Chapter 2480: There Are Many Ways to Flip the Table
Xu Huo pointed at the surveillance instruments that occasionally flew over the small town. "These things have been following the car the whole time."
Bubble Bean had noticed them before as well, but he assumed it was a normal safety measure. After all, Zone 001 had advanced technology, so having some surveillance instruments follow the car to monitor the train's travel at all times was perfectly normal.
"When I fought that flight attendant, that surveillance instrument locked onto me," Xu Huo said. "It was still behind me after several stops."
Bubble Bean didn't look outside. "Just shoot it down."
"Do you think this place is short on surveillance instruments?" Xu Huo asked. "Besides, with current technology, monitoring players can be done with a single satellite."
"Then these probably aren't government property," Bubble Bean said. "They belong to the players who attacked us."
Xu Huo nodded. "When we got off earlier, didn't we run into several groups of players boarding the train? Two of those groups were also attacked. On the other hand, it was very safe once we got off."
"You mean the attacked players were all selected from the train, and the attacks could only happen on the train?" Bubble Bean was confused. "What's the point of this? Is what we're carrying really that valuable?"
"Broaden the scope a bit," Xu Huo said. "Maybe it's not the items we're carrying that are valuable, but the Outer Zone players themselves."
"What do you mean?" Bubble Bean frowned.
"No killing, only striking in fixed locations. Doesn't it feel like they're fencing us into a venue—getting off counts as a break, getting on counts as the start," Xu Huo speculated.
Bubble Bean understood and laughed in exasperation. "So those bastards are treating us like racehorses. The ambushes aren't meant to kill, just to slow us down. If we get attacked or injured multiple times on the train, the time we spend at each stop will definitely increase. With trains running constantly on this route, some will arrive first, and some will arrive later."
"That makes sense. They seem to be picking their targets at random..."
He paused, suddenly remembering something. "No wonder Lingling and the others had such strange delivery orders, insisting on taking the train. It looks like someone placed bets in advance. Maybe the stakes are much higher than our random chips."
"This isn't a big deal. Kill a few of them, and it'll stop."
"That's just one guess," Xu Huo interrupted. "We're inside an instance, but they can enter the station at any time. It's not like they have to compete for a win or loss. It's hard to catch them, and the success rate is low."
"If the ambushers are determined not to fight us head-on, there's nothing we can do."
"Then what do you plan to do?" Bubble Bean looked at him. "Do you have an idea?"
"There are many ways to flip the table, but I need to discuss it with the old lady first," Xu Huo said. "If she insists on taking this train, we have to ensure it can travel safely."
With that said, Bubble Bean had no objections. Xu Huo went to explain the situation to the old lady and proposed that they drive their own aircraft, still following the train's track, and stop at every station. She could stay as long as she wanted.
"Is the train really that dangerous?" the old lady asked hesitantly.
"It seems we've been targeted," Xu Huo said. "You saw what happened earlier. Leaving the train might be safer."
"Then we absolutely must stop at every station," the old lady emphasized.
"No problem." Xu Huo smiled. "If you find any scenery nice along the way, you can also tell us to stop."
Renting the aircraft was left to Bubble Bean. The old lady had to deliver goods to a household, so the Painting Woman accompanied the three of them. Xu Huo randomly selected a train route, and while it was stopped, he damaged its kinetic instruments. He also contacted the local transportation department, telling them he had accidentally discovered that two train tracks had problems that might affect travel.
Completely destroying the train or making the kinetic instruments entirely useless were not the best options. Automated repairs were already very fast. Once the kinetic instruments failed, the local department could quickly apply for new instruments to replace them. The same went for the train—they could just move it off the track and deal with it later.
Therefore, he only made slight adjustments to the train's display interface. Once the speed reached a certain value, it would automatically slow down, delaying the trains behind it.
Of course, this method wasn't foolproof. As for what to do next, it would depend on the situation.
Bubble Bean quickly returned with the rented aircraft. "I got an old model that needs manual control. This kind of aircraft isn't easily interfered with by instruments. Did you finish your side?"
Xu Huo nodded. "We'll wait for them to come back."
After about two hours, the Painting Woman and the others returned. The old lady looked a bit tired. As she got into the car, she reminded them again to stop at the next station, then closed her eyes.
"How many Cat Whisker Fruits did you sell?" Xu Huo asked the Wan family member who was driving.
"Three," the other replied. "But the old lady had to do the painting on-site. That family had high demands, so it took some effort."
Xu Huo nodded.
After a while, Bubble Bean pointed at the surveillance instruments outside. "Still following us."
"Shoot them down when we get to the woods ahead," Xu Huo said calmly.
Bubble Bean was waiting for that. As soon as the aircraft entered the woods, he eagerly threw out a few stones. Each hit was accurate, and several surveillance instruments fell to the ground with a whistle, all completely destroyed.
Xu Huo checked the real-time monitoring of the tourist train routes. The Message Collection Terminal had already issued a notice that two tracks needed maintenance and were temporarily closed. As for the train he had tampered with, it was still running, but much slower, and had already fallen behind them.
"Actually, I wanted to say this earlier," the Wan family member said. "If your guess is right, doesn't leaving the train ourselves play right into their hands?"
He pointed ahead, where several players were hidden among the dense trees, clearly coming for them.
"So the ambushes on the train were just to force us off?" Bubble Bean's face darkened. "Those bastards are really cunning!"
Xu Huo glanced at the map. "Drive for another ten minutes, then stop. I'll go out, take care of things, and meet up with you."
The few players were already closing in. He moved directly out of the aircraft and threw "Center Gravity" into the air. A powerful suction force was released, and everyone within five hundred meters involuntarily moved toward the floating glass bead.
The aircraft changed course behind Xu Huo, but the remaining two players didn't chase. Instead, they flanked him from both sides!
The mist of "Dimensional Fog" spread through the woods. After several remotely used traits failed to take effect, the two players relied on speed to close in for a kill. This time, they were serious. They already knew some of Xu Huo's items and abilities, wearing special protective visors over their eyes and having instruments to block mental interference strapped to the backs of their heads. Their approach was fierce.