[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-players-please-board-the-train":3,"chapter-players-please-board-the-train-players-please-board-the-train-chapter-1":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"english","Players, Please Board the Train",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":18,"prevChapterSlug":19,"totalChapters":20,"novelImage":21},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":12,"translator":16,"content_hash":17},1685294,2152,"Chapter 1: Aroma","players-please-board-the-train-chapter-1",1,"\u003Cp>Xu Huo opened the door to find a woman in courier uniform standing outside. She tugged at her collar where three buttons were undone and cooed sweetly:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Handsome, my colleague went to the restroom. The fridge you bought is super heavy. Lend me a hand to move it inside?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xu Huo took a drag from his cigarette, staring at her as he unconsciously swallowed hard.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The woman seemed accustomed to such reactions. She bent down to push the dolly wheels inside.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After unloading the fridge from the dolly, the woman had already made herself comfortable on the two-seater sofa in the living room.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xu Huo stubbed out his cigarette and poured her a glass of water. \"Hot day today. Must be tough.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On the coffee table, his tablet screen displayed eye-catching red headlines:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Newlyweds vanish in mountainous area - reclusive mother suspected! Moral decay or human depravity?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Village's 50 sows scream nightly - the shocking culprit is...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With a click, the screen went dark. The woman looked up at Xu Huo, her face flushed, breathing rapidly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her vigorously pumping heart circulated fresh blood, releasing a rich aroma from her pores that made one's mouth water.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Let's watch some TV.\" Xu Huo avoided her gaze and turned on the television where a female anchor's monotone voice reported:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Recent sudden temperature fluctuations nationwide - hail and snow reported in multiple 30°C cities...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xu Huo changed channels: \"Hiker encounters tornado in remote mountains - live footage captures final moments before disappearance...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Changed again: \"Black cloud vortex appears over coastal city - reverse airflow observed - experts attribute to storm pressure phenomena...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Over a dozen child disappearances in Bin City this month...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"...Crime wave peaks - dismemberment killer strikes in Ting City - victims found incomplete... Authorities warn citizens to avoid going out alone after dark...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>BOOM!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The previously clear sky suddenly darkened with thick clouds. Xu Huo's small one-bedroom apartment grew dim. As vision weakened, his sense of smell heightened - the meaty aroma emanating from the woman beside him became impossible to ignore.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Gulp!\" The sound of swallowing was unusually loud, but it didn't come from Xu Huo. He turned to see the woman's face pressing close - her mouth now gaping wide, completely unlike the sweet, charming appearance from minutes earlier. Suspicious red remnants stuck between her teeth as her wide eyes burned with ravenous hunger!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She opened her jaws, aiming to bite his face!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xu Huo jerked his head aside and leapt away, grabbing a standing fan to smash down on the pouncing woman!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"CRASH!\" The fan dented from the impact, but the woman bounced back onto the sofa unharmed, crouching like a frog!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"You smell delicious,\" she drooled.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xu Huo set down the fan and lit another cigarette. \"Smells good, tastes bad.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The woman, surprised by his calmness, grew wary. \"You've been on that train too?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xu Huo's eyes flickered briefly, though his expression remained neutral. The woman caught this subtle change and flew into a rage: \"You're lying to me!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her speed far surpassed normal humans, her leaping posture completely inhuman - the force of her jump sent the sofa sliding three meters back!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The old sofa screeched across the tiled floor. Xu Huo grabbed insecticide from the side table and sprayed wildly at the woman, dodging her grasping hands to deliver a kick before bolting toward the bedroom!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The woman's furious roar blended with thunder outside. Xu Huo precisely sensed her pursuit and slammed the bedroom door shut at the last moment!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"BANG!\" The inch-thick door couldn't withstand the impact - the lock tore clean off as the enraged woman kicked the broken door aside, only to find Xu Huo waiting with a fruit knife spear aimed at her chest!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though fast and strong, she remained mortal flesh. Clutching her bleeding chest, she collapsed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Haah...haah...\" The knife had punctured her lungs. Her violent glare softened into pleading. \"Save me... You're an Evolver too, haven't undergone Initial Screening... I can help you survive...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The small bedroom reeked of blood - the metallic stench dizzying. Xu Huo took a deep breath, ignoring his brain's involuntary labeling of the scent as \"mellow\" and \"fragrant.\" He retreated to sit on the bed, lighting another cigarette while watching her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The woman's rosy complexion paled, yet she clung to life, staring intently. \"Hungry, aren't you?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She wiped blood and extended her hand. \"Smell this - isn't it wonderful? Evolver blood tastes better than normal humans' - sweeter, more nourishing than mother's milk...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hearing Xu Huo's involuntary swallow, she smirked. \"One taste and you'll understand. Evolvers like me are strongest - highest survival rates on the train...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xu Huo remained silent. Growing desperate, she pressed, \"Aren't you hungry? Don't you want to eat me?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"...You don't understand how dangerous Initial Screening is - over half of Evolvers die during it, you...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xu Huo exhaled smoke before crushing the cigarette. \"You're looking more lively.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her expression froze. As he approached, fear flashed in her eyes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"What are you doing?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Weren't you tempting me?\" Xu Huo countered.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her facial muscles twitched into a grotesque smile as she offered her pale arm.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Grabbing her wrist, Xu Huo said leisurely, \"That dismemberment killer in Ting City - one of your kind, right? You dare offer yourself because the hunger can be satisfied with small amounts... or can you regenerate lost limbs?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Probably the former.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"'Highest survival on the train' implies there are Evolvers who don't make it...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Judging by your eagerness to drag everyone into the mud, there must be nasty consequences to tasting human blood... You didn't know at first - discovered after Initial Screening?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her expression cycled through shock, surprise, then bitter hatred. \"You Evolvers... I'll kill you!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As she lunged, another fruit knife pierced her throat. Gurgling blood bubbles, she convulsed onto her back - the chest wound already healing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With such regeneration, she'd have turned the tables in minutes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Searching her clothes yielded no medicines, but Xu Huo found a red tattooed code on her shoulder: E33586.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Pondering, he remarked, \"Given your intellect, you probably don't know where to find the Initial Screening train.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Eyes bulging with hatred, she died.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Swallowing hard, Xu Huo left the corpse and headed for the kitchen. Passing the new fridge, he tore off the packaging - the door swung open to reveal a lolling head.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As expected... Sighing, he called the police.\u003C\u002Fp>",1064,"2026-06-06T13:42:55.513Z","novelbin.me","ff8c18c0117d9505c8d954d9bf1b1697c08179e8a444276b8efc2ce7a518778f","players-please-board-the-train-chapter-2",null,602,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fplayers-please-board-the-train-cover.jpg"]