The Taboo of Reading Novels

EP13: The Missing Necktie

"Ladies and gentlemen, the next station is the final destination. Please prepare to disembark."

After the alternating broadcasts in both Chinese and Japanese versions, another announcement followed.

"Congratulations on successfully reaching the final destination. Please proceed to the voting machines to choose whether to claim or forfeit the reward for this deadly subway journey."

Lin You paused for a moment, puzzled by the meaning of the announcement.

According to the mission instructions, he and Yukiko Nagata should evenly split the one million yuan reward, which meant each of them would receive 500,000 Yuan (About 70k US Dollars).

Fifty million yuan might be quite tempting for an average person, something that could only be earned through hard work or by having a wealthy family. How could they give up such a substantial amount of money at the final moment?

However, the fact that they were given the choice to claim or forfeit the reward indicated that the orchestrator behind the scenes wouldn't allow them to easily obtain the reward. There must be some constraints or promises involved.

Lin You looked at Yukiko Nagata, who had experienced two previous eerie journeys. She must be aware of the reasons behind this choice. Yet, due to his earlier cruel treatment towards her, he felt somewhat reluctant to ask her. Besides, even if he did ask, considering her current expression of wanting to bite him like a furious tigress, there was no guarantee she would answer.

It was better for him to investigate on his own.

The truth should be revealed through the voting machines.

Lin You approached the voting machine, and as he expected, there were two options presented before him. One was to claim the reward for the mission, which automatically signified participation in the next eerie journey. The other option was to forfeit the reward, which meant a lifetime exemption from participating in any future eerie journeys.

In simple terms, it was a choice between money and life.

Choosing the money meant taking on the risks of death.

Choosing life meant giving up the hard-earned reward, but it also presented an opportunity to live a comfortable and successful life with strategic thinking and courage, eventually marrying a beautiful and wealthy partner.

Lin You hesitated...

He acknowledged that 500,000 yuan was quite tempting, but compared to the value of his life, it seemed somewhat insignificant.

However, he had deeper considerations in mind.

To Lin You, the money was not important. What mattered most was his strong desire to explore the manipulator behind these eerie journeys and uncover the hidden secrets of this unknown world.

With that in mind, he stopped overthinking and, just as Nanako Koda had done confidently, he chose to claim the reward and participate in the next eerie journey by default.

"It's your turn, Nanako."

Lin You smiled calmly. It was time to transform his monotonous and mechanical life into one filled with challenges and excitement.

He reflected on the past two decades of his life and realized that he had never truly lived for himself. Like most people, he had been forced to follow a pre-determined path. During his school years, he was compelled to compare himself to other children in terms of grades, schools, and future prospects. After entering the workforce, the comparisons shifted to job positions and salaries. He was constantly reminded of others his age or even younger who were getting married and having children, pressuring him to find a partner and settle down.

It seemed that throughout his life, he had been trapped in a cycle of relentless competition. Even in death, he might be compared to others in terms of the value of his burial site and its Feng Shui.

He had lived according to a fixed formula, just like countless others who shared his experience.

This was a reflection of Lin You's life for the past 24 years, a reflection of the lives of many others who had experienced the same routine.

Deep down, you might feel that you had a life goal, but upon closer examination, you would realize that this goal was not truly your own. Yet, you felt powerless to escape it.

Now, Lin You had a genuine life goal of his own.

It felt as if he had found himself in a maze, discovered a glimmer of light in the darkness, and uncovered his own blueprint in the puzzling and unknown world.

Even though the road ahead was long and perilous, he felt no fear because this was his proof of being alive.

It was good.

Lin You expressed his anticipation.

Yukiko Nagata wiped away her tears of pain and anger, glared at Lin You with a mix of sternness and affection, and walked to the voting machine to make her choice.

Lin You was genuinely curious. As a newly legal eighteen-year-old girl, why would she dare to accept such a dangerous and terrifying challenge?

Could it be that she was not afraid of death? Not afraid of the ugliness of human nature?

As Yukiko Nagata made her choice, the subway suddenly shattered like a mirror world, breaking apart piece by piece.

The dazzling white light forced Lin You to close his eyes to avoid being blinded.

Yukiko Nagata, with a tearful voice, warned him sternly, "Husband! Just you wait, I will seek revenge on you!"

"Haha, I'll be eagerly waiting," Lin You replied.

Lin You had taken advantage of the situation. When he introduced himself as "laborer," he never expected Yukiko Nagata to call him "husband." But she said it so naturally and satisfactorily.

As the white light dispersed...

Lin You opened his eyes and returned to reality. This eerie journey filled with unknown dangers had ended so mysteriously.

Feeling the crowded subway, Lin You began checking his own body first.

He touched his face, which had been punched hard by Zhang Sheng, and found no swelling. However, he felt a sudden toothache.

Could it be related to the punch from Zhang Sheng?

Then, he made a shocking discovery.

"My necktie is gone!"

In the death subway, he had taken off his necktie and used it to restrain Zhang Sheng's hands. Now, back in the Tokyo subway, his necktie was nowhere to be found.

Did he accidentally lose it while being jostled in the subway? Or did his actions in that eerie world truly affect the real world? For example, if he had undressed there, would he be naked in the subway in reality?

If he had known this would happen, he should have tested it by removing an item of clothing from Yukiko Nagata earlier.

What a shame!

Lin You took out his phone from his pocket and saw that he had just received a transfer of 500,000 yuan!

The mission reward was real!

And the fact that he and Yukiko Nagata shared a million yuan reward meant that both of them were readers and not murderers. It also indicated that the other five people who were caught up in the death subway were not murderers either!

The murderer emphasized in the mission was indeed, as Lin You had suspected, deliberately fabricated to test people's hearts and make them doubt and kill each other.

Once their hearts couldn't withstand the test, the nonexistent murderer would be born as a result.

Because in order to monopolize the reward, one had to commit murder.

It was evident how deranged the manipulator behind the eerie journey was.

Fortunately, Lin You was not tempted, not foolish enough to kill for the sake of earning an extra 500,000 yuan.

Checking his phone, he realized that only a short while had passed in reality, but in the death subway, they had experienced more than an hour.

It was like a dream within a dream...

However, the 500,000 yuan and the missing necktie confirmed that everything had truly happened.

But the bookshelf in the novel, "The Taboo of Reading Novels," had disappeared without a trace...