Chapter 67: Chapter 67: The Approaching Train (Bonus Chapter)

[Distance to Next Station: 1,266 km]

Clink, clink!

A rhythmic metallic sound echoed through the snowy mountains.

It came from a relatively open area at the foot of the mountain.

After being scorched by flames, the surface snow had long melted, and the frozen soil beneath was no longer as hard.

With each strike of the bronze pickaxe, the ground gradually caved in, and the white-haired figure above slowly sank along with it.

Soon, a deep pit was dug into the once-flat ground, and the blue light emitted by Bai Cheng’s pinky ring flickered more frequently.

Clang!

A blinding spark flashed as the bronze pickaxe struck a protruding black rock.

Wiping the sweat from her forehead, Bai Cheng finally let out a sigh of relief.

"Finally, coal!"

Indeed, although the Frigid Snowy Mountains were barren, lacking even a single tree to burn into charcoal, it was rich in mineral deposits!

Iron, copper, tin, and even coal mines were all hidden beneath the surface.

But they were buried deep underground, requiring both the Explorer’s Pinky Ring and the cover of Silent Night to extract.

Risk and reward went hand in hand.

However, Bai Cheng had two employees guarding her outside, so she had no need to worry about danger.

Soon, she cleared the frozen soil around the coal mine and entered the most effortless and efficient phase of mining.

Underground minerals varied in size, with some yielding a dozen pieces while others dropping over a hundred.

With the final swing of her pickaxe, the coal mine shattered into scattered chunks of coal, and a purple light flashed from the bronze pickaxe in Bai Cheng’s hand.

[Silver Pickaxe: 0/100]

Instead of collecting the coal in the pit, Bai Cheng climbed back to the surface.

Holding the pickaxe with one hand, she raised the other to examine the Explorer’s Pinky Ring on her finger.

But no matter which direction she turned to, the ring no longer glowed.

"Looks like we’ve cleared out nearby resources." Bai Cheng plopped down beside the train door to rest.

Zi Yuan dutifully massaged her shoulders.

Naturally, Chi Yan was tasked with collecting coal from the pit. But the hole was a bit too narrow, so he frowned and asked, "Zi Yuan, why don’t you go down and pick them up?"

"No." Zi Yuan refused without hesitation. "The capable should bear the burden."

Ever since Chi Yan’s breakthrough, Zi Yuan had been finding all sorts of excuses to avoid labor, leaving the physical work to him.

But she wasn’t idle either. Aside from protecting Bai Cheng, she was becoming more and more like an attentive maid.

By now, two days and one night had passed since Chi Yan’s ascension to Eternal grade.

During this time, Bai Cheng had focused solely on traveling, stopping only to mine without lingering for long.

The charcoal stored in the train had nearly run out, but with the newly replenished coal, fuel was no longer a concern.

She had also gathered a substantial amount of various minerals.

All the storage boxes in the train had been upgraded to bronze chests, and including her backpack’s space, she now had 2,000 units of storage.

Most of the materials required for the train’s upgrade had also been submitted.

[Upgrade Requirements: 100/100 Clay, 0/200 Fine Wood, 200/300 Bronze Ingots, 1/2 Train Core]

She had initially thought that clay would be a high-grade resource, but it turned out to be easily collectible from the surface of the frozen soil, with no digging required.

Compared to the hard-to-gather bronze ingots, wood was even more impossible to obtain in the snowy mountains.

Still, Bai Cheng wasn’t in a hurry to trade, as she was still missing quite a few materials for the upgrade.

As for the Train Core, since Yu Nian also needed to develop, she couldn’t spend all day replicating them.

At most, she could produce one Train Core per day, and she needed some for herself.

So, on average, Bai Cheng received one Train Core every two days.

All the bronze ingots had been submitted, and the train’s chests were now mainly stocked with coal.

Of course, Bai Cheng had also collected some iron ore along the way.

Everyone’s already in the Bronze Age. Why do they still spawn iron ores here?

Bai Cheng found this suspicious, so she had filled an entire chest with it, just in case.

Soon, Chi Yan finished collecting all fifty pieces of coal from the pit.

The train doors closed, and with a blast of the whistle, the three set off again, leaving behind only a few uneven patches of ground that were quickly buried by the snowstorm.

As usual, Bai Cheng checked the chat channels daily to keep up with the latest developments among survivors.

Seeing more and more Pioneers entering the snowy mountains, she wasn’t the least bit surprised.

At that moment, Yu Nian’s advertisement was scrolling across the screen:

"Station selling winter coats for 100 Infinite Coins? Too expensive! Here, you don’t need 99, not even 88—just 66! Limited stock, first come, first served! 3, 2, 1, click on the link!"

Perfect. Yu Nian was about to make a fortune off these coats.

By now, the two of them had already fully developed in this snowy region while other survivors were still figuring things out. They were ready to push forward and take on their Pioneer Trial!

Bai Cheng turned her attention away and started preparing dinner.

Over the past two nights, Chi Yan and Zi Yuan had slain quite a few magical beasts. After his promotion to Eternal grade, Chi Yan had become completely immune to the cold’s erosion.

Zi Yuan had now reached Elite Rank 8, just one step away from the final tier.

As for Bai Cheng, she had reached Common Rank 7, though she was still far from the peak.

Since she hadn’t upgraded many items recently, her three main attributes hadn’t changed much.

[Strength: 22]

[Constitution: 22]

[Spirit: 27]

Her level progression was too slow, and Bai Cheng had even considered using magic crystals on herself.

But in the end, she decided to wait until after completing the Pioneer Trial and the second trophy mission before making a decision.

After dinner, Bai Cheng went to rest early.

If she collected another batch of coal the next night, she would have enough fuel to reach the next station.

Back in the carriage, she stripped off her clothes and burrowed under the blankets.

She had produced a substantial amount of wolfhead cloaks along the way. This time, she deliberately kept two pieces to use as bedding.

But just as she was about to fall asleep, an alarm from the detection desk in the locomotive snapped her awake.

"A train is approaching?"

"Is it Infinite Raiders or another survivor?"

Bai Cheng remembered that the Frigid Snowy Mountains was a public area.

But perhaps because she had arrived too early, or maybe just bad luck, she hadn’t encountered any other trains until now.

She quickly dressed and rushed to the locomotive to check.

Outside, the blizzard raged, and the pitch-black night made it impossible to see anything. She could only turn to look at the detection desk.

On the map, a blinking light at the eight o’clock position was moving parallel to her train, unlike the usual Infinite Raiders, which would charge recklessly.

Bai Cheng stared at the screen, and her pupils constricted.

Her train was moving at full speed, yet the light at eight o’clock was even faster, slowly closing in.

"Definitely an Infinite Raider." Bai Cheng smirked. "They’re just delivering free loot."

But she couldn’t control the train’s movement, and the enemy was approaching too slowly.

She wasn’t willing to wait. Turning to Chi Yan, she said, "Handle it."

"Understood, Young Lady."

Yet, even as dawn broke and the Silent Night receded, the other train remained at least 3 km away.

Peering out the window, Bai Cheng could now faintly make out the silhouette of the other train.

It was encased in ice, with only a single carriage.

And standing on the exterior walkway of its locomotive was a figure who was staring back in her direction.