Kaidan Game Train: Abide Rule or Die!
Chapter 377: Return to the Old Castle

Chapter 377: Chapter 377: Return to the Old Castle

After compensating for the store, Xu Huo’s wallet shrunk by half again, but catching a player wasn’t a bad trade-off.

However, where there was one, there could be a second; this player hadn’t gone back, and who knew how many more could be sent after him non-stop from now on.

He opened his game panel and began searching for ways to change his appearance. The items with this effect on the reward platform were expensive, and like the Twisted Mask, they came with usage restrictions. Only the skin of a Mimic Serpent and a one-time use Facelift Mask could achieve the same results.

Xu Huo had only just heard about the Mimic Serpent from someone in the Enforcement Department. It was a common means for criminals to alter their looks, described as quite disgusting. Upon peeling off the Mimic Serpent’s skin, a type of mucus lines the inside, which you can apply directly to your face to reshape your features. It would solidify in two hours, and after solidifying, it would completely adhere to your face as if it were a brand new skin, not easy to remove by any means.

The Facelift Mask was much simpler. Once applied, the face would transform, and its description read, "It makes you look like anyone but yourself." The single-use effect lasted for twelve hours, after which it would fall off automatically, similar to a human skin mask. There were a total of ten masks, but the downside was that they couldn’t be used consecutively; there had to be at least a twelve-hour gap between uses, and after using the Facelift Mask, one’s face would remain swollen for twelve hours.

The price of the Mimic Serpent was ten times that of the Facelift Mask, probably because there was an excess stock of the masks, plus there was a deal that offered two free masks with the purchase of one piece of serpent skin.

Xu Huo’s financial situation did not allow for extravagant spending, so he chose the most economical buy one, get two free deal.

But changing his appearance didn’t guarantee absolute safety.

Again, he took out the framed picture and stepped back a few paces to sit in front of it in silence.

Two differently colored abstract faces were squeezed together, Brother Tu playing possum while the other face was particularly lively, not just with moving eyeballs, but also with facial lines undulating slowly like waves.

After a long stare-off, the player in the picture said indistinctly, "Such a severe sandstorm..."

The Hallucinogen was taking effect now; Xu Huo had thought he was immune to such potions, "Is the sandstorm blowing right in your face? Can you still breathe?"

"Yes..." After answering the question, the abstract figure began to breathe heavily, "I can’t breathe... save me..."

"Who do you want to save you? They must hear their name to respond," Xu Huo prompted.

"Mom... teacher..." The abstract figure called out a few vague designations.

"They’re not here, anyone else? He’s standing right in front of you," Xu Huo persisted patiently.

However, the player in the painting was lost in his own hallucinations and never said anything useful. The Hallucinogen wouldn’t last much longer; after asking a few times without success, he changed his question to ask about who he wanted to kill.

As time passed, the abstract person’s speech became clearer but was still not completely normal. Under Xu Huo’s relentless questioning, he blurted out, "Who made you so lucky to show up there...!"

But upon completing his sentence, he seemed to sober up and immediately clamped his mouth shut.

Not getting anything out of him wasn’t unexpected, and Xu Huo wasn’t disappointed. He simply said, "You went to such lengths to track me down just to silence me, which means the timing of my visit was quite unfortunate for you. Since it matters so much, there must be something important you all are planning to do."

He took out his communicator, "I know Ran Ying from the Enforcement Department, how about I report this situation to her?"

The abstract figure remained still.

Xu Huo’s finger hovered over the call button for a moment, then moved away, "Contacting Ran Ying wouldn’t be as effective as contacting Shi Youzhi, especially since I heard someone used a Blood Alien to sabotage a train a couple of days ago. It was probably done by your group."

The abstract figure chuckled coldly, "The base personnel can’t manage affairs in Zone 011."

"I am aware the game base does not interfere with zone affairs, but if I mentioned that there’s a plot to destroy the trains again, surely the base staff wouldn’t just ignore it." Xu Huo scrolled the projection screen looking for Shi Youzhi’s contact.

"Any actions taken by base personnel outside of the base will be under surveillance," the abstract person responded calmly, "You won’t achieve your goal and will instead attract more attention. That’s not good in Zone 011 where there are many players. How about you use your tickets to leave Zone 011 instead?"

"It’s best to let you out before I leave?" Xu Huo managed to trap him in the painting partly due to luck; he probably hadn’t expected to be taken down by a player with lesser physical abilities and special traits. He would definitely not let him leave the painting aware.

"It’s all to your advantage if I don’t go back, my companions will come looking for me," the abstract figure added.

"You are right to remind me, I still need to use a Cleansing Potion to clean myself, lest I’ve been marked in some way," Xu Huo deliberately said.

The abstract figure fell silent.

Knowing he wasn’t going to get anything more out of the inquiry, Xu Huo packed up the painting and then applied a Facelift Mask. He called a car and left the hotel.

The Facelift Mask clung to his face as though it were nothing. His facial features hadn’t changed drastically, but looking in the mirror, the face didn’t match his previous one. It looked very natural yet ordinary.

The driver was indifferent to his sudden change in appearance, verifying that he had come out from the room before dutifully starting the car.

The car left the hotel, and Xu Huo got out not far from the Ancient City District. After wandering the streets and making sure no one was following him, he took another ride to Rose Castle.

In just one day, the affairs at Rose Castle had been mostly settled. The police found very few human bones and some loot before leaving the premises. It seemed they had come to an understanding with the Enforcement Department, so the castle was no longer under lockdown.

Walking through the garden, Xu Huo likewise picked a Yellow Chinese Rose and then walked up to the door of the castle and knocked.

Mr. Dong opened the door again, but this time there was no servant to take his clothes; only he remained in the castle.

"I’m here to visit the master of the house," he said.

"The master has passed away; the castle no longer has an owner," Mr. Dong said expressionlessly, replying with ventriloquism, "However, you are welcome to stay temporarily."

As he said that, he reached out to take the flower and umbrella from Xu Huo’s hands.

Xu Huo gave him just the flower. The castle had returned to the state he had first seen it, with no traces of burning or electric shock in the hall.

"Has Hu Shan also left?"

"She was fired," Mr. Dong answered curtly, pausing before adding, "Shall I prepare dinner? The chef has resigned, and the food I make doesn’t taste very good."

"Do you have any ready-to-use ingredients? I can cook," Xu Huo said, suddenly interested.

Mr. Dong didn’t seem too concerned and, without discouragement or surprise, led him straight to the kitchen.

"All the appliances are brand new," Mr. Dong said.

Xu Huo nodded, rolled up his sleeves, and made a simple fried rice, enough for two.

He invited Mr. Dong to eat with him, but Mr. Dong declined and then took a place at the dining table with a towel properly draped over his arm.