Master of Kaidan-Chapter 567 Departure

"Ladies and gentlemen, the K7 train from Tianlin City to Cocolin City is now departing. As the vehicle starts, there may be some bumps—please hold on to your seats and wait until the ride stabilizes before moving around. We apologize for any inconvenience caused..."

A soft, soothing female voice from the train’s PA system filled the carriage, coinciding with the vibrations coming through the train’s body. Feng Xue lay half-reclined on the upper bunk, gazing out the window as the scenery slowly began to move. He was slightly entranced; although this "Kaidan Rule" challenge didn’t look difficult, he instinctively felt that things were not as simple as they seemed.

The assessment on the 114th Layer had lasted a year, and the venue was the notorious "Back Room." Yet the train journey only lasted seven days. Considering the difficulty of the Layer Master’s assessment should be roughly equivalent, did that mean living on this train for seven days was akin to living a year in the Back Room?

But the difficulty linked by these eleven rules at present was far less than that described about the Back Room by Kukulcan.

"Therefore, does this mean that more supplementary clauses will appear as the journey continues?"

While contemplating, the train slowly pulled out of the station. A ray of morning sunlight pierced through the window, casting a mild warmth insufficient to dispel the winter chill.

Feng Xue watched the modern urban landscape outside, the vibrations of the carriage gradually smoothing out. The steel jungle outside the window flew backwards rapidly, and soon all that was left was the deep green distinctive of evergreen trees.

"The speed is off. According to the travel guide, Tianlin City is the capital, the central station shouldn’t be entering the wilderness so quickly."

As the outside scenery changed, Feng Xue immediately became vigilant. He released his perception and expanded his "Circle Realm." His minutely detailed power even penetrated the roof of the train, but at that instant, his perception was erased.

"The perception sticking out of the window disappeared—so the exploration range is limited inside the train?" Feng Xue was curious what would have happened if he hadn’t bought a ticket and had instead tried to board the train by force. But considering a power that could easily erase his highly refined perception in an instant, he lost the urge to explore further.

While Feng Xue was lost in his random thoughts, the train’s PA system sounded again:

"Ladies and gentlemen, we are about to enter Tianlin Wetland Park. Please keep the windows closed at all times. The area we are passing through is not included in the park’s public routes and there shouldn’t be any visitors. If you see anyone, it is likely a visual residual phenomenon caused by the rapid movement of the train combined with pareidolia. Please do not pay attention to them or interact. If you notice anything unusual about your companion, please press the button immediately to notify the staff. Also, there are train police on board. If you are in danger, do not hesitate to ask for help."

...

"These announcements are quite the ’Kaidan Rules’ indeed," Feng Xue murmured. He pulled out a pen and quickly jotted down the broadcast verbatim before analyzing its implications.

In the "Kaidan Rules," you interpret things conversely. If they say there is no one outside, it means there is "someone" outside. If they say it’s an illusion, it means it is real.

Then, the problem is...

His gaze swept across the edge of his bed to the two passengers sitting on the opposite lower bunk, while constantly perceiving the status of his own lower bunk using his "Circle Realm," his alertness gradually increased.

It’s not the god-like opponents you fear, but the pig-like teammates.

But what’s scarier than pig teammates is an undercover.

At least with pig teammates, you just have to explain what not to do, while an undercover might betray you critically no matter how many times you tell them.

In theory, the correct thing to do right now would be to knock these three people unconscious or even ’humanely’ dispose of them. But the supplementary rules mentioned the presence of train police, meaning if he made any move, there was a high chance a train officer would appear right outside his door.

"Can’t open windows or smoke, have to watch out for other passengers opening windows or smoking; plus, night attendants are off-duty, so if someone smokes during this time, we can’t notify the attendants."

Grateful for those "Kaidan Rules" stories he’d read in a past life, Feng Xue released an invisible, colorless ’Poisonous Insect Body.’ He stretched it and attached it to the gaps in the window, serving both as an adhesive and an immediate alarm.

However, in that instant, he suddenly frowned because in his field of vision, it seemed like something flashed by...

A beauty?

"Is this the illusion caused by imaginative misperception mentioned in the broadcast?" Feng Xue concentrated her spirit and looked out the train window towards the distance.

If one excluded the factors of regulated Kaidan, the scenery outside the window was indeed outstanding. Although it was winter, perhaps due to the climate, the lake water was still a clear emerald green. Unidentifiable aquatic plants floated on the water, and although they were not flowering, they still gave a vibrant impression.

The trees along the lake shore were mostly pine and cypress, still showing a deep green hue. Combined with the ground covered in pine needles, it did not feel like winter but rather the budding vitality of early spring.

Then, in this picturesque scenery, a figure appeared again.

This time, however, it seemed to be standing upside down in the water, flickering in and out with the rippling waves.

"Ah—"

A sudden shriek rang out in the carriage, and Feng Xue immediately frowned, then heard someone below say:

"I just thought I saw a figure!"

"Didn’t the broadcast just say? That’s a visual residual caused by the train passing by, just like when you stare at something white for a long time and then suddenly turn away, you still see a white shadow in your eyes."

Another passenger spoke up to comfort, and Feng Xue changed her position, silently observing.

The behavior of the figure outside the window was still unclear. According to the rules, as long as she did not interact with it, there should be no problem. But her teammates obviously didn’t think that way, so she had to consider whether the other party was possessing, replacing, or had directly barged in.

Yawning slightly, Feng Xue was about to continue observing the ghostly figure, but the emerald-green lake had already disappeared from view.

It seemed the area of Tianlin Wetland Park wasn’t very large, and they had crossed it in just a few minutes.

"An opening scare? Is it a roadside monster used to alert the players to stay sharp, or perhaps... has that thing already boarded the train?"

Feng Xue watched as the scenery in her view shifted from green to withered yellow and gray-brown. The bare branches stretching out wildly like ghost hands gave off an unsettling vibe.

"Hey, buddy in the top bunk, it’s so uncomfortable to huddle up there early in the morning, why not come down and sit for a while?!"

A voice with a notably social temperament called out from below, hearing this, the corners of Feng Xue’s mouth slightly lifted, she quickly weighed the pros and cons and immediately responded:

"I’m coming."

With that, she climbed down from the upper bunk and sat beside the curvaceous lady below, laughing and saying:

"It’s good to get acquainted since we still have seven days left."

"That makes sense, my name is Lin Jiaxin, and I’m from Tianlin." The curvaceous lady... well, judging from the name, it must be a real girl, introduced herself spiritedly and the other two passengers also introduced themselves.

Hearing this, Feng Xue’s smile grew even brighter, she took out a box of business cards from her pocket, pulled out three, and handed them over—

"My name is Feng Xue, also from Tianlin, here’s my business card..."

Updat𝒆d fr𝑜m fr𝒆ewebnove(l).com