Players, Please Board the Train

The moment Lin Pei finished speaking, Ke Liang and Gu Yu charged at him from front and back. The former threw a punch at Lin Pei’s face, forcing him back several steps before quickly crouching down. Gu Yu leaped up from behind, raising her arms to block the incoming sword while clamping her knees around his head as she dropped backward. Both of them crashed onto the suspension bridge simultaneously!

Lin Pei landed on his back while Gu Yu pushed herself up, took a large step forward, and swiftly turned around. She attacked almost at the same time as Ke Liang—one slashing a blade toward his throat, the other grabbing his right leg and twisting hard!

On the suspension bridge barely over a meter wide, this coordination achieved miraculous results. Lin Pei was completely stunned by the initial assault, but his reactions proved equally swift. He blocked Gu Yu’s killing move with his sword, then spun in the direction of Ke Liang’s force while delivering a powerful kick to his shoulder!

Ke Liang grunted in pain as his upper body tilted dangerously over the edge. Seeing the horde of shrieking Mutants below, he frantically grabbed onto the iron chains!

By now Lin Pei had already broken free and scrambled to his feet. He deflected Gu Yu’s blade and delivered a kick toward her!

Gu Yu crossed her arms in front of her chest to block the kick, but the impact shattered one of her arms!

She staggered backward, staring at Lin Pei in disbelief. ”How are you so strong? Are you a Player-Eater?”

Lin Pei spat out dust from his mouth, then spat downward. ”Not only Player-Eaters evolve powerful physiques. Haven’t you heard of evolution rate? Mine has already reached 26%. A few more potions and I’ll hit 30%, entering the next stage of evolution.”

Gu Yu’s shock turned into a grim expression. ”So you’ve been hiding your strength all along.”

”The Dimensional Rift, the emergence of Player-Eaters—it’s a disaster for all humanity. Countless people die because of the game every day. Only players can counter these unknown dangers.””And player survival rates in dungeons are low. Having one-third of participants make it out alive is considered good for any dungeon. Precisely during times like these, players should unite to help more people survive!”

”But there are always people like you, only interested in infighting. The result of killing each other is strangling promising players in their cradle. When that time comes, forget threats from other players in the game—we might not even withstand attacks from other countries in the real world!”

”Once our nation falls, how many will perish in the flames of war?”

”Don’t you have family? You’re truly despicable!”

Lin Pei actually laughed at her words. ”National righteousness? What does that have to do with me?”

”The game world is vast—far more than just our world. Inside the game, everyone is just a player. There are only black, white, and red players—no distinctions of race or nationality. The only way to survive in the game is to increase your level and evolution rate.”

”You think weaklings stop being weaklings when they gather together? That’s called a flock of weaklings.”

”Just look at you guys. Killing you all wouldn’t be difficult for me.”

”By your logic, if I obtain more items to level up and become stronger, couldn’t I protect more people?”

”Why waste breath on him?” Ke Liang cracked his knuckles. ”People like him are selfish and self-serving. They’d harm others for the slightest benefit, completely devoid of any concept of good and evil!”

”When he first entered Decibel Town, Wu Qiuyi even helped him. And what was the result?”

”She survived when Xu Huo was fighting head-on in such dangerous situations, yet ultimately died at the hands of a companion she trusted!”

A flying arrow pierced through Ke Liang’s thigh. He screamed and collapsed to his knees!

”Ke Liang!” Gu Yu cried out. She moved to help but saw Lin Pei’s Spring Rope whipping toward her.

She quickly retreated, but her foot got caught. The seemingly adhesive rope dragged her down to the bridge!

Lin Pei suddenly accelerated, rushing before her and delivering a vicious kick to her abdomen!

”Cough!” Gu Yu’s stomach fluids reversed as she curled forward, retching. She slid several meters before crashing against the iron chains, nearly falling over the edge until Lin Pei grabbed her.

Half her body hung over the side as she gripped the chains and launched a series of kicks at her approaching attacker!

Lin Pei effortlessly deflected her attacks, pinning one foot to the bridge with his sword!

”Ahhh!!!” Excruciating pain made Gu Yu arch her upper body, but before she could reach for the sword, a knee struck her temple!

As she collapsed dizzily to the ground, Lin Pei walked over and stepped on her head. ”Now tell me, who exactly are you going to protect?”

Blood flowed from Gu Yu’s nose and mouth as she tried to pry his leg away, staring at him with pure hatred. ”What does killing me accomplish? You’ll never leave this town!”

Lin Pei frowned, about to speak when he suddenly sensed wind approaching from behind. He spun around to see the previously unconscious Shen Xin already before him: ”Panda Impact!”

”Panda Impact!”

Shen Xin delivered three consecutive charges. The first forced Lin Pei to rapidly pull his sword from the bridge and still sent him sliding back seven to eight meters. The second sent him completely airborne. The third came as Shen Xin leaped up to deliver a mid-air follow-up!

Three consecutive impacts nearly made Lin Pei vomit blood. He desperately used his Spring Rope to mitigate the momentum, but only after snapping three iron chains did he manage to dissipate most of the force. Even so, he still went tumbling halfway across the bridge!

Wang Chaoqing’s flashlight slipped from his hand onto the bridge, its beam passing over Ke Liang and the others to illuminate the opposite side where Lin Pei came crashing down.

With three chains broken simultaneously, the suspension bridge shook violently. Along with his heavy impact, creaking sounds erupted everywhere, and the Mutants below grew even more agitated!

”Will the bridge break? I don’t want to be eaten alive!” Wang Chaoqing wailed, clutching his head.

”Shut up!” Ke Liang shouted back while warily monitoring the bridge’s movements. Fortunately, the remaining chains held firm, and the shaking showed signs of subsiding. Supporting his injured leg, he stood up and moved toward Gu Yu and the fallen Shen Xin when a thin shadow flew through the beam, quickly wrapping around Shen Xin and dragging her away!

Shen Xin had already been injured. Her desperate triple charge had exerted significant recoil on herself, leaving her barely able to stand after landing. Once entangled by the Spring Rope, she had no strength left to resist.

”Shen Xin!” Gu Yu, lying nearby, immediately reached out to grab her. She was dragged two meters before being thrown off, forced to watch helplessly as Shen Xin was pulled toward Lin Pei.

Seeing Lin Pei rise with his sword, she screamed, ”If you kill Shen Xin, you’ll never learn how to get out!”

Lin Pei planted a foot on Shen Xin. ”What did you say?”

”The exit ahead is already closed—completely impassable. The only way is to return to town and exit through the west gate. Only we know how to open it. If you kill Shen Xin, or any one of us, then we all die together!”

Lin Pei’s expression shifted dramatically as he pressed his sword tip against Shen Xin’s neck. ”What do you mean? Why would the exit be locked?”

”Why do you think we turned back?” Gu Yu said, standing with Ke Liang’s help as she looked ahead. ”The chain on the gate broke. The door can’t be opened from the inside at all.”