Chapter 3149: Random Boarding
Having obtained the Angel's Left Eye and met Carmen Field in the spiritual realm, Xu Huo had gained much but also expended considerable energy. Therefore, he decided not to stay in the instance site any longer. Following Carol's instructions, he found a place engraved with the Field family crest and activated the teleportation device Carol had given him.
Faint ripples appeared in the air. After about half a minute of waiting, another force in the space responded, and a passageway opened.
Xu Huo let the Upstairs trio go first, with him in the middle, while Gien and his men followed behind.
After passing through the passage, they emerged in the same mutated forest as before, though not at the entrance of the gate.
No sooner had Xu Huo put his backpack into the luggage compartment than Carol arrived. Seeing the group, he looked slightly surprised but ignored Gien and the others, speaking directly to Xu Huo. "I thought you'd take a while longer to come out."
"Something unexpected happened, so I came out early." Xu Huo pointed to Gien's backpack. "Your grandfather's belongings. I'll hand them over to you."
Gien and his men naturally recognized Carol. In the Field family, aside from Mr. Carmen, Carol was the most famous—the grandson of the Morning Star. He had a massive falling out with the family. Originally, several sites involving the remains of the Battle Angel were not open to the public. After failing to negotiate with his family, Carol simply announced them publicly and invited players to search. The Field family had no choice but to accept it.
Later, the Field family and the district government acknowledged his declaration and opened up the sites.
Of course, the blockade of war ruins might not stop super players who wanted to come, but the locations of the sites were not easy to find, especially those involving some non-station districts. That was why so many players came to join the fun when the sites opened, including super players.
Indeed, some people gained benefits, which was why the Paper Servant Master was tracked for so long afterward. Later, when the craze died down and many searched repeatedly, they had to admit there was nothing left to squeeze out, so they gradually shifted their attention.
But who knew? Even in a shattered super instance site, Carmen Field's will had not completely dissipated—until someone who truly shared his path arrived.
"Here's your stuff." Gien put down his backpack first. "Let me be clear: I only flipped through it. I didn't take a single thing. Don't come looking for trouble with me."
With that, he left with his two bodyguards.
News that someone had found something new in the instance site would inevitably spread. Gien didn't bother to wonder why Xu Huo didn't kill him to silence him—after all, he was one of the survivors spared. But he also didn't want to deal with the aftermath. Whoever brought the people should handle them.
The Upstairs trio also put down their backpacks. Fu Kuan smiled at Xu Huo and said, "Hope to see you again."
Xu Huo nodded and watched the three leave one by one.
Carol remained still until everyone was gone. Then he casually opened a backpack and pulled out a notebook. "So these are the materials he collected. Not too important."
The reading volume of an elderly super player was immeasurable, and Carmen had a particular fondness for paper books. Most of the books and manuscripts he had read or used were still collected by the Field family. It wasn't strange to find some in the instance site, though most were likely copies.
"Alright, leave these to me." Carol said. "The district government people will probably be here soon. You should go first. If you want to come again, contact me in advance. You know how to reach me."
Xu Huo smiled. "If I come again, I doubt the Field family will let me into the site."
"If you want to come, who can stop you?" Carol smiled too, but then his expression turned serious. "Everyone in this world chases fame and fortune. You're famous now. If you don't want to stir up a storm wherever you go, keeping a low profile is an option."
Xu Huo appreciated the advice. Before leaving, he asked, "Did Mr. Carmen ever mention Curved Time?"
Carol's face changed slightly, then turned ashen, as if suppressing a surge of anger. But in the end, he controlled himself and only answered after regaining calm, "Never mentioned it."
Xu Huo said no more. The figure Carmen left in the mirror, combined with the words he left in the spiritual space within the instance, made it hard not to think of Curved Time. Perhaps Carmen Field had made multiple attempts but ultimately had to die.
Of course, that was just speculation, not necessarily the truth. As for what really happened, the man was dead, and everything was buried. No matter how much one searched, the truth would inevitably differ from the facts.
Those closest to the truth were the Field family and Carol.
Xu Huo used a temporary pass to board the nearest train.
Perhaps because he was boarding mid-route, the timing was off. This time, he boarded at night. As soon as he stepped on, a thick smell of blood rushed into his nostrils, followed by a screeching Xenomorph lunging at him, accompanied by an unbearable stench.
Frowning slightly, he waved his hand. The Xenomorphs that had crashed through the windows and those still crowding outside the carriage, barely standing, were all sliced into chunks of meat.
Heavy thuds fell inside and outside the carriage, quickly fading into the distance. Xu Huo didn't bother looking at the crumbling carriage or the few remaining players inside. He went straight to the Transition Car ahead.
This was a C-class train. The tail carriage had detached, but the lost carriage was long gone. The one he boarded was the last carriage of the current train. The situation here wasn't much better—all windows were broken, all seats gone, leaving only the floor and frame, barely holding together.
The few people originally in this carriage were badly injured. They were capable players; otherwise, they would have died in such an environment. But what infuriated them was that the players in the front carriage had used a prop to block the door when the Xenomorph swarm broke through the windows, forcing them to fight to the death in the ruined carriage.
The Xenomorphs near the C-class train tracks weren't particularly hard to deal with, but props were limited, while the swarm kept coming like a torrential downpour. No matter how many they killed, there was no end. Fortunately, just as their stamina was failing, a player descended from nowhere and wiped out the entire swarm!
When Xu Huo stood in the carriage, they dared not speak, not even breathe loudly. Only when they realized he had no interest in anyone and went straight to the front carriage did the survivors exchange glances, quickly prop themselves up, and silently follow behind.
The players in the front carriage naturally knew what had happened. So when Xu Huo walked over, they all held their breath, as if waiting for a time bomb to tick down to the last second...
"Knock, knock!"