In a daze, Xu Anran found herself in a large white hall with a huge transparent display screen floating above it. At the top of the screen was written "Elementary World Waiting Hall," and below were various train numbers, destinations, departure times, and so on.
The hall was divided into several square areas. When each square turned red, it would indicate that a certain train was about to depart. People who stood in the square within the specified time would be teleported away.
Xu Anran was now standing in a circular area with a group of people who had come in. Some of them were regular passengers, who knew the way well as they came out of the circular area and walked to a small square area displaying the number 2. With a flash of blue light, they were teleported to the second floor. Others seemed to have just experienced danger, and upon entering the hall, they cried tears of joy, shouting that they had survived. Some new passengers, like Xu Anran, looked around with surprise on their faces.
Based on the information Xu Anran obtained from the chubby boy, she pulled her large suitcase, which she used for disguise, like an experienced passenger, and went straight to the blue cube on the second floor to teleport.
The second floor is relatively spacious, unlike the first floor which is filled with blocks. Apart from the toilets, there are only some small blocks for teleporting to other floors. There is nothing else on the second floor. People set up stalls here to exchange things they brought from various worlds. There is no currency here; you can only barter or exchange for gold.
Xu Anran browsed through the stalls, looking for something she wanted to exchange.
The goods are diverse and dazzling: there are strange or high-tech items for sale, such as glowing plants, man-eating flowers, and robot dogs, as well as weapons such as hand guns and long knives, but the most common items are food.
Xu Anran walked up to a stall selling wooden guns. There were many different kinds of guns there. The stall owner was a young man. She picked up a small gun and asked, "How many bullets does this have?" The man enthusiastically explained, "This one only has five. If you want to buy one, you can take a look at this one. This one can hold 10 bullets, and the recoil isn't strong." Xu Anran picked up the gun the stall owner had shown her, weighed it in her hand, and felt it was okay. She then asked, "What can I trade this for?" "Two boxes of food and 20 liters of water."
Xu Anran asked with some doubt, "You can use gold to buy food and water in the next world." "Sigh, I'm having bad luck this time. The countdown on my train ticket is for a year. By the time I get there, the disaster will have already broken out. I'll bring food and water first, in case I can't even find anything to eat."
Xu Anran nodded in understanding and then asked, "Can I try the gun?" "Sure, do you know how to fire a gun?" Xu Anran shook her head. The stall owner then taught her how to use it, put away his own things, and led her to a wall with targets, asking her to try firing a gun. Xu Anran fired it twice as the stall owner taught her and felt it was okay.
The two returned to their original spot, and the stall owner set up his stall again. Xu Anran pretended to take out two boxes of bread and a case of mineral water from her suitcase. She said that she also had a small folding tent and an air mattress and wanted to exchange them for some bullets. After some bargaining, the two exchanged 20 bullets.
Xu Anran asked the stall owner what his previous world was like and how he had so many weapons. The stall owner was very straightforward and said that his previous world was plagued by frequent wars and fighting everywhere. He was trapped in a place because of this. He finally got out, but he was very unlucky and couldn't find a ticket. In the end, he found one, and the countdown was the longest.
Xu Anran offered a few words of comfort, packed up the gun, and continued browsing. After wandering around, she traded two gold bars for a high-tech encyclopedia—a blue screen containing knowledge on various topics such as combat, food, medicine, wilderness survival, and architecture. Its battery life was also impressive, showing it could last for another 20 years. Truly high-tech, Xu Anran felt it was a worthwhile investment. She also traded a box of instant noodles for a high-tech solar panel, which could power ten houses for a day and was heat and cold resistant. She further traded some food and medicine for an acid rain resistant tent.
After changing her belongings, Xu Anran went to the teleportation point marked "3". A flash of blue light transported her to the third floor. This was a rest area, with a long corridor that seemed to stretch on forever, lined with doors on both sides. Xu Anran found a door that she could open and entered. After going inside, she closed the door. The door displayed: "Lock from the inside?" Xu Anran selected "Yes". The door was locked, preventing anyone from entering, making it an absolutely safe place.
The room was a bit smaller than the hotel room and simply furnished. It had a bathroom, a bed, a table next to the bed, and nothing on the other side, but a small square displaying the number 1. This square allowed the user to teleport directly from the room to the lobby on the first floor. After teleporting, the room would return to its original state, and the door would open to await the next guest. Xu Anran ate a piece of bread, set her alarm, and went to sleep.
In the early morning, she made herself a packet of her favorite spicy beef noodles, adding two sausages and a braised egg. She also took out a packet of spicy strips and a Coke. Eating the noodles and spicy strips together, along with a sip of Coke, was simply too refreshing.
After eating and drinking her fill, Xu Anran took a shower and changed into new clothes. She put her suitcase in her spatial storage, took out an outdoor backpack, filled it with some food and water, put on the backpack, walked to the teleportation cube, and arrived at the lobby on the first floor.
The lobby on the first floor was bustling with people. Some had just arrived and were looking around; some were walking hurriedly; and some were heading to the large teleportation point to board the vehicle. Xu Anran was one of them.
A red, transparent panel appeared in front of her, displaying a countdown of half an hour. The panel flashed and included a map navigation to the waiting area. Xu Anran followed the navigation and arrived at the E32 area five minutes later. The area was already quite crowded; some people had brought nothing, some carried many suitcases, and most, like Xu Anran, carried a bag. Most were standing in pairs, presumably in groups, while a few were alone.
A woman walked up to Xu Anran and asked, "Hey girl, all alone?" Xu Anran nodded. "How many times has this been?" Without thinking, Xu Anran lied, "The third time." The woman said enthusiastically, "This is my fourth time. We both have experience, and we're both women, how about we team up?" Xu Anran smiled shyly, "No, sister, I'm not planning on teaming up." The woman wasn't angry at all and said generously, "It's okay, girl, some people prefer to go it alone. My name is Li Xiulan, you can call me Sister Lan. Even though we're not teaming up, we can help each other out if we meet again!" Xu Anran smiled and nodded in agreement.
Soon, the train was about to depart, and the ticket in her hand felt hot. A red light flashed in the square area, and the next moment Xu Anran was already sitting on the train. A young man sat next to her, and the two exchanged polite smiles as a greeting.
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