Players, Please Board the Train-Chapter 66: Elderly Medusa

As night deepened, the temperature became pleasantly cool. Normally, many people would have come out to enjoy the evening breeze, but with the recent security concerns, nobody dared to venture out after dark anymore. Even the shops closed earlier than usual.
Inside the sixth-floor apartment of Jiayi Residential Complex, a sharp-featured middle-aged man stared into the cooking pot, his cheeks repeatedly puffing out and deflating as he forced down the urge to vomit.
Sitting across from him, a bearded man ate with savage intensity, tearing into his food with both hands, his ferocious expression making the simple act of eating look like a violent assault. Two large metal basins sat beside him, and whenever he finished what was on his plate, he would slice more directly from them.
"Tough to chew!" The bearded man wiped grease from his mouth and glanced at the middle-aged man. "Can't handle it already? That look on your face is fine with me, but make sure they never see you like this."
The middle-aged man quickly agreed and poured more alcohol for the bearded man. "Brother Zhao, when do you think I can meet the other members of our Holy Sword Society? I've not only contributed a potion but also brought in another player. That should qualify me, right?"
"The fact that the Holy Sword Society sent me to contact you means they recognize your potential," Brother Zhao said with smug satisfaction. "But our Holy Sword Society isn't some random organization. Although we've just established a branch in Ting City, we have advanced players at the top levels. You're lucky—once our numbers grow, someone like you probably wouldn't make the cut."
"Yes, yes, yes!" The middle-aged man's face flushed with excitement. "What kind of test do I need to pass? Just tell me, Brother Zhao!"
"Can you kill?" Brother Zhao scrutinized him. "We hunt players. Half of any items and potions we obtain go to the Holy Sword Society, while we keep the other half. If you advance quickly, the society will heavily invest in your development. You'll have access to any potions or items you want!"
"Brother Zhao, I'll follow your instructions completely!" the middle-aged man declared. "I'll do whatever you tell me to do!"
"Finished eating." Brother Zhao smacked his lips. "Can't sleep on a night like this anyway."
Understanding the implication, the middle-aged man rummaged through a drawer and pulled out a small business card, about to make a call when suddenly there was a knock at the door. He called out in response—it was a young woman.
"I live downstairs. Is your apartment leaking water?"
The middle-aged man remembered that a family did indeed live below him. He was about to impatiently shoo her away when Brother Zhao said, "Perfect timing—she delivered herself to us. Let her in."
Thrilled, the middle-aged man checked through the peephole and saw only a long-haired woman standing outside. He immediately turned the lock, but the moment the door opened, the woman's hair surged forward like seaweed, tightly wrapping around his head!
Not only that, the cascading hair transformed into numerous black snakes that swiftly slithered toward Brother Zhao in the living room!
Brother Zhao grabbed a meat-slicing knife and chopped off the snake heads lunging at him. Seeing them fall to the floor and revert to hair, he sneered coldly, grabbed several black snakes with one hand, wrapped them around his arm, and yanked hard!
Zhou Ning gripped the doorframe, slicing off half her hair with a knife, but new hair quickly grew back. This time, twin snakes intertwined, forming black snakes two to three times larger than before, rapidly filling the living room.
"Fucking disgusting!" Brother Zhao spat at the sight of the wriggling black masses filling the room. Instead of retreating, he spun his knife and leaped toward the doorway!
Zhou Ning, startled, quickly manipulated the black snakes to entangle his legs while countless more swarmed over his body, wrapping him into a mummy-like cocoon in the blink of an eye!
Seeing him immobilized, she breathed a slight sigh of relief, thinking this player wasn't as difficult to deal with as rumored. Although this wasn't part of Xu Huo's plan, killing him probably wouldn't cause any issues.
The hair tightened relentlessly until it could constrict no further, and the wrapped figure showed no movement. Zhou Ning cautiously approached, but then she felt a stinging sensation at the tips of her hair and immediately leaped back!
Since her hair gained the ability to transform into snakes, it had developed a life of its own. Although it couldn't petrify people like a true Medusa, any sensation could be feedback to her!
Almost simultaneously with her retreat, the hair cocoon was sliced open from bottom to top by a sharp blade, followed by a flash of cold steel as the knife originally in Brother Zhao's hand stabbed toward her face!
Zhou Ning's heart raced as she whipped her hair around the door handle, pulling herself out from under the blade!
Brother Zhao became entangled by the newly swarming black snakes. He continuously swung his knife, hacking at them, and upon realizing the hair couldn't actually harm him, he burst into maniacal laughter: "You ordinary players really think having a special ability makes you invincible! Today, I'll teach you a lesson!"
As his words faded, the muscles in his legs bulged like stones, leaving three or four deep footprints in the floor as he launched himself ferociously at Zhou Ning!
"Elderly Medusa!" Zhou Ning's eyes glowed red as she lifted her head, her figure vanishing from sight and replaced by a giant gaping python that filled the narrow hallway, waiting for him to jump right into its mouth!
Though unafraid of the hair snakes, the sudden appearance of a giant python right before his eyes made Brother Zhao instinctively halt his attack. He grabbed the open shoe cabinet door, kicked the still-stunned middle-aged man forward as a shield, and rapidly retreated!
What the hell is this?!
While he was still shocked and confused, Yuan Yao—who had already entered the apartment and been waiting for an opportunity—lunged from behind and stabbed a knife into his lower back!
Caught off guard and ambushed, Brother Zhao's eyes bulged wildly. Still stabbed, he turned and seized Yuan Yao by the throat!
"Who are you people?!"
Black snakes surged from behind, entangling his limbs and waist, dragging him backward. Yet he refused to let go, determined to strangle Yuan Yao to death!
Just as Zhou Ning moved to help, the middle-aged man—who had freed himself from the hair—rushed forward and grappled with her, shouting, "Brother Zhao, run! These people must be targeting the Holy Sword Society!"
Furious, Zhou Ning used her hair to lift him into the air, dangling him mid-air, while directing more black snakes to wrap around Brother Zhao's neck. However, Brother Zhao suddenly produced a half-arm-length cleaver and with a casual swing, severed all the black snakes.
"Don't think you're the only ones with items!"
Seeing him swing the cleaver at Yuan Yao, Zhou Ning's heart leaped into her throat. At the critical moment, Huang Junjie jumped through the window! He grabbed a potted plant and knocked the cleaver off course, while a bamboo sword flew from his sleeve and cleanly severed Brother Zhao's wrist tendon!
Yuan Yao broke free as Brother Zhao stumbled back two steps. Seeing Huang Junjie's fierce approach, his expression changed. He kicked Huang Junjie aside and shattered the window to escape!
Huang Junjie crashed into the sofa but wasn't seriously injured. Yuan Yao, however, had bruising around his throat from being choked. Coughing, he gasped, "That guy's not human! Took a horizontal slash to the kidney and acted like it was nothing!"
Zhou Ning helped him up while Huang Junjie examined the blood trail from the living room to the balcony. He then spoke into his earpiece, "He's out. Stabbed in the lower back, right wrist tendon probably severed. Not seriously injured though. He's armed with a blade weapon—be careful."
"Understood." Inside a taxi parked outside Jiayi Residential Complex, Xu Huo responded briefly before speaking to Hu Wenhu and the two others already lying in ambush outside the complex: "Move in."
After receiving confirmation, he started the car and drove toward the construction site.