After an unknown amount of time, the cold healing beam slowly dissipated, as if it had lost its last supporting force.
Xiao Jin swayed; this time she wasn't asleep, but fully awake.
Upon landing, Xiao Jin instinctively grabbed the smooth, cold carriage wall to steady herself.
The excruciating pain that penetrated to the bone disappeared, replaced by a feeling of weakness, like someone recovering from a serious illness, and an omnipresent tingling and numbness, as if the cells had been forcibly repaired.
The stark white bone of his left shoulder was covered by newly grown flesh, leaving only a faint pink scar. The wound on his neck had also healed; when his fingertips brushed against it, he felt only a slightly cool touch.
She stretched her stiff neck, making a slight clicking sound. Her gaze swept over the personal information panel, where the cold, impersonal system settlement information automatically popped up:
[Final Stage Contribution Settlement: Z Country Faction's Total Contribution Ranking: First.]
[Player Xiao Jin's personal contribution: Ranked first in the Z country faction, with a total contribution percentage of 39.7%.]
[Personal Rewards Settlement: Points+, Diamond Chest x1, Orange Enhancement Material x10, Spirit Stone x15, Frost Lord's Reverse Scale (Legendary Material) x1, ...]
[First Place in Faction - Bonus Rewards: Points +, Red Maple Fruit x2, Pet Enhancement Fluid x1.]
The total rewards amount to nearly 80,000 points, with an additional 50,000 points for the individual with the highest contribution, as well as a bunch of other rewards whose names alone suggest they are quite valuable.
But this number, which would have thrilled any player, now felt like a cold, heavy weight on Xiao Jin's heart, unable to stir even the slightest ripple.
Xiao Jin expressionlessly took out and opened the rewards one by one.
The diamond treasure chest shone brightly, yielding several powerful pieces of equipment and skill scrolls. A glance at the stats revealed that Xiao Jin could use virtually nothing.
Having set a relatively low price, Xiao Jin casually tossed it into the trading channel.
As for the 'Frost Lord's Reverse Scale,' its tentacles were cold and hard, carrying a lingering terrifying pressure. After playing with it for a while, Xiao Jin tossed it into his item inventory.
Immediately afterwards, she went into the private washroom attached to the carriage. The warm water washed away the solidified smell of blood and the fatigue and dust left by the battle.
Water droplets slid down her newborn skin, and her face in the mirror remained pale. Only her eyes were as calm as a deep pool, reflecting no emotion.
Xiao Jin changed into clean clothes, then took out a steaming bowl of beef noodles with generous fillings from her spatial storage and ate it slowly and deliberately.
The piping hot broth and chewy noodles slid into her stomach, bringing a touch of warmth and dispelling the chill from her bones. She ate with focused quiet, as if it were the only important thing at that moment.
However, while eating, Xiao Jin did not forget to channel his thoughts into the pet pouch.
Amo's massive body was perched in a specially designed rest area. The luster of its black jade-like scales had dimmed slightly, and several severe wounds were enveloped in a layer of pale green life energy, slowly healing.
At this moment, its huge head slightly raised, as if sensing its master's gaze.
A hint of closeness and dependence flickered in the cold, blood-red vertical pupils, and the scarlet tongue flickered slightly, conveying the message that everything was alright.
"It's good that you're alright." Xiao Jin murmured to herself, her tense nerves seeming to relax a little.
Only now did she finally open the long-dormant player channel.
The information on the channel was like radioactive dust after an explosion, filled with despair, anger, doubt, and the mournful cries of death.
The time display showed that more than ten hours had passed since the mission ended.
"It's over? We survived? Ha...haha...so what if we survived? Look at this channel, there's still our temporary team, a full twenty people, and now there are only six left...six..."
"My sister... she was frozen to dust right before my eyes by that icy breath, without even leaving a word... I finally found her after a long and difficult journey."
System! Is this what you wanted? To have our lives used for amusement?
"Fuck this survival game! The system just synchronized the data, and the total population of Earth is only 1.23 billion... 1.2 billion! How many were there before we came in? 8 billion! 8 billion!!!"
"Calm down! According to the model, the system's selection mechanism is extremely brutal, with an average survival rate of less than 10% for dungeons. Those of us who have made it this far are already 'lucky'."
"But the price of this 'luck' is... way too high!"
"Fuck your luck? What about my family? What about my friends? My wife... my children... they might be crushed like trash in some unknown instance!"
What kind of luck is this? What's the point of my life?!
"The meaning? The meaning is to become a Gu worm raised by the system, to become 'stronger' through repeated killings, and then to go to the next slaughterhouse, until we also become a number on someone else's leaderboard!"
I once thought about saving myself, but how? Who can fight against this force?
"Perhaps... this is an experiment by an advanced civilization? To screen for 'superior genes'? Or... is it just a simple energy harvesting?"
We use our fear, our pain, our souls as fuel. No one knows what kind of hell the next world will be…”
"I'll fuck your ancestors' survival game, you %&8#￥*……"
Countless messages scrolled by, filled with mourning for the deceased, curses against the system, and fears for the future.
Some people have even begun to question their own existence and discuss the possibility of suicide.
In desperation, some people actually took action.
The Y-country player named Nia was as pale as winter ice.
His eyes were vacant as he stared ahead, his fingers slowly reaching for the window handle. The interior lights illuminated his tense face, seemingly isolating him from another world.
After an unknown amount of time, he took a deep breath, turned his finger forcefully, and the car window slowly opened. A biting cold wind, mixed with the roar of an unknown creature, suddenly rushed into the car.
Nia's actions were swift and decisive, as if she had rehearsed every detail in her mind a thousand times over.
According to train regulations, the carriage is absolutely safe when the windows are closed. But at this moment, he is about to break this rule himself.
As the car window opened, a pair of eyes gleaming with an eerie light suddenly appeared in the darkness, followed by a gigantic monster squeezing in.
Its skin was as rough as withered tree bark, and its sharp fangs gleamed coldly under the light.
However, Nia remained motionless, like a statue, a barely perceptible hint of relief flashing in her cold eyes.
The moment the monster lunged at Nia, time seemed to freeze.
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