Players, Please Board the Train

There were several other people in the station, but they all stood in different spots, minding their own business. The players kept their distance, wary of each other but not interfering. The group in the corner showed no interest in the others either. As players kept appearing, they didn’t even lift their heads, just instinctively eating.

Xu Huo only glanced briefly before withdrawing his gaze. His train arrived soon, and his view shifted again, transferring him onto the train.

”Welcome, player, aboard the Dimension Rift Game Express. This train will depart from the E-Level Station bound for a D-Level Station. Please ensure your personal safety while boarding in an orderly manner and abide by the train regulations.”

”The regulations are as follows:”

”1. Non-game items are prohibited on the train.”

”2. Consumption is mandatory.”

”3. Do not turn on lights after lights-out.”

”Additionally, the train encourages various leisure activities such as sneak attacks, brawls, and hunting. Players are free to choose.”

”Wishing you a pleasant journey.”

After the familiar announcement, Xu Huo had already grasped the general situation inside the carriage.Six players had boarded from the station with him. Combined with the seven players originally in the carriage, there were now thirteen players in this carriage. Figures could also be seen in the carriages ahead and behind, quite a number of them.

A projected timetable on the front door of the carriage scrolled, displaying the names of the upcoming stations.

With the start of D-level dungeons, the number of players riding the train had surged dramatically. Trains were no longer direct to a single station; instead, players were constantly getting on and off, multiplying the risk factor.

Fortunately, the stations appearing on the timetable were all D-level stations. Correspondingly, the vast majority of players on the train should be D-level players.

”Hey, brother, wanna buy some good stuff?” A man as skinny as a monkey sat down in front of Xu Huo, addressing the burly man wearing a sleeveless leather jacket. ”My goods are all top-notch, guaranteed to give you the ultimate thrill!”

As he spoke, he even pulled open half his jacket to display the merchandise, exuding a vibe reminiscent of those selling little books and discs on trains in the past.

The Burly Man was grinding a bone and didn’t even lift his eyelids. ”Get lost!”

The Skinny Monkey grinned. ”Hey, big bro, don’t be so hot-tempered. I’ve even got a specialized bone-polishing knife for human bones. It was once the collection of a C-level player. Who knows how many bones have been ground under that blade? The edge is polished so bright it’s dazzling when you take it out at night!”

Hearing this, the Burly Man showed a flicker of interest. ”Show me the goods. If they’re no good, watch your head!”

The Skinny Monkey flipped his hand and instantly gripped a short knife with a jade handle. The blade indeed gleamed as he had described. Under the fully transparent window, it was almost impossible to look at directly with the naked eye.

The Burly Man’s breathing changed. He immediately asked, ”How much?”

”Seeing as we’re so fated, I’ll round it down for you. How about this number?” The Skinny Monkey raised three fingers. ”Ten thousand.”

The Burly Man frowned. ”Too expensive.”

”Oh, come on, big brother. You look like a man who’s not short on cash. As the saying goes, ’sharpening the axe won’t delay the chopping.’ You buy a good knife directly, saving yourself the trouble of sharpening. Thirty thousand White Bills is a real bargain!” The Skinny Monkey quickly added, ”I’m often on this train. Not a single customer who’s bought from me has said it wasn’t good. I have lots of repeat customers too!”

The Burly Man tested the knife on the bone, finding it quite handy, but only gave twenty thousand White Bills. Then he shoved the Skinny Monkey. ”Get lost.”

The Skinny Monkey yelled in anger, but seeing the other man raise a fist threateningly, he immediately turned and left.

”Idiot,” a player wearing a hat to Xu Huo’s right scornfully glanced at the rather smug Burly Man.

The Skinny Monkey looked at that player but didn’t approach him. His eyes swept around the carriage and finally landed on Xu Huo. Just as he was about to walk towards him, he glanced into the carriage ahead. He stopped selling and walked over to sit in the last row, pulling his jacket over his face to feign sleep.

A few seconds later, the carriage door opened. A man in flashy clothes, clearly furious, strode in and asked loudly, ”Did any of you see that skinny monkey selling items?”

No one in the carriage spoke. The man punched the carriage wall. ”Did anyone see him?!”

”Who do you think you’re talking to with that tone?” The female player sitting in front raised her hand and waved. The carpet in the aisle suddenly stood up, throwing several punches like a living person, forcing the man back to the doorway. Then it gave a sharp shake, blowing the dust and dirt from its fibers right into the man’s face.

”Pah!” The man smacked his lips, about to take it seriously, when the carpet lay back down and returned to the floor.

The Female Player examined her nails, glanced at him, and smiled. ”How strange. There’s actually someone who wants to fight a carpet.”

The carriage erupted in laughter. Some player, no one knew who, had tampered with the door. Just as the man reached the doorway, the carriage door slammed shut with a ”bang.”

The man, enraged to the extreme, laughed instead, nodding repeatedly. ”Fine. You all watch yourselves!”

”Spineless!” A baby-faced man sitting further back mocked, then asked the feigning-sleep Skinny Monkey, ”Your face-changing item is pretty fun. Can you sell it to me?”

The Skinny Monkey, who had pulled his jacket open, now looked completely different—like a frail young man. He smiled apologetically. ”Don’t make things hard for me. It’s a tool for survival, how could I just buy and sell it casually?”

The Baby-Faced Man didn’t say much more, but the Burly Man who had bought the knife earlier walked over, lifted the Skinny Monkey up, and said, ”Why was that man looking for you? Did you sell fake goods?”

”Only figuring it out now?” The Female Player in front turned around, leaning over the back of her seat to show half her face. ”Daring to buy stuff randomly on the train shows you’ve got guts. Getting fake goods is one thing. If you accidentally trade away your own life, that’d be tragic.”

Hearing this, the Burly Man’s eyes bulged. He immediately slammed the Skinny Monkey against the glass window. ”You dare try to kill me?!”

The Skinny Monkey hastily said, ”I swear to heaven and earth, I just resell some items. I have no ill intentions. Besides, how could there be an item that trades lives? I’ve certainly never heard of one!”

The Burly Man looked back at the Female Player, but the woman laughed mischievously. ”Oh my! You believe whatever anyone says. How adorable.”

The Burly Man’s anger instantly shifted. He strode over, making a move to teach the woman a lesson. But when he was still several meters away, the carpet under his feet suddenly jerked, then twisted in mid-air, tearing itself into strips and fragments that hovered in the air, all pointed directly at him.

”Be careful. If they pierce your eardrums and drill into your brain, I won’t be responsible,” the woman said slowly as she stood up, her smile gradually turning cold.

The Burly Man was caught in a dilemma. He didn’t dare act rashly, nor could he swallow his pride and back down. He could only stare at her, panting heavily.

”At home, rely on parents; outside, rely on friends. That we’ve met is fate. Why be so confrontational over a small matter?” A middle-aged man with blond hair stood up from behind Xu Huo. He waved his right hand left and right in the air, and a path opened through the carriage filled with strips and fragments of cloth. He walked straight up to the Burly Man, put an arm around his shoulder, patted him, and then looked at the Female Player. ”Don’t you agree, beautiful lady?”