tossing them into the slot.
Only six coins left to unlock the escape exit.
But then, Nidi sensed something off.
After pulling three straps, she could feel the voltage in the car intensifying.
As an angel, her primary combat ability was energy manipulation, making her sensitive to such changes. She stopped Drunkard, who was about to pull the fourth strap.
"Wait! It feels like every time we pull a strap, the voltage in the car increases!"
Black Sister looked at Nidi, shocked.
"How do you know that?"
Nidi struggled to explain. Without tools, there was no way to measure voltage.
"Just a hunch! Think about it—would a dark web game let us solve it this easily and escape?"
The four second-round players exchanged glances, recalling the painful memories of their last round.
Round-Face Sister spoke up.
"She's right. Even if we solve the puzzle, dark web games always come with a deadly catch!"
Nidi continued.
"So, my plan is we find the remaining six letters first. Then, one person stays near the driver's cabin, and after we pull the straps together, that person tosses in the coins to complete the escape!"
The person by the cabin would face the most risk, likely not having time to escape. Everyone hesitated.
Nidi was about to volunteer when Round-Face Sister spoke.
"I'll do it. I should've died on the battlefield. Surviving this long is already a gift from God. Let Him decide my fate."
Round-Face Sister was a retired soldier, which explained her tough demeanor.
With her stepping up, the others didn't argue and began searching for the remaining six letters. They quickly found the fourth, fifth, and sixth.
Only three letters left.
But now, the group hit a wall. They'd checked every ad but couldn't find the last three letters.
"Damn it! I knew the Puzzlemaster wouldn't make this easy," Nidi muttered.
The voltage in the car kept rising, even without pulling straps, though more slowly. Electric arcs were now visibly sparking in some areas.
Then, Bald Guy noticed a map on the wall. They'd been so focused on the ads that no one had paid it attention.
"Guys, I found—"
At that moment, an arc flashed across the map, startling Bald Guy. He stumbled, grabbing a metal pole for support, and a burnt smell filled the air.
"Oh no!"
Ashley reacted fastest, rushing to Bald Guy and kicking him to the ground.
It all happened in less than three seconds, but three seconds of high-voltage contact was enough to be lethal.
America had its legends like the "Electric King," who survived minutes of electrocution during an execution, but Bald Guy wasn't him.
When Ashley checked on him, she noticed his heartbeat and breathing were faint. The shock had caused his organs to start failing.
"Nidi, come quick! He's dying!"
"Let me see!"
Nidi pushed through the others to Bald Guy's side, exchanging a quick glance with Ashley, who immediately understood and blocked the view, also covering the camera.
Nidi placed her hand on Bald Guy's chest, using her holy light to heal him.
Under the light's power, his breathing stabilized. Though his skin was still scorched, his life was saved, but he remained unconscious.
"Phew, we saved him."
Black Sister, watching from a distance, was amazed.
"Girl, are you a med student?"
Nidi and Ashley's student vibes were obvious—no corporate drone energy—so the others could tell they were students.
"No, I'm in computer science, and she's in performing arts. But I've learned some first-aid basics!"
Nidi's quick excuse was believable. In America, where labor costs were high, families often learned basic medical skills to save on caregiving expenses.
"Guys, this isn't the time to talk. Let's figure out the last three letters!" Drunkard said, crouching to avoid another incident like Bald Guy's. The rising voltage made standing risky.
The map Bald Guy had noticed was now scorched, and with him still out, it seemed he wouldn't wake anytime soon.
Nidi scanned the car for more clues.
Then, she noticed a scrolling screen at the back of the car displaying a sequence of letters, including the six they'd found: _E_C E___AC_.
Combining the three letters they'd already identified—L, M, and K—the words seemed to form a phrase.
A spark of realization hit Nidi.
"Welcome Back! The answer is W, B, O!"
"What? The World Boxing Organization?"
The others hadn't noticed the screen and were confused by her guess.
"No time to explain—just trust me!"
Given Nidi's stellar performance so far, they chose to believe her.
Round-Face Sister dragged Bald Guy to the exit, and the remaining five took their positions.
Some straps were close enough that one person could pull two, so losing Bald Guy didn't affect them much.
"Three, two, one—pull!"
The six straps were pulled simultaneously, dropping six coins. The car shook as the electricity surged six levels, maxing out the voltage. Arcs sparked wildly, forcing everyone to hit the deck.
The five worked together, passing the coins hand-to-hand to Round-Face Sister. Gritting her teeth, she ignored the sparks and arcs above, tossing all the coins into the slot.
The display hit zero, and the floor escape hatch Black Sister had found opened.
"The door's open—go!"
Drunkard, closest to the hatch, dove in first, confirming it was safe before pulling Bald Guy through.
Black Sister, Nidi, and Ashley followed, leaving Round-Face Sister, the farthest from the hatch.
Though she'd prepared for death, she didn't want to die if she could help it.
But the car couldn't handle the high voltage anymore. Appliances were exploding, making her crawl to the hatch nearly impossible.
At the critical moment, Ashley leaned out and yanked Round-Face Sister through.
A second later, the entire train car exploded.
Hearing the chaos above, the five survivors were shaken but relieved.
The space below the car seemed to be an elevator. Once everyone was inside, it began descending rapidly.
Drunkard, trembling, pulled a metal flask from his jacket and took a swig. Only alcohol could ease his nerves.
"We made it!"
Widow Sister
(End of Chapter)