Players, Please Board the Train

This made Xu Huo think of the scene in Harbor City where people queued up to jump from the building upstairs. Compared to other items, these kinds of mental suggestions were impossible to guard against completely.

“You’re asking so many details, you didn’t evolve too, did you?” Brother Tu’s abstract face struggled to show a look of surprise.

Xu Huo glanced at him lightly. Brother Tu’s reflexive eye-roll turned his gaze elsewhere.

He reached up and put the frame away, then lay back on the bed, his thoughts flipping between the S-version Evolution Serum and media items. S-version items were hard to find. The corresponding item probably wasn’t that rare, maybe it could be bought if he entered the game world.

The Painting Woman saw his eyes closed, so she took the blanket next to her apart and covered him from feet to head.

Xu Huo lifted a hand and pulled the blanket aside. “Go back to sleep.”

The Painting Woman hesitated and didn’t want to leave. She stroked the edge of his blanket, clearly wanting to sleep here.

“If you can’t sleep, then clean up a bit.” Xu Huo turned and switched off the lamp.

The Painting Woman dawdled for a while, then climbed up the wall and turned into a painting stuck above the headboard, her eyes staring straight at the bed.

Xu Huo reached into the drawer and took out a sleep mask.They all slept well through the night. When Yan Jiayu opened the door in the morning she found the Painting Woman walking out of Xu Huo’s room. She asked bluntly, “Are you Xu Huo’s girlfriend?”

The Painting Woman smiled shyly, pointed to the apron she was wearing, and indicated she was going out to buy breakfast. She asked if there was anything Yan Jiayu wanted to eat.

“I like steamed buns and porridge in the morning,” Yan Jiayu said with a smile. “They haven’t gotten up yet, I’ll go with you.”

The Painting Woman linked arms with her, and the two left cozily together.

They had only just stepped out when Xu Huo got up. When he finished washing and came out, he saw Yan Jiayu setting bowls and chopsticks at the dining table and waving him over to eat.

His gaze moved from her uneven, roughly-cut hair to the patched robe, then to the cloth shoes on her feet. He asked, “Where did Yan Jiayu go? Didn’t I tell you not to casually turn into other people?”

The person at the table pouted briefly, reverted to her usual expression, and pulled out her phone. “She went to get a haircut.”

Xu Huo nodded. At that moment Yuan Yao and the others came over from across the way, and they all ate breakfast and chatted together.

Liu Jia and Shen Xin weren’t from Ting City, but they had nothing urgent to do these two days, so they planned to stay for a couple of days.

“You said last time you’d treat me to a meal, so I shamelessly stuck around,” Liu Jia said with an embarrassed smile.

“Then let’s all go together.” Yuan Yao said enthusiastically, “Haven’t had a night out in ages. After we eat we can find a few things to do, play until it gets dark and come back!”

“Aren’t you looking for a place to rent?” Zhou Ning asked.

“You want me to do it myself?” Yuan Yao waved his hand. “Just get an agent.”

“Do you guys have anything going on?” Xu Huo looked toward Zhou Ning and Hu Wenhu.

Zhou Ning shook her head. “I just think running around during sensitive times could be dangerous.”

“Being around the Special Defense Department shouldn’t be too risky.” Liu Jia said. “Their security deployment is solid. There’s twenty-four-hour monitoring everywhere, no blind spots, and plenty of patrols. That’s why property prices nearby are driven up. If I hadn’t joined the Special Defense Department, my family couldn’t afford to live there.”

Shen Xin looked at Yuan Yao. “Can we still rent anything?”

“If we can’t rent, we’ll buy. I have money.” Yuan Yao patted his chest confidently.

Hearing him say that so boldly, the others didn’t press the topic further. Before long Yan Jiayu returned, her messy hair made neat and her whole appearance much fresher.

“You look a lot better like this.” Liu Jia took her hand. “You should change out of that patched robe anyway. Since you’ve returned to secular life, wearing that patched robe isn’t flattering. Girls should dress pretty.”

Yan Jiayu chuckled. “I’m used to it, and I don’t have money to buy clothes or shoes.”

The others found that hard to believe. Players weren’t that poor. Although Evolution Serums were scarce and many players were willing to trade away some less useful items, there were still potions and serums that couldn’t be exchanged. Those were unnecessary to players but popular on the ordinary market since regular people could use them. So even Zhou Ning and the others weren’t exactly short on money now.

“I gave all my money away.” Yan Jiayu said. “My master always said to do more good deeds, that way your luck improves.”

When she said that even Liu Jia didn’t know how to respond.

“Lichun has plenty of clothes, you’re about the same size, you can wear hers.” Xu Huo said. “When in Rome, do as the Romans do.”

“You have a point.” Yan Jiayu nodded, then smiled and asked the Painting Woman, “Lichun, can I borrow a set of clothes?”

The Painting Woman led her into the room. When she came out Yan Jiayu had changed into a long dress with a jacket, and a sunflower hairpin clipped into her hair.

She shyly tugged at the hem of her dress. “Does it look good?”

“Looks great!” Yuan Yao immediately chimed in, giving a thumbs-up. “Sister Jiayu, you’re sweet and bold—whatever you wear is gorgeous!”

Yan Jiayu was pleased and touched the hairpin on her head. “I want to take a photo to remember this.”

“Let’s all take a photo together.” Zhou Ning suggested. “We’re friends who’ve seen life and death. Let’s take a group photo for keepsake.”

“I’ll get the camera.” Yuan Yao ran off at once.

Soon the camera was set up. Some of Xu Huo’s group sat on the sofa, some stood. They kept a respectful distance but their expressions matched.

“Sister Jiayu, sit a little more toward the center... Okay.” He adjusted the camera, then moved to the place reserved behind the sofa to stand.

With a “click,” the camera captured that moment forever.

After the photo everyone crowded around to look at it. Yuan Yao said, “Other players have already formed organizations. Why don’t we start one too?”

The others instinctively glanced at Xu Huo, who was flipping through his phone. He looked up. “I have no objections.”

Hu Wenhu was the first to respond. “I’ve wanted to do this for a long time. I even thought of a name. How about Fierce Tiger Squad?”

“That’s tacky, no poetry to it.” Yuan Yao scoffed. “Better to call it Rapid, sounds prestigious.”

“That’s boring.” Shen Xin noticed the sunflower hairpin on Yan Jiayu’s head and said, “How about Sunflower Squad?”

“Sunflowers always face the sun. It means we still have our families and our country, and that the future is bright.”

“That’s not bad.” Yan Jiayu nodded seriously. “Plus, snacks of sunflower seeds are handy.”

She said this as she pulled out a bag of sunflower seeds to share with everyone, and added, “Should we set a password? Maybe if we meet in-game we won’t recognize each other.”

“Heaven King Covers Earth Tiger!” Yuan Yao reflexively blurted.

“That’s too obvious for a password. Better to set an everyday sign that’s harder to detect.” Shen Xin said.

“I have an idea!” Liu Jia said. “What about using flowers?”

“If we run into each other and can’t easily identify one another, use flowers as a signal. One or two flowers might collide by accident. Let’s use three as the code—three petals, three flowers, thirty-three flowers all count.”

“Will that work?” Hu Wenhu asked. “What if there are no flowers in the dungeon?”

“If there are no flowers, use something else. Use whatever is available.” Yuan Yao said. “As long as it’s something with three, it’ll do.”