Death Train: SSS-level talent right from the start!

"Holy crap, the tree has come to life."

Qin Zhaoyang's mouth dropped open.

The face on that person's face twitched slightly, the curve of their lips widening as their gaze swept over Chen Ye and the other two: "Relax. If I wanted to kill you, I wouldn't have opened the door for you. Your Tree God's blessing was given to you by me."

Qin Zhaoyang still held the crossbow in his hand, but he didn't pull the trigger. He just stood there stiffly, his Adam's apple bobbing up and down, before lowering his voice: "Brother Ye... what's going on?"

Chen Ye sheathed the Demon-Slaying Halberd, then took two steps forward, stopping about four or five meters away from the tree. He looked up at the human face that had appeared on the tree trunk: "So you're the tree god?"

The face on the tree trunk blinked, as if amused by something, then quickly looked away: "You can call me that."

"Why did you create those portals of light and bring us here? It couldn't just be to save our lives, could it?"

Chen Ye didn't beat around the bush and asked directly.

The face on the tree trunk twitched slightly, and the curved line deepened: "Of course I want to save your lives."

He paused, then added, "But not entirely."

Qin Zhaoyang peeked half his head out from behind Chen Ye, his eyes warily fixed on the human face on the tree trunk: "What else is there?"

The amber eyes on the tree-bark man's face shifted slightly, glancing at Qin Zhaoyang before returning to Chen Ye: "I'm just like you, a pitiful person who was captured. No, you're the pitiful people, I'm the pitiful tree."

The hall fell silent for a moment.

Chen Ye didn't reply, he just stared at the face.

He was waiting for the next part.

The tree-bark-faced man continued, "I'm much worse off than you. If you don't want to play anymore, you can commit suicide and end it all. I can't even die if I want to. I can only stay in this godforsaken place, day after day, watching batches of passengers come and die."

He spoke in a calm tone, even with a hint of teasing, but something flashed quickly in the depths of his eyes.

"So you're in charge of this survival trial?"

Chen Ye asked tentatively.

The tree-bark-faced man smiled and said, "What you say is also fine."

Chen Ye's gaze lingered on the bark man's face for a moment: "Death games all have rules, and those rules are unchangeable. Your actions just now violated the rules; you were breaking the rules."

The tree-bark man's smile paused slightly, then he resumed his composed demeanor, replying in a measured tone, "How did I break the rules?"

"The rules state that passengers who do not receive the blessing of the Tree God at the end of the trial will be eliminated. The commotion you caused up there, those vines and blood mist—if we hadn't entered the portal, we probably would have all died before the trial ended. If it's a guaranteed death for everyone, why not just eliminate us directly?"

Chen Ye spoke slowly and deliberately, as if he were stating something that had been considered many times before.

He was fairly certain that it was this so-called tree god in front of him who had deliberately let them in.

First, they created a situation they couldn't handle, then gave them a way out, leaving them with no choice but to enter the portal.

There was a two-second silence in the hall.

The bark man's expression underwent a very subtle change, a change that vanished in an instant, but Chen Ye caught it.

That wasn't the embarrassment of being exposed, but rather the gaze of someone reassessing their opponent after their intentions have been seen through.

Then the bark-faced man chuckled twice: "None of that matters. The rule is that those who receive the blessing of the Tree God will not die. You have all received the blessing, and you are all still alive, aren't you? Strictly speaking, it doesn't count as breaking the rules."

He paused, his eyes narrowing slightly: "You're quite perceptive."

"Tell me, how do we get through this trial? Or rather, what is the purpose of bringing us here?"

Chen Ye's tone remained calm.

The bark man's expression changed slightly, and the smile faded a bit.

"It's very simple."

As the tree-bark-faced creature finished speaking, it spat out a seed emitting a green light, which floated and hovered in front of Chen Ye.

"Eating this seed will allow you to pass this survival trial. Any of the three of you can eat it. As long as you eat this seed, I will release you at the end of the survival trial, and you will all pass the survival trial safely."

The bark-faced man's voice deepened, and his tone became more serious.

"What will be the consequences of eating this?"

Chen Ye looked down at the floating seed in front of him, but did not reach out to catch it.

"Eating you won't kill anyone, and it will bring immense benefits. Why would I go through all this trouble to kill you?"

The tree bark-faced man spoke with a knowing smile.

Chen Ye did not respond immediately.

His gaze lingered on the green-glowing seed for a few seconds, then he looked up at the bark and human face before looking away, his brow furrowing almost imperceptibly.

There's definitely something wrong with this seed, but he wasn't sure exactly what it was.

Based on what this tree-bark-faced man is saying, it can be basically determined that he is managing this training ground, and his current behavior is definitely a violation of regulations.

Put yourself in his shoes. If he were a tree god trapped in a training ground for countless years, unable to die even if he wanted to, then the only thing he would want to do would probably be to leave this place.

Eating this seed could very well be a way to establish some kind of connection with the tree, or to be implanted with some kind of inescapable control, or it could actually bring immense benefits.

The stakes are too high.

But if they didn't eat, the tree bark and human face obviously wouldn't let them leave. This thing was no longer a monster, but a manager, and the entire forest was under his control. Killing him was obviously impossible.

Qin Zhaoyang seemed to have noticed Chen Ye's hesitation.

He stepped out from behind Chen Ye, his steps quickening slightly. He walked up to Chen Ye, reached out his right hand, and grasped the pale green seed that was floating in mid-air.

The moment the seed touched his hand, the light rippled slightly before settling back down.

"I'll eat."

Qin Zhaoyang said.

"Zhaoyang..."

Chen Ye quickly stopped him.

"Brother Ye," Qin Zhaoyang interrupted him, "You can't be hurt. Whether we can survive or go home depends entirely on you. My talent is just so-so. If it weren't for you and Brother Hai, I would have died several times over. If I could exchange my life for everyone's success in this survival trial, it would be worth it."

Qin Zhaoyang, who was usually timid and fearful, showed no fear in his eyes at this moment, only a seriousness that Chen Ye had not seen on his face for a long time.

After Qin Zhaoyang finished speaking, he threw the green-glowing seed directly into his mouth, his Adam's apple bobbing up and down before he swallowed it.

The whole process took less than two seconds.