Players, Please Board the Train

As the number of D-grade players grew, certain information about train tickets and players wasn’t actually that hard to come by. If you went to a district with a more complete game integration, you might even find it on internet channels.

But knowing how to obtain non-player train tickets was basically useless for most people. Players weren’t allowed to ride non-player trains. To get on one, you’d have to suspend your player status. This suspension wasn’t like becoming a grey player through the Game Government, where you kept your characteristics and items—instead, you’d shut down your personal panel entirely, with only enhanced physical abilities distinguishing you from ordinary people.

So regular folks had no use for it. What’s more, obtaining a non-player train ticket required game approval. For an ordinary person to board a train, it took more than just courage.

The content he replied to quickly drew attention from players, but before long, the original post was deleted.

So he opened his own thread and added some noteworthy details—like how you couldn’t leave the train lightly, even if players managed to wreck it. Better to wait for the Track Supply Department to clean up the mess. The space the tracks contacted might make it impossible to use tickets, or it might be unstable space entirely. In short, if the train shut down, staying alive was entirely up to fate.

Of course, if you were confident in your skills, he wouldn’t argue.

Basic info about station tickets and dungeon entry had long been detailed by other players. Of the content Xu Huo posted, only a handful of players knew about it. Most had never encountered it—especially the part about grey players.

So after the post came out, many people asked how to become a grey player.

Xu Huo scrolled past a few replies without responding, but soon others answered. Their explanations were vague—something about making special contributions to the Game Government. Since the rules for granting grey player status weren’t set in stone, it all depended on whether the Game Government was willing.

He’d opened the door, and soon many players shared what they knew. One post mentioned the wormhole flower and even included a photo.Perfect. It was identical to the potted plant Xu Huo had brought back from the Little Flower Red Red Building.

Zhou Ning and the others were also scrolling through the forum. When they saw Tang Guangbo’s paper, they couldn’t help but exclaim, “That Professor Tang seems like an ordinary person, right? It’s incredible—he can predict things so accurately!”

Of course, those who had seen the script ahead of time were different.

Xu Huo wasn’t interested in Tang Guangbo for now. He took out the 101 Refuge, planning to cultivate a few more living King Fungus specimens.

“Xu Huo, are you really going to the Special Defense Department headquarters?” Zhou Ning asked him. “I’ve seen the internet blowing up. Tons of players are saying they’re heading to Capital City to grab front-row seats.”

“These people have nothing better to do. Do they think Brother Xu is actually going to fight the Special Defense Department?” Sima Xiao Er pursed his lips. But when he saw Xu Huo’s expression didn’t change, he asked with a hint of nervousness, “Brother Xu, you’re not really going to attack the Special Defense Department, are you?”

Meanwhile, far away in Capital City, inside the underground conference room of the Special Defense Department headquarters, Minister Fan and the group leaders overseeing different regional branches were equally baffled.

“…In the next ten days, I will visit the Special Defense Department headquarters.”

Xu Huo’s video clip had already been played on loop in the conference room at least ten times. The face wasn’t the same as before, but the eyes and tone hadn’t changed. It was impossible to tell if he was joking or if he really meant to come for the Special Defense Department.

“What does he really mean?” Team Leader Chang couldn’t help but ask. “Is he picking a fight with the Special Defense Department?”

“I don’t think so,” Team Leader Wu said. “The root of the problem is Double Snake. Handle Double Snake, and this can be put to rest.”

“Double Snake definitely needs to be dealt with. Under the Special Defense Department’s very nose, they built up such a large Red Player organization. I think some people are trying to take advantage while we’re busy with the border and the antidote situation.” Team Leader Lü added, “Besides, we have to give the public an explanation. There are already conspiracy theories online about the Special Defense Department. Double Snake needs to be handled as quickly as possible, and internal personnel must be cleaned out.”

“But I think these are two separate issues,” she continued. “If Xu Huo really plans to attack the Special Defense Department, Double Snake alone won’t be the cause. He was just caught up in it by chance.”

“I agree with Team Leader Lü,” Jiang Qiao said. “Xu Huo’s statement also has a precondition—that he’s inciting Double Snake members to come after him for revenge.”

“Now it’s not just Double Snake members—I bet many Red Players have their eyes on him,” Team Leader Chang sighed.

“Maybe that’s his real goal,” Minister Fan said. “If Red Players gather near headquarters, then the Special Defense Department becomes an insurance policy for him.”

“Not just that—other players will definitely gather too. Whether they’ll cause trouble is anyone’s guess.”

“Maybe we should restrict entry?” Team Leader Chang suggested.

“No.” Minister Fan rejected the idea. “The Special Defense Department doesn’t have the capability to fully screen Red Players. If we take a one-size-fits-all approach, it won’t do us any good.”

The mess Double Snake had caused also made the Special Defense Department realize that if they didn’t find a way to deal with Red Players hiding their identities internally, it would be disastrous. True collapse always starts from within. If it weren’t for that reckless idiot Mr. Qiu dragging others down with him, tracing Double Snake back to its source would have been nearly impossible.

Now, at this point, there was no need to think about waiting and watching. Catch them and kill them. Only with a thunderous approach could Red Players be forced to back off. So handling Double Snake wasn’t hard—in fact, by the time Team Leader Song took action yesterday, the Special Defense Department had already begun making arrests.

Looking at it from another angle, Xu Huo blowing things up actually benefited the Special Defense Department. High-level players were almost nonexistent, and Zone 014 still operated on firepower alone. Taking out more Red Players early would not only reduce future headaches but also serve as a warning to other Evolvers who hadn’t yet become players—a win-win all around.

“So the only question is Xu Huo’s attitude,” Team Leader Wu said. “What I’m afraid of is that he’s really coming for the Special Defense Department.”

The conference room fell into silence. After a moment, Jiang Qiao spoke up, “The samples from Taole Club were sent back overnight. The result is that what he used against Team Leader Song and the others was just an ordinary fungus. As he said, the antidote is effective. But what he used on the Double Snake members was a pollutant—at least B-grade or higher. Currently, we can’t effectively contain it.”

That’s right—not eliminate, just contain. That stuff spread from person to person, from object to object. There was no good way to handle it other than complete isolation.

In other words, if Xu Huo wanted to, he could turn an entire city into a polluted dead zone in a very short time. He wouldn’t even have to put in much effort.

“It won’t come to that, it won’t come to that.” Team Leader Wu shook his head repeatedly. “Xu Huo isn’t that kind of person. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have handed over the antidote fungus to the Special Defense Department.”

“I have a question,” Minister Fan said, interlacing his fingers on the table with a stern expression. “Is his mental state still stable now?”