Chapter 1192: The Benefits Are Real
The remaining two wanted to run, but Xu Huo had already sealed the door with Tangents in advance. A-grade items weren’t so easily destroyed, so the various items the two had used beforehand failed to work. When they threw their own bodies against it, the result was predictable.
In the blink of an eye, three of the four were dead. The last one, missing an arm, didn’t dare move recklessly anymore. He stood still in place and begged for mercy, “Don’t kill me! I’ll give you all my items!”
“Do you even hear how ridiculous that sounds?” Xu Huo glanced at him. “If I kill you, aren’t your items already mine?”
“No…” 11 quickly said, “There’s also our hideout, with lots of gold and treasure. If you let me go, I can take you there!”
But Xu Huo wasn’t very interested. He smiled and said, “Compared to gold and treasure, I think your life is more valuable.”
Before 11 could react, his head slid off his neck.
The carriage was very quiet. Every surviving player maintained their original posture, not daring to move, and no one even tried using an item to test if there were Tangents nearby—they weren’t as stupid as those wanted criminals. Killing a C-grade player without giving them a chance to fight back? Was that something an ordinary C-grade player could do?
Since C-grade players couldn’t, D-grade players shouldn’t push their luck.
After a while, the commotion in the front and rear carriages died down. Xu Huo put away his items and found a new seat to sit down.
Ye Bingxin didn’t dare sit with him anymore and chose another table.
The Hat Player deliberately sat across from her. “So this is the life-and-death crisis you mentioned?”
Ye Bingxin said irritably, “Why don’t you go ask the dead guy in the Transition Car if his prediction was accurate?”
The Hat Player had no comeback.
Accidents on the train were common. If a train journey went completely smoothly, it would actually feel strange. So even after encountering a high-level player hijacking the train, everyone quickly returned to normal after the danger passed, doing whatever they needed to do.
By the next morning, when the Hat Player put away his items, he discovered that the outer walls of their carriage were covered in bloodstains left by Xenomorphs—dense and horrifying.
The front and rear carriages went without saying. Only two floor panels remained now, and it was unknown if any players had survived. But the other companions of those tattooed players hadn’t come to regroup with the two of them, likely having died at the hands of players in other carriages.
In the time that followed, no players on the train caused any more trouble—probably because they lacked the strength. The only interesting thing was that Ye Bingxin’s fortune-telling gained recognition. Even the silent Middle-aged Man and the Buzz Cut Player came to her to draw a card.
As she had said, more than two-thirds of the cards drawn were bad ones, so the remaining players weren’t faring much better. While Ye Bingxin earnestly told others that she couldn’t change fate—and if she could, she’d change her own first—Xu Huo reached his station.
This time, he didn’t get off at a Base City but at a medium-sized city half a day’s journey away from the Base City. Unexpectedly, the Hat Player from the same carriage also got off with him.
“What a coincidence?” The Hat Player greeted him with a smile. “Looks like two of my three life-and-death crises are going to involve you. If you ask me…”
Xu Huo hailed an unmanned taxi and got in. The Hat Player quickly chased after him. “Which Instance are you going to? Let’s go together!”
Xu Huo waved his hand in farewell.
He set the taxi’s destination to Rose Castle. Judging by the scenery along the way, the turmoil caused by the Eerie Sound Knights and the Holy Sword Society last time had completely subsided. In some places, not even traces of the battle remained, and the buildings had been rebuilt more beautifully than before.
On his Communicator, there were messages from the Orbital Supply Department, several of which were missions issued by Team Leader Shi Youzhi. Since he wasn’t in District 011, he hadn’t replied, which also meant he wasn’t participating in the missions.
Apart from that, the only other person who contacted him individually was Wan Tingfang, another newcomer, mainly to check on his safety.
Xu Huo looked up the aftermath of the Holy Sword Society’s attack last time. After Lady Lily successfully screwed over Ashis Werner and the other new nobles, the Miller family had risen to prominence again. To compensate for the Miller family’s losses, compromises were made among the nobles. Not only was Leyton Miller granted a higher title, but the siblings were also compensated with considerable political resources. Lady Lily, originally a duke’s subordinate, now had the legitimate right to step into the political arena, becoming a significant figure among the nobles. At the same time, the Miller family recruited a large number of players and supported some smaller noble families with few members, maximizing their camp’s expansion through marriage alliances. Leyton Miller married five wives in one go, and the sheer scale of it drew quite a bit of ridicule.
But jokes aside, the benefits they had truly obtained were real.
Additionally, District 011 tightened its control over players for a while, mainly to root out members of the Holy Sword Society. They did catch some, though it was unclear whether the published list was genuine or not.
Neither Director Sanyang nor Wan Tingfang was on it.
Overall, the last incident didn’t have too profound an impact on District 011. Once the fervor of the Holy Sword Society crackdown passed, ordinary citizens returned to their normal routines.
Xu Huo soon arrived at the Base City.
Returning to Rose Castle, the one who came out to greet him this time wasn’t Mr. Dong but the Painting Woman, dressed in a maid’s outfit. She seemed to have been waiting for him, her expression eager as she watched him approach. Then she lifted her skirt and curtsied, offering a perfectly measured smile.
Xu Huo handed his coat to Mr. Dong, who had come out behind her. “What’s she gotten into recently?”
“Role-playing.” Mr. Dong pointed to the monocle he was wearing and then to the two children flying kites in the garden.
Two children wearing heavy princess dresses.
Xu Huo raised a hand. Xiao Yuan saw him and immediately dropped his kite excitedly, running into the living room with his playmate. The expressionless Tan Qi followed behind, showing no shame at all about running while holding up a skirt.
Seeing the sweat on their faces, Xu Huo said, “Don’t wear such thick clothes if it’s hot.”
“Sister Li Chun made us wear them,” Xiao Yuan quickly said. “If we don’t, she’ll pinch our faces.”
The Painting Woman, caught off guard by the tattling, immediately dropped to her knees and sat on the ground, grabbing Xu Huo’s pants.
Xu Huo brushed her hand away without any change in expression and said coldly, “Half of this month’s allowance is deducted.”
The Painting Woman pouted and squeezed out two tears, but Mr. Dong added fuel to the fire: “Miss Li Chun has already overspent this month’s allowance.”
“Then deduct half from next month and the month after that too.” Xu Huo paused and said, “The deducted money will be used as an education fund. Hire another teacher for them.”
Mr. Dong quickly pulled out a list and said, “Ordinary teachers can’t control Miss Li Chun. Everyone on this list is a player willing to work as a teacher.”
Xu Huo looked at him in surprise. “Are you in a hurry?”
Mr. Dong removed his monocle and said succinctly, as always: “Lady Lily has already sent you three invitations.”
Last day! Asking for monthly votes. I wonder if there’s any hope of reaching two thousand~ ^_^
(Chapter End)