Kaidan Game Train: Abide Rule or Die!-Chapter 2172: Special Genes

"Thank you for helping me." Xu Huo gathered the papers scattered on the bed into his luggage compartment and said to A Hai, "My leg isn’t convenient. Could you help me to the bathroom?"

"Wait a moment." A Hai quickly put down what he was holding and went outside to bring in a wheelchair. "I thought you might need it when you woke up, so I got it ready for you."

A Hai struggled to move him onto the wheelchair, pushed him to the bathroom, and thoughtfully supported him against the wall before leaving.

Though Xu Huo didn’t need such care, he accepted A Hai’s kindness. When he came out, A Hai had already placed food on the table. "You’ve been eating only soups these days; you must be starving. I reckon you players recover quickly, so eating something good shouldn’t be a problem."

"The old doctor said you would probably wake up these two days, so he specially braised some meat." A Hai placed the rice and chopsticks in front of him and paused for a moment. "You’ve injured one hand; do you want me to feed you?"

"I’m fine." Xu Huo picked up the chopsticks and, under A Hai’s expectant gaze, picked up a piece of meat, praising, "Your cooking skills are excellent."

A Hai was quite pleased, "It’s nothing. Now is the cool autumn season when the mutated small animals are hiding. This is from the town’s farm; the wild ones are really tasty. I’ll make a trip to the grove in a couple of days to get some wild game for you."

"These are already very good, and mutated animals are dangerous. There’s no need to take risks," Xu Huo said.

A Hai waved his hand dismissively, "I need to go anyway. Wild game is quite popular in town, but for safety, people don’t dare venture too far into the grove. I know the way and usually don’t encounter danger. In a little while, there will be even less prey."

Xu Huo looked around the house, "Is it very cold here during winter?"

The house already had winter clothing laid out. A Hai gestured for him to eat and then went to tidy up the clothes, "Yes, winter comes quickly here. Soon, delivery trucks won’t be able to come in. These days, the townspeople are checking for missing provisions to survive the winter, so they can have them delivered next time."

Xu Huo asked more detailed questions to understand the town’s situation.

This town is extremely remote. Although there’s a road leading to the city, it passes through areas infested with aliens. The town can’t afford to keep the interference devices along the road running continuously, so supply trucks usually come on a schedule. They deliver the goods and then return safely, after which the interference devices are turned off again.

Thus, the road is relatively safe only during deliveries, with no ordinary people traveling on it.

One would think such a remote and poorly-equipped town couldn’t survive in an alien-infested mountainous area. But by coincidence, the mountains surrounding the town are covered with a large area of poisonous plants, occupying a vast territory. Occasionally, more ferocious aliens that come in don’t linger long. The place where Xu Huo landed had fewer poisonous plants and relatively more mutated animals, making it more dangerous for the townspeople. Besides A Hai, who occasionally goes exploring, hardly anyone visits it.

"We’ve thought about moving out," A Hai said, "But city spaces are limited, and there’s no way to clear such a big area for us to live. Fortunately, we can grow some crops and make some handicrafts to sell, and life is quite manageable."

Relying entirely on natural protection is, of course, not enough for safety. Not only is it insufficient, but they also have to live very cautiously. Such a life is inevitably worrisome, but over time, they gradually get used to it.

They really don’t have a better option.

"While you were unconscious, I took your measurements and ordered a winter outfit and shoes for your height. Someone will bring them next week." A Hai said, "In about ten days, it’ll probably start snowing."

"Really?" Xu Huo still couldn’t feel the chill.

After he finished eating, A Hai swiftly washed the bowls and chopsticks and was ready to push him outside for a stroll. "Many neighbors have brought food and supplies over these days. I’ll introduce you to them later... Are you really a player?"

Xu Huo nodded.

Having received a definite answer, A Hai laughed even more joyfully, but he didn’t pursue the question further and instead happily took Xu Huo outside.

As real players were rare to see, Xu Huo immediately drew attention once outside. Passersby were eager to talk, but too shy to speak directly to him, so they quietly asked A Hai to relay their questions.

Only then did A Hai remember to ask Xu Huo his name, and Xu Huo still used the name Xu Zhi.

"Are you really from another sector? What’s it like out there?" Seeing that Xu Huo seemed easy to talk to, the crowd gradually opened up.

Xu Huo picked some general information about ordinary sectors to share, which drew admiration from many, as most of them had never left the town in their lifetime. They haven’t even been to the big city that supplies their daily needs, let alone other sectors.

The small town was tiny, while the outside world was vast and wide.

"Players are amazing; they’re not afraid of those aliens at all." Someone said, patting A Hai’s shoulder, "This is great; now you can go to the Goddess Holy Land."

"What is the Goddess Holy Land?" Xu Huo asked.

"The Goddess Holy Land is our capital," A Hai said, "All the water from the Goddess Spring is sent from the Holy Land. There’s also the Goddess Church there. Everyone born on this land wants to join the Goddess Church, but unfortunately, they’ve never come to our town."

His words resonated with everyone, and they all started discussing the gatherings of the Goddess Church they’ve seen on TV, filled with longing for it and envy of those who joined.

Even though Xu Huo knew many in the town were dual-gender, hearing them idolizing a religion centered around women felt somewhat absurd to him, as an outsider, regardless of what they said, given how calm and content they seemed.

From a biological standpoint, dual-gender individuals have more difficulty reproducing and are more prone to genetic defects. Naming their faith as "Goddess" might derive from a longing to raise the next generation, which is understandable. Besides, based on the information they disclosed, this sector’s population isn’t large, yet when discussing the hardships of childbirth, everyone seemed to embrace it as a sweet burden, which defies human nature.

Xu Huo didn’t join their conversation, but before long, a young child dashed over to inform them that the Mayor’s daughter was about to give birth and had gone to the Goddess Spring.

Hearing this, everyone stopped their discussion and hurried to the Goddess Spring, Xu Huo included, as A Hai pushed him, rushing towards the town’s meeting hall.

Inside and outside the meeting hall was now crowded with people, listening to the sporadic cries of pain coming from within. Everyone was guessing, albeit painfully yet expectantly, the gender of the child about to be born.

Two hours later, someone emerged to announce that today’s newborn was unmistakably a boy.