The Terrifying Power of the Plum Rain Season

It turned out Gu Wanqing had seen a conductor mention in the chat channel that when he upgraded to Level 2, he had rolled an Air Conditioning Modification.

This air conditioner didn't consume electricity—it consumed Train Coins. One Train Coin could keep it running for seven days.

For those seven days, it could be configured however he wanted. That conductor had directly set the air conditioner to dehumidify. "The humidity in my carriage is only 40% now. It feels amazing!"

"Damn! I'm so jealous!"

The other conductors were instantly green with envy.

Anyone who had experienced it knew just how miserable 100% humidity inside a carriage could be.

"I want an Air Conditioning Modification too! I want one, I want one!"

Even through the screen, Lu Xingyuan could practically see Gu Wanqing lying down, her bare little feet kicking wildly in the air.

"You're not exactly young anymore. Stop pretending to be a teenage girl, okay?"

"Your big sister just turned eighteen this year, okay? I am a little girl. And you—what's with the 'okay okay'? Could you please stop repeating words? It's seriously so gross-gross."

"You're really that sure you'll roll an Air Conditioning Modification after reaching Level 3?"

Lu Xingyuan looked back through the chat logs.

That conductor had said that Air Conditioning Modification was only a white-tier modification.

What if—just what if—Gu Wanqing's luck was as good as ever, and she started off with a green-tier one? Wouldn't that be a waste?

Just as Lu Xingyuan trusted his own luck, he believed Gu Wanqing was simply that lucky.

"And why do I feel like you're hinting at something?"

Lu Xingyuan rubbed his chin, only then catching the deeper meaning behind her words.

Gu Wanqing: "Hehe, your Sister Qing wants to make a push for Level 3 now. As your little brother, shouldn't you contribute something?"

Lu Xingyuan: "I'll brave fire and water for you, Sister Qing!"

After accepting Bai Xiao's friend request, Lu Xingyuan lay down to sleep.

But his sleep quality that night was terrible. He slept miserably, constantly feeling as though he had fallen into an icy river, his entire body damp and cold.

At midnight, he woke up once.

At two in the morning, he woke up again.

When he woke at four, he was shocked to discover that his carriage had somehow been flooded.

The water was a full three centimeters deep!

"What the hell? Isn't my carriage supposed to be well sealed?"

He was startled.

Could the train have been attacked by a monster while it was moving?

He checked everything over and found no signs of that.

The durability reading was full as well.

Once his head cleared, he understood.

It was because the humidity was too high.

It had directly flooded the carriage.

That little bit of lime powder had long since stopped working. It was soaking in the water.

"Damn it."

Lu Xingyuan cursed under his breath, feeling like he had been scammed. If he had known it would be useless, he would never have traded food for it.

He quickly opened the carriage door and drained all the standing water out.

Only then did Lu Xingyuan realize just how heavy the rain outside was.

Rumble!

It shook the heavens and the earth, like the Yellow River roaring in fury.

No wonder the dampness had become so terrifying.

Next, Lu Xingyuan checked the second and third carriages.

The second carriage had standing water too, but since there was nothing stored there for now, it was unaffected.

The third carriage was different. Lu Xingyuan had converted it into a warehouse, and it was piled with all sorts of materials.

The metal was fine, but the wood had already begun showing signs of rot.

[Affected by dampness, wood loses 1% durability per hour.]

A prompt popped up.

Damn!

Lu Xingyuan felt awful.

Upgrading the train from Level 3 to Level 4 also required wood, and a great deal of it.

Although wood was the most basic upgrade material and easy enough to gather, he couldn't withstand a 1% loss every hour.

"Plum rain season, I hate you!!!"

The helpless conductor could only watch as the dampness continuously encroached upon his beloved wood, letting out a heart-wrenching wail.

"Go easy on me, please!"

For the next several hours, Lu Xingyuan barely slept.

Every two hours, he had to drain the standing water from the carriages.

Fortunately, his body had long been enhanced by the genetic enhancement serum, so he wasn't completely listless.

Eight in the morning.

Lu Xingyuan looked at the Hot Spring Corn Seeds that had been strengthened with compound fertilizer.

He had bought that bag of compound fertilizer on the trading platform the previous night.

Damn it, the price had gone up too.

The seller had insisted on using Train Coins for the trade.

With no other choice, Lu Xingyuan could only compromise.

After all, the market had long since changed. Trying to trade food for all kinds of items was becoming somewhat unrealistic.

Train Coins had returned to their position as the basic universal currency.

The Hot Spring Corn was growing fairly quickly. At this rate, it wouldn't need seven days—three days at most before he could harvest a batch.

Unlike Delicious Mushroom, Hot Spring Corn could only be harvested twice at most.

"Grow quickly. When the time comes, let's see if I can sell you for a good price."

Lu Xingyuan didn't mind listing it in the trading channel.

Such delicious corn could replenish water, salt, and calories at the same time. One Train Coin per ear wasn't too much, was it?

The messages in the chat channel had not stopped since last night.

He wasn't the only one suffering from dampness and wood losses.

The other conductors were dealing with the same thing.

At the very least, the game was fair in this regard, mercilessly lashing every conductor equally.

"This is wood I gathered after chopping down several trees! My hands were covered in blisters, and now it's all gone moldy!"

"Damn this game! Damn the developers! Screw your ancestors!"

"At first, I thought the plum rain season would just be a little more humid, but now it seems I underestimated the changes brought by the seasons."

"Brothers, brothers, does anyone have dehumidifying tools? Hurry and save me."

"Whatever you do, don't buy lime from that guy selling quicklime powder. It's completely useless!"

It seemed Lu Xingyuan was far from the only victim.

But that guy clearly had not intended to cheat anyone.

The lime powder was somewhat useful, but the conditions were simply too extreme.

When the other conductors saw that even the top conductors were suffering from the dampness and were helpless against it, they felt noticeably more balanced.

In the chat channel, core elite members from organizations such as the Mutual Aid Association, Heavenly Splendor Association, Crimson Legion, and Pure Mind Brotherhood were offering huge rewards for methods of dehumidification.

They had deeper concerns.

Wood could rot, but what about metal? What about other, more valuable materials?

They could bear the loss of wood without much pain, but if other high-tier materials suffered damage, it would be no different from slicing their own flesh with a knife!

"Thankfully, I can store some valuable items in my Spatial Bracelet."

Lu Xingyuan comforted himself that way.

Nine thirty.

[Train Operation Notice]

[Upcoming station: Solo Platform · Gu Family Village]

[Station type: White Platform.]

[Please prepare.]

Finally, a solo platform.

A rare smile appeared on Lu Xingyuan's face.

Several consecutive stations had been multiplayer platforms, leaving him mentally exhausted.

If possible, he still preferred solo platforms. At the very least, he didn't have to divide his attention to guard against other conductors.

"A white platform is a white platform. Whatever."

He would just treat it as a chance to catch his breath.

After all, the previous few stations had been quite difficult.

Following the usual practice, he sent Gu Wanqing the information about the station he was about to reach to see whether she had been there before and knew any secrets about it.

Whether it was Pilas's Magic Castle or the Bat Cave, Gu Wanqing's intelligence had played a crucial role.

Without her, he would not have been able to trigger the hidden Easter eggs.

It was like having a walkthrough while playing a game. At least he wouldn't have to blindly feel his way around.

"Gu Family Village???"

Gu Wanqing was utterly shocked!