Players, Please Board the Train

Did they think that since most people were already dead, there was no point going to great lengths to save the rest, and they might as well let them die out? Then the epidemic would naturally disappear.

Or was it that there simply weren’t any drugs or vaccines effective for ordinary people?

If it was the former, then perhaps the dangerous, complicated terrain and small, scattered population weren’t worth the risk. But that contradicted the W11 Base’s efforts to search for antibodies alongside other base cities. It clearly didn’t add up.

Someone like the young man, who had become a player, obviously wouldn’t just stand by and watch his family die.

It seemed that only the second reason made sense.

“Didn’t you look for medicine for your family?” Xu Huo asked.

“Of course I did.” The young player looked a little incredulous, but didn’t say anything more.

“You aren’t sure whether the medicine worked,” Xu Huo finished for him.

“I gave them every suitable medicine I could find, but the patches didn’t disappear,” the young player said. “Just like those people who were infected but didn’t die.”

That left them unable to tell whether those people had resisted the virus on their own or whether the medicine had worked. The abandoned base cities also lacked the conditions for experiments, so the question remained unresolved.

“That’s why I’m going to W37 Base,” the young player said.

Since Base 37 was taking in Natives infected with the virus, perhaps they had made progress on a targeted medicine or vaccine.

The smell of rice wafted in from outside. The three children couldn’t help looking that way. Xu Huo said, “I have a few companions outside. If you want a ride, come out after you’ve eaten. We’ll wait twenty minutes.”

The young player looked at him in surprise, as if he couldn’t believe Xu Huo was letting the matter drop just like that. He hadn’t made any demands or asked questions that might actually be useful.

There was no need to ask about their situation; it was plain enough. The young player had made a special trip back to take his family away, so he must have prepared plenty of food and water. Yet now they had ended up starving in the desert. He had probably shared some of his supplies with other Natives. But this stretch of desert was difficult to cross. Perhaps they had lost their way, or perhaps he had used food to lure away enemies or hunters. In any case, that was how they had ended up in their current predicament.

When Xu Huo came out through the archway, Ding Wei and Zhao Jiahuai were walking toward the vehicle from opposite sides. Neither dared take off their Protective Suits under the scorching sun. During the time they’d spent looking for a route, the sweat on their bodies must have dried over and over. By the time they returned, their faces were flushed and their lips pale. They’d completely lost the composure they’d had when they got out of the vehicle.

As soon as they climbed aboard, the two hurriedly removed their Protective Suits and basked in the cool air. In the front seat, Shangguan Xi asked Xu Huo, “What’s going on up ahead?”

Xu Huo also took off his sweat-soaked Protective Suit, wrung it out, then tossed it into his luggage compartment. “We’re giving a ride to a few people who are heading to W37 Base.”

“So if they’re not a threat, that means they’re ordinary people?” Ding Wei and Zhao Jiahuai, both roasted by the desert sun, were even more opposed to the idea now. “We don’t know how many more days we’ll be stuck in this desert. We don’t have enough food and water for them... Unless they have their own?”

“They’re just a few children,” Xu Huo said. “They’re coming our way anyway. Taking them part of the way is no big deal. I can provide the food and water.”

Since he’d put it that way, the two in the back had nothing more to say. Xu Huo wouldn’t give them his food even if he weren’t sharing it with anyone else. They knew better than to expect otherwise.

Shangguan Xi first asked Teacher Ai how many more days they had to travel. After getting the vague answer of three days, he turned to Xu Huo. “What’s the big deal? They’re just a few kids. They won’t eat much. If you run short, Brother Xu, I can spare some.”

Xu Huo nodded with a smile. “We’ve both just reached C. Like you said, we should help each other out.”

Shangguan Xi glanced at the two in the back, who were listening with their ears perked up, then said, “Hearing you say that puts my mind at ease, Brother Xu.”

Not long after, the archway disappeared. The woman carried the young player on her back and led the three children toward the vehicle.

“Let them sit in the last section,” Ding Wei said.

Once they were aboard, Xu Huo said to Teacher Ai, “Let’s go.”

The vehicle started up again. Having someone familiar with the area guide them was certainly convenient. That afternoon, they passed through two areas active with Mutants, but thanks to their preparations, they suffered few losses. Before the sandstorm swept in that night, they also found a good place to rest.

“You can drive the vehicle into my item,” the young player, Gao Chunfeng, offered, taking out the archway. “You can avoid the sandstorm inside the space.”

Hiding in the space within the archway would indeed let them escape the blowing sand. It was better than having to move whenever they stopped to rest, and it would also let them detect danger ahead of time.

Ding Wei and Zhao Jiahuai ate separately, while everyone on Xu Huo’s side cooked together. Since they had vegetables, Gao Chunling, who was good at cooking, even stir-fried two dishes.

This was different from the food Xu Huo had given her, but Gao Chunling said, “The children don’t eat much. If I make less, we can have it for a few meals.”

Players often had to make do with whatever they could eat while traveling, but on the train they could at least get something decent. Xu Huo and Shangguan Xi barely took a few bites, leaving the rest for the children.

The three children had taken their mother’s surname, Gao. Their names were Gao Xiayang, Gao Xiayun, and Gao Xiayu. With the adults’ permission, they began wolfing down the food.

Teacher Ai, who sat at the same table, was silent. One by one, the adults looked away.

They spent the night resting in the dining car. Ding Wei chose a spot near Gao Chunfeng and quietly struck up a conversation with him. But Gao Chunfeng was injured, and soon his eyelids began to droop as he grew tired. He gave her only half-hearted answers to her questions.

Ding Wei talked to herself for a while. When he stopped responding, she quit trying to entertain herself.

The night passed without incident. Early the next morning, Xu Huo and the others boarded the vehicle first. Once Gao Chunfeng put away his item, the vehicle sped out of the shifting-sand zone.

The wind was lighter today, so the vehicle moved faster. Close to noon, a figure lying on the ground appeared ahead.

The refraction of the hot air created an optical illusion. As the vehicle drew nearer, the figure seemed to move, then again seemed still. It was impossible to tell whether the person was alive or dead.

Teacher Ai slowed down, but Gao Chunfeng quickly called out from behind, “Whatever you do, don’t get out. That’s human bait!”

It sounded hard to believe, but people really did live in this desert region, surviving by robbing travelers.

Shangguan Xi said incredulously, “If they’re capable of robbing players, they might as well go live at a base city. What’s the point of this?”

“Not everyone is willing to live off other people’s charity,” Teacher Ai suddenly said. Then he added, “There’s probably a trap up ahead. Should we take another route?”

“No.” Xu Huo opened the vehicle door, got out for a few seconds, then returned and signaled to Teacher Ai to drive. An explosion suddenly erupted in the middle of the sandy area ahead. The shock wave sent waves of sand surging in every direction. The towering wall of sand spread everywhere like a tsunami, and a piercing alarm sounded inside the vehicle. Teacher Ai instinctively reached for the steering wheel.

Xu Huo glanced at the person who had already gotten up and run away, then said, “Keep going.”