27: Gene unlocking

"My Train has already left. Now I have nowhere else to go," Xue Shang said, her expression somewhat complex.

"So?" Luo Chen understood Xue Shang's meaning, but he absolutely couldn't be the first to suggest she stay.

He knew very little about Xue Shang, and besides, she didn't seem to be a Blue Star native. Non-kin are bound to have different intentions, and without sufficient benefit, he didn't want to keep such an uncertain factor around.

"I want to join you," Xue Shang said straightforwardly.

"Uh..." Luo Chen feigned a deep thought and didn't answer for a long time.

This woman seemed to know more about the Train, so keeping her wouldn't be a loss.

However, her personality was a bit arrogant and she wasn't very obedient. If he didn't suppress her, it would definitely be difficult to manage her in the future.

Having made up his mind, he waited until Xue Shang was anxious before slowly saying, "It's fine if you want to join us! But our Train doesn't take idlers. If you can't create value, I'm afraid I can't keep you."

After speaking, Luo Chen looked at her with a regretful expression, as if covering his face in sorrow: "It's a pity for such a beautiful body. If it turns into a puppet, who knows what kind of torment it will suffer."

Xue Shang recalled the fate of puppets, and her fair face instantly turned pale.

This was what she could least accept. If she became a puppet, she would very likely appear in a Train shop in the Snow Nether Star region. If she fell into the hands of the Nether Snow Clan, it would be fine, but if she fell into the hands of her enemies, the Snow Wolf Clan, for the dignified Third Princess of the Nether Snow Dynasty to become a public toy for beastmen, she would rather die.

"No! I have value. I know many things you don't know. I can also tell you how to use that token," Xue Shang eagerly grabbed Luo Chen's sleeve.

Luo Chen was overjoyed; this woman indeed knew.

However, he didn't show it, thinking of trying to trick more information out of her.

"I don't know anything else. I only know this because I've used it before," Xue Shang thought Luo Chen was dissatisfied and anxiously recalled everything in her mind, but after a long time, she couldn't think of any useful information.

Luo Chen smiled faintly, his gaze unreservedly sweeping over Xue Shang, carrying a hint of aggression.

"No! As a dignified Third Princess, I absolutely cannot sell my body." Being scrutinized by such a gaze, Xue Shang immediately understood Luo Chen's meaning and subconsciously retreated several steps.

"Then you'll have to rely on yourself! I'll allow you to stay on the Train until the next stop, but we won't provide you with any food or water," Luo Chen said, making a move to turn and leave.

Watching Luo Chen's retreating back, Xue Shang grew anxious: "Don't... don't go... I agree, but I have one condition. As long as you agree to it, I can be your woman."

Luo Chen's lips curved into a sly smile of success, and he slowly turned around, saying, "Speak! If it's not too difficult, I can agree."

"Do you still have white fusion cores?" Xue Shang didn't rush to state her condition but asked.

"Yes. What about it?" Luo Chen nodded.

"Then I want a white core to fuse with my Train, and I also want a private carriage that only I can enter," Xue Shang said, then paused: "If you agree, from now on, I will be your woman. Otherwise, I will die on your Train, and no one will ever get me."

Few people would willingly die when they could live, and Xue Shang was no exception. She still had many things to do. Saying this was just to show her determination.

After speaking, her heart was uneasy, but she looked at Luo Chen with a feigned determined gaze.

Luo Chen looked at the determined eyes before him, thought for a moment, and said, "Alright. But all the supplies on your Train belong to me."

"Deal!" Xue Shang nodded. Anyway, she didn't have much on her Train, so giving it all to Luo Chen didn't matter.

"Let's go! Let's take care of business first," Luo Chen said, pulling Xue Shang to bedroom 1-1-3. This bedroom was unused and now came in handy.

Xue Shang's body stiffened, and her mind went blank as Luo Chen pulled her into the room.

Laying the seal skin given by the Abu couple on the floor, Luo Chen began his work.

Delaying would lead to complications; if Xue Shang became the Vice Train Captain, she might not honor the agreement. At that time, he would be like a mute eating bitter coptis, unable to express his suffering... More than half an hour later.

Luo Chen left the bedroom, holding his lower back.

Aliens and Blue Star natives were indeed quite different; she almost drained him.

However, although the work was challenging, the satisfaction it brought was truly unique in the world.

To summarize in one sentence, Luo Chen's evaluation was that he liked this job.

Arriving at the cockpit, Luo Chen found only Noya sitting in the driver's seat.

"Where are they?" Luo Chen sat in his own seat and asked casually.

Noya was staring straight out the window. Hearing Luo Chen's voice, she quickly turned around, her face beaming with joy, and said, "They went to sleep."

"Homesick?"

Noya shook her head: "Newt children are raised communally by the clan, so most children leave their parents to live for a period of time."

Luo Chen nodded and bought a Train ticket from the supply store for ten star coins.

[Train ticket is in use. Please enter passenger's biological information.]

"Noya! Put your finger into this hole," Luo Chen said, pointing to a square hole on the control panel.

Noya heard him and, without any question, inserted her finger into it.

A sharp stinging sensation came, causing her to frown slightly.

[Beep!]

[Detection of a remnant. Database query failed. Train Conductor, please manually enter passenger information.]

Remnant?

What was that again? Luo Chen stared at the screen with a puzzled expression.

Previously, Chen Tianxiang and Chen Yujun didn't require manual input. Could it be because Noya was a native, so there was no information about them on the Train?

Luo Chen guessed that this was likely the reason.

After entering Noya's name, the system immediately prompted that registration was successful.

Unlike filling out a household registration-like amount of information back on Blue Star, where they wanted to know three generations of ancestors, simply entering a name was much easier.

Opening the passenger management function, Noya's avatar appeared after Chen Tianxiang.

Current passenger count: 3.

One more person, it should be successful.

Click in.

[Name: Noya]

[Gender: Female (Human)]

[Age: 19]

[Life Value (Lifespan): 211]

[Strength Level: Awakened Second Stage (Hunting God Apostle)]

[Train Identity: Ordinary Passenger]

Life value 211, which means she can live to 211 years old. Luo Chen felt a bit envious.

"What is Awakened Second Stage?" Luo Chen murmured softly.

"Awakened Second Stage means that 2% of her genes have been unlocked. The higher the gene unlock level, the stronger her power."

Xue Shang had appeared behind Luo Chen at some point.

The sudden sound startled Luo Chen. He turned around, saw it was Xue Shang, and breathed a sigh of relief, asking curiously, "Then how does one awaken?"

"You can awaken using the token Noya's father gave you," Xue Shang said, meeting Luo Chen's gaze and glaring at him fiercely.

This beast, he had been so forceful just now, causing her body to ache terribly.

If it weren't to fuse with the Train quickly, she wouldn't have wanted to get out of bed.

"How do I use it?" Luo Chen pulled the Hunting God token from his pocket, turning it over and over, but found nothing special: "Why does it have no effect when I hold it?"

Xue Shang frowned, enduring the discomfort from her body, and limped to sit on Luo Chen's other side: "There's no energy left inside now. You need to replenish it with an energy crystal before you can use it."

"What's an energy crystal?"

"I don't know how to describe it either; it's just a glowing stone," Xue Shang thought for a moment, then spread her hands helplessly.

A glowing stone?

Luo Chen recalled his past experiences and hadn't seen anything similar. He figured he didn't have any.

He couldn't help but sigh regretfully: "Alas! It seems it might be gathering dust for a while."