Chapter 3: The Preliminary Review Train

“Player attributes detected. The following three class options are provided:”

“A: Gambler; B: Adventurer; C: Passerby A.”

“Please choose carefully, player.”

The countdown on the screen began to tick, jumping from sixty to fifty-nine.

One minute to choose.

Xu Huo tapped C and entered his nickname. A line of text floated onto the screen

【Congratulations to Passerby A for becoming a prospective player of the Dimension Rift game.】

【Player Nickname: Passerby A】

【Class: Passerby A】

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

【Player Level: E】

【Evolution: 7%】

【Assets: 200 White Notes】

【Note: The Chairman of Stellar Corporation is undoubtedly the most popular man.】

【Note 2: Initial asset amount is converted from the player’s accumulated assets at a certain ratio.】

【Main Trait: Legs that never tire】

【Note 1: How can a Passerby A who spends his whole life on the run not have a good pair of legs?】

【Items: (Empty)】

The personal information screen quickly switched

【Player Passerby A will board the Preliminary Trial Train 301. The train departs at 8:00 AM train time and arrives at the terminal in three days at 8:00 AM.】

【Based on Player Passerby A’s asset status, your seat is in Second Class. Have a pleasant journey.】

When the countdown on the screen hit 0, the surroundings lit up again. Xu Huo, who had just been in a hotel, was now sitting in a train booth, the flame on his lighter still burning.

The moving train emitted a faint, continuous mechanical hum. Bright sunlight shone both inside and outside the carriage; one only had to lift their eyes to see the scenery outside through the three transparent walls.

Under the azure sky, the train traveling in a straight line sliced the space into two. To the left was a forest, while to the right was a white, icy plain. One side was filled with flowers and greenery, while the other featured drifting ice and snow—it looked incredibly realistic.

The panoramic carriage felt extremely futuristic. The vastly different, yet strangely coexisting scenery left the twelve people who had appeared in the carriage simultaneously with varying degrees of shock, though this shock quickly turned into wariness toward one another.

As fellow evolvers, the scents filling the carriage were simply dizzying!

“Gulp!” Someone swallowed hard.

Xu Huo reached for the folding knife in his pocket immediately.

“Ding-dong!”

At that moment, an electronic announcement sounded

“Welcome, evolvers, to Preliminary Trial Train 301. This train departs from the 3D point, passes through the Dimension Rift, and arrives at the 5D Station terminal in three days at 8:00 AM train time. There will be turbulence during the journey; please remain calm, players.”

“As prospective players of the Dimension Rift, the train will categorize and rate you based on your performance during the journey. Please mind your words and actions.”

“The riding rules will now be broadcast.”

“One: You must consume.”

“Two: Please do not enter other carriages at will.”

“Three: Lights out at 8:00 PM.”

“Four: The crew has the right to expel prospective players.”

“Please strictly abide by the above rules. Have a pleasant journey.”

After the electronic voice stopped, the carriage fell silent. It took a while before someone spoke: “Where is this place? Can’t we get off the train?”

The speaker was a young girl in a ponytail, clutching the sleeve of a young man in a dress shirt beside her.

“Get off?” A man who looked like an executive knocked on the transparent glass. “I was just working from home, and suddenly I was brought onto this train. Looking at everyone, we all came from different places. This area is definitely no longer a city we recognize; we might not be able to get back even if we get off.”

“Besides, everyone saw that game screen, right?”

“The broadcast said this is a game, and we are all players. There shouldn’t be any danger, right?” A man in pajamas, still clutching an electric toothbrush, said uneasily, “Games are virtual. It’s very likely we are still in our original locations, and only our consciousnesses have entered the game.”

“Do you think current technology can achieve this?” A trendy woman in a camisole raised her phone. “I’m more inclined to believe in the spiritual energy revival mentioned online.”

“What spiritual energy revival? Miss, can you let me see?” A middle-aged woman in an apron and sleeve covers reached out.

Seeing the blood spots on her, the woman in the camisole subconsciously stepped back.

The middle-aged woman hurriedly took off her sleeve covers. “I was just killing a chicken; I didn’t have my phone on me.”

The woman in the camisole curled her lip. “My phone has no signal.”

“Neither does mine,” the executive said.

“Are we really not going back? Professor Han?” The girl with the ponytail grabbed the young man beside her.

Professor Han looked grave. “The broadcast just said the train is going from the 3D point to the 5D Station.”

“In fact, besides evolvers, many other mutations have appeared on Earth. Some can no longer be explained by existing scientific knowledge. Perhaps another, more advanced civilization is invading Earth.”

The others in the carriage clearly didn’t know much about this, and no one could pick up the conversation. The woman in the camisole, who read more novels, retorted: “Invading Earth in this way? Playing mysterious games?”

Professor Han was speechless. The situation with the evolvers alone was already confusing enough; how could one possibly get to the bottom of it?

While they were talking, Xu Huo had already checked his personal belongings.

Everything he had on him was there: his phone, cigarette case, and folding knife. Additionally, there were two thin slips of paper, similar in texture to ordinary banknotes, each printed with a black silhouette of a human head on both sides, with the words “Stellar Corporation Virtual Currency” in the bottom corner.

Stellar Corporation—that must be the developer of the Dimension Rift game.

He put away his slightly warm lighter and checked the time. The electronic clock in the carriage showed 8:00 AM, while his phone time was exactly 10:00 PM.

The carriage was transparent on three sides, but the front and back had metal doors with glass windows, through which he could see the adjacent carriages. There were people in both.

A “Second Class” plaque hung to the right of the front door, with a light switch next to it.

There were six square tables in the carriage, arranged in two rows. Each table had two seats facing each other; the two seats in the same row were connected but separated from the table.

The woman in the camisole sat alone in the first row on the left, while the executive and the pajama man sat in the first row on the right.

Professor Han and the student with the ponytail were in the second row on the left. Xu Huo sat in the second row on the right, with a young girl in a patchwork garment beside him and a large, heavily made-up woman sitting opposite him.

Behind him sat an elderly person, and at the table next to him was the middle-aged woman who had spoken earlier, with a man and a woman sitting opposite her.

A total of twelve people.

“In any case, since we’re on this train, it’s best to follow the rules,” the executive said. “If this train could bring us on, it can certainly make us disappear without a trace.”

“Are we really going to play this Dimension Rift game according to the prompts?” the girl with the ponytail said, her voice trembling. “I don’t like playing games.”

“It’s okay. I believe as long as we do what the broadcast says, nothing will happen,” Professor Han comforted her.

“Then what are we supposed to do?” the middle-aged woman asked uneasily. “I’ve never played games before.”

Everyone looked at each other. The broadcast only told them to ride the train for three days and follow the rules; there were no other prompts.

“Maybe it’s just about surviving these three days,” the woman in the camisole shrugged.

This remark made everyone fall silent again, and they returned to their original seats.

“Everyone, don’t be so nervous. I don’t think the current situation is hard to guess. The Preliminary Trial Train is definitely a test for us evolvers, and there might be prompts over the next three days. Let’s work together and get through this first hurdle.”