Players, Please Board the Train

Chapter 148: Arriving at Tourist City

After having fifty White Bills snatched but getting a tube of ointment in return, Xu Huo applied the ointment to his wound as if venting his frustration.

However, this ointment's effect was truly remarkable. The broken skin quickly formed a scab without any pain or itching. While it couldn't match the healing potion's effectiveness, this was an ointment that could be purchased at low cost, making its value far exceed its price.

The vehicle crossed the suspension bridge, entering a partitioned area ahead.

Both sides of the main road were enclosed with glass partitions. After passing through the automatic disinfection zone, the vehicle entered the enclosed area, allowing passengers to observe the surroundings through the glass on both sides.

The left side showed urban ruins, where one or two heads occasionally emerged from the broken walls and debris. As the vehicle progressed, strangely shaped Mutants silently followed, attempting to break the glass.

However, this glass seemed to be made of special material—their evolved long nails and sharp teeth could only leave faint scratches on its surface.

The vehicle intentionally drove close to the glass. Whenever Mutants pounced, it created a sense of crisis as if they might break through at any moment, startling several people who were seeing this scene for the first time into screaming.

Most tourists were accustomed to this spectacle. The sight of Mutants hunting was less entertaining than watching fellow passengers get frightened, and everyone's teasing made several people blush with embarrassment.

"Everyone look to the right—shell harvesting operations are underway ahead," the long-faced guide announced at this moment.

Xu Huo turned with the crowd and first saw a purple ocean on the ground. Different from how it appeared in photos, to the naked eye, the purple water surface floated with iridescent colors resembling oil slicks, and the water seemed lifeless, flowing sluggishly.Workers on steel frames all wore thick protective suits. They used anesthetic to subdue the slow-moving Mutants, dragged them up, directly decapitated them, used machines to harvest the algae shells from their bodies, then threw the corpses back into the sea to become food for other Mutants.

From anesthesia to corpse disposal, the entire process only took time during the algae shell harvesting phase, with assembly-line operations being quite proficient.

Xu Huo glanced back at the female player pretending to sleep beside him, then looked up and asked the long-faced guide, "The algae shell Mutants can grow algae shells, but those other Mutants seem pretty useless."

He pointed at the ferocious-looking Mutants on the left. "Why not exterminate them all? Keeping them around is too dangerous."

The long-faced guide said dismissively, "Why kill them? They've already become Mutants. Since they're useless anyway, keeping them for exhibition can promote economic development."

An old woman sitting in front of Xu Huo chuckled and said, "Our Building Block Fairytale Tourist City is most famous for its architecture, cuisine, and this Mutant exhibition. Every year, many people come specifically for this, and even locals occasionally take tourist buses to visit."

"Auntie, do you live in Tourist City?" Xu Huo leaned forward with a smile and said, "Young people have greedy mouths and care more about food than anything else. How can Mutants compare to delicious food!"

The old woman laughed heartily. "Young men full of energy eat wherever they go. When we arrive at Tourist City, buy a food guide—it has all kinds of delicious things, both expensive and affordable, guaranteed to satisfy you completely!"

"But you must be careful not to get pulled into some scammy small shops. Those places sell products from contaminated zones that haven't been processed. If people eat them, it's terrible—you'll at least get sick."

Xu Huo grinned and rubbed his stomach. "Don't mention it—now that you do, I'm really hungry."

The old woman took out a package of round white things from her bag, ate one herself, then grabbed a handful for him. "Tourist City specialty—roasted sunflower seeds. Take your time cracking them—they're very fragrant."

"Thank you, auntie." Xu Huo smiled as he accepted them, popping one into his mouth while secretly glancing sideways. The female player had now opened her eyes and was watching him.

He quickly divided half of them. "Do you want some?"

The female player frowned at what was in his hand, hesitating for a good while before reluctantly taking a few. Under the watchful eyes of him and the old woman, she put them in her mouth—they were quite crispy when bitten.

"Not bad flavor."

Xu Huo and the old woman wore identical smiles, getting along as well as real grandmother and grandson. They chatted while cracking sunflower seeds all the way until they arrived at Tourist City.

Before getting off the bus, the old woman even gave him two discount coupons and recommended familiar places for him to stay.

Tourist City's exterior somewhat resembled ancient walled cities, with tall surrounding walls. At first glance, it looked like an enlarged version of a building block city, with an additional protective fence added outside. As their vehicle drove in, bells rang from the building block walls, and the rear gate closed shut.

Most tourists left excitedly after getting off the vehicle, while Xu Huo's group of three, the young man who had spoken on the bus earlier, and another man and woman remained behind.

After exchanging glances, they each looked away.

"Tourist City closes at dusk. After closing, no one can enter or exit," the long-faced guide pointed at a notice board not far away. "If it's your first time playing without experience, check the route map or buy a travel guide. It's best to find accommodation before dark."

"Will there be dangers after dark?" asked the woman from the couple.

"What dangers could there be?" The long-faced guide scowled. "You outsiders always think everywhere is unsafe. If that's the case, then just hide at home and don't go out."

He turned to leave, but the man beside the woman quickly grabbed him and offered several White Bills. "She doesn't know how to speak properly—please don't take it to heart!"

"Look, we're newcomers who know nothing. It's getting dark soon—could you recommend affordable accommodation?"

The long-faced guide finally relaxed his expression, pulling several business cards from his pants pocket and tossing them dismissively. "These places are all good."

After he left, the man holding the business cards turned back with an unpleasant expression.

"What kind of places did he give?" said the young man from the same vehicle. "If the price isn't too high, let's stay there first. I've had this creepy feeling down my spine since entering—this place definitely isn't safe at night."

They all turned to look into Tourist City. Like ordinary tourist destinations, the streets were filled with "local specialty" signs, mostly for food and entertainment. Tourists crowded the streets, and spacious shops were packed with people, though all buildings were made in various building block styles.

Most items for sale were things they had never seen before. Once processed into food, the original ingredients became completely unrecognizable, emitting strange aromas that created a strong impulse to feast.

But prosperity didn't equate to safety. Any tourist destination had mixed company, and it was impossible to say where traps might be hidden.

"That guide definitely wanted to scam people," the man said, throwing away the business cards in his hand.

The young man beside him quickly bent down to pick them up, but the man rushed over to snatch them back, glaring at him. "I paid for these! If you want some, spend your own money!"

The young man had no choice but to turn back to look at the route map.

"Accommodations aren't in this area," the long-haired player said while also studying the route map. "Judging by the distance, it would take about half an hour on foot."