For Yu Xi, the travel pass was a definite choice. The extra storage space and team bunk upgrade were also good options, but she didn’t urgently need them at the moment. In comparison, the self-cleaning protective suit sounded much more practical—ten uses meant it was as good as ten regular suits, and the automatic disinfection would save time and effort.
In the end, Yu Xi chose options 1 and 3.
Lu Yong and his teammates were also checking their phones, all with satisfied expressions. It seemed they had received good rewards as well.
Seeing that she was about to leave, Lu Yong quickly stepped forward. “I really appreciate everything you did today. If possible, can we add each other as friends? Friends aren’t teammates—we’ll still be in separate groups, but if we end up at the same station in the future, our phones will notify us. We can also message each other, but if one of us doesn’t want to respond or isn’t available, we can just ignore it. It won’t affect the other person.”
Yu Xi found this reasonable and added Lu Yong as a friend.
After saying their goodbyes, Yu Xi ran a short distance, found a working car, added some fuel, and drove toward the city.
Ten minutes later, her phone notified her that her temporary teammate status with Lu Yong had been removed.
A moment later, her phone vibrated again. “Friend” Lu Yong had sent a message: “Thanks again for today! The hidden station is most likely in Ordo Town. The clue I got about the station is related to an entry permit for Ordo Town.”
Yu Xi raised an eyebrow. So, after receiving the hidden station notification, he had chosen to share the information with her?
Apparently, adding friends had this kind of benefit.
She typed a quick response with one hand: “Thanks.”
Lu Yong replied, “No need to be so formal. Also, this station was a B-rank just a few days ago, but it recently got upgraded to an A-rank. We all experienced the sudden shutdown of Paradise Island Station—I suggest you find the hidden station as soon as possible.”
**
Night had fully fallen. On the rooftop of a building in the eastern district of Fran City, a glass treehouse stood silently near the edge of the protective railing.
Yu Xi stepped out of the bathroom, freshly showered and clean.
Inside the treehouse, only a single warm yellow camping lamp was lit. Beyond the glass walls, Fran City was even more chaotic than the night before.
In the residential areas, small explosions rang out frequently. Some were caused by military units clearing infected areas when their flamethrowers ran out of fuel, forcing them to use heavier weaponry. Others were triggered by desperate civilians attempting extreme measures, accidentally setting off gas explosions.
Households where family members had shown symptoms of infection the night before were now almost entirely wiped out. Only a few individuals, either extremely resilient or utterly ruthless, had managed to eliminate their infected relatives in time and survive.
Those homes that had fallen would continue to spread the fungal infection throughout their buildings. Birds landing on balconies would get infected, cats passing by windowsills would get infected… The blood-tinged pus dripping through the sewer system would slowly seep into other apartments.
Unless the remaining residents never opened their windows, never stepped outside, disinfected constantly, and even wore masks while sleeping… sooner or later, anyone living in the same building would be infected.
On the treehouse bar counter, there was a bowl of fresh bone broth noodles, a serving of crispy blue-bone fish, and a glass of rainbow ice fruit juice—all food from Fairy Tale Amusement Park. The amusement park’s food supply was the largest stockpile in her storage space.
As usual, Yu Xi quietly ate her dinner while updating her companions about the day’s events. This was only her second meal of the day, the first being breakfast.
During the day, while moving through the city, she never removed her protective suit. The most she did was drink water directly from a bottle inside the suit to replenish fluids lost due to the heat. Eating was entirely skipped.
She had originally expected this cycle of missions and rewards to continue for many more days, but luckily, today’s special mission had pushed her plans forward by fifty percent.
As for the remaining fifty percent, she now had a general direction.
Starting tomorrow, she planned to reduce the number of missions she took while making her way north from the eastern part of the city. She would complete tasks along the way while also heading toward Yu Zhenzhen.
Once they met up, the treehouse would be much safer to use.
During the day, Xi Yuan had finally left the quarantine zone. He had obtained an entry permit and was escorted back to the recently cleared area of Ordo Town. This included his old residence, a small villa, which he easily returned to under his designated identity as a local resident.
The villa had been thoroughly cleaned and disinfected. All old belongings had been removed and destroyed, while the military had issued essential supplies to those who had undergone quarantine and were now returning to their homes.
The fully sanitized areas of Ordo Town were sealed off with barricades. Soldiers patrolled the perimeter daily, strictly prohibiting residents from leaving and outsiders from entering. Only those who passed physical examinations and quarantine observation were granted entry permits.
At the same time, these barricades were gradually advancing, with the military planning to clear the entire town within three days.
Most of the town’s shops, restaurants, and supermarkets were shut down, leaving only a few essential businesses open under military supervision.
Life would not return to normal anytime soon. However, thanks to the protection of the base and the military, Ordo Town was far better off than the city and other temporary refugee sites in the outskirts.
Yu Xi shared the information about the hidden station with her companions. Among the five of them, only Xi Yuan had an entry permit. Since the permits were issued by the military, he planned to check near the temporary quarantine station he had previously been assigned to.
Like them, he had a limited number of attempts to confirm whether a location was the hidden station. However, unlike them, he wasn’t bound by a time limit—he could stay at a station indefinitely until it either closed or he found it.
After cleaning up her meal tray, Yu Xi prepared to rest.
Then, raindrops began tapping against the glass roof of the treehouse. Slowly at first, then growing more rapid, until finally, they merged into a heavy downpour.
Rain.
After days of stifling heat, Fran City was finally experiencing a storm—a massive one.
Yu Xi thought about the infected flesh and fungal colonies scattered across the streets and inside buildings, left unprocessed. Her instincts told her that this rain might not be a good thing.
**
That night, something happened in the shadows, unseen by anyone.
The heavy rain diluted the pus, mixing it with blood as it flowed through the streets and into the sewers. The warm, humid conditions nourished the fungal strains within the fragmented remains, triggering another transformation.
They adapted.
Even without human hosts, they could continue growing freely. And at a certain stage, they would release vast quantities of infectious spores.
The first victims of this new fungal spread were the sewer-dwelling creatures. They thrashed and howled in the darkness, becoming new carriers of the infection before crawling into every corner of the city.
By the early hours of the morning, the lower floors of residential buildings—especially the first and second levels—became the first targets.
The sewer creatures were small. They could slip through pipes and enter locked apartments without resistance. By the time half-asleep residents noticed something was wrong, the creatures had already reached their pillows.
And then, with a sickening
pop
—they exploded.
All infected creatures shared one common trait—their overwhelming drive to spread the infection. This instinct controlled their behavior, compelling them to expand rapidly.
Yu Xi woke up to an increasing number of screams. She got out of bed and walked to the glass wall, peering outside from her treehouse to observe the city.
Dawn had yet to break. The once quiet and dark apartment buildings and houses, kept that way to avoid attracting fungal parasites, were now filled with piercing cries. Across the road was a row of elegant two- and three-story townhouses. Previously shut doors and windows had burst open—people were fleeing through the front doors, while others, desperate and without a plan, leaped from windows.
Chasing after them weren’t just their already-infected family members, but also a swarm of gray creatures.
Yu Xi focused her gaze and furrowed her brows.
Rats.
A dense, writhing mass of bloodstained rats, their bodies covered in fungal spores and mycelium. They moved like the infected rodents from a zombie movie, hunting down the living for the sole purpose of spreading their contamination.
The situation had worsened.
She immediately contacted her team members. They weren’t deeply asleep either and quickly responded, ing that they hadn’t yet encountered any fungal rats in their areas, though the heavy rain persisted outside.
Ya Tong: “I arrived in the northern district by car yesterday. Probably because it’s closer to the military base, the situation here is much better than in the city center. I’ll meet up with Zhenzhen today and decide if I’ll take on any missions afterward. Xiao Xi, don’t move for now. You’ve already secured a train ticket, so we can figure out a meeting point later.”
Ya Tong’s advice came from the fact that she had a shield ability, which allowed her to expend defense points to protect her vehicle and drive straight to the northeast corner of Fran City.
Yu Xi, however, only had a single protective suit once she left the treehouse. The rain had worsened the city’s conditions, and rolling her way to Yu Zhenzhen inside the Crystal Bubble was unrealistic. That was why Ya Tong suggested she observe the situation first and hold her position.
Xi Yuan mentioned that he still had plenty of defense points and, since he wasn’t on a mission and didn’t need a train ticket, he could come and pick Yu Xi up.
Yu Xi: “Don’t bother. You’re in the northern outskirts, and I’m in the southeastern side of the city—it’s too far. Besides, you have a more important mission. Lu Yong told me that this station was upgraded from B to A just a few days ago, right when we arrived and the fungal parasite outbreak escalated. If Fran City’s infection mutates again, the difficulty level might rise to S. You’re in Ordo Town and have an identity as a local resident. Your top priority is to find the hidden station.”
Xi Yuan: “Understood. Be careful.”
Yu Xi then checked in with Lin Wu. She knew that his shield’s defense points were running low, so he had only been activating it when absolutely necessary, unlike Yu Zhenzhen and Ya Tong, who could afford long-term use.
Lin Wu: “I’m okay for now. There are no fungal rats here yet, but most of the local cats, dogs, and birds have already been infected.”
Yu Xi: “You’re the closest to me. I may not have a shield, but the treehouse is safe. Do you want to come here and meet up with me?”
Xi Yuan: “…??”
Lin Wu: “Sounds good, but it won’t be immediate. I’ll probably pick up a few more missions on the way. Partly for a train ticket, but also because, so far, every mission travelers receive has been about rescue—evacuating people, protecting documents, securing vehicles and supplies… In a way, these missions are slowing down the deterioration of Fran City’s situation.”
Yu Zhenzhen: “You mean that taking on missions helps maintain the station’s A-rank and delays its downgrade to S-rank?”
Lin Wu: “Exactly.”
Ya Tong: “In that case, everyone should take on missions selectively, as long as it’s safe. If things go south, retreat. There are no penalties for mission failure at the moment, so don’t take unnecessary risks.”
Yu Xi then shared her location with Lin Wu, stating that even if she temporarily left for a mission, she wouldn’t change her treehouse’s placement.
Lin Wu: “Got it. Wait for me, I’ll get there as soon as I can.”
Xi Yuan: “So jealous. I want to live in a treehouse alone with you.”
Yu Zhenzhen: “So jealous. I want to live in a treehouse alone with you.”
Xi Yuan: “…”
**
For the next two days, the rain never stopped, and Yu Xi remained in the treehouse.
This time, her treehouse was set up on a twelve-story building. The rooftop was surrounded by high railings and had decorative landscaping, making the artificial tree she had placed there blend in naturally. Even if a helicopter passed overhead during the day, it would only appear to be part of the rooftop’s design.
With no missions to complete, she had plenty of free time. She spent her days leisurely, even experimenting in the kitchen to cook meals for herself. It was also an opportunity to test the kitchen’s countertop and appliances.
Sitting on a soft cushion by the glass wall, she brewed a drip coffee on the small table in front of her. For a brief moment, she felt like she was back at Star House.
She had traveled through five train stations in the Endless Train world. Though the actual time spent wasn’t long, it
felt
like she had been here for an eternity.
Without Xing Min, she was truly alone. Thankfully, along the way, she had reunited with her former family and friends. Otherwise, facing endless, unfamiliar worlds one station at a time would have been unbearable.
This wasn’t just loneliness—it was something much deeper.
She couldn’t be sure if recovering all her lost memories would lead to a way out of this world.
She also didn’t know how many more unknown stations lay ahead.
A sudden, heavy
thud
interrupted her thoughts.
She stood up and moved to the other side of the treehouse, from where she could see the rooftop stairwell.
The sound had come from inside the stairwell.
Yu Xi was always cautious. Upon reaching the rooftop, she had locked the stairwell door as a precaution. Under normal circumstances, no one would run up here—there was nowhere to escape, after all. The rooftop was a dead end.
Was it Lin Wu?
She pulled out the phone she had obtained from the station and called him.
The call didn’t go through. At some point, Fran City’s signal had completely cut off.
She switched to her mission phone and sent Lin Wu a message: “Are you here?”
He responded quickly: “Not yet. I’ll head over after I finish this mission. What’s wrong?”
Yu Xi: “Nothing. Finish your mission and stay safe.”
She put away her phone and looked back at the stairwell.
So, who was outside?
A local resident? Or another traveler?
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