Chapter 22

Chapter 22: Departing the Station, a New Level 4 Treasure Chest

Ye Qiyan made several trips, hauling away most of the food and various seasonings from the kitchen.

He hadn’t forgotten that there were still two living people in the manor.

So he didn’t take everything.

On his final trip leaving the manor, the old butler who had been standing by the iron gates suddenly called out to him.

“Mr. Priest!”

Ye Qiyan stopped in his tracks and turned around.

He saw the old butler, leading the maddened security guard, bow to him.

“Mr. Priest, thank you for saving our lives. If there is ever an opportunity, I will surely repay you. Please, take this.”

“Ah, please don’t misunderstand—I am by no means implying that you’ve made too many trips. Even if you emptied the manor completely, it wouldn’t matter. I only just remembered this, and if you had left like this, I truly would have regretted it.”

Fearing Ye Qiyan might overthink it, the old butler explained further and handed him a wooden box tied with a ribbon.

“This is?”

Ye Qiyan opened the wooden box and was slightly surprised by what was inside.

The old butler shook his head and replied with a sigh:

“Judging by your expression, you must know of the RUN Corporation. This is the currency used to trade with them. With these coins, you can buy anything from them. The master collected them for many years and ultimately only got these three. Since the master is dead, I might as well gift them to you, Mr. Priest, as a small token of gratitude for saving our lives.”

Indeed.

Inside the box were three Train Coins.

But Ye Qiyan was even more surprised by a name.

RUN Corporation.

The faction that had appeared back in Doomsday Town—was it really more than just background lore?

Could it be that he might encounter traces of this corporation at other stations in the future?

Just how massive of a faction was it?

It was impossible to figure out.

Nor did he have enough information to support further speculation.

Ye Qiyan returned to the Train for the final time, cast off his raincoat, and smiled at the piles of food along with pots, pans, and tableware.

Thinking so much was useless; it was better to focus on living well.

Storing these items in the storage unit meant he didn’t need to worry about them spoiling over time.

He set up a barbecue grill inside the Train, placed a thick, premium steak on it, and prepared his first proper, warm dinner since arriving in this world.

In between tending the grill, Ye Qiyan set out containers outside to collect rainwater and began organizing his special gains from this station so far.

[Purified Earthbound Object] (Level 3)

[Can be placed anywhere on the Train to ward off evil spirits]

[Lustrous Ruby] (Level 1)

[Expensive. Perhaps certain entities will purchase it with Train Coins? Can be used to craft Ruby-colored Train Paint]

“Will someone really use Train Coins to buy something like this?”

Ye Qiyan tossed the ruby aside, pondered for a moment, and performed Sublimation on the skull.

[Stamina: 56→49] [Mental Power: 90→50]

An invisible power enveloped the skull.

In an instant, the Stamina and Mental Power were consumed.

What Ye Qiyan held in his hand no longer resembled a skull; in its place was a completely smooth, glowing jade stone.

[Pure Earthbound Stone] (Level 4)

[Placed anywhere on the Train, it enables the Train to dispel evil spirits, nullify any evil spirit forces below its level, and automatically absorb negative effects inflicted on the Train Captain]

Its abilities underwent a qualitative leap after Sublimation.

In addition to dispelling evil spirits, the Level 4 Earthbound Stone also gained the effects of absorbing negative statuses and ignoring evil spirits below Level 4.

In other words, before he upgraded to Level 5, supernatural-type stations shouldn’t pose much danger anymore.

And most importantly.

Ye Qiyan didn’t feel that the stone’s potential was exhausted.

It could still be sublimated further.

Stopover Countdown [00:42:45]

While enjoying his barbecue feast, Ye Qiyan heard sounds coming from the collection station.

Looking over at the sound, Wall-E had just crawled in from the hole below.

It was holding a bloodstained gift box in its arms, wobbling over to Ye Qiyan and holding it out to him.

[Level 3 Treasure Chest] (Can be opened)

“Good job, Wall-E. I’ll top up your engine oil later.”

Wall-E didn’t understand this; it merely went back silently to the collection station to hibernate.

“Then next, it’s time to leave.”

Now that Wall-E had returned with the treasure chest, there was no longer any point in lingering at this station.

“Depart station.”

[Perk Activated]

The Train started up.

Slowly accelerating, it traversed the void.

Passing from beneath one dark thundercloud to another, Ye Qiyan returned to the Endless Wilderness.

[All survivors have departed Platform 4!]

[In-station chat feature unlocked!]

[Rookie innate hidden module, [Novice Protection], deactivated]

[From now on, monsters will also attack the Train during the daytime]

The broadcast voice faded.

The Chat Room instantly bustled with activity.

[“Screw this! Are they even letting us live? Monsters at night, monsters during the day! So we’re not allowed to sleep anymore, huh?! If you want me dead, just say so—no need to torture people like this!”]

[“Heh, haven’t you figured it out yet? This world just wants to watch us die; it never intended to give us a way out.”]

[“Huh? Strange, even Level 2 Trains should have departed a while ago, right? Why is the broadcast only playing now?”]

[“Are you trying to say someone upgraded to Level RUN Corporation Stop joking. Didn’t you see how many materials are needed to upgrade to Level RUN Corporation It’s impossible for anyone to gather all that. Besides, it hasn’t even been an hour—maybe the broadcast system is just glitching and announced it late.”]

[“Exactly, it’s only been this long, how could anyone have gathered so many materials? If someone really did, I’ll eat my own words!”]

[“Tsk, monsters during the day too now, but I’m running low on bullets. Bro who sells guns, come out and say something! Got any more ammo? I’ll trade bug meat with you! It’s high protein, tastes like beef!”]

[“Ew! Are you Bear Grylls? Why are you eating bugs?”]

There were complainers, and there were debaters.

Having survived four stations, the remaining people were already forced to get used to the cruelty of this world.

They didn’t feel much anger about what the broadcast announced, because they no longer had the energy to be angry.

The death toll after the fourth station was slightly lower than after the third station.

[3455/10000]

Less than a thousand had died.

Worth celebrating?

Yet, the scrolling speed of the Chat Room was ultimately much slower than at the very beginning.

Ye Qiyan paid no attention to any of this; all his focus was on the box in his hands.

“Sublimate.”

[Stamina: 63→33] [Mental Power: 70→45]

[Level 4 Treasure Chest: Can be opened]

Ye Qiyan speared a piece of roast meat with his fork, popped it into his mouth, and wiped his hands.

Last time, the Level 4 treasure chest yielded the Sentry Watchtower; hopefully this time wouldn’t be too shabby either.

[Open Level 4 Treasure Chest]

[Obtained Train Coins: 8]