Kaidan Game Train: Abide Rule or Die!
Chapter 530: Stone Forest Labyrinth

Chapter 530: Chapter 530: Stone Forest Labyrinth

Previously, they had speculated that the water and food in the cleaning zone were contaminated. Ingestion would cause bacterial infection, leading to symptoms like loss of voice and mental confusion, and eventually alien transformation.

The recent behavior of Yi Mao and Wan Xiao suggested that, in addition to that, inhaling the air or the special scent released by certain flora, fauna, and soil could excite people.

But the evidence of people with weapons fighting and killing each other was right before their eyes. The corpses’ canteens and some of the food hadn’t been taken, indicating that these individuals weren’t just agitated; they had become bloodthirsty and violent, likely losing their sanity.

Of course, without witnessing it firsthand, they couldn’t determine exactly what had happened; however, considering the reactions of Yi Mao and his companion earlier, at least they could be certain of such a possibility.

"So, not only do we have to deal with people who might come to steal water and food, but we also have to be on guard against those who aren’t quite sane?" Yi Mao looked around. "I was very agitated just now, but I didn’t mistake people for aliens. Could something like that happen? Or could it be that some people are uniting to kill others?"

"And what would be the reason for killing?" Wan Xiao said, "They didn’t even take the water and food. We’re not players, we don’t have any fancy props, and our supply of firearms and ammunition is limited. Killing people this way, apart from meaninglessly wasting everyone’s ammunition, I can’t see any benefit to it."

"Let’s assume for the moment that this mutual slaughter among the warriors was caused by the influence of the special environment," Xu Huo thought that was the best hypothesis for now.

"The water, food, and air are all problematic," Liang Song said gravely. "Wei Ping and I just killed some aliens. According to the minimum requirements from Clown City, if we encounter special circumstances, even without completing the cleaning zone mission, we can still return and claim our reward."

"My suggestion is to turn back now. The jungle area has just undergone the cleansing of the Different Species Group; we might be able to casually collect some valuable plants or minerals on the way back."

As soon as he proposed this, the other three fell silent. They had encountered an alien tide right from the start; their luck was unusually bad. Most of their firearms and ammunition had been used up, but most importantly, the air in the cleaning zone might be contaminated. The longer they stayed, the higher the risk, with the worst outcome being infected and transformed into aliens.

Once transformed into an alien, there was no other outcome but death in the cleaning zone.

"I agree to go back," Wan Xiao said after some thought.

"I agree too," Yue Weiping added.

Yi Mao turned to Xu Huo. "What about you?"

"I’ll continue towards the mission area," Xu Huo replied. "Players cannot leave the instance location before the game ends."

Whether he completed the mission or not, he had to stay here for seven days.

"You might as well come back with us," Yi Mao urged. "Even staying near the Gobi Zone would be safer than here. When you go back, you can convert the house awarded by the government into cash; it wouldn’t be a loss."

Xu Huo shook his head to indicate refusal, then turned to Jin Dong. "Where do you plan to go?"

Jin Dong couldn’t go back to Clown City. After hesitating for a moment, he said, "I’ll guide you. That incident just now was an accident."

Xu Huo didn’t care whether it was an accident or not and nodded to Yi Mao and the others as a sign of acknowledgment.

Having lost his glasses and unable to send the map, Yi Mao handed over all the simple maps of other areas he had prepared in advance. "In addition to the mission area I just took on, there are other places. I hope they can help you."

In return, Xu Huo gave them several bottles of antitoxin.

Afterward, the six of them went their separate ways.

"They won’t be able to return," Jin Dong said after they had walked a short distance. "Aside from Liang Song, the other three are injured, and scratches from the Aliens can cause infection."

Xu Huo glanced at him, "Even if they are scratched by Aliens, the Antitoxin can control the infection."

It’s achievable in Zone 014, Clown City should have even less of a problem.

"My companion and I just ate something from the jungle, and your Antitoxin was able to save me, so how could Clown City not have this Potion? It’s just that those government officials living in the upper levels simply don’t give a damn about our lives."

Seeing his resentment towards Clown City, Xu Huo asked, "So you really didn’t intentionally lead those people to the valley earlier?"

Jin Dong stopped to explain, "Really not! I have no grudge against them, and they’re just as deceived as anyone else!"

Xu Huo made no comment and instead asked, "Do you see any changes in the surroundings compared to when you were here a year ago?"

"The general environment hasn’t changed, but there shouldn’t have been these fissures here before." Jin Dong pointed at the lengthy cracks in the ground, which stretched from their feet to the dense forest in the distance.

"The vegetation here has also changed," he wrote. "The demand for soil moisture has become lower; it might get drier ahead."

"The map shows this area used to be a grassland," Xu Huo said.

The two quickened their pace through the woods. As the ground cracks widened, the vegetation started turning yellow. After a sizable expanse of withered woodland, Xu Huo could see a stone forest appearing in the distance.

There was a noticeable rise in the ground from the withered woodland to the stone forest; a fairly neat fissure separated the two. It seemed as if the Stone Forest Area had been elevated due to geographic changes, detaching itself from the jungle to create the scenery before them. However, the stone forest was far too tall and vast, being at least a hundred meters high from the edge of the jungle and with each pillar extending vertically and horizontally; it was difficult to discern the paths below from above.

"The Stone Forest Labyrinth," Xu Huo climbed up a tree to look around. The area of the stone forest had expanded to the edge of his field of vision, which meant they couldn’t take a detour—they had to go through the labyrinth.

"The maps distributed in the past few years don’t show any stone forest." Jin Dong took off his mask, staring at the Stone Forest Labyrinth that shaded the sky, his face grim, "Considering the changes in the nearby vegetation, it’s impossible that this happened recently, yet the map from Clown City still marks a grassland!"

At this point, it was more than just neglecting the warriors’ lives; the heavily promoted clean-up operation now seemed almost like child’s play.

Xu Huo ignored his indignation, jumped down from the tree, and leapt into the Stone Forest.

The space between the stones was wide enough, with traces of human passage and some animal footprints on the overgrown grass. He had just walked a few steps when suddenly a shadow enveloped him from above!

Jin Dong, who slid down from the slope behind, picked up a Stone and threw it towards the top of the stone pillar to catch Xu Huo’s attention and warn him of a mutated giant bat overhead.

However, what seemed like a hair-raising sudden incident to him didn’t phase Xu Huo. Anticipating the giant bat’s flying trajectory, he unsheathed Sword and swung it, slicing the creature in half several meters away from him, without a single drop of blood splattering on him.

After dealing with the mutated giant bat, he didn’t linger, grabbed the string to soar up, kicked the stone apart ten meters above, and as the shattered rocks flew, a Different Species jumped out from behind!