Kaidan Game Train: Abide Rule or Die!
Chapter 556: Unraveling the Cocoon

Chapter 556: Chapter 556: Unraveling the Cocoon

The elevator slowly ascended, gradually leaving the cleaning area behind, and upon reaching the protective wall’s entrance, the gate opened, and out poured four or five beautiful women, their cheerful laughter congratulating them on completing their mission, as they flocked over and each took hold of Xu Huo and 179’s arms, attempting to pull them aside.

was the warrior who had used his gun to cover for Xin Hui and stood out, but no matter how Xu Huo asked him, he refused to disclose a word. Xu Huo could only go through his belongings, ultimately obtaining a code number.

This man was key to triggering the extra mission, so of course he couldn’t die just yet—Xu Huo would bring him into Clown City first.

Xu Huo held onto 179’s shoulder, and one of the women nearby said, "This gentleman is injured, let us take him for treatment."

"Real men bleed without tears; such minor injuries are nothing to fuss over." Xu Huo did not let go, but the man he was holding grimaced in pain and said through clenched teeth, "I can go back and heal myself, just convert my medical expenses into cash."

Facing the women’s coquettish faces, Xu Huo’s attitude was chilly and firm, making the atmosphere rather tense. However, a portly middle-aged man soon approached them with a beaming smile, saying, "Congratulations, congratulations, you’re the third warrior this year to make it across the cleaning area. May I ask how to address this gentleman?"

"Old Wu."

"Mister Wu is truly excellent; so young yet already with such courage and insight, your future is certainly limitless. Come, come, let’s talk as we walk."

At the middle-aged man’s gesture, several women semi-pushed, semi-pulled Xu Huo and his companion out of the protective wall and into a car, climbing towards the higher levels of Clown City.

Outside, the scenery bore little difference from that of Sunset Clown Town. By the time the car reached the seventh level, the public display screens were ostentatiously playing combat videos from the cleaning area, with many people stopping to watch. They occasionally tapped on their watches, emitting cheers or curses from time to time.

The middle-aged man kept observing Xu Huo’s expression, and seeing that he showed no signs of disgust or aversion, he cheerily said, "Mister Wu must have some understanding of Clown City. Have you considered settling here?"

Xu Huo turned to look at him, "The people of Clown City are simple and honest; living here wouldn’t be out of the question. However, I’m not interested in anything below the third level."

"Mister Wu jests, with your qualifications, even living on the seventh level would be more than enough," the middle-aged man said. "If you’re willing to settle in Clown City, we can provide you with free accommodation, a monthly living expense of twenty thousand White Notes, a ten percent discount on all government-obtained equipment and potions, and furthermore, if you wish to find love or friendship, Clown City can help you in your search."

"After all, players spend half their time in game instances... Mister Wu, you came to Clown City for the game instance as well, didn’t you?"

Xu Huo nodded; the unobstructed journey from the cleaning area to Clown City confirmed that Chaoyang Clown City was also within the game, falling within the "designated locations."

"I’ve already cleared it," he said with a slight smile, "but the game here in Clown City really is unexpected, not many districts dare use an entire city as a game field."

The middle-aged man’s eyes shone with admiration, and he laughed heartily, "That’s one of Clown City’s unique features and the source of welfare for the whole city’s population."

He certainly didn’t shy away from the fact that Clown City used real people as game characters, even saying, "No gain without payment, Mister Wu, as a player, you must understand this principle."

Players are more readily accepting of such things compared to ordinary people; after all, in game instances, players fight for their lives, showing no mercy to men, women, or even the elderly and infirm.

Xu Huo did not show much reaction, and the middle-aged man mentioned that there would be a celebration banquet tomorrow, where one could meet the upper echelons of Clown City. There was even a chance to meet the head of the government. He was told to rest early and the women who had escorted them were left behind, but not a single word was said about the injured No. 179.

As soon as they entered the room, the women unashamedly took off their tops. One of them, stroking Xu Huo’s shoulder, said, "Does Mister Wu prefer two people at a time or several together?"

Xu Huo’s gaze swept over her chest and brushed off her hand like flicking away dust, "Go take a bath."

The women covered their mouths with a coquettish laugh and swayed gracefully into the bathroom.

No sooner had they gone than Xu Huo also followed.

No. 179 had already collapsed in a chair upon entering, and seeing Xu Huo’s actions, he let out an unsurprised cold laugh. His hand reached into the pocket over his chest, ready to make a move, but the person standing at the bathroom door suddenly turned around and stared at him.

No. 179’s expression remained unchanged as he took out a piece of Energy Candy from his pocket and tore it open. But just as he was about to put it in his mouth, he couldn’t control his head from lifting up to look ahead, and Xu Huo, already standing before him with a pen in hand, directly took the Energy Candy from him.

The door to the bathroom behind him was already blocked by a wardrobe, and one could faintly hear the women talking inside. No. 179 was intensely focused, his eyes moving in line with Xu Huo’s hand.

The Energy Candy looked the same as the dry rations issued to warriors by Clown City, but with a pinch of Xu Huo’s fingers, the candy split open, revealing it was hollow in the center, and embedded inside was something resembling a white cocoon, obviously wrapped in fungal hyphae.

"Spores?" Xu Huo instantly understood what No. 179 intended to do, "Do you want to turn yourself into a contagion source to let the fungus grow and infect the entire Clown City?"

No. 179’s pupils uncontrollably trembled, but his long military training instinctively made him mask his emotions. He kept his head down, silent, refusing to communicate.

However, Xu Huo let out a light laugh, "Just with this tiny thing, you probably couldn’t even contaminate this building, could you?"

"Clown City has been hit hard by the fungus. The government’s upper echelons will definitely prepare protective measures. If they detect you’re infected with the fungus, you might get caught before you can leave this building. At most, they’ll just seal off an area — the multi-tiered architecture of Clown City takes this into account, doesn’t it?"

No. 179’s face fell with shock, "If you could guess all this, why even ask me!"

Xu Huo stored the Energy Candy in a test tube and placed it into a storage cabin. Dragging over a chair to sit opposite No. 179, he continued, "You and Xin Hui must both be carrying such Energy Candies, but judging by the survival rates in the cleaning area, your manpower must also be very limited, and just a few people alone can’t contaminate the whole Clown City."

"There’s a celebration banquet tomorrow. Are your targets the government’s upper echelons and the head of the government?"

As Xu Huo spoke, he observed No. 179’s breathing and heartbeat, "No wonder you needed to make sure Xin Hui was the first to return to Clown City."

If the two of them were cooperating, they must have familiarized themselves with the rankings of the past reality games, knowing how many people they needed to kill to take first place, and were willing to sacrifice themselves, taking a desperate gamble.

"To infect the government’s higher-ups, are you doing it to cause chaos or to expose the reality game?"