Chapter 1316: Not Knowing When to Die
"Don't worry, I'm not from District 001." Xu Huo thoughtfully explained, then added, "If the situation in District 001 were really that bad, I wouldn't be going there to take risks."
"It's not that serious either," the pale-skinned man's companion said. "After all, it's a major district. Once the manhunt blows over, things will settle down quickly."
Seeing that Xu Huo was easy to talk to, the pale-skinned man found another topic to chat with him about, even bringing up the clearance strategy for the Maze Instance.
The carriage was mostly filled with his voice, which gradually drew dissatisfaction from other players. His companion quickly stopped him and suggested they switch seats. "Don't disturb people who are reading."
"Meeting is fate. If you don't mind, why not sit together? I just ordered a meal—want to join me?" Xu Huo invited.
The two exchanged glances but ultimately stayed. The companion said apologetically, "How can we let you treat us? We'll order our own..."
Before he could finish, the pale-skinned man interrupted, "Actually, we're out of money."
Without any embarrassment, the pale-skinned man revealed their situation. "I spent all my money in Card City, so I have to go to the next instance."
The companion helplessly covered his forehead, but Xu Huo just smiled. "I can afford one meal. Don't be polite."
The pale-skinned man grinned at his companion. "See? I told you—there are still good people in this world."
What could his companion say? He could only introduce himself to Xu Huo.
His name was Luo Shizong, and the pale-skinned man was Meng Di. Both came from a district with poor conditions and had been traveling together in the game.
When the dining car delivered the food, even Luo Shizong's eyes lit up, let alone Meng Di, who was more straightforward. "I've never even tasted such expensive dishes. I only ever looked at them. Today I'm lucky!"
"I just came into a little money. Eat as you like," Xu Huo said, gesturing for them to dig in.
Meng Di didn't hold back at all, shoveling food into his mouth with both hands. Even though Luo Shizong repeatedly reminded him to be more restrained, he didn't change his posture. Luo Shizong awkwardly made excuses. "The conditions back home are poor, and food is scarce. We developed habits that are hard to break."
Xu Huo didn't ask further, signaling them to eat first and talk later. Midway through, he generously ordered another round.
All three ate to their hearts' content. Finally, Meng Di took a gulp of water, clasped his hands together, and thanked Xu Huo. He looked young, so the gesture didn't seem out of place. Then he placed a box of ore on the table.
"Brother Xu, our items and potions are all accounted for—we have to share them with other companions when we go back, so we can't just give them away. But these ores were obtained from other players. They're probably not worth much, but they're pretty. Take them as a souvenir."
"We're broke now, but we'll make it big someday. When you come to our place, I'll treat you to a meal!"
Two pairs of eyes in the carriage fell on the box. Xu Huo smiled, picked up a jade-white ore from the box, and held it up to look at it, gesturing toward the neighboring table.
The effeminate male player and a short-haired female player who had just come out of a nearby room followed his movement with their eyes. Xu Huo nodded slightly at them, then placed the ore back on the table. "This should be a Subclass Stone. I'm not sure what type, but it looks high-quality. It could fetch a good price."
"This is a Subclass Stone?" Meng Di looked around in surprise. "Subclass Stones are usually better than ordinary crafting ores, but they're usually pitch black. This one doesn't look like it."
"Subclass Stones come in all shapes and colors," the short-haired female player said. "They're hard to identify with the naked eye. I have an appraisal device that can roughly determine the stone's grade."
Meng Di wasn't worried about the stone being stolen and proactively invited the female player to appraise it.
The short-haired female player took out a microscope-like device, placed the stone under the probe, and without needing her adjustment, the instrument automatically gave a result half a minute later.
"Class quality—pretty good," the female player said. "Are you selling this stone? I'll pay market price."
Meng Di stared at the ore. "This appraisal won't backfire, will it? If the ore can't be used to craft items, won't you lose out?"
The female player smiled. "That depends on luck. Maybe it's even better than the instrument's result."
Meng Di turned to look at Luo Shizong, who was reluctant but eventually agreed.
After the transaction, Luo Shizong sighed. "It's a shame our district has no Artificers. If we could keep it and craft an item, that would be great."
"Look on the bright side—at least we made a windfall," Meng Di said cheerfully, then turned to Xu Huo. "Brother Xu, you're really generous. We'll treat you tonight!"
He slapped the White Notes in his hand, making them crackle.
Of course, he still insisted on giving the ore. Xu Huo picked a green one as a token gesture and returned the box. Meng Di then handed him a business card marked with wormhole points and district information, earnestly inviting him to visit in the future.
The three chatted pleasantly. Meng Di specifically shared some rules about the Maze Instance, suggesting he choose a relatively safer instance to tackle, noting that the tickets for the Maze Instance weren't too expensive.
Xu Huo accepted his goodwill.
The two got off the train before lights-out. As soon as they left, the carriage quieted down again. However, the two men from the station earlier sat down in front of Xu Huo, grinning slyly. "Generous money boy, you're pretty free with your cash. How about lending us some to spend?"
Xu Huo looked at them with a half-smile. "Are you sure?"
"Looking for death," the short-haired female player snorted before the two could speak.
"Don't say that. We're reasonable people. Why resort to murder and robbery?" the male player said with a smirk.
But the short-haired female player rolled her eyes. "Not knowing when to die."
The male player realized she was talking about him and his expression changed. He casually swept the water cup off the table, which landed right at the effeminate man's feet. The man looked up.
The male player initially looked down on the effeminate man, but upon meeting his eyes, his expression shifted. Then he turned to look at the short-haired female player, who was now facing him directly. His face grew even uglier. In shock, he quickly reached out to pull his companion, but the other man remained motionless. When he turned back, he saw his companion staring blankly ahead, while the man across the table was lightly tapping his right index finger on the surface, smiling as he watched him.
Because of these three, the entire carriage's atmosphere changed. Even the players hiding in their rooms felt the pressure and instinctively went on alert.
The male player could no longer force a smile. "Just kidding around. No need to get so angry..."
But before he could finish, his left chest exploded from the front, a bloody hole piercing straight through his heart—the effeminate man had struck.
"You..." The male player tried to say something as he fell, but then his mouth and right hand exploded into a bloody mess. The effeminate man glanced at the blood and corpse on the floor, pulled out a handkerchief, and wiped the water droplets from his boots.
(Chapter End)