Chapter 2482: Running Pretty Fast
The prop effect of "Rain from the Sky" was not canceled out by other space props, nor was it interfered with, proving that this prop's level exceeded that of the other space props.
"Our space props have failed," someone said.
Standing at the very front was the sword-wielding player. He glanced at the time and said, "It's about time. Let's go!"
As soon as he finished speaking, the six of them vanished simultaneously.
Xu Huo stood alone in the rain. Only after confirming that no one else remained did he retrieve the prop. He looked at the flying surveillance monitor in the distance and said, "They sure run fast. Next time they come, it won't be the same hospitality as just now."
With that, he casually used a Flying Shuttle to destroy the monitor, then opened his Spiritual Realm to pursue Painting Woman and the others.
Painting Woman and her group were waiting at another exit of the woods. Seeing him return safely, the two members of the Wan Clan breathed a sigh of relief.
"What about those people?" Bubble Bean asked.
"Gone," Xu Huo said flatly. "They weren't here to kill. Most likely, they're still trying to slow us down."
Although Bubble Bean was shocked that Xu Huo had emerged unscathed from a siege by six players, he was even more irritated by the players from Zone 001.
"These people must be bored out of their minds, right? They take a couple of swings and then bolt for the station. Can they really afford to waste return tickets like that?"
"You two knew about this, didn't you?" He turned to the Wan Clan pair. "Everyone says the Wan Clan are upright people, but you don't seem so great now. Players from Zone 001 are messing with clearance players from other zones. If you keep this up, do you still want to coexist peacefully with outer-zone players?"
The technology and player strength of a zone were one thing, but whether outer-zone players would cause trouble was another. Even in a non-ticket A-grade zone, super players could still barge in and get themselves a bounty. If a zone had strong overall strength and was livable, outer-zone players might consider settling there. But if they were targeted, it might not be something that could be resolved by simply leaving.
"Why are you yelling at them?" The old lady had rested enough and perked up. She interrupted him, saying, "There are good people and bad people. Can good people possibly control every bad person's actions? Young man, you need to be reasonable!"
Bubble Bean laughed in exasperation. "Old lady, aren't I being reasonable right now? I'm not asking them to go after those people. I just want to understand what's going on. Someone pops up to ambush us every so often. Who knows if they're targeting us or you? We have to consider safety, don't we?"
"What you're saying makes a lot of sense." But the old lady still sided with the Wan Clan. She looked kindly at the two players. "Don't worry about it. If you don't know, then forget it."
The two players spoke with a hint of apology. "We really don't know what's going on. This tourist route has heavy player traffic, and the reasons players fight are all over the place. Even if there are players from Zone 001 stirring things up, it's hard to say exactly what they're after. Some people, on a whim, would even commit murder and arson..."
In other words, although they were also local players, they didn't understand the situation beyond Mao Guo Town.
Bubble Bean gave them a cold look, then turned to Xu Huo. "What are you planning to do?"
"We'll deal with it when we run into them next time." Xu Huo got onto the aircraft. "Let's keep moving. The next stop is still a bit of a way off."
On the communication terminal, the track that had been under repair was back to normal, and the train's speed had been adjusted. It had already caught up to them.
"Wasn't all that trouble for nothing?" Bubble Bean leaned against the window. "Maybe we should just get back on the train."
"On the train or off, it's the same." Xu Huo tapped his fingers idly on the armrest. "See if you can contact Ling Ling. We'll meet at the next stop."
Bubble Bean did as he was told.
Ling Ling replied quickly, saying they were about to arrive and arranged a meeting point.
The next stop was Xiao'an City, which was also where the bookstore owner the old lady was looking for had gone. Earlier, she had gotten a contact from a shop assistant, found the owner's friend, and asked about the owner's whereabouts. The friend told them that the owner had gone to another station the day before to handle his child's schooling and gave them another contact to reach the owner directly.
The new contact led them to the owner's home. Since it was specifically arranged for the child's education, only a robot nanny was looking after the child. The robot understood the situation and contacted the owner, but found that the owner's private line was unreachable. It told them it would continue trying to contact the owner and relay their call. As for anything else, the robot didn't say much.
However, from the contact information, they could roughly determine which area the owner lived in. The old lady decided to take a chance and go there.
"Still looking?" Bubble Bean stared at the old lady. "Are you really delivering Cat Whisker Fruit?"
The old lady lifted her eyelids to glance at him, too lazy to even bother responding.
She was going to deliver goods to the next customer's home. Bubble Bean didn't want to go at first, but since Xu Huo was staying behind with Painting Woman this time, he had to tag along.
Xu Huo took Painting Woman to the meeting point Ling Ling had arranged. He found that their player count had already increased to ten. It was impossible that so many people were all delivering wills. He roughly guessed what was going on.
Ling Ling also guessed what he was thinking and said bluntly, "These are all people who were intercepted along the way. Instead of letting them pick us off one by one, it's better for us to join forces."
Regardless of what the attackers were after, with more people, it would be harder for the other side to make a move—unless they simply destroyed the train. But the previous journey had made it clear that this group wouldn't easily damage the tourist route.
Xu Huo's plan was similar, but he wanted the people traveling with him to get off the train.
"Getting off... wouldn't that be less safe?" Ling Ling said. "Besides, my requirement is that I must take the tourist train."
"Not a big problem," Xu Huo said. "Those who don't have a mandatory requirement to ride the train can get off and travel together. The aircraft and the track run parallel, so we can look out for both sides."
"Is there a necessary reason to do this?" a refined-looking player asked. "Getting off might significantly increase the risk of our journey."
"To cut down their momentum." Xu Huo briefly explained his speculation. "Their goal is to delay our progress. Whether they're doing it for fun or some other reason, they're still interfering with our clearance. If we can't even make one trip smoothly, will we be held back every time we take the train from now on?"
Killing might provoke a backlash, but the other side's reluctance to confront the government was an opportunity.
Clearly, he wasn't the only one thinking this way. Unfortunately, they couldn't catch the people on the train.
"Were you attacked outside the train?" the questioning player continued. "So that means they won't strike during normal station stops, but once someone deviates from the track, they'll come to interfere and correct it?"