The heavily made-up woman crossed her arms in front of her chest, "I've said everything I know."
Her words were at sharp odds with her posture and demeanor.
Li Fei gritted his teeth and then fixed his gaze on Xu Huo.
Xu Huo remained silent.
"Li Ge is asking you a question," the woman with the melon seed-shaped face glared at him irritably.
"Am I obligated to tell you?" Xu Huo tapped the table top, "Did you pay for it?"
The woman with the melon seed-shaped face was at a loss for words, and Li Fei, blocking her, realized that his usual tactics were no longer effective.
"You guys are aware of the situation, can't you share with everyone?" the middle-aged woman said, "It's too selfish to keep it to oneself!"
"Exactly," the man with a square face said, "Since you knew about this before getting on the train, sharing the information would benefit everyone and increase the number of survivors, which is also good for you."
The other passengers in the carriage didn't speak up, but they all agreed with this sentiment in principle, yet the heavily made-up woman countered, "I've told you everything I can. There's nothing I can do if you don't believe me. Besides, who among you can be sure that the others don't know about the initial review train? Why not share and let everyone benefit?"
"So you mean you just want to watch others die?" the woman with the melon seed-shaped face said indignantly, "You're so selfish!"
"The one who's trying to morally blackmail others is the disgusting one," the heavily made-up woman refused to back down, and as things threatened to escalate, Professor Han stood up and interrupted loudly, "Everyone, stop arguing!"
He looked around at everyone, saying, "This train is called the initial review train. Evolvers have been appearing in society for less than a month. Even with those who have experience, not much information has been leaked, so it's not unusual to know a little bit."
"What about him?" the middle-aged woman pointed at Xu Huo, "I saw him whispering with people from other carriages earlier. Don't sell us out, alright?"
Xu Huo ignored her hostility, "Isn't the note I showed you clear enough? Even if you buy information from the attendants, the information you get will be included in the train's explicit regulations."
"Correct," Professor Han said, "I believe that following the train's requirements would minimize risks to the greatest extent."
"Moreover, the game's players are human, so the design must conform to human ethics and values, meaning that falling into depravity would surely affect the game score."
"The food on the train can stave off hunger, and with access to food, nobody would want to fall into depravity."
"We're currently only candidate players. After the initial review train ends, we may become official players. The ranking categories mentioned at the beginning of the game are most likely linked to assets, traits, and evolutionary levels. Our performance over these three days will determine our future game process. The explicit demands of the train, coupled with the implied rule against falling into depravity, must be followed if we want to attain a high score."
Professor Han paused then suggested, "I recommend that everyone follow the rules. This game might just be a beginning."
He was a smart man and quite persuasive. Players had no choice but to participate in the game, and those who had a higher starting point were safer.
"I'll follow the professor," the female student said, "We don't know what dangers we'll face in the game later on. If we're one step behind from the start, we might end up paying with our lives."
The others silently weighed their options and reached a consensus.
Forcing the heavily made-up woman or Xu Huo to reveal what they knew through violence was clearly unrealistic, and what Professor Han said was also everyone's concern.
Professor Han took out a small notebook he carried with him, tore out strips of paper for drawing lots, and wrote numbers on them, "Six people per round, split between the first and second half of the night."
No one objected to this and they took turns drawing lots.
"Aren't you going?" Yan Jiayu asked Xu Huo as she stood up.
Xu Huo flicked his lighter open with a "snap" and reached into his pocket, "You guys draw. Leave the leftovers for me."
Professor Han glanced in his direction, and seeing him puffing on a cigarette, shifted his gaze away.
In the end, Xu Huo got number five and was grouped with Chen Yi and the female student to watch over the first half of the night.
The man with the square face, the woman with the melon seed-shaped face, and an old man were grouped together for the first half of the night, while the remaining six people took the second half.
"The train has a lights-out policy. To be safe, after lights out, everyone should avoid using cell phones and lighters. It's best to turn off your phones. The person guarding the front door is responsible for keeping an eye on the light switch."
Xu Huo's group was in charge of the front door, and he nodded, "No problem."
"What if we have a bloodthirsty player among us? In the dark, wouldn't that make it easier for them to harm others?" the heavily made-up woman asked.
"Do you think bloodthirsty players are stupid?" the woman with the melon seed-shaped face snapped at her.
The heavily made-up woman said no more, and the matter was settled.
Time quickly approached eight o'clock. Everyone took turns visiting the washroom at the front, and after returning, except for those on watch, everyone else went back to their seats.
"Ding dong!"
"The lights on the train will soon be turned off. There might be slight turbulence as we pass through the Dimensional Rift. Please return to your seats and remain calm."
After being broadcast three times in succession, the lights inside the carriage went out, and at the same time, the sky outside visibly dimmed, plunging into darkness in just a few minutes.
Xu Huo stood by the light switch, pulling out a folding knife.
The darkness on the train showed not a trace of daylight; there was no light from any running instruments inside, nor were there stars or moonlight outside—the entire train was racing through utter blackness.
As time went on, the passengers' breathing gradually became more steady, not as tense as when the lights first went out, and it seemed some people had fallen asleep.
Xu Huo counted his heartbeats to track the time, and just before midnight, the train suddenly began to shake violently, as if it had entered a storm. The carriage swayed from side to side for three minutes before coming to a stop.
"Is everyone alright?" Professor Han's voice rang out.
"I'm fine... Ahhh!!!" The female student's answer turned into a scream before she could finish.
Xu Huo furrowed his brow, about to step forward, but then he felt a gust of wind blow by his head. He reflexively blocked it, and a long thin stick stabbed through the back of his hand, slamming his head toward the carriage door!
Xu Huo braced his elbow against the door and kicked the attacker's shin, hearing a "crack" of breaking bone, then grabbed Little Knife and stabbed forward!
Chen Yi let out a terrible cry, retreating again and again, just as the back door also experienced a disturbance—Square-Face Man also cried out in pain, "Someone's coming in from outside!"
"Don't turn on the lights!" Accompanying Professor Han's shout, the others in the carriage became defensive, unsure whether to block the front or the back door. It was precisely at this moment that Chen Yi cried out in panic, "Xu Huo is attacking me; he is a Bloody Player!"
As soon as he finished speaking, he was kicked with great force, flying out and landing among overturned tables and chairs. Before he could get up, his head was pinned down and a thin Little Knife was thrust into his ear!
At the same time, the rear door slammed shut, but footsteps were chaotic, making it unclear what was happening.
"Don't use your phones! Everyone stay in your place, don't move, if anyone wanders around, I'll consider them a Bloody Player!" Professor Han bellowed.
The carriage immediately quieted down considerably, and Xu Huo waited until he was certain Chen Yi was dead before getting up, sticking close to the window.
"No problem at the front door; Chen Yi was a Bloody Player."
After a two-second silence, Square-Face Man said, "The back door is closed too, just now..."
"Is there a dead person?" Xu Huo interrupted him.
"I can smell blood." The old man spoke up.
It wasn't until the roll call that it was confirmed that the one who had died at the back door was the girl with the melon-seed face.
"She's not breathing." Square-Face Man fumbled and checked her body, "Her neck is broken, and she has wounds on her body."
"Is the Third-Class Seat player still in our carriage?" He Yang inquired.
"I heard someone go out just now." Square-Face Man quickly replied.
This statement relieved everyone; Li Fei then asked Xu Huo, "How can you prove that Chen Yi was a Bloody Player?"
"I... I can prove it." In the corner, with a sob in her voice, the female student said, "Chen Yi attacked me first... I don't know why he changed his mind..."
Xu Huo slightly turned his head, contemplative.
"Well, maybe the two of you are the Bloody Players," Li Fei snorted.
"I trust my student," Professor Han stated, "Arguing now does more harm than good. Since there's no outsider in the carriage, everyone stay put and don't move. We'll discuss everything tomorrow; you don't want to wipe each other out due to paranoia, do you?"
Everyone remained silent, accepting his argument.
Although watches were set for the latter half of the night, under these circumstances, no one dared to sleep. Everyone stayed alert in their places, eyes wide open until daylight.
At four in the morning, the train experienced another jolt, and by eight, it was light outside. The broadcast inside the train began:
"Ding!"
"Welcome players aboard Preliminary Review Train number 301. This train departs from a three-dimensional point, crossing through the Dimensional Rift, and will arrive at Five-Dimensional Station at eight o'clock in two days' train time. There will be shaking during the journey; please remain calm."
"The train will categorize and rate players based on their performance during the journey, so please mind your behavior."
"Now playing the rules of the ride..."
The rules of the ride hadn't changed, only the time had been reduced from three days to two.
The daylight brightened abruptly, and Xu Huo narrowed his eyes, adjusting for a while.
"Look outside!" Yan Jiayu exclaimed.