Chapter 1626: Unstable Factors
The matter was not complicated. The root cause was that the main station chief had used connections for the railway construction. The tracks had problems just a few days after completion. The chief dared not disclose the reason publicly. Coincidentally, this route had relatively few scheduled trains, so he temporarily closed the track and announced internally that it was for routine reinforcement, while also sending another group of workers for repairs.
But in reality, the problem wasn't just with the tracks in the section passing through the tunnel—the tunnel itself was also problematic. Workers responsible for cleaning and maintenance reported this, but after the chief arranged for a "professional" to inspect and repair it, he replaced the crew with another group.
This new group belonged to a small company with insufficient experience. They failed to identify the issues inside the tunnel, and on the spot, three people were crushed to death—the six who lay on the tracks were relatives of these three.
However, this incident was cleverly covered up. The three deceased were ultimately classified as "accidental deaths." It was said that relevant agencies issued certificates proving they had drowned, and that they had only accidentally hit rocks at the river bottom, causing bone fractures and bodily deformation.
Then an earthquake cracked open the ground, conveniently resolving the station chief's troubles.
Without delving into how illogical the entire affair was, this was the reason the six had lain on the tracks.
They knew their relatives had entered the tunnel and met with an accident, but they couldn't prove it. Reporting it to the police yielded no follow-up. They repeatedly went to the homes of those responsible, only to be detained for several days on charges of "harassment."
The public voice seemed to have gone mute as well. No one was willing to help them. In fact, after too many visits, they were violently driven away.
With no avenue for appeal, the two families decided to lie on the tracks together, to die on this newly opened line.
After extracting this information, everything ended again.
Xu Huo had a premonition that once he finished understanding the course of events, returning to the main station would trigger the ticket repetition again. So he still boarded the train as planned, and after the train screeched to a halt, he promised to help them seek justice.
This time, no one committed suicide, but that group of thugs surged out again. They now seemed to have a new identity—the criminal force tasked with keeping an eye on these two families.
The final result was the same as before.
This was just one attempt. Subsequently, Xu Huo tried different angles to interfere with the outcome, but without exception, all failed. Worse, because he expanded the story interface, he attracted even more complex and uncontrollable factors.
On the morning of the fifth day, he woke up again.
His mood was less than good this time. His dream state was clearly different from others. Because he had undergone Super Evolution, he had few aftereffects upon waking. This made him begin to doubt whether staying constantly awake could truly allow him to contact Dr. Wu. Moreover, this dream seemed infinitely expandable, with unstable factors only increasing.
Putting away the phone booth, he glanced at the noticeably more irritable crowd. There were fewer people again.
The Buzz Cut player and his companion had gone missing. Another person from the 013 District had fallen asleep and died. The three—the ship nightmare, tree planting, and repeating the past—showed more obvious fatigue than the others.
Day five. Starting today, players no longer needed to sleep.
"A few people have already sneaked away," Chi Xian said in a low voice. "The city isn't small either. There aren't many of us left, and no new players have come in. We can find a place to hide."
His meaning was also a reminder to Xu Huo: Location Items couldn't guarantee absolute safety. Falling asleep in front of a group of players would make even an A-rank player feel uneasy.
"At least stay for a full week," Xu Huo agreed with his statement. The longer the time dragged on, the greater the chance players would unite. It was hard to say if anyone had special items. Even if not, dozens of players together might not be able to buy a good item.
"Time waits for no one," Chi Xian said, having no intention of staying longer. He put away his Mushroom House and smiled. "Fate willing, we'll meet again."
Leaving with him were the beautiful female player and seven others, including the dark-faced player. They needed to borrow Chi Xian's Location Item.
Xu Huo moved over to rest near the 013 District man.
If his direction was correct, the next most likely person to go missing would be among these three experiencing strange dreams.
Unlike that Cannibal Player who was eager to boast about his history, the man being chased by the ship serial killer had glazed eyes. His mental state was far worse than his physical condition.
"Are you okay?" Tong Qi went over and patted him. The man laboriously rolled his eyes to look at him but said nothing.
"Don't be so pessimistic. Maybe you'll get to see the 'Midsummer Night Star River,'" Tong Qi comforted him, then plopped down beside him, taking off his mask without any protection to eat.
After enduring five days, some players had given up. After determining that the city's fungi couldn't threaten their lives, they simply took off their protective suits.
"You should get some air too," Tong Qi said to Xu Huo, who was wrapped up tightly.
Xu Huo waved his hand, then paused before speaking. "What method can change something that has already happened?"
Tong Qi stared at him in shock. "You really dare to think big. Even things that are going to happen in the future can't necessarily be changed now. How can you change what's already happened?"
Xu Huo said thoughtfully, "Changing the past is also changing the future."
The train incident seemed to be about changing something that had already happened in the past, but in reality, it was about returning to before the accident occurred to change the future of that accident. However, time travel was a paradox. Any changes made by people who were originally on the event trajectory shouldn't hold true—unless this was an entirely new parallel world. But if parallel worlds truly existed, then the goal of "altering the facts" still wouldn't be achieved.
And as someone who should never have appeared in the train incident at all, he was a complete outsider—guiding external forces to break the deadlock was the result Dr. Wu wanted?
His train of thought stalled here. Xu Huo's knowledge and cognitive level weren't sufficient to support him in thinking of a feasible way to break the situation.
The 013 District man leaning against him fell asleep again.
Xu Huo pulled out a rope and tied it between himself and the man's hand.
Seeing him do this, the people nearby didn't say anything but followed suit.
Tong Qi quickly wiped the grease off his hands, took out a rope, and tied it between himself and the 013 District man's foot. He smiled at Xu Huo. "You don't mind, do you?"
Xu Huo said nothing. He couldn't guarantee that the missing person would bring others in, nor could he guarantee that the other space was safe.
For the entire following day, he didn't sleep. As night approached, the more than twenty players still remaining in the mall gradually exchanged states. Because everyone was starting to feel fatigued, the atmosphere grew even more silent. It wasn't until late at night that the Cannibal Player suddenly erupted and injured someone, breaking the tension.
The man who had been boasting about himself during the day stared wide-eyed at the people around him, brandishing a short knife and shouting, "Don't come near me, or I'll kill you!"
(Chapter End)