272: Chapter 272 Danger Lurks in the Desert, Insect Shadows Lurk to Ambush!

[Constitution +4↑]

[Current Total Base Constitution Attribute: 44]

Lin Xiao's gaze narrowed slightly.

44 points of base constitution.

If he put on the full [deep sea aria] set, this number would climb even higher.

Based on the standards of his past life, his current stats already crushed the vast majority of Stage 3 players.

In any group of a hundred or even a thousand people, he would be an absolute powerhouse of main damage output.

But it wasn't enough.

Far from enough.

For a veteran player who had gone through countless cycles of reincarnation, it was still too little!

In this life, what he wanted was absolute dominance!

Lin Xiao equipped the [spirit realm lens] and scanned the desert terrain.

This place was once an ancient kingdom, but strangely, there were no signs of any spirits.

The sky didn't have the ring-shaped clouds depicted in the oil paintings either.

Could it be that the citizens of the Kingdom of Heze were all buried beneath the yellow sands?

After observing for a while longer and finding nothing, Lin Xiao finally felt a bit of fatigue.

He turned back to the bedroom and climbed back into bed.

The gossamer curtains closed gently behind him, and the waterbed-like ripple of the mattress spread slightly before returning to stillness.

Lin Xiao lay between the four women and closed his eyes.

Outside the window, the wind and sand began to pick up.

Yellow sand, whipped up by the night wind from distant dunes, rolled into pale yellow mist clouds under the moonlight, advancing slowly along the ground.

The sound of sand grains brushing against the [Coating] changed from a few scattered clicks to a dense rustling, like countless withered fingers scratching.

The next morning.

When Lin Xiao opened his eyes, the sky was already beginning to brighten.

[Base Desire Value 552, Atmosphere Multiplier 227%]

[Total pleasure tokens Gained: +1806]

[pleasure tokens: 3612]↑[5418]

For now, he wasn't in a hurry to refresh the Mysterious Shop.

He would save up the pleasure tokens first and go on a spending spree once the shop level increased.

Besides, tokens weren't just for gambling on luck.

At critical moments, they could also be used to substitute for materials, such as those needed to repair weapons and armor.

As equipment levels got higher, the repair materials required after damage became rarer, especially key materials; repairing gear alone was a significant expense.

But with pleasure tokens, repairing became much more convenient, and it could play a crucial role in the heat of battle.

Lin Xiao rolled out of bed and stood by the window.

In just a few hours, the world outside the window had completely changed.

As soon as the sun rose, a gale swept up from the ground, carrying yellow sand and whipping up a sandstorm that blotted out the sun across the desert.

Visibility was less than thirty meters, and the distant dunes were completely swallowed by a murky yellow chaos.

A thin layer of sand had settled on the surface of the Coating, blown into horizontal trails by the strong wind.

Even the massive doomsday train swayed slightly in the gale, the couplings between the carriages making a dull metallic grinding sound.

In this kind of weather, let alone fighting, even stepping out of the train to explore would consume a significant amount of physical and mental energy.

Jiang Wanwan had woken up even earlier than Lin Xiao.

By the time Wen Yiran and the other two women poked their heads out from the curtains, she had already finished washing up and was cooking breakfast at the kitchen counter on the second floor.

Jiang Wanwan was roasting corn and idly opened the chat channel to see if there was any news.

The next second, her movement of turning the corn froze, and her expression turned to one of surprise.

"What's wrong?"

Lin Xiao was walking down the stairs.

"Xiao Lin, look at the chat channel quickly," Jiang Wanwan replied with a look of astonishment.

The channel was blowing up again.

[Resident of Compartment 11-05 Wang Yan: Holy crap, brothers and sisters, when was a pool built on the roof of cars 06 and 07? It's an open-air pool, and there are even f***ing coconut trees!]

[13-03 Li Junjie: You guys have to go up and see, it's truly ridiculous. I was worried last night about dying of heat today, but Brother Lin went and built a water park in the desert!]

[08-09 Fan Sinian: Why are you calling him Brother Lin? It's Train Conductor Lin now!]

[06-02 Chen Yan: How are you guys just finding out? I've already taken the sisters into the water. This pool is so beautiful I'm swooning~]

Messages were still scrolling up frantically.

Among them, many female passengers were posting photos of the rooftop pool.

As Wen Yiran was walking downstairs, she heard Jiang Wanwan's voice and curiously glanced at the chat channel, then let out a startled cry: "An open-air pool! Brother Lin, was this the surprise you mentioned last night?"

Jing Hua, who was following behind, had a change in expression.

No matter how slow someone was, they would understand the purpose of building the pool, right?

"Jing Hua," Lin Xiao called out.

Jing Hua turned her head. "Master?"

Lin Xiao snatched a corn cob from Jiang Wanwan's hand, took a large bite, and continued, "After entering the desert wasteland, human passengers find the heat unbearable, let alone you Merfolk Tribe from the deep sea."

"So, I built a few pools for you to cool off in."

"Space and conditions on the Astral Express are limited, so I can't fully simulate the underwater environment. Once I have a better plan, I'll continue the modifications."

Upon hearing this, Jing Hua came before Lin Xiao, crossed her hands over her chest, and bowed her back as low as possible.

This was the most standard posture of Merfolk Tribe etiquette.

"Thank you, Master."

Jing Hua's voice trembled slightly, with a noticeable sob.

"Brother Lin is so good to the Merfolk Tribe..." Wen Yiran sat at the dining table, gnawing on corn.

Her cheeks were bulging, and her words carried an undisguised hint of jealousy.

Lin Xiao reached out and ruffled her head, his fingers running through her two flaxen-brown ponytails and messing up her hair a bit. "It was prepared for you guys too. Go up and take a look after breakfast."

"Yay!" Wen Yiran was instantly revitalized, waving her corn cob and dancing with joy.

"Before that, isn't there something important we haven't done yet?"

Jiang Wanwan walked over with the corn porridge, timely dousing her with cold water.

Wen Yiran obediently sat back in her seat and quietly gnawed on her corn.

Lin Xiao tapped the table with his knuckles. "Hiss, I almost forgot. We can draw event cards today!"

Jiang Wanwan's ability was extremely critical.

The event cards drawn, whether [Multi-Riveted Steam-Powered, Turrets Above All] or [Billion Stars, Billion Turrets], directly influenced the direction of the Astral Express's combat system.

The first event card of Stage 3 would also likely reveal the survival rules of the desert.

"How much are we investing this time?" Jiang Wanwan asked.

"Still a million. Since we've arrived in a new area, let's test the waters first and increase the stakes later!"

Lin Xiao did not hesitate.

He pulled up the trading panel and transferred one million stardust to Jiang Wanwan.

Jiang Wanwan pressed her hands together.

Golden radiance overflowed from between her fingers, more solid than the previous times.

As her palms spread, the brilliant light wove together three floating golden cards in the air, with intricate ancient patterns slowly spreading across their backs.

The light receded, and the three cards hovered above the dining table.

Lin Xiao raised his hand to check them one by one.

[Desert Navigation]

[Effect: The dangers hidden in the desert are not just Calamity Creatures. Once you formally step into the desert zone, you will find it fraught with peril.]

From 9:00 AM to 6:00 PM is Extreme Heat. During this period, the air temperature is extremely high. Units exposed to sunlight will take continuous damage and suffer continuous stamina drain.

From 9:00 PM to 6:00 AM the next day is Extreme Cold. During this period, the temperature drops sharply. Units without cold protection will take extra damage and suffer continuous mental energy drain.

There is a three-hour transition period between each stage. 6:00 AM to 9:00 AM is the Warm Dawn, and 6:00 PM to 9:00 PM is the Cool Twilight. Exploring the desert during these two windows not only avoids damage but may also lead to unexpected discoveries!]

...

This card gave no rewards and triggered no special buffs.

But the value of the information it carried was immense, equivalent to a roundabout revelation of the desert's rules.

This was the terrifying part of Wanwan's ability.

Lin Xiao suppressed the tremor in his heart and looked at the second card.

[Legacy of Heze]

[Effect: The capital is no more. The once prosperous Heze Water Country is now nothing but ruins buried by wind and sand.

But when the wind and sand subside, one can vaguely see the spires of temples still standing deep in the desert.

Perhaps this can be used to find a path to the ruins of the capital and discover the precious cultural heritage left behind by the Kingdom of Heze!]

...

Temple.

Lin Xiao's gaze was fixed on those two words.

He immediately took out the reward granted by the public event from his backpack.

[Treasure Map: Desert Temple]

The yellowed silk scroll was spread out on the table.

The previous group of survivors from CR7197 had obtained a large amount of stardust thanks to treasure maps.

But as a veteran player, Lin Xiao knew better than anyone that treasure spots contained much more than just stardust.

There were bound to be great treasures hidden within.

Legendary equipment, curios, and even some extremely powerful skill books.

Now, he also had the [recording pointer] to lock onto directions and the [treasure hunting lucky star] set to increase drop rates.

With these three things combined...

...he might just encounter a great opportunity!

Lin Xiao suppressed the excitement in his heart and opened the third card.

[Deep into the Insect Nest]

[Effect: Large areas of quicksand have been discovered in the desert, but it doesn't seem to be a natural phenomenon. Looking closely, one can find strange nests hidden beneath the sand, as well as countless shadows surging under the surface.]

The prosperous kingdom buried under the yellow sand is now only visited repeatedly by these insatiable insects.

They instinctively collect anything that glitters. Deep within their nests, treasures scavenged from the ruins are piled high. If a nest can be found, perhaps these treasures can be claimed for oneself!]

...

The third event card also carried very crucial information.

The Calamity Creatures of the desert were Insect Swarm!

Lin Xiao's fingers tapped gently on the table.

Insect Swarm would move in large-scale collective actions, just like the Endless Tower Defense Mode he experienced the day before yesterday, with troublesome Calamity Creatures everywhere.

But compared to the zombies and Ocean Kin from before, Insect Swarm were even harder to deal with.

Because their horror lay in their ability to split.

Without good suppression methods, these insects would only increase in number as they were killed.

They could turn from one into hundreds within minutes!

Fortunately, the Astral Express was equipped with a large number of naval guns, which would play a crucial role in the upcoming battles.

Lin Xiao withdrew his thoughts, his knuckles coming to a stop on the table.

The drama unfolding in this desert was truly becoming more and more exciting!