Kaidan Game Train: Abide Rule or Die!
Chapter 374: The Outsider

Chapter 374: Chapter 374: The Outsider

Many passersby stole glances at her, but Ran Ying didn’t mind at all. She occasionally even responded with a smile. Upon seeing Xu Huo, she turned off the magazine interface, stood up, and walked over.

With an already tall stature, Ran Ying was even taller than Xu Huo with her high heels on, but she seemed to revel in it, taking the initiative to loop her arm through his, "There’s a newly opened restaurant that’s pretty good, they have fresh white fish lips. Once you try it, you’ll definitely get hooked."

"I don’t eat things bred by Aliens," Xu Huo said with a smile.

Ran Ying tilted her head to look at him and, after a couple of seconds, laughed, "I like honest people like you. Don’t worry, all are natural species. Any food related to Aliens is strictly forbidden in Zone 011. Even if you wanted to, you couldn’t get it."

Xu Huo nodded happily and took Ran Ying’s car to the restaurant.

In the private room, they could watch movies broadcasted in the city’s public areas, without special effects or stunt doubles; the movies featured real players, providing a fully immersive experience.

"In Zone 011, players can take up any profession, which is even more relaxed than before the gamification. Many ordinary people have made a place for themselves here based on their player identity," Ran Ying said while eating, "Have you found a place to stay? Yongxing is expensive and not suitable for long-term residence. If you’re thinking of renting or buying a place, I can help."

"I haven’t decided yet," Xu Huo said, "But I like to live a bit away from the bustling city."

"You have taste; the main city area isn’t that great, and Zone 011 is vast," Ran Ying agreed.

Zone 011 is composed of several gaming districts, connected via dimension trains. Xu Huo’s current location was the original area of Zone 011 itself, a vast territory, no less impressive than Zone 014. Garden Castle Station is just one of the stops, close to both the Core Government and the Game Government Base.

Of course, Zone 011 also has several important and bustling super-cities, but those are far from the Game Government Base.

"By the way, didn’t you just arrive in Zone 011? How do you know people from the base?" Ran Ying mentioned Shi Youzhi, "The Game Government might have established a base here, but they only deal with game-related matters. Usually, they just maintain the order on the train tracks and pick up trash and so on."

"Is there no interchange of goods with Zone 011?" Xu Huo wondered.

"Basically none. We don’t interfere with each other," Ran Ying said, glancing at him before continuing, "But you need to be careful. The base often recruits new players to work, but those players don’t last long."

"Why?" Xu Huo paused, "Isn’t working for the Game Government a good thing? I’ve heard you can become a Grey Player and escape the copies."

Ran Ying snorted with laughter, "That would be too good to be true. The personnel at the Game Government Base are all from other districts; the players they recruit in the district are considered external staff and are never given the status of Grey Player."

"Grey Players don’t have to complete copies, but they retain the game program, allowing them to continue using items and characteristics. It’s not so good for external staff, they have to work and go into copies, they only get a bit of salary and no other benefits."

"Even so, that doesn’t mean they won’t last long, right?" Xu Huo dug deeper.

"It’s hard to say exactly why, but the fact that external staff recruited by the base die quickly is true," Ran Ying said, supporting her chin with one hand and swirling her glass with the other, "You will understand once you’ve lived in Zone 011 for a while."

Xu Huo was rather disappointed, "I’m not high-level; I was hoping to find a reliable place to register my name in Zone 011."

Ran Ying reached across the table to pat his hand, "That’s not difficult at all. I am, after all, a small team leader in the Enforcement Department. As long as you don’t make trouble, with me here, there won’t be many people in Zone 011 who would give you a hard time."

As they looked into each other’s eyes, Xu Huo gave a slight smile, "How many people have you said that to?"

Ran Ying retracted her hand, her cheeks flushed with the afterglow of alcohol, "Ah, why bring up the past? Cherishing the present is the true wisdom."

Xu Huo raised his glass to her, "You make a good point."

The meal was quite enjoyable for both host and guest. After the meal, Ran Ying was called away by a bee communicator, saying that there was an emergency she needed to handle, leaving Xu Huo alone.

The bill was settled by Ran Ying. Upon leaving the restaurant, Xu Huo paid for a real-time map of the station and took the city’s transportation to look at several important landmarks marked on it before using his citizen certificate to visit so-called high-end public places.

These were essentially natural parks, amusement parks, historical and cultural museums, and the like, where the environment was pleasant, and emergency Potions or gift packs distributed for free by some companies were also available. Likely due to the good living conditions, the people who came to these places were all there to relax, and there was no crowding to collect gift packs.

ID cards for ordinary residents of Zone 011 existed, but they set outsiders apart. Of course, this included not only players but also family members who had moved with the players.

Although Zone 011 does have policies to attract players from other districts to live here, it’s strict with issuing citizen certificates. A proper application requires complicated procedures and a long time.

However, places that require a citizen certificate for entry are in the minority after all. Not having the certificate doesn’t really affect normal life.

Yet, subtly, this also creates a social hierarchy among people living in the same city. When Xu Huo came out from the library building, he saw some people, adults and children alike, being blocked at the entrance, with onlookers casting strange glances.

The so-called citizen certificate was probably akin to a VIP membership card for city residents.

Places that required a citizen certificate in the core areas far from the main city were significantly less. Not far from the Ancient City District, there was a complex of buildings. The area wasn’t large on the map, but once inside, there were streets and alleys everywhere, like a deliberately built maze. There were fewer robots and flying monitors in this area, but those that appeared were regulation models armed with heavy firepower.

"Ptui!" Xu Huo watched a man emerge from an alley and spit at the ground upon seeing the surveillance device overhead before turning a fierce glare towards him, "What are you looking at!"

Xu Huo turned to leave, but three people suddenly appeared behind him without a sound. One with a face covered in blue paint said, "Nice clothes, brother. Lend us some money to spend?"

Xu Huo pointed to the flying monitor hovering above, "With that thing there, you dare to mug me?"

The man with blue paint chuckled, "I’m just asking for a loan, how can that be mugging? Hand over your wallet if you don’t want to suffer. Don’t count on the enforcement bots to save you; they usually turn a blind eye to minor things."

From the environment, it was clear this place was a "weak law zone," quite far from both the base and the main city. These three didn’t look like players; they seemed to be regular residents who had used Potions. They couldn’t evolve like players, but could enhance their physical abilities and intelligence through Potions.

Xu Huo tossed three cigarettes their way, "I’m looking for someone named Deng Xuan, do you know him?"