Players, Please Board the Train

Mental-type dungeons were the most ”interactive” of all dungeons, influenced not only by the dungeon holder but also by the players. So far, aside from the sibling duo A Yi and A Ying, no other players had entered Building Two. It was likely that some players had developed fantasies along those lines.

He returned to Building One, where it was still morning. Nearly ten more players had succumbed during psychological therapy sessions, their expressions looking off as they walked out.

Two players mingling in the crowd were tackled by fully armed security guards, who bound their hands and feet before spraying them with a special disinfectant.

”These two are infected with pathogens,” one guard said, pulling open a player’s clothes to reveal skin covered in black spots. ”This pathogen is highly contagious. Anyone who’s had close contact with them should get checked by the doctor as soon as possible.”

The guards weren’t acting out of goodwill, nor were they genuinely trying to save these patients. After delivering their lines like routine procedure, they dragged the two players away, claiming they’d be taken to Building Three.

Building Three was the quarantine block, the entire structure covered in electrified wire. One look told you it was a place you’d never get out of once you went in.

But the players weren’t concerned about the fate of those who’d been caught. They were worried about their own situation—they had no idea whether the infectious disease was real or not.

”Has anyone seen anyone go to Building Two?” someone asked.

The other players exchanged glances, scrambling to prove their innocence. But one person said, ”Most of us were asleep in our rooms last night. We have no idea if anyone went out. How would we know who went to Building Two? We wouldn’t even know if someone did—there’s a clearance mission in Building Two anyway.”

With that said, no one could be sure anymore. If someone really had gone there, then everyone present might be infected with the contagious disease!”Don’t even think that!” another player immediately interrupted, his voice sharp and stern. ”Can’t you see what this dungeon is about? Nine times out of ten, what you imagine becomes real. Thinking like that will get us all killed!”

The players fell silent. Meanwhile, at the nurse’s station, a few nurses gathered to chat. One of them said, ”I love watching them put on a show, it’s like a TV series. Today’s must be Resident Evil.”

”Do you think what they’re saying is true? What if there really is a player world? Maybe we just don’t know about it,” another said.

”You actually believe that? You’re not far from being admitted yourself.” The nurses laughed. ”The Dimensional Rift is just a game. I played it before it was banned. But I found it too bloody and violent. I really don’t understand why anyone gets addicted to a game like that.”

”Of course it’s because their real lives are pathetic,” the first nurse said. ”Players act like they have superpowers. If it were me, I’d want that too—do whatever I want, how awesome would that be? No need to work. But fantasy is fantasy, we’ve still got to stay grounded.”

”They’re so pitiful, trapped in a game and can’t get out.”

”What’s so pitiful about them? They’re all delusional people who don’t see ordinary folks as human. Haven’t you heard they even attacked a police station? Obviously, they’re not good people in normal life either.”

The other players exchanged glances, scrambling to prove their innocence. But one person said, ”Most of us were asleep in our rooms last night. We have no idea if anyone went out. How would we know who went to Building Two? We wouldn’t even know if someone did—there’s a dungeon completion mission in Building Two anyway.”

Soon, the security guards returned, herding all the patients back into their rooms and beginning a full-building disinfection. The medical staff also announced that all family visits for the afternoon were canceled.

Most players had no objections, but what they didn’t expect was that someone would actually cause a scene over it.

”This guy’s crazy,” Zheng Liang and the others said in disbelief. ”This is a dungeon. Are they really treating it like a hospital!”

Brother Liang’s expression was grim. ”The longer this goes on, the worse the symptoms might get. Looks like we’ll have to take a risk tonight.”

*

The players fell silent. Meanwhile, at the nurse’s station, a few nurses gathered to chat. One of them said, ”I love watching them put on a show, it’s like a TV series. Today’s must be a biochemical crisis.”

Only two hours had passed since the dungeon opened. When Special Defense Department members were sealing off random dungeons, they discovered this Fog Zone. Judging it to be a sudden, large-scale random dungeon entrance, they notified headquarters and then pulled back.

Normally, when encountering this type of dungeon, Special Defense Department members would actively test the range of the dungeon entrance. But under these circumstances, with players running around everywhere, why not use them? So the department used thermal imagers to observe the area around the dungeon, tracking player disappearances to pinpoint the dungeon’s boundaries.

”Based on nearby surveillance, this dungeon has swallowed at least seventy or eighty people. Many of them are Player-Eaters. The group that just went in should be from Double Snake.” The secretary reported the dungeon situation to Nie Xuan.

Nie Xuan had already finished dealing with matters at the prison. The winter night was long, visibility poor, and during that time, some players had voluntarily withdrawn from the battlefield, which significantly reduced the pressure on the Special Defense Department. As for whether any Player-Eaters or foreign players had slipped away in the chaos, they currently didn’t have the energy to screen for them.

”Did you see Xu Huo?” he asked.

Xu Huo should have arrived by now. He had openly provoked the Player-Eaters; there was no way he hadn’t prepared something. At the very least, there should have been some movement.

”This is strange too,” the secretary said, pulling up several videos. ”These images all captured Xu Huo’s likeness, appearing at almost the same time. But after comparison, they only share the same face—they’re probably not the same person.”

Nie Xuan recognized Zheng Liang, Brother Liang, and the others. He asked, ”Did any of them enter that Fog Zone dungeon?”

The secretary nodded. ”Several of them did.”

Nie Xuan watched the video himself and said, ”The first one to appear here should be the real one. The rest are decoys.”

He paused for a moment, then asked, ”Have you found Lichun?”

”She’s not with Xu Huo. Five hours ago, she showed up alone near the commercial street. Apparently... she was looking for a job.” The secretary’s expression was hard to describe.

Nie Xuan was stunned for a moment. ”Looking for what?”

”A job?” the secretary said. ”Special Defense Department personnel have already approached her, but she seems to dislike us. She didn’t want to accept the job we offered either—she wanted to work in a restaurant kitchen.”

”Why?” For a moment, Nie Xuan couldn’t figure out her thought process. Looking for a job with such specificity?

”She didn’t say, but Team Leader Wu still pulled some strings to get her into a hotel,” the secretary said. ”Once she went in, she never came out. She’s not working right now either—I heard she’s sleeping.”

Nie Xuan’s expression darkened. Xu Huo was clearly using himself as bait to lure players into the random dungeon. But with so many players going in, even with Lichun’s help, he couldn’t possibly handle them all. Yet he’d let Lichun go. What game was he playing?