Chapter 181
Feng-ge’s teammate, confused by his certainty, wanted to ask, but, thinking knowing too much can get you killed, he remained silent, continuing to observe.
Feng-ge knew his teammate wouldn’t understand. It had happened years ago, a mission Sang Ming had given him personally.
He had been tasked with finding a curly-haired child in a dungeon, but he hadn’t been able to find him.
Then, the dungeon’s core monster had mysteriously died, and Feng-ge, forced to leave, had finally seen the child just before being transported back to Central City.
He had only glimpsed him briefly, but the child’s appearance had been etched in his memory.
He hadn’t thought much of it until now, seeing Xing Nuo, his distinctive curly hair triggering a memory.
Feng-ge’s eyes gleamed, remembering the reward Sang Ming had promised, a cruel excitement bubbling within him.
This is my chance! Fate has delivered him to me!
This curly-haired kid was clearly inexperienced, a bit clever, perhaps, but no match for a real monster.
He could eliminate him in this dungeon!
Just then, the train announcement sounded:
[Arriving at Midnight Puppet Town. Passengers disembarking, please proceed to the exit in an orderly fashion.]
The announcement made everyone tense.
Xing Nuo, caught up in the atmosphere, not even knowing what “Puppet Town” was, also felt a knot of anxiety in his stomach.
The ordinary passengers, without props or abilities, their faces pale, their earlier numbness replaced by despair, stared at the doors at the front and back of the car, their eyes darting nervously between each other.
And just as they had feared, after the announcement ended, a woman sitting near the front ripped her human skin open, revealing a grotesque, black head.
It resembled an ant’s head, but with multiple eyes, one on top, one on each side, staring at the passengers with a sinister intensity.
The person sitting next to her screamed, and before he could even react, the monster’s sharp teeth tore into his neck.
Blood splattered across the seats, the car filled with the stench of blood and the gruesome sight of dismembered limbs, a scene from hell.
Xing Nuo, not far away, saw the blood flowing down the aisle towards him.
The monster sitting in the front row also sprang into action, leaping into the crowd of panicked passengers, who were scrambling towards the back.
The two monsters, after killing a passenger, wouldn’t immediately attack another, but would pause, their eyes glowing red, staring at the players.
As if waiting for an answer.
The players’ mission was to identify the real monster on the train.
No one had cleared this dungeon yet, but fortunately, they had escape props.
But the ordinary passengers weren’t so lucky. They were trapped.
The players, hesitant to answer, seeing two monsters, both seemingly real,
remembered a similar situation from a previous run, when two monsters had appeared, and a player, thinking they were both real, had answered accordingly.
The monsters had just laughed, their voices high-pitched and mocking, and said they were wrong!
And being wrong meant failing the dungeon!
The player had been instantly crushed by the train’s rules, not even having time to use his escape prop.
The players, valuing their lives, wouldn’t gamble unless they were absolutely certain.
They watched coldly as the monsters devoured their victims, retreating, their props raised defensively.
Xing Nuo also pulled An Zimuo back. They had chosen their seats wisely, several rows away from the monsters.
An Zimuo, his face pale, his stomach churning, but suppressing his nausea, whispered:
“Don’t players have abilities? Why don’t they just kill the monsters?”
There were quite a few players on the train. Even if they couldn’t kill both monsters, they should be able to handle one, right?
Xing Nuo, his gaze on the players, noticed that the group that had been hostile towards him earlier was watching coldly, one of them even kicking a nearby passenger,
while the other group, although seemingly wanting to help, seemed powerless, their abilities clearly not strong enough to take on the monsters.
Xing Nuo’s heart sank. He was too weak to fight.
But he wouldn’t just sit there and wait.
Passivity was a death sentence. He had to act!
He had always been proactive, not one to wait and see, ever since he was a child.
He stood up and, amidst the chaos, walked over to the female player who had given the injured boy the spray and said:
“Let’s cooperate. Kill one monster first. How about it?”
The female player, surprised by his offer, glanced at the man beside her, who was wearing a hat.
The man, their team leader, hearing Xing Nuo’s words, raised an eyebrow, a hint of amusement in his voice.
“Cooperate? What can you offer?”
They didn’t like watching the monsters kill people. If they could, they would fight.
But they were too weak.
And the other group of players were from Guild Zero One, a guild with a polarizing reputation, their methods ruthless and extreme.
Those who liked them admired their power and efficiency.
Those who hated them thought they were insane.
It had become common for players to encounter ordinary people in dungeons, and not only did this guild not help them, but they had even massacred entire groups of ordinary people after clearing dungeons.
The team leader also disliked the guild and had deliberately kept his distance from them.
Xing Nuo, his heart pounding, but his voice calm, looked at the players and said:
“I can find the monster’s weakness. And I can find other hidden monsters in this car.”
An Zimuo, hearing this, gasped and tried to stop him, but Xing Nuo ignored him.
The team leader’s eyes narrowed, his expression turning serious.
“Are you sure?”
Xing Nuo nodded.
“The monsters only kill when the train stops. They stop when the train moves. But the new monsters are different. They can kill one person after boarding.”
“We can’t fight them while they’re killing, but we can when the train is moving. They’re restricted by the train’s rules then.”
The team leader chuckled, his eyes cold and calculating.
“Don’t you know players are also restricted when the train is moving? We can’t attack monsters then. Or are you not a player?”
Xing Nuo hadn’t known that. He had been wondering why the players hadn’t fought back while the train was moving.
He smiled, his dimple appearing.
“You guessed right. I’m not a player. So, the rules don’t apply to me. I can attack the monsters when the train is moving, but they can’t attack me. Easy, right?”
The players were stunned, then their eyes widened in realization.
A loophole!
During transit, both players and monsters were restricted from attacking, except for newly boarded monsters, who could kill one person.
They had been thinking they could only fight the monsters when the train stopped at a station.
Xing Nuo’s words had opened their eyes. They could use this loophole and cooperate with the ordinary people!
An Zimuo, also realizing this, gasped and whispered:
“Why did you tell them you’re not a player?!”
Xing Nuo smiled. “The monsters are almost done eating. If we don’t show our hand soon, they’ll find out anyway. Might as well tell them.”
And now, they, the ordinary people, were the key to survival!
The players and monsters were restricted, but they weren’t!
The team leader looked at Xing Nuo with newfound respect. How did this kid figure it out so quickly?
Xing Nuo, confident that the team leader would cooperate, continued:
“This train probably has many cars, but there’s a barrier between them. We can ignore the other cars for now. But we can definitely kill the monsters in this car. That way, everyone can relax.”
Otherwise, they wouldn’t even be able to sleep peacefully, constantly worrying about being attacked.
The injured boy with the missing arm, who had been listening, suddenly spoke:
“I can help kill the monsters.”
He was an ordinary person, dragged into this dungeon, then pushed towards the monster by the Guild Zero One players.
If it weren’t for the female player who had pulled him back and given him the healing spray, he would have died.
Xing Nuo hadn’t lowered his voice, and the other ordinary people, overhearing him, their eyes lighting up with hope, said:
“Me too!” “I can help! Let’s kill the monsters! We’ll all die if we just wait!”
The team leader, looking at Xing Nuo, thought for a moment, then nodded.
“Alright!”
He gritted his teeth, exchanged glances with his teammates, and, for the first time, stood up, shielding the ordinary people from the monsters.
“The train stops for ten minutes! We’ll protect you during those ten minutes. When the train starts moving, you have to seize the opportunity and kill them!”
Otherwise, they wouldn’t stand a chance, even with all their props and abilities.
