Kaidan Game Train: Abide Rule or Die!
Chapter 1246 - 1247: Having a Baby at Sixty

Chapter 1246: Chapter 1247: Having a Baby at Sixty

Xu Huo remained noncommittal, but showed no intention of making a move. Instead, he asked, "Can you still walk?"

"Yes! Yes!" Chen Chou was extremely delighted, expressing gratitude as he got up.

All players had one or two transportation props. Even if Chen Chou’s legs were broken, moving was not an issue.

"District 001 looks more prosperous than any other district I’ve been to," Xu Huo said. "And it’s stable."

"For players, District 001 is indeed a good place," Chen Chou habitually wore a smiley face. "But any place is good for a great player; it’s the ordinary people who have a hard time."

"The welfare in District 001 is excellent. Ordinary people have no worries about food and clothing, and they rarely get sick thanks to the Evolution Potion. The biggest risk in life might be occasional player fights, but in truth, they’re no different from those in turbulent districts." Chen Chou revealed a harsh truth, "I’ve seen rich people treat pretty-looking kids like dogs... dogs on a leash. Even if pets eat well and live comfortably, they’re still pets, not humans."

"Have you ever been to other districts?" Xu Huo said, "If you’re talking about psychological humiliation, many have it much worse than this."

Chen Chou paused, "Doesn’t having it better than some mean we shouldn’t hope to change our living conditions?"

Everyone longs for a better life.

"You make a good point." Xu Huo exhaled a puff of white mist—the temperature had dropped.

"With your strength, getting a few kids out should be no problem." He added, "This Wormhole Point has quite a few districts suitable for living."

Chen Chou shook his head, "Ordinary people in other districts are unprotected. Not to mention where ordinary people live, even district governments are places where players come and go as they please. If caught in a random instance, one might die without knowing why."

In terms of environmental safety, District 001 far exceeds other districts.

"So your goal is to establish yourself in District 001." It was obvious that this path wouldn’t be easy. As the most prosperous district of the E27 Wormhole Point, and as the main government seat of the entire Wormhole Point, there were surely many players, both native and those who moved there due to its reputation. For a Rank-C player, it would be hard to stand out unless their name appeared high on the ranking list.

"Once I become a Rank-B player, the treatment I receive in District 001 will change dramatically. By then, adopting a few kids or even managing an orphanage would be no problem." Chen Chou’s eyes sparkled, but then he slumped down again, "But it took me over four years just to reach Rank-C. Who knows how long it’ll take to reach Rank-B..."

Xu Huo gave him a slightly surprised look, "Four years?"

Perhaps sensing the deeper meaning behind Xu Huo’s surprise, Chen Chou quickly explained, "My performance is actually average... at most, slightly below average. It’s common to take five or six years to rise a level!"

"You can do at least twelve instances a year," Xu Huo said. That would mean forty-eight instances in four years.

"Players may evolve, but their intelligence doesn’t necessarily evolve with it. When encountering dangerous or uncertain instances, it’s safer to forfeit and wait for the time limit to pass." Chen Chou explained, "And you should know the death rate in instances—more people die than pass."

The progression of player levels is directly linked to instance completion ratings. The higher the completion rating, the faster the upgrade. Conversely, if the completion rating is very low, and failures occasionally drag down the overall score, leveling up will be slower.

However, there’s also a problem with players who barely pass and occasionally "forfeit"; they generally don’t live long.

"Are you not familiar with the model for Rank-C instances?" Xu Huo asked. Some instances, like random ones, have no time limit, or can only be left upon completion. Giving up doesn’t solve the problem.

Knowing this well, Chen Chou’s emotions dropped from before, forcing a smile, "The bridge will straighten when the boat reaches it... just taking it one day at a time."

He stopped for a moment and looked enviously at Xu Huo, "It’s nice to be smart like you. High IQ, strong abilities, able to handle any instance, a guest of honor in any district. If I could be like you, I could live easily."

He seemed utterly despairing as he spoke, murmuring, "We ordinary people are the same. Fighting hard seems like survival, but relaxing feels like letting others trample us..."

The air was quiet for a while. Not hearing Xu Huo speak, Chen Chou couldn’t help but look up, only to find him calmly chewing on some jerky, even asking, "Want some?"

Chen Chou didn’t really want to eat.

Soon the two met up with Mu Yan and the others who had found them. Chen Chou didn’t feel awkward at all, even proactively greeting Mu Yan and Li Cheng.

Jiang Zifeng glanced at him, "Why bring him along with broken legs? Better just to kill him," he said to Xu Huo.

Seeing Chen Chou obediently withdraw his head, Xu Huo said lightly, "I have some personal matters for him to take care of. He can remain under my watch."

"We’re all friends, don’t be such a stranger about it." Jiang Zifeng caught a whiff of the food smell from him, "Is your jerky any good?"

"Not bad, it’s a specialty from another district." Xu Huo handed each of them a bag and also offered a large gift bag of snacks.

"So many candies." Ye Bingxin said in surprise, "I didn’t realize you had kids so young."

"Haha, I’ll wait until I’m sixty to have kids," Jiang Zifeng interjected, "Think about it, the average lifespan of a player is over a hundred and twenty. If I had kids in my twenties, and they had their kids in their twenties, wouldn’t I be supporting four or five generations before I died?"

"Moreover, having too many descendants is not good for players. Who knows when an enemy might show up at home, grab one of them and you can’t not save them. It could end up wiping out several generations, and during festivals, you’d be the one burning paper to black-haired people,"

Listening to his erratic speech, Ye Bingxin managed to hold back and said, "Can’t your kids become players?"

"No need for that." Jiang Zifeng scratched his head, "I think my next generation definitely won’t be as smart as me. A kid’s intelligence follows the mom, and my girlfriend isn’t that clever."

Ye Bingxin turned away and talked with Mu Yan and Li Cheng.

Jiang Zifeng continued to ramble on, "Besides, why have so many kids when the big environment is bad? What if one day I die and leave behind a widow and orphans? Wouldn’t that be a human tragedy?"

"You’re thinking quite a lot." Xu Huo said leisurely, "How long has it been since you’ve seen your girlfriend?"

Jiang Zifeng actually thought about it, "About half a year."

"Half a year... are you sure she’s still alive?"

Jiang Zifeng fell into deep doubt, "Even though we haven’t been in contact for some time, she’s probably, most likely still alive. If she died, someone would surely inform me."

Xu Huo smiled without a word, and Chen Chou mumbled beside him, "Being your girlfriend is like eight lifetimes of bad luck..."