Players, Please Board the Train

Xu Huo, who had already lost his qualification to answer questions, was excluded by the game’s power. In the blink of an eye, he found himself outside the ancient castle, standing in the woods not far from the front gate.

He didn’t leave the woods immediately but instead found a spot to hide.

As time passed, more and more players emerged from the ancient castle. However, these people didn’t linger outside the castle; after coming out, they plunged into the forest, dispersing in different directions. This group included both Brother Tu and the White-Haired Player.

The two of them probably wanted to wait for their other companions, so after emerging, they didn’t leave directly but chose a concealed spot. After waiting for a while, Brother Tu whispered something to the elderly man, and the two then left the castle area.

They moved quickly, remaining vigilant of their surroundings the entire way, but never cast their gaze toward Xu Huo’s location until their figures completely disappeared into the distant woods.

Xu Huo casually glanced at the floating number ”8” hovering among the bushes, then stepped out of the forest and returned to the ancient castle.

In the woods over seventy meters away from the castle, Brother Tu watched with gloomy eyes as the figure disappeared through the castle entrance. ”Elder Yu, is that the guy?”

The White-Haired Player, also known as Elder Yu, nodded. ”Wearing a mask, that’s correct. Judging by his combat style, he’s just a D-level player at best, with an evolution rate probably around 28%. However, he’s experienced and handles items skillfully—he must have spent a long time grinding in dungeons, just never managed to level up.”

”This isn’t unusual. Advancing from E-level to D-level requires at least three B-grade Excellent evaluations. The lower the dungeon ratings, the more dungeons needed to level up. After long-term accumulation, most players who successfully reach D-level have considerable combat experience.”

”The other party seems to have targeted us. I wonder if he’s connected to that man and woman we encountered earlier.””Regardless of any connection, since he’s coming after us, it’s best to deal with him here.” Brother Tu pressed his tongue against his cheek. ”To avoid delaying our clearance.”

”Could the twins and Cai Fang already be dead?” Elder Yu said.

Players die at any time in dungeons, so it wouldn’t be strange for three people to perish in the game.

”Then consider them dead.” Brother Tu said coldly. ”Let’s deal with this trouble first.”

Xu Huo pretended to search around the castle for a while before quickly being found by Brother Tu and his companion. A marble shot through the corridor straight toward the back of his head, and when he dodged, it bounced back from the front, creating a secondary attack.

Brother Tu had chosen his attack position cleverly—right before a corridor turn. The marble blocked Xu Huo’s forward path, forcing him to retreat, and naturally, his escape route was also cut off.

Just as Xu Huo dodged the bouncing marble, he turned to face a flying kick from Brother Tu. He crossed his arms to block at shoulder level, but the impact sent him crashing through the stone wall. As he tumbled into the room, the mask on his face was knocked off!

”It’s you.” Brother Tu’s eyes turned cold as a toy sword appeared in his hand, slashing down toward the room!

The less-than-one-meter toy sword grew with the wind, expanding to over five meters by the time it reached Xu Huo’s head. He raised his sword to block, but was forced to his knees by the pressure, with the floor beneath him cracking under the strain.

”Boom!” Xu Huo crashed down to the second floor. Spotting the white-haired elderly man hiding not far away in his peripheral vision, he immediately grabbed the piano wire and fled toward the window without touching the ground.

However, a figure intercepted him before he could escape, striking him back with a sword. ”Think you can run after killing my people?”

Xu Huo’s expression darkened as he leaped onto the broken bridge behind him. Hesitant to land because of Elder Yu, he could only move forward by grabbing the piano wire, but the wire’s speed was far inferior to his running pace. Soon, Brother Tu caught up with him. As the other swung his sword, Xu Huo had no choice but to release the wire and land on the bridge surface.

Before he could steady himself, the person who had been ten meters away closed the distance instantly. With their swords locked together, Xu Huo was forced backward step by step.

Realizing this Brother Tu possessed considerable strength, Xu Huo abruptly halted his retreat, mustering all his force to push back before actively swinging his sword to attack.

After perfect evolution, his 20% evolution rate was equivalent to at least 30% for ordinary Evolvers. So far, he hadn’t encountered much difference in strength among players of the same level, but there seemed to be a significant gap compared to the person before him.

After being struck several times in succession, Brother Tu showed clear anger. His sword-wielding hand suddenly exerted force as he met the Crimson Sword head-on—without even the slightest pause, he knocked the sword away!

Xu Huo’s right arm went numb from the shock, his sword nearly flying from his grasp. His eyes quickly scanned the other’s knuckles and wrist before moving to Brother Tu’s face. ”Are you a high-level player?”

Brother Tu smirked disdainfully, not answering the question, instead swinging his toy sword toward him.

Without another word, Xu Huo drew another glove and grabbed the piano wire to leap across the broken bridge.

He hadn’t been mistaken earlier—when Brother Tu exerted force, the skin texture on his knuckles had subtly changed. So his strength must come from his hands, not from an item.

”Looks like your item has quite significant usage restrictions.” Brother Tu’s voice came from behind. Xu Huo turned his head only to find that the toy sword had grown longer again. Unable to dodge in mid-air, his arm and back were slashed, and he lost his grip on the piano wire.

”Elder Yu!” Brother Tu shouted. Elder Yu quickly closed in, and both men leaped across the broken bridge simultaneously, flanking Xu Huo from both sides.

The stone slabs beneath showed subtle undulations again. Xu Huo narrowed his eyes, tore off his torn coat to wrap around his hand, and grabbed the piano wire again to ascend.

Seeing this, Elder Yu exchanged a glance with Brother Tu, who then swung his toy sword again, madly slashing at Xu Huo from over ten meters away.

With two advancing and one retreating, the three maintained this formation as they moved back toward the castle structures behind them. Xu Huo acquired two more wounds but stubbornly refused to enter the castle. Brother Tu sneered, ”Trying to defend against my item?”

As he spoke, he switched from sword to fist, delivering a heavy blow to the shield that sent Xu Huo flying into the castle building. Simultaneously, two marbles began ricocheting wildly around, utilizing the architectural advantages.

Xu Huo had to deal with marbles coming from unpredictable directions while fending off Brother Tu’s attacks, all while remaining wary of Elder Yu’s underhanded tricks. He could only flee around the room.

The toy sword in Brother Tu’s hand didn’t maintain its enlarged state continuously. Instead, it gradually shortened with increased usage frequency. When the blade returned to its original size, he couldn’t help but grow impatient, his attacks becoming more ferocious.

As time passed, the toy sword that couldn’t elongate again was replaced with a black dagger. Although Xu Huo wielded a sword, he was slightly inferior in speed and didn’t gain much advantage, instead being forced to retreat step by step.

”Bang!” Under the contest of strength, his continuously injured right arm finally gave out. The Crimson Sword flew from his grasp with a clatter, and the black dagger swept toward his throat!

This move seemed unavoidable for Xu Huo, but just as the blade edge was mere inches away, he raised his right arm vertically in front of his neck—and caught the dagger blade bare-handed!