Chapter 41 - The Ghost Station
«...»
Eastport Station, where they finally arrived, was a ghost station with not a single hint of human presence. It was dark, gloomy, and the air felt stifling.
Maybe there’s no one here?
Caleb was the first to step onto the platform and said:
«We had prepared to move to Eastport Station via the ghost line in case of ergency. Actually, even Stoneveil city Station wasn’t sowhere we lived—it was more of a temporary stay.»
That explained why the camp at Stoneveil city Station had seed so fragile.
Caleb wandered the ghost station with the ease of familiarity. Following behind him, they ca upon an area covered by a tarp.
So this is what they ant by being prepared. Lifting the tarp, inside were rows of lined-up bags.
There were quite a few.
«These are supplies we stockpiled just in case. We hid them here last ti we ca.»
Jhin could guess why Caleb had bothered coming all the way to Eastport Station to hide Stoneveil city’s supplies.
’Players might have inventories, but normal people don’t.’
When you think about it, normal civilians were like NPCs in a ga. Inventories were a privilege only players enjoyed.
Even rchants, if they were NPCs, couldn’t use inventories. Likewise, normal people had no easy or convenient way to store personal belongings.
They had no choice but to carry everything by hand.
So, moving supplies in advance and hiding them in different areas was smart.
Especially in tis like now, when Grids ca swarming in, or during dungeon breaks where monsters launched sudden attacks.
You couldn’t possibly gather all your possessions and move on the spot.
If you didn’t prepare ahead of ti, you’d lose not just supplies, but people too.
Even players’ inventory capacities weren’t infinite. Unless you had an item that increased your capacity, you couldn’t possibly stockpile everything needed for all those people.
It was proof that Caleb was more ticulous than he seed.
Looking over the scattered traces, Caleb smiled slightly.
«...Seems soone’s already been here.»
The bags were wide open. Torn snack wrappers and clothes thrown about were visible. Roughly 20 out of the 50 bags had been opened.
A question suddenly crossed his mind.
«Why didn’t the people at Stoneveil city Station beco players?»
If they had beco players, their inventories would have been activated. Then there would have been no need to hide away this much material.
Maybe the survivors at Stoneveil city Station wouldn’t have been so helpless against the ’dungeon disease’ either.
Players had basic immunities, after all.
’The elderly or the sick couldn’t beco players, but still...’
Similarly, those who were too young or physically unfit lacked the qualities to beco players.
Even if they sohow beca players, failing to pass the selection maze ant it was all for nothing.
Thus, those who couldn’t even pass an "Easy Mode" needed to be excluded. You couldn’t knowingly send people into deathtraps.
’Still... it’s strange.’
Even so, Stoneveil city Station was odd.
Even excluding those who couldn’t help it, a significant portion of the younger generation there hadn’t beco players either.
Like Kim Jung-woo and Yoo Jo-young before.
They appeared to be in their twenties. Why hadn’t they beco players? They didn’t seem to have any health issues.
Was there another reason he didn’t know about?
«The internet was cut off.»
«...But Ms. Millie seed able to contact people.»
He had checked with his phone too—the internet was indeed down. If the communication network was completely destroyed, how was Millie able to contact anyone by phone?
Jhin asked:
«Is that not the case?»
«No, you’re right. My phone can still communicate. But it’s only my phone.»
The reason was simple.
«Ms. Millie’s phone has been upgraded. And she has a communicator, which enables contact.»
«Upgraded? Communicator?»
Millie showed the watch wrapped around her wrist. It was a smartwatch—this was the device that allowed her phone to still connect.
«Only people with this device can communicate. But it has a level restriction, so normal civilians can’t use it.»
aning, even if a normal person wore it, they couldn’t even send a text, let alone access the internet.
«There’s only one way for a civilian to beco a player: entering the ’Ark.’»
«...Ark?»
«Yes. I’ve only been there a few tis myself, but it’s the last remaining player stronghold in New Capital.»
Ark.
Literally, Noah’s Ark.
A vessel said to have saved humanity and Earth’s creatures from the great flood.
A fitting na for the last refuge of New Capital.
And the na Ark wasn’t unfamiliar to Jhin either. There had been a similar group in Exodia with a similar function.
’Don’t tell ... after Company, they crossed over too.’
Millie added:
«The internet still works at Ark. There, even civilians can beco players. They can also update their terminals and upgrade their phones. Honestly, we were on our way there too.»
There was no need to ask why they hadn’t made it to Ark and remained at Stoneveil city Station.
Dungeon disease.
You couldn’t bring along infected patients into the Ark.
They had probably planned to cross over after treatnt... but it all crumbled before their eyes.
«Maybe the survivors made it to Ark after all.»
Caleb turned his flashlight to maximum brightness. He swept it around the ghost station, but couldn’t see the platform’s edge.
No signs of life.
«Let’s move quickly. They couldn’t have gotten far.»
But then it happened.
Jhin realized his pocket was vibrating wildly. Kimmy twitched his nose, sniffing.
Jhin narrowed his eyes.
«Hold on.»
«Yes?»
[’Kimmy’ has picked up the scent of a ’snack’ nearby.]
Following Kimmy’s radar and scanning the surroundings, Jhin spotted sothing flickering far off in the darkness.
«Soone’s here.»
«What?»
A quickly disappearing silhouette.
Tracking it wasn’t difficult.
After all, the figure was heading down an isolated passage, and with Kimmy’s radar, they could pinpoint the direction exactly.
It would be stranger if they lost them in a situation like this.
The problem was—they were running away.
«Why are they running?»
«Who knows. Maybe they think we’re Grids.»
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