Kingdom of Corrosion
Chapter 642 - 308: Pincer Attack

Chapter 642: Chapter 308: Pincer Attack

At point B, Maya said to Hong Yi, who had just slipped and fallen, "Give up." There were no preliminaries, no follow-ups, just three dry words. This was the first time Maya persuaded someone to give up.

Hong Yi nodded, took Maya’s hand, and stood up. Since Maya had spoken, she had no reason to persist.

At this moment, Qinglang ran excitedly while shouting, "I did it, I succeeded."

Hong Yi immediately bristled with anger, "What do you mean by that?"

Qinglang shared her joy with everyone, "Assistance for the automatic driving card."

"That’s something good," Lin Wu commended, "Never give up." She high-fived Qinglang.

"You!"

Lin Wu looked at the angry Hong Yi and advised, "Cutting losses at the right time is also a form of wisdom."

"Fence-sitter, hmph!" Hong Yi picked up the rope and slung it over her shoulder, walking step by step toward the slope.

After failing three more times, Hong Yi was ready to gracefully concede when Shuihua appeared. Hong Yi asked with utmost nervousness, "How did it go?"

"I failed," Shuihua sighed.

Hong Yi consoled, "It’s okay, giving up is a virtue."

Shuihua said, "No, I haven’t given up; I failed, my dog was killed by my dogs. I mean, I wanted the 12 dogs to recognize the Husky as the boss and follow it. I didn’t expect that they would think I was telling them to attack the Husky, so they all sprang at it..."

Qinglang hugged Shuihua, offering comfort, "It’s all right, you haven’t given up, you just failed, and there is no shame in that."

"Hey, what do you mean by saying that?" Hong Yi demanded.

Qinglang turned to look at Hong Yi, thought for a long while, then glanced at Lin Wu, who pretended to admire the distant snow scenery. With no help coming from Lin Wu, the helpless Qinglang squeezed out a sentence, "Because giving up is disgraceful, that’s why giving up is great."

At first glance, this statement seemed nonsensical, but upon understanding it, one might find it really had some truth. For some people, suicide is seen as cowardice because it takes more courage to continue living.

Maya said, "It’s okay, Hong Yi, we have plenty of time. If you are willing to take on the challenge, we support you."

Lin Wu whispered, "You’re putting her on the spot." She doesn’t need a challenge of courage; she needs an excuse to quit.

"Ah?" That’s where values differ. When facing difficulties, Maya hoped for encouragement to persevere, not encouragement to give up.

Lin Wu said to Hong Yi, "Hong Yi, I know you have perseverance and courage, but we’re hungry."

Hong Yi complied and descended the stairs, "Alright then!"

The activities at the Joy Valley of Snow Ridge Station ended at six in the evening, consuming five hours. Lin Wu said they were hungry because they hadn’t eaten lunch or dinner. They were afraid of missing the night task if they went to eat at the free buffet. The night task could not be dismissed as unimportant, because once they accepted the night task, it meant the train did not need to stop at the station. Apart from Fortress agents causing trouble, no task-related incidents would occur.

...

The fourth day’s night task was a choice of three: he, she, and it.

The task title confused everyone. They knew all three words and their meanings, and understood the differences, but had no clue what the context was.

Maya tried to analyze, "He encompasses both she and it, and seems to carry an element of puzzle-solving. She specifically refers to females, with a clearer target. It is an animal, not they, suggesting a single animal."

Everyone looked at Wai, who gazed back with innocent eyes: it’s not related to me.

Lin Wu declared, "Let’s solve the puzzle!"

Qinglang asked, "Why?"

Lin Wu explained, "Puzzle solving is Maya’s thing; everything else might concern everyone."

Admiringly, Qinglang clapped her hands, "You’re so shamelessly throwing your teammate under the bus, I can only admire you even more. I also choose ’he’ on Line 1."

Hong Yi followed, "I second that."

Shuihua didn’t fall behind, and Maya said, "Fine, we’ll take turns resting in shifts as before. Lin Wu pulled an all-nighter yesterday and hasn’t slept much today, so the four of us will take turns."

Hong Yi announced, "The task is out."

In the passenger car, apart from Sasha, there were 8 passengers, one of them a murderer and one a corpse. The players received a pair of handcuffs, to handcuff the murderer once confirmed. The task lasts for ten hours. If successful, proceed to Line X; if failed, to Line Y. Hint: Line X allows free choice of the next station type. Line Y leads to Blood Mist Town, and a key is necessary to leave Blood Mist Town.

Maya looked at Hong Yi, who hurriedly said, "I’m a water police officer, not a detective."

Maya responded, "But you’ve studied anatomy at the police academy, right? You have basic forensic knowledge, don’t you?"

With tears streaming, Hong Yi lamented, "Seriously? I chose water police exactly because I dislike such scenes." She had only seconded the motion; how had she trapped herself?

Maya encouraged, "I’ll help you."

Lin Wu added, "We’re idle anyway, and you’re the most professional among us—who else but you?"

Qinglang queried, "Is it the case of ’a comrade-in-arms has died, but not a destitute pilgrim’?"

"Mm-hmm."

Qinglang said, "Hong Yi, go for it, I believe in you."

Shuihua quipped, "Embrace misfortune to the end."

"We’re all going vegetarian tomorrow." After dropping this dire statement, Hong Yi and Maya headed to the passenger car to begin their investigation. Upon entering the car, Hong Yi turned timid at the sight of the corpse right in front of them. The sight of a thousand zombies from Home was nothing compared to this corpse. To simulate a real investigation, Dawn had provided a mock real body.

The others peeked in curiously. Maya turned and swept her gaze, causing everyone to duck away. They gathered at the front of the car to discuss the automatic driving system.

The content of the automatic driving system was quite straightforward and practical. The first feature was the capability to maintain a steady cruise speed. The second feature was that it would begin to slow down and sound an alarm upon detecting obstacles. The third feature was it could accept voice commands from the driver and the train conductor. Additionally, it could be set to alert for animals, buildings, and humans; when any of these were within five hundred meters of the train’s front, the automatic driving system would emit an alarm sound.