What a bummer?
At noon, don't you sleep and come to block my door?
Qi Xiao watched it from a distance. He noticed that the snake kept slithering around, always within a few meters of the train car door.
Qi Xiao glanced at his watch: 10:50.
No, if I wait any longer, I'll miss the train departure. Staying in this big desert is no different from being dead.
......
Qi Xiao put down his duffel bag, gripped his machete, and slowly approached the snake.
He walked very lightly and slowly, afraid of disturbing it. For now, the snake's attention was still on Qi Xiao's train.
Three meters, two meters, one meter...
Qi Xiao suddenly leaped, holding the rusty machete tightly in both hands, aiming for the snake's neck, and brought it down with a powerful strike.
The blade was dull and didn't sever it!
The snake writhed in pain, coiled itself up, and danced wildly, retreating from the door.
Qi Xiao seized the opportunity and quickly rushed onto the train.
The viper saw Qi Xiao run into the car and finally found its target, crawling toward him despite the pain!
But after Qi Xiao boarded the train, the snake lingered at the entrance, as if blocked by an invisible barrier, its tongue flicking as it couldn't enter.
Train Rule 3: You have a twelve-day internship period. During this time, the temperature in your car remains constant, and it is absolutely safe. Station creatures cannot enter your car.
Thank goodness for the newbie protection.
Qi Xiao relaxed, tossed the machete aside, and plopped down on the floor.
Looking at the snake and the half bag of cactus fruits outside, Qi Xiao grew angry.
No, I need to figure out how to kill it and get the fruit back!
Qi Xiao picked up a five-kilogram dumbbell, hesitated, and switched to a ten-kilogram one.
He approached the car door, held the dumbbell with both hands, and extended his arms outside, aiming at the viper and dropping it.
A loud thud, the snake's head was crushed to a pulp.
"Damn, its head is crushed, but it's still wriggling."
Qi Xiao hacked at it with the rusty machete until he was sure the snake was dead. Then, he picked up the dumbbell, cleaned the blood and flesh off it with some sand.
He retrieved the duffel bag he had dropped earlier. As he was about to close the door, he hesitated for a moment and decided to pick up the gory snake as well.
Can't deal with it, might as well post it for trade and get some food I can eat directly.
[One viper, trade for a packet of instant noodles or a bottle of mineral water.]
Qi Xiao sent the message, posted the trade, and began organizing his current food supplies.
Around 50-60 jin of cactus fruits.
Various water bottles totaled 37. Have to be frugal, who knows if the next stop will be a barren place.
A flash of light, and Qi Xiao received a packet of instant noodles.
The viper he listed had been traded away by a bald, bearded man.
Looking at the somewhat familiar profile picture, Qi Xiao's mouth twitched.
"...Desert King?"
[The train is about to depart, please take your seats and hold onto something stable.]
At 11:00, the train departed.
Qi Xiao looked out the window; the desert was gone.
In its place was utter darkness.
In the chatroom:
[Damn, why am I so unlucky? I've been stuck at places with no food for two days in a row!]
Same here, I've already eaten all my newbie gift packs.
Qi Xiao finally noticed that the number of online users had changed:
Online Users: 9701.
Only the second day and 300 people are already offline?
[Man, today's stop was on a snow-capped mountain. My foot slipped, and I fell into a snow pit. Almost didn’t make it back.]
[Hey, anyone want some snow? I risked my life to get it. Anything edible will do! Hurry, it's melting!]
Seems like many people encountered dangers during reckless exploration and died outside?
I, on the other hand, had station predictions and knew about hidden dangers, so I could prepare in advance.
Qi Xiao nodded and clicked to check the information for the next stop.
[Current Station Stop: Caijia Village (Multi-train station, with two other trains also stopping here.)]
[This station has zombie chickens; consumption or being attacked will result in infection. Danger Level: 2. (Note: Zombie chickens have deteriorated eyesight and rely on hearing to find targets.)]
[In the center of the village, the village chief's house has a Level 1 treasure chest. Contents: 3 Train Coins, one revolver, 20 oil-sealed bullets, and 1 Yin Chicken Silver Coin.]
[Note: Multi-train stations—stations where multiple trains stop simultaneously every morning at 8:00.]
Multi-train station? Two other trains are stopping here.
So I might run into others.
Zombie chickens with poor eyesight? Wonder if they have that "middle-part" hairstyle.
Qi Xiao's attention was drawn to the word "treasure chest."
Treasure chest! There's a treasure chest to open!
A revolver, a firearm indeed.
This rusty machete can retire now.
What are these Train Coins and Yin Chicken Silver Coins? Never heard of them, what are they for?
......
Caijia Village.
The fields were neatly planted with vegetables.
Purple long eggplants, red peppers, and green cucumbers.
"Oh, these cucumbers look great, fresh."
"Starved for two days, finally something to eat!"
A man with green rubber shoes, a white singlet, and eyes squinted into a line plucked a cucumber, wiped it with his clothes, and took a bite.
Wang Dalei ate as he picked more, tucking several cucumbers into his waistband.
"Oh, there are chickens too! A nice little chicken stew would be heaven!"
Discarding the cucumber in his hand, Wang Dalei stealthily approached the chicken on the road.
Steps light, afraid to scare it off.
"Gotcha!"
Wang Dalei expertly pinched the chicken's wings and lifted it.
No matter how much it flapped, it couldn't escape.
"Time to boil some water!"
Wang Dalei walked quickly with the chicken toward a villager's house, and soon, smoke rose from the chimney.
Holy cow, is this guy that brave?
Qi Xiao, who had been peering out the window to observe the situation, was quite shocked. The zombie chicken was already dealt with?
These chickens don't just have bad eyesight; they're practically blind!
After the man left the field, a plump middle-aged woman stepped out from another train.
She glanced around cautiously, ensuring it was safe, then entered the field and started picking cucumbers.
Qi Xiao saw the woman gather some cucumbers and eggplants, return to the train, and didn't come out again.
Qi Xiao no longer hesitated, picked up his machete, walked out of the car, and closed the door behind him.
Only the train master can open the door; to enter another person's train, one has to force it open.
Avoiding the house where the squint-eyed man was cooking the chicken, Qi Xiao headed towards the village center.
On the way, he saw a few more chickens.
But those chickens really did seem as if they were blind. As long as his movements were light enough, they didn't react even if he passed nearby.
Whenever a chicken blocked the path, Qi Xiao would throw a stone to make noise, luring them away.
In this way, Qi Xiao smoothly reached the village chief's house.
Climbed over the fence, broke the paper-covered window with his machete, and entered the house.