Kaidan Game Train: Abide Rule or Die!
Chapter 371: Anonymous Citizen Certificate

Chapter 371: Chapter 371: Anonymous Citizen Certificate

Xu Huo entered the room, where a stack of metal boxes that were originally on the chair automatically flew up and moved to the table, stacked neatly together with the ones that were already there, and then relocated to both sides of the table.

Behind the boxes, a projection light turned on, but from his angle, all he could see was static.

"So you’re the player who dumped the train car on the tracks, huh? Thanks to you, almost the entire month’s budget for the Orbital Supply Department has been spent on towing and repairs," a messy head of curly hair peeked out from behind, belonging to a middle-aged man with some years on him.

Xu Huo offered an apologetic smile, "I didn’t know at the time, I just wanted to get rid of the Pursuing Monster as quickly as possible."

’Under circumstances like those, nobody could blame you for making that choice. But afterwards, the only people willing and daring to deal with us have one of two goals in mind: infiltrating the base, or joining the base to escape the endless copies,’ the curly-haired man said while swiping his hand across the metal boxes, obviously distracted from his work. ’Which one are you?’

This wasn’t surprising; tickets were essentially teleporters that allowed players to leave from anywhere at any time, providing they weren’t in a copy. Ordinary methods couldn’t restrain a player, and under normal circumstances, a player wouldn’t bother coming to a Game Government Base to record anything. Naturally, those who dared to come had other motives.

Xu Huo didn’t avoid the other person’s gaze, answering honestly, "To settle in a new place, you need somewhere to stay at least."

The curly-haired man lifted his eyelids to glance at him, "The base doesn’t offer any protective measures for players. If you’re looking for base protection, you might have miscalculated."

Xu Huo laughed, "How could I? The base is a fortress. If even a base built by the game isn’t safe, I don’t know what other place could be considered safe in the game."

The curly-haired man curled his lips disdainfully and pulled out one of the metal boxes, opening it. The projection activated, and a Bee Flyer targeted his face.

"Answer if you know the answer to what I ask," he said nonchalantly. "Ever seen a player release a Blood Alien before?"

"No."

"Did you notice anything special during the journey?"

"That person harbored a deep hatred for the Orbital Supply Department. They must have come specifically to sabotage the train," Xu Huo said, which the Orbital Supply Department should already know, or they wouldn’t have arranged for people to be on the train beforehand.

The curly-haired man wasn’t surprised, "Anything else?"

"That Pursuing Monster, it didn’t seem like a living thing," Xu Huo said uncertainly. "When I fought with it, I noticed it had no heartbeat."

The curly hair lifted his head, "You’re a Level D Player with only a 20% evolution rate. How did you detect the Blood Alien had no heartbeat?"

"I have a special evolution in hearing," Xu Huo replied without changing his expression. "Occasionally, I can hear sounds that are out of the ordinary."

"Your observational skills are pretty good. But that Blood Alien was alive. Some Aliens can mutate during devolution," the curly-haired man explained. "The heart of that Alien had grown a capsule around it. Its internal structure is completely different from a human’s, which is also why it grew wing bones."

"I see," Xu Huo answered a few more inconsequential questions before the curly hair tapped on the communicator on his forearm. "Old Shi, come here for a sec."

Shi Youzhi arrived quickly, and the curly hair said, "Take him to get an identity confirmation."

After speaking, he turned to Xu Huo, "Whatever your reason for coming here, you did us a favor on the train. As a token of our gratitude, and to save you the trouble of applying at the Zone 011 Government where the paperwork is complicated."

Xu Huo expressed his thanks, and Shi Youzhi glanced at him, "Come with me."

The two of them went to the room Shi Youzhi had just entered. Though it was said to be for an identity confirmation, in reality, they only gave Xu Huo a diamond-shaped chip, thin like a layer of gelatin, which neither required identity verification nor personal information input.

"This is a Citizen Chip, it’s not named, only numbered; anyone who gets their hands on it can use it, and it can be reported if lost or stolen," Shi Youzhi explained. "Consider it an accreditation issued by Zone 011. You can use it to enter some of the higher-end public spaces, both in the main city of Zone 011 and its other subordinate divisions."

"Can’t everyone go to public areas?" Xu Huo realized that the highly developed Zone 011 had actually delineated a hierarchy between locals and outsiders.

"Of course not," Shi Youzhi gave him another look. "But there aren’t many places that require identity verification."

"By the way, where can I go if I want to buy and sell items?" Xu Huo inquired further.

"There are plenty of government-established trading centers in the main city area; transparent in pricing but a bit pricey. There are also private shops run by other players, and several underground channels in nearby districts, though I would advise you not to go there," Shi Youzhi cautioned.

Xu Huo smiled and thanked him, handing him a box of cigarettes he had bought from a hotel, "I’m new here and don’t have much to offer."

Shi Youzhi chuckled as he accepted them.

The tobacco from Zone 011 was different from the tobacco Xu Huo knew; calling it tobacco was a stretch, as it was more akin to a potion that could be consumed or vaporized.

The level of game infiltration in Zone 011 was deep, and the potion aspect was extensive. Mild hallucinogens and stimulants were legally added to cigarettes, which had a variety of effects. The pack he gave to Shi Youzhi was specifically meant to alleviate fatigue, and it was expensive.

At that moment, Xu Huo’s communicator flashed, and Shi Youzhi glanced at it, pausing his smoking, "You know Ran Ying from the Enforcement Department?"

"I ran into her by accident after coming out of the copy." Ran Ying had tried calling him multiple times, and he had only set his communicator to visual mode just before entering the door.

Stepping outside, he then took the call, "Captain Ran, hello."

Ran Ying’s projection appeared in the hallway, her voice hearty, "Where did you run off to this early in the morning? Weren’t we supposed to have breakfast together?"

"That was your plan; I never agreed to it." Xu Huo shook his head helplessly before saying, "But I do have some things to take care of. I came to the base to handle some business."

Ran Ying paused, "You know someone at the base?"

"Can’t really say I know anyone..." Xu Huo was cut off as the glass door behind him opened and Shi Youzhi came out to speak to Ran Ying’s projection, "It’s me, Shi Youzhi. I called Xu Huo to get a Citizen Chip."

The communicator could only transmit the images of the caller and the receiver in real-time; it didn’t record the surrounding environment, but sounds could still be heard.

Upon hearing this, Ran Ying raised her voice, "Captain Shi, why are you trying to steal him from me? It’s not easy finding a young guy who catches my eye; what am I going to do if you take him to get a chip?"

Shi Youzhi’s demeanor wasn’t exactly pleasant, "The usual way, throw money at it. You seem to find people who catch your eye all the time."

"Don’t smear my reputation; those are rumors," Ran Ying stressed, then turned the subject back to Xu Huo, "How about we have lunch together later?"