Apocalypse Star House Hoarding-Chapter 237

Lin Wu had indeed stayed in place as instructed, but instead of standing under the scorching sun with a resigned look, as Yu Xi had imagined, he had made himself quite comfortable.
A small sunshade was propped up on the rough, sandy ground, beneath which sat a foldable camping chair. Dressed in lightweight sun-protective clothing, Lin Wu lounged there leisurely, sipping from a cold can of cola.
The jeep rolled to a stop in front of him. Yu Xi lowered the window and teased, “I can feel the luck of the Europeans rubbing off on you.”
Lin Wu: …
Silently, he walked over, handed her a cold can of cola, and then packed up the camping chair and sunshade before stowing them in his storage. His space was limited—only ten cubic meters—so unless he organized things properly, he wouldn’t be able to fit them back in.
Yu Xi took a few sips of her cola and placed it in the cup holder. Then, pulling out an extra pair of sunglasses from her storage, she handed them to Lin Wu as he got into the car before restarting the engine.
An hour later, the two reached the highest point of the red rock mountains, using binoculars to scan the surrounding landscape.
A vast expanse of barren wilderness stretched before them. Everywhere they looked—white sand dunes, red rock mountains, and lifeless desert plains. There was no greenery, no buildings, and no signs of civilization. The scenery remained the same in every direction, except for a few faint black shadows at the extreme northern horizon.
The distance was too great for even Yu Xi’s keen eyesight to discern what those black shadows were.
Due to the mountain’s height, they could now spot other travelers scattered across the wasteland below.
Some navigated the winding paths between the rock formations, while others trudged slowly and laboriously over the sand dunes. A few had chosen to rest in the desert near the mountains, using the rock formations as shade against the relentless sun.
Among all these people, hardly any were as well-equipped as Yu Xi.
Whether it was a newbie traveler limited to just ten inventory slots or a seasoned veteran who had unlocked additional slots by completing hidden tasks—or even a lucky one who had obtained a small spatial storage skill—no one could possibly carry all necessary supplies at once.
After all, whether a station had “infinite currency” enabled depended entirely on luck. Usually, only first-time travelers got that advantage at their initial stop.
Many ruthless veteran travelers specifically targeted such newcomers, aiming to kill them for their dropped resources. Even though the loot was randomized and didn’t always contain “infinite currency,” they preferred to take the risk—better to eliminate a potential rival than let them slip away.
The sunlight cast long shadows across the rock formations. Based on the direction of the light, it was likely late afternoon, nearing sunset. However, without a signal, neither their phones nor the jeep could auto-sync the correct time.
In certain desert regions, the sun set extremely late. It could very well already be seven or eight in the evening.
Regardless, their priority was to find a place to camp for the night and discuss the station’s hint system and their next course of action.
After another hour or two, the intense heat of the desert had begun to subside, dropping to around 30 degrees Celsius. They estimated the temperature would drop further at night, so they found a sheltered spot in the lee of the mountain.
The spot was a natural depression embedded in a massive rock, relatively flat, and raised about seven or eight meters above the ground. With three sides enclosed by rock walls, it was an ideal campsite.
Considering the need for night watch, they decided to pitch only one tent. They positioned it against the rock wall, and with the rainproof outer layer and the natural rock cover, it created a fully enclosed space—something Yu Xi had other plans for.
They secured the tent by placing heavy stones at its four corners. Then, after laying down a moisture-proof mat and an insulation pad, their shelter was ready. Since they both had spatial storage, they could take out sleeping bags when needed.
Outside the tent, Yu Xi set up a foldable camping table and two chairs. On the ground beside them, she placed a portable gas stove and a kettle—her plan was to brew some pour-over coffee.
Bottled water was reserved for travel, so Lin Wu took out a one-liter bottle from his storage, poured it into the kettle, and started boiling it.
As for dinner, there was no need to cook. Her storage still had plenty of pre-packaged meals that had barely been touched. Over the next 30 days, she also had a steady supply of various soups, rice dishes, dumplings, wontons, snacks, and drinks. In fact, she even let Lin Wu choose between Northwestern cuisine, Japanese food, barbecue, Cantonese cuisine, Sichuan dishes, or fast food.
“No worries. My meal packs are all single portions. Pick one from mine first, and if it’s not enough, you can supplement it later.” Yu Xi had already made the decision for him.
In the end, they chose Sichuan cuisine. When dishes like Spicy Chicken, Dry Pot Bullfrog, Mouthwatering Chicken, Boiling Fish, Hand-Torn Cabbage, Garlic Water Spinach, a large serving of white rice, and a big bowl of Intestine and Bamboo Fungus Soup appeared on the table, Lin Wu was stunned.
“This is a single serving?” That was… quite the hearty portion.
Yu Xi took out her can of cola, which she had only drunk a third of before storing it away. “I had the restaurant buy the takeaway boxes for me. I was worried they wouldn’t be big enough, so I told them to get the largest ones…”
The staff took her request very seriously and got her some oversized compartmented boxes. At the time, she figured it didn’t matter since she had storage space—whatever she couldn’t finish, she could just put away for later. Now, it turned out to be just the right amount for the two of them.
The hollow they had chosen faced west, directly toward the setting sun. The desert sunset was breathtaking, painting the sky in hues of orange and red. The temperature had also dropped to a comfortable twenty-something degrees.
The Sichuan restaurant was well-known, and every dish was delicious. After their hearty and satisfying meal, Lin Wu tidied up the takeaway boxes and chopsticks, placed them into a garbage bag, and stored it in his space.
“You actually plan to find a trash can to throw it away later?” Yu Xi teased.
Lin Wu paused slightly. “I guess I’ll just get rid of it when we leave.”
While he cleaned up, Yu Xi brewed two cups of pour-over coffee in stainless steel camping mugs, adding zero-calorie sugar and milk. Then, as usual, she pulled out her notebook and pen, ready to analyze their current information with Lin Wu.
It was clear that this station’s main objective was the same as Wu Kong City—find the hidden departure station within the time limit and board the train with a valid ticket.
Currently, Yu Xi had two station tickets left, while Lin Wu had one, both obtained by killing attackers in self-defense.
Outside the station, completing random or hidden tasks might reward a ticket. Killing another traveler also had a chance of dropping one, though the loot was random. If you were lucky, you’d get a ticket.
Inside the station, killing a traveler guaranteed an immediate ticket drop.
That was why, in the final hour before departure, many desperate travelers fought to the death, risking everything for a ticket.
“So, this world encourages slaughter,” Yu Xi wrote in her notes, then added a question mark. “But as always, there’s no such thing as senseless killing. What’s the purpose of encouraging travelers to fight?”
Perhaps finding that answer was the key to unraveling the mystery of the Endless Train and escaping this world.
After that, they focused on analyzing the current station.
The Desolate Land was vast and lacked food and water resources. Clearly, it was a survival-based scenario. Finding the hidden departure station in such a place boiled down to a few possibilities: a city, an oasis, or ancient ruins.
So far, there didn’t seem to be any native inhabitants. Everyone they encountered was likely another traveler. Given the station’s duration, there were probably multiple groups who had arrived at different times—some might have been here for ten or twenty days already. Those travelers would undoubtedly know more about the area than the newcomers who had just gotten off the train.
They might be able to gather information about the hidden station from other travelers.
Overall, they had an advantage due to their ample food and water supplies. However, that advantage could also attract trouble. Fortunately, both of them were cautious and low-profile.
Finally, regarding the “Easter Egg” mission that Yu Xi had unlocked, Lin Wu believed it could be the key to solving the mystery of this world.
—It is the most precious gem in this barren world.
Water? Plants? Seeds? An oasis?
To find it, staying in place wasn’t an option.
Yu Xi sketched out a rough map of their surroundings, marking key landmarks and the four cardinal directions. They decided to follow the mountain range northward first. The black shadows on the horizon could be ruins, a city, or… just a mirage, meaning there might be nothing there at all.
“We’ll confirm our plan in the morning.”
The discussion ended, and Yu Xi packed away the portable stove and kettle. She paused for a moment before taking out a portable toilet she had bought earlier. “I got two of these. Do you need one?”
Lin Wu: ……
“N-no need.” He clenched his fist and lightly coughed into it, averting his gaze. “I’ll… handle it myself. Uh, tonight, I’ll take the first watch. You… do as you like.”
**
After “doing as she liked,” Yu Xi used the warm water stored in the tank to wash her face and hands before stepping out from behind the rainproof fabric. She noticed that the chair originally placed near the tent had been moved to the edge of a nearby rock.
Lin Wu, wearing wireless earphones, was sitting there with his head lowered, watching something below the rocky ledge.
The air carried the familiar aroma of instant noodles. Yu Xi walked over and followed his line of sight, spotting a small group of travelers below.
Because she and Lin Wu had camped at a higher vantage point, and with the darkening sky, the distance, and their lack of a fire, the group below hadn’t noticed them.
There were about six or seven people in the group, positioned around a fire in a scattered formation—two in one spot, two in another, and three in the last.
She listened carefully to their conversation and found that it matched her earlier speculation: this was a temporary team, mainly formed due to a lack of supplies.
This station was resource-scarce, and survival depended entirely on one’s own stockpiles. But since inventory slots were limited, it was more efficient to share certain resources that could be used collectively.
For example, fire-starting materials, firewood, pots, utensils, tents, and sleeping bags—items that weren’t strictly essential for survival.
Of course, their most important discussion topic was also the direction in which to search for the hidden station.
On the western horizon, the last remnants of sunlight finally disappeared.
The temperature in the desert plummeted rapidly. Unlike Yu Xi, Lin Wu didn’t have the same physical endurance and had already wrapped himself in a down jacket. Yu Xi handed him a fully charged hand warmer, saying she’d sleep first and that he could take the first watch. She’d switch with him in six hours.
The phones they had bought in Wu Kong City didn’t function normally, but the Endless Train world’s devices displayed a countdown, making it easy to track time.
Lin Wu had originally planned to stay up all night on his own, but he nodded in response. However, he was already thinking that he wouldn’t wake her later, letting her sleep until morning instead.
Of course, there was no way Yu Xi was going to sleep until morning. In fact, after just a few hours, she was abruptly awakened by the sounds of screams and fighting below.
She quickly crawled out of her sleeping bag, threw on her down jacket, and stepped out of the tent.
Lin Wu was lying low at the rock’s edge, watching intently. When he heard her approach, he gestured for silence.
The commotion came from the temporary camp below. The fire cast flickering light over the sandy ground, revealing more than a dozen half-meter-long black creatures surrounding the travelers.
These black creatures had enormous front limbs, their tails raised high—at first glance, they looked eerily similar to the black creatures they had encountered on the train platform.
“They’re mutated scorpions,” Lin Wu whispered. “Highly venomous. One of them just ambushed someone, and that person is now completely paralyzed from the poison.”
As Lin Wu relayed the situation, another wave of dark scorpions emerged from the rocky terrain, skittering toward the travelers near the fire. There were even more than before—at least twenty or thirty of them, densely packed and closing in fast.
Yu Xi frowned. “Why are there so many of them?”