The Strange Encounter of Train D3014

The train jolted violently, and the screeching sound of the brakes cut through the heavy air. A mechanical, calm female voice came over the loudspeaker: "Passengers, train D3014 has made an emergency stop due to hitting an unidentified object. Please be patient while our staff addresses the situation."

Wang Ming sighed and put down his newspaper. This was the third time this month the train had stopped due to an "unidentified object." The first time, it hit a plastic bag; the second, a torn raincoat; and now, it was an "unidentified object." He rubbed his temples, the view outside the window was a monotonous grey, matching his mood.

He glanced at his watch, 10:17 AM. He was used to this time, because the train always stopped at this exact time. Passengers started to whisper, some complaining, some pulling out their phones to pass the time, while others, like Wang Ming, seemed to have become accustomed to it.

Suddenly, the train started again, and the same message was repeated over the loudspeaker: "Passengers, train D3014 has made an emergency stop due to hitting an unidentified object. Please be patient while our staff addresses the situation."

Wang Ming was stunned. He looked down at his watch, 10:17 AM. He looked up at the window; the grey was still there, even the clouds had the exact same shape as before.

He felt like something was wrong. He pinched his arm hard, and felt the pain. He began to carefully observe the other passengers. They did not seem to notice anything unusual, they were still complaining and playing with their phones. Only the man in the black trench coat sitting across from him looked up and gave him a meaningful glance, a subtle smile playing on his lips.

For the next few minutes, the train repeated the same process. Stopping, the announcement, 10:17 AM, starting again, stopping again. Each time, Wang Ming tried different things: he spoke loudly, stood up and walked around, even tried to open the train door, but nothing changed.

The man in the black trench coat sat there, quietly observing Wang Ming. His eyes seemed to hold a hint of curiosity, and also an air of knowingness.

Wang Ming felt a chill run down his spine. He tried to communicate with the man in the trench coat, "Do, do you feel... that something is wrong here?"

The man in the trench coat smiled slightly and pulled a neatly folded piece of paper from his pocket, handing it to Wang Ming. "If you can solve this riddle, maybe you can find a way out."

Wang Ming took the paper and opened it. On it was a simple loop diagram, arrows connecting head to tail, with a line of words written in scrawling handwriting: "Every time is the first time."

He was stunned. He finally understood. This was not just an ordinary stopping accident, they were trapped in a time loop. And he seemed to be the only one who was aware of it.

Wang Ming took a deep breath. He decided not to run from it anymore. He looked around, carefully observing every detail of the carriage. He started talking to the passengers, asking what had happened that day, trying to find out the real cause of the loop.

Several hours passed. He tried countless methods, but was still unable to break out of this loop.

Until the countless "10:17 AM" arrived, Wang Ming noticed a flash of a shadow outside the window. He clearly saw that it was not a bird, but a monkey wearing a red uniform. It was holding something that looked like a remote control in its hand, pointing it towards the train.

"That's it!" Wang Ming suddenly realized. The "unidentified object" in this loop was not a bird at all, but a monkey, who was using some kind of device to continuously repeat the train's time.

Without hesitation, he rushed towards the front of the train to the driver's cabin. Pushing open the door, the drivers were slumped in their chairs, their eyes blank. He saw a red button flashing on the console. It was the exact same button the monkey was holding on the remote control.

Wang Ming did not hesitate and pressed the button.

Everything went silent.

Time in the carriage stood still.

Wang Ming found that he could move freely. He walked to the window and saw the monkey lying beside the tracks, the remote control it was holding had been broken.

He took a deep breath. He knew he had finally broken out of the time loop. He turned around, wanting to wake the other passengers, but found that they were all frozen at that moment, as if someone had pressed the pause button.

He tried to push the man in black but the man wouldn't move. Still keeping that strange smile at the corner of his mouth.

Wang Ming was completely desperate. It turned out that what he had escaped was not a time loop but a deeper trap. He had become the only conscious person in this still world. He succeeded but also failed. He finally understood that some absurd truths are far more terrifying than despair itself.

The wind blew, outside the window, the grey sky remained as monotonous as ever.