Kaidan Game Train: Abide Rule or Die!
Chapter 1202

Chapter 1202: Chapter 1202

(Pending revision) Xu Huo pulled out a slip of paper, walked to one of the doors, and calmly opened it.

Perhaps due to sheer luck, he drew the correct one on his first try. As he stepped through the door, a voice echoed in his ears: "You have successfully entered the instance."

Beyond the door was still a wall of plants, but it had transformed into a long corridor. Both ends of the corridor were shrouded in darkness, and only the twenty or so meters where he stood were illuminated. On either side, towering plant walls stretched hundreds of meters into the air before vanishing into the shadows—there appeared to be no end in sight.

He wasn’t alone in this lit section of the corridor.

A male player who seemed to be in his thirties was leaning against the plant wall, smoking a cigarette. He glanced at Xu Huo briefly before looking away, showing no interest in conversation.

Without receiving any game notifications, Xu Huo attempted to walk in both directions, but the darkened sections of the corridor were completely sealed. Neither his Characteristics nor any tools could help him advance even a step further.

Having no success, he decided to try climbing up the plant walls.

"Gentleman’s Stance" allowed him to ascend directly to heights of over a hundred meters and then use the lyre strings to pull himself further upwards. However, no matter how many times he climbed, all he could see were endless walls of plants. There were no signs of an exit or an opening. After thoroughly exploring and confirming it was impossible to scale, he descended.

Another person entered from below. Having seemingly just lost face in front of someone else, the newcomer turned his head to Xu Huo and said, "The maze walls are impossible to climb, even for a Rank-B player. This is the instance’s power."

Xu Huo nodded. "Just checking around... Do you know when the instance starts?"

"First time?" The man looked him up and down, then suddenly chuckled. "Makes sense. Anyone who’s been here before wouldn’t be gawking like you."

He walked over, tilted his chin toward Xu Huo, and asked, "What’s your name?"

"Xu Zhi," Xu Huo replied with a smile.

"Call me Da Hu," said the man, his slightly greasy face moving closer. "We’re at the same intersection, so we’ll probably stick together. Having someone familiar guide you is way better than fumbling around the instance on your own."

He gave Xu Huo a pat on the shoulder. "Don’t worry. If we end up in the same faction, helping you out for a bit isn’t a problem."

"Thank you, then," Xu Huo said, offering him a cigarette.

Da Hu accepted it and began chatting idly with him. Before long, two more people came in.

A man and a woman emerged from the gaps in the branches of plant walls on opposite sides. From the circular hall to this section of maze walls, it was just a single step in distance. However, from the perspective of those inside the maze corridor, it seemed as though the two had traversed a long hallway. The vines and branches behind them writhed like liquid, sealing themselves together again.

After the two stepped in and took a quick headcount, the female player remarked, "It’s about time."

"There are multiple maze entrances. This is just one of them. We’ve got five people here, so I’d bet the other entrances are similar. Altogether, there should be about fifty players ready," Da Hu muttered softly.

After another ten minutes or so, a game notification finally arrived:

[Player Passerby A has entered the Poker Card Maze and is now participating in the instance "The Last Card."]

[Background introduction: As everyone knows, card-based games are a favorite among both players and ordinary Evolvers. To enhance the thrill of card games, a great Artifact Maker, after playing no fewer than three hundred matches with his companions, successfully created a Poker Card Maze.]

[According to incomplete statistics, there are at least 162 unique paths from the maze’s entrance to its central exit, with no single segment repeating more than a third of the way. However, the chances of successfully reaching the end remain slim.]

[But don’t worry; to avoid the monotony of simply solving maze routes, the Artifact Maker has also carefully prepared a few surprises to ensure that players have an enjoyable experience while navigating the maze.]

[Friendly reminder: The surprises may—or may not—be found within the maze walls and poker cards.]

[Here are the game rules:]

[① Poker cards come in black and white suits, representing two opposing factions. A player’s faction is determined by the first card they acquire.]

[② Each player can hold up to six cards. Exceeding this limit will trigger random card loss. Aside from the first card, all subsequent cards will be placed into a shuffled pool.]

[③ If the suit of a player’s first card appears on the maze wall, a safe passage will open up. This passage can only be entered by the cardholder and will transport them 200 meters forward along the corridor.]

[④ After the cardholder’s death, unbound cards will rejoin the game and can be obtained by touching the maze walls.]

[⑤ Some poker cards come with Characteristics that aid in clearing the instance.]

[⑥ Both black and white factions possess six face cards, and players whose first card is a face card can immediately enter the nearest correct passage.]

[⑦]

*

"Gentleman’s Stance" allowed him to ascend directly to heights of over a hundred meters and then use the lyre strings to pull himself further upwards. However, no matter how many times he climbed, all he could see were endless walls of plants. There were no signs of an exit or an opening. After thoroughly exploring and confirming it was impossible to scale, he descended.

Another person entered from below. Having seemingly just lost face in front of someone else, the newcomer turned his head to Xu Huo and said, "The maze walls are impossible to climb, even for a Rank-B player. This is the instance’s power."

Xu Huo nodded. "Just checking around... Do you know when the instance starts?"

"First time?" The man looked him up and down, then suddenly chuckled. "Makes sense. Anyone who’s been here before wouldn’t be gawking like you."

He walked over, tilted his chin toward Xu Huo, and asked, "What’s your name?"

"Xu Zhi," Xu Huo replied with a smile.

"Call me Da Hu," said the man, his slightly greasy face moving closer. "We’re at the same intersection, so we’ll probably stick together. Having someone familiar guide you is way better than fumbling around the instance on your own."

He gave Xu Huo a pat on the shoulder. "Don’t worry. If we end up in the same faction, helping you out for a bit isn’t a problem."

"Thank you, then," Xu Huo said, offering him a cigarette.

Da Hu accepted it and began chatting idly with him. Before long, two more people came in.

A man and a woman emerged from the gaps in the branches of plant walls on opposite sides. From the circular hall to this section of maze walls, it was just a single step in distance. However, from the perspective of those inside the maze corridor, it seemed as though the two had traversed a long hallway. The vines and branches behind them writhed like liquid, sealing themselves together again.

After the two stepped in and took a quick headcount, the female player remarked, "It’s about time."

"There are multiple maze entrances. This is just one of them. We’ve got five people here, so I’d bet the other entrances are similar. Altogether, there should be about fifty players ready," Da Hu muttered softly.

After another ten minutes or so, a game notification finally arrived: