Yan Hebi is in Danger

 

As the hunting game reached its later phase, after some weaker players were eliminated, it was perfectly normal for the remaining players to choose to team up temporarily. However, at present the game time had not yet reached the halfway point, and the speed at which teams were forming was somewhat too fast.

After recalling everything that had happened since boarding the train, Xing Ye communicated with Lu Mingze through “Hearts connected as one ” : “I think the turning point occurred between the second and the third stations.

“From the departure station to the first station, two players who acted too quickly and were misled by the system were eliminated. Shao Lin and his teammate, as well as the two men in the restroom, all formed teams during the first station interval. The first hour was the preparation phase for the hunters: on the one hand, they moved toward Car No. 12, trying to determine the location of the mission target, and on the other hand, they searched for teammates they could trust.

“I expected that during the first station’s hour, no particularly strong players would rashly make a move. Moreover, it would not be easy for them to find my whereabouts, so during the first station I stayed inactive, conserving my strength in my seat for an hour. It was only on the way from the first station to the second that I began laying out misdirection, testing the game rules, and at the same time eliminating hunters as much as possible by exploiting those rules.

“The reason I chose to act at that time was that after the first station, many players should already have determined that I was in Car No. 12 through the position refreshes of Cars No. 9 and No. 15, and were preparing to hunt me down. So I took the initiative, confusing the enemy’s perception, making them unable to trust the position information on their phones, and leading them to believe that I had a way to move instantaneously or to deceive the system.

“After releasing the smokescreen at the second station, the period between the second and third stations should have been the hunters’ phase of confusion and probing, as well as my own period of recovery, during which I would also search for the whereabouts of the remaining hunters. According to my speculation, during this phase some players would actively complete tasks to obtain more system hints, and more covertly assassinate the system’s incorrect options to test the limits of the rules, while harbouring a fluke mentality that those options might include my presence.

“But this speculation did not come true. Instead, the hunters skipped this phase entirely and entered the next stage of pre–final-battle preparation. In this stage, most hunters would already have formed two or three teams, begun locking onto the identity of the Thirty million, and prepared for the final showdown. But this should have happened at the fourth or fifth station, after five hours of travel. Isn’t the current pace a bit too fast?”

After hearing this, Lu Mingze was momentarily stunned. What could he say? Not long after boarding, Xing Ye had already grasped the hunters’ thoughts and movements; everything was under control. Did Xing Ye need comforting?

The answer was no. Lu Mingze asked, “Have you already found the reason?”

“More or less,” Xing Ye replied. “The reason is that I underestimated my opponents. They have probably already guessed that the baseball cap, the chef, and the attendant were all smokescreens meant to conceal my true identity, which is why this advance in progress occurred earlier than expected.

“In fact, when I met Shao Lin, I already felt that my plan might not go smoothly. What I didn’t expect was that he could communicate with other players so quickly. What kind of ability is that?

“I’ve been observing in secret. After Shao Lin and his teammate passed by Car No. 12, they never came back. By what means did they contact other players?”

Lu Mingze flipped through information from the other mirrors and said, “Through the mirror by the washbasin, I saw that after they entered Car No. 16, they never came out. They’ve been staying in that car.”

“Could Shao Lin have some kind of telepathic communication ability?” Xing Ye quickly rejected his own thought. “Unlikely. Even if such an ability existed, it would require actual contact with players. He stayed in Car No. 16—how did he make contact, and by what means did he unite the remaining eight players…?”

He lowered his gaze in deep thought. Countless images flashed through his mind like scenes from a film, until they finally froze on two images.

The first was the male attendant who had carefully checked his ticket when he boarded the train.

The second was the male attendant who, between the second and third stations, had proactively asked the blind woman whether she needed help while Xing Ye was observing her.

It was the same person.

Xing Ye had long suspected that this attendant was a player. On the train, the only people who could move around naturally without arousing suspicion were attendants.

Even staff who sold snacks and boxed meals had to push a small cart back and forth, usually going from one end to the other and then back again, unable to change direction midway. Attendants, however, were different: they could shuttle back and forth throughout the train, and passengers, unaware of their specific duties, would not suspect their movements.

“Is it possible that Shao Lin made contact with this attendant in Car No. 16, and through the attendant connected all the remaining players? Shao Lin’s “Sweet talk” could easily convince hunters who shared his stance. By doing so, he formed a team right under my nose,” Xing Ye said.

Lu Mingze grew a little nervous and quickly searched for the attendant’s movements through the mirrors. He discovered that in the short one-hour span between the second and third stations, the attendant had gone back and forth between Cars No. 9 and No. 16 several times, though it was unclear what he had been busy with.

“When Cao Qian and Qian Daniu joined forces to defeat Randy, that attendant was in Car No. 13 watching the whole time!” Lu Mingze noticed this time frame.

“So they also know that Qian Daniu got off the train voluntarily…” Xing Ye said. “It seems that the fact that Cao Qian is my teammate can no longer be concealed. Her appearance is very eye-catching; if this continues, it will be dangerous.”

Xing Ye picked up his phone to send Cao Qian a message, intending to warn her to be cautious. At that moment, Cao Qian sent him a photo. It was not the pink twin-tailed girl, but an ordinary-looking girl wearing black-framed glasses.

Cao Qian wrote: “ ‘Transformation Girl’ can be used twice within 24 hours, and the transformation can be cancelled at any time. After transformation, the appearance is completely different from the transformed form, making it hard for people to associate the two as the same person. My fight in Car No. 13 was too conspicuous, so I’ve temporarily changed into an ordinary look to stay hidden. I’m sending you the photo—I’m in a corner of Car No. 12. I still have one transformation left, which I’ll save for when it’s needed.”

Without needing Xing Ye’s reminder, Cao Qian had already realized the danger and found a way to deal with it.

Xing Ye let out a slight sigh of relief. Cao Qian did not need to be worried about—but on Yan Hebi’s side…

Shao Lin had met Yan Hebi in the casino world. He knew that they were good friends and also understood Yan Hebi’s personality. If he planned to start from Yan Hebi, what would he do?

Yan Hebi was currently in the locomotive at the front of the train, far from the centre of conflict, and was temporarily safe. But if Shao Lin intended to take the initiative, he would definitely be able to find Yan Hebi.

However, they had been staying in Car No. 16 without moving—perhaps they would not…

No!

Xing Ye suddenly realized: “I can change cars during the few minutes when the train stops at a station, and Shao Lin can do the same! The first time I encountered him was in Car No. 9, which means his initial car was between Cars No. 1 and No. 9. It’s possible that he has already reached Cars No. 1–9 now.”

“But even if they get off the train, they still have to pass by the mirror in front of the washbasin,” Lu Mingze said. “I’ve been watching the mirrors the whole time and haven’t seen them leave Car No. 16.”

“What if that attendant provided them with uniforms or other clothes?” Xing Ye said. “Using the same method I did—getting off and back on during the peak flow of passengers boarding and getting off,’ —then Yan Hebi would be in danger.”

Translator : DarNan