Kingdom of Corrosion
Chapter 628 - 302: Town No. 10 (Part 2)

Chapter 628: Chapter 302: Town No. 10 (Part 2)

By this time, several zombies had reached the top, and they all pounced on Lin Wu at once. Lin Wu didn’t dare to use the Wind Stinger skill—the space was too small, and a slip could mean falling to become a zombie snack. He could only use his Lock Head skill to send them away. Lin Wu went beneath the mechanical arm, reloading and staying on guard; he shot each one as it came up.

However, due to continuous use of Lock Head, Lin Wu’s head began to swim, and stars appeared before his eyes. The system alerted him that he was overusing his skill. If he continued, he would start to experience symptoms such as ringing in his ears. Lin Wu switched to his shotgun instead; it didn’t require Lock Head, and with one shot he could knock down a zombie and even topple another.

Qinglang finally slid onto the roof of the train, and Lin Wu stomped his foot and shouted, "Go!" He handed the shotgun and ammo to Qinglang, and he himself took a pistol and aimed directly.

The train started slowly, but it eventually got moving. When the speed exceeded 20, the Blood Mist and approaching darkness began to disperse. Considering that Qinglang couldn’t crawl through the chimney, the train stopped after a bit more progress. The two climbed down from the roof, boarded the train, and lay down on the sickbeds.

The remodeling mission was completed successfully!

The train’s new layout made everyone much more comfortable. The central aisle ran directly through all the carriages, letting them see from the train’s head to its tail. Hong Yi made a simple chimney, and everyone moved the cooking items to the dormitory carriage, finally lighting the bonfire in the bonfire carriage.

...

The next stop, Town 10, a town where players might meet. Besides coal and food, it had a large reserve of other supplies. The maximum stay was 24 hours.

At one in the afternoon, the train pulled into the station, a large one with dozens of tracks. Town 10 was a very large town, comparable to Left County Shuidong in the game. Town 10 had a cross-shaped layout, with the station at the intersection.

Two player trains, Sky Collapse and Earth Split, were stationed on the tracks. No one was onboard, and the trains were protected by a light barrier that outsiders couldn’t breach.

The NPC stationmaster greeted everyone on the platform. First, he welcomed the Orient Express to Town 10, then he began to peddle his products. The first product was a protective shield; buying one meant other players and NPCs couldn’t board your train, 10 dollars. This was a must-buy.

The second product was a local hand-drawn map and a System Map, the former for 1 dollar, the latter for 10 dollars. After a few seconds of hesitation, Maya still bought the System Map. After purchasing, Maya was close to killing the stationmaster—the System Map only had the names of the main streets and their layout.

The third product was a hotel suite, where you could enjoy music, a buffet, and a comfortable big bed. Its price was quite reasonable, with a hot spring suite for 20 dollars and a regular suite for 10 dollars. Seeing she had less than 30 dollars left, Maya declined the offer to everyone’s expectant gazes. Money was one issue, time was another; there was no extra time to waste on enjoyment.

There were other offerings, such as watching performances, but Maya declined them all. As everyone prepared to leave the platform, a female player appeared and exclaimed with delight, "Hey!"

"Hello," everyone responded. The town was full of armed guards, making it difficult to rob or kill, which reduced hostilities between players.

"Trade?"

Maya left Hong Yi to negotiate with her and the trader from the other train; they began to discuss on the platform. Soon another train arrived, and a four-way trade unfolded on the platform.

The Orient Express’s primary trading resource was food, especially mutton. As for what to trade for, Maya let Hong Yi decide. They agreed that if the walkie-talkie didn’t work, they would meet at the platform in two hours.

Lin Wu took 3 dollars for some free activity—to pick up trash or complete tasks. Shuihua and Maya, along with Qinglang, headed to the Gold Trading Center to handle a box of Gold Nuggets before they could convert them into money.

Having just left the platform, Lin Wu saw a huge billboard pointing the way to Viking Square. At Viking Square, you could accumulate points through playing games that could be exchanged for precious items, or even obtain items while playing the games. Such attractive information, of course, warranted an investigation.

Viking Square was an indoor plaza, with two levels: below were machines, above were the manual games. By "machines," it meant slot machines, fruit machines, and the like—yes, Viking Square was that kind of place. But it had its own special features, such as a shooting gallery.

Accumulate points by shooting targets with a shop-specified revolver to win dolls. Among them were special dolls that contained precious items, such as Carriage Cards or Professional Cards. Additionally, there was a chance for players to win chip rewards. The cost was low at 3 dollars a play.

Apart from the shooting gallery, there were a variety of activities like cricket fighting and dog racing.

After wandering around the upper and lower floors, Lin Wu left. As a prominent individual of the new century, staying away from the toxic temptation of gambling was the most basic self-discipline. Of course, poverty was also a reason. Some say the poor are kind because they have fewer chances to make mistakes.

Even Viking Square had its share of people lacking self-discipline. Among the many NPCs, there was a male player engrossed in playing blackjack, and from the look on his face, his luck was not too good. A female player was trying to persuade him on the side, only to receive his impatient dismissal.

Stepping out of the Viking Square entrance, Lin Wu came across two excited men about to go in for a round. They greeted each other. In response to their inquiries, Lin Wu said that the odds inside were very high and that it would be a pity not to play. After finishing his sentence, he pulled out his pistol, took another look at Wai, and gestured that all these were his winnings.

Anyone who recommends opportunities to get rich is a good person. Lin Wu genuinely admired himself as he strolled along the shops.

Gradually, Lin Wu realized that Town 10 was a small town primarily focused on tourism, holidays, and pleasure-seeking. First came a street full of pawnshops because how could one spend without money, right? Next was the food street, capturing cuisine from all over the world. Additionally, there were beaches filled with beautiful men and women, relaxing foot massages, KTVs providing free drinks, concerts where one could interact with stars, various water sports, and so on.

Ah! It wasn’t that he was unwilling to enjoy himself; he was simply too poor. Clutching his three dollars, Lin Wu strutted through the crowd with his chest puffed out and a face exuding righteousness, continuously chanting in his mind: Pleasure leads to downfall.

Maya: "Gold Nugget exchanged for 500 dollars."

Lin Wu replied excitedly, "I’ll be right there."

Maya asked cautiously, "What are you coming here for?"

Lin Wu: "To expand consumption."

"Consume your head." Maya said, "You go do your task. Qinglang and I will handle the shopping."

Lin Wu said, "I won’t gamble."

"I believe that," Maya asked, "Anything else?"

What else? First, have a serving of hotpot, then an ice cream, take the hotpot and ice cream to the beach to enjoy the sea breeze, and incidentally condemn the women’s volleyball match. Finally, take a hot spring bath, get a massage, and have a nice two-hour sleep.

Is that wrong? The purpose of hard work isn’t just for the sake of struggling but to enjoy life. The purpose of working is to earn money, and earning more money allows for better spending. Besides, Lin Wu’s consumption level wasn’t high; he preferred the common hotpot over deep-sea tuna. He might watch the girls on the beach, but he wouldn’t interact with them.

Of course, Lin Wu also knew that all consumption was a trap. All goods not only spent the player’s money but also their time. An even more sinister thought was that Dawn’s ultimate goal might be to sow discord within the team’s unity.

Shuihua’s voice came through the walkie-talkie: "I just spoke with an NPC. He said that to find useful clues and valuable goods, one should delve deeper into the civilian population. He gave me an address: Building B, Room 307, No. 130 Love Shrimp Road, claiming there was a prophet there who could show us the path to the future."

Maya responded, "Sounds like a clue for the route."

Shuihua: "But I don’t know where Love Shrimp Road is. I asked several NPCs in a row, and they all said they were tourists, not locals."

Maya said, "Everyone, pay close attention to this address, and interact more with NPCs that stand out from the rest. Lin Wu, you know what ’stands out from the rest’ means, right?"

"Hey! With so many people around, why single me out for a reminder?"

After thinking for a while, Maya said, "I don’t know either. I just have this feeling that if anyone is going to fall from grace here, it would be you. I apologize to you."

How can I condemn after you’ve apologized?

Hong Yi’s voice transmitted: "I’ve bought an unopened information card from Sky Collapse: A retired train repairman lives in Room 211, No. 27 Handsome Shrimp Road. The annotation says his wife is a retired university professor who specialized in internal combustion engines during her career and was dedicated to enhancing the efficiency of internal combustion engines."

Maya: "Let’s get moving, find the right NPCs, and locate the right places."

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