Chapter 877: The Distorted World

"It seems you don't welcome me very much." Zhuang Mengtian cautiously retreated.

Xu Huo then asked Shajia and You Si about the hallucinations they had seen on the train.

Shajia had also undergone Super Evolution in the mental aspect, so he had been affected less. Not only that, he had stopped the killing in his carriage on the second night, which was how he and Pu Donghai became friends. Furthermore, no one in his carriage or the one behind it had eaten anything other than the provided meals.

You Si had been mentally tense the entire journey. He rested very little, and hadn't been affected much by the hallucinations either. However, on the last night, he learned of the situation of the others in his carriage, such as the deceased Xu Jinfeng. Although he had seen hallucinations, they hadn't reached the point where he couldn't distinguish reality.

In other words, in the same carriage, among those who had eaten the pudding, only Xu Huo had been affected to a greater degree.

Having eliminated external factors, Xu Huo could only consider the Perfect Potion.

He moved his body a bit. That sluggish feeling, as if something were wrapping around him, still hadn't disappeared.

"Someone's been killed!" A scream rang out. When Xu Huo looked over, several people had already fallen into the seawater beneath the floor. The floor, which had instantly turned transparent, clearly revealed the situation below. Apart from a few ordinary people, Player 64 was actually among them as well.

He struggled underwater for half a minute. After dodging the attacks of the mutated fish, he successfully opened a hole the size of a human head in the floor. But just as his hand reached out, a thin sheet-like object flew past, slicing off his arm while firmly sealing itself over the hole.

Fresh blood surged into the water again. Player 64 moved a meter to the side, glaring with hatred at the player who had used the item. However, that male player, with his flowing long hair and the bearing of a noble young lord, merely extended his hand and waved it. "Bye-bye."

Player 64 refused to give up. Twice he escaped the mutated fish and tried to climb back up, but both attempts failed. Killing wasn't allowed on the Plaza, but no one said you couldn't kick a man when he was down.

In the end, Player 64 died underwater from exhaustion, his corpse thoroughly plundered by the school of piranhas.

The floor reverted to white once more.

Earlier, Xu Huo and the others had been discussing the situation on the train and hadn't paid attention to the details. After a while, Xiao Xianglin came over to tell them that it was Player 18, the one who had severed Player 64's arm, who had made the move. At first, both sides had controlled the scope of their fight, but unexpectedly, Player 18 had suddenly grabbed an ordinary person as a human shield. Player 64 couldn't stop in time and killed someone, which was why he had been banished.

As if noticing their gazes, Player 18 turned his head and smiled faintly at Xu Huo, mouthing the words: "You're welcome."

This did indeed save Xu Huo some trouble. He needed to replace his teammate.

During the second round of the Three-Color Showdown, two more groups of people were banished or caught in the crossfire for murder. In total, thirteen people died across the three incidents. The remaining people filled in from below, leaving one person with a bye.

It was that girl Xiaoxiao who had come on the same bus. Her partner had died in the first round, and she had survived alone. Who would have thought her luck would be so good as to get a bye in the second round?

She walked to the edge of the Plaza with her head lowered. She didn't seem to have much will to survive, as if she could die at any moment.

Xu Huo handed her a piece of bread and a bottle of water. The backpack she had brought yesterday was already gone. "Have something to eat?"

Xiaoxiao looked haggard. When she raised her head to look at him, tears streamed out again. She wiped them away haphazardly, choking out her thanks while stuffing the food into her mouth.

Non-players also took potions. Xu Huo picked out a lower-level stamina-replenishing potion for her. "Drink this. A life your partner fought with all their strength to exchange for, don't let it end so easily."

Xiaoxiao clutched the potion and wailed, accompanied by dry heaving, as if she wanted to cry her eyes out until they bled.

Xu Huo gave her a Handkerchief and didn't offer any words of comfort.

Once her emotions settled a little, Xiao Xianglin, who was nearby, couldn't help but ask, "I heard you two came to seize an opportunity because you were in love. Where exactly did you originally live? Was it completely impossible to survive there?"

"In my hometown, although there might be some strange looks, it never reached the level of discrimination."

"It's not discrimination, it's illegal." Xiaoxiao spoke with a trace of hatred. "Our country has been through two massacres. There are very few women."

"What about infertility?" Xiao Xianglin asked instinctively, then explained, "I'm not trying to pick a fight. If the man is infertile, even after marriage there's no way to have a child, right?"

"There are other men." Xiaoxiao said. "If one doesn't work, you switch to the next."

Everyone present fell silent.

If even married women who had given birth faced this kind of situation, one could imagine the immense pressure on women who didn't want to marry or have children. And for a situation like Xiaoxiao and her partner's, it was likely that in the end it wasn't just forced marriage and childbearing.

"I've been to many Game Partitions, but I've never seen anything like this." After a long while, You Si finally spoke. "Even in some partitions with very small populations, the imbalance in ratio never reached this degree."

"Your country's population hasn't recovered yet?" After a moment, Xu Huo said, "The massacre must have happened a long time ago, right?"

"Twenty years..." Xiaoxiao said tearfully. "Actually, there's no longer such a shortage of people now. They just enjoy the thrill of exploiting others..."

"What a pity I can't be a player. If I were a player, I would definitely kill all those people!"

"Truly doing no end of harm." Xiao Xianglin sighed. "I've seen plenty of people who kill and cause trouble, but this is the first time I've encountered something like this. It really goes to show there are all kinds of people in this world."

"If you can't settle in Sea World, what do you plan to do?" Xu Huo asked.

"Can I even leave alive?" Xiaoxiao countered.

"You can buy a non-player train ticket and go live in another Partition." Shajia spoke up. "Besides Sea World, there are many worlds suitable for living."

Xiaoxiao shook her head. "I don't have the ability to buy other train tickets. Even if I survive, I'll be sent back."

This was something they had been told in advance when signing up for the program. Sea World wouldn't keep people from other Partitions. Never mind buying a train ticket to leave from here. Unless you obtained residency permission, you didn't even have the qualifications to enter the city.

"Anyway, she's already dead. Dying here is fine by me." Xiaoxiao seemed to be speaking to Xu Huo and the others, yet also seemed to be talking to herself.

Shajia sighed. "I wonder how many more tragedies like this there are."

"It's my turn." Xiao Xianglin stood up. "I hope my luck is better this time... If I don't come out, it probably means Brother Yu's method is effective. You all should try it boldly!"