Kaidan Game Train: Abide Rule or Die!
Chapter 532: The Sudden Heat Wave

Chapter 532: Chapter 532: The Sudden Heat Wave

It seems that determining the enemy team is the key to clearing the level.

And once the enemy team is confirmed, one could even deduce earlier tasks; finding the enemy team leads to their camp, polluting their water source, killing their members, taking over their territory... The method of clearing is straightforward and clear.

"We should leave this place first," Zhuo Wangsun said again. "It’s quite annoying to be entangled endlessly."

Xu Huo could feel that Kang Yongjie and the other person were keeping a certain distance but weren’t going too far away. It looked like they had no plans to find a way on their own and were probably waiting for the results on this side.

"It seems like they’re carrying quite a bit of food and water," he paused before saying.

Zhuo Wangsun gave him a surprised look. "I don’t think it’s necessary to confront them head-on. There are detours everywhere in the Stone Forest, we can just shake them off."

Even if they could be located, Kang Yongjie and his companion probably couldn’t catch up if they sped through the Stone Forest.

Xu Huo had already made up his mind. He pointed ahead, indicating that he wanted to scout ahead, and then he increased his pace to move away.

As he distanced himself from the two, Xu Huo used the "Universal Lubricant," a special item he had obtained from Jiang Feng, to remove any possible effects of items on himself, then set traps on the "Number Grid" that his companions were using.

Kang Yongjie almost noticed when Xu Huo washed away his item’s power, but Zhuo Wangsun’s marker wasn’t removed. He was somewhat clever; an item could at most mark two people. Therefore, not knowing whether Jin Dong and Xu Huo were with Zhuo Wangsun, he didn’t chase after them immediately but waited until Zhuo Wangsun had been circling in the Stone Forest for nearly twenty minutes before following.

With Xu Huo’s current sensory abilities, finding the correct path wasn’t difficult. However, to lead Kang Yongjie over, he still took Zhuo Wangsun in circles around the stone pillars, deliberately burying two stones in the covered detours of the "Number Grid," then circling to the front.

Kang Yongjie and Hao Mei quickly caught up to this spot. Faced with two paths, they first chose the one without buried stones. However, just as they were about to enter, Hao Mei paused. "Old Wu can nullify the effects of items. Why didn’t he remove the one on Zhuo Wangsun as well? He must be deliberately luring us here."

"Let’s test it," Kang Yongjie nodded, took out a toy gun, and fired a barrage at the ground. The toy bullets fell and exploded like firecrackers after a few seconds. Despite the flying dust, there were indeed no issues.

"Some traits and items might not be detectable with tests," Hao Mei looked towards the other detour. "It seems like something is buried down there."

Kang Yongjie, cautious, didn’t step forward but used the toy gun to strafe again. This time a few small stones were revealed.

"Using stones to pretend they’re bombs?" He put away the toy gun and immediately strode forward, but the next second, a grid with numbers appeared under his feet, and soon he couldn’t move his legs.

Hao Mei, who was a few steps behind, quickly backed away upon seeing this. But she hadn’t retreated far when someone grabbed her shoulder, and a hand was pressed against her head!

"Don’t kill me! I can be useful to you..."

"Click!"

Before she could finish her sentence, her head was twisted at an angle on her neck.

Pushing aside the body of Hao Mei, Xu Huo didn’t give Kang Yongjie the chance to draw his gun. A thrust of his sword pierced Kang’s heart, and after watching him fall, signaled to Jin Dong to take his backpack.

The pack burst open, mostly filled with provisions.

"Her backpack is the same," Zhuo Wangsun said as he took Hao Mei’s pack and lifted the water bottle tied underneath. "They’ve killed plenty of people, so their food and water supplies are quite ample."

Since Clown City equipped every warrior with limited rations and water in order to carry more weapons, most people were not willing to bring extra, assuming they could find food within the cleansing zone. The packed bags indicated that these two didn’t even want to waste time looking for food themselves, preferring to directly kill and loot others instead.

After collecting the "Number Grid," Xu Huo took some food to stash in his own pack and said to Zhuo Wangsun, "There should be a water source marked on the map in this region. Not sure if it’s totally dried up. Let’s go check it out first."

As luck would have it, they found a puddle right where it was marked on the map, which used to be a lake; it had disappeared with the changing terrain, leaving only a little water at the base of the stone pillars.

"Shall we contaminate this pond?" Zhuo Wangsun asked. "There seems to be a small, active spring at the bottom, which is probably why the water hasn’t dried up completely."

This could be one of the few remaining sources of fresh water. It would be such a waste to contaminate it.

"Nothing in the cleansing zone should be ingested." Jin Dong typed, "Otherwise, you’ll become mute."

Xu Huo crouched by the water, examining it for a while before looking up to ask Zhuo Wangsun, "Can you check the water’s composition?"

"I can only make a simple assessment of the risk," Zhuo Wangsun replied, taking out a thermometer-like device and sticking it into the water. The reading bar quickly turned brown. He sighed, "The water is already contaminated."

"It must have been the people who came before us." Xu Huo sprinkled some powder distributed by Clown City into the water, and only after confirming that there were no game notifications did he stand up. "Let’s keep moving."

The trio continued their trek through the Stone Forest. As time passed, the clean water in their water bottles diminished at an increasing pace. After walking for several hours by foot, it was completely dark, yet the temperature didn’t drop—in fact, it only seemed to get hotter.

"This is too abnormal," Zhuo Wangsun complained, unable to bear his protective suit any longer, constantly tugging at the collar.

"Do they want to force everyone to take off their protective suits?" Jin Dong questioned, his communicator bright in the dark. "Could the toxins in the air penetrate through the skin?"

"It’s likely the case," Zhuo Wangsun cursed, "What crap about reclaiming our homeland! What’s the use of reclaiming a homeland like this? Even the air is compromised!"

Although Xu Huo was wearing an Oxygen Supply, sweat covered his forehead. He leaned against a stone pillar to rest. "If the air in the cleansing zone is problematic, then Clown City won’t be safe either."

Clown City had only built a very tall protective wall, lacking any other protective measures.

"This doesn’t add up," Zhuo Wangsun slumped to the ground. "Air circulates; it would definitely enter Clown City. Even if they don’t care about the warriors, they wouldn’t let the whole city take such a risk. And I didn’t see any large purifiers installed in the public areas of Clown City... Maybe we’re wrong? Perhaps it’s just due to the jungle’s soil and plants, and there’s no issue if we keep a distance?"

Xu Huo couldn’t be sure. When Yi Mao and Wan Xiao were affected, he and Liang Song showed no change. Maybe only those two came into contact with a special gas, or maybe the players’ better physiques made them immune. But then, what about the person who brutally killed and dismembered the warriors in the jungle?