Kaidan Game Train: Abide Rule or Die!
Chapter 1232 - 1233: Old Xu, Time for Soup

Chapter 1232: Chapter 1233: Old Xu, Time for Soup

"This is a friend I met after entering the labyrinth, Old Xu." Da Hu approached with a few companions, enthusiastically introducing both sides before continuing, "We got lost in the labyrinth and have been wandering around this area, unable to find an exit. What about you, Old Xu?"

"Same here." Xu Huo took the cigarette offered by the other party and asked, "Have you found any clues yet?"

Da Hu shook his head with a bitter expression. "Everything looks the same in the labyrinth. You can’t tell east from west, north from south. Where can we even start looking for directions? Earlier, we found a clue on the labyrinth wall, followed it for half a day, and it turned out to be a dead end!"

"The labyrinth keeps changing constantly. We’ve been aimlessly wandering around here for half a day already."

One of his companions suggested taking a break, and Da Hu warmly invited Xu Huo and his companion to join them. "There’s safety in numbers. If you can’t figure something out alone, maybe a group can. You haven’t eaten yet, right? We’ve got some snacks from Card City that we bought specially before coming in."

Xu Huo didn’t refuse and motioned for Mu Yan to join them.

"No need to rush," Da Hu said encouragingly. "After all, it’s just one instance. Worst case, we can’t clear it, and we stay here for ten days before going back out. District 001 has plenty of instances and plenty of tickets. If this one doesn’t pan out, you can step out and join another."

The people with him laughed and joked around, throwing some bawdy remarks into the conversation.

"Old Xu, give this a try." Da Hu grabbed a bite for himself before handing a portion to Xu Huo.

Xu Huo thanked him, took it, and split half with Mu Yan.

Da Hu grinned at them. "So, you two know each other?"

"Old friends," Xu Huo replied. "It’s been a long time since we’ve met. Didn’t expect to bump into each other in an instance."

Da Hu was slightly surprised. "Didn’t see that coming—so Old Xu, you’re from District 001 as well?"

"Not exactly," Xu Huo smiled. "We’re both from other districts, but since she came to District 001, it’s been a long time since we’ve crossed paths."

Da Hu nodded in understanding. "That’s how it is in the game. Once you head out, who knows when or if you’ll run into each other again."

"No need to get sentimental," he said, patting Xu Huo on the shoulder. "We’ve only met once, but I like your vibe. From today onward, we’re good friends. Come, come, let’s raise a water toast. Once this instance is done, I’ll treat you to a real drink!"

"Sounds good to me!" Xu Huo laughed.

"...I don’t understand what flower cards are for. I’ve seen so many people scavenging for flower cards," someone on the side said as the conversation shifted to poker cards.

"If people are after them, there’s bound to be a purpose. Maybe flower cards can reveal the direction to the exit," another person speculated.

"That’s not it," Da Hu chimed in. "My Brother Xu has a flower card, and it doesn’t have that kind of function!"

The group turned their attention to Xu Huo, curiosity written all over their faces. "You really have a flower card?"

"Yep." Xu Huo smiled faintly. "But the flower card I have is a Trap Card. It doesn’t reveal any directions. Otherwise, I wouldn’t still be wandering aimlessly here."

The players burst into laughter one after another. "Makes sense. We’ve searched the labyrinth walls for so many clues, and not one hinted at flower cards. Maybe the flower cards are just decoys planted by the labyrinth to give us something to waste time on."

"Isn’t that what instances are all about? Always trying new tricks to make players kill each other. Just look at those crazed Cannibal Players from before!"

The group laughed it off and moved on to other topics of conversation.

Xu Huo pretended not to notice the subtle shift in the atmosphere and chewed his food slowly: Perfect, saves me the trouble of hunting them down one by one.

Over the next day, Xu Huo and Mu Yan traveled alongside Da Hu and his companions. Having more people around was indeed convenient; it saved a lot of time in triggering labyrinth walls, as everyone could split up and regroup to share what they found.

Except for two who lied, the others generously shared their findings.

"Old Xu, what’s your flower card?" During one of their split-ups, Da Hu sidled up to Xu Huo and lowered his voice. "Let me level with you—I’ve seen other players with flower cards. They can’t be trap cards. Were you joking with us earlier?"

Xu Huo gave him a half-smile. "If you already know flower cards are useless, then what’s the point of asking about the card face?"

"Just curious," Da Hu scratched his head, quickly adding, "It’s no big deal if you don’t want to say. I was just asking casually."

Xu Huo didn’t respond.

Da Hu didn’t take offense and remained as amicable as before. He even offered Xu Huo the first chance to try triggering walls, fearing he might miss out on a card.

Xu Huo collected six cards in total, but so far, none of the labyrinth walls in this area had yielded a single card. It seemed like the second half of the labyrinth was devoid of cards entirely. Feeling assured, he boldly continued triggering labyrinth walls, though he struggled whenever he encountered mutant plants.

Da Hu and Mu Yan helped on occasion. After Xu Huo accidentally injured his arm, Mu Yan deliberately avoided the mutant plants that Da Hu was handling and used a Muffler Artefact, saying, "You got pretty badly hurt before. There’s no need to push yourself now; the clues aren’t even helpful."

"It’s worth a try," Xu Huo replied in a hushed voice. "Would be a waste not to."

At that moment, Da Hu severed the last mutant plant and landed on the ground, turning back to say, "I don’t think this is the right direction. Let’s head back to see if the others found anything."

Xu Huo remained calm. "Let’s move a bit further ahead. We’ve been at this for almost a day and haven’t made any progress."

"Stay chill, stay chill," Da Hu advised. "Failing to clear it won’t kill us. Don’t let it get to you... I’m starving, though. Aren’t you guys hungry?"

With that, he took the lead in heading back. Xu Huo and Mu Yan exchanged a glance, then followed him.

When they returned to the agreed-upon meeting spot, the others had all suffered minor injuries. Though nothing serious, the repetitive, fruitless tasks and lack of progress had dampened everyone’s morale. With nightfall approaching, no one was keen on starting another round.

Da Hu set up two tables and called everyone over to cook together.

With Xu Huo’s arm injured, Mu Yan insisted he rest while she went to help.

"You two aren’t a couple, are you?" Da Hu joked.

"Not at all..." Mu Yan laughed. "Friends should look out for each other. If you only talk the talk without walking the walk, you can’t call that real friendship."

Da Hu gave her a thumbs up. "You’re straightforward! I can’t stand people who are two-faced, all smiles up front but plotting behind your back. When I meet someone like that, I take ’em out on the spot! But honestly, we folks with personalities like this are prone to getting screwed over. I’ve been set up in instances more times than I can count."

"Not everyone is as frank as you," Mu Yan replied.

"Exactly!" Da Hu said proudly. "Being a person means having principles... Alright, the soup’s ready. I’ll get you a bowl to take to Brother Xu."

Mu Yan put down the knife she was holding, took the bowl with a smile, and walked over to where Xu Huo was sitting nearby, rewrapping his injury. "Old Xu, time for soup."