Chapter 817: Running for Life
After ten hours of rapid travel, the high-intensity physical exertion had some players feeling the strain. Moreover, after walking for so long, the space beside the tracks hadn't undergone any more drastic changes. Additionally, from morning to night, it was now time for the sky to darken again, but it had never actually brightened.
"Let's stop and rest for a while," the baseball cap player suggested. "I don't think there's any immediate danger, but if we keep going, that might not be the case."
With dozens of players, once someone fell behind, internal conflict would inevitably break out.
However, the train conductor didn't agree to stop and rest. He had no obligation to take care of the players. After a brief discussion, he directly told the others that he would continue moving forward.
Several players gathered around him. "We're not saying we won't go. We just want to rest for a bit. That's not too much to ask, is it? Besides, if the space is having issues, what can ten or twenty minutes solve?"
But the train conductor sneered, "Don't forget, you're only alive because you're hiding in a train car less than fifty meters long!"
Facing a dimensional storm, life was life, death was death. There was no room for struggle. Everyone present was alive purely by luck.
"If we go, we all go together. If you don't want to go, then we all rest together." A bearded man stepped forward. "Let's take a vote. The minority submits to the majority."
"Raise your hand if you're in favor of resting."
Looking around, the number of raised hands had already exceeded half of the total, approaching two-thirds.
"I know the staff are pretty capable, but it won't be that easy for you few to deal with so many players," the bearded man said to the train conductor. "Besides, the space nearby is unstable. It's hard to survive, but it's very easy to die."
This hit the train conductor right where it hurt, but instead of getting angry, he nodded to the staff, signaling them to rest on the spot.
"See? That's better." The bearded man smiled.
Xu Huo glanced at the bearded man and the few players around him, then his gaze shifted to the train conductor who was drinking water. He returned to the edge of the group.
After sitting down, he said to Yan Jiayu, "We'll take the rear later."
Half an hour later, the group set off again. But they hadn't even gone five hundred meters when several staff members appeared like ghosts behind the bearded man and his companions. As the train conductor stood in front with a solemn expression, his hands folded over his abdomen, and said to everyone, "The train conductor's authority," the bearded man and his group were frozen in place, their throats slit!
After they died, they were immediately laid flat on the ground. The staff poured a chemical agent over them. Within a minute, the few corpses had dissolved into liquid, flowing onto the tracks.
A strange fragrance filled the air.
The train conductor unclasped his hands and smiled at the others. "This is a standard kitchen waste cleaner for train staff. It can dissolve any living organism—pollution-free, residue-free, odorless. Mastering the use of this cleaner is a skill every staff member must learn."
"Every time I hear the word 'skill,' I get PTSD," the curly-haired female player muttered.
Having easily killed the players who challenged him, the train conductor didn't threaten anyone else. He turned around and continued on his way. Over the next two hours, at least three players tried to ambush the staff ahead, but all were killed in retaliation.
Similarly, the train conductor didn't care much about the other players. Anyone who tried to ambush was killed without exception; the rest were left alone.
For some players, this was undoubtedly a signal.
The players began killing each other, especially those who didn't have much food or water stored.
Not every player had come to the station fully prepared. Many had been forced from one instance into the next. The three-day timeframe the train conductor mentioned had expired, and no one knew how long they would have to keep running at this high speed on the tracks. They had to act while they still had strength.
Injured players, female players, and elderly players became the primary targets. The pink-haired player, who was alone at the front, was ambushed three times and suffered a severe back injury. However, after successfully killing three attackers, no one bothered her again.
Others had mixed results—some succeeded, some failed. Xu Huo's group was also attacked once, but the attacker had chosen the unlucky-looking one. Because Xu Huo and Yan Jiayu acted without hesitation, the attacker didn't persist after failing.
"Thank you both," the unlucky-looking one said sincerely.
"Don't mention it." Yan Jiayu patted his shoulder. "We're from the same train car. We have to help each other if we want to make it to the rescue train."
"That's right!" The middle-aged woman who had been keeping her distance ran back, grinning. "Let's all try to get on board safely together!"
The others didn't respond to her, but they didn't drive her away either. Besides her, a few more players moved from the middle of the group to the rear, including the injured pink-haired player and the baseball cap player.
Another whole night passed without rest. Even Yan Jiayu was starting to feel the strain. Xu Huo used his kite string to lift her up. "If I keep the line short, it should be fine."
"No problem, no problem!" Yan Jiayu said happily. "Flying like this is so comfortable!"
Most of the players used some energy-saving items, but mechanical tools were hard to put to good use. Advanced technology used different energy sources, and it might not work near the tracks, or it had a time limit.
The old man had a small mobility scooter, barely enough to carry the unlucky-looking one, but every so often he had to let him walk for a while because the overloaded vehicle would sound an alarm.
The woman knitting yarn was very generous. She gave two female players and the male player from the same car who had lost his hand each a large knitted dog-shaped item. These could only move for ten minutes every two hours, but being able to rest was still a good thing.
Seeing Xu Huo, who hadn't rested at all and showed no signs of fatigue, the unlucky-looking one said enviously, "You must have undergone a special evolution."
"My profession is an athlete. I have a trait in my legs, so walking doesn't tire me out," Xu Huo said with a smile.
"Old Xu, how about you come up and I'll pull you?" Yan Jiayu called from behind and above.
"No need," Xu Huo said. "I'll say something when I get tired."
Yan Jiayu wasn't one to be overly polite. She simply pulled out a cushion and placed it in front of her, with a soft tray on top. She loaded it with snacks and dried meat, covered it with a windproof item, and comfortably cracked sunflower seeds while flying.
The people around them were green with envy. Everyone wanted to stop and rest, to eat something decent. But if they dared to stop, they would fall behind. The train conductor wouldn't wait for them!
It wasn't until nine in the morning that the sky brightened.
After spending two days and three nights in darkness, seeing the light again relaxed all the players a bit. Just then, the train conductor stopped and clearly stated that they could rest now, and there would be no danger. However, the rescue team might be a little late.
The players all said, "No problem, doesn't matter. It's still good that they can come. Really."
(Chapter End)