Players, Please Board the Train

”With just a few of you, it’s definitely impossible. Someone inside the city is cooperating with you?” Xu Huo glanced at 179, then said, ”So there is someone cooperating with you.”

”Simply exposing the reality game isn’t much use.” He gave an objective assessment. ”Although Clown City isn’t that big, its architectural structure makes the city easy to lock down. Besides, the people who truly control Clown City have most likely already accepted the reality game. Protests are useless. The best method is to overthrow the current government.”

Upon hearing this, 179 could no longer control his body at all. He tensed up, staring fixedly at Xu Huo, his eyes filled with a mix of fear and hatred.

Having said that much, Xu Huo didn’t continue. He smiled, stood up, walked to the bathroom door, and said to the people inside who were constantly pounding, ”Stay quietly in the bathroom for the night. I’ll let you out alive tomorrow. If you insist on coming out, I’ll just have to add a midnight snack.”

The bathroom instantly fell silent.

Xu Huo returned to the center of the room and said to 179, ”I’ll think about whether or not to reveal this matter tomorrow.”

Then, he used the kite string to tie him up, turned off the light, and went to sleep.

179 sat on the chair, unmoving.

At three in the morning, the room door opened silently. A shadow, like a cat, slipped into the room, fired five shots at the lump under the blanket on the bed, and only then approached it.

”He’s not dead!” 179, restrained by the item, shouted a warning, but it was already too late. Xu Huo, who had been pressed against the ceiling, dropped down and swiftly seized the intruder’s throat, disarming them.The newcomer was also a player. At close range, Xu Huo instantly smelled a faint, delicate fragrance. He quickly held his breath and put on the ”Oxygen Supply,” but the shooter took the opportunity to break free from his grasp, grabbed a dagger, and slashed at his throat.

Xu Huo caught it with a backhand grip, and the dagger immediately turned to powder. The newcomer gave him a surprised look, then immediately turned and fled toward the door.

Xu Huo not only didn’t pursue, but instead walked over and thoughtfully closed the door the other person hadn’t had time to shut.

179 couldn’t understand his actions, and Xu Huo just looked back and said, ”It seems the player you called isn’t of a very high level either.”

179 looked at him with suspicion and uncertainty. ”What exactly are you trying to do?”

”Just joining in the fun.” Xu Huo said lightly. ”Loving to join in the fun is human nature. When the mood strikes, I might pick a side to help.”

”You’re willing to help?” 179 had never met such a good player. The higher the level and stronger the ability, the less cooperative players tended to be. Either they didn’t care about these matters, or they were easily won over by the government’s favorable conditions. There was simply no stable foundation for cooperation.

”Of course. I’m a good person.” Xu Huo smiled. ”Why don’t you ask Xin Hui? Not only did I save her, but I also let her go. Without my help, could she have reached Sunrise Clown City so quickly?”

179 fell silent.

Xu Huo wasn’t in a hurry. If it didn’t work tonight, someone would come find him tomorrow.

The night passed relatively peacefully. Early the next morning, many people extended olive branches, inviting him to visit different places or attend banquets. After asking the hotel server, he learned this was a normal situation. Not just him, but basically all players who successfully completed the cleanup mission and returned to Clown City received this treatment.

Note: players.

If someone was willing to pay a high price to hire them, players could afterwards freely choose which district to live in. If they didn’t want to go, receiving government welfare and being arranged by the government was also an option.

When Xu Huo went out to eat, he ran into Xin Hui. Seeing 179 being led along, her expression turned somewhat unpleasant, but more than that, she was wary of him.

The middle-aged man from yesterday appeared before them again, speaking with great enthusiasm, ”Miss Lang Lang wants to have breakfast with several of you. This is an unprecedented honor! The rose of our Sunrise Clown City, the General Administration Chief’s beloved daughter, rarely meets outsiders. You all are really lucky!”

A tall, burly man among the group, upon hearing this, had a gleam in his eyes and eagerly said, ”Then we mustn’t keep Miss Lang Lang waiting! Let’s go, let’s go!”

The others seemed to have all heard of ”Miss Lang Lang” to varying degrees, showing expressions of yearning and hurriedly following the middle-aged man to the top-floor restaurant.

Xu Huo’s gaze lingered on Xin Hui and 179. He followed the crowd into the restaurant. The moment he stepped inside, he heard the people ahead say, ”It smells so good.”

A special, delicate fragrance permeated the restaurant. A woman stood with her back to them in front of the floor-to-ceiling windows. Just her silhouette was enough to fulfill every man’s fantasy. The men present couldn’t control themselves, tilting their heads, trying to see past her beautiful hair to glimpse her face.

The woman soon turned around, giving them a slight smile. ”Welcome, everyone.”

Not just her silhouette, but her looks and voice perfectly scratched everyone’s itch. Forget the men, even Xin Hui’s face flushed slightly, her gaze becoming infatuated.

Lang Lang seemed long accustomed to such gazes. She politely invited everyone to sit. That burly man rushed to sit beside her, but before he could get close, he was stopped by two players. ”Please take another seat, sir. The seat next to Miss Lang Lang needs to remain empty.”

The burly man was the one whose leg 179 had shot through yesterday. His eyeballs were practically glued to Lang Lang. He shoved the two players and said, ”Miss Lang Lang specifically invited me to eat together. Who do you think you’re looking down on by blocking me? Not giving Miss Lang Lang face?”

The players didn’t budge an inch. In the end, it was only when Miss Lang Lang invited him to sit one seat over that the dispute was avoided.

Others also wanted to sit near Lang Lang, even if it was just one chair away. However, after all the jostling, the seats around Lang Lang were ultimately occupied by players, giving no one else a chance to get close.

Xu Huo sat opposite Lang Lang. The fragrance on the woman indicated she was connected to the player who tried to assassinate him last night. Appearing so openly before him now was probably to resolve any lingering concerns.

During the meal, Lang Lang didn’t speak much. Most of the time, others were trying to curry favor. As breakfast was nearing its end, Xin Hui said with concern, ”Miss Lang Lang, you ate so little.”

Lang Lang rested her chin on her hand, elbow on the table, and said lazily, ”My appetite hasn’t been good lately.”

”The weather has been too hot lately. Miss Lang Lang probably has no appetite for greasy things.” The burly man quickly said, ”I know a snack shop nearby with light flavors. If Miss Lang Lang needs it, I’ll go buy it right away.”

Lang Lang tilted her head to look at him. ”You’ll go personally?”

The burly man was utterly enchanted. ”Of course!”

Lang Lang smiled. ”Go quickly and come back quickly. I’ll wait for you here.”

Without another word, the burly man left the restaurant. Then, others followed suit, each saying what delicacies they could offer, or which flower shop had specially cultivated flowers that could lift one’s mood.

With a few smiles from Lang Lang, all these people scattered.

Finally, only she, the two players, Xin Hui and 179, and Xu Huo, who was drinking water, remained.

Lang Lang gazed at him and asked softly, ”Mr. Wu, have you ever seen a rose wither?”