He unsubscribed from the smart assistant, but it popped up again, so Su Baiye just blocked it with a single click.

"What a trashy ad. Get lost and play by yourself."

"It wants to take me to the Service Group's main hall... As if." Having just killed Fang Lin, Su Baiye was trying to keep his head down. Why would he walk right into a trap?

Carriage No. 3 was different from the previous ones. The space was extremely wide, and for the first time, there was the concept of a 'door'.

The previous carriages only had an entrance and an exit, both of which were blocked by Air Walls. There were no actual doors to speak of.

Now, on the left side of the carriage, in the direction of the train's travel, there were three doors, labeled in order:

1. Free Market

2. Personal Space

3. Carriage Game

Starting from Carriage No. 3, all odd-numbered carriages would have this layout.

Unlike in the Even-Numbered Carriages, you couldn't leave an odd-numbered one without completing its Carriage Game. That was why they had a dedicated Personal Space for players to rest.

Su Baiye entered his Personal Space first. The initial room was only five square meters, a space most people would find unbearable. But before he'd been transported here, Su Baiye had been a worker in Magic City and was long used to it. Every time he scrolled past videos with titles like "Welcome home, Mr. CEO," he would laugh heartily, because he actually lived in one of those weirdly-shaped micro-apartments.

Back in Magic City, Su Baiye's daily life could have been featured in a "Guide to Attacking a Prism Tower"—he was practically on the "Prism Tower's Must-Visit List."

The Personal Space could be upgraded with Points. Su Baiye bought a bathroom and a bed, expanding the space by over ten square meters. All in all, it cost him less than 50 Points.

As for furniture, Su Baiye went through the official channels instead of buying from the Free Market.

According to Tang Ruyu, the furniture in the Free Market was indeed cheap. For the same bed, the Lost Train might charge 5 Points, while the Item Group sold it for just 1 Point, even throwing in a mattress and a four-piece bedding set.

However, some of that furniture might come with hidden listening or monitoring devices. That possibility alone was enough for Su Baiye to rule it out completely.

"First, I'll sort through my haul. Then, a trip to the Free Market."

Inside his Personal Space, Su Baiye finally had the time and privacy to sort through everything he had acquired.

From the Carriage Games, he had earned 1062 Points from Carriage No. 1. As for Carriage No. 2, the prize for the winners was 100 Points. Since Tang Ruyu had forfeited and Fang Lin was dead, Su Baiye and Wang Luo naturally became the winners.

From his bet with Tang Ruyu, he had won 1000 Points in the first round. In the second round, he had acquired items worth 1966 Points, which included the Poison Resistance (valued at 300 Points), the Dice of Gambling Madness (valued at 900 Points), some miscellaneous consumables worth less than a hundred, and 700 Points in cash.

From the bet with Fang Lin, he had won 2000 Points in the first round. In the second round, Fang Lin had left him basically nothing of value—not a single Point—except for the Pass.

Of his spoils, Su Baiye had left the Pass, the Flame Stone, and the Poison Resistance Physique for Wang Luo, who would in turn help buy him some time.

Su Baiye only kept the Dice of Gambling Madness for himself, along with the Points.

[Points: 5765]

Su Baiye was probably the richest newcomer in the history of the train.

In fact, if he had kept the Pass and the Poison Resistance Physique, he could have scraped together something close to 10,000 Points.

According to Tang Ruyu, the Pass alone could sell for 2000 Points.

But the problem was... if Su Baiye were to spend his entire fortune on a Perfect Strategy, it would be like trading his sword for a watch—weakening his own strength and tying his own hands.

Su Baiye would never do something so foolish.

If he held on to the 10,000 Points, he still had a chance to survive. If he handed them over, he would be signing his own death warrant.

Fang Lin had seen this clearly, which was why he had threatened Su Baiye.

He thought Su Baiye was a smart man who could weigh the pros and cons. He just never expected Su Baiye to choose to flip the entire table.

"It doesn't matter if I die. What matters is that *you* die first."

"5765 Points. I have to spend them wisely..."

Su Baiye lay on the bed, thinking. After a short rest and a trip to the bathroom, he finally headed out.

He didn't go to the Carriage Game first, heading straight for the Free Market instead.

"The Free Market. They sell Strategies there, and it's also where Tang Ruyu said the Training Group is."

Su Baiye pushed the door open. A white light flashed before his eyes, and when his vision cleared, he found himself in a bustling marketplace, standing before a Notice Board.

Directly in front of him were several signposts:

Turn Left: Service Group · Main Hall

Turn Right: Item Group · Trading Market

Go Straight: Training Group · Talent Market

Combat was forbidden here, and the Dice of Gambling Madness was disabled.

Besides the three signposts and the Notice Board, there was also a mailbox diagonally in front of him.

The mailbox was for mail. Players in different carriages could send packages and even Points to each other, though it required paying a small service fee.

Su Baiye's mailbox was ajar, with a few pieces of mail inside.

"What's this?"

Su Baiye opened the mailbox, took out the mail, and began to read.

The first was a recruitment ad from the Item Group. It said they needed newcomers to help gather some raw materials and would buy them at a fixed price long-term. Besides paying in Points, they also offered a certain amount of contribution score. With a high enough contribution score, you could learn specific life skills, craft corresponding items, and sell them on consignment at the Item Group's auction house.

Su Baiye glanced at it and set it aside.

If he hadn't run into Fang Lin, Su Baiye might have been able to lie low and build up his strength. But as things stood, he didn't have the luxury of time.

The second piece of mail was much more exciting: a Level 5 Wanted Notice issued directly by the Service Group.

Su Baiye scoffed. Speak of the devil.

"Player: Su Baiye. Level 5 Wanted Notice. Report to cooperate with the investigation within 72 hours..."

Tang Ruyu was a clever one. His plan was to hide in Carriage No. 1 for three days, then rush to the Service Group's main hall to turn himself in at the last possible moment.

After all, he wasn't going to Carriage No. 4, and Fang Lin hadn't died by his hand. All he had to do was explain his side of the story.

Su Baiye glanced at the Wanted Notice and tossed it aside.

He had no intention of turning himself in, at least not for now. Besides, didn't he still have 72 hours?

If worst came to worst, waiting until the deadline to surrender was always an option.

The third piece of mail finally had something useful.

Su Baiye's expression shifted. "A free Newbie Gift Pack from the Training Group? Only 1 Point, with the extra requirement of visiting the Talent Market?"

Su Baiye nodded slightly. The Newbie Gift Pack was a kind of promotional item to draw people in.

The Service Group controlled the Strategies, and the Item Group had daily necessities. Newcomers would visit both sooner or later out of self-interest—the sooner, the better.

But the Talent Market was different.

Not every Player was willing to hire someone from the Training Group, nor did every Player understand their value. If the Training Group wanted to attract newcomers, they needed their own way to draw them in.

1 Point wasn't expensive—about what it cost to use the bathroom—so anyone could afford it.

Su Baiye readily paid the 1 Point and opened the Newbie Gift Pack. To be precise, it contained a short "Newbie Strategy":

First, newcomers should never offend the Strategy Group.

Second, on the Lost Train, information is the most powerful weapon.

Third, you must buy a [Name Change Card], sold exclusively by the Training Group.

Fourth...

Tang Ruyu had already mentioned most of this information.

However, the [Name Change Card] caught Su Baiye's interest. The Newbie Gift Pack even included one.

"[Name Change Card]: Temporarily replaces a Player's real name with a randomly generated game ID..."

This way, no matter what a Player did in a Carriage Game, their real name wouldn't be immediately exposed. It was an essential tool for multi-player Carriage Games, and could even be used in single-player games to prevent spoilers.

The Name Change Card was temporary, and using another one would overwrite the current alias.

If Su Baiye had possessed this item earlier, he wouldn't have been in such a passive position when dealing with Fang Lin!

Even if Fang Lin had revealed the Strategy to expose him, it would have only blown the cover on Su Baiye's alias. Not like now, where the Wanted Notice was sent directly to his personal mailbox!

Of course, the Strategy Group had ways of tracing the real name behind an alias through various clues—a practice commonly known as doxxing.

And the Name Change Card was sold exclusively at the Training Group's Talent Market!

To let new Players experience the item's value, the Newbie Gift Pack included one that was effective for 24 hours after use.

To put it bluntly, the Name Change Card was the most valuable item in the entire Newbie Gift Pack.

The card alone was worth the 1 Point.

Su Baiye looked at the Name Change Card. It looked like a business card with a scratch-off coating. Once you scratched it off, the name underneath would replace your Player ID.

Su Baiye needed to hide his identity right now. With a Level 5 Wanted Notice from the Service Group on his head, his Player ID was faintly glowing red, making him extremely conspicuous in the Free Market.

Luckily, there weren't many people near the Notice Board, so no one had noticed him yet.

Holding the Name Change Card, Su Baiye began to scratch it right then and there.

This was the lowest-grade Name Change Card. The game ID was random and it only lasted for 24 hours, but for Su Baiye in his current situation, it was incredibly precious.

He had to admit, there was a small thrill to scratching it, just like a lottery ticket. Su Baiye couldn't help but wonder what random game ID he would get.

The first character: Explosive.

"So explosive?" Su Baiye's spirits lifted. "That's so me!"

The second character: Explosive.

*Keep scratching! Don't stop!*

The smile on Su Baiye's face quickly froze, then vanished, replaced by bewilderment.

When Su Baiye saw his new ID, his expression was beyond grim:

[Explosive Dragon Baby Wants a Hug]

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"Name change successful!"

"Effective for: 24 hours!"