◎ Exploring the Train Conductor’s Panel ◎
In the underground command center, inside the central control room, everyone was tensely watching the surveillance feed from the bus stop.
Due to the urgency of the situation, when they received Jiang Qi’s request, they could only notify the personnel closest to the location. As a result, it had briefly become a three-on-one situation.
Fortunately, the trio didn’t seem to be much of a match in a fight; they were subdued in just a few moves.
Seeing the three fall to the ground, everyone breathed a sigh of relief. Once the suspects were bundled into the police car, the atmosphere relaxed even further.
“The first operation to capture players was a complete success. This comrade must be properly commended!” Zhang Zhengtian said, his face glowing with excitement. “Have the matching department immediately select comrades who can be matched with these three.”
Someone asked, “Commander, should we conduct interrogations?”
Zhang Zhengtian pondered. They had previously discussed how to seize a player’s identity and whether an interrogation should occur beforehand.
Jiang Qi’s view was that some players might have ways to contact the train. Interrogating them while they were alive could risk the other side picking up information and transmitting it, which carried significant danger.
Therefore, it would be better not to interrogate them, but to observe them secretly instead.
However, these three had been caught so quickly that there had been no time for observation.
Zhang Zhengtian quickly decided, “No interrogation. Keep them sedated, and then deal with them while they are unconscious. We must obtain a few player panels first; it will be more beneficial for our future operations.”
“Yes, sir.”
A moment later, someone else arrived to report. “Commander, news has come in from Jiang Qi’s side regarding the information on those three.”
Zhang Zhengtian hurriedly took the report to read.
It stated that the specific names of these three are unknown.
They come from a prison in their original world and are all hardened criminals with essentially no family or old acquaintances. They gained some minor rewards in the last dungeon and are currently Third-Class Carriage passengers—low-level nobodies surviving as a pack.
Their true rise occurs in the dungeon after next, the ‘Zerg Nest’ dungeon. After that, they are known as the ‘Three-Headed Snake.’ They flattered and fawned on those above them, were vicious and ruthless toward those below, harbored extreme hostility toward natives, and had various bad habits.
Zhang Zhengtian reflected that these were indeed excellent targets for identity seizure. Currently, they were small-time players whose ruthless side hadn’t fully manifested; yet the fact that they would rise in the future suggested they had some level of ability.
This would make the task of impersonating them much easier.
Zhang Zhengtian said, “Hand this data to the matching department. When they pick people, aside from physical resemblance, they should focus on finding those who have experience dealing with criminals.”
After saying this, he added, “Assign a dedicated tactical group to Comrade Jiang Qi that follows her orders exclusively. She is to have full command over minor matters.”
“But isn’t Dong Shengfeng and her squad already with her?”
Zhang Zhengtian waved his hand. “There’s no conflict. Dong Shengfeng’s people are intended to become players; there are some situations where it isn’t appropriate for them to show their faces.”
Just like earlier at the bus station—if they needed to clash with players in front of other players, they needed unfamiliar faces.
…
On the bus.
After Jiang Qi finished editing the information on the Three-Headed Snake, she sent it to Li Yue. Li Yue replied quickly, stating that a tactical group would be placed under her command. She would have direct authority to make decisions and act on small matters at any time.
Jiang Qi was slightly stunned, but she realized this was for the best; her efficiency and mobility would be greatly improved.
The bus pulled over, and another group of people boarded, filling the carriage to capacity.
Jiang Qi looked up and spotted two more players among the crowd.
Though these two were dressed no differently from the local people of Spring City, Jiang Qi recognized them at a glance. It was an instinctive intuition.
It was just like before when the players had first appeared; even before their physical forms had fully manifested, she had sensed them in advance.
It had not been like this in her previous life. After becoming a player back then, she had not been this sensitive to others of the same kind.
To be precise, most of the time, players couldn’t recognize each other, which was why some players would disguise themselves as natives to trick their peers.
This unusual sharpness could only be explained by one thing: the Train Conductor Panel.
She opened a web novel app on her phone, pretending to read, while simultaneously opening the Train Conductor’s Panel.
Name: Jiang Qi
Identity: Train Conductor
Level: Intern (0/100)
ID Number: ?
Train Number: ?
Note: The Train Conductor has almost absolute authority over passengers. You can always easily detect the aura of passengers in a crowd. Of course, this is to ensure you pick up passengers in a timely manner. After all, not abandoning a single passenger is the responsibility of a Train Conductor.
The content of the note had changed, as if answering her doubts.
Does it change based on her situation? Is it really this intelligent?
Jiang Qi chose to close the panel. Instantly, her sensing of the players vanished.
When she opened the panel again, the sensation became crystal clear once more, as easy as finding glowing stones in the dark.
Throughout this opening and closing, she kept her attention on the four players on the bus. They showed no reaction at all, clearly unaware that an intern conductor was present.
She slowly rubbed her fingers together. A thought suddenly occurred to her: if a Train Conductor could easily detect the aura of a passenger, wouldn’t they also be able to distinguish a non-passenger’s aura at a glance?
She couldn’t help but look back at the two players who had just boarded.
Their backs were to her, squeezed into the crowd. She could only see the backs of their heads, but as she stared, she suddenly saw a patch of red hair through the black hair of one of the players!
She was startled, her heart suddenly thumping like a drum, and she immediately withdrew her gaze.
Dong Shengfeng looked at her with concern. “What’s wrong?”
Jiang Qi raised her hand to her forehead, using it to hide her expression and the movement of her lips. She lowered her voice and said, “We’re in trouble.”
She hadn’t been seeing things, and it wasn’t that the players were wearing wigs. She had seen through their disguise to their original appearance!
Yes, many of these players had colorful, distinctive hair; their original forms were very recognizable.
She was just an intern conductor who hadn’t even started her job yet, and she could already see through a player’s disguise. What more could a real train conductor do?
Thinking of this, her back was drenched in cold sweat; it seemed she had underestimated the situation.
She had to find a way to deal with the train conductor’s ability.
After a moment of reflection, she whispered to Dong Shengfeng, “We can’t go home for now.”
Dong Shengfeng didn’t ask many questions. “Whatever you decide.”
Her primary mission was to ensure Jiang Qi’s safety; she would not interfere with Jiang Qi’s decisions.
Jiang Qi then sent a message to Li Yue.
At the command center, Li Yue was startled when she received Jiang Qi’s message. Not daring to delay, she immediately reported it upward.
In less than a minute, Zhang Zhengtian saw the message from Jiang Qi, and his expression changed in shock. “The train conductor’s ability is this powerful!”
They had discussed how Jiang Qi’s disguise had been seen through by the train conductor in her past life. There were various theories, and they had guessed that it might be this most direct method.
But they had still held onto a glimmer of hope.
To think it was a combination of scent-tracking and visual identification.
It was a two-pronged attack! This was truly bad news.
In her past life, Jiang Qi had hidden among tens of thousands of people and hovered only around the third and fourth-class carriages. She never had the chance to come into contact with the train conductor, which allowed her to survive through three dungeons.
But this time, they planned to send 1,000 people onto the train—the probability of being discovered was much higher.
Should they reduce the number of people?
Zhang Zhengtian furrowed his brow as he continued reviewing Jiang Qi’s request, but then his expression softened slightly.
Jiang Qi said she wanted to have face-to-face contact with more players. Firstly, it would be the most effective way to screen for suitable targets to seize; secondly, she wanted to test the limits of the Train Conductor Panel to see if there was a way to break the deadlock.
Zhang Zhengtian did not hesitate. “Fine, arrange it at the supermarket… We must ensure Xiao Jiang’s safety at all costs.”
…
On the bus, Jiang Qi received the reply granting her permission to act. She turned to Dong Shengfeng and said, “There isn’t much food left at home, and the situation feels off. Let’s go buy some supplies before we head back.”
Dong Shengfeng nodded in agreement. “Alright.”
“Then we’ll get off at Xinyue Plaza.”
Xinyue Plaza was a commercial district near Jiang Qi’s home, containing a mall, cinema, supermarket, and a food street—it was very lively.
A great number of people got off at this stop; clearly, everyone was thinking of buying food and drinks to stock up at home.
The four players also got off at this station.
Jiang Qi and Dong Shengfeng walked quickly. Upon entering the underground supermarket, they found it was already packed. With a quick glance, Jiang Qi spotted over a dozen players in the crowd.
Each of them looked no different from ordinary citizens, their disguises impeccable. As Jiang Qi stared at them for a while, their heads began to glow in various colors, more conspicuous than lightbulbs—it looked absolutely ridiculous.
If the situation hadn’t been so serious, Jiang Qi would have been moved to laughter by the scene.
A person wearing a supermarket staff vest approached them. “Please follow me.”
The two were taken to an office. Without a word, Jiang Qi changed into a security uniform while saying to Dong Shengfeng, “I’ll disguise myself as a security guard at the checkout exit. Others will be there to ensure my safety. Your height and appearance are too conspicuous, so don’t stay by my side.”
As she spoke, she put on the multi-form mask. Her face quickly transformed into that of an unremarkable female security guard; even her physique shifted slightly, and her skin tone darkened by several shades.
Dong Shengfeng pinned a miniature camera to her lapel and handed her a security earpiece and a walkie-talkie. “Don’t worry about me. I know what to do.”
Once Jiang Qi was ready, she left the breakroom and headed to the supermarket entrance. Several other security guards hurried over; they exchanged glances, confirming they were all dispatched by command center to protect Jiang Qi.
The cashiers, stockers, distributors, and cleaners in the entire supermarket were also their own people. There were countless cameras overhead, and she had the entire backing of the state.
This was entirely Jiang Qi’s home turf. If she couldn’t figure out the Train Conductor Panel while holding such a home-field advantage, she would never have another chance.
Seeing a male player desperately squeezing into the crowd, his hand reaching into someone else’s bag to steal, she didn’t hesitate. She lunged forward, grabbed him, and shouted, “What are you doing? Stealing!”
She gripped his arm tightly, staring straight into his eyes. After a few seconds, under her gaze, the man’s “Spring City Citizen” shell gradually peeled away, revealing tawny hair, blue-tinted irises, a scruffy beard, and distinctly foreign features.
His entire person reverted to a scrawny figure dressed in tattered rags.
The player’s disguise vanished, revealing his true form.
[Ding! You have seen through a passenger’s disguise. This is a basic skill of a Train Conductor. Congratulations on discovering and utilizing this skill. You have gained 0.001 Internship Experience.]
[Reminder: Frequently training various Train Conductor skills will allow you to master them more proficiently and gives a chance to gain Internship Experience. Please work hard to become an excellent Train Conductor.]
…
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