Chapter 10: Train Zero's chance of survival: 50%
"Do you want it?"
Jiang Yang held his original train ticket between two fingers and waved it in front of the approaching shadow.
Jiang Yang has his own tickets.
However, before K0027 departed, even before he checked tickets, a small number of passengers had already boarded, including some who had sneaked on without tickets.
Jiang Yang's goal was to use these restless fare evaders to find out where the security guards detained violators.
He guessed that what he was looking for was there.
However, Jiang Yang probably didn't realize the attraction his ticket had for the shadowy passenger, and the shadowy figure instantly doubled in size.
The air crackled and popped like burning, and there was a faint smell of charcoal.
"Give it to me!" the shadowy figure roared.
[Unlock Monster - Smuggler]
[Monster Description: A group of outsiders trying to infiltrate the No Man's Land without tickets or identification. Tickets are extremely tempting to them. Burning their health points can double their abilities, but they also take double damage when attacked. Upon death, they explode, and the resulting slime can temporarily reduce the attack power of nearby creatures and restrict their movement. Once the slime is fully absorbed, they recover their health, and double the original attack power is returned.]
Jiang Yang blinked, a slight smile playing on her lips.
Then, nonchalantly, he turned to the side and showed the ticket to another dark figure that was also approaching.
Looking troubled, he said, "But...who should I give it to?"
Several dark figures approached, their roars echoing and making one dizzy.
Jiang Yang noticed that there seemed to be a few other people with tickets who were also restless in their seats.
Fearing unforeseen circumstances, Jiang Yang released her grip as planned, and the ticket floated down lightly. "Then whoever snatches it keeps it."
Jiang Yang stepped back and sat down, her gaze darting back and forth between the two ends of the carriage.
[Because some bad guys have taken other people's tickets, causing disruption to train order, the security personnel are overwhelmed—really overwhelmed! So! A ticket-grabbing battle has begun! It will last for ten minutes! Enjoy your fight!]
The sharp beeping sound hurt Jiang Yang's ears. He frowned. Whose ticket had been taken?
The rules were temporarily broken, and the shadows in the entire carriage became entangled.
Including those lured over by Jiang Yang, about twenty people in car 08 started tearing at each other.
Jiang Yang's train ticket still lay quietly on the ground, as if they had agreed to determine the champion. Whenever a shadowy figure tried to approach and pick up the leftover ticket, it would be attacked by the other shadowy figures.
So much so that the shadowy figure didn't even notice that Jiang Yang had another train ticket in his hand.
A dozen minutes earlier, he had been sitting in the campervan, recovering from his shock. In addition to the reward for completing the mission, there was another one.
[Player has successfully replaced the NPC; health remains above 80%. Player can now select the items they wish to obtain from the replaced NPC.]
【A: No Man's Land Ticket】
【B: Flashlight】
【C: Choose any option within the trial (50% success rate)】
Jiang Yang had given the flashlight to Nan Ke before, and since the option was placed here, Jiang Yang figured the flashlight would definitely come in handy later.
But somehow, even though I already had a ticket, I inexplicably chose the train ticket instead.
And this is exactly the time when it comes in handy.
He turned his back and secretly removed the drawstring from the purse, took out a gold coin and tied it together with the train ticket.
Once I was sure we wouldn't separate, I quietly moved around in my seat.
After the fierce battle, less than half of the shadowy figure remained, and like loot dropped equipment, train tickets littered the ground.
At this moment, they seemed more like venting their anger. Among the group of shadowy figures, the smuggler who had just swelled up was noticeably larger than the other shadowy figures.
Jiang Yang clutched his train ticket, his gaze fixed on it, silently apologizing to the living bomb he had chosen.
Carefully gesturing its position, aiming, and as it charged toward the front of the carriage, forcefully slammed it into its back.
The ticket, wrapped in gold coins, fell into its dark body, and the dark creature behind it seemed to have spotted its target and pounced on it with all its might.
The shadow burned even more fiercely.
Finally, perhaps the stowaway's life points had reached a critical point, and the expansion force became even faster. Jiang Yang crouched down and hid under the table.
But in the blink of an eye, a loud bang rang out.
As the stowaway exploded in the center of the carriage, black, sticky liquid sprayed out in all directions.
The thin skin covering the black mist quickly shrank and shriveled on the ground. The train ticket that it had swallowed fell on top of the skin, making a crisp sound like gold coins.
Tiny specks of carbon splattered onto the surrounding shadows, and the smell of carbon permeated the entire carriage.
The slime clung to the shadowy figures, dispersing some of the mist on their surfaces.
Jiang Yang clearly felt that their power had been weakened.
The interior of the carriage seemed to be paused; all the black shadows covered in slime stopped, and even the few that were rushing forward on the periphery stopped after getting covered in the slime left on the ground.
Jiang Yang took the opportunity to retrieve his ticket and put it in his bag, but the drawstring he had removed could not be put back into place.
Visibly, the slime was absorbed by the shadow, and the originally dispersed mist slowly began to reappear, even increasing in amount.
Jiang Yang rarely gets this close, and he begins to scrutinize the dark figure.
Some of the shadowy figures that fell into the fog were hollow underneath, while others were just skin like the stowaways. This corresponds to the fact that those who lost their tickets on the ground had no skin. Except for the stowaways who exploded and had tickets, the others only had skin.
Jiang Yang touched it without fear and found that it actually felt the same as the human skin ticket.
The carriage swayed twice, and the speed gradually decreased. With less than three minutes left in the battle, Jiang Yang moved towards the back of the train again.
Just before the operation was suspended, the last illegal immigrant raised his arm and blocked Jiang Yang's way.
Jiang Yang turned to the side to dodge, and the sticky substance on his palm exposed a small patch of skin underneath.
Covering the leather was a crumpled train ticket that Jiang Yang recognized, one that Huang Si had once clutched.
Let's go back to the time after Huang Er and Jiang Yang and the others parted ways.
Huang Er carried Huang Si toward the hard sleeper carriage. The ticket only indicated carriage 05, without a specific room number. He randomly chose to enter the third compartment.
After going inside, nothing seemed amiss at first, so they put Huang Si on the bed to the side.
Not long after, the train stopped. Under the guise of making a sales pitch, Huang Er went out and pushed open the doors of both compartments of C3 to investigate.
Having encountered no other players, and seeing that the interior looked no different from their C3 room, I could only go back and listlessly squat by the bed, quietly chirping crickets at Huang Si.
"You, you just can't control yourself. You deserve to be in this mess," he said, not caring that Huang Si was a patient, and pulled out a cigarette from his pocket and lit it.
"Boss... I'm sorry... cough cough... I've caused you trouble..."
"Oh, you're awake. What good is saying sorry? Money! My money! Don't let this happen again, you hear me!"
Huang Er never hesitates to speak frankly to his colleagues. In his view, since they are doing business together, they should not do anything that would affect the business.
Huang Si turned his head to the wall, concealing the emotions welling up in his eyes, and made a soft "hmm" sound through his nose as a response.
The overhead lights flickered, and suddenly the entire private room was plunged into darkness.
The door was suddenly flung open, and the light from the platform shone in, but it seemed to be swallowed up, unable to penetrate the private room at all.
"Brother!" Huang Si struggled to sit up, his face filled with anxiety.
"It must be the darkest hour. Don't worry, I'll go check it out."
Huang Er got up and walked towards the door. The faint light from the cigarette flickered in the darkness. Remembering the rules, he didn't go out but just stood at the door looking around.
After finishing a cigarette, there was a sudden commotion in the quiet corridor.
Unlike Jiang Yang, who was counting down the seconds, Huang Er immediately stepped back in and slammed the door shut as soon as he heard the door open.
Immediately afterwards, a key fell to the ground.
[Task issued: Xiao Shuai's Key]
[You are a kind passenger. You found Xiaoshuai's key in compartment C3. Please return the key to Xiaoshuai before the train arrives at the station and do not let Xiaoshuai open the door.]
"Brother! Watch out!" Huang Si exclaimed as something lunged at Huang Er, who was crouching on the ground deep in thought, in the darkness.
He rolled away to avoid it, but his head hit the bed leg without him noticing, which made him curse under his breath.
The bed creaked and shook, and two more people got off the other beds besides the one that Huang Er had dodged. Huang Er gasped.
[Huang Er's SAN value -10]
...
[Huang Si's SAN value -10]
...
[Huang Er's SAN value -20]
...
"still!"
"Restraint!"
[Summon the Book of No Owner?]
【yes】
What was the result?
[SAN value reset to zero, subject to judgment and assimilation]
"Change direction?"
【get off】
[...]
"Walk!"
Huang Er, dragging Huang Si along, pushed open the door and, using the light from the platform, staggered wildly toward the train door in the darkness.
A shadowy figure spotted their movements and was forcibly restrained by Huang Er, who managed to get off the train just before it started moving.
However, Huang Er didn't notice that new content had been loaded after the ellipsis on the panel he had clicked away.
[Survival probability: 50%]
[Player Huang Er's Talent Card: Hermit]
[Personal Talent: The Book of No Owner]
[Instructions for Use - Stasis: The cessation of time is the hermit's greatest blessing to you; it wishes you a long and healthy life.]
[Instructions for Use - Vitality: The wisdom of the hermit has left you a glimmer of hope. If you feel lost, light a cigarette in your pocket. Please stay clear-headed and don't get lost in the confusion.]
[Instructions for Use - Unveiling the Secret: The hermit, who knows everything about the universe, can not only reshape the past but also foresee the future. If you feel lost, you might as well ask the hermit for advice, and the hermit will tell you the answer and guide you in the right direction.]
Later, Huang Er and Huang Si attracted the stowaways on the platform. Their SAN value kept dropping, and when they had 10 points left, they lost control of their bodies and were assimilated by the stowaways.
Their remaining consciousness allowed them to clearly see everything that happened on train K0027, as well as Jiang Yang dressed as an engineer.
A note from the author:
----------------------
"You...your eyes..."
Sand dunes glanced sideways at Xie Lu.
Hidden in the darkness was a head of silver-white Japanese-style wolf tail mullet hair. The messy ends of the hair added a touch of allure to the already charismatic mature man. What caught Sand Dune's attention, however, were his reddish eyes.
"It's alright, that's what happens when you overuse your talent," Xie Lu paused for a moment, then said a few more words, "so use it as little as possible."
[Zero Train Observation Room - Xie Lu's Perspective]
"Ahhhh, I finally saw it!!!"
"Shhhhhh!"
"Are you kidding me upstairs? You have a body, you know."
Unlike their visibility in the dark, the observation room still has lights from various angles to provide supplemental lighting for the players, even when the trial is completely dark.
What the observer could see, besides the discolored eyes and hair, was the sharp teeth that were revealed when the man opened and closed his mouth.
His teeth brushed against his lips slightly, and beneath his tense expression, a smile unconsciously curved at the corners of his lips.
"How about you take one back, sir?" Sand Dune cautiously probed, shaking his head left and right a couple of times before quickly straightening it again, too afraid to look any further.
Around him were three vampires shrouded in huge black cloaks. After making eye contact with Dune, they gave him "friendly" smiles.
“It’s dangerous here,” Xie Lu said helplessly, his eyes fixed on a dark spot. The three vampires had completely concealed the presence of the dunes. “Kirby, don’t tease him.”
The boy leading the group chuckled in the darkness, his voice tinged with a hint of defiance, "Yes, Your Majesty."
The group ran all the way to the platform exit before stopping. To get to the station hall, they had to go up a staircase, and only that floor was lit up in the darkness.
"Have you gotten in touch with Xiong Bingxin?" Xie Lu asked. The reason for grouping them like this was to make it easier for them to contact each other.
Sand Dune traced a faint line in the air with his finger. "Three minutes ago, the boss and the others went upstairs. She said, uh... it's not safe downstairs."
Xie Lu subconsciously glanced around. "I can't sense anything right now. Let's go upstairs first."
He went upstairs first, and Sand Dune responded and followed beside him.
After walking nearly halfway, Sand Dune stumbled and was about to fall face-first onto the stairs.
Xie Lu grabbed the man's arm forcefully, stepped onto the next step with his right foot and turned around. Then, he kicked hard with his left foot, and something so dark that it was almost invisible fell down the edge of the stairs. When it landed, a sharp scream was heard.
"Hurry up, watch your step so you don't slip."
Xie Lu was now practically dragging the sand dune as he continued uphill.
"What is that?" Sand Dune asked, his breathing quickening as his collar was pulled, still shaken.
"I don't know," Xie Lu replied. The darkness gave him an advantage, allowing him to see the things on the ground clearly.
A human-shaped black shadow will be covered by the sand dune after it falls.
However, sensing the other party's fear, he naturally wouldn't tell them directly.
Stumbling and staggering to the entrance of the hall, the three vampires vanished on the spot just before they came into contact with the light source, leaving only Sand Dune to emerge.
The moment Xie Lu appeared, he revealed his state after using his talent, causing Sha Qiu to widen his eyes in surprise.
In the blink of an eye, it vanished, and he returned to his original cold demeanor, as if it had just been a human illusion.
"It's safe now, you can send them messages," Xie Lu instructed.
"good!"
Xie Lu led Sha Qiu around the entrance, and the station's layout was almost identical to that in the real world, except...
"Nobody" refers not only to players but also to NPCs.
"The boss said they found the ticket office, but there were no staff," Sand Dune read out the information slowly, his tone gradually becoming confused. "It seems they're planning to try and force their way in..."
"Ask them about the location and tell them not to make any rash moves until we get there."
Xie Lu remembered the risks of violating the rules. There was only one security officer on the train, but who knew how many were hidden in the station.
"Alright, the guy you hired won't let us do it, so I sent them the location information and we'll wait for them to come over," Xiong Bingxin said, leaning against the ticket window, shrugging her shoulders with a face full of indignation.
Perhaps knowing what kind of person this leader was, when Sha Qiu edited this message, he specifically emphasized that it was Xie Lu who instructed him, for fear that Xiong Bingxin would rush forward with enthusiasm.
"Alright, let's wait then," Nan Ke said regretfully, pressing his face against the transparent glass to peer inside.
“Azi said they were on K0027,” Xiong Bingxin said, fiddling with the control panel.
Nothing went wrong on Mengjiang's side. Although the administrator had intentionally or unintentionally left them behind, they still managed to catch up to the other platform without any major incidents.
“Then…” Xiong Bingxin stared at the panel, where the chat box with Azi showed the words being typed, “Ten minutes until departure.”
Xiong Bingxin is currently very... not... happy!
He verbally greeted Xie Lu a hundred times, but in reality, he quickly forwarded the information to Sha Qiu.
Although she knew that Xie Lu was not to blame for this, it didn't stop her from finding an outlet to vent her anger.
Nan Ke consciously slowed her breathing, afraid that she might be caught in the crossfire.
"One minute" is the message from the dunes.
The timing was naturally estimated by Xie Lu, who even calculated the losses incurred from sending messages from the dunes with great precision.
Just one minute later, Xie Lu stood in front of Xiong Bingxin precisely on time.
"Where's the sand dune?" Xiong Bingxin asked, arms crossed, eyes wide.
Xie Lu pursed his lips without responding, then walked over to Nan Ke. "Where's the ticket?"
Nan Ke raised his chin. "Look, there."
Behind the ticket seller's seat was a table with rows of square boxes that stood out conspicuously.
Nan Ke had put on a pair of glasses at some point, and through them, one could see that the box contained neatly stacked train tickets.
The one he pointed to clearly showed the number 【K0027】.
【X-ray Glasses - Remaining uses: 0/3】
"I'm not asking you, where's the sand dune!" Xiong Bingxin, her eyes red, ran up to Xie Lu and questioned him.
[Zero Train Observation Room - Xiong Bingxin's Perspective]
"Wait, what exactly is Xie Lu pulling at?"
Will Rihito die?
"Take the big bear away, boohoo, baby, don't cry..."
"One minute".
Another minute has passed.
With a bang, all the lights in the entire hall went out.
Footsteps echoed through the silent hall, drawing ever closer.
The creatures outside the hall also crashed heavily into the glass that was blocking their way in.
Originally heading towards Xie Lu and his group, they changed direction and headed outside.
Xie Lu threw two vampires next to Xiong Bingxin and Nan Ke, and then transformed without any warning.
With a determined gaze, he walked inside, his eyes fixed on the hard wall.
[Existence: Once the talent is upgraded to the maximum level, it can achieve a state of complete invisibility]
[Existence - Max Level: When in complete stealth mode, everything can be ignored]
"Attention passengers, train K0027 is about to depart. Please board the train as soon as possible. Once on board, please move to the middle of the carriage and do not linger near the door to avoid any accidents..."
On train K0027, Jiang Yang stared blankly at the almost healed gash in the palm of the dark figure's hand.
He didn't know what had happened between Huang Er and Huang Si. In a way, he had also taken advantage of Huang Er. Now that one of them was in front of him, he couldn't help but struggle internally.
[Survival probability: 60%]
The long-awaited system notification sound rang in Huang Er's ears, igniting new hope in his heart and making him so excited that he wanted to cry.
Jiang Yang sighed in his ear, "Forget it, I'll find a chance to save you."
After saying that, he secretly put a gold coin into the black mist where he was, saying, "There's too much black mist, find a way to make me recognize you."
[Survival probability: 70%]
After recovering from their shock, the shadowy figures in carriage 08 erupted into an even fiercer battle. Although Huang Er had lost the ability to move, his remaining consciousness gave him a chance to activate the Book of No Owner, but he was still unsure what questions to ask.
The train stopped, and Jiang Yang stood at the connection point between carriages 08 and 09 without moving forward. He was worried that the other carriages might be in the same chaotic battle as carriage 08. Since there wasn't much time left in the struggle, he decided to stay here and wait.
The hall was brightly lit. The four of them ran frantically, and Dune, who was at the very back, touched his neck with teary eyes, "Brother, are you really okay? I was bitten by a vampire!"
"That's an illusion, Kirby is just messing with you," Xie Lu said helplessly. He could control all the other vampires under his command, but Kirby was the only one who stood out.
What Sand Dune was talking about was when they were almost at the ticket office and they found a power source on the way.
Xie Lu then planned to leave the sand dunes at the power source and agreed on a time after which the power would be cut off, so that he could use his talent to collect the tickets in the dark.
He had sent three vampires out and had instructed Kirby to protect the dunes beforehand. So Kirby went to find the dunes as soon as he landed, but unexpectedly, Kirby took advantage of his absence and gave the dunes a good scare.
I ran all the way to the train and encountered the same situation as Jiang Yang. After getting my ticket checked and going down to the platform, the steps behind me were gradually swallowed up, and only a small lamp above my head remained as the lights.
Several people stood in front of the car, trying to calm themselves down. Xiong Bingxin had a tense face and said with a hint of arrogance, "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have snapped at you just now." Her eyes darted around guiltily to the side, and she didn't dare to look back at Xie Lu.
"It's nothing," Xie Lu said, not thinking anything of it. He hadn't paid any attention to her at the time because he was calculating the time and confirming the location.
"Oh my, Xiong Bingxin, you actually apologized!" Nan Ke jumped out to break the deadlock.
"So what! It was my fault, so what if I apologized!"
Xiong Bingxin clenched her fist, ready to rush over and punch Nan Ke, but Nan Ke jumped aside and hid behind a sand dune, yelling, "You can't hit me! You can't hit me!"
"Alright, get in the car."
[Zero Train Observation Room - Nan Ke's Perspective]
"Never in our Nan Ke ever imagined that we would end up fooling Xiong Bingxin's family!"
"Hahaha, they're so funny, really!"
...
[Image missing...]
[Connecting...]
Connection failed...
"No, what's going on?"
I'll go check next door.
...
"It seems like they get lost after getting on the bus?"
"Yes, yes, you all remember, Jiang Yang got lost after getting on the bus!"
A note from the author:
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