Players, Please Board the Train

Taking out ten player-eaters in one go and wiping out a small organization made this collaboration an enormous success with substantial rewards.

Including Ma Yu’s belongings, the total came to seventeen potions, six items, eight train tickets, twenty-six hundred white bills, plus some jewelry and cash.

”These were all stolen from other players, and now we’re getting them cheap,” Yan Jiayu said, her eyes gleaming as she looked at the items on the table.

Huang Junjie and the others also smiled. Many players went up and down the train and in and out of dungeons with empty pockets, while they had acquired so many game items at once—it could truly be called striking it rich.

Xu Huo didn’t plan to take out Eagle’s things, but he could make some concessions in the distribution. He picked out a short dagger item. ”I’ll just take this.”

”Aren’t you taking the toy gun?” Huang Junjie asked hesitantly. ”Among these items, the toy gun seems top-tier.”

The other four items were all close-combat weapons like knives and swords. Compared to the black bodysuit that could block blades and the dragon-shaped toy gun that could spit fire, they weren’t as impressive.

They probably guessed he might have taken advantage of the Special Affairs Department’s situation, but they had agreed beforehand to just capture a few Holy Sword Society members and keep the risk within certain limits. They wouldn’t participate in subsequent matters, so whatever happened when the Special Affairs Department raided the Holy Sword Society’s hideout afterward had nothing to do with them and didn’t require them to take risks.

Since Xu Huo had devised this plan and found Zhou Ning and the others, both emotionally and logically, he deserved the largest share.

”No need,” Xu Huo said. ”You divide the rest.””I don’t want weapons,” Yan Jiayu said. ”I’m not used to knives; I’m more comfortable with staffs. Just give me a few more potions and two more train tickets.”

Liu Jia said somewhat embarrassed, ”I didn’t really help much. Can I just have one train ticket?”

”What are you talking about!” Before Xu Huo could say anything, Yuan Yao slapped the table, righteous and solemn. ”Brother Xu must have had his reasons for inviting you. Every one of us here is indispensable—don’t underestimate yourself.”

”Look at me. I’m lying low beside a big shot and getting carried—does my face look red?”

The big shot he referred to temporarily meant Yan Jiayu.

Liu Jia and Yan Jiayu had been in contact, and both being young women, they easily grew close. She hadn’t seen the gruesome state of the bodies and just felt that a cute girl like Yan Jiayu couldn’t possibly be as deranged as Yuan Yao described, smashing people’s brains out at the slightest disagreement.

Yuan Yao, who had meant to comfort her but ended up getting stabbed instead, said awkwardly, ”Well, there’s always an adjustment period.”

Yan Jiayu patted his shoulder, her round oval face full of encouragement. ”Keep it up! I believe in you.”

Yuan Yao’s face turned green.

”Then I’ll take mine first,” Yan Jiayu said, getting to work. She took eight potions and two train tickets.

Then Huang Junjie took the dragon-shaped toy gun, two train tickets, and three potions. Liu Jia took a long knife and a dagger, one train ticket, and one potion.

Yuan Yao took another knife, one potion, and one train ticket each.

Although Xu Huo had said he only wanted one knife, they left the bodysuit for him. Yuan Yao said, ”Brother Xu, no need for lengthy words. If there are opportunities like this in the future, you must bring us along again.”

Xu Huo looked at Yan Jiayu. ”You don’t want the item?”

A pure smile on her face, Yan Jiayu patted the stone staff at her waist. ”Those of us who practice martial arts can take a beating. You look a bit weak—this clothing might save your life at a critical moment.”

Being called weak by a girl in her early twenties, and seeing her utterly serious expression, Xu Huo chuckled wryly and pushed the dagger on the table toward her.

Unexpectedly, Yan Jiayu genuinely didn’t care for these items and instead gave it to Huang Junjie. ”You’ve had it pretty rough—you take it.”

Huang Junjie didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.

Yuan Yao focused on Yan Jiayu’s stone staff. ”Big shot, what kind of item is this? It has patterns on it—looks impressive.”

”A demon-subduing pestle,” Yan Jiayu said, pulling out the stone staff and standing it upright in front of her, her expression solemn and imposing. ”These carvings are Sanskrit—it’s a Buddhist ritual instrument.”

”From what I know, demon-subduing pestles don’t look like this,” Xu Huo said mildly.

Yan Jiayu instantly broke character, grinning cheerfully. ”All beings are formless—why can’t a demon-subduing pestle be a rolling pin? I even gave it a name: Stone Rolling Pin.”

Everyone present laughed. Yuan Yao said, ”It’s quite fitting, but why would a pretty girl like you get a demon-subduing pestle? You’re not a monk.”

”My profession is monk,” Yan Jiayu said happily. ”Professional clergy.”

”She was previously a monastic and has now returned to secular life,” Xu Huo added.

Yan Jiayu nodded. ”When I left the mountain, my master said my worldly ties weren’t severed, so I had to return to secular life, but I think my connection to Buddha is still pretty deep.”

She waved the demon-subduing pestle. ”If any of you need guidance, just ask anytime.”

Yuan Yao immediately withdrew his curiosity and said, ”Since we pulled off a big job this time, we definitely need to celebrate properly. My treat—order whatever you want!”

”My time limit is almost up. I need to enter a dungeon with someone else, so I have to leave soon,” Liu Jia said.

”Is the Special Affairs Department arranging for someone to take you?” Xu Huo interjected.

Liu Jia nodded. ”My characteristic isn’t very lethal, and I’ve just started learning combat skills. I can’t make it through the first dungeon alone, so I need someone to guide me.”

Not every player relied on brains like Xu Huo or combat skills like Yan Jiayu. Most players were just ordinary people. Liu Jia had met many white players these days and had already stabilized her mindset.

”Then I wish you success. Let’s eat together after you come out next time,” Xu Huo said.

Liu Jia agreed with a smile.

Besides her, Yan Jiayu also had to leave. She wasn’t from Ting City and needed to catch the early bus.

As for Huang Junjie, he planned to stay until the wounds on his face healed somewhat before leaving.

Xu Huo had rented a three-bedroom apartment and offered one room to him.

However, this upset Yuan Yao, who had originally intended to shamelessly move in. But in the afternoon, he moved into the apartment opposite Xu Huo’s, proudly knocking on the door. ”I bought it.”

Huang Junjie was also an elite professional with a successful career, but buying a one or two million dollar property wasn’t something done as casually as buying cabbage.

”Since becoming an evolver, I felt ordinary life was very distant from me, but your utterly unscrupulous wealth has brought me back to reality,” he lamented. ”This world still needs money.”

Yuan Yao, legs crossed, directed the delivery staff to set the food on the table and opened two bottles of red wine worth tens of thousands. ”Come, come, don’t be shy. Everyone raise your glasses—to celebrate our triumphant success!”

After the hearty meal, Huang Junjie went to rest, Yuan Yao returned to his own place to play games, and Painting Woman, unhappy about having her phone confiscated, refused to clean and stuck herself to the wall.

With peace and quiet finally restored, Xu Huo logged into the Vanguard Players forum to browse the new information. One post about trading items caught his eye.