Kaidan Game Train: Abide Rule or Die!

Chapter 2434: Ignorance and Fearlessness

Although there is no direct convincing evidence, Bubble Bean and his partner still instinctively suspect everything around them in response to dangerous situations, guessing that they are quite close to the truth. But without being able to find anyone, there’s nothing they can do except wander around in the woods.The longer time passes, the worse their situation becomes because they gradually realize that they might be moving in circles within the woods... Still, they have no direct evidence; they just feel that Xu Huo and his partner haven’t left and are trying to use the environment to drive them to lose control.

Unable to find anyone for a long time, occasionally spotting shadowy figures flicker by, under such nerve-wracking circumstances, no one can hold out for long. Hence, from initially fleeing frantically, to later remaining silent, to eventually shouting curses trying to provoke Xu Huo to reveal himself...

However, the woods remain as silent as ever, and the village that appeared yesterday seems like a dream, never to appear before them again.

But advanced players have the energy, not to mention a few hours; wandering for days is no problem.

The Girl in the painting, after harassing them for a while with Xu Huo’s cooperation, then retreated, having discovered some special marks in the woods, likely carved by locals, thus she intended to visit the next village.

"Wait a little longer." They shouldn’t deal with Bubble Bean and his partner now; they will eventually find the nearby village. Hypnotizing a Rank-B player in a very short time is very difficult, so preparations need to be made here.

The thick fog that persisted for two days showed signs of dispersion, and visibility gradually expanded. Because Xu Huo and his partner hadn’t shown up for so long, Bubble Bean and his mate gradually began doubting their judgment; after all, Xu Huo’s interference without any other actions seemed unnecessary.

"Is what Deng Guang said true?" The Yin Yang Master used the Silencing Prop, "He said that playing the Hidden Friend only requires calling a dungeon player, is it truly that calling once makes the player follow?"

"What are you thinking?" Bubble Bean said, "If it were that simple, he could have directly called Xu away while playing the Hidden Friend; it’s obviously fake."

"Is it the content about the Hidden Friend he mentioned that’s fake, or the actor’s identity that’s fake?" The Yin Yang Master voiced his deepest doubts.

Bubble Bean couldn’t judge either, "I can only hope what he said is true."

"If what he said is true, yet he’s missing, it means we all have a chance to play the Hidden Friend; it’s not that only the lucky ones can draw the lot."

The two briefly rested before preparing to leave again, and as the Yin Yang Master stood up, a cracking sound suddenly echoed from underfoot. He lifted his foot, stared at the ground, and identified for a moment, "Isn’t this Bubble Bean? How did we not notice this coming over just now?"

Bubble Bean himself looked down, "This isn’t Bubble Bean, just looks a bit like it..."

Before finishing his sentence, he paused momentarily, then took a closer look, "Indeed it’s bubble bean grass, don’t step on it, the bubble that comes out sticks to you and the smell won’t dissipate in a day or two."

The Yin Yang Master stepped aside, but noticed upon leaving that the surroundings were densely covered with bubble bean grass.

Both used Hovering Items to leap over, when a sudden gust of wind blew, flattening large patches of grass, and after a series of cracking sounds, countless transparent bubbles flew up, with the fog partially dispersed, giving an unusual beauty as the bubbles soared.

Bubble Bean and his partner stepped back, taking additional glances before leaving.

On the other side, Xu Huo and the Girl in the painting had already entered the village.

This village was somewhat larger than the previous one, and after the fog dissipated, some villagers entered the woods to gather mushrooms and wild vegetables. As they approached, they coincidentally encountered a few young girls walking together.

They did not fear them upon seeing them but remained cautious, keeping a distance from them.

Xu Huo did not approach them but greeted them from afar and inquired whether there was a place to stay nearby.

The girls actually responded that there were two vacant houses in their village sometimes used to accommodate travelers, but they would need to pay if they wanted to stay.

Xu Huo repeated his usual story: lost, finally finding people with his sister during the heavy fog, and then getting lost again.

"I recognize the waterproof clothes you’re wearing," said one Big Braids Girl, "This is Granny Yi from Upper Wood Village’s handiwork; you’ve stayed at her place."

Xu Huo nodded with a smile and walked with them towards the village.

Young girls tend to be more talkative than older folks, even when restrained, they said a lot and asked much about things outside.

"Granny Yi said the village people can go out; why don’t you go out and have a look?" Xu Huo asked.

"Afraid to be found by the weird people hiding in the woods," Big Braids Girl said, "My mom says there are many lonely weirdos in the woods, seeking friends to enter and accompany them; once following them, you never return."

"The outside is nice, but I can’t leave my mom and dad," another girl said, "Unless there’s no one left in my family, I definitely won’t follow that weirdo."

The other girls evidently shared the same thought, and compared to the fear and dread of those from Upper Wood Village, their attitude was a bit different.

At this moment, a relatively quiet girl spoke, "The outside world is not good at all; I heard from grandma that people from big cities don’t care whether we live or die. Even if we go out, they won’t let us in, and with aliens everywhere, we won’t survive for long."

The girls clearly knew the difference between players and ordinary people and showed a bit of envy towards Xu Huo and his partner, but quickly moved on, continuing their hunt for wild vegetables and mushrooms as they walked.

The pace was somewhat slow, and Xu Huo joined them in picking wild vegetables. Once guided on which were poisonous and non-poisonous, he tentatively asked the girls, "Aren’t you afraid of Hidden Friends?"

Young girls who have never truly faced the death of loved ones have a kind of fearless ignorance, "Everyone dies eventually; rather than being bitten to death by aliens, I’d rather the weirdos come pick me up. They say when it comes for people it turns into a familiar face, in that case, even dying won’t be scary."

"Were there people called away in your village?" Xu Huo continued to ask, "I heard from Granny Yi that last year several people were called away from Upper Wood Village."

Having gotten the candy from the Girl in the painting, Big Braids Girl was willing to share more about the village, "There were when I was little, but not in recent years; some say they heard weirdos calling, but it’s fake, just to fool us."

"We haven’t heard it."

"You’re really strange, why do you call Hidden Friends weirdos?" Xu Huo said, almost as if talking to himself.