Chapter 6: The Rules

Just as he pulled the door open, Xu Huo suddenly asked, "Is it possible to buy on credit if I don't have white bills?"

The attendant replied affably, "Of course, credit is welcome."

Pocketing three hundred white bills, Xu Huo pressed the doorbell of the first-class carriage under the watchful eyes of the crowd.

This time, Nie Xuan opened the door. Having anticipated that Xu Huo would return to the first-class carriage, he had been waiting by the door. Seeing the identical coaster paper, he smiled and said, "Selling information?"

Unfortunately, there were quite a few wealthy and clever people in the first-class carriage; several of them had already obtained the insider tips provided by the attendant.

"Two hundred white bills for the information I have, or you can trade with your own."

"Three hundred white bills for a hidden rule; you can also trade using a hidden rule."

Nie Xuan was not particularly interested in the note's information. He had also received a napkin from the attendant earlier, but it only contained a trivial piece of news.

Nie Xuan quickly made a decision. He closed the carriage door to speak with Xu Huo privately in the transition vestibule.

"How many hidden rules have you found?"

"Two." Xu Huo exchanged papers with him to read the other's, then raised an eyebrow. "How much did you pay for this piece of information?"

"Three hundred white bills." Nie Xuan folded the note reading "Stay awake at night" and handed it back. "How about yours?"

"One hundred." Xu Huo handed over the one that read "Do not turn on the lights."

Nie Xuan paid him five hundred white bills. "I'll give you a discount; I'm buying both of your tips."

Xu Huo accepted the money readily. Shielding his mouth and nose under the guise of lighting a cigarette, he lowered his voice: "Low-class carriages cannot enter high-class carriages unless someone opens the door."

Nie Xuan understood instantly. In this transition vestibule, the second-class carriage door had no doorbell, but the first-class one did; Xu Huo had just rung that bell.

"Are you sure?"

"The third-class carriage has no doorbell, but the back door of the second-class carriage does." Xu Huo raised his cigarette again. "The second tip: you can buy meals on the train on credit."

First-class players were not short on white bills and had more than enough to last three days. If people in the second and third classes were buying on credit, it meant they lacked white bills. What would they use to settle up after three days?

The broadcast had mentioned that ratings and classifications would be based on player performance. Buying on credit was very likely to be deducted from this score, making it a last resort.

Furthermore, most people had boarded the train hungry. If everyone could satisfy their hunger through food, what would be the standard for grading? What, then, would be the point of the preliminary screening?

This piece of information was crucial, as it implied other potential rules.

Nie Xuan grasped the implication as well. He looked at Xu Huo, who remained indifferent, and cautioned, "The train is relatively safe for players."

Xu Huo turned his head to look at the scenery outside, becoming wary once more of the scene that appeared to be laid bare. The attendant had the right to expel players—did that mean leaving the train was a dead end?

"Don't sell the first piece of information to anyone else," Nie Xuan added.

If there were no restrictions on high-class carriages entering lower-class ones, didn't that mean people in first class could attack those in second class at will?

Xu Huo did not respond. Players were assigned carriages based on assets, and being in a high-class carriage did not necessarily mean having superior ability.

Ability might not be higher, but punishments could exist. Rational people would hesitate, but those without brains would have their instincts unaffected regardless of whether they knew the rules or not.

After the exchange, Xu Huo did not leave. Soon, another person emerged from the first class. "I want to buy the information you have on hand."

Although the people in first class had money, very few had come out to buy information, but this was enough.

Returning to the second-class carriage, he already had 2,700 white bills in his pocket. Meal time had not yet passed, so he called the attendant to order two extra bowls of noodles—one for himself and one for the old man.

The old man thanked him hesitantly and called Yan Jiayu over to eat.

"Good people get rewarded." Yan Jiayu gobbled down the noodles and said to Xu Huo, "Benefactor, you are a good person too."

Xu Huo finished his meal quickly, leaned back in his seat, closed his eyes to rest, and began to sort through the information he had gathered.

One hundred white bills had bought him the warning to "Stay awake at night," and the three hundred white bill tip was "Do not turn on the lights." The rule "Lights out at 8:00 PM" was already written in the passenger regulations, which meant the consequences of turning on the lights at night were at least more severe than falling asleep.

The light switch in the carriage was a trap.

The purchasing power of players in the first-class carriage was generally stronger than that of the second class. What the heavily made-up woman said was likely true—players were assigned carriages based on assets—but she probably didn't have much more information herself.

She didn't care about the information bought from the attendant; it could be a bluff, or it could be that she was confident in her victory.

However, the preliminary screening train was clearly a survival game filled with hidden traps. An extra layer of protection meant less risk. There were also cannibalistic players on board, and there were too many uncertain factors; the latter possibility was unlikely.

When there was a commotion in the third-class carriage, she was the first to go and hold the door. Was she unclear about the rules, or was it intentional?

Xu Huo paused his thoughts briefly before moving on to the next piece of information.

The setting that high-class carriages could enter lower-class ones—which seemed hidden but was actually obvious—was also a trap. The passenger regulations stated that one could not enter other carriages. On the surface, it seemed to imply that players in high-class carriages were inherently stronger than those in low-class ones, but in reality, the disparity in strength was not significant.

Under these circumstances, entering other carriages was absolutely unwise unless all the players in one's own carriage were dead or only cannibalistic players remained.

Cannibalistic players were the only known threat at the moment.

Judging from the information revealed by the delivery woman, the preliminary screening train would certainly isolate cannibalistic players. But that did not mean ordinary players would not be tempted. If they couldn't get food on the train, players who hadn't eaten human flesh before might eventually turn to it.

However, since players could buy on credit, if all players were not hungry, there would be no way to grade or classify them. Therefore, the effect of the food likely wouldn't last twenty-four hours.

The question was whether the effect of the food on ordinary players was the same as it was for cannibalistic players.

In this way, the first day's incident would most likely occur after the lights went out.

Xu Huo squinted, observing everyone in the carriage.

Without the torment of insatiable hunger, the tension in the carriage had eased. The woman with the melon-shaped face and Li Fei were flirting together; Chen Yi was fiddling with a toothbrush; the square-faced man had his hands in his pockets.

He Yang and the female student with the ponytail were playing mobile games, Professor Han was typing incessantly on his phone, the middle-aged woman sat with her hands folded over her abdomen, motionless, the heavily made-up woman was resting with her eyes closed, and Yan Jiayu was chatting with the old man.

Until three o'clock in the afternoon, there had been no announcements on the train.

The four people at Li Fei's table whispered for a while before he stood up, scanned the crowd, cleared his throat, and said, "We are all in the same boat now. Whether you trust me or not, we will surely die faster if we have internal strife. Let's take turns guarding the door tonight... No one has any objections to that, right?"

With the obsession of hunger gone, it was time to think about practical matters.

Seeing no opposition, he continued, "The rest of us don't know anything about this preliminary screening train. I suggest we share our information so we can better handle emergencies."

Eyes turned one by one toward the heavily made-up woman and Xu Huo.