Players, Please Board the Train

Xu Huo wore an expression that said ”you’re trying to fool me.” ”How is this important information? It’s written in the game’s background setting.”

The female player paused, then added, ”Don’t you want to know why?”

”Why?”

”Apparently, after the Great Contamination twenty years ago, people here can no longer have children. Also, outside visitors carrying children aren’t allowed to enter the city.”

”How is this related to the game mission?” Xu Huo questioned doubtfully.

”People in the city keep talking about the contamination incident from twenty years ago,” the female player explained. ”But the air, soil, and water sources here are all normal. So why haven’t any babies been born in these twenty years?”

”There must be some hidden truth here, maybe related to our mission.”

Xu Huo seriously considered this. ”You make a valid point.”

The female player smiled slightly. ”What about your information?”

Xu Huo looked around before lowering his voice. ”You can’t just stay at any shop here. I heard in the restaurant that some shops frequently have tourists disappearing, and even their meat dishes are made from people.””How about that? Pretty important news, right?”

”Look, it’s getting dark. Why don’t we partner up to find lodging? It’s just that staying here is quite expensive. Could you lend me some money?”

The female player pressed her lips together, her chest heaving—clearly furious. But she still threw him five hundred White Bills and said angrily, ”Take it! That should be enough for one night!”

Xu Huo pocketed the White Bills and called out cheerfully to her hurriedly retreating back, ”Wait for me!”

The female player walked even faster.

Only after she disappeared from view did Xu Huo leave the museum to find accommodation.

If the female player’s information was accurate, it somewhat verified some of his thoughts.

The story told by the flower shop assistant seemed logically inconsistent, with important parts downplayed. But if you changed the identities of the main characters and the priority of events, the story would become much more coherent and familiar.

First, the female protagonist’s husband was a Player-Eater who began mutating several years before the Great Contamination.

Second, when Mutants appeared in large numbers, this husband fought against the Mutants. Eventually, his mutation became severe, and he committed suicide before completely losing his sanity.

This aligned with the progression of the real world’s gamification—first appearing in small numbers of Evolvers and players, then expanding.

The difference was that Building Block Fairy Tale City’s gamification process was interrupted. Most people here suddenly turned into Mutants, causing the city’s population and area to shrink dramatically.

The reason for the Mutant transformation lay in the toxins produced during the evolution process. These toxins weren’t infectious diseases and didn’t require extreme containment measures.

According to the female player, the soil and water quality here were fine, yet Building Block Fairy Tale City’s government intentionally isolated even themselves. Locals even spread rumors that anyone injured by animals from the Contaminated Zone would be taken for experiments—all of this actually served to exaggerate the dangers of the Contaminated Zone.

Whether people in Building Block Fairy Tale City knew the specific details of the ”Great Contamination” remained unknown for now. But many people here told stories involving the ”Great Contamination,” which clearly had hidden circumstances. Who would believe it wasn’t related to the game mission?

The dungeon had three missions. The game didn’t indicate whether completing just one would allow clearance, so currently all three missions had to be treated as mandatory.

Looking just at the latter two missions revealed they were connected—find the woman who tells the correct story and find teeth for her. If the three options were progressive, then the first step was to find someone who tells the correct story.

Many people in Building Block Fairy Tale City told stories, but the ”correct story” likely referred to one or several specific stories. Regardless of truth, before finding this person, they needed to understand the general direction of the ”correct story.”

Based on current information, this direction most likely pointed toward the ”Great Contamination” from twenty years ago.

Having sorted out some clues, Xu Huo’s vehicle arrived at Yongxing Club.

As he got out, several tourists had just been turned away at the entrance. A server politely said, ”Gentlemen, we operate on a membership system here. Only members may stay.”

”Not even if we pay more?” one tourist asked. ”We can apply for membership cards.”

”Membership cards are issued by the headquarters. Our branch cannot process membership applications,” the server explained with a smile.

The tourists left disgruntled. Xu Huo stepped forward and asked, ”Can I use my Yongxing Restaurant membership card here?”

The server’s smile became more genuine. ”Of course. Yongxing membership cards are universal. May I ask your surname, sir?”

”Xu.” Xu Huo handed over the membership card he obtained from the Preliminary Trial Train.

The server accepted it with both hands, slid his finger along the edge, then quickly returned it. He warmly invited Xu Huo inside and began introducing the club’s facilities.

”The first floor is primarily for leisure and entertainment. Mr. Xu can play ball games or drink tea here. If you wish to watch performances, besides the cinema, we also have a dedicated performance team.”

”The second floor is for dining. Besides local cuisine from Building Block Fairy Tale City, we offer specialty dishes from other regions. However, the restaurant does not serve human meat or any meat and vegetables produced by Mutants. We appreciate your understanding.”

”The third floor contains the swimming and fitness areas. Floors four through ten are VIP suites. Mr. Xu may choose any available room.”

”I’d like to enjoy the night view,” Xu Huo said.

”I understand. Mr. Xu can stay in the panoramic suite on the top floor. It offers a 360-degree bird’s-eye view of Fairy Tale City, and you can even see the lights of the government city in the Contaminated Zone.”

The server smilingly handed him a bill showing the price—five thousand White Bills per night for the panoramic suite.

Xu Huo booked two nights and gave him an additional thousand as tip.

”Can members bring guests?”

”My apologies, Mr. Xu. Yongxing only admits guests holding membership cards. This is to ensure all guests’ comfort.”

Xu Huo nodded, ordered some food, then asked, ”You mentioned you have a performance team? Do you have storytellers?”

”Yes, we do. Would you prefer to relax in a private room downstairs or rest in your room?” the server asked.

”Have them come up to my room.”

The server quickly left. By the time Xu Huo finished showering, both the food and the storyteller had arrived.

He sat at the dining table and glanced at the woman standing several meters away. ”You’re quite young.”

The woman smiled. ”If sir wishes to hear stories about Building Block Fairy Tale City, I know them all.”

Xu Huo took a sip of wine. ”Then start with the contamination incident from twenty years ago.”

The woman told several related stories.

Her storytelling was much more pleasant than those Xu Huo encountered during the day—at least the stories had complete beginnings and endings without obvious flaws. However, they were still stories of questionable authenticity without the content he wanted to know.

After sending her away, he called the server again and learned that this club was built ten years ago. By that time, the tourism city model was already well-established. Storytelling had become an essential skill for locals and local businesspeople, so the club trained a group of storytellers. But the story content was largely similar to those found throughout Fairy Tale City.

Standing by the window, Xu Huo suddenly noticed several stray cats fighting in a street corner. One exhausted, skinny cat fell from a garbage bin, got stuck to something on the ground, and then the other cats swarmed it, biting its throat and devouring it.

By now, night had deepened. After shops on both sides of the street closed, the street lights suddenly dimmed. The darkness fell silent, like dead animals hiding in the shadows beneath the brightly lit buildings in the distant Contaminated Zone.

Withdrawing his gaze, he drew the curtains and lay down on the bed.