Players, Please Board the Train

That afternoon wasn't exactly peaceful either.

No one knew if that hungry monster had followed the spatial shift, but the remaining corpses in the room had been completely devoured—not even bone fragments left behind. This meant it could also attack closed rooms, and if it occasionally heard sounds, it would tear through both doors and walls.

"Looks like this one's starving," Peng Fengnian said.

Because of this monster, moving around the hotel wasn't very convenient either.

However, the few remaining members on Peng Fengnian's side finally showed up.

One was the lead player who had previously chased after Xu Huo—Old Zheng, as Peng Fengnian and the others called him. Another was a player codenamed Eagle who had participated in surrounding and killing monsters. The last was someone they referred to as Teacher Pan.

This Teacher Pan appeared to be a very refined man. He wore glasses, carried himself with grace, spoke softly and gently, giving off a spring-like warmth that made others feel at ease and naturally inclined to like him.

Xiao Ling, Sun Bo, and the others hadn't gotten along well after tripping each other up during their escape, shooting hostile glances at one another. But Teacher Pan showed no signs of resentment. He greeted them amiably, then said to Xu Huo, "There are heavens beyond heavens, and men beyond men. Mr. Yu has truly opened my eyes. We've been here for five or six days without realizing Museum City was hiding a spatial trap. Only after Mr. Yu explained did it feel like the clouds had parted and clarity dawned. It's embarrassing to have lived for twenty or thirty years in vain."

"Just a coincidence," Xu Huo said. He didn't believe none of them had noticed the scenery changes outside the hotel. They simply couldn't leave the hotel and hadn't discovered the dungeon's time trap, so they hadn't thought deeper.

Old Zheng beside him also looked ashamed and apologized, not bothering with pompous words. He simply said, "I've offended Mr. Yu, so I won't say much. Once we're out, you decide how you want to settle this—I won't argue!"

It counted as a temporary truce. Probably because Xu Huo had demonstrated his due strength, even Sun Bo—who had been all sharp looks and sour expressions—had softened considerably in his demeanor.

"What does this item do?" Xu Huo steered the conversation back.

"A door," Teacher Pan said. "Place it anywhere, and it can open a door on any surface—any wall works, including reinforced vault doors."

"But this item can only be used once a day. The longer a regular item's cooldown time, the more unique its effects. I think it might be able to do more than just open physical doors—there should be other effects."

Seeing half the players' eyes locked on the item and the other half on him, Xu Huo guessed the item was of no ordinary grade. He asked, "Was it used in the past few days?"

Of course it had been used. They had chased after the footsteps, tried it everywhere they could, but aside from opening doors on walls, it was completely useless elsewhere.

"It might need to be used in the right place," Teacher Pan said. "Mr. Yu understands spatial rules—perhaps you can find that spot."

"And what exactly can you do?" Xiao Ling cut in coldly at that moment. "A few sweet words and you want others to walk into the minefield for you? You bring out an item all secretive like that—if you're so scared someone will snatch it, then don't bring it out at all!"

"What's it to you?" Sun Bo said angrily. "Were we talking to you?"

Xiao Ling sneered, walked over to Xu Huo, and put a hand on his shoulder. "I've seen plenty of people burn bridges after crossing the river. Yu Huo, don't fall for it."

Xu Huo understood what she meant. She was saying he needed to watch out for Peng Fengnian's group, and he also needed companions willing to share the risks.

He pushed her hand away and said slowly, "I've run into plenty of bridge-burners too."

The atmosphere shifted instantly. The pressure in his eyes made Lin Zhenhuai and the others unconsciously assume defensive postures.

"What Miss Xiao said has merit," Teacher Pan spoke up again. "Mr. Yu should know we're players from Zone 009. Outside Museum City is our country. You've done us a huge favor this time. If you'd like to settle down here after we get out, we can arrange it. If not, we'll find another way to thank you."

"The truth is, we don't have many good items in our hands, and everyone treasures them, so we're a bit too tense."

His attitude was so sincere and humble that even Xiao Ling found it hard to keep arguing. But she didn't let her guard down because of a few words either—especially when it came to Old Zheng.

It wasn't dark yet, so everyone first closed their doors to rest.

Xu Huo chatted with Teacher Pan. "You've all been trapped in the hotel, so you must have found something here. May I ask—could you tell me what it is?"

The usually eloquent Teacher Pan hesitated for a moment. Seeing this, Xu Huo said considerately, "It's fine if you'd rather not say. I just wanted to understand this hotel... At least the background of Museum City, you can talk about that, right?"

Regarding the background information on Museum City, as a native Zone 009 player who had done his homework before coming, he had prepared thoroughly.

"When Museum City was first built, it was requisitioned by the government at the time. A contagious disease had broken out nearby, and they needed space for quarantine and treatment. But back then, medical standards were low—humanity was helpless against infectious diseases. Later, a large number of patients were poisoned."

"But killing people wasn't a solution, especially since many infected individuals were wealthy and powerful. The government at the time discovered someone naturally immune to the disease—a doctor surnamed Shang."

Xu Huo nodded.

"That doctor was benevolent and helped many people. Someone leaked the news of the government's impending arrest ahead of time. Doctor Shang fled overnight. When the government failed to catch him, they turned their attention to the remaining members of the Shang family."

"The Shang clan was large, with many members, but they were nearly wiped out. Some people became so fanatical that they thought adult members of the Shang family might not have immunity, but their children might. So even women merely related to the Shang family by marriage couldn't escape."

"Some classified records still contain accounts of this—it was truly a human tragedy."

"A few years later, Doctor Shang, who had been living incognito, secretly returned to his hometown, thinking the heat had died down and he could reunite with his family. Instead, he found the Shangs almost entirely annihilated. He exposed the whole affair."

"Although Museum City had also captured many people for experiments, the law was far away, and local authorities and underworld forces could easily cover things up. Even with such a massive number of missing persons, it still took years to resolve."

It was easy to say in a few words, but the skeletons still left in Museum City represented the bloody truth that had really happened—the bleached bones seemed to seep with the lament of those who had suffered and died, howling day and night.

Xu Huo was silent for a moment before asking, "Is there any particular reason why the Shang descendants rebuilt Museum City?"

If it was just to restore the reputation of their clan ancestors, they didn't need to do it so subtly.

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