Players, Please Board the Train

”Whether they were originally in the town or players who arrived later, since we can’t find anyone, let’s set that aside for now.” He interrupted everyone. ”Let’s focus on getting the black metal out first.”

”Do you have suitable items for cutting metal?”

”I do have a short sword,” Shen Yi said, ”but it definitely can’t cut through the metal used for the town’s outer walls.”

”Look on the bright side—maybe the black metal can.” Gu Yu crossed her arms. ”But that’s secondary. The main issue is sound. Demolishing a house isn’t easy.”

”Answer the puzzles,” Xu Huo said. ”Not all puzzles are dangerous. Some should be like the clock shop puzzle, with absolute safe answer periods.”

”Compared to direct action, the risk of drawing out Mutants would be reduced by at least one-third.”

”But if we choose the wrong puzzle, wouldn’t that actually lure out the Mutants? Only two people can stay in one place at most—how could two people deal with a Mutant?” Shen Yi expressed doubt. ”Plus, Mutants can’t see and easily create noise. When they roam outside, could they attract more Mutants?”

”Players have been attacked by Mutants before. Have any of you seen Mutants roaming around town?” Xu Huo asked.

”Actually, no.” Wu Qiuyi carefully recalled. ”Mutants appear and disappear mysteriously. I’ve never actually encountered them face to face.”

”After the Mutant appeared yesterday, there seemed to be a time announcement sound after a while.” Lin Pei thought carefully, then looked at Xu Huo. ”That sound led the Mutant away.””I remember there was an electronic sound soon after the Mutant appeared last time too,” Ke Liang said from the driver’s seat.

”So that means Mutants get led back to the Pit Cage after a certain time.” Gu Yu lightly clapped her hands. ”Great! As long as we endure that period, we can avoid both the danger of attracting other Mutants and direct confrontation with them!”

”Then next is to go find puzzles.” Wu Qiuyi turned to Xu Huo. ”Do you have any clues?”

”Best places would be toy stores, clothing stores, stationery shops—those kinds of places.” Xu Huo said. ”As for the reason, Master Nise’s original purpose in creating the puzzles was to amuse children. Places children frequently visit are more reliable than personal residences or office spaces.”

”How do you know that?” Gu Yu looked skeptical, not doubting the truthfulness but rather the accuracy.

”There were some children’s books in the mayor’s office building that you all saw.” Lin Pei explained. ”Those might have belonged to Master Nise’s children.”

”No wonder. I always felt this Decibel Town was like a fairy tale town,” Shen Xin said with sudden realization.

Wu Qiuyi seemed to still have doubts, but Xu Huo cut in before she could speak: ”There are many uncertain factors. We’ll only know after trying.”

Wu Qiuyi hesitated, wanting to speak but ultimately swallowing her words.

The bus couldn’t turn back. To save time, they decided to first identify the Mutants’ locations along their route.

”I’ll get off first this time,” Wu Qiuyi said.

”I’ll go with you,” Lin Pei volunteered. ”The best approach is to have someone nearby to help. If the situation turns bad, they can divert the Mutant.”

”You two get off first, I’ll follow,” Ke Liang said.

”Who will drive next?”

”I’ll do it, I’ll do it!” Nian Hong’an quickly said. ”I’m very skilled at driving, absolutely no problems!”

”I can drive too,” Wang Chaoqing quickly offered.

There was no way the others would trust them to drive. Shen Yi and Shen Xin immediately stated they could stay on the bus.

Gu Yu pulled out a pistol. ”If anything happens, I’ll kill them first.”

”I want to rest for a while,” Xu Huo said.

Thus they agreed: Wu Qiuyi and Lin Pei would get off first, followed by Ke Liang.

”I’ll guard the roof of the bus,” Shen Yi said. ”If any Mutants approach, I’ll immediately sound the alarm.”

”Brother, be careful,” Shen Xin cautioned before positioning herself near the bus door for quick response.

Now only people Xu Huo had seen before remained on the bus. He sat in the passenger seat and carefully asked about everyone’s return times and locations earlier.

”Nothing special, just as planned,” Nian Hong’an answered.

”You suspect the person who ambushed you is one of us, right?” Gu Yu said bluntly. ”You can speak your thoughts, we’ll confront it directly.”

Everyone on the bus turned their attention to Xu Huo.

”Definitely not us,” Shen Xin said. ”We have no reason to attack you. We’re complete strangers—what good would killing you do us?”

”Besides, you seem like a smart person. We’re still counting on your help.”

”During your three days in town, have any of you gotten off the bus?” Xu Huo asked.

”Of course we have, to look for food.” Gu Yu raised an eyebrow. ”But if you’re asking whether we understand the town’s layout, I can tell you—I don’t know.”

”Although I’ve been to the mayor’s office building, I didn’t pay attention to the sand table at all, and I don’t know where Master Nise lived.”

”I can vouch for that,” Shen Xin said. ”My brother, Gu Yu, and I only went to the back kitchens of some stores. Since residences are a bit far from the main street, we were afraid of encountering Mutants and never entered any homes.”

”Brother, do you suspect there’s a mole on the bus?” Wang Chaoqing asked mysteriously.

”A mole?” Xu Huo shook his head. ”Players can hardly be considered allies. How could there be a mole?”

*

In a residence some distance from the main street, Wu Qiuyi and Lin Pei quietly waited for Ke Liang to get into position. Suddenly, Lin Pei said softly, ”Qiuyi, do you believe what Xu Huo said?”

Wu Qiuyi looked at him in surprise. ”What are you referring to?”

Lin Pei’s expression turned cold and serious. ”When he said someone attacked him, he was actually implying that it was other players on the bus who ambushed him.”

Wu Qiuyi’s face darkened. ”Could there really be other people hiding?”

”That possibility is very small.” Lin Pei shook his head. ”We’ve been in town for several days and haven’t encountered any accidents besides Mutants. He gets attacked as soon as he arrives—do you think that’s likely?”

”Do the others have any reason to do that? What’s the use of turning on each other?” Lin Pei said. ”We’ve been getting along peacefully until now.”

”And don’t you think he knows too much about this town?”

”The key to the puzzles, the Pit Cage where Mutants hide, the black metal at Master Nise’s residence... We’ve been to Master Nise’s residence too.”

”Just that alone doesn’t mean he’s deliberately stirring up conflict. It doesn’t benefit him either.” Wu Qiuyi frowned thoughtfully for a few seconds. ”We were the ones who assumed the puzzles were unsafe and didn’t dare touch anything in town. I can tell he’s a meticulous person, and he didn’t hide the clues from us after discovering them.”

”But you have a point too. After entering this dungeon, I learned one lesson: you can’t casually trust strangers. Let’s coordinate with Ke Liang later and pay attention tomorrow at Master Nise’s residence to see if what he says is true.”

Lin Pei nodded and didn’t say anything more.

At that moment, Ke Liang gestured to them from not far away. Wu Qiuyi grabbed the pre-prepared stones and threw them at a toy at the street intersection!