Players, Please Board the Train

Yuan Yao and Sima Xiao Er, who had just emerged from the illusion, refused Xu Huo’s kind offer with trembling hands and feet. The two tacitly walked out of the room, and then one entered the bedroom while the other prepared to return to the Special Defense Department.

The Painting Woman gathered the items—the knives scattered all over the floor—and delivered them to Sima Xiao Er. Sima Xiao Er no longer remembered the beating he’d just taken, and he thanked her with utmost sincerity.

The Painting Woman also smiled shyly, her big, watery eyes blinking straight at him.

Sima Xiao Er opened his mouth, about to say something else, but when he saw Xu Huo coming out of the room behind him, he immediately swallowed his words and turned around to leave without another word.

The Painting Woman was confused for a moment, but she quickly closed the door and trotted over to Xu Huo’s side. ”Can you give me some pocket money?”

Xu Huo looked at her very seriously. ”Where does all your money go?”

The Painting Woman shyly produced her phone and opened a game app.

Xu Huo took the phone from her hand and returned it a few seconds later. ”Play less games. It’s not healthy.”

The Painting Woman discovered her game had been deleted. She swung her fist to hit him, but Xu Huo pressed down on her head. ”Tell you what. If you only play for two hours a day, I’ll double your pocket money.”

The Painting Woman nodded without hesitation and happily opened a TV show.Xu Huo paid her no more mind. He checked the weather for the next few days, got a good night’s sleep, then drove Yuan Yao’s car to the airport. At the airport, he bought two tickets for Capital City on the spot—that’s right, he was taking public transportation.

Four days had passed since he’d publicly ”provoked” the Special Defense Department in that video. During these days, players kept pouring into Capital City. Several major blocks near the Special Defense Department headquarters were completely sealed off. As more and more strangers appeared in the area, some surrounding residents fled overnight with their families.

In just a few days, the area around Special Defense Department headquarters had become a ghost town. However, the number of drones was only increasing.

”I wonder how many of these people are players?” Team Leader Chang asked, looking at the images fed back by the drones. Many people in the footage had already noticed the drone surveillance, but they didn’t care. They neither interfered with the drones nor hid from them. Their attitude was clear: they were telling the Special Defense Department they were players, and they weren’t leaving.

”Most of them are probably here for the spectacle,” Dai Wenqian said, adjusting his glasses. ”They pose no harm to the Special Defense Department. They might even help clean up some of the troublesome players.”

”Many online platforms, including the Pioneer Forum, have a lot of support for Xu Huo. Some players have also voiced their support, thinking he’s ridding the world of a scourge. Some are crowdfunding, some are offering their labor—they all want to come to headquarters to help.”

Team Leader Chang gave a slight smile. ”If only everyone were that easy to deal with.”

But based on the data coming back from various entry points, the number of players was probably considerable too.

Anyone who’s survived this long and still kept their wits about them—don’t expect their psychology to be perfectly normal.

”If it’s not handled well, it will indeed cause problems,” Dai Wenqian said. ”As I proposed before, the best approach would be to funnel the players into Random Dungeons in batches.”

”Scattering the players across different dungeons makes them easier to manage. This is one of the partial plans for dealing with the ’Ten-Day Period.’ The headquarters has already voted to approve it. The only problem is dispersing the players—whether it’s using decoys to lure them or using force to drive them away—both require Xu Huo’s cooperation.”

Mentioning Xu Huo, a subtle change crossed Dai Wenqian’s expression. In front of others, he didn’t show anything, but instead said, ”Xu Huo is a smart man. He won’t be so irrational as to have a direct confrontation with headquarters. Even if he wanted to, he doesn’t have that kind of power.”

After finishing his words, he glanced to the side and lowered his voice. ”Professor Tang is here.”

Team Leader Chang turned from the window and was all smiles again. ”Done talking with Team Leader Wu? Sorry to have you make the trip.”

Tang Guangbo was as scholarly as ever. Dressed in neat casual clothes, even standing in the busy corridor, he looked as if he were on a university lectern.

He briefly directed a bit of his attention to Dai Wenqian, who had automatically retreated behind Team Leader Chang, then said with a smile, ”It’s nothing. We’re all contributing to the nation. Besides, I only know a little bit of psychology—my use is limited.”

Xu Huo’s family, including his stepmother’s relatives and the player Yu Qingqing, had all been placed under surveillance and couldn’t move freely. But Tang Guangbo came and went through headquarters just like usual. Although Minister Fan hadn’t directly approached him, he had sought public relations measures from him through Team Leader Wu.

This time, the Double Snake incident had been handled fairly quickly by headquarters. Under normal circumstances, the public opinion should have been very favorable. The problem was that later came the ”Ten-Day Period,” which had everyone on edge. The Special Defense Department also had to give advance warning for the impending events.

”Professor Tang is being modest.” Team Leader Chang was all smiles, not saying a word more.

Tang Guangbo then looked at Dai Wenqian. ”I remember you often followed Team Leader Song. Has he returned to headquarters yet?”

Dai Wenqian’s expression wasn’t too pleasant. Team Leader Chang answered the question on his behalf. ”Old Song is currently resting at home. Do you need to see him?”

”Last time, he asked me to do a psychological evaluation for the players under him, but I never got the chance to give it to him.” Tang Guangbo took a document from his briefcase and handed it to him. ”Team Leader Chang, could you pass it on for me? Team Leader Wu and Team Leader Song don’t have a very good relationship.”

He finished speaking and left. Team Leader Chang picked up the document, lifted one corner to peek at it, then quickly closed it again. He said to Dai Wenqian, ”Old Song is probably done for this time. Not only can he no longer stay in the central bureau, he might even go to prison. You need to warn the players under your command—tell them not to cause trouble during this sensitive period.”

Dai Wenqian had already seen the file, with his name written at the top. But facing the ever-smiling Team Leader Chang, he suppressed his emotions and said he would do as instructed.

After parting with Team Leader Chang, he quickly drove away from the Special Defense Department, took out another phone, and called an old friend.

”What is it?” Gu Yu’s tone was unfriendly.

”We used to be friends, after all,” Dai Wenqian said with a smile. ”There’s no need to talk to me like I owe you money, is there?”

Gu Yu let out a cold snort. ”Aren’t you riding high in the Special Defense Department? Can you even remember your old friends? Bastard!”

The smile on Dai Wenqian’s face quickly disappeared, and his tone turned cold as well. ”Cut the crap. I want to make a deal with you.”