Xu Huo chuckled and caught up on two days’ sleep before preparing to go to Shi Sanjiu to inform him of his address in District C01-001. He brought the Girl in the painting along, after all, she was adept at running away.

"What’s up?" She looked at him with a moment of puzzlement, then placed a hand on her chest, "The medal you promised me."

"I gave it to you, I’m not taking it back." Xu Huo said, "Ready to set off."

The Girl in the painting quickly turned back and waved at Mr. Dong, "I’ll come back to see you next time."

Mr. Dong smiled as he watched them leave.

At the station, the Girl in the painting could only stay inside Xu Huo’s clothes, coming out only after boarding the train.

This time, Xu Huo was using a Rank-B ticket for District C01-001. To avoid stepping into an instance as soon as he went in, he deliberately chose an instance where he knew the trigger points, allowing for options.

However, once you reach Rank-B, closed instances and small trigger point instances are rare. The instance he found this time had comprehensive information, and high-rated strategy reward platforms could provide this.

He also bought the strategy guide along the way.

In the dining car, Xu Huo listened to the sounds of violin music while eating. The performer was also a player, who carried a violin out of love and performed voluntarily after meals, interacting with others in the dining car.

The sound of the violin was beautiful, but it reminded him of someone.

"Bravo!" The Girl in the painting clapped enthusiastically, even rewarding him with a few White Notes.

The other player didn’t mind at all and even bowed slightly, thanking her for her appreciation with great politeness, "Someone who understands my music must have a certain amount of musical knowledge themselves!"

Huh?

The Girl in the painting looked puzzled, then opened her Communicator, "I can’t play the violin, nor do I understand what you’re playing."

"Huh?" This time it was the other player’s turn to look confused, and then the Girl in the painting patiently added, "Whether in a concert hall or by the roadside, listeners have to pay."

The violin-playing player laughed after hearing this, "You’re really kind. May I have the honor of treating you to a cup of tea?"

"No need, I’m already full, can’t drink anymore." The Girl in the painting waved her hand and sat back opposite Xu Huo.

The man also intended to follow over, but Xu Huo looked up at him, "Stop right there."

The man paused, apologetically smiled, and then moved to a nearby empty table.

Encountering wary strangers is nothing unusual on a journey.

After the meal, Xu Huo and his companion returned to their carriage, finding more players there, with all the tables and chairs occupied — the rooms were unavailable before they boarded the train.

"Too many people, squeeze in a bit?" A player willingly tried to ease the atmosphere, as most people didn’t want any trouble. Since the tables and chairs were full, the empty spaces beside them had to accommodate players’ personal tools, and putting a bed was out of the question, at most they could only set up chairs.

Xu Huo wasn’t too demanding, but the Girl in the painting insisted on a reclining chair. The player who had spoken up greeted others, making room for her and giving her a spacious spot.

"Thank you, you’re really kind." The Girl in the painting set up the reclining chair Xu Huo handed over. After she settled in comfortably, she asked him, "Why don’t you lie down, and I’ll lie on you?"

Xu Huo ignored her feigned sincerity, sitting down beside the reclining chair.

The Girl in the painting thoroughly enjoyed this trip, played games for a while, then took out snacks from her backpack to eat. While the other players in the carriage were calmly resting, the sound of her munching echoed throughout.

Finally, someone couldn’t help it, "Can you use a Silencing Prop?"

To be fair, the Girl in the painting wasn’t making much noise; it’s just that players have good hearing.

The Girl in the painting showed no signs of reflection, she stared at the person who spoke, then opened a packet of crispy shrimp to eat, embodying a rebellious spirit.

Few players who survive to Rank-C have genuinely good tempers. However, with the carriage being so crowded, a fight would certainly involve more people, and any secret tricks might be misunderstood. That person could only stare.

Xu Huo bought a range-limited Silencing Prop on the spot, putting the matter to rest.

Luckily, the train wasn’t always this crowded. People gradually disembarked, and things started to loosen up.

More people boarded later, and from their discussions, Xu Huo learned that many trains on nearby tracks had been destroyed, causing immense transportation pressure and crowding the players together.

Now, trains in this area, including theirs, were like powder kegs, as if ready to explode at any moment.

"Why hasn’t this news spread Beneath the Dimension?" someone asked.

The player who shared the news replied, "How would players know the train operations? I heard it from friends at the Game Government Base, and a team has already been dispatched for repairs, expect a squeeze for a day or two."

"There’s a benefit in squeezing," said someone with a laugh, "when it’s cramped on the train, nobody dares to make a move, people become more calm and composed."

Whether it was truly calm or just hiding anger, everyone knew in their hearts.

"Did someone fight on the train or specifically attack trains?" another player asked, "If it was just a fight, it’s not like so many trains would get turned over, right?"

The player with ’insider information’ naturally said, "Of course, they were attacked, but it shouldn’t be by players; players couldn’t destroy that many trains at once. The tracks are in different spaces, it was likely a major Dimensional Storm."

Dimensional Storms are a shadow over all players; mentioning this, someone remarked, "Those on the train were really unlucky."

Luckily, their train journey was relatively smooth.

Having safely spent a day and night, Xu Huo had the Girl in the painting hide in his clothes early to avoid a sudden disembarkation. By the following evening, they had arrived.

C01-001.

As the first subarea of Wormhole Point C01, 001 was not as prosperous as E27 or other first subareas of wormhole points. Instead, it felt desolate and backward, and although the nearby city by the station appeared to have been well built once, signs of destruction and repair were everywhere. The city was not clean; there were random machines and hanging clothes everywhere in its streets and alleys, and the people moving through the city did not pay much heed to hygiene. Littering of fruit peels, plastic bags, and such were visible everywhere.

As soon as Xu Huo entered, people surrounded him with smiles, trying to sell him food and accommodation. But their clothing and demeanor matched the city, looking monochrome and dull.

"Sir, sir, look at my place, only fifty White Notes for a night, and I can bring water for you to wash your feet!"

"Sir, sir! I’ll run errands for you for free!"

"Me too!"

"Me too!"

The adults weren’t completely unafraid of players and didn’t dare approach too closely. The children, however, had no such concerns and five of them crowded in front of Xu Huo, holding up their family’s flyers and business cards, looking at him with hopeful eyes.