Familiar Faces

Nine thirty.

[Train Operation Notice]

[Next stop: Multiplayer Platform · Landscape Farmhouse (This station can accommodate up to five trains at once)]

[This station is a Green Platform.]

[Please prepare yourselves.]

Lu Xingyuan immediately sent Gu Wanqing the name of his next station.

"Have you been there?"

"No."

"Oh."

What a pity. Otherwise, he might have been able to get some useful intelligence from her and prepare in advance.

Still, that was normal. How could every platform he visited happen to be one Gu Wanqing had visited before?

"It can accommodate up to five trains at once? In other words, aside from me, there are four other conductors here."

Lu Xingyuan frowned slightly.

He still had no good way to protect his train. If some sneak attacked it while he was exploring, that would be troublesome.

Like that guy last time who possessed the Shifting Phantoms talent.

It was impossible to guard against.

Ten o'clock.

The train arrived safely at the station.

A Prismatic Orb dropped down.

Without a word, Lu Xingyuan picked it up.

[Titanium Alloy Steel ×3]

[Titanium Alloy Steel]

[Level: 2]

[Category: Foundational Creation]

[Description: One of the essential advanced materials for train upgrades]

This was probably material needed to upgrade a train to levels four and five.

Titanium alloy steel gleamed with a deep metallic luster, its surface layered with intricate patterns. It felt slightly heavy and cold in his hand, and its hardness was far beyond that of ordinary metal.

He could not imagine how much his train's durability would increase if he used it for an upgrade.

After carefully putting it away, Lu Xingyuan got off the train.

The other four conductors had already been waiting in front of the platform.

The moment he stepped off, everyone's eyes turned toward him.

One of them immediately let out a startled sound.

"Lu... Xingyuan?"

Lu Xingyuan looked in the direction of the voice and saw a face that was both familiar and unfamiliar.

Sun... Yi?

That was right. The man before him was none other than Sun Yi, whom he had chatted with privately before promptly blocking.

Since every conductor used their own face as their avatar, it was normal for them to recognize one another.

Lu Xingyuan did not feel the slightest bit awkward.

He had blocked this guy because the guy had been asking for it. He deserved it. Even if he had to do it again, Lu Xingyuan would still block him without hesitation.

Sun Yi nodded, his expression dark and vicious.

"What a coincidence!"

The remaining three conductors consisted of two men and one woman. They all looked young, only around twenty or so.

After learning that Sun Yi was the vice president of the Mutual Aid Association, the two male conductors immediately began sucking up to him, earnestly expressing their longing to join the Mutual Aid Association and their admiration for its president, Pan Wei.

"For President Pan to reach level three so quickly is proof enough of his strength. He'll definitely lead humanity toward a bright and wonderful future!"

Sun Yi adjusted his gold-rimmed glasses, unable to hide his smugness.

"This station's exploration will be led by me. Follow my orders, understand?"

"Wonderful! With Vice President Sun leading us, we'll definitely be able to explore this station smoothly!"

The remaining girl looked rather dull-witted.

She wore black-rimmed glasses thicker than beer bottle bottoms.

Her hair was tied into two braids.

Her clothes were also extremely plain.

A black-and-white striped short-sleeved shirt paired with light-colored jeans.

They looked like cheap street goods bought online.

Her entire outfit probably did not cost more than a hundred yuan.

She also tried to say something flattering like the other two men, but the moment she opened her mouth, she hit a landmine.

"Vice... Vice President Sun is awesome!"

Sun Yi's face immediately darkened.

The other two men instantly glared at her.

"How do you talk? Call him President!"

Sun Yi had already lost the mood for it. He raised a hand to stop them. "Enough, enough. Stop spouting so much nonsense. Hurry up and loot this station's resources. This is a Green Platform, so the supplies should be plentiful. We have limited time. Don't waste it on people who don't matter."

The glasses girl lowered her head in shame.

Sun Yi looked at Lu Xingyuan.

"Together?"

He was deeply displeased with Lu Xingyuan, but he did not dare act rashly.

Not only did the unknown station before them potentially hide dangers he had no confidence in handling, but Lu Xingyuan reaching level two so early was itself proof of his strength.

He could not possibly recklessly start a conflict with him at a time like this. The most important thing right now was still to develop steadily.

Walking forward along the gravel country road, they saw a farmhouse resort sprawling across several hundred acres.

It was a rural complex combining leisure and entertainment.

Rows of vegetable and fruit greenhouses stretched along the gentle slope.

A fenced area to one side housed chickens, ducks, and geese.

Several clear fishponds were nestled amid the green fields.

White-walled, dark-tiled country guesthouses stood scattered deeper within the grounds.

The wind carried the fresh fragrance of fruits and vegetables, and everything appeared peaceful and leisurely.

Seeing this, one of the male conductors could not help saying excitedly, "Looks like we got lucky. There's no danger at this station, so we can loot all the supplies we want!"

The other male conductor was equally excited. "Yeah! Catch a few fish, grab some chickens and ducks, pick some fruits and vegetables to bring back—what a treat!"

The glasses girl said, "The more peaceful a place looks, the more dangerous it is."

The next second, sensing everyone's gazes on her, she shrank back and hurriedly added, "Of course, I could be wrong. You can't generalize everything."

To be honest, even Lu Xingyuan could barely hold it together.

If you did not know how to speak, you could just keep your mouth shut.

He did not know whether the girl had a cursed mouth or incredibly sharp instincts.

As the group gradually approached the farmhouse resort, they discovered that this rural paradise, which should have been filled with leisure and entertainment, had long since lost every trace of life.

The vegetation in the vegetable and fruit growing areas had run wild, with weeds growing everywhere.

The chicken, duck, and goose enclosures contained nothing but smashed fences and filth covering the ground.

The water in the fishponds was deathly still, covered in murky gray foam.

Every rustic guesthouse that should have been brimming with life had its doors and windows thrown open, curtains fluttering in the wind.

The entire resort was terrifyingly silent.

Only the mournful whistling of wind passing through empty courtyards could be heard. Not even the chirp of an insect or the call of a bird remained.

The glasses girl shrank her neck. "Th-this isn't my fault."

Everyone's spirits plummeted. Even Sun Yi wore a grim expression as he stared at the farmhouse entrance, unable to bring himself to step inside.

Was there even any point in exploring this place?

Just then, a head suddenly poked out from behind the broken wooden gate, startling everyone. The glasses girl, in particular, let out an uncontrollable cry.