Kaidan Game Train: Abide Rule or Die!
Chapter 909: Migrants Inside the Archway

Chapter 909: Chapter 909: Migrants Inside the Archway

Xu Huo stepped through the archway and was subjected to mental interference, but he was familiar with the process and adapted without much difficulty. However, the woman following him had already positioned herself in front of him, her hand raised, ready to slap him.

Meeting his gaze, the woman hastily withdrew her hand and explained in a panic, "I... wasn’t trying to harm you..."

"Have a drink of water first," Xu Huo offered her part of a bottle of water.

The woman took it eagerly yet carefully, drank a capful, and then screw the cap back on. "Come with me."

Indeed, the "archway" was a prop for this place, but this prop was not as formidable as Jiang Jiang’s Octagonal Gallery. The illusions were not difficult to break, and once deciphered, inside was a small service area with a tiny store, a restaurant, and a restroom.

The woman led Xu Huo into the restroom.

A young man who looked under twenty was lying breathless on the ground, being taken care of by a boy about twelve or thirteen, while two slightly younger girls sat nearby. Noticing someone entering, all three instinctively shielded the young man on the ground with their bodies.

"The one who’s poisoned is my brother... Can you save him..." the woman’s voice was hoarse, "We didn’t mean to block this place; we ran out of Base 17 and encountered players. My brother got injured, and just as we finally made it here, he was bitten again... The herbs we had can’t cure the poison... He set up a trap because he was afraid something would happen to us..."

"Where are you heading?" Xu Huo crouched down to examine the young man’s injuries. Both his right arm and left leg were broken and useless for the time being; the poison was actually the least of his concerns. "How long have you been here?"

Base 17 and Base 18 were not far from each other.

"We’re heading to Base W37; the broadcast said they would take in infected people." The boy gathered his courage to meet Xu Huo’s gaze, "Uncle said we will have a good life once we get there!"

Under the nervous and panicked eyes of the group, Xu Huo fed the young man some antitoxin. "It’s not a serious poison, but he’s wounded and a bit dehydrated, which makes it look worse. He’ll wake up in a little while."

"Thank you... Thank you..." A trickle of tears formed in the woman’s dry eyes.

Xu Huo didn’t plan to leave immediately, so he said to the woman, "There’s a kitchen next door, check if there are utensils, make something to eat."

He took out some rice and vegetables, "Do you know this type of food? Boil it with water, and it can be eaten after it softens."

The woman obediently went off, and Xu Huo watched the time. Five minutes later, he said to the man on the ground, "You’re in a state to talk now."

Only then did the man lying on the ground slowly open his eyes.

The children surrounded him, excited yet restrained, while the young Player looked up at Xu Huo, "I only have a few props left, if you want, I can give you this door."

"That’s not urgent," Xu Huo replied. "I heard you’re going to W37 Base; I’m headed there too, but I’m not too familiar with that station. I’d like to hear what you have to say."

The young man, eager to join him at W37 Base, answered all his questions without reservation.

But what Xu Huo really wanted to know about was the relationship between the remaining base cities.

The mission for the instance was to deliver a living sample to Base W37 City. Looking at the map, compared to W11, W37 was indeed closer to W19, but the complexity of both routes was not comparable. In his opinion, heading directly to W11 seemed more reasonable. Moreover, the background info mentioned that W11 had discovered a human Alien with antibodies. Such an opportunity should not be given to W37. It wasn’t just a matter of the difficulty of transporting the samples, but also involved the resource exchange between base cities.

Yet the mission was assigned by W11, which was a bit strange.

The young man had just become a Level D Player and hadn’t personally visited different base cities. His knowledge came from previous broadcast information or from data trades on reward platforms.

Conflicts between base cities were common, but they didn’t completely cut off dealings with each other. It was not unheard of for two base cities to announce the suspension of relations one day, only to declare a restoration of ties the following night. This depended on whether the parties had resources desired by the other.

Some resources of base cities came from players, with frequent updates in power dynamics. The farcical act of slapping one’s own face happened every now and then.

Comparable in number were broadcasts about players "switching sides." The reason the term "betrayal" was avoided in favor of "switching sides" was because it was so common for players to run from one base city to another, possibly even taking a bunch of "friends" with them. As base cities poached from each other, it wasn’t polite to speak too ill of it.

"The broadcast reported a trade accident once. Base 25 and Base 29 had a resource transaction, but 29 wasn’t aware that one of 25’s players had moved to another base city, so they initiated the trade. By the time 25’s actual recipient arrived, the deal had already been done."

Continuing, the young man added, "So now trades are confirmed with uniquely unlocked wristbands."

The ring-shaped shifting of player allegiances was utterly absurd, yet at W37 Base Station, it was not unusual. To attract players, some base cities even resorted to using sex as a bribe, turning matchmaking events into selection ceremonies for consorts.

Whether it was the relations between base cities or the cities themselves, they could be described in one word: shameless.

At least that was the general impression from listening.

But that was just listening.

"Aren’t all the bases refusing to take in residents who are infected?" Xu Huo asked again.

"Base W37 City is different." The young man’s eyes brightened, "I’ve met a player from Base 37 in an instance, who said they’ve always been taking in infected people. It’s just that communication between cities is poor and others don’t know."

"Won’t the epidemic spread?" Xu Huo remarked.

"As long as precautions are taken, there should be no problem!" he immediately replied, "The previous widespread infection was all due to inexperience, and not every infected person will die. My sister and several of my nephews are alive and well, besides some spots; they’re in good health!"

"I’ve been in close contact with them too, and I’m fine!"

"You don’t need to get so worked up," Xu Huo said. "You’re an anomaly, and furthermore, you’re a player, not the same as ordinary people, which doesn’t prove anything."

The other’s gaze darkened, no longer attempting to explain, but stated, "I’m telling the truth."

Xu Huo believed he was telling the truth. In fact, the library data indicated that when the epidemic first broke out, players were also infected, although at a much lower rate than the general population. Another advantage for players was that they could purchase special potions. Even if infected, they had a way to save themselves.

Speaking of this, a new question naturally arose—had no player from other game zones brought back potions or vaccines?