I Rely On Poverty To Sweep Through Survival GamesCh84 - Subway Station 13 (3)

Their soles stepping onto the old floor echoed throughout the empty platform; above them were electric lights past their expiry dates which flickered with the strain, and the air was still filled with a rotten moldy smell.

There was a lot of trash on the floor which rustled slightly in the wind and made this place less like the deathly stillness of the train. W1zDkf

An old newspaper was blown over to Xiao Lan’s feet.

He casually picked it up for a look. The yellowing newspaper was all gossip about small household affairs, and there was even faded scarlet text in the middle that said, ‘Want To Be Rich? Produce Less Children And Plant More Trees, Raise Fewer Children And Raise More Pigs.’

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He flipped the newspaper over, and apart from ads, printed on the back was also striking text like ‘One Person Exceeds The One-Child Policy, The Entire Village Is Sterilised’, ‘Raising Pigs Is Raising Yourself To Be Well-Fed’…

Xiao Lan’s lips twitched. “Truly slogans with an olden feel.” VczXSE

These slogans had been spread extensively during the eighties and nineties. They were simple yet memorable, and matched very well with this platform.

Luo also read the content of the newspaper, and evinced the puzzlement of a nonhuman. “Why are humans so enthusiastic about pigs?”

Xiao Lan: “…I really want to know the answer too.”

Perhaps this was the Yan Huang Zisun’s ardent love for farming, he guessed blindly.

The two people continued to follow the tracks.

He had only been able to see the moss on the floor from the train, but when he was walking on the platform, Xiao Lan realised that there were many more puddles on the floor than he had seen.

There were corners that had puddles that might have been there all year round; the black muddy puddles already had their own ecosystems, with algae and unknown little organisms growing in them. Though they didn’t look tranquil, at least they were beautiful.

As they walked, there was the constant sound of water dripping. CqQ4wp

After walking for a while, Xiao Lan saw an exit sign up ahead.

The sign was pointing to a long flight of cement stairs that was as old as this platform. It was pitch-black at the top and the end couldn’t be seen at all.

The escalators on both sides had long stopped working. They were covered in dust and even rust, making one wonder if these things could ever function again. Even if these old things could still move, Xiao Lan strongly suspected that they would break down halfway.

So, if they wanted to leave the station, they could only climb the stairs. uepOTy

Looking at that length, a normal person probably wouldn’t reach the end even after twenty minutes. What sort of monster designed this subway station?

Imagine if a company slave, on the verge of being late, headed to the subway, just to be confronted with this devastatingly long flight of steps. They would probably write a ten-thousand-word essay filled with curses to the architect, then cry as they hurried down in a race against time; it would probably be that sort of miserable scene.

But there weren’t any other paths to walk here, so the two of them still stepped onto the stairs.

We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.

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Story translated by Chrysanthemum Garden.

Xiao Lan continued forward silently, when he suddenly heard a sound behind him.

Da — i2xsqg

Da —

It appeared imperceptibly behind Xiao Lan, cleverly overlapping with his footsteps and keeping in step with Xiao Lan. When he quickened his footsteps, these footsteps also sped up; when he slowed down, the sound also synchronised with his movements and slowed down, and when he stopped walking, the sound also ceased.

No more, no less, keeping in perfect time with his steps. Those who weren’t listening closely wouldn’t notice it, and would just feel that their own footsteps sounded strange.

And when Xiao Lan looked back, the stairs were still as empty as ever. FUcSDP

Xiao Lan raised his foot and walked forward again, and the sound appeared behind him again, like something was stuck closely to his back, but he was completely unable to find the other.

At that moment, the lights over the steps flickered a few times and buzzed with electricity, making the dilapidated surroundings even more unnerving, as if secret watchers were hiding in the dark.

It was like an arrogant show of strength from the dark, waiting to see his panicked and fearful response.

Seeing Xiao Lan stop walking, Luo followed suit. xcPGbq

Xiao Lan raised his eyebrows lightly. He tilted his head and gave Luo a meaningful look. Without the need for words, Luo instantly understood his intention.

The next second, they dashed ahead at an unscientific speed.

The two figures were like meteor streaks as they instantly dashed a good distance up the stairs. Their figures left two afterimages in the air, so fast that they couldn’t be caught with the naked eye at all.

Don’t you like following people? Come, come follow if you can ah! fqndr2

Their figures had already disappeared; only their footsteps as they slowed down a bit echoed in the distance. Hearing these footsteps, wasn’t it like two crisp slaps casually landing on the face?

Unnamed monster left behind: “…”

What in the world were these two? Did they grow up drinking gasoline to run this fast?!

The key point was that, fuck, it really couldn’t catch up. This seriously pisses people off, oh, wait, pisses ghosts off.  v4B7dP

You guys are over the speed limit, you know?!!!

Xiao Lan sprinted for some time before he stopped, and Luo also stopped with him. Their faces weren’t red and they weren’t panting; it was as if they had only been taking a stroll just now.

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Xiao Lan took a couple of steps forward, carefully listening to his footsteps. As expected, the footsteps that had been shadowing him had disappeared.

He turned his head and smiled in satisfaction. See how important it was to work out? uA8KWY

They had reached the last stretch of stairs as well. Xiao Lan finally understood why he couldn’t see the end just now when they were downstairs; it was because the overhead lights gradually grew weaker as they climbed, and practically died out when they approached the top.

When looking up from below, it naturally was just blackness with no visible end.

He took out【Nuclear energy flashlight】and, using its light, began exploring this place which he suspected was the station entrance.

It was completely dark, with only a few indicator lights still in place and emitting green or red light. kKYxrH

This place was much messier than the platform downstairs. With a sweep of his flashlight, Xiao Lan could very clearly see a lot of junk on the ground: plastic water bottles, shoes, clothes, and even some person’s socks and wig had been carelessly discarded.

The chairs provided for travellers to rest on were flipped over on the ground, and there was even a vending machine lying on its side. It looked like this place had experienced a huge wave.

A faint smell of burning still permeated the air, as if something plastic had been set on fire.

Xiao Lan headed to where the turnstiles should be. SjqaKZ

Suddenly, the flashlight skimmed past a deathly pale face.

The face had an alarmed expression, the eyes so wide they were about to pop out of their sockets. The intense light from the flashlight shone on the man’s face, but he didn’t look away from the glare at all. Though he stared in Xiao Lan’s direction, his gaze wasn’t focused and seemed empty and strange.

“He, he —”

His mouth was wide open as he gasped heavily for breath. He was breathing very rapidly, as if he was about to run out of air. His wide open mouth caused his cheeks to sink in, and distorted his facial features. The muscles on his face were also taut. jRLoPf

For one moment, Xiao Lan couldn’t tell from this appearance whether this was a person or a ghost.

The man took a couple of steps forward and raised a hand to Xiao Lan, but it was unclear if he was talking to Xiao Lan or himself. “Ticket… Train ticket… No ticket…”

Seeing that he was most likely human, Xiao Lan probingly asked, “Hello?”

But the other person didn’t react at all, as if Xiao Lan was just air, and he continued acting weirdly as he muttered, “Huu… No ticket… won’t do…” rHGvDy

The next second, he suddenly disappeared from the flashlight’s range.

After that was the sudden sound of chaotic footsteps.

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That sound was heading in a certain direction. Xiao Lan turned the flashlight and aimed it in that direction. He then saw a person staggering forward. That person was unexpectedly quick, and didn’t even pause when he bumped into the overturned chairs, as if he didn’t know what pain was.

Xiao Lan and Luo hurriedly followed, trailing behind this strange person the entire way. D8d6TX

Because this person’s state was odd, they didn’t get too close and merely observed him from a distance to see what on earth he was doing.

This person dashed wildly to the turnstiles.

Then, as if he had gone mad, he assailed a turnstile. He didn’t give up even when he was blocked as he hit it desperately and bellowed nonsense. It wasn’t long before his hands started bleeding.

As he pounded, a red restriction symbol began glowing on the bottom of the turnstile. The red glow was utterly dazzling in the pitch-black environment, and flickered like it was breathing; it highlighted the person at the turnstile and made him look like an insane devil. ZMmdip

Sensing that something was amiss, Xiao Lan hastily retreated, distancing himself from this turnstile area that was looking increasingly dodgy.

At the same time, he called out a couple of times, attempting to call this person back to his senses.

But as the saying went, you couldn’t stop someone who wholeheartedly wanted to die.

This person still acted as if everything around him didn’t exist, and he took utterly no notice of Xiao Lan’s words. At that moment, the only thing in his heart was to break through the turnstile. 7fKLJ4

Soon, he destroyed the obstruction that was the turnstile.

He then lifted his head, raised his bloody hands, and raced forward like a victorious marathon contestant dashing for the finishing line.

“Hahaha! I’m out of the station! Out of the station!!!” He paid no attention to his injuries as he shouted maniacally.

The moment he stepped out completely, his body exploded thunderously, like a water balloon. Thick blood splattered everywhere and dyed the turnstile area a bloody red. RzFB7x

This was the consequences of forcibly leaving the station without a ticket.

The intense smell of blood was carried on a wind that blew from who knew where and assailed their senses. Paired with the red light that hadn’t gone out yet, it made Xiao Lan feel like he was in hell.

Fuck me, isn’t the price of sneaking out without a ticket a bit too much?

Baobao Notes 73wWcB

I sure hate stairs. In 高二 my classroom was on the fifth floor, and I had to walk up every day while carrying a bag filled with textbooks. On the other hand, there were two staircases, so if you’re late returning to class after recess, you can see the teacher walking up one of the stairs, then you can book it up the other stairs and be there before the teacher reaches the classroom.

If the teacher is chill, they’d wave at you and wish you good luck in the workout if they spot you. If they weren’t… they’d call your name out after entering class and punish you QAQ

Story translated by Chrysanthemum Garden.