Players, Please Board the Train

Inside the station, Xu Huo and Dr. Deng appeared in front of the platform screen one after another. The moment they steadied themselves, a thick, pungent smell of blood assaulted their noses. Immediately, a player next to them lunged at Dr. Deng, who hadn’t even found his footing yet!

Xu Huo took two large strides to Dr. Deng’s side, grabbed him, lifted him up, and placed him to the side, then stepped forward to meet the player charging straight at him.

Their eyes locked. The man with tattooed bare arms slammed to a halt about two meters away from Xu Huo, then rapidly retreated several steps back in succession.

Xu Huo simply stood in Dr. Deng’s original spot, his face expressionless as he watched the other man.

There were five other people in the station. Three of them were likely companions of the bare-armed man, as they simultaneously adopted offensive stances. The other two maintained some distance from both groups, but their attention was also focused here.

The ones who had clearly just killed were the four-person group that included the bare-armed man. They made no attempt to hide the fact they had killed; their clothes, pants, and shoes were stained with fresh blood. Two of them had blood smeared around their lips and teeth, and as they turned towards Xu Huo, they were still chewing on something.

There were four fresh, mutilated corpses in the station. Blood and internal organs were splattered everywhere, the deaths gruesome and horrific.

”Ugh!” Dr. Deng couldn’t suppress his physiological reaction and bent over to vomit. It was only then that the bare-armed man finally shifted his gaze away from Xu Huo, though he didn’t relax his posture, merely stepping back step by step to rejoin his companions.

The four of them exchanged glances, then stopped staring fixedly at Xu Huo and Dr. Deng.

At this point, Xu Huo also stopped focusing on these few individuals. Instead, he grabbed Dr. Deng’s arm and led him to a corner of the station, handing him a bottle of water.Dr. Deng finished vomiting and rinsed his mouth. ”Sorry for the embarrassing display.”

Xu Huo didn’t respond. He leaned against the transparent glass wall to rest, taking the opportunity to check his own game panel.

He had killed Mao Wei, Ge Pan, Wu Xiaonan, the Black-Shirted Player, Kong Hui, and Tong Jian in the Deep Blue Laboratory. Aside from their White Bills and potions, the haul of items was also extremely bountiful.

Among Mao Wei’s more practical items were ”Counting Squares” which could trap a player in place, ”Friendly Handkerchief” which could locate others by asking if they needed help, and ”Vital Point Kite” which could pass through a player’s body.

Apart from the disposable projector item he had used himself that could rewind time, Ge Pan also had a miniature megaphone called ”Director’s Prerogative” that could cause brief amnesia without the target noticing. This item hadn’t been useful when dealing with the Kong siblings.

Additionally, there was a ”Blank Script.” Its usage was simple: just take out the script, and as long as it remained on your person, anyone hearing the holder speak within one minute would become focused and develop a sense of trust towards them.

The remaining items of value included an attack item called ”Stress-Free Wrap,” which was a half-palm glove. It could inflict wounds on others from several meters away, though the wound length wouldn’t exceed half a finger.

Wu Xiaonan’s characteristics were more impressive. Among her items, only one caught Xu Huo’s eye: the ”Passive Rest” badge. In situations with many combatants on both sides, it could make opponents unconsciously overlook the wearer once. Combined with his own characteristics, it might have surprising effects in chaotic melees.

The Black-Shirted Player specialized in swamps. One of his items was particularly interesting: ”Chair That Lands Upright.” No matter from what height or towards what location this item fell, it would maintain an upright posture during descent. Moreover, after landing, the item wouldn’t be affected by impact force. In other words, as long as you were sitting on the chair, you could jump from an airplane and land safely.

Most of Kong Hui’s items were close-combat weapons. She also had several items that created visual misdirection, such as the ”Aimless Party Popper Tube,” a flashlight that ”Highlights Non-Important Locations,” and a button called ”Bisection Magic” that made Xu Huo feel his body had been cut in half during their fight.

The defensive items were already tattered and unusable from the explosion.

Finally, there was Tong Jian, who was skilled with adhesive. His gelatinous coat was a decent defensive item, though it didn’t fare well against water. His other items were mostly tied to his characteristics and weren’t suitable for Xu Huo.

However, two B-grade items had also appeared in his item slots.

[Absolute Safety Distance: During use, establishes a safety barrier one finger thick around the player’s entire body. Theoretically, it can block all special attacks like water, fire, poison gas, etc., but is ineffective against blades and guns. Duration: three minutes.]

[Mobile Metal: Can defend against all physical attacks. It does not require the player to consciously wear it. Possessing a strong sense of professionalism, it can independently judge where damage is about to occur and actively provide protection.]

Xu Huo’s gaze sharpened. Of these two items, the first one was likely Kong Cheng’s. He had used it underwater, where it looked like a transparent bubble had been drawn around his body.

The latter one was probably Tong Jian’s. That time he tried to block the sword with his hand, he likely intended to use this item, but failed to activate it in time.

The item that should have belonged to Miao Yu, and the item Tong Jian tried but failed to use, were both now in his possession. There was no need to guess; it was obviously ”The Hungry Gluttonous Snake” that had stolen them. And these two items happened to compensate for his shortcomings in defense.

The gains from this trip to the Deep Blue Laboratory far exceeded his expectations. Not only did he obtain so many practical items at once, but he also secured the S-version Evolution Serum and got some information about Professor Wu. It could be said this surpassed any previous dungeon he had experienced.

Xu Huo flexed his fingers, his brows relaxing slightly. His gaze swept over the players in the station: It’s just that his luck was a bit poor after leaving the dungeon.

”They’re all Player-Eaters,” Dr. Deng said, trembling like a bird startled by the mere twang of a bow. He completely dared not look towards the bare-armed man’s group. Whenever he sensed their gaze on him, he couldn’t help but shrink back nervously.

Xu Huo was in a rather good mood. He patted Dr. Deng’s shoulder. ”Once we’re on the train, it’ll be fine.”

Dr. Deng offered a smile uglier than crying. ”False comfort doesn’t reassure anyone.”

”Then endure it,” Xu Huo said without offering further consolation. Encountering Player-Eaters on the train was normal. However, upon entering a D-rank dungeon, Player-Eaters no longer held a clear advantage on the train.

The train soon arrived at the station. The two were teleported into the carriage. After a quick scan of the situation inside and outside the compartment, Xu Huo’s expression darkened slightly: This wasn’t just a bit of bad luck; it was extremely bad luck.

The carriage had clearly already undergone a bloody slaughter. Bloodstains and severed limbs were everywhere inside. The players sitting in the carriage looked relatively clean, but the doors to the carriages in front and behind were sealed. Only this one wasn’t. It was obvious at a glance they had entered the most dangerous carriage.

Furthermore, those few Player-Eaters from the station had also entered this carriage.

Over a dozen pairs of eyes stared with intense pressure at Xu Huo and Dr. Deng standing in the middle.

After quickly assessing the situation, Xu Huo took out a bottle of cleaning solution, cleaned off a nearby seat, and gestured for Dr. Deng to sit and rest.

Dr. Deng’s backside seemed to be on fire; he barely touched the seat before jumping up. Grabbing Xu Huo’s arm without a shred of dignity, he pleaded, ”Let’s go to another carriage!”