Players, Please Board the Train

The Duchess’s proposal seemed decent, but the risks were higher than simply entering a dungeon.

Unlike Ran Ying, the Duchess wasn’t a player. Although she was actively trying to win over players, she didn’t truly understand the real situation inside the game. Entering a C-level dungeon was possible, but whether your teammates would stab you in the back or dig a pit for you—there was no telling.

Besides, Xu Huo only wanted to maintain a superficially friendly relationship with the nobility of District 011.

”I’ll stick to my original plan and go to a D-rank dungeon,” Xu Huo said.

After breakfast, the Duchess left. Xu Huo was about to try out his new item again when Dr. Deng showed up.

This time, Dr. Deng had changed his appearance, disguised as a gardener making a house call.

As soon as he saw Xu Huo, he peeled off the mask on his face, revealing a red, swollen visage. ”I can’t stay in District 011 any longer.”

Xu Huo looked at him without surprise. ”You can use a train ticket to leave.”

”I never managed to get a non-player ticket, and now it’s even more impossible,” Dr. Deng said. ”If I want to leave, I’d have to use a player ticket.”

There was no way he could survive the entire ride on the train by himself and make it to the stop.”You could use the same method. A lot of players are interested in the perfect evolution agent,” Xu Huo suggested.

Dr. Deng sighed, helpless. ”It’s not like any player will do.”

First, they had to have some understanding of the perfect evolution agent. Second, they needed enough wealth—at least enough to support his research. Most importantly, they had to be willing to listen to reason; otherwise, things could go south at any moment.

”The people from Rongxin Group are too formidable,” he added. ”I was very careful, but I still got targeted. The player I was dealing with had murderous intent. If I hadn’t temporarily diverted his attention with a vague clue, I probably wouldn’t have escaped alive.”

”Why not cooperate with Rong Xin?” Xu Huo asked. ”They have more power than the people you allied with back at Sayir Coast.”

”Rong Xin has too many talents,” Dr. Deng said knowingly. ”If I don’t show results within a certain time, there are plenty of people to replace me.”

Xu Huo was silent for two seconds. ”Now I believe you were fired by the Star.”

Dr. Deng pulled out a train ticket and placed it on the table. ”This is a ticket to Zone 009. Information about Dr. Wu might be in this dungeon.”

”I’m giving you the ticket, but I need to hide in your residence. When you come back next time, you have to get me safely to another district. In return, I can give you some clues that others don’t know.”

”Alright, let’s hear the clues then.” Xu Huo pocketed the ticket.

He agreed so readily that Dr. Deng hesitated.

”What?” Xu Huo smiled. ”Changed your mind?”

”Didn’t you say you didn’t want to go last time?” Dr. Deng asked.

”Different circumstances. Last time, you wanted to cooperate with me. This time, the initiative is in my hands. I’m keeping the ticket for now; I can go or not. Since fulfilling your conditions depends on afterward, if I don’t go, I’ll return the ticket to you.” Xu Huo said with a grin.

Dr. Deng choked. ”You sure know how to play your cards.”

”I’m still young,” Xu Huo said. ”Even if I end up with evolution agent side effects like other players, I still have decades left. Maybe by then, a remedy for Evolver side effects will be on the market.”

Dr. Deng studied his expression for a moment before saying, ”Let’s do it your way.”

”While I’m away, you can stay here, but you can only move around on the first floor.” Xu Huo called Mr. Dong over. ”Butler Mr. Dong will prepare whatever you need.”

After the man was led away, Xu Huo stored the ticket in his personal panel.

”Sun Museum City.”

As luck would have it, it was also a D-rank dungeon.

If he hadn’t known Dr. Deng well enough, he might have suspected this was bait. But bait or not, he had to take a bite.

Soon, it was time for Zone 009 to open its dungeon to all wormhole points. Xu Huo prepared his supplies and used Dr. Deng’s ticket to board the dimensional train.

Apart from a minor conflict among the players along the way, there were no major incidents until they reached Zone 009. The train directly dropped him off outside the Museum City.

[Player Passerby has arrived at Sun Museum City, defaulting to participation in D-rank dungeon ”Sphinx’s Mystery.”]

[Background: Since the dawn of recorded history, humanity’s worship of itself has emerged naturally. Not only intelligence but also a healthy physique is one of the ultimate goals of human pursuit, especially for those with physical disabilities.]

[Sun Museum City was built fifty years ago. Its original founder was a young merchant who inherited a vast fortune and a genetic disease. To carry on his family line, the young merchant not only took a wife and had children year after year but also constructed a city dedicated to researching the human body. Legend has it that in the first five years after the city was built, the number of people who disappeared here accounted for one-tenth of the nation’s total missing persons for those years.]

[In this world, there are two things that can never be turned back: time and disease. The young merchant died of illness before his crimes were exposed. Although his ten sons each inherited a portion of the city, the revelation of the disappearance cases led to this grim and terrifying city being completely abandoned—until the merchant’s eldest son grew up, reclaimed control from his brothers, and transformed it into a horror-themed shopping mall to attract tourists. The eerie wax museum, the mannequin building, the horror escape rooms, and the doll clothing store have all become its enduring attractions.]

[However, as time passed, people gradually discovered that many lone tourists had mysteriously disappeared within the Museum City. After public opinion flared up, though no bodies were ever found, the Museum City was still forced to shut down. To this day, only occasional thrill-seekers sneak in, but the rumor that anyone who enters alive will vanish has never faded...]

[Dungeon Objective: Solve the mystery of the disappearances.]

[Dungeon Time: Seven days.]

[Players must enter Sun Museum City before 12:30 PM. Failure to clear the dungeon will result in losing the return ticket.]

Xu Huo finished reading the dungeon introduction just as the other players arrived. Besides the three who had shared his train car, there were ten more players, bringing the total outside to fourteen.

”Everyone’s seen the dungeon intro, right? This is basically a group dungeon,” an older player said first. ”As long as we figure out how people who enter the Museum City disappear, we can clear it. If we cooperate, even if only one person finds the truth, everyone can pass.”

”I have no problem cooperating,” a middle-aged woman said. ”But we’re all competitors. Who wants to hand over clearing information for free?”

”Peace and prosperity bring wealth. We can just buy the info,” the older man said with a chuckle. ”After all, we’re entering the dungeon for items and money anyway. It’s the same as doing business.”

Most agreed with this proposal. Another young player said, ”Let’s head in and take a look first. Maybe there are players who arrived before us.”