Chapter 17: Swindling Votes

After compiling all the information, he finally received an official player ID, along with a new trait, two items, four types of potions, a gift pack, three tickets, and an additional two thousand in prize money.

He lifted his collar and sure enough, there was a string of numbers on the back, similar to the delivery girl’s, though the color and digits differed. Every officially approved player had such an ID after initial screening—cannibal players were marked in red, killers in black.

This didn’t seem like an ordinary tattoo; whether it could be altered or removed remained uncertain.

He first examined the items.

The “Super Running Shoes” looked no different from regular shoes but felt remarkably lightweight on his feet. His base speed was already more than twice that of an ordinary person, and these shoes boosted it by an additional thirty percent, which was quite significant.

His old shoes couldn’t be stored in the item slot and were discarded on the spot.

The “Arsonist’s Tool” was a plain brass lighter, lacking the distinctive flair of the one given by the tattooed elder. Yet from its description, it was a fascinating item, capable of ranged attacks but far more convenient. Unless someone was shirtless, it was an infallible weapon.

Of course, if other items provided defense, that would be a different matter.

Pocketing the lighter, Xu Huo moved on to his traits.

“Insider’s Perspective” enhanced his vision. Once activated, his eyes seemed to be covered by magnifying lenses, enlarging the tiniest details—truly a trait for meticulous observation.

It shared a similar nature with “Legs That Never Tire,” both representing bodily evolution, though linked to specific quirky professions.

This implied that choosing a profession in the game was meaningful. The traits a player developed were somewhat tied to their chosen role. The more complete a character was within the game’s scenarios, the more traits they might unlock.

Although ordinary players had greater long-term potential than cannibal players, newcomers who could gain strength by consuming others had an advantage, especially in terms of vitality.

The delivery girl’s powerful regenerative ability and the first-class player’s feigning death both exemplified strong vitality.

Yet, his own palm wound still throbbed faintly, no different from before evolving.

“To close this gap…”

Xu Huo shifted his gaze to the evolution potions and downed a bottle. It tasted quite pleasant, strawberry-flavored. After half a minute, his body felt no different, but his evolution level jumped to nine percent.

He quickly drank two more bottles—his level rose to ten percent, accompanied by a new note:

[Congratulations to player John Doe for reaching 10% evolution. Please note that beyond 10%, the effectiveness of P0 potions will decline. Seek out P1 potions—you may find them hidden within the game!]

He clenched his fist and punched the air; a crisp sound of air splitting rang out. His strength and speed now far surpassed what they had been just minutes ago.

However, if potion effects diminished with evolution, their usefulness would soon be limited. Beyond P0 and P1, there might be P2 and P3 potions, but physical ability could not increase indefinitely.

“So the key lies in trait growth.”

Xu Huo stroked the stubble growing on his chin and pulled out the three tickets.

These tickets were not paper but rectangular glass slabs about three fingers wide and half a finger thick, resembling transparent phones. Station names floated on the front, while the back displayed departure times. Both in-game and real-world times were marked, and the tickets could be scrolled to select options.

The nearest next departure was in thirty minutes.

[Player has selected train number 134, scheduled to depart in 29 minutes. Arrival at the station five minutes before departure is mandatory. Teleport now?]

Xu Huo hesitated, then tested each potion in turn.

The Healing Potion was underwhelming—applied to his wound, it barely dulled the pain and could be ignored.

The Cleaning Potion, however, was effective. A swipe on his clothes instantly removed dried blood stains. Aside from torn areas, it appeared freshly washed. No wonder cannibal players had no marks on them aboard the train.

Ordinary players might have one or two traits or items when boarding, but on the initial screening train, this offered no advantage. Cannibal players had astonishing stamina and tools to destroy evidence. Clearly, the game was not kind to ordinary players.

He casually applied some Hair Growth Potion to his scalp. When nothing happened after a while, he finally pressed [Yes].

Seconds later, he found himself standing inside a glass-constructed station.

Though called a station, aside from four windproof glass walls and a floating projection screen in the center, nothing else typical of a station remained. The empty glass room seemed suspended midair—neither here nor there—trapped between two mirrors made of blue sky and clouds, endless and lacking any solid form.

Five strangers were inside the station; two men in suits fixed their gaze on him the moment he appeared.

“We’re station attendants and need to check your ticket,” said one tall, slender man as he approached.

Xu Huo glanced at them both, deliberately produced his lighter, lit a cigarette, and exhaled smoke.

The tall man expected compliance but was taken aback by Xu Huo’s blatant disregard and open challenge. His face tightened. “Refusing inspection by station staff—is that how you want to be exiled?”

“Of course not,” Xu Huo replied, the lighter flickering and the brass cap clicking. “But I don’t have a ticket. Do you? Mind lending me one?”

The two exchanged glances. The tall man pressed on, “Show your ticket. Boarding requires inspection. Everyone here’s been checked.”

Xu Huo looked at the other three silent players staring their way, smiling wryly. “But I don’t have one.”

“That’s impossible!” snapped the shorter man. “The floating screen showed your train number when you arrived!”

Xu Huo had already noticed the single train number on the screen and nodded. “So only players with tickets see the train info. That means none of you have tickets. How pitiful.”

“If you don’t get a ticket in the next several minutes, who knows what’ll happen. You can neither board nor leave. Maybe you’ll starve here. Cannibal players might last a few days, waiting for the next batch of ticket holders.”

“But the game never said ticketless players could stay here indefinitely. When time’s up, you might be cleared out like trash—dumped in some desolate place or fed to humanoid monsters. Worst case, you’ll be sent to a high-risk dungeon. Do you know what that means?”