Chapter 2011: It's Not Hard to Verify My Words
The weather around the train tracks changed unpredictably—blue skies and white clouds one second, a thunderstorm the next.
As the light outside dimmed and lightning flashed across the sky, new players boarded the train. Three of them entered the same car as Xu Huo. They had identical appearances, wore exactly the same clothes, and each carried a black metal box in their hands. When they appeared, they stood side by side in the aisle, bumping straight into a player who was heading to the restroom.
The three of them turned their heads in perfect unison to look at that player, as if he had collided with all three of them at once.
"What's the matter? Want me to make way for you?" the player challenged, staring back at them.
The trio gave no response. Instead, they sat down one by one, occupying a table, and simultaneously placed their boxes on the tabletop.
In a technologically advanced game world, triplets weren't uncommon, but it was rare for three players to maintain such robotic synchronization even after becoming players.
Many people shifted their gazes to the boxes in front of them.
Normally, items could be stored in the item slot or luggage compartment, but weapons weren't allowed on the train. So the boxes either contained living things or special items that couldn't fit into the item slot or luggage compartment. Of course, it was also possible they simply wanted to keep them in hand, but that didn't stop others from being curious.
Xu Huo, who had originally planned to order food, stood up and headed to the dining car at the back.
Only three people were eating in the dining car. Just as Xu Huo ordered his meal and sat down, more players trickled in, and someone sat down across from him.
It was the female player from his car. She winked at him. "A fight broke out in our car. I wonder how many will be left when we go back?"
"Want to make a bet?"
Without waiting for his reply, she took out her tools: a leather mat marked with different numbers and two gold coins stamped with different symbols—one was a skull, the other a flower.
She pushed both gold coins in front of Xu Huo, then let go and smiled at him. "Pick one?"
Xu Huo's gaze swept over the two coins before returning to her face. "I've quit gambling."
The female player rested her chin on her hand and looked at him coquettishly. "Don't worry, it's just a betting board. It guarantees the fairness and authenticity of the bet. It's definitely not one of those items that forces people into unequal contracts."
She raised her hand. "I swear on my future gambling luck that this item is completely harmless."
"How about betting with an item?" The female player proactively took out a box, opened it to show Xu Huo, then closed it again. "This is my stake."
The item had chaotic spatial rays, suggesting it was a spatial-type advanced player's item. Whether it was C-grade or B-grade was hard to say.
She seemed genuinely eager to make this bet, so she grabbed the flower gold coin and placed it on the number nine. "I bet there will still be nine people left in our car when we go back."
Xu Huo smiled faintly. "And what stake do you want from me?"
The female player's eyes lit up. "That glowing eye you took out earlier—it's full of gems and can be used as jewelry."
"That's an A-grade item," Xu Huo said flatly.
The female player's interest didn't wane, but she said regretfully, "I really want that item, but betting an A-grade item against it is beyond what I can afford."
"How about betting with me instead?" A player from the next table interjected. "I can bet an A-grade item against the one in your box, but there's an additional condition."
"What condition?" The female player's smile faded, and her tone turned unfriendly.
"Sleep with me." The man's gaze roamed over her body. "What do you think? The item in your box is at most C-grade. Add you to the deal, and it's worth an A-grade item."
His words attracted the attention of other players in the dining car. After he finished, another player spoke up. "Beautiful lady, I can also produce an A-grade item. How about betting with me?"
The female player wasn't angered. Instead, she turned sideways, sizing up the two men. After a moment, she let out a "pfft" laugh. "I wonder if you've heard a saying."
"You attract the kind of person you are, and vice versa. If you want to become a certain kind of person, you get close to that kind of person."
"My goal is eternal youth and living five hundred years, so I'm looking for people who live long lives. Short-lived people... aren't within my selection range."
This remark successfully angered the two players. The first one to speak turned to Xu Huo. "I'll send him on his way first, then come back to see if your life is as long as his!"
The flight attendant had already served the food. Xu Huo was adding condiments to his noodles. He looked up at the man. "If you want to prove she's short-lived, why not just kill her directly?"
The man gave a malicious grin. "Blame your bad luck."
"My food just arrived," Xu Huo said again. Faced with the man's confusion, he added, "I suggest you sit down and eat properly."
As he spoke, he gently pressed his hand downward. The man, who had already stood up, suddenly felt his shoulders sink.
Even though he steadied himself immediately, his expression changed. He hadn't made a move yet, but Xu Huo continued, "It's somewhat difficult to verify what this lady said, but it's not hard to verify my words."
He tapped the table with his index finger. "If you take one more step forward, I can predict that your life won't outlast this meal."
Without using spiritual power, and even withdrawing his spatial power, Xu Huo calmly watched the person across from him, as if encouraging him to take that step.
In the end, the man didn't move. He sat back down, humiliated.
"Congratulations, congratulations," the female player mocked.
"You can leave too," Xu Huo said to her.
The female player quickly packed up her things and said with a smile, "The dining car isn't big enough. Let's share a table. I'm here to eat too. I promise I won't bother you."
With that, she made a "zip it" gesture, called over the flight attendant, and ordered her meal.
They ate in peace. From the sound of it, another fight seemed to be brewing in the car. Xu Huo wasn't in a hurry to go back. Instead, he ordered a cup of tea and sat in the dining car reading a book. Before long, he felt a warmth in his nose. When he wiped it with a handkerchief, it was covered in blood.
A dull headache crept in. Irritated, he rubbed his head and drank another bottle of physical recovery potion, but it didn't help.
The last time he overused his brain, there had been a brief aftereffect. After resting for a few days in the Platinum Eye, he felt he had recovered well. This time, when he fought Zheng Yuci, there were no issues either. He had thought that with another evolution, the aftereffects would disappear, but instead, they had worsened.
Since the previous headache had occurred right after he saw the "future," he wasn't sure if it was related to spiritual evolution. But now, it seemed the problem indeed lay with spiritual evolution.