Kaidan Game Train: Abide Rule or Die!
Chapter 588: A Baffling Gathering

Chapter 588: Chapter 588: A Baffling Gathering

Players dispersed in different directions, Xu Huo, Guan Sheng, and Qian Xuwen followed behind a few players in black robes. After passing through a narrow corridor, a small garden appeared before them, blooming in splendor despite the season. The rich fragrance filled the garden, and a person in a gray robe and a mask approached, declaring the prayer ceremony had officially begun.

In the center of the garden stood a Twin Snake Statue. A crowd gathered around as the person in gray raised both hands towards the statue in a gesture of respect. They then began to recite the prayer intermittently, pausing occasionally to instruct others how to pray or to voice their own requests to the statue, as if it were not just a cheap bronze figure but an omnipotent wishing machine.

However, this rather meaningless event did not last long. Once it ended, the person in gray announced that free trade could begin. The players were welcome to trade in the garden or leave to find other players. With that, they vanished into the flowers.

The area was quite crowded, but the players were in no rush to leave. The people in black robes brought food and beverages, and in this friendly atmosphere, everyone started mingling, swapping small props, or taking out some rare and curious items to auction off publicly. The process was quite pleasant.

Guan Sheng and Qian Xuwen stood behind Xu Huo. After inspecting the food and drinks without finding any issues, they also encountered individuals attempting to sell them items, all of which Xu Huo declined. Quietly standing in a corner, he seemed to be waiting for something.

As the trading was underway, a player asked the person in a black robe whether the Twin Snakes Organization would sell potions and props.

"The Twin Snakes Organization only accepts barter," one of the people in black robes replied. "If anyone wishes to exchange items, they can go to Mr. Ding’s lounge. However, only one person can trade at a time, and only players with an invitation may do so. The accompanying players without an invitation can’t go."

Some players were reluctant but still agreed. The person in a black robe led one away from the garden, and about ten minutes later, that player returned, hurriedly gathered their two companions, and left.

"Maybe they got something good and are afraid of being mugged," mused the other players enviously. Soon after, a second and third player went to trade. Some returned to the garden afterward, while others did not. Upon being informed by the person in a black robe that those players had left through a different exit, the uninvited companions who had come along left in a huff.

"Shall we go?" Qian Xuwen asked Xu Huo.

Without a word to the two, Xu Huo stepped forward. Guan and Qian hurriedly followed but were stopped by the person in a black robe. Guan Sheng quickly called out to Xu Huo, who simply nodded at them before walking straight ahead.

Guan Sheng and Qian Xuwen waited outside for about ten minutes before a person in a black robe came out and told them that Xu Huo had left on his own and that they were free to do as they wished.

Realizing something was amiss, they burst past the person in a black robe and ran out of the garden. Behind the garden were several rooms. They kicked open each door to search, but to their surprise, every room was empty. Looking out the windows, they saw not a single soul in the vast vacation resort.

When they returned to the garden, the players from the free trade were starting to leave. The people in black robes paid no attention to the two and instead guided the other players on their way out, with no escorts provided.

Guan Sheng and Qian Xuwen watched the players coming and going, unsure of what to do. Their task was to assist Xu Huo, and they didn’t know whether he had truly left on his own or if there was another reason. They wanted to call out for him but feared causing trouble in public. They thought about looking for Sima Xiao’er and Zhou Ning, but with everyone dressed in black robes and masks, it was impossible to tell who was who or even if they were still in the garden.

Not daring to cause a scene in someone else’s territory, they hurried out of the garden to check the other prayer rooms.

By then, the garden was almost deserted. One person in a black robe who had come from outside approached a companion and said, "They’re heading to other prayer rooms now, could it spoil our plans? Maybe we should just finish what we started..."

"They are from the Special Defense Department," the person in a gray robe suddenly appeared in the garden. "Falling out with the Special Defense Department is not beneficial."

"Mr. Ding," the person in black robe said respectfully as he walked up behind him.

"Lead the people to the living room," Mr. Ding ordered. "Don’t let them leave until after the matter is settled."

The person in black robe nodded and left the garden.

Meanwhile, Guan Sheng and Qian Xuwen had just left the garden and soon encountered another group of praying players. No sooner had they walked past than they were stopped by a player with a white mask who attempted to sell them a potion.

"Which number is this prayer hall?" Guan Sheng asked quickly.

"Three," the player replied.

Qian Xuwen looked around and noted, "There seem to be a lot more people."

"Players from other numbers have also been coming here to trade," the player with the white mask explained. "This entire floor is a trading place, everyone’s mixed together."

Now that the numbers on their wristbands could no longer be seen and so many people were around, it became difficult to distinguish who were the original number three players. This made the two, who had come to find Yan Jiayu, quite anxious. They couldn’t leave, and while being accosted, Guan Sheng accidentally knocked off a player’s mask and was promptly grabbed and involved in a fight.

In the "Two" prayer hall, someone went out to trade alone with a person in a gray robe, and of course, there were others from different halls doing the same. Some left, some scampered about chaotically, and soon the players on this floor were as messy as a playground after morning exercises.

In such a chaotic scene, even if there were twenty or thirty people fewer, no one would notice anything amiss. Amidst the noise, members of the Twin Snakes Organization who had been scattered among the crowd began to move away, disappearing into the dimly lit areas where the light was faint.

At the same time, on two floors below, in the relaxation area at the end of the activity room, the door stood wide open. People in black robes and players wearing masks were busy coming and going, dragging body after body out of the room and into a secret door next to them.

These bodies were also draped in black robes, but their masks had already been removed. Most had their heads skewed, lolling onto their shoulders, while some were covered in bloodstains, with signs of sharp weapon cuts on their necks or chests.

As the secret door was flipped open, a player in a mask dumped a body down. It took two seconds for the sound of a heavy object hitting the bottom to echo up. An impatient person in black robe looked at the bloodstains on the ground and complained, "How many times have I told you not to make such a mess? How are we supposed to clean up if there’s blood everywhere?"

The player dragging the bodies hastily apologized, "Black Messenger, these people were on guard. The anesthetic didn’t fully take effect, so we had to hack them to death. It wouldn’t have been good for Twin Snakes if they’d gotten away. Don’t worry; we’ll clean it up properly in a moment!"

The person in black robe snorted coldly, "Nearly a dozen people, and you almost let it slip. If the higher-ups find out, you won’t get any benefits from this operation!"

The group of players with masks bowed their heads, taking the scolding. Only after the person in black robe had vented did they toss the last body behind the secret door. They quickly cleaned the traces from the floor and left through another passage.

Not far from the activity room, the door to a small venue silently opened. A player with a mask peered out to make sure no one was there, then slowly walked out, opened the secret door, and jumped down into the hidden passage.