Chapter 84.2 Crimson Sunset Expedition
Yu Xingzhou glanced at his own shadow, then looked at Wen Shi. He continued his previously unfinished sentence, “I’ve made an agreement with your shadow, one of which involves releasing mine.”
Xiao Hua hurriedly asked, “Boss, did you use a contract item?”
Yu Xingzhou’s shadow posed a threat. It was best not to release it.
Yu Xingzhou nodded.
Shadow Pei Wenwei, of course, wouldn’t believe a few simple verbal promises.
“But if we release him…” a player frowned, “it’s not good for us.”
More than one person hesitated, thinking it was no different to letting a tiger return to the mountain.
The final decision came from Li Nan, “Don’t dwell on this matter.”
Xiao Hua was even less patient with the hesitant players. “Otherwise, shall we use you for the exchange and alter the terms?”
The person being criticized felt annoyed and wanted to say a couple more things, but Li Nan interrupted, “Enough of that. Yu Xingzhou killed two shadows. That alone is sufficient.”
Yu Xingzhou was entirely unperturbed by the squabbling among the players in the carriage. He looked at his own shadow and said, “Remember to tell the shadows on the other side when you go back, that it was Pei Wenwei’s shadow who made significant efforts and sacrifices to provide you with the opportunity to come back.” He added, “This is also one of the terms in the agreement.”
The shadow resembled its master. Like the original person, doing good deeds would leave a mark.
Xiao Hua neatly cut the bedsheet that bound the shadow. “Get lost.”
One couldn’t let the guild leader’s face breach penalties over a counterfeit.
Shadow Yu Xingzhou calmly flexed his wrist. “You didn’t have this expression when you were tying me up.”
“……”
The train was about to depart, and the shadow wasted no time, leaping off the steps and sprinting towards the opposite train.
In less than thirty seconds, the train was once again speeding ahead.
Surrounded by mountains, the scarecrow stared at the half-open suitcase. Wen Shi introduced softly, “My Grandma.”
The scarecrow manipulated the remote control, and the mechanical cat spoke, “Better than a little brother.”
The tone was sarcastic, primarily directed at the teenager demon.
Wen Shi was taken aback for a moment. He had just been curious why it had a mechanical cat. Turned out it was for voice-overs?
The mechanical cat walked gracefully, reaching the suitcase, “Hello.”
This time, the electronic voice was normal.
Jian Qingrong cycled through a few tones, each suitable for different occasions.
This way of greeting seemed to deeply understand the old lady’s preferences–no need to communicate directly with people, just interact with the cold, robotic surface.
“Good child,” she rarely praised, “just like my my well-behaved grandson, both of you are good children.”
After the pleasantries, the mechanical cat was leashed back to Jian Qingrong’s side.
Big Eye was still fixed on Wen Shi. From its angle, it could precisely observe the delicate skin of his neck.
Jian Qingrong manipulated the mouthpiece, “I’m regretting a bit.”
“Hmm?”
“Regret not coming earlier.” In order to complete the final upgrade, he had spent quite some time in the lab. He could have spent more time observing this person.
Wen Shi laughed awkwardly, took a sip of water to moisten his throat. If you had come any earlier, I might not be alive now.
The rolling of the Adam’s apple while he gulped down water made the big eye roll along, nearly falling out of the scarecrow’s eye socket.
The surrounding players remained silent, appearing to rest, but their gazes were fixed on them.
Wen Shi said calmly, “In the previous instance, we signed a contract. NPCs summoned in other instances can appear.”
As for how much others believed, that wasn’t currently within his consideration.
Xiao Hua walked to the other side, her voice unusually soft. “Do you sense it?”
Li Nan nodded, “The scarecrow looks at Pei Wenwei, just like how you look at your guild leader, though its gaze is slightly healthier than yours.”
“……”
As they traveled through the mountains, the stark cliffs provided some relief from the sunlight. Wen Shi absentmindedly rapped his fingers on the table, lost in thought. The disembodied heads in the water tank didn’t know why he was staring at them, making them feel extremely uneasy.
When the rumbling passed through the mountain cave, the players felt a few seconds of coolness, which quickly disappeared.
They endured over an hour that felt like an eternity, during which nobody slept. They waited quietly for the broadcast, eager to know the current temperature at the final station, Sunset Station.
“Dear passengers…”
Finally, a sweet female voice began the announcement, “This train will soon arrive at its final station, Sunset Station. Please gather your personal belongings and have a safe journey until we meet again.”
Everyone quickly checked their belongings. Phones, weapons, or any small items they had brought in with them, all prepared to take everything with them.
The broadcast specifically warned that leaving behind personal items could be a death sentence.
While players were double-checking their belongings, the train unexpectedly came to a halt.
Peering through the window, they remained on the railway tracks. The tour guide was the first to jump down, “Please hurry and follow me.”
The shadow on the K9999 train seemed quite eager to get off.
The teenager turned back to look at the man still sitting there motionless. He gave him the nickname “Triple No”, shorthand for no eyes, no heart, no limbs. “Aren’t you getting off?”
Triple No seemed like an emotionless machine. “Don’t meddle, don’t interfere.”
The teenager’s expression was hard to describe. He prayed that the man would just get on the train and leave forever.
He and the girl got off the train one after the other. They exchanged a glance, both seeming as cold as frostbitten eggplants.
This cursed, controlled life!
When he saw Wen Shi carrying the large water tank getting off the opposite train, the teenager immediately suppressed the trace of frustration in his expression. The corner of his eyes revealed a hint of arrogance.
Wen Shi didn’t pay any attention to his attitude, because he noticed the mini scarecrow was staring at the water tank with a look that could kill.
Twice now.
Wen Shi had carried this water tank twice now.
The mechanical cat spoke, “They’re worthless.”
How could a useless pawn make the other party suffer?
Wen Shi laughed softly, perhaps because every time it set off, only the eyeball was brought along, not the brain. The scarecrow version of Jian Qingrong was more straightforward and genuine than his real self.
This was an understated way of putting it. A direct description would be “childish.”
He sighed, “Next time, I’ll switch someone else to carry it.”
Under the scorching sun, the tour guide appeared spirited. “There’s road maintenance ahead, so we all have to finish the last stretch on our own.”
Passengers from other carriages blocked the front, obstructing the players’ view. Upon hearing her words, someone took out binoculars to observe.
The tracks were fractured in the middle, and ahead lay discarded rails strewn around. The remaining portion of the track was completely twisted, widening on both sides, stretching as far as the eye could see.
On the twisted railway, various obstacles were strewn about.
“Do you all know about parkour?” The tour guide grinned. “It’s an extreme sport popular worldwide. Today, the construction crew happens to be away, so we can make use of this final stretch to have a unique parkour experience.”
It was now five in the afternoon.
Despite the shifting angle of the sun, the harsh light remained scorching.
As players shielded themselves from the sun with their clothes, the tour guide pulled out a whistle from her attire. “If there are no objections, we can start now…”
“Wait a moment,” Wen Shi suddenly asked, “Is there a time limit?”
The tour guide raised the whistle in her hand.
The heads in the water tank all had their expressions change simultaneously, finally understanding why Wen Shi had been staring at them on the train. According to the players’ previous speculation, the game relentlessly depleted their energy, likely arranging something similar to a battle royale at the final station. Although it wasn’t a battle royale they were facing now, it wasn’t much better.
In this situation, no player had the capacity to take care of the three people in the water tank anymore.
The tour guide seemed to sense their despair and further explained, “Tourists who don’t arrive within the designated time will be stuck here at this section of broken track forever!”
The glimmer of survival hope that had just surfaced was extinguished. The people in the water tank turned pale, their bodies trembling with fear causing ripples in the water.
A shadow raised an eyebrow and said, “Some people like to play savior, but now they’re roasting people alive on the tracks.”
Players couldn’t harm each other, but they were even less inclined to help.
The newbies soaked in the water tank wished Wen Shi would let the old lady kill them. At the last moment, they faced the fear of death head-on once again.
The teenager glanced at Wen Shi with a scoff, “Hypocrite.” Under the sunlight, half of his face seemed shrouded in shadow, “If you’re up for it, I could help you kill them.”
As he spoke, excitement tinged his gaze. The people whom the original Wen Shi had saved were now asking him to kill them, touching upon the teenager’s point of excitement.
The heat made Wen Shi’s voice slightly hoarse as he suddenly asked the tour guide, “How long can we delay the start of the parkour?”
The tour guide smiled and said, “As long as you don’t mind getting sunburned, up to an hour is fine.”
The longer one was exposed to the scorching sun, the slower they became.
Wen Shi turned to look at the water tank, “Wanna take a chance? There’s still one route to try.”
Drowning people wouldn’t even let go of a straw.
The three heads vigorously nodded.
Xiao Hua walked over. “Do you really have a plan?”
From whichever angle one looked, there seemed to be no way out.
Wen Shi nodded. “I’ll give it a try.”
The passengers were still getting off one by one, the strange creatures carrying their luggage as they headed toward the twisted tracks ahead.
Wen Shi rushed over and stopped a few passengers, said a few words, and brought over a chubby worm wearing a gentleman’s hat.
The players instantly remembered the group of creatures on the train that had no principles when it came to surviving.
“Remember the conversation I had with that worm on the train?” Wen Shi said in a solemn tone to everyone, “If we submit to the worms for survival, we might end up becoming worms ourselves.”
The worms had made it clear back then that as long as they chose to obey, they wouldn’t kill people. They would only consume limbs. Now, the people in the water tank were missing limbs, so even that process could be skipped.
Wen Shi had been straightforward enough, and everyone had already considered this possibility.
Wen Shi further explained, “Evolution requires a process, and the Eagle Eye quest has already proven that. As long as you become half-human, half-worm, survive until the end of the game without mutating, and you’ll have a way out.”
He had used the same method at the Big Factory, infecting himself to gain a unique advantage.
These crawling insects had many legs. They should be relatively fast runners and might have a chance with parkour.
“I’ve already reached an agreement with this gentleman,” Wen Shi continued, “it’s willing to help humiliate you.”
The people in the water tank: “……”
Wen Shi still wouldn’t make decisions for others. He bent down and asked, “If you choose death, please blink within ten seconds.”
Two paths lay before the people’s heads. Seeking death required courage, but seeking survival required even more courage.
Ten seconds passed, and no one blinked. The reason for their unblinking eyes was that their minds were caught up in a struggle between life and death.
Wen Shi nodded, “So that means you choose to live?”
The people in the water tank didn’t object. They remained in a state of detachment.
The expression on the observing tour guide’s face was hard to describe. The other players, even the shadows, remained silent.
At this moment, they were the silent majority.
Wen Shi looked at Mr. Chubby Worm, “Sorry to bother you.”
Mr. Chubby Worm remained silent for a long time before speaking, “They are already like this, how do I humiliate them?”
Wen Shi produced a kitchen knife, his rationality decreasing as his eyes turned crimson, “You better know.”
“……”
The kitchen knife couldn’t be held for too long, so Wen Shi withdrew it in time. He used a mix of persuasion and force, “You guys usually enjoy doing things like this, right? You have a chance to shine and show your expertise while also saving lives. Not everyone gets such an opportunity.”
Among those he went to speak to about humiliating others, this worm was the most enthusiastic. It must have bullied the weak and feared the strong quite often.
“And you should be able to understand that humans are willing to do anything to survive.”
“I know.” Mr. Chubby Worm, with its insect face displaying a complex expression vaguely resembling a human one, fixed its gaze on the three people, “But suddenly, I feel that life may not always be so precious…”
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