Chapter 9 - Violations

Yan Jiayu muttered softly, “Evil begets evil.”

The heavily made-up woman checked the teeth of the two people on the ground, “Their teeth are intact.”

She made as if to check the teeth of others.

“Enough already, it’s just talk, not for real.” He Yang, with a sneer, looked up at the middle-aged woman who had stood up ready to show off her teeth, then glared at Li Fei, “You happy now?”

Li Fei gave a cold snort, and after searching the bodies of the deceased without finding anything useful, he cursed and sat down in the corner.

This was normal; most players were transported onto the train without any information, carrying very few or even no personal items.

“The dead have passed on; let’s focus on resting,” said Professor Han.

Arguing about whether the dead players were bloodthirsty players was pointless as they couldn’t possibly kill Xu Huo or Li Fei.

First off, success wasn’t certain, and secondly, no one could ensure that a bloodthirsty player wasn’t among the remaining, and the fewer people left, the higher the risk.

Xu Huo took over the corner where Li Fei had been sitting, near the light switch, and the heavily made-up woman sat down opposite him, “I believe what you said.

What else do you know?

Tell me, we can work together.”

Xu Huo looked at her, “Information for information.”

The heavily made-up woman typed a message on her phone with one hand covering the screen, then placed it in front of him.

“Bloodthirsty players enhance their physical abilities by eating, and the more they eat, the bigger their appetite grows.”

This matched Xu Huo’s speculation that bloodthirsty players would maintain an instinct to devour.

He pondered for a moment before turning his phone on to save battery, as he had turned it off before lights out the previous day.

“The growth of the bloodthirsty players’ abilities is limited.”

This, too, was his guess.

During his fight with Chen Yi, he discovered his speed had greatly increased, far exceeding his ability before boarding the train, which was likely related to his trait “Tireless Legs.” Since bloodthirsty players could quickly attain physical strength, there had to be drawbacks in other areas, or else the “Dimensional Rift” might as well be called “The Degenerate Game.”

Professor Han had insightful perspectives; in a game created for people, the mainstream must conform to human ethics and values.

As for whether traits were limited, he was unsure.

After reading this, the heavily made-up woman’s expression turned slightly unsightly, but she quickly asked him who he suspected of being a bloodthirsty player.

Li Fei, the middle-aged woman, and the old man were all highly suspicious.

Of those left, although the previous night was chaotic, Xu Huo hadn’t seen Yan Jiayu, and he noted that her breathing and footsteps were very light.

It could be a trait, or perhaps evolution.

He didn’t rule out that she was a bloodthirsty player.

What was odd was the ponytailed female student who had testified for him.

Chen Yi had actually been standing by his side the whole time yesterday, while she was on the other side of the door.

Yet, she had unhesitatingly spoken out to help him.

And before Chen Yi started the fight, she had shouted out, and afterwards, she was completely unscathed, which seemed a bit abrupt.

Meanwhile, the female student handed her phone to Professor Han and He Yang with a trembling hand, and after seeing it, both of their faces grew stern.

Having made little real progress in his conversation with the heavily made-up woman, and realizing that she didn’t know much about the train’s inner workings, Xu Huo lost interest in talking.

Soon it was time for lunch.

The attendant, acting as if he saw nothing amiss with the corpses and bloodstains in the carriage, passed the menu to those sitting in the first row.

The situation was almost the same as yesterday; players had to at least spend on a cup of water.

Professor Han gifted a cup of water to the old man, who, as usual, called Yan Jiayu over, and they both ate biscuits soaked in water.

Xu Huo, being the wealthiest person in the Second Class Seat, ordered a meat dish and a bowl of rice for eight hundred White Notes, then took out twelve hundred and split it into one thousand and two hundred before handing it to the attendant, “Please convey my compliments to the chef for his exquisite cooking.

This is a small token of my appreciation.

Could you run an errand for me, young man?”

The attendant, whose expression had been indifferent, suddenly brightened upon receiving the two hundred White Notes, “The gentleman’s regards will certainly be conveyed.”

The attendant who had refused Li Fei and others the day before now helped the chef receive a bribe — it really worked.

Xu Huo wondered what advantages this would bring him, eliciting envy.

For a moment, Li Fei even thought of grabbing the attendant to force information out of him.

But he quickly abandoned the idea as noise erupted from the Third-Class Seat: a player was thrown out of the train, plummeting off the cliff, and before the cries vanished, the train announcement blared:

“Third-Class Seat player ‘I’m the Best in the World’ has been expelled for assaulting an attendant.”

The announcement repeated three times.

The attendant returned to the Second Class Seat unharmed but with an unfriendly demeanor.

Li Fei didn’t even dare to look at him, and the middle-aged woman also appeared fearful.

Fortunately, the attendant did not return after leaving.

“Someone really can be thrown off the train…” Yan Jiayu murmured.

The other passengers looked out the window at the scenery that seemed to have no end, silent.

After becoming an Evolver, the growth in physical prowess and the newfound extraordinary strength inevitably caused some to become arrogant.

Yesterday, most of them might have treated the game with a playful attitude, even prepared psychologically for the slaughter at night, as Evolvers attacking each other was not something that started only after boarding the train.

But the intervention of the attendants made one thing clear to them, even as they grew stronger, they still had no ability to fight back against the game characters.

This meant that the game’s rules were not to be violated and also represented the danger of the game.

“Someone’s money has gone to waste,” Li Fei commented with an unknown motive.

Xu Huo looked towards the front door and pretended not to hear.

Professor Han, He Yang, and a few others joined hands, intending to move the bodies to a corner.

“Spread them out,” Xu Huo said.

“Two at the back door, one at the front.”

Professor Han immediately understood and sighed.

Nevertheless, he did as he was instructed.

After eating, everyone was tired and sat in their seats with their eyes closed, resting.

“Knock knock,” someone was knocking on the door, a player from the front carriage.

Li Fei and the others were on high alert, while Xu Huo calmly opened the door, “What’s up?”

Nie Xuan, looking weary, jerked his chin upward at him, “Step outside for a chat?”

Xu Huo willingly stepped out and closed the door behind him, offering a cigarette to Nie Xuan.

Nie Xuan didn’t take it.

“Six are dead in the first-class,” he stated directly.

“The number of bloodthirsty players to ordinary players should be one to one.”

Xu Huo nodded slightly, unsurprised, “Three died on my side, two bloodthirsty players.

Also, the appetite of bloodthirsty players will gradually increase.”

He put the cigarette in his mouth, lit it, and took a drag before he continued, “Bloodthirsty players have rapid physical growth and strong self-healing abilities, but their special traits might be limited.”

Nie Xuan shook his head, “I was unlucky, four ordinary players died.”

After a pause, he pulled out a gold business card, “If you’re interested, contact me after you get off the train.”

“Are you paid well?” Xu Huo suddenly asked an unrelated question.

Nie Xuan made a gesture, “Wan.”

“No wonder you use a gold card,” Xu Huo casually put it in his pocket and offhandedly said, “Why don’t you come to the second class?”

Nie Xuan lifted his eyelids and sized him up, “Each player only has one chance to board the initial trial train, but not everyone who gets off can get a ticket to the next station.”

Tickets.

Xu Huo’s eyes changed.

Nie Xuan stopped there and turned back to his own carriage.

Xu Huo leaned against the door until he finished his cigarette and then returned.

Just as he stepped into the carriage, the doorbell at the back door rang.

At the back door stood a man with a fierce and intimidating gaze.

“As long as the door isn’t opened, he can’t come in,” the middle-aged woman nearby, startled, said.

Professor Han went to take a look and said in surprise, “There’s a disabled player.”

“Open the door and ask,” said Xu Huo, moving in that direction.

“No!” Li Fei was one step ahead, grabbing the doorknob, “With all the chaos in third-class last night, how did a disabled person survive?

It might be that she’s even more formidable than us.

What if they force their way in after we open the door?”

“We have nine people,” Xu Huo glanced at him, “I want to see if there will be any penalty for entering other carriages.”

Li Fei looked at him in shock, “Are you insane?”

Of course, in this situation, the most important thing was to survive.

Who cares about the consequences of violating the riding rules?

As long as they were safe, wasn’t that enough?

“Let’s vote,” Xu Huo said.

“I agree to open the door.”

“I agree too,” Yan Jiayu was the first to respond, “Maybe they really need help.

To be human, one must have a kind heart.

Even if they are bloodthirsty players, we’re not afraid with so many of us.”