Players, Please Board the Train

In the Headhunter Demon dungeon, the leftover player who performed hanging that Xu Huo encountered had revealed a piece of information: after missing three dungeons, players would be forcibly teleported by the game into high-risk random dungeons, with three times as the upper limit. The more dungeons missed, the more dangerous the random dungeon teleported to would be.

However, players might not necessarily obtain train tickets in every dungeon. Scarce tickets were the norm. Being able to do two low-level dungeons within a year was, to some extent, giving players a way out. After all, snatching tickets from players of the same level wasn’t necessarily easy, but with good luck, downward compatibility was still possible.

But this was only a buffer method. Participating in low-level dungeons not only yielded few good items but might also face severe penalties. Therefore, those who planned to rush into low-level dungeons to harvest player lives and items would only lose more than they gained.

However, Xu Huo didn’t think the game placed much importance on the life or death of players in any particular dungeon. The game could allow a new game zone to become a breeding farm, so a few or even a dozen-plus players weren’t significant. Thus, the focus of penalties should be on the extent of damage caused by high-level players to dungeon venues and rules. Otherwise, during the Super Item incident, high-level players from other zones wouldn’t have used dungeons to enter Zone 014.

The maximum penalty was becoming a wanted criminal. Being a wanted criminal meant more than just not obtaining tickets. Just like the ”V. Fanxiao’s Tool of Crime” he acquired, a wanted criminal would definitely be hunted by various game factions. Since they were wanted criminals, the game surely had reward measures for killing them.

Besides the already used ”Building Block Fairytale City Station” and ”Hundred-Person Art Gallery,” Xu Huo still had one E-level ”Clown City Station” ticket. Additionally, he had ”Garden Castle Station,” ”Clay Station,” ”Deep Blue Laboratory,” and the ”Four Directions Palace Station” obtained after leaving Building Block Fairytale City. Including this time’s ”Playing Card Maze” and C-level ”Paradise City Station,” he now had seven tickets in total.

One E-level, five D-level, and one C-level, all located at the E27 wormhole point, though belonging to different sub-zones.

As for the remaining various potions and the various dining coupons gifted from leveling up, Xu Huo didn’t plan to examine them in detail. After closing his personal panel, he left the blank space.

After coming out, he found himself in a pitch-black alley. Looking up, he met several pairs of wide-staring eyes. Before he could say anything, the other side shouted first: ”He’s a player! Can’t let him expose our business! Kill him!”

After shouting, they charged forward and attacked directly.Xu Huo felt this should be the effect of his new characteristic ”Accident Trigger Constitution,” otherwise he wouldn’t have emerged right into a kidnapping scene.

Kicking away the first person charging at him, he backhandedly slapped another. However, this person remained steady after taking his slap, suddenly producing a glass bottle from thin air, unscrewing the cap and splashing it toward him!

The crimson glow of the ruby illuminated the alley as a beam of sword energy swept through. That glass bottle, along with the hand holding it, all fell to the ground. The spilled liquid carried a strong stench, corroding the ground with sizzling sounds.

”Ahhh!!!” The person whose hand was cut off knelt screaming. The other three, seeing this, dared not approach further. The short man at the back climbed onto the wall trying to escape backward, but it was just another sword strike—the person rolled down from midair split into two halves.

”Big brother!” The remaining two went weak in the knees and knelt on the ground. ”We’re not players, please don’t kill us!”

Sounds came from the suitcase in the corner. Xu Huo glanced at the one-armed man kneeling nearby, ”Becoming players just to do kidnapping and extortion schemes?”

Another companion with broken bones from being kicked still lay contorted nearby. The one-armed man swallowed saliva, ”The one in the suitcase is a Player-Eater! He eats people, he deserves to be killed! Someone wanted to buy him, what’s wrong with me earning some extra cash!”

Xu Huo offered no comment, sheathed the Crimson Sword, and looked toward the alley entrance, ”Someone’s coming to take over. Save your words for them.”

As his words fell, rapid footsteps approached from both ends of the alley blocking it. Fully armed special operatives aimed guns into the alley, ”Nobody move!”

Seeing the situation inside the alley through night vision goggles, one armed personnel made a hand signal to the side. Subsequently, three personnel in suits walked over.

Seeing the person leading them, Xu Huo smiled, ”What a coincidence, running into your Special Affairs Department handling business. Hope I didn’t interfere.”

Nie Xuan, wearing his suit neatly and properly, looked relaxed, ”I should thank you for your help. I can wrap up right after coming out.”

With a wave of his hand, the team members behind him entered the alley to clean up the scene.

”Now not only ordinary people, even players aren’t safe. Some people have gone crazy.” Nie Xuan sighed, then extended an invitation, ”It’s still early, want to grab a drink?”

”Are places still open at this hour?” Xu Huo walked toward the alley exit.

”Don’t underestimate our Special Defense Department... the Special Affairs Department has been renamed now, placed alongside several important national departments. The full name is 014A External Special Defense Department, abbreviated as Special Defense Department.” Nie Xuan added this explanation, then continued his previous topic, ”Once the orders came down from above, every city strengthened their armed deployments. Returning to normal life isn’t really a problem.”

The two drove to the bustling area of Ting City. Sure enough, many shops were still open at this hour. Patrol cars parked nearby gave ordinary people confidence to go out, so the foot traffic here was still considerable.

Finding a bar to sit in, Nie Xuan ordered alcohol for Xu Huo but got himself a glass of plain water, ”Need to undergo checks recently, can’t drink alcohol. Consider this me having a drink with you.”

He clinked glasses directly.

Xu Huo picked up his glass and took a sip, then gestured with his chin toward Nie Xuan’s feet, ”Because of this?”

Nie Xuan lifted his right foot and tapped the toe on the ground, producing a metallic sound, ”Got injured in Harbor City. If not for the special metal found in the game, might not have even kept the leg.”

”What item is so powerful?” Xu Huo asked.

Nie Xuan shook his head, ”Who knows.”

Pausing briefly, he added, ”If players from other zones weren’t fighting among themselves too, the losses this time might have been even more severe.”

Hearing the dejected tone in his voice, Xu Huo said, ”It’s all due to circumstances and coincidences. But looking at the outcome, it’s still passable.”

”That’s true.” Nie Xuan said, ”Much better compared to other places.”

As he spoke, he looked back at Xu Huo, ”I heard Team Leader Wu moved your family to a secure residential area.”

Xu Huo hadn’t checked his messages since returning.

”There’s one thing I’m quite curious about.” Nie Xuan asked, ”The conditions the country can offer you are among the most favorable. They’re providing key protection for your family even without your agreement. But I can tell you don’t plan to join the Special Defense Department. What’s the reason?”

Xu Huo swirled his glass, the amber liquor rolling to the rim then turning back without spilling a drop. He smiled while looking at the person before him, ”Do you really not know?”