Ch 263: Apocalypse Star House Hoarding

The other party didn’t keep them in suspense and got straight to the point.

The hidden station was located near the entrance of White Bird Lake Ecological Park, south of the leisure district, inside a supermarket that sold White Bird Lake souvenirs.

There were many shops near the entrance, and this supermarket was quite unremarkable at first glance. However, they later discovered that it was the only shop in White Bird Lake that sold souvenirs, most of which were related to snow. Many of the souvenirs depicted legendary ice and snow creatures, and some even resembled the snow monsters they had encountered when opening treasure chests.

Since their team was large and they didn’t mind using up one confirmation opportunity, they decided to give it a try—and it turned out to be the hidden station!

Lu Yong and his team had just returned from the supermarket, and their first thought was to inform Yu Xi’s group.

“Thank you for coming all this way to tell us,” Yu Xi sincerely expressed her gratitude. Although their teams had some interactions due to food exchanges, this was major information. Lu Yong’s team had no obligation to share it with them, as they weren’t true allies.

“No need to be so formal,” Lu Yong nodded. He explained that while some of the rules in the Endless Train made it difficult for their teams to fully trust each other, he believed that sharing information that didn’t harm their own interests was worthwhile.

As he spoke, his teammates stood in a neat line behind him, their brows slightly furrowed, looking serious and resolute in agreement—until Yu Xi asked another question, which instantly ruined their dignified moment.

“Oh, by the way, we’re planning to have a barbecue tonight. If you don’t mind a small portion, we can bring some over for you.”

“Yes, yes, yes—”

“We don’t mind!”

“Anything is fine!”

“Hahahaha…”

Lu Yong: …

His young teammates practically spoke in unison, and one of them didn’t even manage to say anything—he was too busy grinning foolishly.

Although it was a bit embarrassing to admit, when they first discovered the hidden station, the first thing that popped into their minds was Yu Xi’s team—and their delicious food.

“You guys have a barbecue grill, right? If not, we can bring it over cooked.”

The burly man among them turned red for three seconds before finally speaking up, “That, uh… that would be too embarrassing… but thank you. We can figure out the grill ourselves.”

“Pfft—” Yu Zhenzhen couldn’t hold back her laughter and was quickly yanked back by Ya Tong.

“No need to be embarrassed. It’s just returning the favor,” Yu Xi said casually. She told them to wait a moment and went back to the kitchen, where she packed some skewers in takeout boxes and included small packets of cumin, salt, barbecue sauce, and other seasonings in a foam container. They had already planned to share some barbecue with Lu Yong’s team anyway.

Then, she added a box of peeled oranges, a box of longan, a box of jackfruit, and a seven-inch chocolate mille-feuille cake.

These were things that would never appear in the treasure chests, making them incredibly rare in this isolated station.

Yu Xi knew that Lu Yong’s team had storage space and sufficient food and water. With so many members opening treasure chests, they wouldn’t go hungry—but there was a difference between not being hungry and getting to eat something truly enjoyable.

She stored the foam container in her space and only took it out once she stepped outside. She handed it to Lu Yong quickly, advising him to put it into his space immediately so it wouldn’t freeze solid in the low temperatures.

Lu Yong swiftly stored the container away. Without even checking its contents, he thanked her and left with his team.

Back at their villa, they added more fuel to the fireplace to warm up their frozen limbs. Then, eager to start their barbecue, they opened the foam container—and discovered, in addition to the skewers and seasonings, three boxes of fruit and a cake.

“Wow—” The group exclaimed in unison.

“They’re really good at stockpiling! They even have desserts!”

“Oh my god, a whole box of peeled jackfruit? I haven’t eaten fresh fruit in so long. I’ve been constipated for days…”

“Ew, gross!”

“Like you’re not constipated too?”

“I’m not! I eat dehydrated vegetables every day. Unlike you, who only eats meat.”

…

Lu Yong watched his chattering teammates and once again reminded them, “Enjoy the food, but remember—these people don’t owe us anything.

“Even though we told them about the hidden station today, that doesn’t mean they owe us in return or have to share their food with us.

“I chose to share the station’s location with them because I’ve observed them for a long time, and I believe their team is worth befriending.

“Even though we may not end up at the same station in the future, this kind of mutual support—where we help each other out without harming ourselves—is something rare and valuable.

“Keep this in mind, understand?”

“Understood, boss!”

**

While Lu Yong’s team was preparing dinner, Yu Xi and Ya Tong made a trip to the park entrance, found the souvenir supermarket Lu Yong had mentioned, and quickly confirmed the hidden station.

With the hidden station confirmed and each of them having obtained a ticket, they had completed all necessary tasks for this station. For the remaining 29 days, they planned to continue digging for treasure chests and opening them while ensuring their safety.

They weren’t overly concerned about the rewards—after all, with a limit of ten chests per day, it wasn’t possible to get a precious treasure chest every time. So far, Yu Xi was the only one to have dug up a rare treasure chest.

Six days later, Yu Xi received a message on her phone, notifying her that all rare treasure chests in the Snowfield Treasure Hunt mode had been excavated.

This message seemed to be sent only to those who had previously found a rare treasure chest, as Ya Tong and the others didn’t receive it.

This also confirmed that many travelers participating in the Snowfield Treasure Hunt mode at White Bird Lake likely didn’t even know that rare treasure chests existed.

From then on, their daily routine remained structured—carefully preparing three meals a day, digging up treasure chests, opening them, and sharing new challenge modes with each other to ensure everyone was prepared.

During their free time, they would gather around the heater, drink freshly brewed drip coffee prepared by Yu Xi, snack on fruits and treats, and play card games, mahjong, or chess.

The snow at White Bird Lake would fall for a few days, then pause for a while, but the temperatures no longer kept dropping. Daytime temperatures stabilized between -40°C to -50°C, while nighttime temperatures hovered around -60°C.

These temperatures were already lower than the average temperatures at the poles of normal planets, though still not at their absolute limit.

Because of the constant snowfall and ice accumulation, one of the daily essential tasks for most travelers was clearing the snow—removing it from rooftops and the surrounding areas of their shelters.

Some travelers possessed unique abilities that allowed them to move freely through the snow, enabling them to continue causing trouble for others.

For these types of people, Yu Xi and her team never actively sought conflict, but if someone came knocking, they wouldn’t hesitate to retaliate.

Much later, when the four of them looked back on this time, they all agreed that this was one of the rare peaceful and enjoyable periods in the Endless Train world.

Despite the occasional blizzard outside, the small villa they took refuge in remained warm and comfortable.

**

{Please present your ticket.}
{Verifying ticket, please wait…}
{Ticket verified. Please take note of your remaining station count.}
{Reminder: Any form of conflict is strictly prohibited inside the train.}

This time, the boarding process was much calmer than the station platforms they had experienced before.

Aside from a few travelers who had personal grudges but couldn’t find their targets during the station and had waited on the platform to exact revenge, most travelers remained vigilant and avoided conflict, boarding the train quickly.

Perhaps it was because most of their fighting spirit had been used up while digging for chests, opening them, and overcoming challenges. Or maybe it was because many of the more aggressive travelers had already failed challenges and turned into tree people.

From Yu Xi’s perspective, the peace of this boarding process was likely due to the long duration of the station—many people had managed to obtain tickets from treasure chests, significantly reducing unnecessary conflicts.

**

Departure time: 12:00
Previous station: White Bird Lake
Next station: Not yet selected

Detecting teammates, please select your destination.

This time, their choices were very limited, making them highly passive.

Yu Xi: Fairy Tale Amusement Park (S-level), Fran City (A-level)
Lin Wu: Fran City (A-level), Fairy Tale Amusement Park (S-level)
Ya Tong: Fairy Tale Amusement Park (S-level)
Yu Zhenzhen: Jing Mountain Hospital (A-level), Fairy Tale Amusement Park (S-level)

The four of them exchanged glances. After what happened when Paradise Island station closed, they really didn’t want to go to another S-level station, but now it seemed like they had no other choice.

Moments later, their phone notifications refreshed.

Next Destination: Fairy Tale Amusement Park

Detected: Team Upgrade Voucher and Individual Sleeper Upgrade Vouchers. Would you like to use them? (Yes/No)

Reminder: The next station will be reached in 36 hours.

Since all four of them had obtained sleeper upgrade vouchers from their treasure chests, an additional option appeared on their phones after selecting the station.

The longer travel time, combined with the fact that their next stop was an S-level world, made them want to rest and prepare as much as possible. After a quick discussion, they decided to use four individual sleeper upgrade vouchers.

The boarding process was similar to their experience at Paradise Island station. The system directed them to compartments in Carriages 10 to 12 to choose their upgraded sleepers.

As they passed through the train cars, moving toward the rear, they ran into Lu Yong’s team, who had boarded from one of the back carriages.

Lu Yong glanced at their direction but didn’t ask about the station choice. Instead, he simply asked, “Heading to the sleepers?”

“Yeah,” Yu Xi nodded.

“We’re in Carriage 5,” he replied. A short sentence, but one that conveyed a lot.

Yu Xi was certain that they had also received sleeper upgrade vouchers, but they had chosen not to use them. This meant the time until their next stop was relatively short—not long enough to justify using the vouchers.

In other words, their next station was different from Lu Yong’s team.

Although the two teams hadn’t interacted too much, they had built a certain level of mutual understanding over time.

Yu Xi and her teammates each extended a hand to shake Lu Yong’s.

“Take care.”

“Take care. Until we meet again.”

“Until we meet again.”

**

Yu Xi’s team once again chose a four-person sleeper compartment.

Even though they were once again in a clean, private sleeper, the thought of the difficulty level of the next station weighed on them.

Fairy Tale Amusement Park—on the surface, it sounded wonderful. But they all understood that in the Endless Train world, the more beautiful the station name, the more dangerous the reality might be.

After a moment of thought, Yu Xi brought up Infinite again.

This time, Yu Zhenzhen responded before she could even finish. Unlike Lin Wu and Ya Tong, Yu Zhenzhen had some experience reading web novels. She didn’t consider herself a die-hard fan, but she had read enough to have some insights.

“A fairy tale amusement park, huh? It’s usually some kind of theme park setting, often with horror elements—dark fairy tales, bloodstained carnivals, terrifying bedtime stories… The purer something seems, the more likely it is to be sinister…”

As Yu Zhenzhen went on and on, Lin Wu and Ya Tong both had complicated expressions.

They had no idea what she was talking about. What was all this?

Yu Xi promptly steered the conversation back on track. “Ahem, in any case, the station’s overall area is likely to be small, given that it’s an amusement park.”

Lin Wu finally found a chance to add his thoughts. “That could also be why it’s an S-level station. The smaller the space, the higher the traveler density, which increases difficulty.”

“Let’s use this time to familiarize ourselves with the skills and tools we got from the treasure chests. Also, we should do another inventory check. Since we all have storage space, let’s redistribute items efficiently.”

Looking back later, they would realize that this constant vigilance was what prevented them from being caught off guard when they first arrived at a station.

As the 36-hour journey neared its end, all four of their phones vibrated, displaying a new disembarkation prompt.

Yu Xi: 匚→
(→←, ←←) Please choose the correct door to exit.

…

Thingyan: One reviewer complained about me using AI generated images. I don’t think there’s anything wrong with it. What do you think?