Players, Please Board the Train

”In recent days, multiple areas of Country Y have experienced riots, with large numbers of unidentified terrorists robbing military armories and conducting indiscriminate massacres. According to incomplete statistics, eleven cities have already fallen into the flames of war. Country Y calls this the most horrifying atrocity of the century...”

”...Multiple high-ranking officials simultaneously disappeared from their homes, and their whereabouts remain unknown to this day. Country B’s highest executive vows to use heavy firepower against these criminal activities disrupting Country B’s order...”

”Country S’s highest executive and his entire family were tragically killed in their villa...”

”...Country H has experienced twenty-nine mass murder cases within one week...”

”Seven passenger planes from Country W vanished into thin air...”

”...Tsunamis in Country N have submerged one-third of its territory...”

”...Sudden riots and crimes have become the prelude to global turbulence, with frequent criminal incidents occurring in various countries. Self-proclaimed Evolver pioneer cultists are spreading across different regions, and some on online platforms even claim they will destroy nuclear bases while providing specific information...”

Xu Huo drove while adjusting the radio. In just a few days, almost all public channels, television, and online platforms had been dominated by riot reports. While some incidents might have been caused by players, most were atrocities committed by local citizens after the initial chaos—such as robbery, murder, attacks on national institutions, large-scale protest rallies, and even political unrest in some smaller countries.

Once the fuse was lit, the entire world was swept into a vortex of chaos within an extremely short time, including the cities he passed through.

Seeing they were approaching Harbor City, Wang Chaoqing shrank in the back seat and said fearfully, ”Brother, maybe we shouldn’t go to Harbor City. Those outsider players might specifically target major cities. And Harbor City is one of the top economic metropolises in the coastal region—there are countless highly educated people with advanced degrees here. The players who survived the initial selection must be numerous too. If fighting breaks out, we could easily become cannon fodder!””The number of incoming players isn’t that high. There won’t be widespread one-on-one combat. The state machinery can handle some lower-level players through attrition. Someone will come forward for negotiations soon.”

Xu Huo kept his eyes on the road ahead, his expression largely unchanged.

Having passed through so many cities—even deliberately detouring through some more dangerous ones to observe—he noticed that after the initial chaos, it was mostly local Evolvers and lawless elements who emerged. The situation remained within controllable limits.

This indicated that train tickets and dungeons were blocking most players from other zones.

The truly troublesome ones were the high-level players. Their entry methods might differ, and they probably wouldn’t leave Zone 014 without finding Super Items.

”What does that have to do with us?” Wang Chaoqing hugged his own arms. ”I just want to survive.”

Xu Huo ignored him, presenting his documents at the checkpoint before entering Harbor City.

As a super metropolis, Harbor City remained relatively stable inside. The streets had considerable vehicle and pedestrian traffic, though most people moved with hurried purpose. However, places like shopping malls and stores were quite crowded, with everyone focused on news from televisions and phones.

Finding a parking spot, Xu Huo casually chose a restaurant and sat by the window.

”Hello, what would you like to order?” a server hurried over.

Painting Woman ordered several dishes, but the server apologetically said, ”We don’t have that specialty meat today. The city’s sealed off, so some supplies can’t get through. Perhaps you could choose another dish?”

”I came from outside, and Harbor City seems relatively good,” Xu Huo remarked.

The server looked at him in surprise. ”You came from another city? The news says many cities aren’t allowing entry or exit anymore.”

”I left early.” Xu Huo paused before adding, ”Harbor City is a major metropolis after all—it must be much safer.”

”Absolutely,” the server agreed enthusiastically. ”Many of my friends from other places say they don’t even dare go outside. Sometimes they’re too scared to turn on lights while hiding at home. Daytime smash-and-grabs are nothing compared to the most terrifying part—cannibals roaming around at night! It’s horrifying!”

”But with the city sealed, people can’t go anywhere. They can only hide at home in fear.”

”Compared to those places, our Harbor City is much better. Patrol cars are everywhere on the streets, and it’s safe to go out.”

Xu Huo praised the advantages of a major metropolis and added another dish. The server smiled and left.

”Brother, you’re really foresighted,” Wang Chaoqing gave a thumbs up. ”Coming to Harbor City early was smart.”

Xu Huo turned to watch the news broadcast on the large screen in the square without speaking.

Even a heavily guarded core city like Capital City couldn’t claim to be safe, yet Harbor City remained so peaceful—this was the most abnormal aspect.

What were they actually planning to do?

*

”What are they trying to achieve!” A military-uniformed elderly man slammed the table in anger. ”In less than an hour, fifty players have already died! No warnings, no demands—they’re killing almost one person per minute, and all of them are elites!”

After the Super Item appearance announcement, they had immediately responded by raising the alert level to maximum across all cities. Some classified cities received heavy military protection, fearing players might target these locations.

Though Capital City faced some crises, as the nation’s heart, its existing players combined with elite players gathered from across the country formed a substantial force. Working with the military, they temporarily suppressed those threats at certain costs.

Before they could develop strategies for the coming problems, the Special Affairs Department started losing people.

To address the crisis, they and selected important players had already entered secure zones. Yet these people kept dying one after another, in such bloody manners that it was unbearable to watch!

During the first ten minutes, they separated and evacuated all players. But no matter where players hid, they couldn’t escape their fate of being killed—fifty deaths in one hour. Even as the military-uniformed elderly man erupted in anger, two more deaths occurred.

”Are they trying to kill every player in Capital City?” another white-haired elderly man asked.

”According to current information, only Special Affairs Department players are being killed in large numbers,” the department director said from the computer screen at the other end of the conference table.