Players, Please Board the Train-Chapter 172: Players with Other Aims

Sun Jirou screamed in pain, covering her eyes as she staggered back repeatedly. "I can't see! I can't see!"
"Behave yourself. You almost destroyed the entire house," Xu Huo said, tossing aside the spray bottle as he looked outside. The twisted forest and undulating ground gradually returned to a peaceful state.
At this moment, Tao Chengxin and Tang Yuan had sensed the changes outside and came forward to ask, "What happened just now?"
"We might be under the protection of Granny Bai's item," Xu Huo stated.
Tao Chengxin turned around irritably and said, "What were you trying to do? Can't you tell this place is special, just like the Sunflower Courtyard? It's rare for a dungeon boss to be willing to protect us. If you destroy this place, we'll just become cannon fodder outside anyway. If you want to die, don't drag everyone else down with you."
It was unclear if Sun Jirou heard her or not. She covered her eyes, groaning, but refrained from using any more items.
Hearing Xu Huo's footsteps, she immediately said, "Xu Huo, you'll definitely regret it if you kill me. Did you encounter a powerful player before entering this dungeon?"
Xu Huo paused. "How did you know?"
"I'll only tell you after I'm sure of my own safety," Sun Jirou said, then firmly closed her mouth.
"Fine, let's each take a step back," Xu Huo said, not pressing her further. Instead, he pulled a rope from his backpack.
Tao Chengxin flung out her fishing line to entangle Sun Jirou first, then grabbed the rope to tie her hands and feet. Tang Yuan, who was nearby, picked up the spray bottle, checked the instructions, and said to her, "Don't worry, this spray only lasts for half an hour. You'll be able to see again soon."
The anger on Sun Jirou's face hadn't subsided, but she temporarily swallowed her pride.
Seeing that the outside had calmed down, Xu Huo found a spot and sat down again.
"Are we within the protection range of Granny Bai's item right now?" Tang Yuan said. "Do you think this item could be the 'Angel's Teeth'?"
"The thing that bit you earlier seemed more like it," Tao Chengxin remarked.
Tang Yuan's expression stiffened, and he quickly changed the subject. "Is this still Fairy Tale City? I don't know if it's an item or a special trait, but being able to instantly move people and buildings to different places is incredible."
Xu Huo glanced at him but didn't speak.
Tang Yuan didn't seem embarrassed and continued on his own, "I wonder if Granny Bai will get hurt fighting the Government Hall people, and if she can protect her items..."
The other three in the room remained silent, but Tao Chengxin stood up and said, "I need to go for a moment."
She walked out of the small cabin and didn't return for a long time.
"Hey, is she okay?" Sun Jirou frowned and spoke up. "Shouldn't you go check on her? What if there's danger near this house..."
Before she could finish, Tao Chengxin pushed the door open and came back in, somewhat awkwardly scraping the mud off her shoes. "I walked a bit too far."
Xu Huo lit a cigarette and looked up towards the ceiling.
A short while later, Tang Yuan also went out.
He also took some time before returning.
Sun Jirou didn't have the same intention, but she found it strange. However, being blind put her at a disadvantage, so she didn't say anything more.
The silence lasted for two minutes before Tao Chengxin suddenly spoke, "Don't you guys want Granny Bai's items?"
The breathing of the other two people in the room hitched.
"This is also Granny Bai's territory. There might be other items here," Tao Chengxin continued. "Didn't she admit she lost her teeth?"
"Those teeth must be the ones from that big mouth earlier."
"Are you saying a high-level player is so senile she lost an item in her own home and can't find it?" Sun Jirou said with undisguised sarcasm. "You're really dreaming."
"It's not impossible. It's also possible she has so many items she has nowhere to put them and just left it somewhere?" Tao Chengxin seemed very serious. "Anyway, we have nothing to do. Why don't we look for it?"
Tang Yuan looked at Xu Huo. "This is a high-level player's item. Aren't you tempted?"
Xu Huo withdrew his gaze, his eyes lingering on their faces. "I'm not interested. If you want to look, go ahead and do it yourselves."
Tao Chengxin and Tang Yuan exchanged a glance, then silently stood up and began searching fervently inside and outside the house.
This house could basically be taken in at a glance. It was a simple log cabin with only a table, chairs, and basic kitchen utensils—not even a bed. The floor and roof had been torn up by Sun Jirou, now so tattered that nothing could be hidden there.
The only remaining area was the forest outside the house.
Xu Huo didn't think they would find any items there.
But since they were searching, they must have a direction in mind.
"Insatiable greed," Sun Jirou suddenly said coldly.
Xu Huo was sitting opposite her. He glanced at her red eyes, took out a healing potion, and offered it to her to drink.
"I don't need your fake kindness!" Sun Jirou could recognize the smell of the healing potion.
Xu Huo wasn't polite. He grabbed the back of her head and forced the potion into her mouth, saying simultaneously, "You can spit it out and I'll catch it with the bottle, or you can drink it."
Tears streamed from the corners of Sun Jirou's eyes as she drank the potion in humiliation.
After two minutes, Xu Huo asked her, "Can you see now?"
Sun Jirou kept her mouth shut, but when she saw him reach out to pry her eyelids open, she quickly leaned back and said, "Yes! Yes!"
"Potions from the game are still more effective than those bought and sold in the dungeon world," Xu Huo commented, then untied the ropes binding her.
Sun Jirou glared at him angrily, but saw him raise his index finger in a shushing gesture.
Motioning for her to follow, Xu Huo quietly and carefully walked out of the log cabin.
Sun Jirou followed him suspiciously. They circled to the back of the house and walked a short distance into the forest. Suddenly, they saw two figures with their backs turned, standing before an inconspicuous small flower. They heard Tao Chengxin say, "This place is full of trees, but there's just this one flower here. There must be something special about it!"
Tang Yuan, standing beside her, nodded in agreement. "Definitely something going on."
"Should we talk to those two? That Xu guy is so smart, let him test it," Tao Chengxin suggested.
"We don't even know what this is yet? It might just be an ordinary flower... but of course, it could also be a trap," Tang Yuan said. "Think about it. Granny Bai dared to let people in, who's to say there's no danger here?"
Tao Chengxin cautiously took a step back. "I hope it's not poisonous. Poisonous things are the most troublesome."
"Wait a moment," Tang Yuan said, taking out a pair of gloves and putting them on. "These gloves are poison-proof."
Naturally, Tao Chengxin wasn't willing to let him test it alone. So, they each wore one glove and went to pull up the flower.
However, before the two could touch the plant, a kick landed on each of their shoulders. Tao Chengxin, caught off guard, was kicked to the ground. Tang Yuan, who had used a defensive item, wasn't hurt but tactically retreated. When he saw who it was, his expression relaxed slightly. "It's you."
The one who had struck was Xu Huo. Sun Jirou, who had followed, also looked coldly at the two.
Their expressions became somewhat subtle. Xu Huo took two steps forward, his gaze shifting from Tao Chengxin to Tang Yuan. "I'm a bit curious about how you survived the Fresh Meat Sausage Shop."
Tang Yuan's feet shifted slightly backward. "I don't know what you mean."
"You suspect he's with the Government Hall?" Sun Jirou immediately understood, looking at him in surprise. "But besides him, three other people were fine too? Are they all in it together?"
"Even if you encountered danger, it doesn't mean every player from the Government Hall is a Player-Eater, right?" Tang Yuan said with a darkened expression.