Players, Please Board the Train

Zhao Bi entered the restroom with a light, whistling. After relieving himself, he walked to the mirror and used his wet hands from washing to tidy his hair. Suddenly, something bumped into his light. As the light beam wavered, a ghostly shadow flashed past in the mirror.

Zhao Bi initially reached for the light, but seeing this, he immediately switched to using an item instead. He first grabbed the vacuum device in one hand, while his other hand flung a white food cover outward. The semi-transparent large food cover enveloped his entire body, and the faint light it emitted formed a protective barrier.

Standing inside the food cover for a moment, Zhao Bi then began to move outward, the cover moving along with him.

”Was I just seeing things…” he muttered to himself. Just as he was about to turn back to retrieve the light, he turned around and was enveloped by a patch of shadow covering his face. Struggling, he aimed the vacuum device at his own head, but it failed to suck away the thing.

The vacuum device then transformed into a knife, and he slashed at his own face several times, but it had no effect whatsoever.

As time passed, Zhao Bi, who had tried every possible method to save himself, was reduced to instinctive struggling. He collapsed to the floor, convulsing, and before long, he quietly breathed his last without a sound.

Only after his death did the patch of shadow covering his face crawl away like a shadow again, disappearing out the restroom door.

On the other side, Kong Cheng, seeing that Zhao Bi had been gone for a long time without returning, sent another player to check. Upon receiving the news that the person was already dead, Kong Cheng went over with Dr. Deng.

”Suffocated to death,” Kong Hui examined him and said, ”Fortunately, he wasn’t smothered while peeing, otherwise how unsightly would that have been.”

These players were also temporarily gathered together, with little camaraderie. In fact, the player who came to check had already reclaimed several items that had fallen on the ground at the first opportunity.”Who killed him?” asked another player wearing a full-body rubberized jacket.

The train ticket players had all gone upstairs, and no one had come down later. The others were also gathered together, and there was no opportunity for someone internal to have acted.

”Could there really be a ghost?” said the remaining female player.

”Didn’t Dr. Deng say those are all rumors?” Kong Hui shot her a sharp glance and added, ”A player must have come down, we just didn’t notice.”

Kong Cheng nodded and immediately said, ”Don’t stay here anymore. Let’s go up and regroup with the others.”

Upstairs, Xu Huo and the other two, after avoiding Dr. Deng’s group, reached the basement level. During this time, they didn’t encounter Ge Pan or Wu Xiaonan. However, just as they came up, they ran into Miao Yu.

As soon as they saw each other, Miao Yu said, ”Wandering around in circles, forget about ghostly shadows, I haven’t even seen a single person.”

The three maintained a considerable distance. Gan Qing glanced at her through the door panel he had dismantled before feeling reassured.

Miao Yu watched his actions, raised an eyebrow, and said, ”You saw other players who turned into ghosts?”

Xu Huo briefly explained a couple of sentences. Miao Yu then said, ”So you really can see ghostly shadows through glass. Then I don’t have one on me?”

If she did, she wouldn’t be speaking so calmly with them now.

”But don’t you all think it’s a bit strange?” Miao Yu suddenly said, ”The laboratory has gone quiet. Before, you could still hear some commotion.”

The sounds of fighting. Now it seemed the entire underground structure had fallen silent.

Exchanging glances, the group headed in the direction to check the remaining rooms. They hadn’t gone far when, in an office with a sea view, they discovered the corpse of a player—someone from Dr. Deng’s side.

Also suffocated to death.

”Killed by a ghostly shadow again.”

The group stood in the room for a moment before heading out. Coincidentally, just then, Dr. Deng’s group arrived at the doorway. Kong Hui was the first to spot the corpse inside the room. Her expression changed, and scattered objects throughout the room levitated, shooting toward the four of them like bullets!

”Go!” Xu Huo took the lead, charging out of the room. He grabbed a pen and, under the gaze of the group, reached the corridor. Within mere seconds, the reacting Kong siblings immediately used items to seal off the corridor. Meanwhile, Kong Cheng, from a distance, clenched his five fingers toward the two of them: ”Random Grab!”

Chu Yuan, standing beside Xu Huo, was seized by an invisible force and flew backward through the air.

Xu Huo quickly grabbed hold of him but was also pulled along. One person flying, the other being dragged, they were completely out of control, moving toward Kong Cheng.

Kong Hui stepped out from the side, flicking both hands. A pair of long swords materialized out of thin air, slashing toward the nearest target, Chu Yuan.

”Relationship Ruptured!” Seeing he was about to be cut into three pieces, Chu Yuan erupted mid-air. He twisted his body, extending a palm toward Kong Hui. The long swords, along with her entire person, were teleported ten meters away.

But this only avoided the immediate strike. His backward momentum didn’t slow. Kong Cheng remained standing still, unmoved, while another female player stepped up to fill the gap.

Seeing the knife in her hand, Chu Yuan screamed, ”I don’t want to die!”

As his words fell, a solid wood cabinet suddenly appeared in mid-air. Its door opened, shut him inside, and then landed steadily on the ground.

Xu Huo, carried forward by inertia, stopped in front of the cabinet. With one sword stroke, he severed the arm of the female player holding the knife. He then kicked the cabinet toward Dr. Deng’s group. Seizing the moment the cabinet crashed toward them, he also grabbed the piano wire and swung upward. The Crimson Sword switched to a chainsaw, howling as it swept toward Dr. Deng!

”Crack! Crack! Crack!” The chainsaw didn’t injure Dr. Deng. Instead, it was caught by Kong Hui’s twin swords. That woman possessed astonishing strength. With a reverse pull of her arms, the chainsaw was actually severed just like that! The sword tips nearly slashed Xu Huo’s throat. However, as he leaned back, he incidentally gave a tug with his hand. The line he had previously tried so hard but failed to break snapped easily—the binding of the item ”Seven-Day Civil Affairs Bureau” was officially dissolved!

Even though freed from the item’s restraint, the danger wasn’t over. Kong Hui leaped up from the ground, stomping down with a foot aimed at his chest.

Seeing the wriggling, worm-like things on her shoe sole, Xu Huo flicked his wrist, using the piano wire to shift his direction. After dodging this strike, he threw the ”Fair Wallet” at her.

”Clang!” Kong Hui’s twin swords left her hands and fell to the ground. Her eyes darkened. She didn’t even bother retrieving her own items. With a lift of her fingers, the two swords flew up on their own, stabbing toward Xu Huo!

”Bang!” Swinging the Crimson Sword in an arc, Xu Huo sent the two swords flying, embedding them into the wall. He took out the ”Lament of Plants” and, seizing the opening, patted the cabinet to signal Chu Yuan to come out.

Chu Yuan, inside the cabinet, had also witnessed Kong Hui’s ferocity. Her brother was no less formidable. Not only was his characteristic bizarre and unpredictable, but his combat prowess was even greater. Gan Qing was injured after just a few exchanges. It was Miao Yu who single-handedly held Kong Cheng back.

But falling into a disadvantage was only a matter of time. No one present was confident they could kill a B-rank player.

”Run, run, run!” Chu Yuan crawled out and fled. Xu Huo threw the sofa windmill, tied with item wire, onto the ground and also swiftly retreated.

The Kong siblings, who initially wanted to pursue them, saw the sandstorm rolling in and immediately turned back to protect Dr. Deng. An invisible protective shield unfolded around the five of them, shielding them while also pushing the sandstorm away. It expanded all the way to the end of the corridor. However, by then, the sandstorm had also stopped, and Xu Huo and the others had already vanished without a trace.