Blue Platform

"What?!"

"Fifty universal bullets are only worth two Train Coins???"

"That guy is absolutely ripping you off!"

The moment Gu Wanqing learned the terms of the trade, she blew up.

"He's definitely treating you like a sucker!"

"But that's normal. You're the first train conductor in our district to reach Level 2, after all. In his eyes, you're a fat sheep ripe for the slaughter! It's only natural for him to ask a higher price."

Lu Xingyuan nodded. He also felt the deal was a little unfair, which was why he had not agreed to it.

But just because he was the first train conductor to upgrade to Level 2, was it really reasonable for others to fleece him like this?

"That's perfectly normal, okay?"

Gu Wanqing did not think much of it.

"Let me ask you: would the same item sell for the same price to me and to Jack Ma?"

"No way."

Lu Xingyuan shook his head decisively.

If he sold it to Jack Ma, it would be ten times the price. If he sold it to you, it would have to be twenty!

"If you trust me, leave it to me."

Gu Wanqing said she would handle the trade herself.

After all, she was just an unknown nobody, unlike the famous Lu Xingyuan. That way, she would not have to worry about getting ripped off.

"Of course I trust you."

Lu Xingyuan traded the fifty bullets to her.

Before long, Gu Wanqing sent him a message.

"Three Train Coins, plus ten sets of basic circuit boards. Sound good?"

"More than good."

Basic circuit boards were a required material for upgrading a train from Level 2 to Level 3.

After all this time, he had collected fewer than fifteen sets.

He was still far from the target of fifty.

"Wait."

Not long after, a trade window appeared.

Three Train Coins, plus twelve sets of basic circuit boards.

Lu Xingyuan quickly accepted it, then asked curiously,

"Didn't we agree on ten sets?"

"I haggled with him a little, and he threw in two more."

"Sis Qing, you're amazing!"

Lu Xingyuan thought, Could it have actually been fifteen sets, and Gu Wanqing secretly kept three for herself?

But he promptly slapped himself.

Damn it.

How could I think that about Sis Qing? I'm such an asshole!

Then again, that guy really was black-hearted.

For the exact same trade, he would only offer Lu Xingyuan two Train Coins, yet Gu Wanqing got three Train Coins plus twelve sets of basic circuit boards.

Did being a good person mean people deserved to hold a gun to your head?

What a damn joke.

"Wait, universal bullets are such a precious resource. How could you bear to trade them away? Aren't you keeping them for yourself?"

Gu Wanqing only realized it now.

With the boost from my "Infinite Firepower" Hex, of course I don't need universal bullets.

"Mind your own business."

"666. What a fine example of using someone and tossing them aside."

After putting everything away, Lu Xingyuan prepared to begin his workout for the day.

Even though shortcuts like gene serum existed, he could not neglect his own efforts because of them.

"I'm gonna become the Train King!"

Hup, hup.

A minute later, Lu Xingyuan lay lazily sprawled across the large bed.

He thought, Am I some kind of masochist? Do I really have to make myself miserable?

A private-message notification popped up.

Lu Xingyuan immediately sat up and opened it.

Train Conductor Wang Tianhua had sent him one private message—"What the fuck do you mean by this? Why did you attack my people? Are you dead set on becoming my enemy?!"

Only then did Lu Xingyuan remember that the first person he had killed at Hibiscus Residential Community seemed to have been a member of the Heavenly Splendor Association.

For fuck's sake, when my private messages light up, I want it to be a beautiful girl in a JK uniform and black stockings, with boobs bigger than my head, contacting me—not an idiot like you!

He immediately blocked Wang Tianhua, then lay back down and gradually drifted off to sleep.

Meanwhile.

Wang Tianhua stared at the notification that he had been blocked, his face indescribably dark.

"What exactly does he mean? Is he really going to become my enemy?"

The more he thought about it, the more irritated he became.

The Heavenly Splendor Association was not developing very well at the moment. The main reason was that the Mutual Aid Association was gaining too much momentum and constantly competing with him for members.

On top of that, Lu Xingyuan had killed one of the Heavenly Splendor Association's core members—a Level 2 train conductor, someone considered a major figure throughout the entire Heavenly Splendor Association. Wang Tianhua had invested considerable effort into supporting him, only for him to die at Lu Xingyuan's hands.

The damage to the Heavenly Splendor Association's strength was one thing, but Lu Xingyuan's attitude worried him even more. This was a critical period for development, and he did not want to make too many enemies. His main focus still had to remain on the Mutual Aid Association.

"I'll remember this grudge for now!"

"When I have time later, I'll free up my hands and deal with you!"

A vicious glint flashed through Wang Tianhua's eyes.

Another energetic new day.

Lu Xingyuan ate a few packs of crispy noodles, then felt like he was choking on them. He took out his scant supply of bottled water, not daring to be too extravagant as he took a few small gulps.

That counted as breakfast.

He licked the back of his hand, then leaned in to smell it after a while.

Hmm... his breath was getting worse and worse.

Well, there was nothing he could do. Conditions were limited. Even if he wanted to brush his teeth, he did not have enough water, nor did he have toothpaste or a toothbrush.

But when he thought about how Gu Wanqing was in roughly the same situation, he felt relieved.

"Even a girl can put up with it. What's there for a grown man like me to fuss over?"

Nine thirty.

[Train Operation Notice]

[Next stop: Solo Platform · Pilas's Magic Castle]

[This station is: Blue Platform.]

[Please prepare.]

Blue...?

Lu Xingyuan's eyes trembled slightly despite himself.

This was probably the highest-level platform he had encountered so far.

The haul should be pretty good, right?

And it was a solo platform, too. He could gather supplies as boldly as he liked without worrying about other train conductors causing trouble.

Suppressing his restless excitement, Lu Xingyuan opened the chat channel.

Just then, a message suddenly caught his attention.

"Damn! My next platform is Doggie Park, and it's a white platform too. What kind of supplies could a place like that possibly have?"

Doggie Park?

Lu Xingyuan's heart stirred.

It seemed that platforms could appear more than once.

Take Hibiscus Residential Community, where he had gone last time. He vaguely remembered that train conductors had encountered it long ago.

Thinking of this, he tagged the other person.

"I've been to this station. Find the doghouse in the very center. There's a secret passage inside that leads to the basement, where a dog is locked up. It won't hurt people. Open its cage and let it out, and it'll give you a special reward."

He remembered that dog. The only freedom it had ever known in its life had lasted less than half an hour.

If possible, he naturally hoped someone else could give it freedom again.

"Damn! It's a big shot! Then I have to believe you!"

Gu Wanqing sent him a private message then.

"Where's your next station? Maybe I've been there and can give you a heads-up."

"Pilas's Magic Castle."

"Damn! I've actually been to that platform. It's a solo blue platform, right?"