“Excuse me, have you been filming the entire time?” Jackson, the cameraman sitting behind Carlot, asked.
“Yes, the entire time. But aside from the attendant’s speech and that blinking real-time meter, there hasn’t been anything particularly meaningful to capture. We can’t see anything out there!” Jackson shook his head.
“That’s precisely what worries me. Look at this counter, doesn’t it seem a bit fake?” Carlot said.
“But Carlot, if it turns out we’re in Guangzhou after we get off, that would completely confirm it!” Jackson replied.
“I don’t believe it. That the Chinese could build such a long tunnel in just two and a half years… And since we can’t see anything outside the train, perhaps we’re actually just on a regular train track, heading to Guangzhou on a normal train.”
“That’s impossible, isn’t it? Trains usually make that rhythmic rumbling sound?”
“Nonsense, the soundproofing here is so good, of course you wouldn’t hear anything.”
“Then how do you explain the speed? Even on a clear track, a train would take at least five or six hours to reach Guangzhou!” Jackson stated.
“That’s simple too. They just need to find a reason to keep us trapped on this rickety train. They’ll say we’ve arrived, but they won’t let us off, making excuses to delay us, like the Guangzhou station isn’t ready yet and we need to wait. Then we end up waiting five or six hours, by which time the train would have already reached Guangzhou!” Carlot analyzed very seriously.
Although Jackson found many flaws in this theory, he had to admit there was a possibility.
But the problem was, they could clearly feel the train moving at high speed. And the new vacuum high-speed railway station being built in Guangzhou was tens of kilometers away from the railway line. Unless China had also built tens of kilometers of connecting railway, they would likely need to transfer by car. It would be quite a feat to fake such an elaborate deception, making it difficult for the Chinese.
At that moment, someone suddenly exclaimed in panic, “Excuse me, attendant, my friend seems to be feeling very unwell. He might not be able to handle this high-speed movement and is having trouble breathing. What should we do? Is there a doctor on board?”
“Okay, I’m coming right over!” the attendant replied quickly. “This is likely vacuum reaction syndrome. Some of our staff experienced similar symptoms during testing.”
“So, while we might not feel it, in reality, every one of us is moving at 3,400 kilometers per hour, two to three times faster than a supersonic jet. Although the gravity we experience isn’t as terrifying as with supersonic jets due to being in a vacuum, it’s equivalent to 1.5 times gravity. Those with slightly weaker physiques can develop vacuum reaction syndrome.”
“We found through practice that taking some fast-acting blood pressure-lowering medication can effectively alleviate these symptoms. I’ll give this gentleman some medication now!”
As she spoke, the attendant completely unbuckled her seatbelt, stood up, and pressed herself against the ceiling of the train as much as possible.
Then, the attendant pulled a buckle from her specialized uniform on her back and attached it directly to the ceiling of the train.
Simultaneously, the trouser uniform on her legs also had a similar fixing device, securing her legs to the ceiling.
In this way, the attendant appeared to be floating on the ceiling.
Next, pressing a button somewhere, she moved through the air with her back against the ceiling, facing the passengers.
Seeing someone fly over their heads, many reporters screamed in fright, but soon their expressions turned into smiles. After all, the attendant was quite attractive, and as she flew overhead, it offered unique vantage points for seeing things not usually visible.
It was a shame she was wearing trousers and not a skirt, making truly interesting sights difficult to glimpse. However, the visual experience was still quite delightful.
Soon, the attendant quickly moved to the ailing passenger. After a brief inquiry and examination, she took out a small medicine box, found a capsule, and gave it directly to the passenger.
The capsule worked wonders. Within two to three minutes, the passenger’s condition had noticeably improved, and he offered the attendant a grateful smile.
The attendant gave a few more instructions before flying back to her seat from overhead.
However, this incident seemed to have triggered something, as various issues requiring the attendant’s service began to arise throughout the train.
Thus, every minute or two, everyone could see the beautiful attendant flying overhead, yet no one showed any dissatisfaction. After all, she was pretty.
Just as everyone was becoming engrossed in this rather basic amusement, the attendant suddenly spoke quickly into the microphone, “Ladies and gentlemen, we are about to reach our destination, Guangzhou Station. The train will now begin to decelerate. This deceleration may cause some discomfort. Please fasten your seatbelts and re-engage your protective shields. Thank you for your cooperation!” In return for her flying around to provide service for the past few minutes, everyone cooperated by securing themselves again.
However, they soon realized this might have been a mistake. Two attendants then began checking all passengers’ seatbelts from the front and back of the train, so passengers whose seatbelts were not properly fastened were fortunate enough to receive service from the beautiful attendants.
Since they were providing service while airborne, a slight adjustment of perspective could reveal some… colorful sights. Those who had secured their seatbelts properly missed out on this particular perk. The beautiful attendants merely glanced at them to confirm their safety before closing their protective shields.
These beautiful attendants were clearly well-trained. The entire process took only about three minutes. Once the beautiful attendants had returned to their seats, they could clearly feel the train undergoing intense deceleration, and some passengers began to experience discomfort.
Carlot’s expression grew serious. Now it remained to be seen if the Chinese would resort to delaying tactics.
Five minutes later, everyone clearly felt a jolt as the train came to a complete stop, and then there was no longer any sensation of movement. This indicated that the train had completely halted.
Concurrently, the train began to exhibit the same reactions as during its initial startup, until there was complete silence.
“Miss, please open the doors quickly so we can disembark!” a reporter urged.
“I apologize, but due to a pressure difference between the carriage interior and exterior at this moment, we need to balance the pressure before we can open the doors,” the attendant replied.
“See, I told you! The Chinese will find every way to delay things!” Carlot became animated, but before he could even finish his sentence, the sound of an air valve releasing was heard, and the rear door of the carriage slowly opened. Simultaneously, the seats began to move again, gently bringing the passengers out of the carriage.
What followed was a repeat of the pleasant scene from earlier inside the station, with everyone eventually arriving in a small hall. The reporters who had been separated, along with Mr. Huang, had all reconvened in the hall within five minutes.
Staff members then began to help them unbuckle their seatbelts. Eagerly, the reporters disembarked from their seats, stretching their bodies and loosening the stiffness from sitting for so long.
“Dear reporters, how was your experience on this journey?” the Chairman of China Ultra-High-Speed Railway Development Company asked the reporters with a smile. Although some reporters were hesitant, they could only praise it as a magical journey.
“Very well, I shall say no more. It is now 11 AM. You are free to move about and go wherever you wish.”
“However, if you would like to experience our train again, you are welcome to return here at exactly 5 PM this evening. We have a return train that will take you back to Kunming. We have also arranged for our friends from the capital to return to the capital by plane tomorrow. Thank you for your support!” the Chairman said. As the doors to the VIP lounge opened, the reporters rushed out, desperate to prove one thing: whether they had truly arrived in Guangzhou.
And whether this place was still Kunming Station.
However, as they left the VIP lounge, they discovered that whether this was Guangzhou or not was uncertain, but it was definitely not the original Kunming Station.
The original Kunming Station was almost completely built, with perhaps only some interior decoration left unfinished.
But this station, by all appearances, was only half-finished. After exiting the corridor outside the VIP lounge, they could clearly see many buildings under construction, surrounded by scaffolding and safety nets. It was an incomplete station. xxs1
And once they left the station, they found themselves in a completely unfamiliar area, entirely different from the surroundings of Kunming Station. At the very least, they couldn't see the airport, which had been visible from several kilometers away, in the distance.
As they exited the station, they saw streets bustling with traffic and people, a stark contrast to the secluded mountain environment of Kunming Station.
They quickly found a way to hail a taxi. The first thing they asked upon getting in was, “Driver, sir, where are we?”
Well, that completely baffled the taxi driver.