Chapter 4: Hunger

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The executive man took out his ID card proactively. “My name is Li Fei, and I am the general manager of Feiyue Group.”

“I see people in the carriages before and after us. We should unite first with those in the same carriage to avoid being caught off guard if something happens.”

Since the Evolvers appeared a month ago, many had encountered their kind. The executive’s words made some sense; they were like locusts on the same line. Compared to passengers in the same carriage, they should be more wary of Evolvers in the adjoining carriages.

Everyone returned to their seats. The man in pajamas and the woman in a camisole each gave their names.

“My name is Chen Yi, but I didn’t bring my ID.”

“He Yang.”

“Xu Huo.” He briefly gave his name and lit a cigarette.

“I’m Yan Jiayu, just recently renounced the secular life.” The young girl beside him scratched her dog-ear short hair shyly. “Can you please go outside to smoke? Secondhand smoke is harmful.”

Xu Huo hesitated for a moment, couldn’t help but glance at her, and then nodded.

“Heh!” The heavily made-up woman opposite sneered, “These days, even nuns are giving up their vows.”

Yan Jiayu’s face flushed slightly. She looked down, fiddling with the small cloth pouch on her patched robe. “Amitabha… my master said I still have worldly ties.”

But the heavily made-up woman didn’t bother her further; instead, she turned cold and said, “If you want to play the ‘everyone benefits’ game, fine, but don’t drag me into it.”

Li Fei interjected, “This is also for everyone’s good. If we know each other’s names and identities, no one dares to act recklessly.”

“The government is cracking down on cannibalistic Evolvers now, everyone knows that, right?”

“To put it bluntly, if someone eats a person, as long as someone gets off the train within three days, no one can escape.”

Despite his righteous tone, it did not suppress the heavily made-up woman. The tall, burly woman stood up sharply like a drill and strode over to grab Li Fei.

“What act of kindness are you putting on? Have you seen the carriage signs at the front?”

“Second class, Special class, First class, Second class, Third class—those with more assets sit closer to the front. Compared to the small-time hooligans in third class who are drowning in debts, everyone in this carriage is broke!”

“You’re an executive. Feiyue Group is quite well-known. You must have an income of at least tens of millions a year. Otherwise, how do you explain ending up here?”

“So that’s what the game meant by asset-based seating allocation,” Professor Han muttered instinctively. “The exchange rate to cash is roughly 100 to 1.”

Li Fei’s face turned pale. “I lost some money in stocks. That’s not illegal, right? I just want everyone to get through these three days peacefully, no ill intent.”

The heavily made-up woman clearly didn’t believe him. She let go of him and scanned the others in the carriage, her tone heavier: “I advise you not to trust others too much. It’s not hard to forge an ID these days. Don’t foolishly reveal everything about yourself. Even if you survive to get off, can you guarantee you’ll live long enough to call the police?”

Exchanging identities seemed like a layer of insurance, but if there was a cannibalistic Evolver in this carriage, the risk was obviously greater.

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No one was a fool; amidst mutual vigilance, Li Fei gained a bit more suspicion.

“Do you know anything about the preliminary inspection train?” Xu Huo’s hand paused mid-motion as he flicked his cigarette.

“Not much. Once you board this train, there’s only one rule: get off alive.” The heavily made-up woman snorted coldly. “I know for sure someone here has eaten people. I’m warning you, don’t mess with me, or else…”

She pounded a fist on the metal table, leaving a deep dent, exuding intimidation.

Ordinary Evolvers hadn’t yet reached the strength to punch through steel. Xu Huo lifted his heel but felt no change.

It seemed that after professional division, each person’s traits differed.

“Sis, anything else?” The ponytailed young girl asked cautiously. “How exactly is this game supposed to be played?”

“Didn’t I say? Just behave and survive until you get off. Enough nonsense!” The heavily made-up woman impatiently sat down again, glaring at those across from her.

Xu Huo cooperated, holding his cigarette as he headed toward the front door.

Just as he grasped the door handle, Li Fei stopped him. “The announcement said not to go to other carriages indiscriminately. If you open the door and trigger something dangerous, won’t you endanger all of us?”

Xu Huo pointed to the restroom outside. “Not allowed to enter other carriages, but going outside is different.”

Li Fei’s face darkened as he watched him.

Xu Huo opened the carriage door and stepped out.

The transition carriage outside was about half the length of a second-class carriage. There was a restroom on the left with some emergency supplies nearby, and the boarding doors on the right.

He tried opening the doors but found them locked. The entire train was speeding straight ahead; the scenery on both sides remained unchanged.

The carriage was not very soundproof. Seeing someone get up and move in the carriage ahead, Xu Huo lit another cigarette and tried to pull open the door to the carriage in front. After two seconds, he switched to ringing the bell.

After a moment, the door opened, but it was a burly tattooed man from first class who opened it, scowling, “What do you want?”

Xu Huo casually passed him a cigarette, “Lend me a light.”

Though annoyed, the tattooed man tossed him a pure copper lighter and said, “Don’t wander around if there’s nothing to do,” quickly shutting the door.

Through the door, Xu Huo spotted a familiar face—Nie Xuan—who nodded at him before turning toward the restroom.

When he returned to the second-class carriage, Li Fei and the others were already studying the riding rules.

“Having to consume makes sense, but why turn off the lights?” A man and woman who had been sitting with a middle-aged woman came over to Li Fei. The woman with an oval face frowned, “This lousy place doesn’t even have beds. I can’t even get some sleep.”

“You want to sleep?” The square-faced man shot back, “Don’t die mysteriously later.”

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“There’s a switch nearby; you can turn it on,” Li Fei said. “Such a small matter, why argue? Don’t let it affect the atmosphere inside. Remember, there are carriages before and after us.”

“Li’s right.” The oval-faced woman agreed.

“Fox spirit!” The middle-aged woman muttered resentfully.

“Professor Han, I’m a little scared.” The ponytailed female student next to Xu Huo gripped Professor Han’s arm tightly.

“Don’t be afraid. The teacher will protect you.” Professor Han wiped sweat from his forehead, his pale face betraying less confidence than his words.

“What’s there to be afraid of?” He Yang’s fingers flew quickly over his phone as he said, “Whoever tries to mess with you, just mess them back. We’re all Evolvers. The younger, the faster we evolve. I can easily take down two or three grown men now.”

Xu Huo noticed that among the twelve people, small groups had already formed.

The executive Li Fei, the man in pajamas Chen Yi, the oval-faced woman, and the square-faced man formed a group, sitting at the same table. The camisole woman He Yang and the female student shared a summer camp keychain and, along with Professor Han, could be considered a group.

The middle-aged woman, the heavily made-up woman, Xu Huo and Yan Jiayu beside him, and the elderly man sitting alone in the last row had yet to form alliances.

“They team up; we’ll team up too.” The middle-aged woman moved beside the heavily made-up woman. “There are four on one side, three on the other; it’s too risky being alone.”

She then looked at Xu Huo. “Young man, among the rest, you look the most capable. You have to step up.”

Xu Huo smiled. “Auntie, have you eaten people?”

The middle-aged woman’s face stiffened. “What nonsense are you talking about? How could I possibly eat people!”

Xu Huo’s stomach growled; he ignored her.

The middle-aged woman snorted and twisted back to her original seat.

Had she not eaten people?

From the moment he boarded, Xu Huo felt his bingeing urge had doubled. Compared to the “Express Delivery Girl,” who still had some self-control, he had to resist the impulse to look at nearby players, to approach, converse, move around, or argue—all of which only heightened the bingeing urge. Yet Li Fei and the others appeared calm, indicating they likely did not board hungry.

The middle-aged woman still had time to insult the oval-faced woman, clearly not yet pushed to the brink by bingeing urges.

Such bingeing could not be relieved by normal food; it was unlikely that Li Fei and others had not tasted human blood.