# Chapter 1621: Track Choice Question
Xu Huo entrusted the shopping mall's order issues to Scarface Glasses and also entered "Shelter 101" to sleep.
This time, he entered the same city he had dreamed of last time, but he was in an old-style train station.
The ticket clerk handed him a paper ticket. Exiting the queue of people buying tickets, he found the corresponding boarding gate according to the information on the ticket and boarded this train that didn't even have sealed windows.
Half an hour later, the train started. The five carriages, including the ticket clerk and the driver, totaled 126 people.
"Sir, would you like to try some local specialties?" The ticket clerk pushed a cart over and gave him some dried meat and preserved fruit. "These are all complimentary. If you find them tasty, sir, please come again often."
The ticket clerk, with a warm smile, gave free snacks to everyone on the train. Even when a running child accidentally knocked things over, she kept smiling without any displeasure.
The passengers on the train were also all smiles. Strangers and acquaintances alike gathered to chat, polite and friendly.
Even with the laughter of children mixed in, the entire train wasn't noisy; instead, it was filled with a unique kind of joy.
The change occurred at the next station. Ten thug-looking people boarded the train, holding photos and searching for someone.
In the dream, Xu Huo couldn't freely change his appearance, so he picked up a book from a nearby female passenger and walked forward, avoiding the crowd to reach the connection between carriages. He stepped on the side iron railing and climbed onto the train roof.
The thugs who had surrounded him from both sides searched fruitlessly. Someone suggested that the roof hadn't been checked yet.
Xu Huo jumped onto the locomotive, climbed through the window into the driver's cabin, and after calming the startled driver, said, "I'll hide here for a bit and go out later."
The driver nodded frantically, but soon he exclaimed in panic, "Why are there people on the tracks!"
Xu Huo turned around and immediately saw five people lying side by side on the train tracks. As the driver shouted, "There are also people on the fork!" he looked to the left. On the left branch track, there was actually one person lying there as well.
These people were tied to the tracks, looking despairingly at the rapidly approaching train, crying loudly or begging for help.
The driver pressed down hard on the train's control lever and shouted, "What do we do? What do we do? The fork is coming up, and the train can't stop!"
The train couldn't stop. Ahead, both tracks had people tied to them—five on one side, one on the other. This looked like a classic choice question.
The button to control the track switch was right at hand. The driver, sweating profusely, asked him, "Who do we save?"
The train's original route was the one with five people, so Xu Huo didn't press the button. Instead, he let the train run over the five. After crushing the first two, the train derailed and flipped off the tracks, killing or injuring most of the passengers.
This was clearly not the correct answer, because the next second, Xu Huo, who had also died in the crash, returned to the ticket counter.
With the same ticket, he boarded the same train again. After another pleasant ride, the thugs boarded once more. He hid in the driver's cabin again, but this time he didn't make the choice; he let the driver decide.
However, the fragile driver couldn't bear the immense pressure and jumped off the train. The thugs behind him rushed over and smashed the control lever. The train ran over the group of five again, then flipped over.
Xu Huo returned to the ticket counter once more.
Same ticket, same train, same driver's cabin—just a little earlier in time.
From the first two deaths, he could conclude that the life and death of this train were not in the driver's hands. He had to make the choice. But no matter whether he changed the track or not, it probably wouldn't be the correct or safe option. So this time, he fought off the charging thugs, detached all the carriages behind the driver's cabin, forcefully braked, and barely managed to stop the train in front of the group of five.
No one died on the train this time, but the five people tied to the tracks died of fright.
Xu Huo looked at the five people, who had perfunctorily similar faces, and returned to the ticket counter once again.
The fourth time, he stopped the train early. But while he and the driver were going out to rescue the people tied to the tracks, he was knocked down and killed by the thugs who had broken free from their restraints.
The fifth time, he kicked all the thugs off the train and stopped midway. Unexpectedly, this time the people on the tracks weren't tied up by anyone—they were there to commit suicide. When discovered, one of them immediately smashed their head on the tracks and died.
The sixth time back at the ticket counter, Xu Huo held the ticket but didn't rush to board.
From the current situation, whether it was the driver, the thugs, or the people on the tracks, they were all variables that would only tilt toward worse outcomes. This meant that no matter how well he handled things, new situations would always arise. Even if he managed to control all these characters, the 120 passengers on the train might still cause problems. So, from the moment he boarded the train, the outcome was already sealed.
But the purpose of this repeatedly restarting train should be to change the train's result.
After sitting on the platform for two minutes, he turned his gaze to the other end of the tracks. The train he was supposed to board was already waiting at the station, and trains from other directions were still arriving.
Every time he stood at the ticket counter, it was half an hour before departure. That was just enough time for him to take a train to the previous station.
After a brief pause, he bought a ticket to the previous station.
Upon arrival, he discovered it was the main station. Inside, there was a train schedule and contact numbers for the train drivers.
Dialing the contact number for that specific train, Xu Huo disguised himself as a main station staff member and told the driver that the train was under repair and departure was suspended. He also arranged for someone to check the tracks.
The staff near the tracks found nothing unusual, but the train, delayed by ten minutes, still ended up flipping over.
Xu Huo returned to the ticket counter.
This time, he still bought a ticket to the main station. However, instead of delaying the train's departure from the start, he waited until the time was right and notified the driver to stop early.
The driver did stop this time, but within two minutes, the main station staff noticed the anomaly and ordered the train to resume. The result didn't change.
The third time at the main station, Xu Huo used a "bomb threat." This time, the staff halted all trains, but a real bomb appeared on the tracks, and it blew up that very train.
"It seems fabricating a third party doesn't work either."
After returning to the ticket counter for the tenth time, Xu Huo chose not to go to the main station again. Instead, he boarded the train as usual.
Nine attempts made him understand that whether he stopped the train or made it miss its departure time, it was useless. Similarly, destroying the tracks would likely have the same result—either the tracks would be quickly repaired, or unexpected situations like a "real bomb" would occur.
In other words, this train had to depart no matter what, and it had to encounter the people on the tracks.
"I wonder if I'm a fixed character on this train," Xu Huo muttered to himself.