◎ The Command Center’s Decision: Continuing Mutual Benefit and Win-Win Cooperation ◎
May 11, 2:00 a.m.
The outside temperature was about to drop below zero, but thanks to the constant-temperature system, the command center still maintained a comfortable environment.
At this hour, the command center was still busy. Those on the night shift remained at their posts.
Suddenly, hurried footsteps echoed down the corridor. When others looked over, they saw Li Yue, the former secretary from the mayor’s secretariat, rushing past with urgency written all over her face.
“What happened?”
“This Li Yue seems to be in charge of a special line, with a very high level of confidentiality.”
“Stop talking, stop talking.”
Li Yue hurried to the door of Zhang Zhengtian’s resting room but was stopped by a guard. “The commander has just fallen asleep.”
“I have something very important to report to the commander,” Li Yue said.
Seeing how anxious she was, the guard did not dare delay and went inside to call him.
Very soon, Zhang Zhengtian came out, draping a coat over his shoulders. “What is it?”
Li Yue handed her phone to Zhang Zhengtian. “You should take a look yourself.”
The moment Zhang Zhengtian saw it, his expression changed. “Notify everyone immediately. We’re holding a meeting!”
Five minutes later, in the conference room.
Zhang Zhengtian said, “That’s the situation. Everyone, please share your views.”
A middle-aged man spoke first. “I think we should still focus on quickly maxing out the internship experience and letting Xiao Jiang become a true train conductor first. Only then will we be confident about sending one thousand comrades onto the train.”
A stern-faced female expert frowned and rebutted, “Since these one hundred projects are related to the future train conductor’s capabilities, we must reexamine this matter. We cannot give up long-term major benefits for short-term minor gains.”
Another person said, “What do you mean by minor gains? Sending our comrades onto the survival train is the biggest and most important matter right now. This concerns the future of Blue Star. Absolutely no mistakes can be allowed!”
Someone else added, “But don’t forget, the reason we’re eager for Comrade Jiang Qi to become a train conductor is because we need her train conductor abilities to conceal the identities of one thousand comrades. Ultimately, the initiative lies with her.”
“If she truly has the nation and the people in her heart, she should know what the most correct choice is.”
“That’s not fair to say. If she becomes a very weak train conductor, she won’t be able to help hide identities either. And as long as she’s strong enough, whether one thousand comrades board the train or not may not affect the overall situation.”
“That can’t be said with certainty. If we send one thousand people onto the train, who can say that none of them will encounter special opportunities and unlock the train conductor path as well?”
“So we give up the ready-made train conductor we already have just to gamble on a possibility?”
“Jiang Qi is, at her core, still just an ordinary person. Placing all our hopes on her alone—isn’t that too risky?”
“That is prejudice. Judging from Jiang Qi’s performance over the past two days, she may well be capable of bearing this responsibility.”
The debate went back and forth. After listening for several minutes, Zhang Zhengtian tapped the table. “Enough.”
The room fell silent.
Zhang Zhengtian said, “Those in favor of maxing out experience as quickly as possible, raise your hands.”
Everyone glanced at each other and only a few hands were raised sparsely.
Zhang Zhengtian said, “Those in favor of taking it step by step and letting Comrade Jiang Qi pursue the path of a powerful train conductor, raise your hands.”
This time, about one-third of the people raised their hands.
Roughly half of the people remaining did not state a position.
Zhang Zhengtian asked, “What about those who didn’t vote? What do you mean?”
Someone among that half spoke up. “A compromise. If Jiang Qi is made to give up the path of becoming strong, she would probably be unwilling. And honestly, it’s not just her—would we be willing either?
“Right now, during the internship period, as long as a skill is triggered and practiced a thousand times, it can be fully mastered. This is practically foolproof teaching, spoon-fed growth. Not using such an opportunity on valuable skills would be a terrible waste.
“If Jiang Qi becomes stronger, it benefits our country and our Blue Star. Her future upper limit might very well become the future upper limit of Blue Star. Are you really willing to let such a chance to raise that ceiling slip by?”
The room fell silent.
The speaker softened their tone. “But at the same time, abandoning everything just to elevate a single person does not align with the interests of all humanity. If she were to die midway through her growth, we would gain nothing at all. For Blue Star, that would be a catastrophic disaster.”
Everyone nodded silently. That was indeed the logic.
“So, a compromise. The pace of accumulating internship experience can be slowed, focusing on uncovering valuable projects. On the other hand, the plan to send one thousand people onto the train cannot stop. Even if we can’t send that many, we must at least send dozens or hundreds. These people are sparks, hope, opportunities—and also forces that can mutually support Jiang Qi. I believe Comrade Jiang Qi would agree with this as well.”
The conference room fell into silence again as everyone turned to look at Zhang Zhengtian.
Now that Spring City was cut off from the outside world, Zhang Zhengtian was the highest authority within the city. The final decision had to come from him.
Zhang Zhengtian spoke again. “Those who agree with the compromise, raise your hands.”
This time, almost everyone raised their hands. Even the few who still looked dissatisfied said nothing more.
Zhang Zhengtian said, “Then it’s settled.”
…
3:00 a.m., Room 605.
Jiang Qi had not slept. She stood by the window, watching the howling wind carry pellets of snow that struck the glass one by one, producing crisp, fine sounds.
She was waiting, waiting for news from the command center. It would determine whether she and the command center could continue to work together.
At that moment, her phone rang. It was a call from Zhang Zhengtian. She reached out and answered it.
“Commander Zhang.”
“Comrade Xiao Jiang, regarding the matter of internship experience, the command center has reached a conclusion after discussion. Going forward, the command center will continue to spare no effort in helping you pursue the path of becoming a powerful train conductor.”
Jiang Qi’s brow relaxed slightly. “Choosing the powerful path means that triggering projects must be done very carefully. In other words, within the next month, I estimate that I will not be able to complete all the projects and fully accumulate the required internship experience.”
Zhang Zhengtian sighed. “That’s inevitable. We’ve discussed this as well. Once you’re on the train, there should be projects of greater value. So reserving some projects to trigger after boarding the train is a wise choice.”
He spoke earnestly. “Comrade Xiao Jiang, reporting the arrival of the players to the state was an act of trust in the nation. You helped Spring City avoid enormous risk, which is a merit to the country. The state will not allow a good comrade like you to feel disheartened. Moreover, when you grow stronger, the country grows stronger. In this regard, your personal interests align with those of the state and of all humanity.
“So don’t worry. The state will always be your strongest backing.”
He paused slightly, then added, “It’s just that we also hope that even if you cannot become a full-fledged train conductor after one month, you will still do your utmost to assist other comrades in boarding the train.”
Jiang Qi smiled faintly. This Commander Zhang really was an old fox.
Although his words were deliberately emotional and reassuring, she had to admit they were pleasant to hear.
She knew that not everyone in the command center fully supported or trusted her, but Zhang Zhengtian’s remarks amounted to the state’s official stance. That was enough.
Her entire expression relaxed. “That’s only right. Once we’re on the train, I’ll need helpers as well. I’ll study how to help everyone conceal their identities properly.”
On the other end, Zhang Zhengtian seemed to let out a sigh of relief.
Jiang Qi asked, “What about the test results on the vial of blood I sent over?”
“It’s still undergoing in-depth analysis, but for now, there doesn’t appear to be any special change.”
Jiang Qi nodded, then asked again, “How many players have been captured so far?”
“We later apprehended ten more. There are twenty-one in total now.”
“Are they all still alive?”
“Yes.”
Looking out the window, Jiang Qi said, “When the time comes to execute them, please inform me. I want to do it personally.”
“This…”
Jiang Qi continued, “Killing players might trigger some kind of skill as well. Also, regarding how to trigger high-quality projects, I have some ideas. I’ll send the proposal to Li Yue shortly. I hope the command center can help arrange things. I’ll be taking action first thing tomorrow morning.”
Three minutes later, the call ended. Jiang Qi sent the plan she had prepared to Li Yue, and her shoulders finally relaxed.
This was the best possible outcome. She needed the command center’s cooperation and support. She needed powerful allies. More than that, she wanted a strong, stable Blue Star as her rear base.
And for the command center and the state, they were willing to continue investing in her, placing most of their chips on her.
For now, they were still in a mutually dependent, mutually beneficial relationship. She hoped it could remain that way.
A knock sounded at the door. Jiang Qi turned to look. Dong Shengfeng stood in the doorway, draped in a coat. “Um, I wasn’t trying to eavesdrop. You didn’t close the door properly. I just heard you say you want to kill players. Wouldn’t that conflict with the ‘caring for passengers’ project?”
“Wasn’t it you who said we should try going down some crooked paths?” Jiang Qi replied.
Dong Shengfeng had nothing to say.
Jiang Qi put down her phone. “I don’t deny that there are risks, but triggering internship projects is itself a gamble and an adventure.”
In any case, she was determined to obtain a train, to dig deep into the Survival Train game, and to search for the memories she had lost. For that, any risk was worth taking.
She turned sideways by the window. Half her face lay in shadow, untouched by the light, then was suddenly illuminated by the scattered snow outside, revealing a thin, indifferent coldness in her eyes. It was indifference toward her own safety, and a complete lack of scruples about the means she used.
At that moment, Dong Shengfeng suddenly felt that the person before her was very unfamiliar, at least utterly different from the version of her in the files.
She always felt that the personality Jiang Qi displayed was far more complex than her background and experiences would suggest.
Was it really just three dungeons and several months of struggling between life and death that could change a person so much, or did Jiang Qi still have other secrets?
Just then, Jiang Qi turned fully around and smiled. “It’s late. We may have a long trip tomorrow. Get some rest early, Captain Dong.”
With that smile, Dong Shengfeng felt the shadows around Jiang Qi dissipate, revealing a bit of the simplicity and vividness one would expect of a woman in her early twenties.
But a long trip? What new plan was this time?
…
After Dong Shengfeng left, Jiang Qi opened the Train Conductor Panel.
Name: Jiang Qi
Identity: Train Conductor
Level: Intern (6.274/100)
Note: You have currently completed 5 internship projects. Another 4 internship projects are in progress, namely…
The number of projects you may run simultaneously is __.
The options ranged from 1 to 10, ten choices in total.
Jiang Qi set the number of simultaneous projects to five. Holding the blood-drop pendant, she muttered to herself, “When will I be able to make a pendant like this? How is this pendant made? How exactly can you fool the train conductor’s eyes?”
After talking for a long time, the panel did not react at all.
“…”
Obviously, talking to herself could not trigger any projects. Actual action was required.
Fine then. She set the number of simultaneous projects to four and went to sleep.
…
Thus, the first day of the players’ arrival passed in relative calm.
After dawn on the second day, waves of astonished cries rang out through the residential compound, waking people from their sleep.
Everyone leaned out their windows to take a look. Wow, everything in sight was white!
The houses, trees, roads, and vehicles were all covered in a palm-deep layer of snow. Rows of icicles hung from the eaves, and a crust of frost had formed on the windows and walls. When someone opened a crack in a window, the wind cut across their face like a blade, icy and painful.
The residents of Spring City were dumbfounded.
Spring City had never seen snow like this. In all these years, they had not even seen a single snow pellet.
“My goodness, is this still Spring City? Or have I been dumped somewhere else entirely?”
The locals were shocked and frightened, though some were also delighted and ran outside to play in the snow.
Looking down from upstairs, Ain sighed. “Not knowing anything is actually pretty nice. At least they can still have a carefree snowball fight.”
Qing Mai said, “That won’t last for many days. At this rate of temperature drop, it won’t be long before the entire dungeon is frozen over.”
Ain withdrew her gaze from the window and said worriedly, “Our supplies are still far from enough. Unfortunately, there aren’t many shops open here. Even if we want to buy supplies, we don’t know where to go.”
Qing Mai glanced toward the neighboring unit. “How about asking next door? They only got back in the latter half of last night. If they could help the property management office work that late, they must know quite a bit.”
Just as they were about to ask, the neighborhood broadcast rang out again: “All residents, please proceed immediately to the property management center. All residents, please proceed immediately to the property management center.”
Ain and Qing Mai exchanged a look. What’s happening now?
“Let’s go take a look.”
They had just opened their door when a blast of cold wind hit them in the face. At the same time, the door of unit 605 next door opened as well.
Jiang Qi and Dong Shengfeng were both wearing military coats, large military hats, thick scarves wrapped around their necks, fluffy gloves on their hands, and fleece-lined anti-slip boots on their feet. A thermal canteen even hung on Jiang Qi’s chest. They looked like they were heading out in a hurry.
Ain & Qing Mai: “…”
They looked the two up and down. “Those clothes… they look really warm.”
Indeed, just looking at someone else wearing them made you feel warmer, as if those clothes could withstand temperatures of minus forty or fifty degrees.
Dong Shengfeng said with a beaming smile, “Right? We helped the property management center a lot yesterday. This outfit is our reward.”
She generously pulled open her coat to show them. “There’s an extra layer inside the coat where you can stick lots of heat packs. Oh, and the clothes we’re wearing underneath were also issued by the property management center. Some kind of self-heating fabric. You warm up the moment you put it on.”
The two players: “…” They felt a little sour inside. This is what NPCs get as benefits? It really does look warm.
The treatment of NPCs during a disaster was actually better than that of players. Where was the justice in that?
All they could do was ask, “Is there anywhere we can buy clothes like this? We want to buy them. Money isn’t an issue.”
“Buy them? You probably can’t. Most shops should be closed today anyway. Just stay put and don’t worry. The government won’t abandon us. They’ll distribute supplies when the time comes.”
Ain and Qing Mai felt even more frustrated. They did not want to wait for distributed supplies. Anyone could guess there would not be much. They wanted the chance to purchase large quantities of supplies.
Before entering this dungeon, they had clenched their teeth and exchanged a lot of train coins for dungeon currency. Now they had money in hand but nowhere to spend it.
Watching the frustration on their faces, Jiang Qi thought to herself: Money isn’t an issue? But the money you spend, once the dungeon ends, will be nothing more than a pile of worthless paper.
Rather than letting you trade worthless scraps of paper for precious supplies, it would be better to have you honestly put in some labor to earn them. You can also serve as internship material for me along the way.
She urged Dong Shengfeng, “All right, let’s go. If we really are heading to the docks to move supplies, we’ll miss the timing if we’re late.”
Ain quickly asked, “What do you mean, going to the docks to move supplies?”
Jiang Qi replied vaguely, “We’re not very sure either. We just caught a bit of it last night at the property management center.” As she spoke, she grabbed Dong Shengfeng and left.
Ain was furious. Just yesterday she had said this neighbor was a friendly-type NPC, yet today she was keeping things from them. Was she afraid they would get a share of the spoils? People really are selfish, and NPCs are no exception.
“Come on, let’s follow them!” Ain pulled Qing Mai along. If there were supplies to get, the players weren’t going to miss out!
…
You can grab the full book now on my Ko-fi page, available in both PDF and EPUB formats! 🖤
📎 Here’s the link to the full novel