Chapter 1585: A Bit Inconvenient
"Xu Zhi." Xu Huo still used the name Xu Zhi. Seeing that his gaze lingered on the open book, he then asked, "Are you very interested in fungi?"
"A little." Chi Xian nodded. "I came specifically for these fungi this time. I'll get off at the Asphyxia Rainforest Station."
"What a coincidence, me too." Xu Huo smiled and simply put down the book to talk with him.
"Are you going into the instance?" Chi Xian said. "There are very few locals left near the Asphyxia Rainforest Station. The instances should be gone by now, right?"
"We'll only know once we get there. But since the ticket is still usable, it means the instance probably hasn't disappeared." Xu Huo turned the conversation back to the fungi. "Do you study fungi?"
"Not really, just a hobby." As he spoke, he took out a sizable glass jar and placed it on the table. Inside was a marine micro-landscape, with water, fish, and a coastline. However, upon closer inspection, one would notice that both the fish and the water were composed of extremely tiny things. The suspended fish had scales covered in something like downy fungal hyphae.
"Are all of these fungi?" Xu Huo was somewhat surprised.
"Yeah," Chi Xian was very eager to talk. "See these transparent fungi that make up the water? Their adult form is only half a millimeter in size, completely free of impurities. I searched for half a year to find them, and it took a long time to cultivate them. They have very high requirements for their growing environment."
"Can these fungi survive in the luggage compartment?" Xu Huo leaned in a little closer to observe.
"For a short time, yes. I've equipped them with gear." Chi Xian said. "I also have special culture vessels. If they die, I can quickly replace them with a new batch."
"I never thought fungi could be used this way," Xu Huo said while examining them. "Are they poisonous?"
"Some are, but as long as they're handled properly, it's no problem." Chi Xian was very proud of his work. Without waiting to be asked, he continued, "And through my careful selection, these toxic fungi can coexist. They won't bleed colors into each other or kill each other off."
It was clear that although he claimed it was just a hobby, he was very experienced in cultivating fungi.
"Are you going to Area 013 to find new fungi to cultivate?" Xu Huo asked.
"I came because of its reputation," Chi Xian said with a smile. "But I asked around beforehand. The Asphyxia Rainforest Station area is sparsely populated, and even fewer outer zone players go there. I couldn't find any friends to go with, so I came to the train to try my luck. Since you're going too, why don't we travel together and look out for each other?"
"I'm not very familiar with fungi, so I'll have to learn from you." Xu Huo gladly agreed.
Both were willing, and since they were interested in fungi, they chatted congenially until Chi Xian went to the restroom. Then the woman in the corner opened her eyes and said to Xu Huo, "Don't go to the Asphyxia Rainforest Station. There are no instances left there. It's full of toxic fungi. Nine out of ten outer zone players who go in will die."
"Thanks for the warning." Xu Huo accepted her kindness.
The woman closed her eyes again.
Night soon fell. Probably because there weren't many players on the train, the chance of conflict breaking out was lower, so everyone got through the night without incident.
The next morning, seven more players entered Xu Huo's carriage.
Leading them was a young man wearing sunglasses. After entering, he first scanned everyone in the carriage, then snapped his fingers and pointed to the front and back carriages. Two of the players surrounding him immediately split off and went to the front and back carriages, presumably to check the situation. After they returned, they shook their heads at him.
The young man was slightly displeased but didn't say anything. Instead, he pointed to the largest sofa in the carriage.
A player wearing glasses but whose face was covered in hideous scars stepped forward and said to the player sitting there, "Would you mind moving somewhere else to rest?"
The words were polite, but his body language clearly showed his dominance.
Seven against one. Anyone with a shred of sense wouldn't want to fight them head-on. So the short-haired female player who was eating breakfast and another middle-aged man gave up their seats and moved over to Xu Huo's side.
The large sofa wasn't vacated for these people to rest. The young man occupied the sofa alone, while the other six surrounded him—two in front, two behind, one on each side—in a protective formation.
Judging by their attire, these players didn't seem to be trained by a professional security group. The battle scars they carried suggested they often saw blood, yet they showed no dissatisfaction with the young man's arrogant attitude. Throughout the process, no one even looked him directly in the eye or spoke to him casually.
The other players in the carriage wisely refrained from staring at them and stopped talking.
The atmosphere was momentarily oppressive.
However, the young man clearly didn't care. He lounged on the sofa and started playing a game.
The game's music was a bit loud.
Chi Xian subtly signaled Xu Huo, suggesting they move to the rear carriage.
In fact, the other players in the same carriage had the same idea. The short-haired female player was the first to leave.
Xu Huo and Chi Xian walked to the transition car. Only then did the latter lower his voice and say, "It's best not to provoke people who look so obviously well-connected. Even if their own player level isn't high, they have a bunch of good items and bodyguards with them. If this young master throws a tantrum and takes a disliking to someone, wouldn't we be the ones to suffer for no reason?"
"Makes sense." Xu Huo pulled open the door to the next carriage.
The situation in the back wasn't good. The smell of blood in the carriage hadn't dissipated yet. The two players from earlier probably hadn't switched carriages because of this.
There was a cannibal player inside.
Xu Huo turned to face a player whose lapel was stained with blood and whose eyes were bold and unrestrained, staring straight at him.
The other person initially looked arrogant, but after two seconds, he seemed to realize that his opponent wasn't someone he could kill at will, so he withdrew his gaze and lazily looked elsewhere.
This carriage was quite cramped. All the rooms were occupied, and the seats outside were almost full. Although the players didn't interfere with each other, their expressions weren't good.
Xu Huo decided to make do in the transition car.
Before long, Chi Xian followed him out. "I can't stand that smell either. But we should be arriving at the station soon. Let's put on our protective suits in advance."
Xu Huo put on two layers of protective suits—a thin, tight-fitting one underneath and a new, roomy one on top, with some food tucked inside. He looked back at Chi Xian, whose situation was similar, except the upper part of his protective suit was a glass shell, with openings for his hands and lower limbs. When he didn't need to use his hands, he could put them inside the glass shell to move around.
Looking at this inverted milk bottle, Xu Huo said, "Wouldn't that be a bit inconvenient?"
Chi Xian waved his hand grandly, indicating it was no problem. "The main danger at the Asphyxia Rainforest Station comes from fungi. You won't run into many people, so there's not much need to fight."
However, an hour later, when the two arrived at the Asphyxia Rainforest Station and saw the young man and his six bodyguards, who were also almost buried by the lush vegetation, Chi Xian's expression turned serious. "It's a bit inconvenient."