# Chapter 2561: There's a Scent of Medals
"Let's just order these dishes," Xu Huo interrupted the Painting Woman's continued questioning, saying, "The train staff won't secretly hide and eat the good stuff."
The Painting Woman was a bit disappointed, but the food bought at a high price was indeed delicious. Some ingredients themselves carried a rich aroma that could stimulate appetite even without much seasoning.
"The reason these ingredients are so fragrant is that they've been specially cultivated." A player in the restaurant who understood this explained to his companion, "I have a relative who works at a breeding farm. Many plants and animals are evolving toward stronger directions, so they're not very edible. But by injecting drugs, they can be made delicious. Over time, even the evolutionary process gets interrupted, shifting from the original evolutionary direction to a meat evolution more suitable for the dining table."
"That works?" The companion was somewhat surprised. "If animals can have their evolutionary process interfered with, then wouldn't it be possible for humans too?"
"You think it hasn't happened?" The informant, seeing he had attracted more attention, put on a mysterious air. "Otherwise, why do you think those B-level and A-level wormhole points have so many powerful players? Some people have been doing genetic modification for generations. I've heard that the technology in some A-level wormhole points is very mature, with minimal side effects. Players have better physiques, evolution agents are more easily absorbed, and secondary evolution is more likely."
This sparked some dissatisfaction among the players toward A-level wormhole points. Most A-level wormhole points were still part of the instance venues, accessible by ticket. But as the wormhole points that first entered and integrated into the game, unless they suffered a devastating blow, the districts in A-level wormhole points had high evolution levels and advanced technology. Players entering them faced greater suppression and less freedom than in other districts. For many people, unless required by an instance, they would rather never go to an A-level wormhole point in their lifetime.
"I wonder if drug-induced evolution has caused them to lose some of their human instincts. Some of them look like fake people, completely emotionless, like dogs—whatever their master says goes... no, they're more obedient than dogs," a player sneered.
The player who had initially shared the information changed expression but quickly covered it up. He stood up and said, "I've finished my meal. I'll be going now."
Two other players also stood up and left the restaurant without a word.
This made the remaining players somewhat disdainful. Just talking about A-level wormhole point players had scared him that much?
The man who had called A-level wormhole point players dogs was even more dissatisfied. "A bunch of cowards! Worse than those dogs!"
"Ding!" A low sound of tapping a glass water cup echoed through the restaurant. A person at a three-person table in the corner turned around and asked with a smile, "If you're not a coward, why don't you confront A-level wormhole point players directly instead of talking behind their backs?"
This angered the man who had spoken earlier. He turned to look at the three people wearing uniformly printed clock-patterned clothes and sneered, "What, are you from an A-level wormhole point? Does the dog know it has a lackey like you?"
The one who had tapped the glass—the female player among the three facing the man—began to clap. Her clapping was slow, but with each strike of her palms, the man's body compressed inward a little. With no defensive item providing any cushioning effect, the man immediately tried to flee. However, as soon as he stood up, his legs gave way and he collapsed to the floor. With two more claps, his entire body was squeezed into a pool of flesh paste smeared across the carpet.
Two flight attendants silently stepped forward, used an item to replace the carpet, and quickly removed the miscellaneous odors from the air. The restaurant returned to its fragrant atmosphere, as if nothing had happened.
"What are you looking at me for?" The female player's gaze suddenly shifted, landing on the Painting Woman.
The Painting Woman had turned around as soon as she started tapping the glass. She was leaning directly on the back of her chair, staring straight at the other woman without moving her eyes. Hearing the female player's words, she tapped a few times on her communicator. "I want to wear your clothes too."
The meaning was unclear. The words could even be considered provocative. However, the female player just smiled, tossed a piece of clothing to her, and said, "This is my apprentice uniform. Not just anyone can wear it. If you like clocks, wearing this is the same."
Compared to the "apprentice uniform," the piece of clothing the female player gave was very beautiful. A simple pullover, but both the front and back had clock patterns pieced together with fine gemstones. The quality was worlds apart from the printed one.
The Painting Woman performed an on-the-spot outfit change, touching the gems on the clothes with a beaming smile. Then she rummaged through her backpack and pulled out a relatively nice item—this was something she had picked from Xu Huo's pile of spoils. She wasn't sure of its specific effect, as it had been in her bag since the Super Instance venue. Now, as a gesture of reciprocity, she gave it to the female player.
The female player raised an eyebrow in surprise upon receiving it. "Exchanging one piece of clothing for an A-level item? Even people from A-level wormhole points aren't this generous."
The Painting Woman didn't care at all. She waved her hand with a smile, indicating that she was really giving it away.
The female player glanced at Xu Huo. Seeing that he appeared completely uninterested, she smiled, then walked over to the Painting Woman. Leaning down slightly, she gently brushed her index finger across the Painting Woman's cheek and whispered with a smile, "You're truly beautiful."
After saying this, the woman left the restaurant first. The two men followed, winking at the Painting Woman before leaving.
The Painting Woman touched the spot the woman had just touched, then turned to ask Xu Huo, "Was she flirting with me?"
"Probably," Xu Huo said. "Do you want to hit her?"
The Painting Woman shook her head. "She smells nice. I want to touch her too."
"Then next time, ask if she's willing," Xu Huo said as he stood up. "It's almost lights-out time. Let's head back to the carriage first."
The two walked through the carriages, only to find that people in Car 4 behind them were fighting. The three in apprentice uniforms happened to be in that carriage. Seeing Xu Huo and the Painting Woman stop in the transition car, one of the male players stood up and clapped his hands. "Everyone stop. Someone needs to pass through. Don't block the way."
The several players who had been confronting each other in the carriage looked at one another and actually put away their items.
Over a dozen pairs of eyes watched them openly and covertly, as if probing something. Xu Huo nodded slightly to the three as he passed, and they all responded to varying degrees. As for the Painting Woman, she happily waved at the female player, who raised her hand in return.
Seeing that the person walking beside him was about to go off course, Xu Huo pressed her shoulder first. "If you want to chat, wait until tomorrow."
The Painting Woman had no choice but to follow him away.
Back in Car 3, Xu Huo asked the Painting Woman, "Why do you like her so much?"
The Painting Woman mimicked others by looking left and right, then leaned close to his ear... and raised her communicator. "She has the scent of medals on her."