Chapter 999: A Deadly Situation on the Train
"Not really," Xu Huo said. "It just happened to come to mind."
Dong Jingxuan didn't seem to care much about that, instead showing great interest in his prop.
"That item of yours seems to be alive," he remarked. "This is the first time I've seen a real living item."
So-called living items weren't like the Painting Woman or Mr. Dong, which had complete human forms or could mimic human life. Instead, they were items embedded with—or rather, combined with—living organs. Such items were extremely rare, most of unknown origin, and often had bizarre uses. Compared to graded items, they didn't offer any particular advantage; they were more of a novelty.
Take the "Eye of the Dead" for example—embedding a strange eyeball into a sword hilt was undeniably disgusting, but it also demonstrated the skill of the Artificer who made it, at least in keeping that thing alive.
As for whether other items had special effects like the "Eye of the Dead," that was uncertain.
Dong Jingxuan, who had already learned Xu Huo's name, said with interest, "Xu Zhi, can you sell me that sword?"
"What do you think?" Xu Huo raised an eyebrow.
"The price is negotiable," Dong Jingxuan said. "Whatever you paid for it, I'll give you double."
Xu Huo slowly smiled. "So far, you haven't paid me a single cent of what you promised."
Dong Jingxuan didn't feel embarrassed. He jutted his chin, signaling Brother Lei to pay up.
Brother Lei hesitated for less than a second before pulling out a small box of White Notes from thin air, placing it on the table, opening it, and pushing it in front of Xu Huo.
But before Xu Huo could speak, Dong Jingxuan said displeasedly, "Who do you think you're insulting? Is my life only worth a million? Take out another million."
Brother Lei's expression darkened slightly. "Young Master Xuan, before we left, Mr. Dong set a limit on your spending."
"Is this considered spending?" Dong Jingxuan said coldly, slamming his utensils onto the table.
The faces of the men following Brother Lei all turned unpleasant, but Dong Jingxuan only stared at Brother Lei. With no other choice, Brother Lei compromised and pulled out another box.
Xu Huo happily accepted the money and said with a smile, "Relax, this money will definitely be worth every cent you spend."
"The following is a boarding announcement: Train No. 133 heading to Snow City is about to depart. The total journey is three hours, with two-thirds of the route passing through underground tunnels. During this time, passengers can enjoy the unique tunnel scenery exclusive to Zone 002. We wish you all a pleasant journey."
Three hours wasn't long, and Zone 002 was much larger than Zone 014.
A flight attendant came over and politely asked if they wanted a tunnel scenery guide. Xu Huo took one, and the little boy next to him took one too.
The so-called tunnel scenery was essentially turning previously developed underground mining areas into revenue-generating projects. Of course, it wasn't about leaving behind potholed mine shafts, but rather unique rock formations created under special geological conditions—like stones that emitted a flickering glow similar to fireflies, rock layers arranged in rainbow colors, and some interesting fossils, including traces of animal evolution.
Of course, the train moved very fast, and the scenery was just holographic projections along the way.
People from Zone 002 were used to it, and only children a few years old found it interesting, running around the carriage.
"Close the door," Dong Jingxuan said, annoyed by the children's noise, and told Brother Lei to shut the carriage door. It was a trivial matter, but his casual, commanding attitude thoroughly angered Brother Lei's men. A square-faced young man said, "Young Master Xuan, Brother Lei isn't a errand boy. If you need something, you can just call the flight attendant!"
Dong Jingxuan lifted his eyelids to look at them. "If it weren't for my father, would he be where he is today? He's received the Dong family's favor, and asking him to do a little something comes with conditions? If you're so proud, why not just leave the Dong family instead of clinging to it?"
Brother Lei stopped the square-faced man and said calmly, "Young Master Xuan, you're too harsh. Mr. Dong has been very kind to me, and I won't leave the Dong family."
"Then that's settled. Go close the door," Dong Jingxuan said, completely oblivious to having stirred up public anger. Seeing the square-faced man still hesitating, he added, "If you don't want to stay here, then leave. Don't disturb my sleep."
Half of Brother Lei's men immediately stood up, and Dong Jingxuan, as if deliberately provoking them, told Brother Lei to go outside and guard the door. This carriage was VIP No. 1, located just behind the train control room and the luggage compartment, separated from Carriage No. 2 by a small hallway. There were doors at both ends, but the hallway clearly couldn't fit ten people.
Brother Lei took four men and stayed by the door, while the others went to Carriage No. 2.
The train didn't make much noise, but the children's playful shouts from behind continuously penetrated the door panel, a moderate but persistent disturbance to the eardrums—not exactly loud, but far from quiet.
"Can't you make your kid shut up for a damn minute?" a roar came from the distance. "If he keeps running around, I'll smash him to death, believe me?!"
That was like poking a hornet's nest. The child's parent immediately started arguing with him. The adults' curses, roars, and the children's cries overlapped, sharp and piercing.
The flight attendant came to mediate, but somehow, the passengers ended up surrounding and attacking the flight attendant. In no time, the passengers suffered little damage, but the flight attendant was beaten black and blue. In anger, the flight attendant called for the players on duty on the train. However, there were too many passengers pushing and shoving, and only a few could be separated with items. The children, oblivious to everything, clung to legs, lay on the ground, and rolled around crying.
The players on duty tried to pull the children away, but that only angered the protective parents. Several women rushed over and started scratching. The players couldn't fight back, and when they pushed a little too hard, one person accidentally hit their head on a metal seat and died.
"What are you doing?!" the man who had lost his wife roared and rushed over to beat the players. "You bastards, just because you have some items, you think you can do whatever you want!"
The crowd was incensed. The passengers engulfed the three players on duty. Amidst the chaos, someone seemed to cry out in pain, someone fell, but no one cared anymore. Everyone was fighting, and even the two players called in from other carriages were buried in the melee.
"Something's wrong!" Brother Lei suddenly said, then told his companions in Carriage No. 2, "Close the door. Don't let them come over, and don't get caught up in it."
The square-faced man immediately went to close the door of Carriage No. 2, but unexpectedly, the door was already damaged. As he was pulling it, a woman covered in blood staggered over, begging for help: "Someone's dead... someone's dead... my child was trampled to death..."
Although the square-faced man was on guard, he instinctively glanced toward the crowd upon hearing this. In that split second of diverted attention, a cold gleam slashed toward his neck!
(End of Chapter)