“This means that choosing Xin as the label catcher is equivalent to having an invincible buffer; even if the opponents choose the guerrilla position, we won't need to focus too much on the overall survival of the team.”
“And what about you?” Bai Youyou glanced at her.
“Don't worry, I have plenty of ammo this time.” With a flick of her hands, Xu Xiaoyou conjured dozens of skill cards, including one for 【Death's Boundary】.
“If the opponents choose me as the breakthrough point, it will be the biggest mistake they've ever made.”
Angelina was speechless. Based on her understanding of Xu Xiaoyou, whenever she began making victory declarations, she would usually face a setback soon after.
“Welcome to... Asimov Station. The Skyline Special Express... is about to depart... The destination of this trip... is Skyline. We wish you... a wonderful day.”
The station's broadcast announcement rang out for the second time. Unlike the gentle and pleasant female voice from before, the voice was now stuttering, becoming hoarse and shrill, like a heavily scratched cassette tape. It was enough to make one's skin crawl.
The surrounding androids gave a sharp “szzzt” sound as their bodies twitched violently. Their digital models were stretched infinitely long, their heads nearly reaching the station's dome. Every inch of skin on their bodies fluttered like strips of paper cut from flesh; looking closely, one could see they were covered in writing—the labels that defined who they were.
The platform suddenly went dark. An invisible sense of suffocation rose like surging seawater, submerging the girls' feet, then their calves, waists, and chests, until it finally covered their heads. The air was blanketed by a layer of writhing shadows, flickering frequently like a snow-screen on an old television, as playful, blood-red eyes snapped open.
An eerie and terrifying atmosphere began to spread.
“It's just the designer's twisted sense of humor. Let's get on the train,” Xu Xiaoyou said expressionlessly.
The moment the girls stepped into the train, the yellow indicator lights on the floor lit up—【Access Denied】. The doors hissed shut, and all the androids returned to normal in an instant. Cheerful music began to play in the carriage. Young people lowered their heads to listen to music through headphones, while white-collar workers in formal suits sat with their backs perfectly straight, terrified of leaving a bad impression on others.
In the long carriage, a disciplinary officer was stationed every few dozen meters. They clutched copies of the New Gospel Book, their indifferent gazes scanning the crowd. The androids in the carriage kept a respectful distance, preferring to crowd together elsewhere rather than step within half a pace of the circle centered on a disciplinary officer.
Just as the train was about to start, a youth with a scar on his face came running in hurriedly. He looked anxious, cradling a dying cat in his arms. The cat's breathing was faint, its eyes were bloodshot, and there was a footprint on its abdomen where it had completely collapsed inward.
“Does anyone have a cryogenic first-aid spray? I can pay for it!” the youth shouted anxiously as soon as he entered.
“Bringing a wild animal onto the train; acting recklessly without thinking. This will be handled as a demerit,” the disciplinary officer said coolly. With a stroke of a quill pen in the New Gospel Book, the incident was recorded on the youth's recent social indicator.
“Ugh, so filthy. Does it have any germs? Please move it away.”
“Exactly, how disgusting. Bringing a wild animal onto the train... is this guy mentally ill? What's going on in his head?”
“Is that cat your parent? I didn't see you this anxious when your parents had an accident.”
Someone checked the youth's past social indicator, their tone mocking.
“The kitten was kicked, and now it can't even hiss.”
“How have these stray cats not died out yet? Who exactly is feeding them? Will you take responsibility if it scratches someone?”
Hearing the cold, mocking words from those around him, the youth said nothing. He simply repeated his request once more, slowly lowering his head and speaking in a voice only he could hear.
“It's not a stray cat. It's clean. And not all cats scratch people. It's just... it's just my friend.”
At that moment, a girl blowing bubblegum and dressed in the same street-punk style stepped out. She wore black lipstick and leaned against the train door with her hands in her pockets.
“A first-aid spray won't help. In this state, it definitely won't survive.”
“I know. I just hope that before it dies, Xiao Ye won't be in so much pain.”
The youth watched as the cat in his arms slowly closed its eyes and lost its breath. There wasn't much sadness in his eyes; he simply sighed and wrapped the cat in his overcoat.
“Xiao Ye? Hahahaha, are you kidding me? A decent-looking guy giving a filthy stray cat a name like Xiao Ye?” The girl's shoulders shook with laughter, only to find the youth looking at her calmly.
“It's not a stray cat. It's Xiao Ye. And it's not dirty.”
“You don't look like someone with a home. Anything wandering outside is a stray cat, and stray cats are all dirty,” the girl said, blowing a bubble. “You might wash it and comb its fur every day, but let me tell you, you can't wash it clean. It's full of parasites. Even if you deworm it, it'll still have a stench.”
“I know, you probably want to say not all cats are like that—at least your Xiao Ye isn't.” The girl shrugged. “But the truth is, people don't have time to look for gold in a pile of trash.”
“Then are we strays too?” the youth asked.
“What... what are you talking about? I might not have a place to live, but I shower every day. At most, I'm just idling...” The girl was at a loss for words.
“Then a street punk?” The youth displayed his label—“Street Punk.” This was the profession defined for him by the disciplinary officer.
“To hell with that. I just got an offer from a corporation through my connections today. I'm on my way to the interview. I was going to give you some advice, but what bad luck.”
The girl turned to leave, muttering curses under her breath.
“I'm not like you. I'll soon have a respectable job to support myself and a place to live. My tomorrow will be brilliant and colorful!”
“You can't wash it clean,” the youth said behind her. “You can't wash it clean...”
The brief farce ended. The youth walked up to the disciplinary officer, spat on the floor, and lit a cigarette, revealing a muscular arm covered in cigarette-burn scars. Those who had been accusing him earlier immediately shut their mouths, their eyes filled with either disgust or fear as they stood even further away from him.
The youth successfully received his point deduction penalty, his score dropping from 52 to 51. He didn't seem to care, clutching the bundle of clothes as he sat in the corner without a word.
The bullet screen began to discuss the scene.
“Feels a bit ironic, but I don't think this is worth sympathizing with. It shouldn't be encouraged. Bringing a stray wild animal onto a train is just brainless behavior.”
“Exactly. We're humans. When stray cats overpopulate, we send professionals to hunt them down because we're at the top of the food chain. It's just following nature.”
“And what if 'we' overpopulate? Is there a similar food chain in our society? What kind of labels are we branded with? That's the real question we should be thinking about, rather than being limited to the stray cat itself.”
“Labels defining a thing?”
“Damn it, who kicked the cat? Won't the person who kicked it be punished?”
“Heh, how funny. If the game designer replaced the cat with a cockroach, would anyone still feel sympathy?”
“Is a cockroach just a filthy thing in your eyes?”
“What else? If one crawls on you, you'll jump out of your skin.”
“Then make sure you never use anything related to cockroaches for the rest of your life.”
“Do you take me for a fool? How could I be ignorant enough to eat cockroaches!”
As the gentle and pleasant female voice of the broadcast rang out, the electronic sign in the upper left corner of the train changed.
【Asimov Memorial Square → Fire Medical Center】
The train began its journey, the station scenery moving backward. The game had officially begun.
“Game Rule 1: Evade the pursuit of the ‘label catcher.’ The game ends when you survive until the fifth and final stop, Skyline.”
“Game Rule 2: Your behavior is restricted; as you lower your own rating, the restrictions on your behavior will gradually be lifted.”
“Game Rule 3: The train will stop at each station for ten minutes, during which the ‘label catcher’ will have its pursuit ability restricted.”
Rate on N.U.
