Chapter 1694: Chapter 1694: One Hour Before Lights Out
“Bang!” Another foot emerged nearby, stomping the sticker doll from head to toe. Then, a prop like a branding iron was thrown on top, pressing it firmly to the ground, preventing it from getting back up.
The woman in the shirt made the move, and she looked around at everyone, “If the other party is strong enough to hijack the entire train, why bother with all this mystery? I suspect they are deliberately stalling for time or trying to buy time, as some props require a certain amount of time to be effective… Whatever they intend to do, we mustn’t let them succeed.”
The sticker doll pressed by the branding iron squirmed on the ground, constantly shifting back and forth. Occasionally, it stretched its mouth outside to speak, “… Listen to me, absolutely… You don’t want to know the rules… It’s absolutely beneficial to you…”
The burly player wielded a knife and chopped off the mouth extended by the sticker.
After being split into two parts, the sticker doll quieted down and did not attempt to stand up again. However, the floating droplets in the air did not disappear.
The players in the carriage tried their best not to touch those droplets, and those near the doors avoided them, keeping watch beside them. As everyone awaited further developments, an announcement suddenly rang through the carriage:
“Attention, all passengers. This C590 train is experiencing a hijacking incident. Until the incident concludes, the service of the train staff may be delayed. Please pardon us.”
This was a train-wide announcement, not limited to a particular carriage; it was heard in the front and rear carriages as well.
“What does this mean? Is the whole train under control?” The vest-wearing female player spoke cautiously, keeping distance from the others.
“Didn’t you hear that sticker earlier mention they controlled the carriages behind the VIP room? It indicates the staff on the train aren’t part of the hijacking.” Skyward Braid replied.
However, neither the attendants nor other staff were obliged to protect the passengers, which is why the train announced the hijacking incident in a notification manner, subtly informing everyone that the staff wouldn’t intervene.
“I don’t believe there are enough of them to control all the carriages!” The flame-sharing female player slapped the small room’s door.
“It’s hard to say,” someone pointed at the water droplets floating in mid-air. “Do you know what these things are?”
“The situation is the same in the front and rear carriages,” Buzz Cut, standing with the flame-sharing female player, glanced around, “the transition carriages are no exception.”
“Should we ask about the situation in the other carriages?” Xu Huo proposed at that moment, “What if it’s some sort of illusion?”
“Alright, open the door and ask then.” The flame-sharing female player gave him a glance, “Anyway, they’re just water droplets, they won’t kill anyone.”
Xu Huo looked somewhat grim, closed his mouth and said no more.
The player at the front door had already been peering outside for a while, then turned back and said, “I see that the front carriage’s situation is similar to ours. Since we’re all the same, it seems to me there’s no need to panic. As long as we hold the carriage, there’s no problem. As for these droplets… even if the hijacker players can control the liquids on the whole train, there certainly is a time limit.”
“Well analyzed,” the hat-wearing player added at this moment: “Using the sticker doll to announce so-called robbery precautions is mostly meant to lead us.”
“It’s impossible for everyone on this train to be hijackers; this so-called winning from a disadvantaged position is merely taking the first move. We might walk right into their trap if we follow their lead.”
“No matter how many hijackers there are, or how strong, staying calm and inactive is always right.”
Others in the carriage looked at one another without objections. It was the most convenient approach at the moment; they couldn’t be frightened by a bunch of unseen people and obediently cooperate in the robbery.
“It’s almost time for lights-out.” Skyward Braid whispered a reminder: “Will they use Aliens against us?”
There was less than an hour before lights-out, which was the players’ true concern.
Currently, no one knows if any hijackers have mixed into their carriage. Lights go out at eight o’clock at night, and they won’t come back until eight the next morning. If passing through the Alien Activity Zone overnight, the hijackers will have ample opportunities to do something during the whole night, defenseless.
“In my opinion, we should simply ferret them out!” The burly man pounded the table with a bang, “I don’t believe killing one or two won’t make the others hold back!”
“Say less.” The woman in the shirt said: “One of the reasons the unexposed ones want us to doubt each other, preferably involve us in killing each other, is so they can benefit easily.”
The burly man exhaled a rough breath, “Are we just supposed to wait, what if they decide to act at night?”
The time of one hour before lights-out is a very delicate length.
Even though the sticker doll was destroyed, the primary concern of all players wasn’t that the hijackers would suddenly act or be attacked by the floating droplets within the carriage, but rather worrying about unexpected events at night.
The hijackers came prepared, and with the foreign factor of Aliens, they could completely threaten all players by damaging the carriage.
And as for why not act at night but choose to inform in advance, it’s like the hat-wearing player said, the hijackers aim to win from a disadvantaged position, and of course, the lower the cost, the better. Moreover, one hour is enough for the players to consider compromise or mutual suspicion.
The unknown itself is most terrifying, even if it’s to understand the hijackers’ requests and plans. There might be players who listened to the sticker doll’s words, whether traps exist or not; this is the quickest way to contact the hijackers.
Not every player can protect themselves if Aliens breach the carriage. Once knocked off the track, the hope of survival is very slim.
Silence lasted a few minutes before two people couldn’t hold back anymore. But just as they intended to speak, Xu Huo spoke first: “Why don’t we use props to cover the carriage?”
The primary use for props in the game is convenience. The props that are cumbersome and time-consuming are generally not bought, but it doesn’t mean there aren’t any.
Xu Huo carried a roll of blackout fabric around, looking at everyone, “Single rooms aren’t completely darkened, it’s better to cover the insides as well.”
“I have no objections.” The woman in the shirt was the first to respond and promptly helped out.
“What’s the point of sticking this,” the burly man said impatiently, “at that point, any small prop could remove it, as if it hadn’t been applied at all?”
“Wouldn’t that be perfect?” Xu Huo said: “Whoever makes a move, we’ll know who the hijacker mixed in the carriage is.”
The majority of players present scoffed at his suggestion, for the same reason the burly man mentioned. This simple prop is too easy to destroy, utterly useless; gluing windows like this would make them seem laughable.