Chapter 139: The Screaming Man-My Game Takes the Universe by Storm(You have forced me.)

Jian Qi withdrew his gaze from the train window and began to observe the carriage.

Unlike a traditional train, the interior of this carriage was incredibly luxurious. The primary color of the cabin was a deep, dark red, evoking a sense of noble extravagance. Within the spacious carriage, there were only three rows of sofa-like seats, separated by a central aisle that connected the front and back of the train, forming six individual compartments. Each compartment held two seats, totaling twelve in all.

The seats were not fully occupied. A quick scan revealed a total of eight people, including himself. Several of them, like him, were currently sizing up their surroundings.

"Are they players like me?"

Since he had signed up for a reality-based excursion, the game would inevitably be multiplayer; thus, being matched with other players did not surprise Jian Qi. Just as he prepared to consult the others, one individual who had been acting strangely suddenly stood up.

"Who are you people? Where is this? Why am I here? I was just at home having afternoon tea!"

The man stood, his face a mask of shock and anger. Jian Qi frowned at the sight. *Is he a player who chose 'Immersion Mode'?* The thought surfaced, only to be quickly dismissed. Even in Immersion Mode, there should have been the sequence of selecting missions in the small room. Even if he were confused, one would not be so agitated after experiencing that process.

"So, not everyone here is a player; there are also NPCs."

Having reached this conclusion, Jian Qi remained still. He had yet to grasp the situation of this dungeon, and the most rational course of action was to wait and see. While observing the man, he used his peripheral vision to scan the others.

The remaining six people in the carriage consisted of three men and three women. He was ninety percent certain that the man and woman sitting in the first row were players. Their expressions differed from the rest; their eyes held a curiosity about the surrounding objects and people, a stark contrast to the confusion and alarm seen in the others.

"This is the train to Udel. Did you have too much to drink and forget when you boarded?" asked a smiling man sitting in the third row on the left.

However, his remark caught the attention of the Lolita-style girl sitting in the second row, across from the man in the suit. She looked puzzled. "Isn't this the train to Mia Lake?"

"Mia Lake? I've never heard of such a place. Forget that useless talk—I just want to know how I ended up on this train. Does anyone know?" the man in the suit demanded again.

"I don't know. When I boarded, I just saw you slumped over the table," an older woman in the other seat replied.

"This train feels strange. Let's all introduce ourselves," the smiling man suggested. "I'll start. My name is Roth. I’m a law enforcement officer, and I’m headed to Udel to handle a case. It’s been like this since I boarded; nothing unusual has happened."

Roth finished his introduction and looked at the man in the suit. Reluctantly, the man replied, "Uman, a newspaper reporter. I was having tea and took a nap. When I woke up, I was here. Seriously, do you really not know how I got here? I have to work this afternoon." Uman looked annoyed, as if his reporting job were of great importance.

After Uman, it was the Lolita girl's turn. "I'm Lucy. I don't have a job, and I’m going to Mia Lake. I didn't notice anything strange before or after boarding."

"I'm Irene, going to Maya City to find my husband," the older woman added.

"I'm Beiyu Qingfeng, and she is Nanyu Qingluan. We're a couple on vacation. We have no idea how we ended up here," said the man from the first row. The names caused the others to frown; they sounded distinctly odd compared to their own.

"Interesting. You aren't from the North, are you?" Roth remarked, then shifted his gaze to the sturdy man in the same row. "And you?"

"Heh, I'm 'Iron-Willed Man,' a cuboid spatial mobility engineer. I just suddenly appeared here," the man said with a shy, honest smile.

Hearing his name, the others furrowed their brows even more deeply.

"Is that really your name?" Uman asked, skeptical.

"It is," the player nodded.

Seeing that nothing further could be gained from him, Roth turned to the man in his row—Jian Qi. "What about you?"

The stout man before him gave off a sense of inexplicable wisdom, and Roth felt that if he were to investigate the mystery of this train, this person might be able to help. This intuition was not unfounded; it was a special event triggered by Jian Qi’s high spirit stat.

Seeing everyone looking at him, Jian Qi did not hide anything. "I'm Jian Qi, a professional writer. I also have no idea how I got here."

Although his name was also a bit strange, with the previous three examples, no one paid it much mind. Once he finished, all eyes turned to the final person: a cold, aloof man sitting opposite Roth who had not spoken a word.

Feeling the weight of their gazes, the aloof man could no longer remain silent. He lifted his chin. "I am 'Emotionless'."

"I don't care if you're emotionless! If you don't talk, I have reason to suspect you're the one who brought us here!" Uman, the reporter, was incensed by the short reply. He stood up, strode over to the man, and reached for his collar.

However, his movement was intercepted by Roth.

"Calm down," Roth said, then looked at the aloof man. Although he didn't speak, his intent was clear.

The aloof man glanced at Roth and said coolly, "I said my name is 'Emotionless.' I'm unemployed. I don't know how I got here."

Silence fell over the group. In his mind, Jian Qi had already mapped out the layout of the carriage:

As it stood, there were five players, though he could not rule out others hiding their status.

Once the introductions were complete, Roth spoke again. "This train clearly has major issues. No two people have the same destination, and more than half of us don't know how we got here."

Just as he was about to suggest they search the carriage for clues, a blood-curdling scream erupted from the carriage behind them.

"There are others?"

The group exchanged glances and rushed toward the source of the sound. Upon reaching the next carriage, they discovered it was a restroom with two stalls. A brightly dressed woman was collapsed on the floor in front of one of them. She seemed to have seen something horrific inside, for she was scrambling backward, her body pressed hard against the rear wall of the carriage, completely unaware of her own terror.