Chapter 1188: On the Train
As the soon-to-be-appointed Minister of the Special Defense Department, Team Leader Ji indeed should greet Xu Huo and also check on the progress of the instance strategy.
What Xu Huo provided were strategies for two instances: the Hundred-Person Art Museum and the Sphinx Mystery, one E-rank and one D-rank.
Writing an instance strategy requires not only detailing the various steps of the strategy but also explaining the background and behavioral motivations as much as possible. Only then can one determine the origin of the instance's rating, and it also serves as a supplement for situations where the strategy cannot be followed exactly, preventing players from being completely lost if they deviate from the plan.
Xu Huo answered Nie Xuan and the others' questions in meticulous detail, casually mentioning that the Hundred-Person Art Museum had been upgraded to a D-rank instance, along with some conjectures about the museum director.
"Can this count as an S-rank clearance strategy?" Nie Xuan tapped the table. "You don't even know the clearance requirements for this D-rank instance. This won't do."
"Don't be so angry," Xu Huo said with a lazy smile. "This is an instance I'm fairly confident about. As for the other instances I've been to, either the instance site was destroyed or the instance was upgraded. Even if I give you the strategies, you won't be able to use them."
"I don't believe you haven't been to a single intact instance." Nie Xuan looked at him seriously. "The treatment matter was facilitated by the Special Defense Department, and we vouched for you in this matter. You should at least let the Special Defense Department reap some benefits. Otherwise, how will we deal with each other in the future?"
The Special Defense Department could take a back seat for now. Xu Huo was still very grateful to Nie Xuan, so he leaned back in his chair and glanced at Team Leader Ji sitting behind him. "I heard the Minister of the Special Defense Department is about to change. To celebrate our lasting friendship, I can share another better clearance strategy. However, even if I tell you, the possibility of completely replicating it is very low. On the contrary, it might become an obstacle to clearing the instance."
"Whether we can use it or not, we'll decide for ourselves." Nie Xuan picked up his pen and signaled for him to start.
Xu Huo smiled lightly and recounted the Sea World instance.
"Sea World" was the last D-rank instance he had completed and also the first instance where he had obtained an SS rating. But clearing that instance was almost impossible to replicate.
Sure enough, after hearing it, Nie Xuan's brows furrowed. "This is also an S rating?"
Xu Huo raised a finger and wagged it. "Double S rating. It's a hidden rating, harder to obtain than an S rating. After completing this instance, I was promoted to a C-rank player."
The people in the meeting room fell silent. After a long while, someone said, "So there is an SS rating..."
"Human nature is very complex. This has nothing to do with a person's strength. Any kind of emotion is hard to obtain, let alone under extreme circumstances. To encounter someone who can still make a noble choice in such a situation is like hitting the jackpot." Xu Huo said, "If you want to clear the instance this way, the chances of being tricked are higher."
Nie Xuan had already thought of a countermeasure. "Bring a few more people in together. If we can't get SS or S, an A rating will do."
Xu Huo said he didn't mind, stood up, and prepared to take his leave.
Team Leader Ji stepped forward and politely presented the generous gift prepared by the Special Defense Department—although the attack on Country Y's safe zone couldn't be made public, the Special Defense Department still had to commend such an action.
Leading the gift was 100 million White Notes, along with several items and potions, some specially developed dry rations from the Special Defense Department, and some specially packaged specialties from District 014. Xu Huo glanced at the words printed on the packaging, "The country will always be your support," and silently stored them in his luggage compartment.
Team Leader Ji said with great emotion, "Minister Fan is about to leave. This is the last batch of supplies he approved for players outside the organization."
"Thank Minister Fan for me. It's good that he's no longer the minister," Xu Huo said.
Team Leader Ji chuckled. He originally wanted to pat Xu Huo on the shoulder, but his hand stopped halfway and withdrew, instead offering a verbal blessing. "I hope everything goes smoothly for you after you leave this time."
Xu Huo nodded to him and Nie Xuan, then used his ticket to leave District 014.
The station was as bright as ever. A few white clouds that seemed never to move floated outside the transparent glass wall. Beneath the azure sky stretched a vast white snowfield.
Only three or five players were in the station. Each had chosen a spot to stay, not talking to each other, quietly waiting for the train to arrive.
Five minutes later, the train arrived, and the few people boarded one after another.
The carriage Xu Huo was in didn't have the players from the station. There were already ten players inside. Some of them knew each other, while the others sat scattered. He chose a seat by the window.
The female player sitting across from him was binge-watching a series. She wiped her tears as she watched, and after a while, she loudly blew her nose, leaving many crumpled tissues on the floor.
The people nearby found it a bit disgusting. Someone couldn't help but say, "If you're going to watch TV, just watch TV. Can you not be so gross?"
"Sorry about that," the female player quickly apologized. At the same time, she took out a trash can to clean up and said, "I got too absorbed in my show. I didn't realize I made such a mess... I'm really sorry for the trouble."
Her repeated apologies made it hard for others to say anything more. Thus, the day's journey passed amid her sobbing and the occasional conversations among the players.
During dinner, the female player, to show her apology, treated everyone in the carriage to a cup of tea.
Players were free to do whatever they wanted in the carriage. Besides, she hadn't really disturbed anyone that much, so no one insisted she stop watching her show.
"Don't watch it after lights out," someone said, thinking she might be a bit clueless, and reminded her.
The female player smiled gently. "I understand the rules on the train."
When it was almost time for lights out, she indeed put away her communicator. Gone was her earlier crying demeanor; she sat there with a solemn expression.
During the day, Xu Huo, like most players on the train, had closed his eyes to rest. He only started moving after lights out.
To avoid attracting Xenomorphs, players tried not to make too much noise after the lights went out, but deadly fights couldn't be completely prevented. There were sounds from the carriages in front and behind. In Xu Huo's carriage, two Cannibal Players couldn't restrain themselves and attacked others.
One of their targets was the female player opposite him.
This crying woman wasn't as weak as she appeared. When a Cannibal Player attacked from behind, she lightly leaped into the air, then drifted down behind him like she had no weight. She swept her hand over him, and the defense item the Cannibal Player was wearing fell off automatically. With another sweep, the Cannibal Player's arm went numb.
Realizing this woman was not to be trifled with, the Cannibal Player immediately tried to create distance. But the female player, who moved silently, seemed to stick to him like a shadow, following him almost step for step to the rear door of the carriage. Just as he was about to go out, she stopped the door from opening first.
Xu Huo noticed that her toes, hovering off the ground, swept across the Cannibal Player's ankle. His legs gave way, and he fell to his knees. The next second, he was wrapped up like a zongzi in a white gauze that appeared out of nowhere.
(Chapter End)