Chapter 6: Beta Testers

Jiang Ran was not afraid of being scammed by the other party. Transactions within the game were regulated; if the goods did not match the description, one could immediately file a complaint. The game had its own verification system, and once confirmed, the offending party would be penalized.

In any case, trading these items for a crafting table fragment was a profitable deal. With a crafting table, one could produce many items exclusive to the game. It was rumored that if one could obtain the necessary materials and blueprints, one could even hand-craft a nuclear bomb! However, these were just rumors from her past life; Jiang Ran had never seen such things before her death, as materials were not that easy to come by.

Beyond the trade information scrolling in the chat hall, there were many goods listed in the trade hall, but they were mostly of low value or common, miscellaneous items. Just as Jiang Ran was about to close the game interface, a message suddenly appeared in the chat hall that made her pause.

"Silk Stockings Lady": "Are there any other closed beta players like me? Let's team up. With our strength, we could easily rule this train."

Immediately, many people jumped in.

"You big idiot! What do you think you're doing?"

"So arrogant? Venmo me 50 HP to prove your strength."

"Can I touch those silk stockings?"

...

This "Silk Stockings Lady" seemed provoked by the mockery and took a screenshot, posting it directly to the chat hall.

"Holy crap! How do you have so many supplies!"

"Big Sister, I'm your dog. Can you spare some food? My kid is suffering from heatstroke; they're hungry, thirsty, and on the verge of dying."

"Isn't anyone curious about what the closed beta is? Did she get these supplies from the closed beta? This is unfair! Find her and split her supplies!"

The message sent ripples through the crowd. At a time when everyone was struggling to survive, this "Lady" could display such a stockpile, instantly drawing immense hatred.

Yet, she was completely unfazed. She posted a screenshot of a location-tracking item: "Keep barking. I may not have much, but I have plenty of supplies and HP. Any of you loudmouths, just wait until I track your location and see if I slaughter you or not."

Once this was said, the IDs that had been clamoring to find her and seize her supplies all vanished, leaving only those trying to curry favor.

"Big Sister, look at me! Even though I'm not a closed beta player, I have plenty of strength and can help you conquer the world!"

"What is this person trying to do?"

"Don't you see? She's recruiting soldiers. She wants to rule other carriages and become a queen herself."

"Forget it. Looking at this ID and the way she talks, if that's not a man cross-dressing, I'll eat my hat."

...

It had to be said, although this "Silk Stockings Lady" was arrogant, she certainly had the capital. She sent a red packet in the chat group containing water, bread, and even two sausages. Suddenly, the messages fawning over her were coming in so fast they were impossible to keep up with, everyone hoping she would send more red packets.

Jiang Ran narrowed her eyes, confirming she had never seen this ID in her past life. In her previous life, she had been lucky during the Flaming Mountain instance, finding a cave early on to hide in. Although she lacked food and clothing, she managed to get by with the boxes she occasionally dug up. Back then, none of the closed beta players would have jumped out so brazenly to attract hatred because the variables in the instances were too great. Even if you had ample supplies, if you encountered a desperate outlaw who happened to find a high-damage weapon, you would still suffer, potentially ending up as someone else's harvest.

By the second instance in her past life, many players had already begun forming factions, relying on weapons they had found early on. Like petty tyrants, they used force to recruit people, then used those hands to oppress and enslave those in the lower-tier carriages.

Was the appearance of this "Silk Stockings Lady" another butterfly effect caused by her rebirth? But if this person's style was so high-profile, why would they have been silent in her past life?

Unless...

Jiang Ran suddenly thought of the times she was hunted in her past life. Those who hunted her claimed they were retaliating because she had provoked them, but Jiang Ran had been doing everything she could just to survive—she had no time to provoke anyone. She had assumed it was just an excuse for them to attack, but now that she thought about it, perhaps Xu Yunxuan had been playing some tricks behind the scenes.

Could there be an item or skill that allowed someone to impersonate others? After all, while the randomness of game items was high, it was not impossible for someone to be lucky enough to obtain such a heaven-defying item. The biggest difference between this life and her past was not just that she had stolen Xu Yunxuan's closed beta spot, but that she had slaughtered him at the very beginning of the game. Because Xu Yunxuan was dead, the things that originally belonged to him had fallen into someone else's hands.

So, was it possible that this so-called "Silk Stockings Lady" was actually someone using an item or skill to impersonate her, intentionally drawing hatred toward the real "Silk Stockings Lady"?

At this thought, a flash of insight struck Jiang Ran—she finally remembered why the ID "Little Spinning Top" looked familiar! In her past life, Jiang Ran had been too busy running for her life to pay attention to the chat groups, but she had occasionally heard of a player who arrogantly claimed in the main chat group to be a closed beta player, hoping to team up to conquer instances. The essence of their words was to grow stronger by exploiting those exhausted players in the lowest-tier carriages. Such comments naturally incited public outrage, and not long after, someone posted a bloody screenshot of the player's successful execution.

That unfortunate soul's ID was... "Little Spinning Top"!

And after that, Xu Yunxuan's faction slowly began to form. Subsequently, the number of people hunting Jiang Ran increased. Thinking back, Xu Yunxuan had possessed so many supplies in her past life, initially earning plenty of HP by reselling goods, and later committing every possible evil by exploiting lower-tier players. Yet, he was always able to hide behind the scenes.

Just like this "Silk Stockings Lady"!

Jiang Ran also suspected that someone with such an ID was more likely to be a man, but she was even more curious about the item that could impersonate others! After all, she had plenty of supplies and wanted to trade for more HP to increase her security. However, since everyone was relatively poor in the early stages of the game, selling too much at once would be too conspicuous, and Jiang Ran did not want to become a target. Especially since she was determined not to get caught in a web of lies and betrayal in this life, and had decided to be a lone wolf; it was even less suitable for her to expose herself.

Since this person was so high-profile in forming a faction, they must have many items. How could she get such a practical item from them?

Jiang Ran thought for a moment and sent a friend request to the person.

*

In a cave several dozen kilometers away from Jiang Ran, a man covered in wounds was curled up on the ground in a sorry state, surrounded by several people. A short man nearby spat at him: "Bah! 'A-tier carriage closed beta player,' my foot. In the end, you still have to kneel and be a dog for our Brother Long, don't you?"