Chapter 57 Entering Yunpei Town to Visit the Market

Amidst everyone's anticipation, the train carriages trembled slightly, accompanied by a deep and long whistle. The massive steel locomotive began to accelerate smoothly, the wheels rubbing against the rails with a rhythmic clanging sound.

The scenery outside the window began to move slowly, then rushed past faster and faster.

At the other end of the carriage, Tan Yashao was also sitting in a seat with her daughter Zhu Quan.

Little Quan Quan excitedly clung to the car window, his little face almost pressed against the glass, constantly asking, "Mommy, is this big bump really that fast? Will it be able to see Xiao Ya and Shi Tou in a flash?"

Tan Ya Shao felt a pang of sadness upon hearing this. Children born after the apocalypse had never seen many high-tech products, yet they were so excited to see a train. She forced a smile and said, "It's true, Quan Quan. You'll be able to see your friends in town soon."

"Great! I'm going to share all the delicious food I've saved up with them." Zhu Quan was very happy. She was missing her friends when she got out of school yesterday afternoon, and she didn't expect to see them so soon.

Tan Yashao gently stroked her daughter's hair, her gaze fixed on the unknown tracks outside the window, gradually illuminated by the car lights. A surge of anticipation welled up within her. If Star Territory could even produce trains, would there be other surprises to come?

The modified players have physical abilities far exceeding those of ordinary people, and they no longer suffer from motion sickness. Everyone curiously leans against the car window, admiring the long-lost, rapidly changing nightscape outside.

Every now and then, an experienced player familiar with the area would excitedly point out the window and introduce it to his companions: "Look over there! See that swamp with black bubbles? It used to be a pack of hyenas. These old-world mutated monsters are incredibly ferocious. We usually had to go around them. I never thought this place would turn into a swamp."

"And over there, that rift valley! I tried to take a shortcut, but I almost got dragged away by a swarm of shadow-winged bats lying in ambush. It was terrifying!" The speaker's face showed lingering fear, but it was quickly replaced by excitement.

The passengers felt an unprecedented sense of security as they recalled how they had navigated these dangerous areas with trepidation on their way there, and compared it to now sitting in the warm, bright carriage, passing by as if on a sightseeing trip.

Occasionally, some fearless flying monsters would hear the train's movement and crash into it, but they could only create a ripple around the outer barrier before being instantly left behind by the high-speed train.

What used to be a two-hour journey took only ten minutes by train. When everyone on the train finally got back on the ground and stood at the familiar underground entrance to Yunpei Town, they were all somewhat dazed.

The town of Yunpei had clearly been alarmed by the commotion and had dispatched a fully armed guard team to stand guard on the outskirts, watching the suddenly appearing train with bated breath.

They only breathed a sigh of relief when they saw their town mayor get out of the car unharmed.

The head guard quickly gave a few instructions to his team members, then jogged over to Yun Aobai and asked in a low voice, "Mayor, is this train newly built here? Are there any safety hazards?"

"Don't worry, it's alright." Yun Aobai reassured him, "We have just established a friendly cooperative relationship with the Star Territory. This train was built by the lord of the Star Territory. With this train, we no longer need to worry about the dangers and time-consuming journeys between our two towns."

As she spoke, her gaze unconsciously drifted to Lin Nanxing, who was observing everything with great interest. The captain of the guard in front of her, however, had a hesitant expression on his face, clearly indicating that he had other questions to ask.

Lin Nanxing keenly sensed their predicament and said understandingly, "Mayor Yun, if you have urgent business to attend to, please make yourself at home. My people and I are fine with just strolling around; there's no need for special hospitality."

Yun Aobai didn't stand on ceremony with her. After leaving two people to accompany her, he left with the captain of the guard team.

She knew what the other town officials wanted to ask, so she could go back and discuss it.

Not only were the guards from Yunpei Town present, but also many people who came out to see what was going on after hearing the commotion.

They were initially a little nervous about whether the sudden commotion was good or bad, but when they saw that the people getting off the train were all familiar faces from the town, they breathed a sigh of relief.

"Big Li? Didn't you guys go to the Star Territory? Why are you back?"

"And what's going on with this train?"

Most of the people present were very curious and kept asking the person who got off the bus questions.

"Oh dear, there's only one hour left before departure! Don't block my way, I need to pick up my parents!" The person who was blocked was so anxious that he stomped his feet.

"No, we won't let you go. You need to tell us what happened first."

"It's like this, right? The Star Territory has opened up transportation. We can take this train to the Star Territory from now on. The journey only takes ten minutes. You can ask someone else for more details. I'm in a real hurry."

After giving a concise explanation, the man quickly slipped away while everyone was still stunned.

"Hey, I hadn't finished asking my questions yet, why did you leave?"

"You're still asking? Didn't you hear him say that this train goes to the Star Territory? There's already a line at the ticket booth. If you want to go, you'll have to grab a ticket."

The man had just explained in a loud voice, and almost everyone at the entrance heard him. As soon as they heard that the train would take them to the Star Territory in just 10 minutes, the entrance immediately became lively.

Lin Nanxing glanced at the commotion at the entrance but ignored it. In any case, whether she had a ticket or not, she would have a seat to go back. What she was more curious about was what kind of town Yunpei Town was.

The moment she stepped into the protective barrier of Yunpei Town, a new message popped up from the system:

[Congratulations, host, you have discovered the town: Yunpei Town]

[The detailed map of the area has been unlocked. Please view it yourself.]

The lord's map unfolded instantly, and the newly added layout of Yunpei Town appeared before his eyes. The dense, crowded, honeycomb-like building layout made Lin Nanxing feel a sense of suffocation.

Yunpei Town has a total population of over 20,000, and they live in such a cramped and crowded space, like sardines in a can. Their living conditions are simply too harsh.

She paused for a moment because of this shocking discovery, and Zhou Qisheng, who was waiting beside her, looked a little embarrassed.

As a native of Yunpei Town, he knew the town's environment very well. He mistakenly thought that the lord was startled by the mess and odor at the entrance, and explained in a low voice, "Nanxing, are you not used to the smell here? This is the outer area, with a lot of people coming and going, so the environment is a bit worse. It will be better once we go further in."

Lin Nanxing's heat-insulating protective suit was the highest-grade model rewarded by the system. It perfectly blocked out external odors, and she did not smell any discomfort.

However, she nodded in understanding regarding Zhou Qisheng's actions in protecting Yunpei Town's reputation.

Zhou Qisheng breathed a slight sigh of relief and continued to introduce the town as they walked: "Actually, there's not much to see in town. Most of the space has been converted into housing to the maximum extent possible. If there's anything that might be interesting to you, it's the market in the very center that you can visit."

"You have a market here?" Lin Nanxing's attention was indeed drawn, but she wasn't used to having someone following her around. She said to the Yunpei Town guards who were being protected by Yun Aobai, "Alright, you don't need to follow me. I have a contracted magical plant with me, so I won't encounter any danger."

"And you, Brother Zhou, you don't need to come with me. You haven't been back for so long. You can go and catch up with old friends. I'll just wander around by myself."

Without having Zhou Qisheng accompany him as a guide, Lin Nanxing, relying on the detailed map she had just unlocked, arrived alone at the market entrance in the center of Yunpei Town.

There is an information panel at the entrance indicating that most of the barter transactions in the town take place here.

Looking around, the narrow passageway was indeed crowded with all kinds of stalls, making it quite congested.

Perhaps because the train that suddenly appeared outside the town had attracted the attention of most people, the market seemed rather deserted at the moment, and there weren't many people browsing the stalls.

The layout and atmosphere of the market inexplicably reminded Lin Nanxing of the old vegetable markets he had visited in his previous life. The stall owners had casually spread a cloth on the ground, on which various materials they had collected were displayed.

In terms of the quality of materials and the fineness of processing, the items on these stalls naturally cannot compare with those produced by the system or made by Da Tie. Although Lin Nanxing is rich, he has no intention of being ripped off.

After wandering around for a short while, she felt a bit bored and was about to turn around and look elsewhere when a commotion coming from not far away caught her attention.

"You damned beggar, what are you begging for here?"

"Please, take another look. This dagger is very sharp. I got it from a sand wolf. I only need 100 game coins." A skinny, almost unrecognizable boy was pleading with a burly stall owner.

The stall owner waved his hand impatiently, as if shooing away flies: "Go away! Who wants this piece of junk? You think you can get a hundred dollars for a broken dagger? Dream on! Get out of my way, don't block my business, it's so hot!"

The high temperature made everyone irritable, and the people around were just watching the commotion without anyone stepping forward to stop the fight.

"Please, boss, my sister has heatstroke. I need to get a priest to take a look, and I'm just a hundred game coins short." The boy almost knelt down, his voice filled with desperate sobs. "Please, have mercy."

"You need to scrape together money for heatstroke?" The stall owner scoffed, his tone full of malice. "You might as well just wait to die. Why waste money? Get lost!"

Seeing that he wouldn't leave, the stall owner got up to chase him away. The boy was already weak, and when the man pushed him, he stumbled and almost fell. The equally thin gray rat contract beast on his shoulder squeaked in surprise.

Lin Nanxing watched from the sidelines for a while. When she saw that the man had actually started to fight, she couldn't stand it anymore. She took a few steps forward and helped the swaying boy up.

Her sudden appearance startled the stall owner. But upon seeing her unusual attire and the menacing demonic plants behind her, his arrogance immediately diminished, and he muttered, "Sir, please mind your own business. These days, everyone's struggling..."

Lin Nanxing ignored him completely. She looked down at the boy next to her, who was frighteningly light and whose body was burning hot even through the protective suit, and asked in a deep voice, "Where is your sister? Take me to see her."