Chapter 2464: Not Taking the Blame
"No." The painting woman immediately said, "You're the one with the problem."
"Someone without a brain problem wouldn't ask that kind of question." The female player chuckled. "It seems the game's conditions for selecting evolvers are still pretty loose. Someone like me, someone like you—we both ended up as players."
The painting woman wanted to say something more, but another female player sitting nearby put down her book and said, "Don't ask anymore. She has a genetic disease called 'Youth.' She grows to about eight or nine years old and then stops growing."
The painting woman switched seats and pressed further, "Then what will she look like when she gets old?"
"Naturally, she'll age in this body's form," the woman said. "Wrinkles, age spots, loose teeth—all of those will appear. It's not eternal youth."
"Besides, they can't have children."
"Normally, people with the Youth disease become fewer and fewer, but within their shared ancestral group, they carry the same genes, so occasionally, offspring with the disease are born. That's why they keep appearing, though it's rare in the game."
The painting woman nodded and shared some of her snacks with the female player who had the genetic disease.
The other player wasn't unreasonable either. Seeing that the painting woman genuinely had some quirks, she accepted the sharing openly.
The book-reading female player seemed very knowledgeable and eager to share. While eating the snacks the painting woman had given her, she said, "Actually, there are quite a few strange diseases like this in the game."
"I remember a medical case that recorded an example like this: there was a race where some individuals occasionally enjoyed eternal youth."
"After they reached adulthood, their appearance barely changed. Until they died of old age, they almost always maintained their best looks. Of course, their organs and bones would age, but their faces would stay young for a long time."
"Wow!" The communicator let out an amazed sound.
"That's not necessarily a good thing," the female player said. "Such people usually don't live long. On one hand, their natural lifespan is short; on the other, some people, driven by greed, wanted to create genetic drugs for eternal youth. It's said that for a while, everyone from that race—whether they could maintain youth or not—was captured and used as test subjects. Later, when the research couldn't succeed, it was finally stopped."
"They're really pitiful," the communicator said flatly, expressing sympathy.
"Exactly." The female player shared the same sentiment. "Behind anything that looks beautiful, there's always a price paid in blood."
The painting woman nodded in agreement. "I've followed a lot of people before. They all died."
The female player paused and looked at her, a bit confused about what she meant.
"They would try to take me, or take other things, and then get killed. So I just followed whoever was still alive." The painting woman explained, then touched her face and smiled. "I'm very good, so anyone who wants to take me has to lose, and then die."
This statement made the people in the carriage unconsciously tilt their heads. The men's gazes were mostly teasing, while the women's were filled with anger and pity.
"So who are you following now?" the short female player asked.
The painting woman pointed toward Xu Huo's position in the front carriage.
Xu Huo didn't want to take the blame, so he told Bubble Bean to go call her back. Bubble Bean felt like he'd swallowed a fly, but he had no choice but to go. When he opened the door to the next carriage, before he could even speak, the book-reading female player stood up, pressed a hand on the painting woman's shoulder, and said in a deep voice, "The biggest benefit of the game is that it gives the weak the ability to compete with the strong. Things are different now. You can completely escape this predicament. Do you need my help? I can kill him for you and set you free."
The painting woman looked at her strangely and mouthed, "I was already free."
"Mental shackles are also a form of unfreedom," the book-reading female player said. "I've seen many beautiful races in the game. Whether they became players or not, they couldn't escape the fate of being playthings. Some of them, after years of abuse, even after becoming players and gaining power, still didn't dare or want to resist those who bullied them."
"At times like this, they need someone else to help."
"How many can you help alone? In the game, the strong bullying the weak happens every second." A watching player said, "Let me remind you, the situation around this track is unstable. If the train gets damaged, everyone on board will be in danger."
"Help one when you can." The short female player also stood by the painting woman and said to Bubble Bean, "You heard what she said. If you don't want a fight, just leave. This girl isn't going with you."
Bubble Bean's mouth twitched. He raised his hand and pointed behind him. "I'm just here to help. She's not going the same way as me..."
Before he could finish, Xu Huo appeared behind him, pushed his head aside, and said to the two female players, "Misunderstanding. She's my friend. We're going to an instance to have some fun."
The two looked at the painting woman, who nodded vigorously, squeezed past them to Xu Huo's side, and pointed at his face. "Good person. Good-looking."
A player watching the commotion laughed. "All that kindness for nothing. They're 'mutually attracted.'"
If it had been anything else, the two female players might not have believed it, but the painting woman clearly had a thing for "good looks," so it was hard to argue.
"Can there really be a fool in the game?" The player who had advised earlier looked like he had seen it all.
"Of course, it's best if that's not the case." The book-reading female player was very open-minded and didn't feel annoyed at being tricked.
The short female player, however, sat down angrily.
Xu Huo wanted to learn more about genetic diseases or special races, so he stayed in this carriage with the painting woman.
The female player actually chatted with him. "You're so interested. Does it have to do with your previous profession?"
Xu Huo reached out and turned down the volume on the painting woman's game before saying, "I know a medical doctor. He's very accomplished in genetic diseases. He recently solved one type of genetic disease, and I sometimes help him search for materials."
"I see." The female player said, "Genetic diseases are all kinds of strange. Solve one, and another appears. Medical technology keeps innovating, and they keep innovating too. It never ends."
She handed Xu Huo a business card. "My family is in the pharmaceutical business. If you have time, you can introduce your doctor friend to me. You can also come visit my district. All expenses will be covered."
Xu Huo glanced at the words "Ren Zhi Pharmaceuticals" on the card. "This company is very famous in C20-001."
C20-001 happened to be his destination.
The female player also noticed and smiled. "What a coincidence. If you have time after finishing your instance, you can come find me. I really like this girl, so I have to fulfill my duty as a host."