The train finally arrived at the 25th station.
After disembarking, the group immediately surveyed the subway station. Apart from a ghostly hand appearing in the passage leading out of the first basement level, no other dangers were found.
The group stood at the entrance of the passage, staring into the cavernous, ghostly tunnel, hesitant to proceed.
Wan Xingzhou swallowed nervously and cautiously stepped back. After glancing at the players around him, he finally felt reassured.
There were no scout players here, only companions. No one would push them into the tunnel just to test the way forward.
Chai Yingying clicked her tongue. “These things are certainly dangerous, but as long as we don’t get too close, they can’t seem to do much to us. It’s better than those ghosts that chase after us.”
Old Hei commented, “I’d actually like to see what these ghostly hands are capable of.”
His right arm had been severed at the elbow, the stump wrapped in bandages still faintly stained with blood, though the bleeding had stopped. In his left hand, he gripped a large steel blade, practicing its balance and feel in his non-dominant hand to quickly regain his combat ability.
Even with just one arm, he refused to be a burden to the group.
Gu Jiu approached. Seeing Old Hei and Chai Yingying eager to confront the ghostly hands and investigate their origins, she stood and watched for a while before turning away.
Chai Yingying called out to her, “Miss, not joining us?”
“No, you carry on.”
Gu Jiu waved dismissively and walked off with Lu Ji to another area to rest.
Gu Jiu pulled out her mattress and tossed it on the ground, gesturing for Lu Ji to lie down.
“You haven’t rested in a long time. Take a nap, and I’ll wake you up later.” Her voice was soft, her eyes shimmering with gentle warmth, as if she carried the tenderness of the entire world in her gaze.
Lu Ji couldn’t resist such gentleness. Obediently, he lay down and closed his eyes under her watchful gaze.
In truth, he wasn’t actually asleep—he didn’t need sleep.
But he enjoyed the feeling of her presence nearby, her scent filling the space. It gave him an inexplicable sense of peace, even calming the destructive force that constantly churned within him.
He understood why the demigods were always wary of him, constantly monitoring and guarding against him.
He had inherited the gods’ residual power, a force of destruction born from their unwillingness to fade. If he ever stopped consciously suppressing it, this destructive force would obliterate the Sea of Rules, collapsing all realms.
He needed to remain perpetually alert and lucid, his mind sharp enough to keep the inherited destruction at bay.
He couldn’t wield power beyond the limits of the game world either. If the destructive force spilled over, the game world would collapse, obliterating all its inhabitants and the players who had entered.
…
Lu Ji seemed to fall asleep.
Gu Jiu’s gaze lingered on her face, her soft expression overflowing with warmth. Wan Xingzhou, who had intended to approach them, hesitated at the sight and decided to leave instead.
Three hours later, the ghostly hands in the passage were eradicated by the players, and Chai Yingying’s group finally returned.
The group sat together and, combining their experiences with Gu Jiu’s, resumed their discussion of the other dimension.
By the end of their deliberation, they finally pieced together a relatively reliable truth.
“So, the Death Train has two dimensions: one is a blood-soaked, dark Death Dimension. If we assume this is an illusory dimension, then relatively speaking, the other must be the real dimension. In the real dimension, the ghosts appear normal, which might also explain the real dimension’s purpose.”
“The players exist only in the illusory dimension, where ghosts run rampant, hunting them. Players are forced to constantly flee across various subway stations and between the two trains traveling back and forth. To leave the Death Train, players must enter the real dimension and board the train to escape.”
“However, while players are confined to the illusory dimension, the ghosts can freely traverse both the illusory and real dimensions.”
Chai Yingying asked the most critical question, “So, what do players need to do to enter the real dimension?”
“I think it requires guidance from the ghosts,” Old Hei suggested. “Like what happened at the 18th station with Xiao Hui and the woman in red high heels—they brought Gu Jiu into the real dimension twice.”
“But clearly, the location wasn’t correct, because Gu Jiu couldn’t see the subway route map,” Wu Yang mused thoughtfully. “Obviously, only by seeing the map can players leave.”
Wan Xingzhou raised his hand. “Brother Wu is right. Even in my hallucination, I couldn’t see the subway route map.”
Regarding Wan Xingzhou’s hallucination, Gu Jiu and the others hadn’t offered much explanation. They occasionally mentioned it when necessary, leading the group to believe it was some sort of innate ability unique to Wan Xingzhou. Out of respect, no one pressed for details, instead treating it as further evidence of the real dimension’s existence.
Now, hearing Wu Yang’s conclusion, they reconfirmed that players needed the subway route map to leave.
“It seems just entering the real world isn’t enough—we also need to find a station with the subway route map.”
Their discussion was wrapping up just as Lu Ji finished resting.
When Gu Jiu and Lu Ji rejoined the group, Chai Yingying relayed their conclusions and then asked, “What do you think, Miss?”
“You’ve reasoned it out well,” Gu Jiu affirmed.
With her approval, the players felt encouraged. Finally, they weren’t entirely lost. As long as they followed this general direction, they were confident they could clear the game.
They continued brainstorming how to access the real dimension.
“Why don’t we follow the Miss’s example and beat up a subway station boss until it takes us to the real dimension?” Wan Xingzhou proposed with a mischievous grin.
The group gave him a long look. Seeing his pitiful expression, they sighed collectively. “Forget it. You’d probably just get yourself killed before landing a single hit on the boss.”
Wan Xingzhou, deflated, realized they were probably right and dropped the idea.
Not everyone could be like Gu Jiu, who had beaten a boss so thoroughly that it fled with her into the real dimension. Not everyone could be as fierce and tenacious as her.
So they had to keep searching.
In the end, they didn’t reach any definitive solution and dispersed to rest, conserving energy for the challenges ahead.
Gu Jiu fell asleep quickly.
Lu Ji sat nearby, keeping watch. Occasionally, his gaze would drift to her.
Five hours later, Gu Jiu woke up.
“Ah Jiu, why don’t you sleep a little longer?” Lu Ji gently suggested. “There’s nothing urgent right now—you can rest more.”
“No need.” Gu Jiu rubbed her tired eyes. “The environment here isn’t great. I can’t sleep well. I’ll catch up on sleep after we leave the game world and get back home.”
Chai Yingying and the others also woke up one after another.
In a place like this, no one could sleep peacefully. Being able to snatch two or three hours of rest was already a luxury.
Noticing Gu Jiu and Lu Ji eating breakfast, Chai Yingying approached with a cheerful smile, ready to mooch off their meal.
Breakfast consisted of traditional Chinese dim sum, still steaming hot when served.
Chai Yingying stuffed a soft soup dumpling into her mouth and, chewing messily, asked, “Miss, why do you think the Death Train is divided into two dimensions this time? Is there some kind of reason?”
“How would I know?” Gu Jiu took a sip of soy milk and served a crystal dumpling to Lu Ji, urging her to eat more.
The others eyed the plate of crystal dumplings. Though tempted, no one dared take one in front of her. It was obvious that she was concerned Lu Ji wasn’t eating enough and was intentionally piling food onto her plate. The sight made them envious.
Not everyone could enjoy such special treatment from her.
On top of that, Gu Jiu was stunningly beautiful, with a disarming gentleness that seemed genuine. Those lucky enough to be on the receiving end of her kindness were almost glowing with happiness. Everyone couldn’t help but wish they were the one she pampered.
Lu Ji ate deliberately slowly, prolonging the process so she would keep serving him.
To the others, it seemed like Gu Jiu was the schemer here, subtly dominating the table.
“Come on, just guess,” Chai Yingying coaxed.
Gu Jiu set her chopsticks down and thought for a moment before replying. “Maybe this world was invaded by some kind of external force, or perhaps something terrifying once happened at this subway station. The ghosts might be unable to vent their rage in the real world, so they entered the illusory world to hunt players…”
She listed several possibilities, all of which sounded plausible to the group.
The first suggestion—that the game world was invaded by an external force—seemed particularly likely. Many game worlds had similar scenarios. Once the worlds established connections with the overarching game systems, players would be sent into these realms to complete missions.
Chai Yingying sighed. “I wonder if we’ll uncover the truth before we leave.”
The group stared at the empty subway station ahead. Who could say if they would?
Once they’d rested enough, the group set out again.
Today’s task was the same as before: move from the 25th station to the 1st station, stopping at every station along the way. At each stop, they would disembark and investigate.
Though the journey promised to be perilous, the presence of Gu Jiu, Lu Ji, Chai Yingying, Old Hei, and the rest inspired confidence. After yesterday’s experiences, they understood that injuries were inevitable, but death wasn’t certain—not if they remained cautious.
There was a quiet sense of gratitude among the players, though words of thanks felt cheap. Action would be a better way to show their appreciation.
When the train arrived at the 24th station, Old Hei suddenly spoke up. “It’s fate that brought us all together here. Once we’re back in Boundless City, let’s get together and shake off the bad luck.”
His words subtly brought the group closer, reminding them that even outside the game world, they could maintain contact.
Chai Yingying was the first to agree. “You all can find us at the Game Hunter Organization. Not sure where it’s located? Just check the free forum; our information is there.”
Everyone else chimed in their agreement.
Though the Game Hunter Organization was a recognized faction, it was loosely managed. Anyone interested in becoming a game hunter could register with them.
As they got off the train, Chai Yingying elbowed Gu Jiu. “Miss, it’s settled then.”
“Settled what?” Gu Jiu asked, confused.
“You should come find me at the Hunter Organization!” Chai Yingying beamed. “You can even join us while you’re at it. We could rack up points together in the future!”
Gu Jiu: “…Not interested.”
“Oh, come on, don’t reject me so quickly! Being a game hunter is really fun—it’s way more exciting than forming your own team.”
“Not interested.”
“Are you sure you don’t want to at least think about it?”
To cut off her attempts to persuade her, Gu Jiu asked, “I forgot to ask—what’s your mission this time?”
Chai Yingying paused before answering, “To investigate the situation of the scout players who entered this game world. And, incidentally, to set up and kill a scout player with the codename Xiao Gui.”
“Why?”
“The client funding this mission has a girlfriend whose younger sister was tricked and killed by Xiao Gui in the game world. They want revenge and for the scout player to experience what it feels like to be betrayed and killed.”
“Did you find him?”
“Not yet. Maybe he’s already dead.”
Gu Jiu nodded and didn’t ask any more questions.