Preliminary Examination Train

"Player attribute detected. The following three classes are available:"

"A. Gambler; B. Adventurer; C. Passerby A."

"Please choose carefully."

The countdown on the screen began ticking down, dropping from sixty to fifty-nine.

One minute to choose.

Xu Huo selected C, then entered his nickname. A line of text appeared on the screen:

[Congratulations to Passerby A for becoming a reserve player in the Dimension Rift game.]

[Player nickname: Passerby A]

[Class: Passerby A]

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

[Player level: E]

[Evolution: 7%]

[Assets: 200 White Cash]

[Note: The chairman of Stellar Company is undoubtedly the most popular man.]

[Note 2: The amount of starting assets is converted at a certain ratio based on the assets the player has accumulated.]

[Primary Ability: Tireless Legs]

[Note 1: How could a Passerby A who spends his whole life rushing about not have a good pair of legs?]

[Items: (Empty)]

His personal information swiftly switched:

[Player Passerby A will proceed to Preliminary Examination Train 301. The train departs at 8 AM train time and arrives at the terminal station at 8 AM three days later.]

[Based on Player Passerby A's asset status, your seat is in Second-Class Seat. Happy Journey.]

When the countdown on the screen reached zero, the surroundings lit up again. Xu Huo, who had been in a hotel moments ago, was now sitting in a train booth. The flame on his Lighter had not yet gone out.

The moving train gave off a faint mechanical hum. Bright sunlight shone both inside and outside the carriage, and with just a glance upward, he could see the scenery beyond through the three transparent walls.

Beneath a brilliant blue sky, the train running in a straight line split the space in two. Forest lay to the left, while a snow-white ice field stretched to the right. Flowers and grass flourished on one side, ice and snow drifted on the other. It all looked remarkably real.

The panoramic carriage had a strong futuristic feel. The completely different yet strangely coexisting scenery startled the twelve people who had appeared in the carriage at the same time to varying degrees, but that surprise quickly turned into wariness toward one another.

They were all Evolvers, and the fragrance filling the carriage was almost intoxicating!

"Gulp!" Someone swallowed.

Xu Huo immediately felt for the folding knife in his pocket.

"Ding-dong!"

Just then, an electronic announcement sounded:

"Welcome, Evolvers, aboard Preliminary Examination Train 301. This train departs from the Three-dimensional Point, passes through the Dimension Rift, and will arrive at the terminal station, Five-dimensional Station, at 8 AM train time three days from now. There may be jolting during the journey. Please remain calm."

"As reserve players of the Dimension Rift, the train will categorize and rate Evolvers based on their performance during the journey. Please mind your words and actions."

"The train rules will now be announced."

"First: Consumption is mandatory."

"Second: Do not enter other carriages at will."

"Third: Lights out at 8 PM."

"Fourth: The Conductor has the right to expel reserve players."

"Reserve players must strictly obey the above rules. Happy Journey."

After the electronic announcement ended, the carriage fell silent. Only after a long while did someone speak. "Where is this place? Can't we get off?"

The speaker was Ponytail Little Girl. She clutched the sleeve of a young man in a dress shirt beside her.

"Get off?" A man who looked like an executive tapped the transparent glass. "I was working from home just now, and then I was suddenly brought onto this train. Judging by everyone's appearance, we all came from different places. This definitely isn't a city we know anymore. Getting off might not mean we can go back."

"Besides, everyone saw that game screen, right?"

"The announcement said this is a game. We're all Players, so there shouldn't be any danger, right?" Pajama Man said uneasily, still holding an electric toothbrush. "Games are virtual. It's possible we're still where we were, and only our consciousness entered the game."

"You think current technology can do that?" Strap-top Woman raised her phone. "I'm more inclined to believe what people online are saying about Spiritual Revival."

"What Spiritual Revival? Miss, could you let me see?" The middle-aged woman in an apron and sleeve covers held out her hand.

Seeing the blood spots on her clothes, Strap-top Woman instinctively stepped back.

The middle-aged woman hurriedly removed her sleeve covers. "I was slaughtering chickens. I didn't have my phone on me."

Strap-top Woman curled her lip. "There's no signal."

"Mine doesn't either," Executive Man said.

"Are we unable to go back, Professor Han?" Ponytail Little Girl grabbed the young man beside her.

Professor Han looked grave. "The announcement just said that the train is traveling from the Three-dimensional Point to Five-dimensional Station."

"Besides Evolvers, many other abnormalities have appeared on Earth. Some can no longer be explained by our existing scientific knowledge. Perhaps other, more advanced civilizations are invading Earth."

The others in the carriage clearly did not know much about this, and no one could respond. Strap-top Woman, who read plenty of novels, asked instead, "Invading Earth this way? Playing mysterious games to fool people?"

Professor Han had no answer. Evolvers alone were already confusing enough, so how could they possibly get to the bottom of it?

While they were talking, Xu Huo had already checked his belongings.

Everything he had carried on him was still there: his phone, cigarette pack, and folding knife. There were also two extra thin slips of paper, similar in texture to ordinary banknotes. Each side bore the black outline of a human head, and the corner read, "Stellar Company Virtual Currency."

Stellar Company was probably the developer of the Dimension Rift game.

He put away the slightly warm Lighter and checked the time. The electronic clock in the carriage showed 8:00 AM, while his phone showed exactly 10:00 PM.

Three sides of the carriage were transparent, but the front and back were metal doors. Each had a glass window through which the carriages ahead and behind could be seen. There were people in both.

A plaque reading "Second-Class Seat" hung to the right of the Front Door, with a light switch beside it.

There were six square tables in the carriage, arranged in two rows. Each table had two seats facing each other. The two seats in the same row were connected, but separate from the table.

Strap-top Woman sat alone in the first row on the left. Executive Man and Pajama Man sat in the first row on the right.

Professor Han and the ponytail student sat in the second row on the left. Xu Huo sat in the second row on the right, with a little girl in patchwork clothes beside him and a heavily made-up woman with a large build across from him.

An elderly man sat behind him. At the neighboring table was the middle-aged woman who had spoken earlier, with a man and woman seated across from her.

Twelve people in total.

"Anyway, now that we're on this train, it's best to follow its rules," Executive Man said. "If this train can bring us here, it can certainly make us disappear without a sound."

"Do we really have to play the Dimension Rift game as instructed?" Ponytail Little Girl asked tearfully. "I don't like playing games."

"It's all right. I believe that as long as we do what the announcement said, nothing will happen," Professor Han comforted her.

"Then what are we supposed to do?" the middle-aged woman asked anxiously. "I've never played games either."

They looked at one another. The announcement had only told them to ride the train for three days and follow the rules; it had given no other instructions.

"Maybe all we have to do is survive these three days," Strap-top Woman said with a shrug.

Her words plunged everyone into silence again, and they each returned to their original seats.

"Don't be so nervous, everyone. I think the current situation isn't hard to figure out. Preliminary Examination Train is definitely a test for us Evolvers. There may be further instructions over the next three days. Let's work together and get through what's in front of us first."