Players, Please Board the Train

The other case contained four bottles of P0 Evolution Serum and four bottles of P1 Evolution Serum.

After packing them into separate cases, Xu Huo closed the lid and turned to face the Painting Woman. ”You can travel between stations without a train ticket?”

The Painting Woman shook her head. ”I need to follow players to do that.”

”Zone 014 isn’t safe anymore. High-level players from other zones will probably be coming here for quite some time. For your own safety, you should leave this place,” Xu Huo said.

”I’ll follow you,” the Painting Woman quickly typed.

”I’m not leaving Zone 014 for now,” Xu Huo told her honestly. ”You’re an unclaimed Super Item. Although you can’t be killed, being discovered would inevitably bring trouble. You don’t want to become just a pattern in some player’s item slot, do you?”

The Painting Woman’s expression visibly fell. She lowered her head and fiddled with her phone, no longer typing.

Seeing she had nothing more to say, Xu Huo walked to the door and pulled it open, looking down at Yu Qingqing who was leaning sideways with her ear pressed against the door, about to tumble in.

”Haha! You caught me.” Half-fallen on the floor, Yu Qingqing grinned at the person who made no move to help her up. ”I wasn’t trying to eavesdrop, it’s just that my ears stopped obeying me while I was walking.”

Her eyes darted around as she stole glances toward the Painting Woman, noticing her tearful expression. She paused. ”Cousin, I’m glad you’ve seen the light. She’s so ugly—where would she ever be worthy of you?”Ying!

The Painting Woman covered her face, pushed past both of them, and ran off.

”The main door is that way,” Yu Qingqing pointed outside, but only received the sound of a bedroom door slamming shut in response.

Yu Qingqing pouted.

Xu Huo took a lighter from the drawer and lit a cigarette for himself. ”Want me to put you on a plane again?”

”I’m not going back!” Yu Qingqing declared. ”My parents approved me coming out this time.”

”They don’t object to you being an actress anymore?”

Yu Qingqing’s face lit up at the mention. ”You didn’t know, did you? President Zheng from the company personally came to my house to apologize. Not only did he voluntarily compensate us, but he also offered me a high-priced contract renewal with the company.”

”The terms are very generous too—nine-one split, and they’re providing me with three vacation villas.”

After the slaughterhouse dungeon, President Zheng from the entertainment company had contacted Xu Huo twice, but he hadn’t responded. He hadn’t expected the man to turn around and approach Yu Qingqing instead.

”Since your parents agree, I won’t interfere,” he said.

Yu Qingqing stared at him, her smile instantly vanishing, a cold glint hidden in her eyes.

Xu Huo took a drag of his cigarette, leaning against the doorframe, watching her with equal lack of emotion.

They stood in confrontation amid the smoke until a phone ringtone interrupted them.

”Hello?” Xu Huo answered the call.

”Got time? Let’s meet up.” It was Nie Xuan calling.

Since Xu Huo needed to see him anyway, they arranged a location. He put out his cigarette, picked up the case, and headed out.

Yu Qingqing followed closely behind him to the door. As he turned back, she suddenly bloomed into a smile. ”Cousin, when will you be back?”

”Tonight.” Xu Huo seemed to remember something and told her, ”I’m leaving the woman in the house to you.”

”Don’t worry, I’ll definitely drive her away!” Yu Qingqing made a fist-pump promise.

Xu Huo twitched the corner of his mouth and left without looking back.

Yu Qingqing closed the door with a smile, humming a little tune as she went to the kitchen to get a cleaver, then went to knock on the Painting Woman’s door. ”Lichun, come out and let’s have a chat.”

Meanwhile, Xu Huo took a taxi to a coffee shop where Nie Xuan was already waiting, with a server refilling his cup.

”Sit.” Nie Xuan pointed to the seat opposite him and downed half a cup of bitter coffee in one gulp.

Seeing this, Xu Huo smiled and offered him a cigarette. ”Looking for me about something?”

Nie Xuan waved it away. ”After what happened last time you tricked me, the memory’s still fresh. No need for cigarettes.”

”I bought these at the supermarket,” Xu Huo said as he lit one for himself.

”Your nicotine addiction is serious—you inevitably carry the smell with you. That’s not good for players,” Nie Xuan remarked.

Players with exceptional sense of smell and memory could easily remember someone by their scent.

”Players lose their names, left with only a number and nickname, like blurred shadows. When a shadow has a distinct scent, its inherent ambiguity ceases to be important information.”

Xu Huo raised an eyebrow. ”Characteristics have directionality but also deception. What do you think?”

Nie Xuan was silent for two seconds before saying, ”I’m leaving Ting City tonight. Before I go, I want to invite you to join the vanguard squad again.”

”You must have received the game notification too. No matter how things develop, now is the best time to join.”

Xu Huo paused, then said, ”You’re going to be a bodyguard, aren’t you.”

A flash of anger appeared in Nie Xuan’s eyes, though it wasn’t directed at Xu Huo.

”Players’ power is still relatively weak. For various considerations, we have no choice but to do this.”

The government was gathering players to important locations—these players were probably the elite discovered so far. Bringing them together served two purposes: protecting seed players and having them protect important figures.

After all, this world didn’t belong to players yet.

He handed him the aluminum case, then reached into his pocket and pulled out a P0T syringe. ”The case contains some local specialties. The syringe is my personal gift.”

Nie Xuan placed one hand on the case and covered the syringe with a tissue, then said with complex emotions, ”You’re one of the more productive players. Why not just join the vanguard squad?”

”Do I need to say it?” Xu Huo smiled. ”If I nodded, both of us would be feeling stifled right here right now.”

Nie Xuan’s expression instead relaxed. He drained the coffee before him and said meaningfully, ”If you were obedient, you wouldn’t be a player.”

Setting down the cup, he pocketed the syringe. As he picked up the aluminum case to leave, he suddenly asked, ”The Super Item is in your hands.”

Xu Huo didn’t pause his drinking motion at all, as if he had anticipated this probe, his expression flawless.

”No need for jokes. I actually think the Super Item probably isn’t in the hands of any player in Zone 014.”

”You’re right,” Nie Xuan laughed heartily before turning to leave.

Xu Huo prepared to leave as well, but then the server approached with a bright smile. ”Sir, the previous gentleman said you would be paying the bill. That will be one hundred and eight yuan, please.”

Xu Huo looked toward the entrance—Nie Xuan was already gone. He could only pull out some loose change from his pocket to settle the bill.

Leaving the coffee shop, he took another taxi to Anxin Compound.

The security at this residential complex was lax. Xu Huo went straight to Zhou Ning’s floor and knocked.

Hu Wenhu opened the door and couldn’t help calling out happily into the room, ”Sister Ning, Brother Xu is here!”

Zhou Ning leaned out from the end of the hallway, smiling. ”Mr. Xu, please come in.”

Besides them, Tian Yun and Yu Xiaoyu—who had cooperated against the Holy Sword Society before—were absent. Zhou Ning’s younger brother Zhou Xiao stood at the bedroom doorway, mouth agape. There was also the sound of someone else breathing in the room.

Meeting his gaze, Zhou Xiao nervously closed the door.

Xu Huo averted his eyes and casually asked, ”Didn’t see the other two?”

”Tian Yun was seriously injured—he’s recuperating at his own home. Yu Xiaoyu too—he broke his leg falling down the stairs and can’t walk,” Zhou Ning said.

Hu Wenhu waved his bandaged arm. ”They’re recovering slowly, not like me—up and about in two or three days.”

After their previous experience, he felt quite comfortable around Xu Huo.

”Be careful,” Zhou Ning frowned. ”If you hurt it again, you’ll need another dressing change.”

Hu Wenhu looked embarrassed and changed the subject by asking Xu Huo what was in the case.

”Potions,” Xu Huo opened the case.

Zhou Ning and the others, who were poorer than church mice, breathed heavily when they saw the eight neatly arranged bottles of potion.