Players, Please Board the Train

Xu Huo didn’t answer the question immediately, instead waiting for it to ask a second and third time, until the final countdown.

”The Puzzle Solver has five seconds remaining.”

Xu Huo replied: ”Chairman of Stellar Corporation.”

”Beep! Correct answer!”

”The Puzzle Solver has provided the correct answer. Master Nise has decided to reward you with a small magnifying glass. The magnified world is more beautiful than the normal world.”

Xu Huo took the magnifying glass as usual, then turned to Shen Xin and said, ”Gu Yu’s side should have succeeded by now. If each instance only attracts nearby Mutants, then even answering wrong for the remaining questions won’t be dangerous. Just to be safe, you should exit first.”

Shen Xin was full of questions, but now wasn’t the time for detailed explanations. She wisely retreated from the household goods store. ”Be careful yourself.”

”Clever Puzzle Solver, the third question is: If a mutated Evolver stands before you, would you uphold justice and kill it?”

This time, without waiting for the clock’s countdown, Xu Huo answered directly: ”No.”

After visiting Master Nise’s residence, he had gained some understanding of this highly skilled craftsman. First, he was passionately devoted to making clocks, and the timepieces he created could qualitatively transform into special items carrying spatial and temporal powers. Second, his deceased son and daughter-in-law both opposed the abuse of evolution drugs, and he himself had invested tremendous effort into this cause. Third, during the evolution process, some people would die while others would mutate into monsters, and he was desperately searching for a perfect evolution method.Understanding these points, looking back at this question made it clear that Master Nise had built this town for his mutated granddaughter. This childlike, fairy-tale town was meant to make the little girl happy, but the black metal room and the high walls surrounding the town were to prevent her from escaping if she lost control.

After his son and daughter-in-law’s deaths, the little girl was probably Master Nise’s only remaining family. He wouldn’t kill his mutated granddaughter, and of course he wouldn’t sanctimoniously demand that others kill mutated Evolvers either. Especially since he had ultimately found the perfect evolution method and already possessed the means to save mutated Evolvers.

”Beep! Correct answer!”

”The Puzzle Solver has answered correctly. Master Nise has decided to reward you with a P0T evolution injection. This injection can be used when evolution rate is below 15%, allowing Evolvers to break free from the agony of long-term evolution agent consumption.”

”Today’s question time has ended.”

Xu Huo tightly grasped the green injection in his hand.

Evolution agents couldn’t be discontinued. Did breaking free from this agony mean this was an injection that could compensate for evolutionary defects?

Could this be the perfect evolution method that Master Nise had found?

Holding the injection up to the light for examination, Xu Huo slightly narrowed his eyes, staring at the flowing green liquid inside, his expression changing several times.

”What are you looking at?” Lin Pei appeared at the household goods store entrance, staring at the item in his hand.

”An evolution agent, for use below 15%,” Xu Huo said casually as he put away the injection.

Lin Pei studied him. ”Aren’t evolution agents all blue?”

”Maybe it’s an enhanced version,” Xu Huo said, unconcerned by his gaze as he walked past him.

In another shop, Shen Xin was giving Wu Qiuyi trouble. ”Don’t tell me you just remembered wrong because of poor memory! We considered that you and Lin Pei had been starving for several days, so we let you handle the puzzles near Master Nise’s residence—that area was most certain and safest. And how do you repay us? Nearly costing all four of us our lives!”

Wu Qiuyi’s face flushed red. ”I absolutely did not remember wrong! There are two household goods stores here total, with similar layouts and decorations. The clocks are the same too, only the wreath colors above them differ—one purple, one blue. The blue one’s question was about Master Nise’s favorite shoes!”

”Then how do you explain the question changing to favorite game? And what a coincidence—just when we were about to leave, a board fell down, forcing us to stay and answer!”

”How should I know!” Wu Qiuyi instinctively lowered her voice. ”If you don’t believe me, go check the other store!”

”I’ve already checked—the other one has a purple wreath,” Xu Huo responded from outside. ”You might have genuinely remembered wrong.”

”I did not!” Wu Qiuyi said through gritted teeth. ”I would never remember wrong! I wouldn’t cause any companion’s death!”

Seeing her angry yet sorrowful expression, Shen Xin was momentarily speechless. Instead, Lin Pei comforted: ”We were all dizzy and lightheaded from hunger those past few days. Mixing up the two colors is completely normal.”

This time Wu Qiuyi didn’t speak. She abruptly pulled the door open, went out, and climbed onto the rooftop before leaving.

”Don’t mind them, she’s just overwhelmed with grief,” Lin Pei sighed, quickly chasing after her.

To be safe, Xu Huo and Shen Xin didn’t immediately go out. Watching the two retreating figures, Shen Xin whispered, ”Do you believe what they said?”

Xu Huo shook his head.

”Absolutely despicable!” Shen Xin said angrily. ”Everyone’s desperately trying to find ways to escape, yet some people deliberately cause trouble for no reason! What could they possibly gain? What benefit do they get from others dying?”

”It’s almost dark, let’s return to the bus first,” Xu Huo said without offering his opinion.

The group gradually returned to the vehicle. Shen Xin’s attitude caught Shen Yi’s attention, and after a couple questions, she explained everything that had happened.

When Shen Yi and Gu Yu learned they had unknowingly walked through death’s door, anger immediately surged within them.

”Misunderstanding, it’s all a misunderstanding...”

Before Lin Pei could finish speaking, Shen Yi shoved him. ”We almost died, and you think a light ’misunderstanding’ settles it?”

”What do you want then?” Lin Pei also grew angry. ”Nobody wants mistakes to happen, and it’s not like you’re the only ones taking risks.”

Gu Yu sneered coldly. ”You stab us in the back and you take risks? More like waiting for us to die so you can take our items!”

”What kind of talk is that!” Wu Qiuyi raised her voice. ”Taking your items won’t get us out anyway, what’s the point?”

”Other items might not work, but Xu Huo’s item can cut black metal—maybe it can cut through the main gate! Murder and robbery—this kind of person is common in dungeons!” Gu Yu retorted sharply. ”You can know a person’s face but not their heart! To be blunt, if not for us, you might have starved to death in the end. Quite skilled at repaying kindness with betrayal!”

”Everyone contributed effort. Do you think without us, your few people could have so quickly determined the Mutant range?” Ke Liang said with a dark expression. ”Everyone’s just trying to survive, don’t talk about favors or betrayal.”

”Fine then, we’re cooperative partners. Since it’s cooperation, what’s with the sabotage from within?” Gu Yu said aggressively. ”First a sneak attack, then messing up the puzzle questions—how did someone so careless not die in previous dungeons?”

”What do you mean, you’re putting Xu Huo’s incident on us too?” Ke Liang’s cheek muscles twitched, clearly also angered.

Gu Yu looked at him coldly. ”Haven’t you been wandering all over town these past two days? Seen anyone else?”

Ke Liang paused, but Lin Pei laughed at this point. ”Only Xu Huo himself knows about being attacked—who knows if it’s true or false?”

Gu Yu looked at these people incredulously. ”You still want to blame the victim?”