Chapter 2816: Desert City
The silver-haired man looked like a pervert, but under Xu Huo's mental influence, he couldn't last a single round before giving himself away.
On the other side, the green-haired woman, the buzz-cut man, and three other players were trading blows back and forth. The severely injured player who had boarded last was clearly their main target, but unexpectedly, this person wasn't weak. Not only did he survive several rounds of attacks, but he also dragged the other players into the fray.
Those two were only after killing and robbing, not looking to blow up the train along with themselves. So, after discovering the silver-haired man was dead and failing to take down the injured man for a long time, they found an opportunity to retreat to the transition car behind.
But they didn't expect to be ambushed the moment they got there. Within ten seconds, both were decapitated, their corpses collapsing onto the floor.
The rear car door had already been smashed to pieces. Through the broken hole, the short-haired man with gems all over his hands proudly blew on his fingers. "Not a bad haul."
He then glanced at the man lying at Xu Huo's feet, smiled, and gave him a chin lift as a greeting. "I knew those two were up to no good during the day. Worth it to set up my props in advance."
Xu Huo nodded politely. The other man looted the props from the corpses and returned to his own car.
No one bothered with the silver-haired man's body. Of course, none of the players in the same car dared to take his props either. In fact, the few players who had been resting near Xu Huo deliberately moved farther away.
Xu Huo took the silver-haired man's props, sent the corpse to the back to join the other two, and then leaned back on the sofa to rest with his eyes closed.
Nothing happened that night. The next morning at dawn, the flight attendant came to collect the bodies, and the car was restored to its usual cleanliness.
Xu Huo went to the dining car again for breakfast.
Most of the same people from yesterday were there. Those who liked to chat gathered together, and the topic shifted to the short-haired man bragging about how he had set up props to trap and kill two people.
He was happy to talk, and others were happy to listen—after all, it involved props, and since combat couldn't be completely avoided, hearing about it cost nothing.
"Brother, that move of yours last night was impressive," the short-haired man said, taking the initiative to strike up a conversation with Xu Huo. "My name is Tang Xu. Where are you heading for an instance? I'm going to B11-003. If it's on the way, let's go together. I have property in that district—entertaining a friend is no problem."
Xu Huo replied, "What a coincidence. I'm heading to that district too. I just came out of an instance and plan to rest for a few days before going again."
"Perfect!" Tang Xu sat down across from him, smiling. "I'm going back this time mainly to handle some small matters. I have time, and since we have fate, let me be the host!"
Xu Huo was naturally happy and proactively asked if he needed any help.
"Just a small matter." Tang Xu waved dismissively. "The company contract needs to be renewed. As the boss, I have to go back and handle it."
Xu Huo chimed in with a few compliments about how big his business was, but Tang Xu waved it off. "Just a small company. The big corporation we're dealing with changed owners. If I don't renew the contract, the business will fly away... My family has always been in business. I don't pay much attention to it, but I can't let the assets go to waste in my hands."
"That big of a deal?" Xu Huo asked. "If the boss changes, isn't the usual approach to aim for a smooth transition?"
"That's if the handover goes smoothly. It's different if someone seizes power through infighting." Tang Xu smiled. "My family's inheritance is basically all mine. If a bastard suddenly popped up to compete with me, I wouldn't be happy either."
He was a talkative person. After finishing his own story, he shared some instances he knew about with Xu Huo.
Xu Huo had come with an instance ticket, but he might not necessarily do the instance in District 003. Before arriving, he had already locked onto an instance with limited space. Of course, during the conversation, he also asked about some instance-related matters.
Tang Xu was quite generous and readily shared some strategies with him.
The train soon arrived at the station. As soon as he stepped off, Xu Huo was hit by a wave of hot wind. The intense sunlight and scorching temperature made him break out in sweat within a single breath. Looking at the endless desert ahead, he said, "This is far from the city."
"You bet, it's far. Space teleportation props aren't allowed here, so we have to take an aircraft." Tang Xu had already taken off his clothes and draped himself in a thin sun-protective gauze. He handed one to Xu Huo as well. "The sun here is brutal. Even if you're not directly exposed, it can still hurt you."
"The aircraft at the station are too basic. My secretary has already come to pick me up. Mine is the latest luxury model."
As he spoke, a golden beetle-shaped aircraft flew in from outside. Once it landed, the wings on the back opened, and a bespectacled man stepped down, stood still, and gave them a slight bow.
Tang Xu cheerfully invited Xu Huo aboard.
The aircraft was indeed luxurious. It was spacious, and the interior fittings were all famous brands—some well-known across many districts. Notably, some of the decorative gems were prop raw materials of decent quality.
Two beautiful women walked over gracefully and, at Tang Xu's gesture, flashed sweet smiles at Xu Huo.
Declining his goodwill, Xu Huo took a sip of a cold drink. "I hope it won't be this hot in the city."
Tang Xu, eating fruit fed to him by the beauties, laughed. "You're underestimating District 003. The entire desert city is covered by a barrier. Entry and exit can only go through designated passages. The city itself has spring-like weather all year round, with a comfortable temperature. The desert outside is just exotic scenery and a hunting ground."
Xu Huo had read the information and knew that some mutated animals were active near the station, but they mostly moved around during the cooler mornings and nights. They were rarely seen during the day.
"You're interested in that?" Tang Xu said. "I'll have my secretary book two spots later. Let's go hunting together."
Xu Huo naturally didn't refuse.
The desert stretched like an ocean. The occasional small oasis was no different from leaves in a forest—utterly insignificant. If not for the many aircraft coming and going, the place under the blazing sun would look like a lifeless wasteland.
As the aircraft was moving, the side hatch of another aircraft passing by suddenly opened. A young woman fell out in terror, screaming as she plummeted toward the ground. But the aircraft that had thrown her out simply closed the door, completely indifferent to her fate.
Since they were so close, Xu Huo opened his spiritual gate and pulled the woman over to Tang Xu's side. She collapsed onto the carpet, gasping in panic, her eyes wide with fear, completely unable to react.
"These people really don't treat others as human," Tang Xu said with a frown.
Noticing the aircraft that had flown past turn around and chase after them, Xu Huo said, "Looks like I might have caused you trouble."
"No big deal!" Tang Xu said it was fine and had his secretary open the aircraft's communicator. He spoke to the aircraft chasing them, "Little bro, stop chasing. Big brother here saved a life and earned some merit for you. No need to thank me!"
The reply came quickly. "That ugly beetle is only used by you. Tang Xu, you're back, huh! Back and already meddling. If you know what's good for you, throw that woman out. She's dead meat! I want to watch her die in the sun!"