Arrival

Chapter 16: Arrival at the Station

"I think I should go out," Professor Han said. "We're already short on hands, and having someone watch over me..."

"One more or one less person doesn't make much difference," Xu Huo said. "If those monsters only move under light, one person can hold the line. If not, a few more won't help either."

Professor Han was still worried about mutating. Wang Xiaohui mustered her courage and said, "I'll watch over Professor Han."

"You saw my ability just now. I can't move well, but I can seal off a corner. Even if something happens to Professor Han, you'll have time to react."

The transition car wasn't safe, but Professor Han might not necessarily mutate. They couldn't just send him out to die for that reason.

Xu Huo had no objections. He stood by the window, quietly waiting for the darkness to come.

A few minutes later, the light around the train gradually faded. It raced on like this for about an hour before suddenly shuddering—this time noticeably longer and more violent than the previous two nights.

Feeling the weight outside the window surge, Xu Huo couldn't help frowning. But before the storm passed, a loud crash came from behind, as if something heavy had landed on the carriage. The entire train jerked to a halt for an instant. At the same time, the weight pressing on the tabletop receded like a tide!

Something had boarded the train!

Everyone in the carriage held their breath, their minds fixed on the screeching sound of twisting metal from the rear. The transition car seemed to be dismembered. The tail end of the entire third-class carriage sank slightly, and then something slammed into the back door. Amid the "creaking, grinding" noise, wind seeped through the door cracks but was immediately blocked. After a brief pause in the air, a warm, fishy breeze slowly drifted in from behind...

"Mm..." Liu Jia squeezed out a faint sob through her fingers.

That tiny sound made the heavy thing clinging to the back door move rapidly upward, crawling along the car wall to the roof. Sharp scraping sounds rang out on the glass, then the glass shattered, mixed with a dripping, trickling noise. A strong wind poured into the carriage from the top, and something swayed inside!

The front and back doors weren't transparent, so even though the back door was twisted out of shape, Liu Jia couldn't see what had caught up to the train. But the claw prints, far larger than those of any ordinary beast, and the fishy wind blowing in made her instinctively terrified. She covered her mouth and closed her eyes.

Yet that thing was still drawn by the faint sound. When she heard the glass break, her mind went into chaos, and she couldn't help opening her eyes again—only to see a massive tongue curling toward her face!

Liu Jia's heart nearly burst!

A hand reached from behind and covered her mouth, stifling her scream!

A shard of glass flew out of the carriage and struck the rock wall beside the tracks. The tongue, almost licking Liu Jia's face, jerked back abruptly. The sound of shattering stone followed, but it was quickly left behind by the speeding train!

Xu Huo lightly pressed Liu Jia's shoulder and made a shushing gesture. Liu Jia, not caring whether he could see her or not, covered her mouth with both hands and nodded frantically.

Xu Huo stepped back from her and had just returned to his seat when a bright light suddenly flared ahead of the train. Though it lasted only an instant, in this pitch-black darkness, it was more dazzling than a spotlight!

In that moment, the train, which had just steadied, lurched again. A thunderous roar ran across its shell, like thousands of horses galloping!

That massive black shadow caught up to the train once more, sweeping over the second-class carriage. Faint screams and pleas for help were drowned in roars and tearing sounds. The entire train swayed left and right as if about to fall apart, but within a few minutes, it calmed again, racing on in eerie silence...

"Ding-dong!"

"Congratulations to all preparatory players for completing the Preliminary Train Instance and becoming official players of the Dimensional Rift. Due to a staff error, the train encountered a D-class Incident. As an apology, each player will receive one Ticket free of charge. Please check your inventory."

"This Train 301 will arrive at the station in ten seconds. Players, please prepare to disembark."

"Countdown begins: 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1!"

When his vision lit up again, Xu Huo found himself alone in a pure white space. The train and everyone else had vanished. Firework effects burst around him with pops and bangs, and his personal panel snapped open in front of him:

[Congratulations, player Passerby A. During this journey, you did not eat any player, killed one Cannibal Player and one Normal Player, and became an official Black Player. Note: The Preliminary Train does not have Instance functionality, so you cannot obtain Items from killed players.]

[Your performance during the trip has been rated C-class Excellent, the highest comprehensive index among surviving players on this Train 301. You will receive the new characteristic "Insider's Perspective," the Item "Super Running Shoes," the Instance completion C-class bonus reward "Arsonist's Tool," an additional 2000 White Cash, eight Potions, and a gift pack from Yongxing Chef.]

[The following data has been updated:]

[Player Nickname: Passerby A]

[Player Type: Black Player]

[Occupation: Passerby A]

[Note: As a man forever on the road, his chance of becoming the protagonist is only one in ten thousand.]

[Player Level: E]

[ID: 556688]

[Evolution Rate: 7%]

[Property: 2000 White Cash]

[Note: A player who can earn and spend—how could the game not reward that?]

[Main Characteristics: ① Tireless Legs; ② Insider's Perspective]

[Note 1: Congratulations on developing a new characteristic. A passerby who always gathers intelligence without realizing it can't do without a pair of observant eyes.]

[Item: ① Super Running Shoes (Note: Speed not enough? Shoes to the rescue. Work for ten minutes, charge all day. Double-tap the heels to increase speed by thirty percent.) ② Arsonist's Tool (Note: Besides lighting cigarettes, it can light people. Open the lighter, say "Burn" to the target, and their clothes will spontaneously combust. Nudist enthusiasts excluded.)]

[Potions: ① P0 Evolution Agent x3 (Note: As the lowest-grade evolution agent, it only allows slow physical evolution. Players with an evolution rate below ten percent must take at least one bottle per month. Players can obtain evolution agents by clearing games. Of course, they might also be hidden in unexpected places. Oh, and there's a P1 version too.) ② E-class Self-Healing Agent x2 (Note: Discontinued product, only used to relieve pain.) ③ E-class Cleaning Agent x2 (Note: Highly effective for erasing traces, durable and long-lasting, the most common game reward. To increase game difficulty, it's even given away free to Cannibal Players as a bonus—no dignity at all.) ④ D-class Hair Growth Agent x1 (Note: A single gentle application grants the silky, smooth hair of your dreams. The middle-aged professor who developed it is willing to give it to every player at risk of baldness. Warning: Growing hair from nothing is quite difficult, so it only has a one-week effect.)]

[Gift Pack: Yongxing Restaurant membership card x1, 10% discount coupon x1 (Note: A gift from the head chef. Anyone who respects food deserves respect.)]

[Ticket Holder: Clown City Station, Hot Spring Mountain Town Station, Garden Castle Station (Note: One-way tickets only. You must clear the Instance to obtain a Return Ticket.)]

[Reminder: Players must ride one train per natural month using a Ticket. If you fail to enter the game within the time limit, you will be forcibly teleported to the station three hours before the deadline.]

[Next Game Countdown: 12 days.]