"Name: Su Baiye"

"Identity: Temporary Passenger"

"Location: Layer 1, No. 2"

"Points: 2062"

Su Baiye closed the status panel and looked at the other person in the carriage.

The other guy said he'd died several times in the Carriage No. 1 game, which meant the water really was poisonous, and his Cheat Ability was real...

After a brief greeting, Su Baiye asked, "I fell asleep on the subway and just appeared here. How about you, buddy?"

Wang Luo recalled, "I was heading to the gym after work..."

Hearing the dreaded word "gym," Su Baiye said in shock, "I knew it! Working out increases the risk of sudden death!"

*That's why I've been so persistent in not exercising, day after day!*

Wang Luo quickly shook his head. "No... I was hit by a car on my way to the gym. I can't say for sure if I died or not, but when I woke up, I was here, and I wasn't even injured..."

Su Baiye understood. He had the classic web novel transmigration, while Wang Luo had the classic anime isekai experience.

They were evenly matched opponents, in a way.

Su Baiye asked humbly, "Brother Wang, why didn't I see you in Carriage No. 1? Do you know how to get off this train?"

Now that he had confirmed the dangers of the Carriage Games, Su Baiye's first instinct was: *Let me off! This isn't the ride I signed up for!*

Death might be one step behind him, but as long as he remained on the Lost Train, he would always be dancing with death.

Wang Luo shook his head. "I don't know. There don't seem to be any exits. We can only keep moving forward..."

Wang Luo had arrived a little earlier than Su Baiye and knew a bit more. "Odd-Numbered Carriages are single-player games in separate spaces, so players don't interact. Even-Numbered Carriages are for multiplayer games. For example, the game in Carriage No. 2 requires four people to start. Your rank in the game determines whether you advance, stay put, or retreat."

Wang Luo had already played one round. His luck was neither good nor bad; he ranked third and had to stay in Carriage No. 2, waiting for the next round to begin.

Compared to the Carriage Game, Su Baiye was more curious about something else. "Brother Wang, what did you mean when you said you'd died a few times?"

*Can people really be revived after dying? This place is terrifying!*

Su Baiye stared at Wang Luo as if he were a monster, but Wang Luo's expression was even more exaggerated. "You've never died? You're the terrifying one! From a probabilistic standpoint, do you have any idea what it means to clear five levels in a single life?"

To read the uncut version, go to [pawread.com].

[0.5 * 0.25 * 0.125 * 0.0625 * 0.03125]

That number was the probability of Su Baiye clearing the levels on his first try.

Of course, that didn't account for the Challenge Task.

Wang Luo simply couldn't believe that someone could complete the Challenge Task in one life—picking the single cup of Non-toxic Water out of a thousand.

A one-in-a-thousand chance. No one would ever voluntarily choose that challenge!

Su Baiye didn't bother with the math. With his Cheat Ability in hand, he could humbly declare: probability no longer applied.

"Doesn't this just prove that I'm the chosen one!"

Without a shred of modesty, Su Baiye took all the credit for his Cheat Ability. *Isn't my Cheat Ability a part of me?*

"As long as we stick together, Lady Luck will always be on our side!"

Wang Luo didn't know whether to laugh or cry. He didn't mind Su Baiye's easy familiarity; in a way, this level's game did offer a chance for cooperation.

Under Su Baiye's curious gaze, Wang Luo cleared up his confusion. "After drinking the Poisonous Water, you can use points to revive and continue the game. You use your life for trial and error. Die a few times, and you'll figure out which cup is non-toxic.

The points required for Revival are the same as the carriage's serial number. Reviving in Carriage No. 1 costs 1 point, Carriage No. 2 costs 2 points, and so on..."

The initial point total was 1000. Did that mean every player had 1000 lives in Carriage No. 1?

*So that's how it is...* No wonder there was a Point Reward for clearing each level. From that perspective, the level design was rather humane, wasn't it?

Su Baiye remembered that the Point Reward for the First Level was 2. Even if you were unlucky and died once, you'd make the points back after clearing it.

Moreover, based on this Point Consumption rate, a player had 1000 lives in Carriage No. 1. By Carriage No. 10, each revival would cost 10 points, meaning 1000 points would only get you 100 lives.

And this was just the consumption for the first layer. The Lost Train clearly had a second layer. The further you went, the higher the cost would be.

"Then you could pass Carriage No. 1 with your eyes closed." Su Baiye didn't understand why Wang Luo had such a huge mental scar from the first level.

"You'll find out sooner or later. I'll tell you now so you can be mentally prepared..."

Wang Luo paused, overcoming his inner trauma, and voiced the fear buried deep inside him. "After you revive, your previous corpse doesn't disappear."

What truly left a mental scar on Wang Luo wasn't death, nor revival, but the floor littered with his own bodies...

Hearing this, Su Baiye's expression darkened. He fell silent for a moment, then patted the other man's shoulder. "My condolences."

"Huh... Condolences for what! I'm still alive!"

Now that Su Baiye had put it that way, Wang Luo wasn't sure if he should be mourning for himself or not.

Wang Luo added, "Anyway, it's best to die as little as possible. Points are really important. They're not just Revival Coins, so you have to use them sparingly. I heard from someone that reviving can also reset some beneficial BUFFs."

*Buffs get reset?*

Su Baiye's expression grew serious. He wasn't worried about losing buffs—you couldn't miss what you didn't have.

But did his Cheat Ability count as a BUFF?

*Does it? It probably doesn't... Or does it?*

Su Baiye couldn't be sure.

A death you could revive from wasn't scary in itself; it even deconstructed the meaning of death, if not for the pile of corpses.

Foresee Death was Su Baiye's greatest Cheat Ability and his biggest advantage on the Lost Train. What if he lost it over something as trivial as reviving? Wouldn't that be a classic case of being penny wise and pound foolish?

Su Baiye would rather die for real than lose this Cheat Ability.

He couldn't lose his Cheat Ability, therefore Su Baiye couldn't die.

The logic was a perfect, closed loop!

Conclusion: Don't die!

Looked at from another angle, revival was supposed to be a cheat ability for players, giving them more room for error. But for the sake of his 'Foresee Death' ability, Su Baiye was giving up the 'Revival' ability. This was, in itself, a trade-off between abilities.

Foreseeing death was equivalent to foreseeing the future. The importance of an information advantage was self-evident. Preserving this ability was Su Baiye's highest priority.

On the other hand, if Su Baiye lost his ability to foresee death after dying, he would unlock the 'Revival' ability.

*Clearing the Lost Train in a single life? Interesting...*

After hearing so much from Wang Luo, Su Baiye had only one question left. "Brother Wang, how did you find out all this information?"

*We both came from the first carriage, so why are you so well-informed? Do you have a cheat too? Or did you secretly look up a strategy guide?*

Wang Luo didn't hide anything and answered truthfully. "I heard it from other players during the game in Carriage No. 2."

As for why the players would be so kind, Wang Luo explained, "You can get a Point Reward for explaining the basics to a newcomer. I've already gotten 6 points for telling you all this, which is equal to three lives. You can try it too when you meet a newcomer in the future."

Su Baiye's eyes lit up. There was a perk like that?

Su Baiye was first-rate when it came to extrapolating. He immediately asked, "So we can use this method to verify the accuracy of information! And to determine if someone is a newcomer!"

[You have shared a piece of rare-quality information with Player 'Wang Luo'. Points +10]

Wang Luo nodded vigorously. "Exactly!"

Wang Luo instantly realized that Su Baiye was right!

Su Baiye grew more excited as he spoke. "For information you're not sure about, or vague information, as long as it's related to the rules of the Lost Train itself, you can use this method to test it, to try your luck!"

[You have shared a piece of common-quality information with Player 'Wang Luo'. Points +2]

In just a few sentences, Su Baiye had earned 12 points, enough for six revivals in Carriage No. 2!

Su Baiye pondered for a moment, then spoke again. "The underlying logic of these rules is to encourage players to exchange information and break down information barriers. Sometimes, you could even proactively give an enemy valid information to boost your own points, while also mixing in truths and falsehoods to confuse them. There's a lot of room for strategy here!"

With his mind opened up to the possibilities, Su Baiye suddenly felt there was much to be done.

Wang Luo had to admit, Su Baiye's on-the-spot thinking was much sharper than his own.

"A veteran player told me something similar, so you can't get a Point Reward for that."

In return, Wang Luo introduced the game in Carriage No. 2. "The game requires a total of four people. The content is simple: we're paired up to play Rock-Paper-Scissors. The key is the final ranking!"

The game in Carriage No. 1 was 'drawing lots,' while Carriage No. 2 was Rock-Paper-Scissors. The game design itself wasn't important; what mattered was the strategic process.

Wang Luo emphasized, "Only the top two can proceed to Carriage No. 3. The person ranked third has to stay in Carriage No. 2."

As for the person in last place, they would be eliminated and sent back to Carriage No. 1 to start over.

Wang Luo's luck in the previous round was bad; he ranked third and remained in Carriage No. 2.

Still, compared to the unlucky soul in fourth place, he was already fortunate...

Hearing this, Su Baiye's eyes lit up. "If you go back to Carriage No. 1 and play another round, do you get a Point Reward?"

"No."

This point was crucial. There were no rewards for re-clearing a game you had already passed.

Wang Luo stammered, "B-But who would want to go back to that hellhole!"

Su Baiye nodded in agreement. "True. I couldn't drink that much water again anyway, I'd be too full. Is there a bathroom on this train? Do you lose points for public urination?"

Wang Luo: ...*Buddy, are your priorities a little skewed?*

A normal person sent back to Carriage No. 1 would have to spend at least a few dozen points to get out, with no points credited. It was a net loss no matter how you looked at it. Yet Su Baiye was actually thinking about doing it again?

*I really don't get you chosen one types...*

Su Baiye was a little disappointed. A pity he couldn't exploit a bug to farm points.

Since points could be used as Revival Coins, they naturally had other wonderful uses. Wang Luo told Su Baiye that starting from Carriage No. 3, they would gain permission for Point Exchange for supplies. The further they went, the better the items they could exchange for.

Su Baiye asked the critical question, "What happens if your points are reset to zero?"

Wang Luo shook his head. "I don't know either. That veteran player, Fang Lin, only said that on the Lost Train, points are everything."

Once your points hit zero, if you encountered another life-or-death crisis, you would most likely die for real...

The two fell silent for a moment. Unable to stand the oppressive atmosphere, Wang Luo spoke again. "Players can move between carriages. In Even-Numbered Carriage games, winners advance and losers retreat. The game in Carriage No. 2 needs four people, which means the other two..."

Before he could finish, the doors at both ends of the carriage opened simultaneously. Two men with grim faces entered Carriage No. 2, glaring at each other as soon as they met.

One had just cleared the game in Carriage No. 1, while the other had been eliminated from the game in Carriage No. 3.

The moment all four were present, a prompt popped up in front of them:

[Carriage No. 2 Game is loading...]