Chapter 24: The First Stop Concludes

The golden ant bowed gracefully. "Thank you for your hospitality. You are quite impressive; I look forward to our reunion on Paro Island."

With that, it took flight and vanished.

Once the golden ant disappeared, the fire ants returned the way they came, even helping Jiang Ran fill in the hole she had dug. Jiang Ran stared in the direction the golden ant had departed, remaining silent for a long moment before finally retrieving the diamond treasure chest.

What was this Paro Island the ant spoke of? What connection did their existence have with these doomsday trains? Jiang Ran did not know, but it was hard for her not to suspect that this so-called "Paro Island" might be the train's final terminal. If the golden ant believed "people from Blue Star are too weak," were these extreme survival instances perhaps a form of "insect cultivation," a way to filter out those deemed worthy of entering Paro Island?

No one could provide the answer. But regardless of the truth, Jiang Ran was determined to go to Paro Island.

Because of the many lingering questions, even the diamond chest failed to excite her much. She used her long blade to pry the lid open, and the instant, brilliant glow revealed that the contents were far from ordinary.

[Congratulations to the player for obtaining: Workbench Fragment x20, Architectural Mastery Skill Card x1, Universal Ammunition Blueprint x1!]

This bountiful harvest improved her previously gloomy mood quite a bit. It was clear this was a "special" chest provided by the golden ant; in previous instances, getting even one skill card or blueprint from a diamond chest would have been considered excellent. She now possessed 38 workbench fragments. If Whirlwind Slash kept his promise and returned the 10 he owed her, gathering the full set for a workbench would be within reach.

With a workbench, even if she didn't join any organization or faction, as long as she could continuously produce weapons or other devices, she could wander among the major powers without fear.

In her past life, Xu Yunxuan hadn't managed to assemble a workbench until the very end of the third instance. The game’s distribution of resources seemed to have a certain bias. Players like "Little Top," who had heaven-defying luck in opening chests, often had pitifully little in the way of survival supplies. Conversely, those with plenty of supplies struggled to find skill cards or items. For players in the early stages of development, a workbench that required 66 fragments—with no guarantee it could be completed before death, and no certainty of having blueprints or materials even if it were—often felt like a cumbersome burden.

Even though everyone understood that possessing such an item meant they would never lack supplies in the future, it was hard to say whether they could survive long enough to reach that "future" while clutching those fragments. Compared to a nebulous future, most people preferred the tangible present.

But for Jiang Ran, none of this was a problem.

For the next four days, Jiang Ran stayed in her safe house, living a disciplined life and exercising on schedule. When the second volcanic eruption occurred, everyone was somewhat mentally prepared and had their own countermeasures in place. Of course, there were still those plunged into despair who wrote their final testaments and posted them to the chat lobby before they died.

Yet, neither the shaking of the earth nor the desperate final words affected the players' chatting and trading. Even if someone was trading one second and their profile icon turned black the next, most people would only sigh for a moment before searching for their next trading partner. In just a few days, everyone had come to understand that in this instance, staying alive was the only thing that mattered.

Perhaps it was the influence of the golden ant or the insect repellent, but whereas in her past life, the proliferation of fire ants after the second eruption meant they would occasionally respawn in her hiding spot, this time, she didn't see a single one.

Thus, Jiang Ran remained quietly until the seventh day, when the instance concluded. Because the Flame Mountain was vast, the train projected many station coordinates for players to board, one of which appeared on the mountain peak where Jiang Ran was located. This was the final death trap of the Flame Mountain instance—a race to see whether a player would be caught by fire ants or reach the station’s light portal first.

Just as in her past life, Jiang Ran dug upward along the mountain toward the coordinates provided by the train. However, her luck had been slightly worse last time; two hundred meters from the coordinates, she had broken through the mountain path and encountered five or six foraging fire ants head-on. Having been starving for days, she hadn't dared to gamble on whether she could kill them all quickly and cleanly, so she had chosen to sprint toward the station. That choice proved correct; the fire ant army was just around the corner, and had she hesitated for even two seconds, she would have lost more than just a leg.

As Jiang Ran stepped calmly into the station, she glanced back at her surroundings. In the distance, the same lights shone on many towering mountain peaks, appearing conspicuous against the landscape covered in volcanic ash.

Yet, this light seemed exceptionally dim compared to the dense, writhing, endless sea of fiery red ants covering the ground. In places visible and hidden alike, those swarms pursued their targets, surging toward the fleeing players like a tide, leaving behind nothing but fresh white bones in the wake of the waves.

Transmitted directly from the light portal to the familiar green train, the surviving players were pale and shaken. Many had paid the price of an arm or a leg—just as Jiang Ran had in her previous life—to secure a chance at survival. Before boarding, they had to pay enough vitality points to heal their wounds. Those with injuries too severe or insufficient vitality were deducted down to a single point of vitality and forced into the lowest-tier carriages with incomplete, unhealed bodies. Most of such players would not survive until the start of the second instance.

Players like Jiang Ran, who stepped into the station looking entirely unburdened, were rare, and she attracted quite a few secretive, appraising gazes. However, she was wrapped from head to toe, making it impossible to see her face.

[Gentle reminder: The train will depart in five minutes. Passengers who have reached the station, please receive medical treatment and purchase your tickets to board in order. (If your carriage tier remains the same, your seat number will be reserved. If your tier changes, the supplies you left on the train will be transferred to your new carriage.)]

[For every station passed, the ticket price increases by (500/300/100/50) vitality points. The lowest-tier carriage requires no ticket.]

Hearing the broadcast, Jiang Ran did not linger and headed straight for her previous carriage. However, some had been eyeing her since she entered the station. There was no helping it; Jiang Ran looked far too relaxed. Furthermore, even in sun-protective clothing that covered her from head to foot, her silhouette clearly revealed her to be a tall woman.

A man with a hideous scar on his face exchanged a look with his companions, and they began to subtly close in on her. Although Jiang Ran walked quickly toward the carriage, she remained alert to the movements around her. Seeing the scarred man approaching, she couldn't help but chuckle.

What a coincidence.