Early that morning.
Once the passengers were free to move around, the plump woman, No. 015, immediately left her seat to find Shen Yalong.
No. 018, No. 019, and No. 020 also got up and left, some to work on their personal missions and others to have breakfast in the dining car.
Zhao Xun found a strand of hair on the back of No. 019's seat. He tried using it and successfully acquired the special ability [Strength Enhancement] again.
Compared to last time, he could indeed feel that his strength was greater now.
As for how much greater, he would have to test it in actual combat.
Just as Zhao Xun clenched his fists to get a feel for his strength, the plump woman, No. 015, hurried back.
"No. 014," she asked, looking at Zhao Xun hopefully, "that man named Shen Yalong participated in the first Platform Game with you, right?"
"Yes." Zhao Xun nodded. Knowing what No. 015 wanted to ask, he answered without prompting. "He died in the game."
No. 015 sucked in a sharp breath, her shoulders slumping.
She had considered plenty of possibilities, such as Shen Yalong refusing to keep his promise, or the information he provided being false.
But she had never imagined that Shen Yalong would be so useless that he would die in the very first Platform Game.
She had no chance to ask him for information, and all her earlier hopes had come to nothing.
The disappointment left her feeling utterly drained.
No. 015's gaze lingered on Zhao Xun for a moment before she suddenly said, as if resigning herself to her fate, "I'll buy your information. What do you want in return?"
Zhao Xun was not surprised.
He clasped his hands on the table and studied No. 015 with an appraising gaze. "What can you offer me?"
The plump woman hesitated for a long while before saying, "If your information is detailed and useful enough, then the next time you participate in a Platform Game, I'll get off the train with you. As long as the game's rules don't put us on opposing sides, I'll do everything in my power to help you clear it."
"That does sound somewhat tempting." Zhao Xun smiled and asked gently, "But that depends on whether your ability is useful. Are you sure it can help me, no matter what kind of game it is?"
Before getting off the train, no one knew what the Platform Game they were about to face would be like.
If No. 015's ability was only useful in certain types of games, she might not get a chance to use it.
"It should be useful most of the time," No. 015 said with confidence. "But I can't tell you what my ability is right now."
Zhao Xun did not press her.
Finding out would not be difficult for him. There was no need to force No. 015 to answer.
After giving it some thought, Zhao Xun told No. 015, "How about this? Go to Carriage No. 10 first and ask the Volunteers for details. They should give you some basic information. When you come back, tell me everything you learned. Then, on top of that, I'll give you one piece of information they either didn't share or don't know."
Only then did No. 015 remember that she had indeed heard someone mention a Volunteer participating in the first Platform Game.
Her eyes lit up. "All right, I'll go ask."
Zhao Xun took a bottle of water and a packet of biscuits out of his jacket pocket-before boarding the train, he had taken them out of his suitcase and stuffed them into his large outer pockets.
Just as he finished this simple breakfast, No. 015 returned.
She was smiling, clearly having obtained some useful information.
"You know, those Volunteers are pretty nice." As soon as No. 015 sat down, she told Zhao Xun cheerfully, "Lots of people went to ask them for information, and they actually wrote it all down on paper. Anyone who comes asking can read what's on that sheet."
She paused before adding pointedly, "And they don't ask for anything in return. They're just sharing information with the other passengers."
"Is that so?" Zhao Xun raised his eyebrows slightly. His smile remained friendly, without a trace of aggression. "It sounds like you're already quite satisfied with the information you got. Then there's no need to exchange more information with anyone else, is there?"
The expression on No. 015's face immediately faded.
She knew perfectly well that the more detailed her information was, the better, and she could not guarantee that the Volunteers had provided everything they knew.
She had originally intended to use the Volunteers' willingness to provide information for free to pressure Zhao Xun, but he clearly was not having it. He even seemed inclined to call off their exchange.
She immediately abandoned that idea.
"Of course not." No. 015 changed her expression and gave him an ingratiating smile. "I'd love to get more information. Besides, it's only right to offer something in return. You can't expect someone to give things away for nothing, especially when they risked their life to clear the game."
Zhao Xun said nothing and simply smiled at No. 015.
The curve of his lips was almost exactly the same as before, as though years of practice had made maintaining that upward curve a habit.
For no apparent reason, No. 015 felt a little unnerved.
She had never interacted much with Zhao Xun before and had only thought of him as a polite, gentlemanly man with some ability.
Now that she had gotten to know him a little, something felt strange in a way she could not explain. Deep down, she seemed to be somewhat afraid of Zhao Xun.
But then she remembered that she had been greedy just now and suggested getting information for free. She had been in the wrong first, so it was only natural for him to respond sarcastically.
Besides, she was eager to find out whether Zhao Xun had more information. She did not dwell on it and quickly got to the point herself.
"The information I got from the Volunteers was a little scattered, so I'll summarize it for you." No. 015 sat down across from Zhao Xun. "This game was set in a small town. All the residents had lives of their own. It felt as if a town like that really existed."
Zhao Xun nodded slightly, signaling for No. 015 to continue.
Encouraged, No. 015 sighed in relief and poured out everything she knew.
"After you got off the train, thick fog blocked your vision. You walked forward for about ten minutes before the fog cleared and the six players participating in the game gathered together."
"Every player had a different mission, and some missions conflicted with each other, so there was no way all the players could clear the game."
"Food and clothing from the game can't be brought onto the train. Even if you put them in a bag, they disappear the moment you board."
Zhao Xun raised his eyebrows slightly.
He was not surprised that such a restriction existed. He simply had not expected the Short-Haired Woman to have tried bringing food and clothing onto the train.
Even things like gold and jewelry could not be brought aboard, let alone necessities such as food and clothing.
If those things could be brought from the game onto the train, wouldn't the goods in the dining car go unsold?
How else would they get players to spend more points?
And if the players' points never dwindled, how would they motivate them to earn more?
Thanks to [It's Three-Delicacy Filling] for the monthly vote.
Thanks to everyone who cast recommendation votes.
Special thanks to [Silence Is Also Subtle], who started voting for me almost as soon as I began this book and has given me votes every day for over half a month. I'm so touched~
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