Players, Please Board the Train

”Guan Zuhong, where did Brother Liang go?” On the eighth floor, the two players who had come with Sima Xiao Er ran into another companion who should have been staying with Brother Liang.

”He went downstairs to follow the group with the number four wristbands.” Guan Zuhong said: ”He saw the Double Snake people taking players away alone earlier, said he wanted to check it out, and hasn’t come back yet.”

”Why didn’t you go with him?” Sima Xiao Er asked: ”What about Zhou Ning?”

”We got separated.” Guan Zuhong lowered his voice: ”I don’t know how it happened, but when we were splitting into prayer halls, Zhou Ning suddenly vanished. There were so many people, I couldn’t go looking for her.”

All three of them had the number ”six.”

”When I entered the prayer hall, I thought she was following behind me. It wasn’t until free trade started that I realized something was wrong.”

Sima Xiao Er and the two players from Brother Liang’s side had numbers ”five” and ”six” respectively, but they hadn’t split up. Instead, they all went to the ”six” section.

”Little Zhang and Big Head are also six, but your friend Yan Jiayu is a five,” Guan Zuhong said, sharing what he knew about the others. ”What do these numbers actually mean?”

Tan Yang and his group, who had returned to the main gathering hall, wanted to know the same thing.

It was Tan Yang who had received the invitation from the Double Snake organization. After careful consideration, he had brought Huang Junjie and Pu Kang along.The three of them were the president, strategist, and vice president of the First Association respectively. Logically, they shouldn’t have come together, but Tan Yang saw this as an opportunity to recruit the Double Snake organization, so he decided to investigate in person.

However, although the Double Snake organization had sent out invitations, they didn’t care about the identities of the invitees at all. Tan Yang hadn’t revealed his identity initially, but by the time they reached the resort, he had abandoned that idea.

Because Huang Junjie had discovered something suspicious about the other players traveling with them.

When they left the factory, there were over eighty players. Tan Yang’s group happened to be in the batch of forty. Huang Junjie had counted the invitations—there should have been only twenty-eight. Some invited players had brought a companion, so the total number was estimated at around eighty. But when they got off the bus, they and the other batch of players added up to over sixty. And whether it was his imagination or not, he felt the players getting off the other car weren’t the same batch as before.

However, the Double Snake hadn’t said today was the only gathering. Huang Junjie didn’t think much of it at first. What truly raised his suspicion was during the tour—players kept circling around them.

Newly arrived players, even if they were oblivious, would still be somewhat cautious about the things inside the building. But some players weren’t paying attention to the statues at all. Instead, they kept hovering around their fellow players. That was very strange.

During the assembly in the main hall, the number of people did far exceed eighty, but when Tan Yang and Pu Kang discussed it, they found neither of them had noticed the increase. Of course, with so many people packed together, having a dozen or so players in identical outfits made it hard to count them one by one, especially with the Double Snake’s black-cloaked figures moving through the crowd.

But the Double Snake’s whole operation felt deliberately misleading. If they wanted to hide identities, there was no need to use robes. They could have made everyone dress identically to confuse identities. If the numbers increased or decreased, or if the person standing next to you had been replaced entirely, you wouldn’t even know.

They said the attendees were invited players, but what if some of them were Double Snake members?

After Huang Junjie relayed his observations, cold sweat broke out on all three of their backs. If the Double Snake had ulterior motives, it meant that a significant number of players in this building might be Double Snake members!

Leaving early wasn’t an option. The numbers on their wristbands were ”one,” ”three,” and ”two” respectively, but they didn’t dare actually split up. So they stayed on the first floor and squeezed into the most crowded section—the ”six” group.

When free trade began and more players emerged, the three of them came out as well, planning to wait until the gathering ended.

During that time, the twenty or so players with the number ”four” who had left earlier also returned from downstairs, but the three of them still didn’t dare to move. Huang Junjie continued to pay close attention to the players with different numbers.

”Six numbers—they definitely weren’t randomly assigned.” He lowered his voice. ”Think hard! What’s different about us?”

They had the same outfits, only the mask colors differed. But the number codes weren’t based on mask color either. So Xu Huo, before leaving the prayer hall, also didn’t know what the numbers meant. However, after going to a separate room for his individual transaction, he did notice one characteristic shared by the other three players in the room with him: caution.

They didn’t speak to each other. They were on guard and serious, but their eyes betrayed fear. One female player was even nervously swallowing saliva.

”Don’t be so nervous, everyone. You are special people chosen by the Gray Emissary. Please follow me to the dining room. After you’ve had a midnight snack, the Gray Emissary will come. Then, if you’re willing, you can join the Double Snake and become disciples of the Gray Emissary.” A black-cloaked figure spoke with amusement in their voice.

The Gray Emissary was what the black-cloaked figure called an ”elder.” The few players were both anxious and delighted. The female player couldn’t help but ask: ”What about my friend...”

She was cut off before she could finish. ”What? You look down on our Double Snake? Do you know how many people wish they could join but can’t? You were chosen simply because you have a connection with the Double Snake. If you want to bring your whole family, then feel free to leave.”

The group was stunned. The female player hesitated before saying: ”I just want to let my friend know.”

”Don’t worry, someone’s already gone to tell them. After you meet the Gray Emissary, you can leave.” The black-cloaked figure finished speaking and walked away.

The group exchanged glances, then had no choice but to follow.

The sixth floor was more luxurious than the eighth floor above. A dining room alone took up a third of the entire floor. It was exquisitely decorated, with a snow-white carpet so thick their footsteps made no sound. When they reached the dining table, a black-cloaked figure even pulled out chairs for them.

After everyone sat down, Xu Huo glanced at the mirror on the ceiling, then quietly asked: ”When will the Gray Emissary arrive?”

”He’ll come when it’s time.” The black-cloaked figure’s attitude was dismissive. ”Just sit tight. There are still a few more players.”

Eight chairs were set around the table, but only four people were present.

The black-cloaked figure deliberately stepped back to the side. The vast dining room fell into an eerie silence. The three players initially showed anticipation, but gradually became restless.

During those few minutes they waited, the gathering in the main hall also ended. The black-cloaked figures pushed out large boxes of evolution agents, letting the players collect them based on their wristband numbers, then proceeded to lead them out in batches, just like when they arrived.

A large crowd pressed forward, jostling as they grabbed their agents and followed the black-cloaked figures into the dimly lit corridor.

Tan Yang’s group and Sima Xiao Er’s group had been walking together, but once they entered the corridor, they were scattered. Up ahead, Tan Yang and Pu Kang went to one elevator. Sima Xiao Er ended up with Little Zhang and Guan Zuhong. The others were pushed and dispersed into different elevators.

Of the several elevators, only one went up. All the others went down.