Chapter 16: Arriving at the Station

“I think I should be the one to go out,” Professor Han said. “We’re already short-handed as it is, and now you’re splitting people up to watch over me…”

“It doesn’t make much difference whether there’s one more or one less person,” Xu Huo said. “If the monsters only move under certain light conditions, one person is enough to keep watch. If that’s not the case, having a few more people won’t help anyway.”

Professor Han remained worried about the possibility of his own mutation. Wang Xiaohui gathered her courage and said, “I’ll watch over Professor Han.”

“You all saw my special ability earlier. Although I have limited mobility, I can seal off a corner. Even if something happens to Professor Han, you’ll have time to react.”

The transition carriage was unsafe, but Professor Han might not necessarily mutate. He couldn’t be sent out to wait for death just because of that possibility.

Xu Huo had no objections and stood by the window, waiting for the darkness to arrive.

A few minutes later, the light around the train gradually vanished. They traveled in this state for about an hour before the train suddenly began to tremble. This time, the shaking lasted longer and was more violent than the previous two nights.

Feeling the weight outside the window increase drastically, Xu Huo couldn’t help but frown. But before this storm could pass, a loud bang erupted from the rear, as if something heavy had landed on the carriage. The entire train was dragged to a momentary halt, and at the same time, the weight pressing down on the tabletop receded like a receding tide!

Something had boarded the train!

Everyone in the carriage held their breath, their focus entirely on the screeching sound of twisting metal coming from the back. The transition carriage seemed to be getting torn apart; the rear of the third-class carriage sank slightly. Immediately after, something slammed into the back door. Amidst the “creak-creak” sounds, wind blew in through the door gaps, but it was instantly blocked. After a brief stagnation of the air in the carriage, a warm, fishy-smelling breeze slowly drifted in from the rear…

“Ugh…” A faint sob escaped through Liu Jia’s fingers.

That tiny sound was all it took for the heavy object clinging to the back door to move rapidly upward, crawling along the carriage wall to the roof. A sharp scratching sound echoed against the glass, followed by the glass shattering. Mixed with the sound of dripping water, a strong wind poured into the carriage from above, and something was shifting inside!

The front and rear doors were not transparent, so even though the back door had been mangled, Liu Jia couldn’t clearly see what had caught up to the train. However, the claw marks—far larger than those of any ordinary beast—and the fishy wind blowing in filled her with instinctive terror. She subconsciously covered her mouth and closed her eyes.

Yet, the creature was still drawn by the faint sound. Hearing the glass shatter, she panicked and couldn’t help but open her eyes, only to see a massive tongue coiling toward her!

Liu Jia was terrified out of her wits!

A hand reached from behind to cover her mouth, stifling her scream!

A shard of glass flew out of the carriage and struck the stone wall beside the train. The tongue, which had almost licked Liu Jia’s face, snapped back violently, followed by the sound of stone shattering, but it was instantly left behind by the speeding train!

Xu Huo pressed lightly on Liu Jia’s shoulder and made a shushing gesture. Regardless of whether he could see her or not, Liu Jia covered her mouth with both hands and nodded frantically.

Xu Huo stepped away from her. Just as he returned to his seat, a strong light suddenly flashed in front of the train. Even though it lasted only a split second, in that ink-like darkness, it was more eye-catching than a spotlight!

In an instant, the train, which had just regained its stability, began to shake again. It sounded as if thousands of horses were galloping across its outer shell with a booming roar!

That massive black shadow caught up to the train once more, sweeping over the second-class carriage. Faint screams and cries for help were drowned out by roars and tearing sounds. The entire train swayed from side to side as if it were about to fall apart, but after a few short minutes, it returned to calm, speeding onward in an eerie silence…

“Ding-dong!”

“Congratulations to all prospective players for completing the initial screening train instance and becoming official players of the Dimensional Rift. Due to a staff error, the train encountered a D-level incident. As an apology, each player will receive one free train ticket. Please check your inventory.”

“This Train 301 will arrive at the station in ten seconds. Players, please prepare to disembark.”

“Countdown starting: 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1!”

…

When his vision cleared again, Xu Huo found himself alone in a pure white space. The train and the other people had all vanished. Fireworks effects popped and exploded around him, and his personal panel popped up in front of him

【Congratulations to player Passerby A. During this journey, you did not eat any players, killed one Red player and one ordinary player, and became an official Black player. Note: The initial screening train does not function as an instance, so you cannot obtain the items of the players you killed.】

【Your performance during the journey was rated as C-level Excellent. As the player with the highest comprehensive index among the survivors of Train 301, you will receive the new special ability “Insider’s Perspective,” the item “Super Running Shoes,” an additional reward for the C-level instance completion “Arsonist’s Tools,” 2000 White Bills in new assets, eight vials of potions, and one gift package gifted by the Eternal Star Chef.】

【The following data has been updated】

【Player Nickname: Passerby A】

【Player Type: Black Player】

【Occupation: Passerby A】

【Note: As someone who is always on the road, his chance of becoming the protagonist is one in ten thousand.】

【Player Level: E】

【ID: 556688】

【Evolution Rate: 7%】

【Assets: 2000 White Bills】

【Note: A player who can earn money and spend it—how could the game not provide rewards?】

【Main Special Abilities: ① Legs that never tire; ② Insider’s Perspective】

【Note 1: Congratulations to the player for developing a new special ability. A Passerby A who always grasps information without realizing it cannot do without a pair of observant eyes.】

【Items: ① Super Running Shoes (Note: If speed isn’t enough, running shoes will make up for it. Work for ten minutes, charge for a whole day. Double-tap your heels to increase speed by 30%.)

② Arsonist’s Tools (Note: Besides lighting cigarettes, they can also light people. Open the lighter and say “Burn” to the target, and their clothing will spontaneously combust. Excluding nudists.)】

【Potions: ① P0 Evolution Agent x3 (Note: As the lowest-level evolution agent, it can only allow the player’s physical fitness to evolve slowly. Players with an evolution rate below 10% must take at least one bottle per month. Players can obtain evolution agents by clearing games; of course, they might also be hidden in unexpected places. Oh, there is also a P1 version.)

② E-level Healing Agent x2 (Note: Obsolete product, used only to alleviate pain.)

③ E-level Cleaning Agent x2 (Note: A highly effective product for eliminating traces. Durable and long-lasting, it is the most common game reward. To increase the game’s difficulty, it is even given away for free to Red players as a gift, with no dignity at all.)

④ D-level Hair Growth Agent x1 (Note: A gentle application is all it takes to have the smooth, beautiful hair you’ve dreamed of. The middle-aged professor who developed it is willing to gift it to every player at risk of baldness. Note: Growing hair from nothing is quite difficult, so it only has one week of efficacy.)】

【Gift Package: One Eternal Star Restaurant membership card, one 10% off coupon (Note: A gift from the Head Chef. Anyone who respects food deserves to be respected.)】

【Ticket Holder: Clown City Station, Hot Spring Mountain City Station, Garden Castle Station (Note: These are one-way tickets only; you must clear the instance to obtain a return ticket.)】

【Reminder: Players must take one train ride per natural month using a ticket. If the time limit passes without entering the game, the player will be forcibly teleported to the station three hours before the deadline.】

【Countdown to next game: 12 days.】