Food

Li Fei and the others seemed to realize something as well. After whispering among themselves, they returned to their seats.

"Grrr..."

"Grrr..."

Stomachs growled one after another. The longer they stayed on the train, the stronger their hunger became. A rich, enticing scent wafted from human bodies all around them, making their heads spin!

Bang! The loud crash from the Third-Class Carriage jolted everyone awake from the haze of that scent. A blood-soaked person burst out of the carriage, barely managing to slap a hand against the glass before being dragged back by someone chasing after them. Then came muffled tearing and swallowing sounds.

The heavily made-up woman immediately rushed over and braced the door, while the others hurried forward to help. Through the window, Xu Huo saw only blood all over the floor and scattered fragments. Soon, the carriage door opposite closed, and shadows flickered rapidly behind the frosted glass. The matter was clearly not over.

A few minutes later, the Third-Class Carriage fell silent.

"D-Did someone die?" the female student asked shakily.

Professor Han said grimly, "It looks like we'll have to take turns guarding the door."

"Evolvers who have eaten people are stronger than ordinary Evolvers." The heavily made-up woman looked pale. "The Train Rules say not to enter other carriages casually, but they don't say we can't. I'm worried the people in the Third-Class Carriage will eventually lose control and attack us."

"How could this happen?" The melon-seed face woman looked astonished. "Didn't they say our performance on the train would affect our classification rating? Aren't they afraid of being eliminated and ending up in danger?"

Xu Huo tapped the bloody handprint on the glass. "They've already started eating people."

What reason could people driven mad by hunger possibly have? Especially when they were all Evolvers—the lure of flesh and blood was even greater. Their peaceful coexistence had been broken. It was only a matter of time before someone violated the Train Rules.

For Players, this train was truly a lawless place.

The other Players realized that they, too, were participants in this brutal game of slaughter. None of them looked well. Surviving for three days and making it off the train alive was already the game's hardest task.

The female student choked back a sob, then suddenly tugged at Professor Han's sleeve. "Professor, I'm hungry..."

The people gathered around the rear carriage door immediately scattered, warily watching everyone else.

"Ding dong!"

"Welcome, prospective Players, aboard Preliminary Examination Train 301. This train departs from the Three-dimensional Point, passes through the Dimension Rift, and will arrive at its final destination, Five-dimensional Station, at eight o'clock train time in three days. There may be turbulence during the journey. Please remain calm."

"Ordering service will be available around eleven o'clock train time each day. Players may order freely. The Conductor has the right to exile Players. Please obey the Train Rules when ordering."

"If there's food, there'll be no need to eat people." Xu Huo muttered to himself as he leaned against the carriage door, then returned to his seat to wait for the ordering service.

The others looked at one another before returning to their own seats as well.

The Conductor soon arrived from the front carriage, carrying only a single menu. Li Fei, the first to order, was stunned. "Why is it so expensive?!"

"A cup of water costs one hundred White Cash, and a bowl of noodles costs three hundred White Cash!"

He only had seven hundred White Cash. Even eating once a day would not last him three days!

The Conductor replied expressionlessly, "You don't have to eat."

In the end, Li Fei gritted his teeth and ordered a bowl of noodles.

The announcement had specifically mentioned ordering, so it was likely crucial to the rating. And spending money was part of the Train Rules—it was mandatory. Even ordering a cup of water would do.

Everyone in the carriage painfully ordered noodles. When it was Xu Huo's turn, he only had two hundred White Cash, not even enough for noodles, so he ordered a cup of water. He tucked his remaining White Cash into the menu and handed it back to the Conductor.

A faint smile appeared on the Conductor's face. After everyone else had finished ordering, he quickly left the carriage.

Five minutes later, the dining cart arrived. The smell of food instantly refreshed everyone—the food on the train could alleviate the Gluttony Urge!

Those who received food immediately began wolfing it down.

Xu Huo drained the water in one go, and his hunger immediately vanished. He smiled politely at the Conductor.

Cheap price, perfect effect.

The middle-aged woman suddenly pointed at Xu Huo and spoke up. "I saw him secretly put away the Coaster Paper just now. There were words on it!"

Li Fei and the others' faces darkened. They hurriedly stopped the middle-aged woman and repeatedly apologized to the Conductor.

The Conductor's ordinary face fell as he stared at them coldly. "The Conductor only provides ordering and delivery services. Passengers, do not disrupt train order. Otherwise, the Conductor has the right to expel you."

The middle-aged woman shrank back, but stubbornly said, "The train's moving. Can you really throw me off?"

The Conductor gave a sinister smile and said nothing.

The middle-aged woman ultimately did not dare offend him and resentfully lowered her head.

Li Fei walked over to the Conductor with a smile and tried to stuff White Cash into his hand, but the other man raised a hand and knocked it away. "The Conductor cannot accept tips. Passenger, please return to your seat."

Li Fei shot the middle-aged woman an irritated glare. But he did not dare pester the Conductor, so he could only watch him head into the Third-Class Car. When he turned back, he walked to Xu Huo's table. "I'll buy that information from you."

"Smart." Xu Huo nodded with a smile. "Fifty White Cash per person."

"Brother, isn't that a bit ruthless?" Square-Faced Man said. "At that price, we might as well buy it from the Conductor!"

"If you can get it from him, be my guest." Xu Huo gestured invitingly.

Knowing they could no longer get information from the Conductor, Li Fei quickly weighed the pros and cons. At the very least, it was much cheaper than buying the information directly from the Conductor.

"Charging by the person is too expensive," Li Fei said.

"Even if I told only one of you, could you be sure the version you heard from someone else was true?" Xu Huo countered.

"I'll buy it." Professor Han gave him a White Cash bill and pointed at himself and the ponytail student. "The two of us will look."

Xu Huo led the two of them to the back of the carriage. With his back against the wall, he took out the note.

Both looked surprised after reading it, but neither said anything.

"Brother Li, let me see it with you," the melon-seed face woman said as she sidled up to Li Fei.

Compared to her, Li Fei trusted Chen Yi and Square-Faced Man even less, so he took out one hundred White Cash.

Chen Yi and Square-Faced Man followed suit and bought the information as well.

After reading it, the three looked rather indignant. Who would have expected this kind of "inside information"? It was not worth one hundred White Cash at all!

But they had already paid. They were all in the same carriage, so if there was a pit, they would jump into it together.

On He Yang's side, Professor Han told her through his phone. Yan Jiayu gave one hundred White Cash and asked to look at it together with the Old Man at the End Seat.

"You know each other?" Xu Huo asked an extra question.

Yan Jiayu shook her head, her smile radiant. "This benefactor is a good person."

Her words earned several cold stares. Xu Huo offered no comment and showed them the note.

Afterward, the Old Man gave Yan Jiayu the only fifty White Cash he had in his pocket. Yan Jiayu was poor as well. She took several small sealed bags of compressed biscuits from the patched pockets of her monk's robe, poured the water she had bought into them, mixed them into paste, and gave one bag to the Old Man.

Only the middle-aged woman and the heavily made-up woman remained. The two disliked each other, and neither would pay for the other. The middle-aged woman set her sights on Yan Jiayu.

"Little girl, you're a good person. Why don't you tell me what was written on that note?"

Yan Jiayu ate her mush. "Why should I tell you?"

"Buddhists are compassionate. Are you going to stand by and watch me die?"

"My master said that a person must be a good person. Good people should be a little kinder to good people and a little harsher to bad people..."

Yan Jiayu looked straight at her. "Auntie, bad people will suffer retribution."

The middle-aged woman nearly choked in anger. Instinctively, she was about to unleash her shrewish side, but at that moment, the rear carriage door opened, and the Conductor, who had gone to take orders in the Third-Class Carriage, returned with a spring in his step.