Chapter 2347: C01-001

Xu Huo yawned and slept for another two days before preparing to go to the address Shi Sanjiu had given him, C01-001 District. This time, he still brought the Painting Woman along, since she was good at escaping.

"What is it?" Meeting his gaze, the Painting Woman was momentarily confused, then pressed her chest, "The medal you promised me."

"I won't take it back once I've given it to you." Xu Huo said, "Get ready to head out."

The Painting Woman quickly turned back and waved at Mr. Dong, "I'll come back to see you next time."

Mr. Dong smiled as he watched them leave.

At the station, the Painting Woman could only stay inside Xu Huo's clothes, only coming out once they boarded the train.

This time, Xu Huo used a B-rank ticket for the C01-001 District. To avoid stepping directly into an instance upon arrival, he specifically chose an instance where the trigger location was known, giving him some room to maneuver.

However, once you reached B-rank, closed instances and small-range triggered instances were relatively rare. The instance he chose this time was one with fairly complete information, which could be purchased from a high-rated bounty platform.

He also bought the strategy guide along with it.

In the train's dining car, Xu Huo ate while listening to violin music. The performer was also a player who, out of passion, carried a violin with him. After the meal, he performed voluntarily and even interacted with others in the dining car.

The sound of the violin was beautiful, but it reminded him of someone.

"Clap clap clap!" The Painting Woman applauded with a bright smile, then took out a few White Notes to tip him.

The other party didn't mind; instead, he bowed slightly, politely thanking her for her appreciation, and even struck up a conversation, "You can understand my music; you must have some musical accomplishment yourself, madam!"

Huh?

The Painting Woman looked confused, then opened her communicator, "I can't play the violin, and I don't understand what you're playing."

"Huh?" This time it was the other party's turn to look bewildered. Then the Painting Woman patiently added, "Whether in a concert hall or on the roadside, people listening to music have to pay."

The violin-playing player laughed upon hearing this, "You're really a kind person. Would I have the honor of inviting you for a cup of tea?"

"No need, I'm already full and can't drink anything." The Painting Woman waved her hand and sat back down across from Xu Huo.

The man tried to follow her over, but Xu Huo looked up at him, "Stop right there."

The other paused, smiled apologetically, and then went to an empty table nearby. During a journey, encountering wary strangers was perfectly normal.

After the meal, Xu Huo and his companion returned to their carriage, only to find that more players had boarded, and all the seats were taken—rooms had been sold out before they even got on.

"Too many people, how about squeezing together?" A player took the initiative to ease the tension. Most people didn't want trouble. Since the seats couldn't fit everyone, the empty spaces would have to be filled with players' own gear. Setting up beds was definitely out of the question; at most, they could set up chairs.

Xu Huo didn't have a strong need for it, but the Painting Woman insisted on having a recliner. The player who had spoken up greeted the others around and managed to clear a spacious spot for her.

"Thank you, you're really nice." The Painting Woman opened the recliner Xu Huo handed her, set it up comfortably, and then asked him, "Do you want to lie down? I can lie on top of you?"

Xu Huo ignored her feigned kindness and simply sat down beside the recliner.

The Painting Woman enjoyed this kind of travel. After playing some games for a while, she dug snacks out of her backpack and started eating. The other players in the carriage were resting quietly, and for a time, the crunching sound of her chewing echoed endlessly.

Finally, someone couldn't take it anymore, "Can you use a silencing item?" To be fair, the Painting Woman's noise wasn't that loud, but players had good hearing.

The Painting Woman showed no sign of self-reflection. She stared at the speaker, then tore open a bag of crispy fried shrimp and shoved them into her mouth, her whole demeanor radiating defiance.

Few players who survived to C-rank had genuinely good tempers, but with so many people in the carriage, starting a fight would inevitably involve more people. Making a subtle move might also be misunderstood, so the man had no choice but to glare helplessly.

Xu Huo bought a silencing item with an adjustable range on the spot and activated it, finally putting the matter to rest.

Fortunately, the train wasn't always this crowded. People gradually got off, and it slowly became more spacious.

Later, more people boarded, and from their discussions, Xu Huo learned that many trains on nearby tracks had been destroyed, causing a sudden surge in transportation pressure, forcing players to crowd together.

Now, all the trains in the area were like theirs, like powder kegs, seemingly ready to explode at any moment.

"How come this news hasn't spread through Under Dimension?" someone asked.

The player who had revealed the information said, "How would players know about train operations? I only heard it from a friend at the Game Government Base. They've already sent people for repairs; it should be crowded for a day or two."

"Crowded has its benefits too. The train isn't spacious, so no one dares to stretch their arms or legs, making everyone more calm and peaceful," another player said with a chuckle.

Whether it was more calm or just holding in a belly full of anger, everyone knew the truth.

"Are players fighting on the trains, or are the trains being specifically attacked?" another player asked. "If it's fighting, how could so many trains have been wrecked?"

The player with "inside information" said matter-of-factly, "Of course, they were attacked. But it probably wasn't players. No player could destroy that many trains at once. The tracks are in different spaces, so it was likely a large Dimensional Storm."

Dimensional Storms were the bane of all players. At the mention of it, someone said, "Those people on the trains were really unlucky."

Fortunately, their train had a relatively smooth journey.

After a safe day and night, to avoid a sudden disembarkation, Xu Huo had the Painting Woman hide in his clothes ahead of time. By the evening of the second day, he arrived at his station.

C01-001.

As the first district of the C01 wormhole point, 001 wasn't as prosperous as E27 or the first districts of other wormhole points. Instead, it had a desolate and backward feel. Although the city near the station showed signs of having been well-built in the past, traces of destruction and patchwork repairs were everywhere. The city wasn't exactly clean; machines and hanging clothes were haphazardly placed in the streets and alleys. The people moving through the city weren't very particular about hygiene either, with fruit peels, plastic bags, and other trash scattered everywhere.

Even though Xu Huo was immediately surrounded by people with beaming smiles trying to sell him food and lodging as soon as he walked in, their clothing, appearance, and overall demeanor matched the city—looking gray and dusty.

"Sir, sir, take a look at my place! It's only fifty White Notes a night, and I can even heat water for you to wash your feet!"

"Sir, sir! I'll run errands for you for free!"

"I can too!"

The adults weren't completely unafraid of players; they crowded around but didn't dare get too close. The children, however, had fewer inhibitions. Five kids swarmed in front of Xu Huo, holding up their family's flyers and business cards, looking up at him with hopeful eyes.