Players, Please Board the Train

”You have other antidotes!” Gu Yu exclaimed with surprise.

”Luckily found them, only three doses,” Xu Huo said with a meaningful tone. ”Just enough to save you three.”

After speaking, he asked Shen Xin, ”Want to try it?”

Shen Xin stared blankly at him for a moment, biting her trembling lips without being able to speak.

Gu Yu limped over behind her and pushed her forward. ”Your brother risked his life to save you because he wanted you to live, right? Now you have a chance to survive and get out, why hesitate?”

”If you die in this dungeon, won’t your brother’s sacrifice be in vain?”

”Your words make sense - no one knows if they’ll die in the next dungeon or the one after, but at least you can’t die here!”

”But it’s not safe inside the walls, let’s get out first before talking.”

Pushed forward by her, Shen Xin wept like rain, then suddenly wiped her tears and turned to walk out arm-in-arm with Gu Yu.

As they stepped outside the walls, they all received the game’s mission completion notification, making them relax simultaneously. Before they could even feel happy, the camping lantern suddenly clattered to the ground. Looking up, they realized Wang Chaoqing who should have been holding the lantern had disappeared.”He left the dungeon, that bastard! We almost got wiped out because of him earlier!” Gu Yu said through gritted teeth. ”During the mutant siege too, hiding in the back unwilling to contribute. Ke Liang and I were bleeding nearly dry while he didn’t even get a scratch!”

Xu Huo didn’t offer any opinion, instead taking Shen Xin’s hand and injecting the antidote into her arm.

”Just human instinct,” Ke Liang said calmly. ”People without much ability who want to survive can only look for loopholes.”

Gu Yu moved her lips but didn’t say anything more, taking the syringe to inject herself before handing it to Ke Liang.

”Not necessarily effective,” Xu Huo reminded.

”Who cares if it works or not, just inject it first!” Gu Yu stared at her arm until the antidote was fully injected, then let out a long breath and blinked at Xu Huo with a smile. ”We owe you big time this time.”

Xu Huo looked at her expressionlessly. After a few seconds, Gu Yu gave up, muttering as she turned away, ”So unromantic...”

They didn’t rush to leave immediately, instead sitting down to wait for the antidote to take effect.

If the antidote didn’t work, they’d inevitably have to return to the town.

Fortunately, after a few minutes, the blackish-blue color around the wounds from the mutant attacks began to slowly fade from all three of them.

”It really works!” Gu Yu said with both excitement and heartache, her expression complex. ”If this could be researched and mass-produced, who knows how many lives it could save.”

”Too bad we used it all up now,” Shen Xin said with her head lowered.

Gu Yu looked somewhat awkward, rubbing her nose. ”First priority is always ensuring our own survival. We can try our best for others afterwards. The Capital City is already developing antidotes, there should be results soon.”

”Sister Gu Yu, you’re a good person,” Shen Xin looked at her. ”After we get out, I’ll go to Capital City with you.”

Gu Yu paused for a moment before saying, ”Sure, of course I welcome you. Are you okay though?”

Shen Yi’s body was still left near the East Gate, Lin Pei was dead, and they had a chance to get out. If it were her, she might want to recover her brother’s body.

But Shen Xin didn’t seem to have any intention of mentioning this matter.

Xu Huo took out the spring rope from his item slot and handed it to Shen Xin.

Shen Xin reflexively reached out to grab it, then hesitated, her voice choked with emotion: ”You killed Lin Pei, this is already your item... really give it to me? But I don’t have any items to exchange with you.”

”The dead cannot return to life, you can keep it as a memento,” Xu Huo said, taking out his lighter to light a cigarette. ”If you want equivalent exchange, you can help me keep an eye out for glove-type items.”

”Thank you... thank you... I will definitely repay this favor!” Shen Xin said while wiping her tears.

”Not just a favor, but a life-saving grace!” Ke Liang said. ”As the old saying goes, great kindness needs no thanks. From now on, if you have any use for me, just contact me. Whether it requires money or effort, I won’t let you save me in vain!”

”You’re too kind,” Xu Huo said.

Confirming the antidote was effective, they had no reason to remain in the dungeon and immediately chose to leave.

A few seconds later, they found themselves standing back in that haunted house villa.

It was daytime in the real world. The familiar sounds of human voices and traffic reached their ears, making them truly feel alive again.

But after going through several life-and-death experiences, their mental state was completely different.

”After so many days of quiet, suddenly hearing car sounds feels a bit unfamiliar,” Gu Yu said with a light laugh.

”Pretty much,” Ke Liang said, in good spirits after surviving the ordeal. ”I feel like having hotpot too.”

”You should go get a blood transfusion first,” Xu Huo glanced at him.

Ke Liang took out his phone to exchange contact information. ”I’m from Harbor City. If you ever come to Harbor City to visit, you must contact me.”

Then he thanked Xu Huo once more with great seriousness.

Xu Huo shook his hand, then went outside to hail a taxi to send him, Gu Yu, and Shen Xin to the hospital together.

”Xu Huo, I’ll call you,” Gu Yu said, holding his hand as she was leaving. ”Don’t ignore me when I do. I have many items, and lots of money too! Whatever you want, I can get it!”

She had specifically wiped her face clean before leaving the villa. Though somewhat disheveled, she was quite attractive, and her humble begging for contact made the taxi driver frequently glance back.

Xu Huo chuckled lightly and waved goodbye to her.

After the car drove away, he withdrew his gaze and turned to look toward the corner of the villa.

”Brother Xu!” Yuan Yao was the first to jump out, followed by Huang Junjie wearing a mask and Wang Chaoqing whose neck he was gripping.

Upon seeing him, Wang Chaoqing immediately put on an ingratiating smile. ”A big celebrity turned into a simp - my brother is just amazing!”

Xu Huo ignored him and asked Yuan Yao, ”Why are you all here?”

”You came looking for Wang Chaoqing and never returned, so Huang Junjie and I came to search nearby. We heard some security guards had disappeared too, spent some money to check surveillance footage, and realized this villa wasn’t normal,” Yuan Yao explained.

”We figured you must have entered a dungeon, so we waited in this area.”

”Didn’t expect to see this guy run out first after waiting for days. We couldn’t let him escape, of course we caught him first.”

”How should we deal with him?” Huang Junjie asked, noticing signs of injury on Xu Huo and thinking this dungeon probably wasn’t simple. After being screwed over by Wang Chaoqing like this, he definitely wouldn’t let him off easily.

”Let him go,” Xu Huo said, hailing another taxi.

”Just let him go like that?” Yuan Yao said in surprise. ”At least beat him up to vent some anger!”

”Brother! Brother!” Wang Chaoqing’s survival instinct was extremely strong. ”I consider you my real brother, which makes me your little brother! You can’t be too harsh on your own brother!”

Yuan Yao turned and slapped his head. ”Shameless! Who are you calling brother!”

”Let him go,” Xu Huo said as he got into the car, looking at the person who appeared nervous but was rolling his eyes after being released by Huang Junjie. He said calmly, ”Someone will come looking for you in a couple days. Don’t wander around. If they can’t find you when the time comes, you know the consequences.”

Wang Chaoqing’s eyelids twitched, his face mournful as he said, ”I’ll definitely stay at home and not go anywhere.”