Princess Thorn

At midnight on the seventh, the point rankings were announced as usual.

With 92 points, Zhao Xun ranked 401st, only a slight improvement over his previous position.

His personal mission on the sixth had been fairly easy, so naturally, it had awarded few points. It was already good enough that his ranking had not dropped.

After checking his personal mission for the seventh, Zhao Xun decided to skip it.

At 9:01 a.m., he would have to get off the train to participate in the Platform Game. If he stayed up doing his personal mission now, he would not be able to face the upcoming Platform Game fully rested.

The loss would outweigh the gain.

Fortunately, his personal mission for the seventh had no time limit, such as having to finish it before dawn. Otherwise, he would have had no choice but to stay up.

That night, Zhao Xun slept well, not waking until 8:30 a.m. After a quick wash in the restroom, he munched on dry instant noodles and drank bottled water.

Beside him, No. 015 already looked nervous, turning to glance out the window every so often.

Although nothing was visible outside, she still could not stop herself from staring out.

At last, the familiar electronic voice sounded throughout the train.

[The Endless Train will soon stop at the [Princess Thorn] platform at 9:01 a.m. Passengers wishing to disembark, please prepare.]

That meant there were five minutes left before the train stopped.

Zhao Xun brushed the remaining noodle crumbs off his hands, took another sip of water, and waited quietly.

No. 015 grew even more nervous. Her leg even began shaking unconsciously, and she seemed at a loss as to where to put her hands.

[The train will remain at this stop for two days and depart promptly at midnight on the night of September 9.]

[All disembarking passengers must board the train before midnight on the night of September 9.]

Zhao Xun immediately stood and headed out.

No. 015 swallowed and followed closely behind.

She was not doing this to keep her promise to Zhao Xun. She wanted to clear three Platform Games as soon as possible, before their difficulty increased to an outrageous level.

No. 019 and No. 020 had both remained in their seats. Seeing Zhao Xun and No. 015 head out, they exchanged glances, finding the same surprise in each other's eyes.

More than No. 015's decision to participate in a Platform Game, what surprised them was that Zhao Xun was entering another one so soon.

Hadn't he even considered resting on the train for a few more days?

Although the train was not peaceful either, with daily personal missions to complete and the pressure of the rankings, staying aboard seemed safer than participating in a Platform Game, no matter how they looked at it.

Wasn't he tired, or did he have something else in mind?

Nearby, No. 018, the Bald Scorpion Man, had the same question.

After pondering for a few seconds, he arrived at the same guess as No. 015. He immediately stood and hurried off before the train doors closed.

No. 015 was just about to speak to Zhao Xun when she suddenly sensed someone else jump down behind her.

Turning and seeing that it was No. 018, No. 015 immediately shut her mouth, instinctively unwilling to say anything.

Looking at the thick white fog ahead, No. 018 snorted. "It's just like those Volunteers said. All you can see after getting off is white fog."

Zhao Xun did not respond. He stepped forward.

No. 015 silently followed behind Zhao Xun.

No. 018 glanced at Zhao Xun and No. 015, getting the distinct impression that the two had teamed up.

He gave a contemptuous snort.

Two pieces of trash working together were still just a trash team. Only useless trash liked to band together.

He strode forward, passing No. 015 and Zhao Xun to take the lead.

Seeing No. 018's hostile, superior attitude, Zhao Xun tilted his head, looking amused.

When he had first boarded the Endless Train, he had indeed been somewhat wary of No. 018.

But now... well, he still would not underestimate him.

Perhaps No. 018 had an impressive special ability that made him believe he had the right to look down on the other new players.

But just like that two-meter-tall burly man in the previous Platform Game, if he underestimated his opponents too much, he could very well be the one to suffer.

Zhao Xun flexed his right hand slightly, his knuckles making faint cracking sounds.

Ever since he had confirmed his parents' deaths, the restless impulses within him had grown noticeably more frequent.

Still, perhaps thanks to the restraint he had cultivated over the years, he was not as impulsive as he had imagined he would be.

For him, that was a good thing.

Whatever happened, the Platform Game had to come first.

Losing his reason would only make it easier to rush to his death.

Although he had never had much innate fear of death, that did not mean he wanted to die meaninglessly.

As Zhao Xun and the other two walked forward, the white fog gradually thinned, and other players arrived one after another to gather there.

While waiting, Zhao Xun gazed into the distance and spotted what appeared to be a castle. Vines covered its entire exterior, completely hiding its original color.

Zhao Xun recalled the announcement over the train's speakers.

[Princess Thorn], with a castle as its setting. That fit quite well.

Zhao Xun withdrew his gaze and looked at the people before him.

Eight players had appeared so far: five men and three women. Two of them looked like veteran players at first glance.

One was a woman wearing plain silver stud earrings. Her haughty demeanor fully displayed a veteran player's disdain for newcomers.

The other was a man wearing a cloak. He seemed quite friendly and even took the initiative to greet the other players.

But this early-autumn weather hardly called for a cloak.

No, wearing a cloak in this day and age was strange in itself.

That cloak was almost certainly a special item.

Among the new players, Zhao Xun was probably the only one who had obtained a special item so far, so the Cloaked Man was likely a veteran.

Among the rest, aside from No. 018, the Bald Scorpion Man, and No. 015, the overweight woman, there was a young woman with twin ponytails, a man with a buzz cut, and a man dressed entirely in denim.

Needless to say, No. 018 and No. 015 were definitely new players.

As for the other three, he would have to keep watching.

At least for now, they all looked like new players.

But he could not rule out another person with acting skills as impressive as Tiantian's.

Speaking of Tiantian, fortunately, she had not joined this game.

Running into Tiantian in every game would be quite a headache.

After they waited a little longer without anyone else appearing, a pop-up appeared before them.

Unlike last time, the pop-up did not appear separately in front of each person. Instead, an enormous screen appeared overhead.

Everyone could see it.

[Welcome to the [Princess Thorn] Platform Game.]

[This is an ancient castle that has lain sealed away for many years. Thorn bushes cover the grounds outside, and all kinds of vines climb its outer walls.]

[A beautiful princess has slept inside the castle for many years, waiting for her prince to awaken her.]