Screech—
The train came to a halt, and Ye Qiyan looked out the window.
This world was unlike the previous two stops, which were shrouded in darkness. Instead, the sun hung high in the sky, illuminating the entire land.
This place was completely different from the previous stops.
The streets outside were covered in dark red stains, with abandoned cars piled up together.
Doomsday Town.
Truly living up to its name.
"Hey, Wali, time to get to work."
[Wali, activate.]
Ye Qiyan reluctantly tossed a Train Coin into Wali's coin slot.
Watching it wobble through the Recycling Unit and head out, Ye Qiyan couldn't help but worry that this little guy might get snatched up by some monster as a toy.
"By the way, what's the mission from the Mission Platform?"
His question was soon answered.
Through the window, Ye Qiyan spotted a corpse clutching a backpack, with a piece of parchment fluttering in the wind from within.
Clearly, something was written on that parchment, but it was too far away to read.
Standing at the train door, Ye Qiyan made a final check of his gear.
Food, water, a finely crafted rifle slung on his back, a Blacklight Pistol and a sharp dagger at his waist, and finally, the Advanced Ceramic Plate Body Armor he had obtained from the Treasure Chest at the last stop.
He had also undergone Sublimation with this body armor, transforming it from a bulky piece into something that truly fit like a vest without sacrificing any protective capabilities.
Fully armed, he pressed the button.
The train door opened, and he stepped out, closing the door behind him.
Only the Train Conductor could open the train, so he wasn't worried about anything sneaking in.
A wave of heat hit him, and the air was filled with a strange smell, like rotten salted fish mixed with long-decayed bread.
Approaching the corpse, Ye Qiyan used his gun barrel to nudge the backpack open, revealing the full view of the parchment inside.
[As you can see, I am a great courier.]
Ye Qiyan silently looked at the corpse lying on the ground. Great? Courier? It was hard to tell.
[As a courier for RUN Company, I bear the responsibility of delivering supplies in this post-apocalyptic world. Only we can walk freely in this doomsday world, but it seems I'm about to die.]
It's not hard to imagine that this courier had a sense of humor when he was alive. This chapter was copied from g.com without permission.
[But the mission of a courier cannot be violated! Whoever you are, if you see my message, please deliver the contents of my backpack to the Silverware Shop at the southeast corner of this town!]
[As long as you deliver it and present my RUN Medal, the reward for this delivery job is yours.]
[Of course, you don't have to deliver it, whatever, I'm dying anyway...]
[Really not going to deliver it? The reward is great~ Our RUN Company is the best company in the entire wasteland~]
A courier, huh?
So the mission from the Mission Platform is this?
"What's in the backpack?"
Curious, Ye Qiyan fully opened the backpack.
Inside, besides the parchment, was a cake preserved in a sealed transparent box, remarkably well-kept.
On it, written in jam, were the words "Happy Birthday."
Birthday, huh?
Ye Qiyan silently picked up the backpack.
Judging by the state of decay, this courier had been dead for a long time.
"Can't celebrate the birthday, but the cake is still edible."
He rummaged through the backpack and found a medal with a mechanical design, depicting a running courier with gears and metal.
On the back of the medal was a large RUN symbol.
Additionally, there was a map of the town, with a red dot marking what seemed to be the destination.
Stowing the cake and medal, Ye Qiyan set off toward the destination, following the map.
The road was littered with skeletons, the dark red bloodstains telling of the horrific events that had once occurred.
"What's that?"
He spotted a hyena scavenging a corpse.
Come to think of it, this was the first time he had seen a living creature other than himself in this survival world.
Wait, was it really alive?
The hyena seemed to hear something and turned its head toward Ye Qiyan. It was then he realized, this was no living dog; its head was rotting, its heart exposed—this was clearly a Zombie Hound!
"Roar!"
The Zombie Hound let out a strange growl and charged at Ye Qiyan.
"Calm down! Calm down!"
Suppressing his fear, he raised his pistol and pulled the trigger.
Bang bang bang bang bang—!
"No, I need to leave quickly."
The gunfire was loud, likely heard throughout the town, and more Zombie Hound-like creatures might already be converging on his location.
Fortunately, the monsters he encountered weren't very smart. By taking a slight detour, Ye Qiyan successfully reached his destination, the Silverware Shop. Surprisingly, there were no signs of monsters nearby.
Strange.
"Is there really someone here?"
Looking at the shop's tightly closed door, it was hard not to suspect that the people inside had long fallen prey to the monsters outside.
Just as he was contemplating whether to force the door open, the shutter door suddenly opened a crack.
Ye Qiyan immediately raised his rifle, aiming at the gap.
"Don't, don't shoot! I'm human, not a zombie!"
Seeing the dark muzzle of the gun, the person inside quickly responded in a hoarse voice.
"...Are you the owner of this shop?"
Unable to see the person inside clearly, Ye Qiyan simply took out the medal.
"I'm a courier for RUN Company. The previous courier died on the way, and I'm here to complete the delivery."
When traveling, one's identity was self-assigned, and in this unfamiliar post-apocalyptic wasteland, being a courier seemed to earn more respect.
The shutter door opened a bit more, revealing the face of a scruffy, bearded man in his forties.
"Hey, I know, I know you're a courier. Nowadays, anyone daring to be outside is either a courier, a lunatic, or a monster. Heh, please come in."
Ye Qiyan didn't move, still pointing his gun at the man's head, and took out the well-preserved cake from his backpack.
"Going inside is unnecessary. Here's the item, where's the payment?"
The man stared at the cake for a moment.
"What a pity, if only it had arrived a bit earlier. Heh... Payment, right, payment, I'll get it for you."
He turned and left, soon returning to slide a box out from under the shutter, revealing its contents.
Ye Qiyan recognized it immediately.
Train Coins?
Three Train Coins lay quietly inside.
Could it be that Train Coins are the universal currency across all Platform worlds? Otherwise, it's hard to explain why the locals here would have them.
Just as Ye Qiyan was about to collect the Train Coins, the man inside suddenly reached out and grabbed his gun barrel!