Chapter 1693: Gently Informing Everyone
"I don't smoke." Xu Huo said indifferently.
The female player first stared at his hand for a moment, then glanced at his face, let out a scornful laugh, and turned to ask a nearby player for a light.
Through the opportunity of borrowing a light, the two started chatting. After talking for a while, they seemed to develop a passionate sense of regretting not meeting sooner, and then one after the other, they headed to the transition car ahead.
There were quite a few people watching the commotion in the car. A man with his hair tied up in little buns all over his head said enviously, "Why can't I run into such good luck? That guy is way uglier than me."
A female player sitting at the same table played a card, took a sip of wine, and said, "Lust is a knife hanging over your head. Be careful you don't lose your life before getting the meat."
The little-bun man rudely placed his hand on the female player's wheat-colored arm, which was only covered by two thin straps, "It's just a casual pastime between consenting adults, no need to be so serious."
The female player in the vest turned back and smiled at him. Her pretty fingers hooked the hand resting on her arm and slammed it hard onto the table. The little-bun man, who had been enjoying himself, flipped over onto the floor, propping himself up on one arm while yelling, "I was wrong, I was wrong! Let go, let go!"
"This is what they mean by 'lust is a knife over your head.'" A burly man sitting on the other side of the female player kicked the little-bun man and laughed heartily.
Everyone joined in the laughter. The little-bun man, showing no sign of being embarrassed, got up and said, "Just having fun. If it works, it works; if not, no big deal. No need to fight to the death over it. Beautiful lady, don't you think?"
The last part was directed at another female player at the card table. This one was dressed in long sleeves and pants, with her shirt sleeves rolled up, revealing a small section of her arm covered in scars. Unlike the vest-wearing woman, she wasn't so easygoing and retorted, "Next time I run into your dad, I'll ask him the same thing."
After being shot down twice in a row, the little-bun man quickly said, "Alright, alright, it's my fault. I concede this round."
Seeing this, the burly man added, "If you concede, you treat us. Take these two beautiful ladies out for a nice meal as your apology!"
The little-bun man agreed with a grin and even specially pulled out two bottles of wine, "This is the good stuff."
The burly man was very interested in the wine. He took it, weighed it in his hand, poured himself a glass, and downed it. His face flushed red instantly, and he let out a big breath, giving a thumbs up, "Strong stuff!"
The little-bun man also poured himself a glass and began to savor it slowly, "This wine needs to be drunk slowly."
He didn't invite anyone else. The bottle was left on the table, and anyone who wanted to drink could help themselves.
Only three players in the group drank the wine. The hat-wearing player, the shirt-wearing female player, and two others didn't touch it. Everyone ate their own food without interfering with each other.
Before long, the two who had gone to the transition car returned, looking satisfied and with a hint of newfound intimacy in their movements.
The people in the car glanced at them briefly and then went back to their own business.
Soon it was lunchtime, and it was time to order.
Most players weren't short on money and ordered their meals quickly. Meanwhile, Xu Huo, who had been resting in his room, emerged with a somewhat pale face. He first went to the restroom, then, after some hesitation, ordered a single dish to eat in his room.
The female player who had borrowed the light no longer paid him any attention, focusing instead on flirting with her newly acquainted partner. The other players in the car also shifted their attention away, as if someone who seemed cautious due to an injury wasn't worth their mental energy.
Xu Huo leaned back in his small room, resting with his eyes closed.
The car ahead was no different from his own. The car behind was blocked by the golden-eyed player, so he couldn't go there. The public dining car was also unavailable, and the VIP lounge ahead was full, leaving him stuck in this car.
As the card game ended and the noise suddenly grew louder, he opened his eyes again to look at the players in the car. First, the female player who borrowed the light, then the little-bun man, followed by the burly man beside him. His gaze lingered on these three for a moment before turning back to the window.
At that moment, the train was passing through a space rich with rainfall. It was clear that the rain outside was heavy, but the way the raindrops fell wasn't affected by the wind or the train's speed. Instead, they maintained a relatively static motion. At first glance, it looked as if the raindrops were suspended in midair, not falling at all.
This wasn't the illusion created by some magic trick. The raindrops were genuinely maintaining this slow-falling state, sometimes even pausing and hovering in place. The rainwater on the windows was all dripping down from the roof.
"This is called Trembling Rain," a player with an academic air explained to the group. "It's said to be caused by abnormal spatial power fluctuations in the area, creating this spectacle."
"Spatial power fluctuations?" the vest-wearing female player asked. "Will it affect the inside of the train?"
"No, it won't. The Dimension Train has special defense instruments..." But before he could finish, the vest-wearing female player suddenly stood up. Amid the clatter of the table being knocked over, she pointed at a water droplet floating near the corner of the table. "What's this?"
The droplet came from the carpet. During the card game, everyone had been excitedly slapping the table, spilling water and wine. It wasn't noticeable when it soaked into the carpet, but now, all the liquid that should have been absorbed was being forced out, forming tiny droplets floating in the air.
Similarly, the liquid in wine bottles and cups also floated up. In the blink of an eye, the entire car was filled with transparent little water droplets.
The players' first reaction wasn't that the train had malfunctioned, but that someone was pulling a trick. However, when someone exclaimed that the same thing was happening in the cars ahead and behind, everyone realized something was wrong. The next second, a sticker doll, no bigger than a palm, that had somehow been stuck to the carpet, suddenly inflated like a balloon. Its wobbling mouth began to open and close as it spoke:
"Welcome aboard this Rain Train. As both passengers and robbers, I hereby announce to everyone that from this moment on, the section of this train from the VIP lounge backward will be under the control of me and my little friends. Please do not resist and cooperate fully."
"Smack!" The burly player next to them stomped on the sticker doll. "All smoke and mirrors!"
"Oh dear! Oh dear! Oh dear!" But the burst sticker didn't lose its effect. Instead, it reinflated, pushing his foot away, and expanded into a doll twice its original size. It continued, "I am gently informing everyone that me and my little friends are about to start a robbery. Could you please not be so rude? Because next, I need to announce the robbery precautions. Understanding these precautions can effectively help me and my little friends complete the robbery peacefully, allowing both sides to efficiently extricate ourselves from this robbery incident and head toward tomorrow safely and full of hope."
The sticker doll happily spun around in place. "Now, I'm going to start talking!"