Qin Shang thought for a moment, then searched the forum for the four characters "polluted dungeon" again.
A few casual discussion posts popped up immediately afterward.
#{Priest} The Zhao Family Courtyard dungeon has been polluted. The source of the pollution is currently unknown.
Three official Path of the Gods players died while exploring this dungeon. Players trading relevant dungeon guides are advised to use their own discretion when referring to them.#
#{Hypnotist} The Xiniang dungeon has been polluted.
The original main storyline required players to help the groom complete the wedding ceremony. However, a lecherous player did something indescribable to the NPC Xiniang, and an accident caused the dungeon to change from B-rank to S-rank. It was renamed The Out-of-Control Groom.
The source of the pollution might be the things players who entered it had done... Ahem.#
Something indescribable to an NPC!?
When Qin Shang saw the final post, his features twisted.
Damn, someone did something indescribable to the NPC Xiniang. Could that guy have been so desperate for sex that he humiliated an NPC beneath him!?
Damn, what a character!
The corner of Qin Shang's mouth twitched.
Judging from the current situation, quite a few dungeons had been polluted.
Once a dungeon was polluted, both the main quest and the dungeon's difficulty would change, rendering the corresponding guides useless.
From these posts, Qin Shang obtained a clue.
The source of the pollution!
The Death Train had once been called Train Exploration. It had been a B-rank dungeon, but had now become an A-rank dungeon—or an S-rank dungeon for the Trickster class.
Clearly, it had suffered pollution.
If players wanted to clear these polluted dungeons, they seemed to have to find the source of the pollution within them.
There were many possible sources of pollution: the resentment of dead players, a priest's curse, or some player who had once been lecherous enough to do something indescribable to the NPC Xiniang...
All of these could be sources of pollution.
Of course, changes to the Path of the Gods map could also cause dungeons to collide, creating a source of pollution.
The first few were easy enough to understand. As for dungeon collisions...
Qin Shang had also learned of this concept from a forum post.
To give a simple example, the background setting of the Death Train was London, England, in the 1870s. Under that background setting, there were certainly other dungeons as well.
After all, urban legends like this were as numerous as the stars in every era and region. There were certainly other dungeons taking place at the same time.
If Qin Shang ran to the locomotive and started driving before the first round of exploration ended, driving the Death Train off the tracks, it might crash into another dungeon.
The Death Train and the other dungeon would then collide, becoming a new dungeon.
These were bugs within the Path of the Gods game!
Qin Shang shut off his phone, gaining a rough understanding of the Path of the Gods player community.
For now, the biggest problem before him was still the second-round exploration mission he was about to enter in the Death Train.
"Come to think of it, I remember getting a reward clue when the Death Train was settled. I think it was called El's Letter..."
Qin Shang gripped the Character Card in his hand and instinctively opened his inventory.
A letter was indeed lying quietly inside. Perhaps it could provide quite a few clues.
Elsewhere, the Chaoyang District Public Security Bureau in Yanjing.
A burly, well-built man walked straight into the second floor.
Seeing the uniform he wore, no one stopped him, and he passed through without obstruction.
The dark-faced man easily entered a room in the corner of the second floor.
He hesitated at the doorway for a moment before finally raising his hand and knocking.
"Come in!"
A cold voice came from inside.
Only then did the burly officer push down the handle and open the door, his expression somewhat complicated as he looked at the figure seated inside the office.
A handsome young man sat before the desk. He was dressed all in white, his long hair tied into a ponytail. His handsome, chiseled features revealed a steady calmness. Even when someone entered, he merely cast a casual glance over before looking away.
Cold, composed, and carrying a maturity and steadiness far beyond his years.
"Eagle of Justice, you cleared the dungeon much faster than expected this time."
"Did you run into a high-level player who carried you through it?"
That was right—"Eagle of Justice."
If Qin Shang had been there, he would have recognized the officer who entered the Public Security Bureau as the officer "Eagle of Justice," whom he had encountered once aboard the Death Train.
Hearing this, Eagle of Justice's expression turned somewhat ashen. He said in a low voice, "Mr. Yin, I entered a polluted dungeon—the Death Train, Path of the Gods designation 0927..."
Only then did the figure who had been sitting upright at the computer desk, reading documents without looking aside, frown and raise his head. His gaze turned toward Eagle of Justice, who had just spoken, and his cold expression shifted into a trace of doubt.
"The Death Train? The Trickster class's S-rank dungeon, and an A-rank polluted dungeon for other classes?"
After saying this, the young man seemed to understand why Eagle of Justice had come to visit him today. He clicked his tongue.
"If it's the Death Train, the organization can't provide you with much help."
"The official records don't contain a guide for the second round of this dungeon. Once the twenty-four hours are up, you'll have to rely on yourself inside the dungeon."
Although Eagle of Justice had already expected this answer, his heart still sank slightly when he heard it.
He was a public servant. After obtaining his Character Card and entering a dungeon for the first time, he had immediately reported to the authorities that he had encountered a strange supernatural phenomenon.
Soon afterward, the authorities had recruited him into a special operations team.
It was only then that he learned that beneath the brilliant lights of Huaxia, such a special organization was hidden.
Everyone here was a Path of the Gods player. He was not the only person with the same experience.
Naturally, Eagle of Justice became an official player.
Ordinary Path of the Gods players had to enter a dungeon regularly. Yesterday had been his scheduled day.
Eagle of Justice had originally thought it was merely an ordinary exploration mission, but after being teleported back when the exploration progress reached 50%, he was completely dumbfounded.
This was the first time he had encountered anything like this.
So he had immediately frantically searched the Path of the Gods Player Official Forum for information related to the Death Train.
He and Qin Shang had seen exactly the same content.
Judging from the current situation, that dungeon seemed far more dangerous than he had initially imagined.
Even the official database had no corresponding clearing guide.
In other words, every player who had entered the Death Train had already met with disaster.
Otherwise, how could there be no guide if they had come out alive?
Only then had he panicked and hurried to the official headquarters, hoping to obtain the help of a high-level Path of the Gods player.
However, it was obvious that even the highest-level official player in the Chaoyang District, the man before him, seemed helpless.
Thinking of this, Eagle of Justice's heart sank.
"Mr. Yin, has no one ever cleared this Death Train?"
"What exactly is the source of this dungeon's pollution?"
At this, Mr. Yin glanced at him, a trace of sympathy in his cold gaze.
"If we had figured out the source of the pollution, do you think we still wouldn't have been able to clear this dungeon?"
However, the next moment, a complicated look crossed his handsome face. The emotion vanished in a flash, but he still answered seriously.
"But... as far as I know, there really is someone who once cleared this dungeon!"
What?
Someone had cleared the Death Train?
That was great. It meant he had a chance to obtain the dungeon guide!
At these words, Eagle of Justice immediately became excited.
"Who?"
Mr. Yin narrowed his eyes.
"I do know a Path of the Gods player who cleared the Death Train."
"But unfortunately, you can't meet him."
"Why!?"
Eagle of Justice was like a drowning man clutching the last straw, unwilling to give up even the slightest opportunity.
When he heard Mr. Yin's sudden change in tone, his expression sank as well.
"Because he already died in the Path of the Gods!"
"His game ID was 'Fiercely Licking Cockroach Jade Feet.'"
At this, the disappointed Eagle of Justice froze when he heard the name "Fiercely Licking Cockroach Jade Feet."
Then he revealed an expression as if he had seen a ghost.
"What!?"
Before you continue