Chapter 1585: Chapter 1585: Somewhat Inconvenient

“Xu Zhi.” Xu Huo still used Xu Zhi’s name. Seeing his gaze linger on the open book, he asked, “Are you very interested in fungi?”

“A little.” Chi Xian nodded, “I’m here for these fungi, getting off at the Suffocating Rainforest Station.”

“What a coincidence, me too.” Xu Huo smiled, putting down the book to chat with him.

“Are you planning to enter the instance?” Chi Xian asked, “The locals around the Suffocating Rainforest Station are already very few, the instance should be gone too.”

“One can only be sure after going there. However, the tickets can still be used, which means the instance probably hasn’t disappeared.” Xu Huo shifted the topic back to fungi, “Are you researching fungi?”

“Not exactly, it’s just a hobby.” As he spoke, he took out a sizeable glass container and placed it on the table. Inside was an ocean micro-landscape, with water, fish, and shoreline. However, upon closer inspection, one would find that both the fish and the water were made up of incredibly tiny things, with filaments resembling fuzz on the scales of the suspended fish.

“Are all these fungi?” Xu Huo was a bit surprised.

“Yes,” Chi Xian was eager to talk, “See these transparent fungi used to make the water? Their adult form is only half a millimeter in size, completely free of impurities. It took me half a year to find them, and I’ve been cultivating them for a long time. They have very high requirements for their growth environment.”

“Can these fungi survive in the luggage compartment?” Xu Huo leaned in a bit to observe.

“They can, for a short time. I’ve equipped them with gear,” Chi Xian said, “There are also specialized cultivation vessels. If they die, they can be quickly replaced.”

“I never thought fungi could be used this way,” Xu Huo said as he observed, “Are they poisonous?”

“Some are poisonous, but as long as they’re handled properly, there’s no problem.” Chi Xian was proud of his work and continued without waiting for a further inquiry, “Moreover, I’ve carefully selected them so that these poisonous fungi can coexist without cross-contaminating or dying off.”

It was evident that although he claimed it was just an interest, he had a lot of experience in cultivating fungi.

“Are you going to Zone 013 to find new fungi to cultivate?” Xu Huo asked.

“I’ve come due to its reputation,” Chi Xian laughed, “But I’ve inquired beforehand. That area near the Suffocating Rainforest Station doesn’t have many people, and even fewer players from other zones go there. I couldn’t arrange to go with friends, so I decided to take the train and try my luck. Since you’re going too, how about we travel together and look out for each other?”

“I’m not very familiar with fungi and will need to learn from you.” Xu Huo agreed happily.

The two shared an interest in fungi and found the conversation engaging, chatting until Chi Xian went to the restroom midway. Only then did the woman in the corner open her eyes and tell Xu Huo, “Don’t go to the Suffocating Rainforest Station. There’s no instance left there. It’s teeming with poisonous fungi, and nine out of ten out-zone players who go in die.”

“Thanks for the warning.” Xu Huo accepted her good intentions.

The woman closed her eyes again.

Night soon fell. Perhaps because there weren’t many players on the train, the likelihood of conflict decreased, so everyone passed the night peacefully.

The next morning, seven more players entered the carriage where Xu Huo was.

The leader was a young man in sunglasses. Upon entering, he first surveyed everyone in the carriage, then snapped his fingers, pointing to the carriages ahead and behind. Two players in his entourage split off to check the situation and, upon returning, shook their heads at him.

The young man looked slightly displeased but said nothing. Instead, he pointed to the largest sofa in the carriage.

A player with glasses but covered in vicious scars approached and said to the player sitting there, “Could you kindly find another place to rest?”

The words were polite, but his body language clearly conveyed dominance.

With seven against one, any sensible person wouldn’t want to confront them directly, so the buzz cut female player, who was eating breakfast with a middle-aged man, gave up the spot and moved over to Xu Huo’s area.

The large sofa was not given up for rest. The young man occupied it alone, while the others surrounded him, two at the front and back, one on each side, in a protective stance.

Judging by the players’ attire, they probably weren’t professionally trained security players. Especially the battle scars on their bodies indicated they often saw blood, yet they harbored no discontent towards the young man’s dismissive attitude. During the process, none of them even looked directly at him or spoke to him frequently.

The players in the carriage wisely refrained from looking at them or conversing further.

The atmosphere was slightly oppressive.

However, the young man seemed unconcerned and lay on the sofa playing games.

The game’s music was a bit loud.

Chi Xian subtly signaled to Xu Huo with his eyes, suggesting they move to the carriage at the back.

In fact, the other players in the same carriage were also considering this, with the buzz cut female player being the first to leave.

Xu Huo and Chi Xian walked into the connecting carriage, where Chi Xian lowered his voice and said, “It’s best not to provoke someone who obviously has a significant background. Even though their player levels aren’t high, they have a ton of good props and are accompanied by bodyguards. If the young master throws a tantrum and dislikes us, we’d be in trouble for nothing, right?”

“Makes sense.” Xu Huo opened the door to the next carriage.

The situation wasn’t much better there. The smell of blood in the carriage hadn’t dissipated. The two players earlier likely didn’t switch carriages because of it.

There were cannibal players inside.

Xu Huo turned to face a player whose clothes were stained with blood and whose eyes were aggressive, looking straight at him.

The other party initially appeared arrogant, but after two seconds seemed to realize that the opponent wasn’t someone who could be easily killed. He then retracted his gaze, lazily looking elsewhere.

The carriage was quite crowded, with people in all the rooms and almost every seat occupied. Although players didn’t interfere with each other, their expressions weren’t pleasant.

Xu Huo decided to manage in the connecting carriage for a while.

Before long, Chi Xian also came out, “I can’t stand that smell either, but we should arrive soon, so let’s put on our protective suits in advance.”

Xu Huo donned two layers of protective suits, one thin and close-fitting, the other new and spacious, with some food tucked inside. Looking back at Chi Xian, his situation was similar, except his suit’s upper body was a glass shell, with his hands and lower body extending through openings, allowing for free movement when his hands weren’t needed.

Looking at this inverted milk bottle, he said, “Isn’t that somewhat inconvenient?”

Chi Xian waved his hand, indicating it was not a problem, “The main danger at the Suffocating Rainforest Station comes from fungi. You won’t encounter many people, and there are few chances for a fight.”

However, an hour later, when they arrived at the Suffocating Rainforest Station and saw the young man and his six bodyguards almost buried by dense vegetation, Chi Xian had a serious expression: “It’s somewhat inconvenient after all.”