The number of people online shown in the manual had also plummeted from the previous 2.85 billion to 2.8 billion, a loss of nearly 50 million people.
After searching through the previous chat records, An Bai learned that most of them had died within an hour after the Polar Night.
“Most of their trains were level-one trains. Based on an estimate by comparison, the distance between that ghost train and mine is still approximately 350 kilometers.”
“Even assuming the ghost train’s speed is 8 m/s, it would still take twelve days to catch up.”（The blue dot representing the ghost train will flicker during the night and Polar Night）
Of course, all these calculations were based on the existing factors remaining unchanged.
Under a pessimistic estimate, if the train did not upgrade, it would catch up in seven or eight days.
.....
【Survival Manual tip: As time passes, the monsters you encounter will also become increasingly stronger】
The Mechanical Voice drilled into An Bai’s mind, accompanied by a tapping sound.
An Bai had been just about to fall asleep, but after this interruption, all traces of drowsiness vanished.
He happened to glance out the window, and a bolt of lightning streaked across the pitch-black firmament, illuminating half the sky.
In the faint distance, An Bai noticed countless hand-shaped shadows deep within the mountain range. They were holding hands around a humanoid statue, as if conducting some mysterious sacrificial ritual.
He decisively withdrew his gaze. An Bai had no desire to be watched by some inexplicable thing.
Being pursued by the ghost train was already annoying enough. He did not want to provoke anything else.
However, as he lay on the bed, he could not shake the feeling that something was wrong.
The instant he saw that scene, it was as if something in An Bai’s heart were about to burst out.
His eyes had also reddened from engorgement. If an outsider saw him, they would probably be frightened into trembling.
“Not only can I no longer understand this world, I’m starting to find myself incomprehensible as well.” An Bai gave a self-mocking smile.
The sixth day since arriving in this world......
An Bai had arrived at the Bronze Shop early and waited until the materials section lit up again, then quickly clicked in to exchange for iron blocks and glass to upgrade the train.
What surprised him was that the stock of iron blocks and glass was half of yesterday’s.
In the end, he exchanged his remaining pine resin and approximately 100 jin of edible plant stalks for 13 iron blocks and 2 glass.
“I only need 10 more iron blocks and 3 more glass to upgrade the train.”
An Bai was somewhat excited. He pushed open the train door, took his iron axe and iron pickaxe, and prepared to search for supplies outside.
The place where the train had stopped this time made An Bai’s heart sink. It was actually a wetland swamp.
Even in the Safe Zone, in places without mist, there was still a thin layer of mist above the wetland.
“Miasma!” The moment An Bai came into contact with the gas, he felt a tightness in his chest and found it somewhat difficult to breathe.
“This place can be said to be the worst place I’ve stopped at in my entire life.”
Complaining was one thing, but An Bai still intended to search the area.
He stepped onto the relatively soft black soil, yet the scene of him sinking into it did not occur as he had imagined.
“Not bad.” The instant these three words arose in An Bai’s mind, his next step immediately proved him wrong.
After laboriously pulling the part of his left lower limb below the knee out of the mud, An Bai had no choice but to move toward a spot that looked drier.
He proceeded toward the direction of the sunlight. Although most of this place was occupied by swamps and wetlands, there were still a few patches of firm ground.
He came before a particularly vivid red flower. Its surroundings were completely enclosed by webs, giving it the air of a beautiful maiden trapped in a cage.
Photo identification: Spider-Binding Flower
Description: “A flower that lives symbiotically with spiders. Both when it blooms and when it withers, it attracts large numbers of ‘crawlers.’ The spiders weave webs around the flower to prey on the crawlers drawn there. The flower nectar can enhance a Survivor’s strength.”
When An Bai saw the final line, his eyes immediately lit up. This was the first plant he had encountered that could enhance him.
He used the iron pickaxe to hack apart the spider silk, driving away the multicolored spider hiding inside the flower.
An Bai dipped a finger into some flower nectar on the blossom and placed it in his mouth, savoring it carefully. The taste was quite good.
An Bai felt that the flower nectar was even sweeter than white sugar, with a hint of rich natural fragrance that left an endlessly lingering, mellow flavor.
After walking a little farther, he discovered another sea of spider-binding flowers. The bees flying above the flower sea caught his attention.
“As expected, where there are flowers, there are bees.”
An Bai made finding the beehive his primary objective. If he gathered flower nectar throughout the flower sea, he would be busy for at least several weeks, and he did not have that much time.
He fixed his sights on a bee leaving the flower sea and looked in the direction it flew, his brows faintly furrowing.
There was no other reason: the bee was flying toward the shade, where miasma grew rampant.
After hesitating for a moment, An Bai followed.
He chopped down the thorns blocking the path ahead, revealing a mass of miasma that immediately obscured An Bai’s vision.
An Bai took a stalk of green luminescent grass from his pocket and swallowed it in one bite. He instantly felt refreshed, with clear ears and bright eyes.
This was also one of the reasons he dared to come here.
After blowing away the miasma before him, he found that the bee had long since disappeared.
He cautiously edged forward.
The trees here grew exceptionally densely, blocking out the sunlight and making everything around him look gray and hazy.
“There aren’t even any birds?” An Bai felt that the surroundings were unusually quiet.
Apart from the murmuring stream not far away, the only sound left was An Bai’s breathing. The atmosphere was slightly Aberrant.
As An Bai continued forward, the atmosphere grew increasingly Aberrant, while the miasma was replaced by an unpleasant fishy stench.
A trace of unease arose from the depths of An Bai’s heart, and his heart began pounding violently.
He suddenly looked behind him: a vine hung from a high branch, swaying slightly with the airflow.
“What a strange feeling.” After discovering nothing unusual, An Bai turned back.
He took a few more steps forward when there was a sharp crack. Looking down, An Bai saw that he had stepped on and broken a branch.
“Scaring myself for nothing.” An Bai was rendered speechless by his own over-sensitive reaction.
He tore aside the plants blocking his path, and a beehive about half the size of a basket appeared before his eyes.
It hung from a tree branch approximately 8 meters above the ground, surrounded by a swarm of bees buzzing incessantly. Obtaining the honey would not be easy.
An Bai planned to return the way he had come and retrieve a piece of lit coal to use as kindling, driving away the bees with smoke.
With a goal in mind, An Bai walked a little faster this time.
He skillfully pushed aside the plants blocking the path and walked beneath the vine hanging from the tree branch. This was also where the fishy stench was strongest.
A drop of liquid fell onto An Bai’s head. He stopped and touched it with his hand.
The sticky sensation gave An Bai a foreboding feeling.
He looked up and saw a giant python approximately 8 meters long hanging from the tree branch, its indifferent vertical pupils fixed intently upon him.
This muscular giant python occasionally flicked its tongue, seemingly savoring An Bai’s scent. There was not the slightest trace of a vine on its body.
An Bai stared fixedly at the giant python, standing perfectly still as he faced it.
He knew that the moment he showed any sign of fleeing, what awaited him would be the giant python’s gaping maw.
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