Click-clack— click-clack—

The noise of the train continuously transmitted through the floor to Bai Cheng’s ears.

In a daze, she slowly opened her eyes.

Through the window, the sky outside was already lit, but it was still dim. It was impossible to tell whether it was morning or afternoon.

Last night, Bai Cheng had stayed up late, so late that she didn’t even remember when she fell asleep.

In her hand, she still clutched a torn white packet. It was the beast-attracting powder, which she had used specifically to increase her efficiency in hunting magical beasts at night.

The effect had been extremely noticeable. The moment the powder scattered into the air, several flickering ghostly lights immediately lit up in the surrounding mist.

Meanwhile, Chi Yan and Zi Yuan stood guard near the train the entire time, working together to slay countless magical beasts.

Rubbing her eyes, Bai Cheng got up and made her way to the front of the train.

Chi Yan was at the control panel, staring ahead. The screen still displayed last night’s kill notifications. There were so many that they had already exceeded 99+.

Bai Cheng didn’t bother checking them, choosing to ignore the notifications outright. Instead, her gaze fell on three green employee cards scattered on the floor.

"A new type of magical beasts?" She bent down to pick them up.

The illustrations on the three cards were of a skeleton, a jiangshi, and a zombie. They were all social magical beasts.

"Young Lady, they’re all a type of undead creature," Chi Yan explained from the side, sounding slightly embarrassed. "To be honest, this subordinate was completely helpless against those skeletons. Even after smashing them apart, they would just reassemble and revive shortly after. It’s only thanks to Zi Yuan’s abilities that we managed to eliminate them."

Bai Cheng froze for a moment before realizing—

The train was still moving, yet only she and Chi Yan were inside the locomotive. "Where’s Zi Yuan?"

Before Chi Yan could answer, a young girl flipped down from above the door, landing steadily inside the carriage.

"Young Lady, were you looking for me?"

"Oh, never mind. Go back and rest." Bai Cheng waved her hand dismissively, watching as Zi Yuan flipped back up to the roof.

After last night’s near-endless slaughter, she could already feel her body growing stronger.

Bai Cheng opened her status screen to check, and sure enough, she had leveled up again.

[Train Conductor: Bai Cheng]

[Level: Common Rank 4]

[EXP: 43%]

[Strength: 16+1]

[Constitution: 15+1]

[Spirit: 11+1]

[Talent: Book of Cheng]

Of course, compared to her own growth, Bai Cheng was far more concerned about the progress of her two employees.

After all, the higher their levels, the stronger her overall combat power would be.

[Employee: Chi Yan]

[Race: Flame Demon Lion]

[Level: Elite Rank 3 (6%)]

[...]

[Employee: Zi Yuan]

[Race: Demon Spirit Clan]

[Level: Elite Rank 3 (2%)]

"Zi Yuan’s level actually caught up to Chi Yan’s in just one night?" Bai Cheng was stunned.

Hearing this, Chi Yan sighed helplessly. "Young Lady, you have no idea how many skeletons there were last night..."

Bai Cheng immediately reassured him, "Don’t worry, This Lady won’t play favorites."

It was now 10 AM. The train had been moving for four hours, covering nearly 240 kilometers.

Of course, the fuel in the steam boiler wasn’t enough, which highlighted the advantage of having intelligent employees.

Chi Yan and Zi Yuan weren’t just skilled in combat. They could also operate the train, refuel it, and even keep the furnace running continuously.

With two of them working in shifts, trivial tasks like these no longer required Bai Cheng’s personal attention.

However, Bai Cheng was now experiencing battery life anxiety.

The total distance to Station Two was 2,000 kilometers. Even if she exhausted all her stored charcoal and coal, it still wouldn’t be enough.

Currently, the storage box contained 300 coal and 250 charcoal.

Bai Cheng’s expression hardened. "At most, we have less than nine hours before the fuel runs out."

She had already tested the burning efficiency of charcoal in the furnace. It was a 2:1 ratio.

Although it was inefficient, trees were everywhere, and charcoal could at least be produced manually.

After calculating, Bai Cheng estimated that the fuel would run out at around 7 PM.

"Wouldn’t fighting undead at night be the perfect time to gather wood?"

But she immediately shook her head. The number of trees available around the train was limited, and they were no longer in a forest.

"We need to prepare in advance."

Having made up her mind, Bai Cheng turned around and pulled the brake lever.

Sparks flew as the wheels ground against the tracks, the screeching sound echoing in her ears. As the train gradually slowed, she immediately took out the blueprint for a kiln.

[Name: Kiln (Blueprint)]

[Description: Add fuel to process special resources, such as charcoal, glass, red bricks, etc.]

[Construction Requirements: Stone ×20, Wood ×10]

Since the interior of the train carriage was too cramped, Bai Cheng spent some time rearranging things before finally moving the furnace to the locomotive.

By then, the train had come to a complete stop.

"Chi Yan, Zi Yuan—I need wood and stone."

With that, Bai Cheng took the lead, opening the door and stepping out with her silver axe in hand.

Compared to the forest, the trees in the swamp were sparse, but these massive dead trees were unusually thick. Bai Cheng guessed that felling them would yield far more wood.

Moreover, the daylight provided clear visibility, allowing her to survey the surroundings with ease.

There was no danger at a glance.

Chi Yan and Zi Yuan also jumped down from the train and roof respectively and began working as instructed.

The entire swamp was soft underfoot, with filthy puddles everywhere. Some of the dead trees even rose straight from the mud.

Bai Cheng left those for her employees to handle.

Finally finding a relatively easier tree to chop, she swung her silver axe. Compared to before, the effort required was noticeably greater.

Bai Cheng’s eyes lit up. This meant that the dead trees in the swamp were of a higher tier.

Creeeak—

The massive dead tree, thick enough that several people could barely wrap their arms around it, finally toppled and transformed into a pile of wood.

[Wood +30, Green Pus Crystal +1!]

"What is this?" Bai Cheng frowned, staring at the dirty, semi-translucent green lump on the ground. She didn’t even have the courage to pick it up.

"So disgusting..." Gritting her teeth, she mustered her resolve and picked it up before returning to the train to check its description.

[Name: Green Pus Crystal]

[Description: A toxic elemental mass that greatly accelerates plant growth.]

[Would you like to use it?]

Without thinking, Bai Cheng clicked[Yes]. The crystal instantly vanished.

Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed that one of the tubes in the element collector was now partially filled with green energy.

"So that’s how it works."

With that, she went back to chopping trees, occasionally glancing back to check on Chi Yan and Zi Yuan’s progress.

Chi Yan’s flaming fists still shattered entire trees in a single strike.

As for Zi Yuan... Bai Cheng only saw her swing her blade a few times before all the surrounding dead trees were cleanly severed.

"This... they’re getting more and more outrageous!"

Bai Cheng had only just started on her second tree when her two employees had already cleared all the dead trees around the train.

Their efficiency is terrifying!

Now, if they wanted more wood, they would either have to venture further or keep moving forward.

Gathering stone, however, was trickier. Without a mine, they could only rely on spotting individual rocks and picking them up one by one.

Standing at the edge of a muddy pit, Bai Cheng’s gaze sharpened when she spotted a white stone embedded in the mud.

"This is... flint!"