This time, they stopped to rest at Station 24.
The name of Station 25 had already been clarified, so there was no need to go there again.
In the following days, they repeated the routine of flipping back and forth between the forward and return trains, battling with ghosts and monsters. Moving in the direction of the forward train, they traveled station by station, gradually uncovering the names of the subway stations.
A week after Gu Jiu entered the Death Train, the team of a hundred had grown to one hundred and fifty people.
At the same time, they had successfully identified the names of ten subway stations.
That day, everyone was sitting in the carriage, leaning against the walls to rest, when the sound of beep beep beep rang out.
The train had arrived at a station.
The players, exhausted from the battle at the previous station, opened their eyes wearily and looked at the platform outside.
It was the tenth station.
However, what greeted them was not a normal subway platform but one engulfed in a vast darkness. A group of players scrambled onto the train in a panic, their faces filled with terror and the relief of narrowly escaping death.
Seeing this scene, the players already on the train naturally chose not to disembark to court death.
Even so, there was a tinge of disappointment in their hearts. They had not yet discovered the name of the tenth station. Now that the station was consumed by darkness, there was no way to get off the train and search for its name.
When the train started again, the tenth station had completely disappeared into darkness, swallowed by the endless void.
The players who had fled onto the train noticed the other passengers but merely glanced up before lowering their heads and finding a place to sit. Their exhaustion was so profound that they didn’t seem to care about the attitude of those already on the train.
Everyone understood this reaction.
They had been trapped on this Death Train for so long that any sense of vigilance toward others had eroded. Some even harbored pessimistic thoughts: since death was inevitable—whether at the hands of monsters or due to the schemes of fellow passengers—there was no point in exhausting oneself by being overly cautious.
Rather than living in such despair, perhaps it would be better to die quickly and cleanly.
“Qu Xiao, you’re here too?”
A voice rang out. It was Old Hei, looking pleasantly surprised as he spotted a man among the newcomers.
The man appeared to be in his thirties, with a robust physique, sharp features, and a powerful presence. The muscles on his forearms hinted at immense strength. His expression was stoic yet resolute, exuding a steely determination. A faint aura of hostility in his brows made him seem unapproachable, but there was also a righteous energy about him, reminiscent of Wu Yang. It was the kind of integrity honed through years of military service.
At first glance, he inspired a sense of trust.
At least, for those with a natural affinity for soldiers, his presence would evoke a sense of warmth and familiarity.
Gu Jiu couldn’t help but study him.
Noticing the attention, Qu Xiao swept a calm gaze around before nodding at Old Hei. “So you’re here too.”
Old Hei sighed with emotion. “I’ve been stuck here for almost a month. What about you?”
“Not long. About ten days.”
“We haven’t crossed paths this whole time. Looks like you’ve been doing pretty well here.”
In this world, there were only two trains: the forward train and the return train. With enough effort, most players could cross paths, just like how Gu Jiu and Lu Ji could use the little paper figurines to locate each other. However, for those like the Pathfinder players who intentionally avoided others, meeting them was much harder.
Old Hei introduced Qu Xiao to Gu Jiu’s group. According to him, the two had previously collaborated in the game world and had exchanged player IDs. They also kept in touch in Boundless City.
Chai Yingying whispered to Gu Jiu, “Miss, this guy is Qu Xiao, the ‘Soldier King.’ He’s quite famous on the Free Forum. I heard he was part of a special forces unit in the real world but has since retired. His abilities are already sufficient to enter B-level arenas. My guess is the game system sent him here as reinforcement…”
Gu Jiu listened with a faint smile.
After introducing Qu Xiao, Chai Yingying rested her face in her hands and said dreamily, “Now this is a real man of iron and blood—totally my type.”
She was indirectly telling Gu Jiu and Lu Ji that she was completely straight and only liked men like Qu Xiao. They didn’t need to worry about her causing complications in their relationship; she had no interest in joining any kind of love triangle.
Absolutely no way she’d be the third wheel in a yuri romance.
Gu Jiu and Lu Ji, however, remained unfazed.
Qu Xiao, on the other hand, glanced their way. With his sharp hearing, he naturally caught Chai Yingying’s words.
Instead of feeling embarrassed or flustered when she noticed this, Chai Yingying boldly smiled at him. As a confident and glamorous woman, she didn’t shrink in the presence of a strong man.
That’s just how self-assured she was!
At that moment, Old Hei’s surprised voice broke the conversation: “How many station names have you collected?”
“Thirteen.”
Thirteen? That was three more than they had!
The players in the carriage stared at Qu Xiao in astonishment. They hadn’t expected that someone who had only been in the subway system for ten days could already collect so many station names—far surpassing their efforts.
After the initial shock, the mood shifted to joy.
It turned out that besides their own group, someone else had also found a way to progress toward clearing the level. Qu Xiao wouldn’t have mentioned his findings otherwise.
On this Death Train, players no longer cared about how many game points they could earn. Their only wish was for more people to join the effort to find the station names and clear the level as soon as possible. Knowing that someone else had succeeded made them even more hopeful.
Old Hei grinned. “We’ve found ten station names ourselves. Qu Xiao, let’s compare notes to see if we have any overlaps.”
Qu Xiao agreed without hesitation, and they began matching the station names they each knew.
Upon comparison, they discovered that seven of the names were the same between the two groups. This meant that, aside from the ten names Gu Jiu’s group had collected, Qu Xiao knew an additional six names. Together, they now had sixteen station names.
Out of the twenty-five stations, they had already identified sixteen names. Only nine remained.
The realization sent a wave of excitement through the carriage.
“Qu Xiao, not bad! I didn’t expect you to be so capable,” Old Hei said, clapping Qu Xiao on the shoulder with genuine happiness.
He had always known that Qu Xiao was incredibly skilled, but he hadn’t realized just how strong he was. Gu Jiu’s group had relied on a mix of luck and Wan Xingzhou’s unique abilities to find ten names, but Qu Xiao had managed three more. This was a testament to his superior capability.
Qu Xiao, however, shook his head. “Actually, those seven overlapping names—you all found them first.”
“What do you mean?”
“Because those seven station names were written in black paint on the subway platforms,” Qu Xiao paused slightly before continuing, “I assume that was your doing?”
Old Hei and the others were stunned for a moment. Li Jing quickly responded, “Yes, those seven were written there by Gu Jiu.”
All eyes turned to Gu Jiu, who was seated across from them.
Although there was plenty of space across from Qu Xiao, only a few people sat there. Qu Xiao, observant as ever, noticed how the group’s subtle movements centered around a woman with a delicate, classically beautiful appearance. The group seemed to unconsciously gather around her, treating her as the leader and soul of the team.
Gu Jiu nodded at Qu Xiao with a faint smile.
Qu Xiao said, “Miss Gu, your kindness has been a great help to us.”
His words were not mere flattery but a genuine expression of gratitude.
In this oppressive and despair-filled world where players were clueless about how to clear the level and spent their days riding the train back and forth in exhaustion, Qu Xiao had suddenly stumbled upon a station name written in black paint at one of the platforms a few days earlier.
Whether or not it was a trap, for players on the brink of mental collapse, the discovery was like a beacon of hope. It reignited their spirits, pulling them out of numb survival mode.
For Qu Xiao, it was also a revelation—he finally understood the key to clearing the level.
“To be honest, if I hadn’t seen those station names, I wouldn’t have realized that identifying them was the key to escaping,” Qu Xiao admitted.
Before this realization, his efforts had been entirely misguided, leading to countless wasted days without any progress.
Gu Jiu’s decision to write the station names wasn’t just a helpful gesture; it was an intentional act to guide other players toward the solution.
This action had been invaluable to players drowning in despair. Moreover, once players understood the significance of station names, they might even collect all the names before her, potentially stealing her game points upon clearing the level.
To players focused on accumulating points, Gu Jiu’s actions might have seemed foolish.
Hearing this, everyone in the carriage fell silent for a moment, reflecting on her actions.
Previously, when Gu Jiu had written the names on the platforms, they had assumed it was a mandatory part of clearing the level. Now, thanks to Qu Xiao’s explanation, they realized it was a gesture meant to help others.
Qu Xiao, in just a few days, had leveraged that hint to collect thirteen station names with remarkable efficiency.
Even though seven of those names had been provided by Gu Jiu, finding the remaining six was still an impressive feat.
Old Hei, curious as always, asked, “Qu Xiao, how did you manage to collect the station names?”
Given their friendship, Old Hei didn’t hesitate to ask directly. He wasn’t one to beat around the bush, especially since he trusted Qu Xiao’s strength. Besides, he reasoned that even if Qu Xiao’s special skill were revealed, it wouldn’t matter—it was an innate ability that the game couldn’t take away.
Qu Xiao replied, “I fought the bosses at the subway stations. Defeat them, and I could use a backtracking ability to uncover the station name.”
“Backtracking” was Qu Xiao’s innate skill, awakened through his spiritual talent.
Although he didn’t elaborate on what exactly the skill entailed, the name alone made it clear that it was highly practical. It bore similarities to Wan Xingzhou’s “Reality Restoration” ability.
Qu Xiao, in turn, was curious about how they had gathered their station names. He asked, “And how about you? How did you find yours?”
After entering the Death Train, Qu Xiao had tried using his backtracking ability at subway stations but found nothing of value. On the Death Train, players were driven by an instinct to escape, rarely engaging bosses directly. Along the way, Qu Xiao focused on protecting others, which left him with few opportunities to fight bosses. Even when he did, he often didn’t have the chance to use backtracking afterward, which delayed his understanding of the key to clearing the level.
“We did pretty much the same thing,” Chai Yingying said with a bright smile. “First, we fought the boss until they surrendered, and then Little Wan would go check. Little Wan has awakened a special ability called Reality Restoration.”
After exchanging their methods, the train arrived at Station 9.
The name of Station 9 was already known, and Gu Jiu had even written it on the wall.
When the train doors opened, players could immediately see the large station name painted on the wall outside the subway platform: Dajing Road.
Since they already knew the station name, the players did not disembark.
As the train began moving again, Qu Xiao suddenly spoke. “Old Hei, let’s team up.” Without waiting for Old Hei to respond, he continued, “There are nine station names left. Let’s split into two groups and collect them all. Whoever finds a name first should write it on the station wall.”
Old Hei remained silent, turning to look at Gu Jiu and Chai Yingying.
In the current team, there were three people with decision-making authority: Old Hei, Gu Jiu, and Chai Yingying.
While Old Hei was eager to cooperate with Qu Xiao—after all, Qu Xiao was a powerful player with a trustworthy character—he knew the team wasn’t his alone to command. Moreover, he was well aware of Chai Yingying’s obsession with game points. She valued them immensely, so her opinion was crucial.
Gu Jiu smiled gently. “I have no objections. Clearing the level as soon as possible sounds great.”
For the young lady, the Death Train was an extremely unpleasant environment. She hadn’t bathed in a week, and her daily “cleaning” during rest stops was minimal at best.
It couldn’t get much worse.
Chai Yingying added, “I’ll follow the young lady’s lead.” Noticing everyone looking at her, she raised an eyebrow and scoffed. “Why are you all staring at me? Do you think I only care about points and don’t give a damn about your lives?”
“No! Not at all!” her teammates quickly replied. “We’re just touched, Sister Chai. You care about us so much that you’re willing to sacrifice your points. We’re deeply moved.”
Chai Yingying laughed and spat playfully, her expression bold and radiant.
Only those familiar with her knew that, despite her reputation as a points-obsessed player, she was fiercely loyal to her teammates. When it came to choosing between her teammates’ lives and game points, she would always choose her teammates.