◎ The Train Conductor’s Blood ◎
Command Center
Zhang Zhengtian and several others were gathered in a small monitoring room. The screens displayed the crowd in front of Xinyue Supermarket, specifically focusing on a long-haired girl among them.
Zhang Zhengtian said, “Xiao Jiang mentioned that this girl likely has an item on her that hides her identity; she is a First Class Carriage player.”
An expert remarked, “First Class players aren’t our primary targets, and they likely have special life-saving measures. Attempting to capture her might be quite troublesome.”
“But we must obtain that identity-hiding item.”
Another expert, after studying the screen for a moment, suddenly spoke up: “Look. Since a moment ago, this player has been constantly glancing around, as if searching for something in the crowd.”
“Looking for a companion?”
“No, her eyes are full of vigilance. Her body language is defensive; she seems to be guarding against potential danger.”
“She’s wary of other players in the crowd?”
“It seems so. Xiao Jiang mentioned that competition between players is fierce, especially since those from other carriages will want to ambush First Class players. Moreover, in the past five minutes, she has touched her neck at least seven times.”
The expert pointed to an inconspicuous bulge beneath the girl’s collar. “She has something hanging around her neck—likely a necklace with a pendant. This object is clearly very important to her and provides a sense of security, which is why she touches it so frequently.”
“It could just be a souvenir with special personal meaning—a psychological comfort.”
“But it could also be that specific item for disguising her identity.”
Upon hearing this, Zhang Zhengtian spoke into the phone on the desk, which was currently on a video call: “Xiao Jiang, you heard that. Pay attention to the pendant on the target’s neck. That pendant is likely extraordinary.”
…
In the Xinyue Supermarket office, Jiang Qi leaned against a table, observing the First Class player on the monitor while listening to the analysis from the experts at the command center.
Hearing Zhang Zhengtian’s words, she nodded toward the phone. “Understood. I’ll find a way to get that pendant.”
A First-Class player… In her past life, Jiang Qi had been too weak; she had never interacted with First Class players. Or rather, even if she had, she wouldn’t have known they were from First Class. Either way, she had no experience fighting one.
Fortunately, the player on the monitor was touching her pendant seven times in five minutes—she likely wasn’t an especially deep or formidable character.
Wary of players in the crowd, are we? That suggested that in the girl’s mind, a sudden attack from another player was a very likely scenario.
Jiang Qi adjusted her mask. In the next instant, she transformed into a completely different appearance.
Short hair, a teenage boy, with eyebrows as sharp as a knife—he looked like someone you didn’t want to mess with.
She called over the squad under her command: “In a moment, I will disguise myself as a player to provoke and attack the target. You will pose as security guards and customers. Act according to the situation—ideally, take the opportunity to snatch the pendant from the target.”
Dong Shengfeng walked in and asked, “What about me? What do I need to do?”
Jiang Qi thought for a moment. “You play the ‘righteous passerby.’ Find a way to help her. If we fail to snatch the pendant, or if it turns out not to be what we’re looking for, you can use your status as her ‘savior’ to get close to her.”
Dong Shengfeng smiled. “Good cop, bad cop, heroes, and villains—we’re playing all the roles, aren’t we? Fine, I’ll go get ready.”
…
Ten minutes later, Ain entered the supermarket and headed straight for the food section.
The place was a sea of people. She squeezed forward desperately, grabbing whatever she could and tossing it into her shopping cart.
She didn’t just need enough food for the next month; she had to prepare food for after she returned to the train. Furthermore, if the next dungeon didn’t offer a chance for resupply, she had to be ready now.
With only fifteen minutes, there wasn’t nearly enough time!
Suddenly, a sharp knife pressed against the small of her back. A deliberately lowered boyish voice whispered behind her head: “First Class? Hand over everything in your backpack, or I’ll gut you!”
Ain’s body went rigid, her pupils trembling. How? She was wearing the pendant—how could she be seen through?
She instinctively reached for her pendant.
The boy behind her snapped, “What’s that?” and reached out to snatch it.
Ain jolted, her form flickering momentarily into a blur. In the next instant, she reappeared a meter away.
She looked back at the boy.
He wore a black windbreaker with a large hood. A tuft of short hair poked out from the edge of the cap, and his eyes flashed with a cruel, green light like a hungry wolf.
In the boy’s hand was a short knife with a black, sharp tip—at a glance, it was clearly a high-quality item obtained from a dungeon!
Ain instantly realized she was no match for him and turned to run.
The boy—Jiang Qi—immediately gave chase.
Ain screamed, “Help! Someone help me!”
Jiang Qi grabbed a basket from a nearby customer and threw it at Ain’s head. Goods of all sizes rained down upon her.
A bag full of crabs hadn’t been tied tightly; they flew out, crawling all over Ain’s head and body, waving their large claws to scratch at her face and neck, tangling in her long hair.
Ain shrieked. She instinctively wanted to release flames to burn the crabs to death, but she held back. She couldn’t use such conspicuous abilities yet.
She could only flee for her life while frantically trying to brush off the crabs, all while being pushed and stepped on by the crowded masses around her.
In the stress and chaos of multitasking, she didn’t realize who exactly was crowding around her. It seemed as though several people were clumsily “helping” her catch the crabs.
Suddenly, a hand grabbed her: “Here, come this way!”
Ain didn’t have time to say anything; she could only run along. Finally escaping the crowd, she looked back. Several security guards were charging at the boy. Seeing that his plan had failed, the boy gave a cold look in her direction, turned, and ran.
She let out a long sigh of relief and then looked at the person beside her—a tall, cool, and refreshing beauty!
Dong Shengfeng said, “Are you alright?”
As she spoke, she reached out and helped remove a large crab from the girl’s hair.
Ain looked at the hideous crab with lingering fear. “Th-thank you.”
Dong Shengfeng asked, “What exactly happened just now?”
Ain naturally couldn’t tell the truth, so she acted pitiful and said, “Someone… someone stole my things and threw something at me.”
Filled with indignation, Dong Shengfeng said, “Damn it, how can there be so many scumbags! Miss, what was stolen? We should report this to the supermarket immediately. Also, what did the thief look like? We’ll definitely catch them!”
Ain thought to herself that it wasn’t necessarily that simple. Players could use masks to change into several different appearances; once they changed their face and clothes, how could they be caught?
However, she did feel a bit of goodwill toward this NPC, who practically radiated justice.
She said, “It’s fine, it was just a wallet.”
Subconsciously, she reached for her pendant, only to freeze. Where was her pendant? Where was her necklace?
…
Jiang Qi left the supermarket through a side door and returned to the office. Someone handed over a chain. “Comrade Jiang, this is what we took from the target’s neck.”
Jiang Qi took the chain—a thin gold one with a pink, blood-drop-shaped pendant. It looked as if it were an actual drop of blood, though it was somewhat faded.
Is this the thing that can hide one’s identity?
She could sense that it likely originated from a Dungeon, but she couldn’t identify exactly what it was. Yet, in the dark, she felt a strange sense of familiarity.
As she stroked the blood-drop pendant, a familiar notification sound suddenly rang in her mind.
[Ding! You have obtained an item from a passenger. Making passengers offer tribute is a basic skill of a Train Conductor and a symbol of their status. Congratulations on triggering this skill; you have gained 0.001 Internship Experience.]
Jiang Qi: “…” Even this counts?!
[Ding! You find the pendant offered by the passenger strangely familiar, as if pulled by destiny. Oh, it turns out this drop of blood comes from a Train Conductor. Only a Train Conductor’s Essence Blood can deceive the eyes of another Train Conductor. Although this drop has faded over time and its effectiveness has been greatly weakened…
Congratulations on discovering a fragment of a predecessor. You have caught a glimpse into the inner circle of Train Conductors and have been greatly shocked and inspired. You have gained 1 Internship Experience point.]
Jiang Qi: “…Huh?”
Since when did she “discover” that this drop of blood came from a Train Conductor? And where was this “great shock and inspiration”?
It seemed the Train Conductor Panel was semi-automatic; as long as the relevant plot points were triggered, it would complete the process all by itself.
However… it was in her favor, at least.
She stared at the blood-drop pendant in her hand. Blood from a certain Train Conductor?
Only a Train Conductor’s Essence Blood can deceive another Train Conductor’s eyes?
It seemed to make sense!
She looked at her own hand. Could the Essence Blood of a novice intern Train Conductor like herself serve the same purpose? Furthermore, what exactly qualifies as “Essence Blood”? Was it the essence within the blood?
She picked up her phone and dialed a number. “Hello, Commander Zhang? I’ve got the item. There’s a new development.”
After some discussion on the other end, Zhang Zhengtian decided, “Xiao Jiang, come back to the command center first.”
…
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