Chai Yingying smiled warmly, resting her hand casually on Gu Jiu’s shoulder, and tilted her head to ask, “Gu Jiu, do you have any ideas on how to find the Puppet Master?”
Chai Yingying, being a laid-back and carefree woman, thought nothing of linking arms or patting shoulders with her female friends. It was her natural instinct when she saw Gu Jiu.
But suddenly, a sharp and almost tangible gaze seemed to pierce straight at the hand she placed on Gu Jiu’s shoulder. Feeling a bit nervous, Chai Yingying subconsciously tried to withdraw her hand, only for Gu Jiu to gently remove it for her.
Chai Yingying quickly pulled back her hand, feigning innocence.
Alright, she was now absolutely certain. Gu Jiu, the ever-dignified young lady, must have been swayed by Lu Ji. Otherwise, why else would she care about keeping such a deliberate distance from women? Of course, it could also be that Gu Jiu simply wasn’t accustomed to such casual gestures or disliked physical contact altogether. But Chai Yingying, with her sharp instincts, was confident it was the former: Gu Jiu was intentionally keeping a polite distance from women.
Gu Jiu asked, “You haven’t found the Puppet Master yet?”
Everyone shook their heads and began speaking over one another about the feats of the Puppet Master.
The Puppet Master could control a large number of puppets but never revealed themselves to the players. Instead, they directed their puppets to attack, leaving the players clueless about what the Puppet Master even looked like.
“Old Ji has some Puppet Bugs here. We were thinking of using them against the Puppet Master,” Li Jing said. “If we can eliminate the Puppet Master, things will be less dangerous, which benefits all of us.”
After listening to the explanation of the Puppet Bugs, Gu Jiu understood their intent and motivation.
Sure, they could try to fight their way out, just like how Lu Ji had battled through the second underground level of the subway station earlier to board the train and leave.
But escaping like that felt hollow and unsatisfying, and it might come with casualties. Everyone here was a friend and companion, and losing anyone would be painful. No one wanted to gamble with the lives of their teammates or friends.
Moreover, ever since entering the subway station, they had been on the run every single day, with no moment of true rest. For players strong enough to qualify for a B-rank field, this kind of endless retreat was especially frustrating.
Bosses in the game world weren’t impossible to kill—as long as you used the right methods.
But in this Death Train scenario, there were too many ghostly bosses and monsters with boss-level strength. It was far from normal.
The survivors weren’t stupid. Anything others could think of, they could think of too.
The idea of taking down the Puppet Master had emerged partly to reduce the danger and partly to see if killing the Puppet Master would change anything about the subway station. Perhaps it might reveal some useful clues.
Gu Jiu looked out at the countless rats scurrying outside their defensive perimeter. The sheer density made her feel as though she might develop a phobia.
Where could the Puppet Master be?
Could they, like Xiao Hui, be hiding in a different spatial pocket within the subway station?
Chai Yingying leaned in slightly, her eyes sparkling with excitement. Lowering her voice, she asked, “Gu Jiu, do you have an idea?”
Honestly, she found it strange herself. Although she hadn’t known Gu Jiu for long—they had only cooperated in this game world—she inexplicably felt like she understood Gu Jiu and even trusted her.
Perhaps it was the natural attraction and admiration between high-IQ and beautiful women.
Gu Jiu glanced at her. “What about you? Have you thought of something?”
Chai Yingying grinned. “Oh, I’ve thought of plenty! I entered this scenario four days ago, three days earlier than you. During those first three days, we faced and resolved many crises. I’ve noticed an interesting pattern.”
Gu Jiu looked intrigued, signaling for her to elaborate.
The others turned their attention to Chai Yingying as well, curious about her discovery.
“Every subway station the train stops at presents a different danger. Each time we arrive at a station, we thoroughly search the area to ensure it’s safe. However, if we stay at the station for more than half an hour, danger inevitably arises. Be it ghosts, hunters, or the living dead, they suddenly pour out from all directions,” Chai Yingying explained.
“But all the passageways are sealed. There’s no way they connect to the outside,” Old Hei added.
Chai Yingying nodded and posed a question, “Then where do these ghosts, hunters, or living dead come from? Just like now—where did all these puppet rats suddenly emerge from?”
“What’s the big deal?” Li Jing, thinking she was about to share some groundbreaking insight, rolled his eyes and said, “This is a game world. Normal logic doesn’t apply. Maybe they have their own alternate space and just pop out when needed.”
It was obvious that the monsters must have a space of their own—no one doubted that.
Players who had been active in the subway station for a while knew this well. However, while most acknowledged the existence of such spaces, they didn’t dwell on it, and only a few had tried to figure out where these monsters hid. Unfortunately, even those who tried to investigate came up empty-handed.
“Exactly, an alternate space!” Chai Yingying shot Li Jing a disdainful look. “Li Jing, little brother, how are you so blasé about something so obvious? Honestly, I’m surprised you’re still alive. I bet it’s thanks to your teammates or Old Hei protecting you, right?”
Li Jing was so enraged his mouth twitched. He shot to his feet, pointing his twin maces at her. “You—woman…”
Ji Changxin and Old Hei quickly held him back, laughing as they said, “What’s the point of getting upset? Little Chai’s always been like this. You’ll get used to it.”
Li Jing, still restrained, muttered reluctantly, “Fine, I won’t argue with a woman.”
“That’s because you don’t have the strength to argue with a woman,” Chai Yingying retorted with a sly smile. She had no intention of letting his bad attitude slide. Women, after all, were just as capable—if not more so—than these men.
The female players standing with Chai Yingying nodded in agreement, casting contemptuous glances at the male players.
The men, seeing how united the women were, felt a bit cowed and didn’t dare argue further.
Gu Jiu, watching the scene unfold, smiled faintly. When Old Hei tried signaling her with his eyes to step in, she pretended not to notice, even tilting her head slightly toward Chai Yingying to make her stance clear.
She was siding with the female players.
Old Hei, left with no choice, cleared his throat and said, “Little Chai, about this alternate space—of course, we’ve considered it. We know it exists, but the problem is, we can’t locate it, let alone enter it. However, last night, Gu Jiu managed to stumble into one by chance.”
At this, the players, who had been bickering moments ago, turned their attention to Gu Jiu, their eyes gleaming with curiosity.
“Young Miss, tell us! What did you see in there?” Chai Yingying asked excitedly. “I knew you’d have clues!”
Gu Jiu calmly responded, “It was indeed a coincidence. I believe the space I entered was Xiao Hui’s domain. At the time, Xiao Hui had split us into different dimensions, and it’s possible the spatial barrier was weaker then, allowing me to break through…”
After hearing Gu Jiu’s account, Chai Yingying and the others were visibly energized.
“It seems we need to explore these spaces whenever we get the chance. I suspect they hold the key to completing this game,” Chai Yingying said. Despite the subtle pressure radiating from Lu Ji, she boldly grabbed Gu Jiu’s hand, smiling sweetly. “Young Miss, we’re counting on you. You must take us into that alternate space again!”
Gu Jiu gently pulled her hand back. “Don’t go around grabbing people.”
“We’re all girls. What’s wrong with a little hand-holding?” Chai Yingying teased deliberately.
Gu Jiu looked at her with a faint smile. “Is that so?”
Chai Yingying felt a shiver run down her spine under Gu Jiu’s gaze. Understanding that this was someone she couldn’t afford to antagonize, she quickly backtracked. “Got it, got it. I’ll grab someone else instead.” She turned to her own team, grabbed one of her female teammates, and began chatting with her, their heads leaning close together.
Wu Yang, Wan Xingzhou, and Ji Changxin approached Gu Jiu, eager to learn more about the alternate dimension.
“That ghost named Xiao Hui in the alternate space—does it really act like a human? It can even eat human food?”
“Should we go back to Station 18 for another look?”
“Hey, do you think that in the alternate space, all the ghosts behave like normal people? Could it be that the alternate space is actually the real subway station?”
Wan Xingzhou’s suggestion sparked a ripple of contemplation among the group.
For someone like Old Hei, who had been trapped in the subway station for nearly a month, the idea resonated deeply. Despite all their efforts to search for clues, they hadn’t found any way to clear the game. Perhaps their fixed way of thinking had been misleading them. After all, none of them had ever been lucky enough to stumble into an alternate space controlled by the ghosts, as Gu Jiu had.
Even if Old Hei had vaguely sensed that the clues to clearing the game were tied to the ghosts, he had never thought to approach it from this angle.
Now, with their thinking shifted, they realized that this possibility was significant.
The game world never completely blocked a player’s path to survival. No matter how dangerous a scenario, there was always a way out—players just had to find and discover it for themselves.
After a while, Chai Yingying reminded the group, “The effects of the defensive tool are wearing off. Get ready.”
Her words snapped the players out of their thoughts. They glanced at the edge of the defensive circle and felt their skin crawl at the sight of countless puppet rats gnawing relentlessly at the barrier.
“Just thinking about facing all those rats makes me want to throw up,” one male player said, his face pale.
“I used to think I wasn’t afraid of rats, but now I realize I was only fine with seeing one or two at a time. Tens of thousands? How could anyone not be terrified?”
—
Wan Xingzhou took a deep breath and turned to Gu Jiu. “Young Miss, do we use Death’s Painting to curse the Puppet Master?”
The Death’s Painting had an advantage: it didn’t require the exact location of its target. As long as the Puppet Master’s existence was confirmed, the curse could take effect. The presence of the puppet rats served as proof of the Puppet Master’s existence, creating a link that could activate the painting’s power.
Gu Jiu shook her head. “Not yet.”
“That works too,” Wan Xingzhou said, nodding in understanding. “Using Death’s Painting on the Puppet Master would be overkill anyway, especially since we haven’t even tried Ji Changxin’s Puppet Bugs yet.”
Gu Jiu didn’t share Wan Xingzhou’s concerns about wasting the painting but chose not to argue the point.
In the end, since they couldn’t locate the Puppet Master, the group decided to focus on breaking out of their current predicament.
“Are you all ready? I’m removing the defensive tool,” Chai Yingying warned. “One, two, three…”
The moment she finished counting, the defensive barrier disappeared, and the “wall” of rats toppled inward.
Lu Ji tossed several sheets of paper into the air. They quickly transformed into a barrier of paper walls, holding back the oncoming swarm of puppet rats.
But the sheer number of rats was overwhelming. Even though the paper was reinforced with Lu Ji’s enhancements, it wouldn’t last long. The paper walls began to tremble and buckle under the relentless assault.
Gu Jiu gripped the Lingyuan Blade tightly in her hand. A small mermaid doll climbed onto her shoulder.
Lu Ji glanced at the doll, and the doll turned its head to look back at him. Then, with an air of disdain, it haughtily turned away, clearly unimpressed by him.
Seeing Lu Ji fixated on the mermaid doll, Wan Xingzhou offered an explanation. “Ah, Ji, that little thing has quite the attitude. It acts like there’s nothing in the world worthy of its attention. If it weren’t just a tool, I’d be tempted to twist its head off. But let’s not stoop to arguing with a tool. It’s not worth the effort.”
Lu Ji shifted his gaze from the mermaid doll back to the swarm of rats in front of them.
Everyone was ready. They threw flammable items out, intending to burn through a wave of puppet rats first. The sheer number of them made it nearly impossible to break through by force.
With a loud boom, the puppet rats outside the paper walls caught fire, and the air was filled with the acrid smell of charred meat.
The paper walls effectively kept the players separated from the rats and the flames.
Old Hei, leading a group of players, continued throwing flammable materials outside while monitoring the condition of the paper walls. Noticing that the walls were also fire-resistant, he was quite pleased, feeling that the paper products he had bought from Lu Ji were well worth the investment.
Though made of paper, the tools were far from fragile—they were fireproof and waterproof, qualifying as excellent items.
Seeing that the flames had done their job, Old Hei called out to the group, “We’re heading out! Stay sharp!”
The group responded in unison, gripping their weapons tightly.
Finally, a crack appeared in the paper walls. Old Hei was the first to charge through, and the others followed closely behind.