Questions answered

"Shaya, were you among the first batch of survivors to come to this world?"

Since she probably wasn't going to kill him anyway, Ye Qiyan wasn't so afraid anymore.

In that case, he might as well be a little bolder and clear up some things he wanted to know. This veteran from more than twenty years ago surely knew plenty of things he didn't.

"No, there were quite a few batches of survivors before me. It's just that you rarely see them."

"Why?"

Shaya snapped her fingers, and several chains materialized in midair, joining together into a railway track.

"Remember, the world we're in is infinitely large, and every platform is a different world. Back in my day, one powerful fellow wanted to measure just how big that wilderness outside was. So he joined forces with all the powerful Train Conductors of the time to gather resources and raise his train's speed to a level even I could hardly imagine."

As though recalling a terrifying number, Shaya couldn't help clicking her tongue.

"That fellow had a Module. Oh, you know what Modules are, right? These chains of mine are a Module too. You can think of them as magic or science-fiction weapons. They're all pretty much the same thing, anyway. They're also the best way for Train Conductors to increase their own power. But you're only a level 3 Train Conductor right now, so getting a Module won't be easy. After all, there's only a tiny chance of getting one from treasure chests above level 5 or after upgrading your train."

"Hmm... you brat, you were shooting so accurately earlier. Don't tell me you already got a Module among your upgrade options and bought it?"

Under Shaya's scrutinizing gaze, Ye Qiyan could only chuckle.

He had indeed obtained a Module from his upgrade options, but it had nothing to do with shooting. It was the Leave Station Privilege.

"What happened after that? Did that person really measure the size of the whole world?"

Shaya fell silent for a moment, then shook her head.

"No, he died. He traveled at that unimaginable speed for a year, yet he still never encountered another train out in the wilderness. Then one day, his avatar on the friends list suddenly went gray. That meant his train had been destroyed, and naturally, he was dead too."

"But his death wasn't entirely without value. If he couldn't find or see another train after traveling at that speed for a year, we concluded that the wilderness each Train Conductor traveled through wasn't the same one."

"Now, back to your earlier question. Survivors appear once every three years. Train Conductors all travel through their own worlds, and unless the number of people in a region reaches a certain threshold, they won't encounter one another. Of course, that's only how it usually works."

Shaya produced a lollipop from somewhere and popped it into her mouth.

"Oh, want one?"

"Thanks, I'm not hungry yet."

"You're welcome. I wasn't planning to give you one anyway. This is my last one."

With a mischievous grin, she crunched the lollipop, casually took off her nun's headdress, and stood up. It seemed she didn't intend to keep discussing this topic.

"All right, that's about enough questions. I'll answer one last question. Anything else you want to know, go find out yourself. Your level is too low. Tell you too much, and you'll overthink things. That's not good. Also, want some candy?"

Once again, she produced a lollipop from somewhere. Without waiting for Ye Qiyan's answer, she stripped off the wrapper and shoved it straight into his mouth.

It was very sweet, but the aftertaste was a little bitter. The cooling sensation inexplicably relaxed him, sweeping away the lingering exhaustion from his earlier escape.

"Well? Tastes pretty good, right?"

"Didn't you say you only had one left...?"

"That was a lie, of course."

The prettier the woman, the better she was at lying. That saying was absolutely right.

Crunching the candy, Ye Qiyan thought of his final question.

"Do you know RUN Company?"

He told Shaya what he had seen and heard in Doomsday Town and Phantom Rain Mountain Villa.

"?"

"Is there something wrong with this company?"

Seeing Shaya's puzzled gaze, Ye Qiyan wondered whether he had said something wrong.

"It's nothing. I don't know this company, but judging by your reaction, you've probably seen this faction at several platforms, right? Don't worry too much about it. There are plenty of similar factions. After all, who knows how many years this train survival game has been going on? There are bound to be people who don't want to keep taking risks and want to stop moving. It's inevitable that the organizations and factions they establish will influence some stations."

"All right, that question doesn't count, but there's no need to ask another. It's almost time."

"Come on, let me show you my train."

Clap, clap. Shaya clapped her hands.

Tina, who had been nowhere to be seen all this time, came jogging from behind the church to her side.

"Sister, everything's ready. Oh, it's Mr. Inspector! Thank you for helping us, Mr. Inspector. Everyone will be grateful to you."

Tina happily came up beside Ye Qiyan, took his hand, and swung it.

"Tina is one of my puppets too. Well? Cute, isn't she?"

"A puppet??"

"What, you don't believe me? Little Tina is my finest work."

Watching Tina move in a way utterly indistinguishable from a real little girl, Ye Qiyan rubbed his eyes, then reached out and poked her cheek.

How could she be a puppet? She's exactly like a real person. Oh no, she didn't make her out of a real person, did she?

An image surfaced in his mind of Shaya grabbing a little girl and refining her into a puppet in an instant.

Could Shaya actually be a demoness, sealed here by some righteous person, only for me to accidentally undo the seal?

"I'd better not make her angry. I'm so handsome. If she turns me into a puppet, won't I be done for?"

Rumble-

The church trembled.

Holding Tina's little hand, Shaya walked up to the prayer platform at the very front.

"System, prepare to leave the station!"

Familiar screens appeared one after another in a frenzy.

This church was the locomotive of Shaya's train!?

"Hey, Ye Qiyan, these are for you. Consider them a little reward for helping me open up this world."

While Ye Qiyan was still reeling from the church turning into a train, a black box was tossed his way.

"Don't worry, it's nothing dangerous this time. As for what it is, you'll find out when you get back and take a look. It'll definitely suit you as you are now."

"So that card really was dangerous..."

"Ahem, stop letting your imagination run wild. Let me show you what a high-level train looks like!"

The church kept transforming until it finally took the shape of a locomotive. Black tracks appeared beneath its wheels, and in the blink of an eye, it was at the station outside the town.

"So fast!"

Compared with Shaya's train, Ye Qiyan felt that his own was almost as slow as a snail.