Chapter 4: Will Train Zero accompany me to find a little happiness?
Who brought you in with them?
Jiang Yang never expected that Huang Er would ask Nan Ke Xie Lu to look after him.
Nan Ke wasn't easily fooled, and Xie Lu's elusive nature was unpredictable. After thinking for a moment, she replied with slight difficulty, "Sorry, I've been in the campervan the whole time, he hasn't looked for me yet..."
It's no wonder Nan Ke asked that question; this time, only the top twenty players on the throwing leaderboard could register for the reserve agent assessment competition.
However, when registering, you can choose to bind two players of any ranking to enter the trial together.
Most people know or have some impression of those at the top of the list, so Nan Ke naturally assumed that Jiang Yang was tied to someone else.
"The campervan has sleeper berths."
Xie Lu, who had been standing behind Nan Ke, suddenly spoke.
Jiang Yang found that when he didn't actively reveal himself, it was really hard for him to pay attention to him, even though he was right there.
Perhaps this is his talent.
The gaze that looked over was deep and calm, and Jiang Yang inexplicably felt as if he had been seen through.
"Yes," he answered obediently, even though it wasn't a question.
A "ding" sounded in everyone's ears, and everyone simultaneously opened the control panel.
[Task Issued: Find Train Route Map]
"So, what did Boss Nan say?" This was Huang Er's third cigarette.
Nan Ke puffed out his cheeks and wrinkled his nose. "Fine, since I didn't actually fight with Xiong Bingxin, I'll leave it here for you. Just so you know, I don't guarantee it will be done alive!"
Although he appeared reluctant, he didn't seem to have any ill intentions. Instead, Jiang Yang detected a hint of arrogance in his tone.
Instantly switching into sycophantic mode, flattering the person, saying, "Thank you in advance!"
Huang Er carried Huang Si towards the sleeper car, their figures gradually disappearing from the group's sight.
Huang Er had little interest in being an agent, but adhering to his nature of never doing anything without profit, he also got involved in this mess.
Huang Si had been by his side since they first entered the no-man's-land, and was also the one who had followed him the longest. He was shrewd and clever, but unexpectedly, he fell into a trap right from the start.
What surprised Huang Er even more was that Jiang Yang actually gave him both tickets, his intention to seek protection was straightforward and undisguised. Huang Er never did anything that would lose money, but the words "not enough chips" stuck in his throat and he just couldn't say them.
Well, the price is up to the individual; he just felt like he was seeing his past self.
He was referring to himself in the past, in a place beyond the no-man's-land.
As Huang Eryuan walked away, Nan Ke snorted coldly, "I still don't know your name."
Jiang Yang gently pushed up the frame of her glasses, her demeanor changing from timid to docile. "My name is Jiang Yang."
Nan Ke clapped his hands. "Okay, then let's split up and find the route map. We'll meet back in twenty minutes."
Jiang Yang didn't mind, as she didn't seem inclined to introduce herself. She turned and glanced around the carriage, then suggested, "I think there's not much difference between carriages 02 and 04. The carriages after that are hard sleeper carriages, so if we travel together..."
Then, changing the subject, she added, "Isn't this a safer option for me too..."
He continued his attack, saying, "You're so good, aren't you...?"
As it turns out, Nan Ke fell for it. Even Xie Lu, who had returned to the background, couldn't help but keep glancing at Jiang Yang.
Of course, Jiang Yang was genuinely afraid.
[Zero Train Observation Room - Jiang Yang's Perspective]
"I'll ask again, this is one person, right...?"
"No, how did he suddenly go from a coward to a married woman?? I don't understand, really!"
"I'm sorry, I hate Lu Ke, I hate Lu Ke, I hate Jiang Yang and Nan Ke too, the trial forbids dating!!"
The hard sleeper car followed behind 04. Although it was a hard sleeper, it looked just like a regular soft sleeper car. It was a private compartment with the door closed, and it was unclear whether anyone was inside.
Jiang Yang casually looked around. The announcement came on again, just like the first time when they were almost at the station.
"Dear passengers, our next stop is Wutoushan Station. Passengers alighting from the train, please proceed to the middle of the carriage..."
"Did Huang Er's sleeper ticket specify the berth?" Jiang Yang followed behind Nan Ke. Nan Ke suddenly stopped, and the two almost bumped into each other.
Jiang Yang hadn't really noticed. After thinking about it carefully, he realized, "There shouldn't be one." Besides, his ticket to the no-man's-land didn't have a seat number written on it.
"Dear passengers, we have arrived at Wutoushan Station. Please leave in an orderly manner to avoid congestion."
Even as the train was about to enter the station, it was still pitch black outside the window. Only when the train came to a complete stop did the entire platform light up as if it were daytime.
Almost simultaneously, the doors of a row of six small rooms suddenly swung open, and despite the windows being closed, a chilly wind, seemingly from nowhere, howled out.
Xie Lu suppressed his breathing and spoke in a low, weak voice, "Something has been loaded onto the bus."
"run!"
Nan Ke led the way, with Xie Lu bringing up the rear; the distance of twenty or thirty meters was covered in the blink of an eye.
Looking back, sure enough, nothing followed.
Nan Ke walked smugly toward the connecting area between the carriages, but the scene in front of him changed in an instant, and the three of them were back at the front of the hard sleeper carriage.
"Two," Xie Lu said calmly.
"run!"
A new round of pursuit began. This time, Nan Ke stopped before the connection point and didn't continue. He stared at the connection point, pondering.
Jiang Yang was already in poor health, and the sudden exercise made him cough uncontrollably. He tilted his head back and took deep breaths to relieve the symptoms. His eyes were filled with tears, making it difficult for him to see clearly.
He turned around, rubbed his eyes, and looked up again, saying uncertainly, "We...we'll run it again..."
The scene switched again in a second.
Five.
"Damn it!" Nan Ke snapped, "I can't see it, and I can't fight it."
"Can you stall for a bit?" Jiang Yang asked, then added, "You're so capable."
“Well…” Nan Ke paused for a moment, pretending to consider it but actually being stubborn, “Then you don’t need me, Xie Lu, you do it.”
"Yes, yes, yes, you'll be of greater use if I keep you," Jiang Yang didn't expose him, but she laughed out loud, and the atmosphere wasn't as dead heavy as before.
"Five minutes"—a concise and to-the-point statement.
Xie Lu stayed at the front of the car to block the way, while Jiang Yang led Nan Ke through the aisle.
The private room was empty, its door wide open. Jiang Yang walked slowly to the middle of the carriage and looked up as if sensing something.
Nan Ke, intrigued by his actions, looked over as well, squinting and subconsciously remarking, "Is the light off...?"
Jiang Yang finally realized where the incongruity lay: the light from outside shone into the car, and the glaring light made people unconsciously ignore the overhead lights.
Fourth, if you encounter darkness, please do not panic, and do not move around inside the carriage...
"Let's go into a private room," Jiang Yang decided immediately, but which one to go into was the problem.
Nan Ke reacted instantly, noticing Jiang Yang's hesitation, and confidently said, "Leave it to me!"
Besides the thin white line, Nan Ke also had a handful of star-shaped pieces of paper in his palm.
Her lips trembled slightly, and her murmurs were captivating. Then, the paper scraps, swirling around the white line, flew into the D4 VIP room as if by Nan Ke's control.
Jiang Yang was genuinely envious now, since the "Fool" class still had too many limitations for him at the moment.
[Player Nan Ke's Talent Card: Star]
[Personal Talent: Inspiration in the Night]
[Instructions for Use - Thread: Players entangled in the thread cannot escape; the holder can unleash a curse.]
【Instructions for Use - Star: When a star explodes, it releases a mist that has a paralyzing effect. Staying in the mist for an extended period will cause confusion.】
[Instructions for Use - Star Lines: Has predictive properties and can be used to guide you when lost]
"Xie Lu, come quick!" Nan Ke called out from the doorway. Xie Lu strode over and, in a moment of suppression, provoked the creatures in the passageway to launch an even more ferocious attack.
Jiang Yang entered the private room and did a quick check. Nan Ke stood in front of door A4 to help him. Xie Lu ran behind and staggered. He pushed back Nan Ke's outstretched hand and fell in with her.
“You’re injured,” Jiang Yang frowned, her gaze following Xie Lu’s pale lips down to his trembling legs.
The wound was hidden under the lower half of the trousers, but black blood seeped out, making the dark brown trousers even more noticeable.
Xie Lu didn't take it to heart, but his nonchalant attitude angered Nan Ke.
"You won't even say it hurts, huh!"
Then, they emptied the items out one by one in a very generous manner.
Xie Lu stopped him and shook his head. "The SAN value has dropped."
"How many?"
"50"
Jiang Yang's SAN value had also dropped before, but not as much as Xie Lu's.
He doesn't feel anything right now, but judging from Nan Ke's appearance, losing too much probably isn't a good thing.
Nan Ke still gave the hemostatic agent to Xie Lu, saying that he was rich and didn't care about the small amount.
“By the way, there’s a problem,” Jiang Yang’s expression turned serious, “There’s no one in the other private rooms.”
The train moved forward, with the locomotive leading the way out of the station. Darkness gradually engulfed the entire train from the direction of the train in front.
Xie Lu and Nan Ke sat on the lower bunk, while Jiang Yang leaned against the door frame, peeking out. In the quiet of the night, any slight movement was all the more distinct.
A door slammed shut from the front, and about three minutes later, a second door slammed shut.
Jiang Yang kept track of the numbers in his mind.
1, 2, 3... one minute
1, 2, 3... two minutes
1, 2, 3... three minutes
There is no third tone.
1.2.3... Jiang Yang retreated hastily, her steps hurried, trying to appear calm as she reached for the doorknob and carefully closed the door.
It was the sound of something falling to the ground.
"What's wrong?" Nan Ke's voice came from the darkness.
Jiang Yang didn't pay attention and continued to patiently count. Five minutes passed, and he could faintly hear the door closing next door through the door. Only then did he completely relax.
He sat down on the lower bunk on the other side in the dark. "There was something coming into the room from outside just now."
"snort!"
Jiang Yang was puzzled by Nan Ke's humming. Thinking of the notification sound just now, he raised his hand and switched on the panel.
[Finding train route map - Completed]
They certainly weren't the ones who completed it, no wonder Nan Ke sounded rather unhappy.
[Nan Ke] vs. [Xiong Bingxin]
The PK bar itself doesn't fluctuate much, and each bar basically bounces back and forth around 50%.
Suddenly, Nan Ke's value dropped from 48% to 35%, while Xiong Bingxin's rose from 52% to 65%.
It's not hard to tell who completed the task.
[Zero Train Observation Room - Nan Ke's Perspective]
"I give up, wake up, Nan Ke, can't you even do this?"
"I don't understand why you have to bring a burden along."
"Can the people upstairs use their brains for a second? Both of these groups belong to Jiang Yang, okay?"
"Without Nan Ke, what is Jiang Yang? Let Jiang Yang go back to his own home and stop barking like a dog!"
The noise in the observation room was so intense that even more soul weights were being fed to Jiang Yang.
but...
[Task Posting: D4 - Xiaomei's ID Card]
[You are a kind-hearted train engineer. You found Xiaomei's ID card in compartment D4. Please return the ID card to Xiaomei before the train arrives at the station. Don't let Xiaomei cry.]
Jiang Yang returned to the door and squatted down to look for the noise he had just heard.
"Hehe..." Jiang Yang grinned at Nan Ke while holding his ID card.
"What are you doing..." Nan Ke couldn't help but shiver in the darkness and hid closer to Xie Lu.
The lights above the private room suddenly came on, and Jiang Yang rushed to Nan Ke's side, half-squatting and feigning pitifulness, "Will you come with me to find Little Beauty?"
A note from the author:
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