There were many players present. Even though two of their companions had transformed into monstrosities right before their eyes, they didn't hesitate in the slightest to strike.
In this World of Horrors—
Hesitation meant defeat.
Soon, the two who had turned into monsters were dealt with. Their bodies seemed to melt away, leaving behind two puddles of black viscous liquid.
Two dark yellow tickets lay submerged in the slime, their edges blackened by corrosion.
Tian Xiaotian silently walked over to where they had been destroyed, bent down, and picked up the tickets.
Watching this, Ye Chuan couldn't help but feel that Tian Xiaotian had indeed changed a lot.
She was no longer that little girl with the mushroom bob cut who was so scared she had to cling to him for protection.
Regarding the shortage of tickets, Tian Xiaotian had voluntarily given up her own ticket, using a Sanctuary Card to temporarily ward off corruption. However, she knew that Ma Jiajun and Hu Wei would argue, thereby triggering the train's rules.
This way, it wouldn't look like Tian Xiaotian had abandoned her teammates. She not only secured the tickets but also maintained the squad's cohesion and their recognition of her as captain.
As for whether any team members would question Tian Xiaotian for withholding information, that no longer mattered.
Everyone's focus would be solely on survival.
If she had revealed from the start that the weakest would be eliminated, it would have caused infighting.
This was why Ye Chuan felt Tian Xiaotian's handling of the situation was mature.
After Tian Xiaotian returned to the seat next to Ye Chuan and sat down, she didn't explain much. She knew Ye Chuan understood the implications of her actions.
She paused for a moment, then suddenly asked, "Boss, I want to sleep for a bit. Can you keep watch for me?"
"Of course." Ye Chuan didn't mind.
Hearing this, Tian Xiaotian completely relaxed, closed her eyes, and began to rest.
Her exhaustion was visible to the naked eye, yet she let down her guard completely in front of Ye Chuan. She was effectively entrusting her life to him—a massive taboo in this World of Horrors.
Having struggled in the World of Horrors for so many years, Tian Xiaotian naturally understood this principle, but she did it anyway.
It was proof enough of her trust in Ye Chuan.
Even though they hadn't seen each other for decades.
Because Tian Xiaotian knew that if it weren't for Ye Chuan, she probably wouldn't have survived even her first dungeon.
...
...
Tian Xiaotian woke up. In reality, she had slept for less than half an hour before the broadcast sounded again—
"Hello, passengers... Welcome aboard the Rusty Pilgrim... bzzzt..."
"Bzzzt... Please observe the following rules..."
"Travel civilized, do not argue with other passengers... No smoking or drinking in the carriage..."
"Bzzz... Do not bzzzt..."
"Bzzzt... The next stop is in 20 hours..."
"Passengers without tickets, please purchase them immediately..."
The sound of the electric current was piercing. Tian Xiaotian noticed that Ye Chuan had stayed in the seat beside her the whole time. Even though he had the appearance of a child, he gave her an unparalleled sense of security.
"Boss, thanks for your trouble," Tian Xiaotian said. Although she had only slept for a short while, it had been incredibly refreshing.
"No problem."
Tian Xiaotian gathered her thoughts and continued, "The next stop for the Death Train is Plague Town."
"The background of this horror dungeon is a small town where an unknown plague broke out, infecting people and turning them into monsters," Tian Xiaotian explained.
"And Silent Hospital is where those infected patients turned the entire medical staff into monsters."
However, Tian Xiaotian wasn't clear on the specific details because she hadn't cleared this dungeon with the highest rating.
Clearing dungeons in the World of Horrors came with grades; meeting certain conditions allowed one to leave the dungeon and receive rewards. Generally speaking, the more thoroughly one investigated the dungeon, the higher the likelihood of receiving a high evaluation.
Ye Chuan hummed in acknowledgment, indicating he roughly understood.
If Plague Town was where the virus originated, perhaps there would be a considerable number of monsters?
In that case, it would be a good place to farm Essence Souls for Lilith.
"Boss, are you thinking about something?" Tian Xiaotian asked, seeing Ye Chuan lost in thought.
"I just realized that the Death Train shouldn't have just a few stops," Ye Chuan said. Could this Death Train be a transit hub?
"That..."
"Never mind, just treat it as me rambling." After saying this, Ye Chuan suddenly seemed to notice something and looked out the window. "We're entering a tunnel."
Entering a tunnel?
Tian Xiaotian looked out the window. What was so strange about entering a tunnel?
*Whoosh.* The next moment, the surroundings instantly went dim. In the silent space, only the sound of friction against the iron rails remained.
"..."
When the surroundings brightened again, Tian Xiaotian looked at Ye Chuan once more. "Boss..."
"Did you notice anything?" Ye Chuan suddenly asked.
Tian Xiaotian frowned, then followed Ye Chuan's gaze. There was nothing special.
Just empty seats.
Wait...
Empty?!
"Where are our teammates?" Tian Xiaotian stood up immediately, looking around in disbelief.
Why had everyone disappeared?!
"Is it the power of the supernatural?!"
"..." Ye Chuan retracted his gaze, speaking as if he had realized something. "They were probably randomly transported to other carriages."
Tian Xiaotian didn't quite understand.
"When I entered the Death Train, new passengers would appear every time we passed through a tunnel... I was thinking about the pattern," Ye Chuan explained.
"I think... every time we go through a tunnel, the people inside the carriage might be randomly teleported to other carriages."
"But why didn't that happen the first time I rode it?" Just as Tian Xiaotian finished asking, she realized the problem.
"The first time I cleared this dungeon, I was alone."
"Right, you were alone, so you didn't notice the pattern. You were lucky enough not to bump into other passengers," Ye Chuan said.
"The carriage was always just you. Even if someone had disappeared, you wouldn't have known."
"B-But what is the purpose of this rule?" Tian Xiaotian frowned and began to think.
"Who knows," Ye Chuan remained calm.
"But on this train, we aren't the only passengers, are we?"
"Boss, do you mean..."
"Perhaps there are very dangerous entities appearing as passengers," Ye Chuan said.
"Every time we pass through a tunnel, no one knows if they'll be placed together with some terrifying existence."
"If that's the case..."
"The train only prohibits arguing; it doesn't prohibit killing," Ye Chuan murmured, looking out of the car.
Outside the train at this moment, amidst the fog that shrouded the seemingly endless line of carriages, the windows of several cars were suddenly stained red with splattered blood. Faint screams could be heard, only to be drowned out by the roaring sound of the speeding train...
...
young master of the Shen family—a figure of immense power and wealth beyond measure—and awakened the "Destined Ultimate Villain System"! His starting scenario? Running into his icy fiancée who shows up with a mountain-descending divine doctor to break off their engagement. The divine doctor arrogantly taunts: "What does your Shen family have besides a bit of stinking money? You're not even worthy of tying Qingxue's shoelaces!" Shen Fei just smiled. He completely defied the usual script: "Fine, I agree to break off the engagement. Also, notify the finance department to withdraw all investments from the Su family." Minutes later, with its capital chain severed, the Su Group teetered on the brink of bankruptcy! The once aloof and proud ice queen CEO was thrown into utter panic. That very night, she went to Shen Fei's villa, casting aside all dignity to beg and plead desperately... From then on, in this world teeming with Sons of Destiny, Shen Fei embarked on a path of extreme dimensional suppression! A mountain-descending divine doctor? Peerless medical skills? Shen Fei: "Reporting you for practicing medicine without a license! I'll gladly take your ancient medicinal cauldron and twin sister assassins." The Crooked-Smiling Dragon King? Commanding a hundred thousand soldiers with a single order? Shen Fei: "Illegal assembly and suspected treason! Let a fleet of attack helicopters sanitize the area and teach you what the state apparatus really means!" A reborn tycoon? Knows all the golden opportunities of the next decade? Shen Fei: "A trillion in capital to reverse and pump the stock market, making you blow your margin and jump on the very first day of your rebirth!" What Chosen Ones? What bearers of Heavenly Fortune? In Shen Fei's eyes, they're all just chives (i.e., suckers/marks) waiting to be harvested! Shen Fei: "Sorry, but as the Destined Ultimate Villain, I don't play by the rules of honor. I only play the game of dimensional suppression."
] This is a dark fantasy-themed dating simulation game. The main gameplay involves containing various monster girls and investigating the truth of a world shrouded in mist alongside your companions. However, due to his love for the dark and bizarre atmosphere, Luo Wei ended up turning a dating game into a detective mystery game. Women? Women only slow down his quickdraw! To Luo Wei, the female leads in the game are more like tools to perfectly clear levels and squeeze out rewards. For Luo Wei, flirting with every girl he meets and then discarding them is standard procedure. Worried about characters losing affection points? No need. With his maxed-out charm stat, Luo Wei is practically a "human incubus." A little psychological manipulation and those points come right back. It's a bit scummy, but the paper cutout heroines in the game won't actually come at him with real cleavers. However... Luo Wei has transmigrated. He's accidentally entered the second playthrough of this game. His past actions have caused all the girls to transform into terrifying yanderes. Due to the game's setting, most of the heroines he once contained are "troubled girls." Obsessive, twisted, mentally unstable, all aggressive yanderes... The type who will kill you if they can't have you... Luo Wei wants to cry but has no tears left. "I really just want to survive..." In short, this is a story of battling wits and engaging in a love-hate relationship with yanderes.
] [Lone Wolf, No Male Gaze] [Protagonist is pursued early on; extreme protagonist-stans, stay away!] The "Carnival Paradise" descends and slowly devours the real world in the form of a game. By chance, Zhu Yan awakens the talent [Roleplay], becoming one of the first beta players. He thought he could develop safely, but after clearing the first instance, he is branded by humanity as the chief culprit behind the game's spread—a traitorous villain. A villain? Who would ever... become one! He'll be the villain! From then on, Zhu Yan is not only a player but also a lackey for the Carnival Paradise. Between the straight path and the crooked path, he chooses the con. With his left hand, he dons the villain's mantle, staging scenes within instances, infuriating players who decry him as a despicable traitor, all while the game happily promotes him. With his right hand, he joins the non-human organization "Fangcun Mountain," which opposes the Carnival Paradise, transforming into a mysterious player who slaughters game bosses, earning cheers of "Long live the expert!" from fellow players. Gradually, Zhu Yan rises to become an S-rank human player in Fangcun Mountain's archives, while also being the Carnival Paradise's certified top game Boss. But when the final war erupts and both major factions place their hopes in him— Players tag his various aliases: "Experts, this offensive depends on you." The Carnival Paradise's supreme Boss throws an arm around his neck: "Bro, you're the iron, I'm the steel; you can't let me down again!"
transmigrates into the world as the sect master of the Heavenly Yan Sect, which is on the verge of being wiped out. He binds a system that grants him cultivation power based on the number of disciples he has: for each disciple, he automatically gains a year's worth of cultivation every single day! Take one disciple: every day he gains 1 year of cultivation power. While others struggle through a year of bitter training, he gets the same just by sleeping through a single night. Take ten disciples: every day he gains 10 years of cultivation power. Foundation Establishment, Core Formation, Nascent Soul—he breezes through all bottlenecks without lifting a finger. Take one hundred disciples: every day he gains 100 years of cultivation power. Even a Soul Transformation Venerable before him can’t survive a single blow. Take ten thousand disciples: every day he gains 10,000 years of cultivation power! With a wave of his hand, he topples empires. With a single step, he crushes the sacred grounds of the universe. ... While others fight tooth and nail for secret techniques, Lin Yan casually hands out Nascent Soul-level cultivation manuals as beginner textbooks. While others strain to find talented recruits, Lin Yan opens his doors to anyone—so long as they’re human. In just three short years, the Heavenly Yan Sect went from a backwater sect made up of three crumbling huts to a sacred land that every cultivator under heaven would kill to enter. ... One day, otherworldly demon gods invade, with a million demon soldiers pressing down upon the realm. Lin Yan, yawning, rises from his lounge chair and glances at the system panel: [Current Disciples: 1.28 million] [Daily Cultivation Increase: 1.28 million years] He waves his hand casually, and the countless demon soldiers are reduced to ashes in an instant. “So noisy… interrupting my fishing.”
