Chapter 877: The Twisted World
"It seems you don't welcome me very much." Zhuang Mengtian cautiously retreated.
Xu Huo then asked Shaka and You Si about the hallucinations they experienced on the train.
Shaka had also undergone super evolution in the mental aspect, so he was less affected. Not only that, but on the second night, he had stopped the carnage in his own car and became friends with Pu Donghai as a result.
Moreover, in his car and the one behind it, no one ate anything other than the set meals.
You Si had been mentally tense throughout the journey. He rested very little and was hardly affected by the hallucinations.
However, on the last night, he knew what happened to the others in the car, such as the death of Xu Jinfeng. Although he saw hallucinations, it wasn't to the point where he couldn't distinguish them.
In other words, in the same car, among those who had all eaten the pudding, only Xu Huo was more severely affected.
After eliminating external factors, Xu Huo could only attribute it to the Perfect Evolution Potion.
He moved his body, but the sluggish feeling, as if something was wrapping around him, hadn't disappeared.
"Murder!" A scream rang out. When Xu Huo looked over, several people had already fallen into the seawater below. From the floor, which had instantly turned transparent, the situation below was clearly visible. Besides a few ordinary people, Number 64 was also among them.
He struggled underwater for half a minute, avoiding attacks from mutated fish, and finally managed to open a hole the size of a human head in the floor. But just as his hand reached out, a thin sheet like paper slid across the ground, severing his arm and sealing itself tightly over the hole.
Fresh blood surged from the water again. Number 64 moved a meter to the side, glaring hatefully at the player who used the item. However, that male player, with long flowing hair and the air of a noble scion, just stretched out his hand and waved, "Bye-bye."
Number 64 refused to give up. He tried twice more to shake off the mutated fish and climb back up, but failed each time—killing wasn't allowed on the square, but that didn't mean you couldn't kick someone when they were down.
Number 64 eventually died in the water from exhaustion, his body devoured by a school of piranhas.
The floor turned white again.
Xu Huo and the others had been discussing the situation on the train and hadn't noticed the details. After a while, Xiao Xianglin came over to tell them that it was Player 18 who had cut off Number 64's arm. At first, both sides were controlling the range of their fight, but then Player 18 suddenly grabbed an ordinary person as a human shield. Number 64 couldn't stop in time and killed them, which led to his expulsion.
As if noticing their gaze, Player 18 turned back and smiled slightly at Xu Huo, mouthing the words, "You're welcome."
This indeed saved Xu Huo a bit of trouble—he needed to change teammates.
During the second round of the three-color competition, two more groups were expelled or caught in the crossfire for killing. A total of thirteen people died in three incidents. Those behind them filled the vacancies, leaving one person to get a bye.
It was that girl named Xiaoxiao who had come on the same train. Her partner had died in the first round, and she had survived alone. Unexpectedly, she got lucky with a bye in the second round.
She walked with her head down to the edge of the square, looking as if she had little will to live, as if she might die at any moment.
Xu Huo handed her a piece of bread and a bottle of water. Her backpack from yesterday was already gone. "Eat something?"
Xiaoxiao looked haggard. When she looked up at him, tears welled up again. She wiped them away haphazardly, sobbing as she thanked him while stuffing the food into her mouth.
Non-players also took potions. Xu Huo picked a lower-grade stamina potion and handed it to her. "Drink it. Your lover fought with all their might to give you this one life. Don't just throw it away."
Xiaoxiao clutched the potion and burst into loud sobs, accompanied by dry heaving, as if she wanted to cry blood from her eyes.
Xu Huo gave her a handkerchief but didn't offer any words of comfort.
When her emotions had calmed down a bit, Xiao Xianglin beside him couldn't help asking, "I heard you two came to fight for a chance because you were in love. Where exactly did you live before? Was it completely impossible for same-sex couples to survive?"
"In my hometown, although there might be some strange looks, it wasn't to the point of discrimination."
"It's not discrimination—it's illegal." Xiaoxiao said with a hint of hatred. "My country has been through two massacres. There are very few women. The country established a law that every woman, upon reaching adulthood, must become pregnant and give birth. They must have at least two daughters to be considered a legal citizen."
"What about infertility?" Xiao Xianglin asked instinctively, then quickly explained, "I'm not trying to argue. But if the man is infertile, even if they get married, they can't have children, right?"
"There are other men." Xiaoxiao said. "If one doesn't work, move on to the next. Every woman will give birth to at least five children in her lifetime."
Everyone present fell silent.
If even married women with children were in this situation, one could imagine the immense pressure faced by women who didn't want to marry or have children. And for people like Xiaoxiao and her partner, it probably wouldn't just stop at forced marriage and childbirth.
"I've been to many game districts, but I've never seen anything like this." After a long while, You Si finally spoke. "Even in some districts with very small populations, the gender imbalance hasn't reached this level."
Simply having fewer women than men would never create this kind of "breeding" situation. The population ratio must have been so severely skewed that the species was on the verge of extinction for it to become this twisted and perverse.
"Has your country's population not recovered yet?" Xu Huo asked after a moment. "The massacre must have been a long time ago."
"Twenty years..." Xiaoxiao said tearfully. "That's how I was born. Actually, there's no longer such a severe shortage of people now. They just enjoy the thrill of exploiting others..."
"It's a pity I can't be a player. If I were a player, I would kill every single one of them!"
"Truly a scourge." Xiao Xianglin sighed. "I've seen plenty of killers and troublemakers, but this is the first time I've encountered someone trying to wipe out a population. Sure enough, there are all kinds of people in this world."
"If you can't settle down in Sea World, what do you plan to do?" Xu Huo asked.
"Can I even leave here alive?" Xiaoxiao countered.
"You can buy a non-player ticket and go live in another district." Shaka spoke up. "Besides Sea World, there are many other worlds suitable for living."
Xiaoxiao shook her head. "I don't have the ability to buy another ticket. Even if I survive, I'll be sent back."
This was the pre-registration notice for the program—Sea World would not keep people from other districts.
Let alone buying a ticket to leave here, without obtaining residency permission, she didn't even have the qualifications to enter the city.
"Since she's dead anyway, I might as well die here." Xiaoxiao seemed to be speaking to Xu Huo and the others, but also to herself.
Shaka sighed. "I wonder how many more tragedies like this there are."
"It's my turn." Xiao Xianglin stood up. "Hope I get lucky this time... If I don't make it out, it probably means Brother Yu's method works. Go ahead and try it boldly!"