Players, Please Board the Train

”The poison has been neutralized. Now you should release me, right?” Cao Yan stared at Xu Huo with bloodshot eyes.

Only after confirming Huang Junjie’s condition had improved did Xu Huo turn to her. ”Information about the Holy Sword Society.”

”Could you let me down first?”

Xu Huo remained silent as he watched her.

Cao Yan seethed with hidden resentment but showed no outward expression. ”I only recently joined the Holy Sword Society. Don’t expect me to reveal any major secrets.”

”Start talking first.”

”The Holy Sword Society has sixteen players in Ting City. Most are Player-Eaters. The Boss is a man called Eagle. He recruited all the Holy Sword Society players and provided the items.”

”Is he an advanced player?” Xu Huo asked.

”I’m not sure about that. I’ve never seen him fight. Everyone else follows his orders because he has backing. We’re just a branch division—there must be bigger figures above him. Otherwise, where would he get so many items?” Cao Yan said with slight sarcasm. ”Maybe someone’s cultivating him from behind the scenes.”

”Through what channels does he find these players?” If this were before, Xu Huo might have suspected national forces behind this organization, but now his first suspicion was that Eagle had players from other worlds backing him.”Online posts.” Cao Yan curled her lips. ”Hard to believe, right? He just made a post saying he had game items for sale and welcomed players to buy. So many people fell for it.”

”Not fell for it,” Xu Huo interrupted her pretentious tone. ”They wanted to steal the items, just like how Zhou Xiao got caught by the phishing thread.”

”Besides Player-Eaters, how many ordinary players are among you?”

”Just a few.” Cao Yan said, ”Some ordinary players are poorer than they look. Even if they come seeking us, they’re just delivering themselves to death. At least six ordinary players have been eaten by them. Zhou Xiao was supposed to die too, but I said the Holy Sword Society should cultivate some ordinary players—they have great future potential and are much more useful than those simple-minded, muscle-bound Player-Eaters. That’s why he survived.”

”At least you have some small cleverness.” Xu Huo nodded slightly. ”But your brain isn’t that sharp.”

Just as Cao Yan was about to retort, she heard him continue, ”You only became a Player-Eater on the Preliminary Trial Train, right? The venom is your characteristic.”

Cao Yan immediately fell silent, pressing her lips tightly together, her eyes swirling with regret and hatred.

”She wasn’t originally a Player-Eater?” Huang Junjie was more surprised than anyone. ”Then why would she eat people? Those who eat the train’s provided food shouldn’t want to eat humans anymore.”

And she didn’t seem short on money.

”That’s why I said her brain isn’t sharp.” Xu Huo said calmly, ”Maybe she was tricked, or maybe she discovered how powerful Player-Eaters are and wanted to gamble for survival.”

Whether he guessed correctly or not, Cao Yan said expressionlessly, ”I’m very strong now too. In terms of physical ability, ordinary players can’t compare to Player-Eaters. Once you enter the game, you’ll understand—those who survive the most are still Player-Eaters.”

Xu Huo chuckled.

”What’s so funny!” Cao Yan became agitated. ”Don’t think I didn’t notice—you’re a Player-Eater too! Normal players should be like that guy behind you!”

Xu Huo looked at her with pity. ”Then why did you keep Zhou Xiao alive?”

Cao Yan’s voice cut off abruptly, her eyes almost bleeding with hatred. ”Don’t get cocky!”

Ignoring her hostility, Xu Huo rubbed his chin. ”After you got off the Preliminary Trial Train, did you try fasting?”

Cao Yan looked at him suspiciously.

”I want to see if someone like you can still be saved.”

Cao Yan swallowed hard. ”I tried, but couldn’t last three days.”

”Your first choice when capturing ordinary players is to eat them. Are players more nutritious for you than ordinary people?”

”Yes.” Cao Yan hesitated to say more.

”Have you tried other types of meat?”

”Neither red meat nor white meat works.”

”What about mutants?” Xu Huo said, ”There’s a type of monster on the Preliminary Trial Train that mutated from Player-Eaters. They’ve eaten humans, have stronger physical abilities than players, and still retain human characteristics. Logically, they’re still human, just without reason or ability to think.”

Cao Yan paused. She had only heard rumors about monsters on the Preliminary Trial Train, as most who witnessed them died.

If what Xu Huo said was true, these mutants’ evolution level even exceeded ordinary players. They would definitely be more beneficial for their evolution than regular players. It’s just eating meat—who cares if it has intelligence? And using them as substitutes for living humans, she wouldn’t have to suffer that inner torment anymore!

Seeing hope shining in her eyes, Xu Huo continued, ”I suspect Player-Eaters supplement their evolution energy through consumption. Eating humans might be more effective than potions. Since ordinary players are superior to normal people, what Player-Eaters need might be certain genetic elements produced by Evolvers’ bodies after evolution. Mutated humans and mutated animals in the game world should both possess them.”

As he spoke, he smiled slightly and moved two fingers. The piano wire restraining Cao Yan flew back to his hand and then disappeared.

”It seems heaven hasn’t completely blocked Player-Eaters’ path.”

Cao Yan half-knelt on the ground, looking at Xu Huo with complex emotions. ”You’re not a Player-Eater.”

Xu Huo didn’t speak but instead gave her his own clothes.

The oversized short sleeve happened to be just the right size to cover important parts. Cao Yan slowly stood up, kicked off her high heels, and leaped lightly onto the balcony. She paused before turning back to say, ”Eagle is on the third floor of Guangde Shopping Mall. He has a stealth characteristic.”

Leaving it at that, Cao Yan brushed her singed hair ends and slowly revealed a smile while pulling at the clothes on her body. ”Whether what you said is true or not, I’ll come back to find you.”

As her lighter flame flickered, Xu Huo stared at her for two seconds before saying, ”Your face is black.”

Cao Yan’s face fell as she flipped up to the third floor.

”She’s left.” Liu Jia’s voice came through the earpiece.

Huang Junjie’s face was covered in a layer of white frost. He walked to Xu Huo’s side. ”If I remember correctly, mutants carry an unknown toxin. Aren’t you afraid she’ll come back for revenge after you tricked her like that?”

”This is just one possibility. Success and failure each have fifty percent chance. What does that have to do with me?” Xu Huo paused slightly before adding, ”She carries toxins herself. Maybe there will be unexpected gains.”

”Impressive.” Huang Junjie genuinely admired him. Whether his reasoning logic held up or not, at least one Player-Eater had been persuaded to leave.

And honestly, among the Player-Eaters he’d seen, except for some extremely vicious ones, most were teetering on the edge of madness—physically craving but psychologically resisting. They would go crazy eventually.

He clearly felt the woman’s condition had improved significantly when she left. At least for a short time, she would be freed from that madness.

”Next,” Xu Huo pressed his earpiece, ”Liu Jia, where did that other player from the second floor go?”