4: Did you get a treasure chest in Chapter 4?

In the fog deep within the mine, pairs of crimson eyes lit up one after another like ghost fires.

A strong stench of decay, accompanied by hair-raising low growls, drifted over with the cold wind.

Su Chen held Chu Qingxue's slender waist with one arm, his gaze fixed coldly on the depths of the fog.

A touch of moving crimson now stained Chu Qingxue's originally pale, beautiful face.

She could clearly feel the scorching heat from Su Chen's chest and the aggressive aura of his male hormones.

"Let me go, I've regained some strength."

Chu Qingxue lightly bit her moist cherry lips, her voice as thin as a mosquito's buzz, carrying a hint of bashfulness she hadn't even noticed herself.

Su Chen didn't take advantage of the situation; instead, he decisively let go and pushed her toward the relatively safe rear.

"Get back, stay close to the main group."

Su Chen tossed out a casual remark, then turned and headed toward the edge of the fog alone, carrying the dark red explosive combustion iron staff.

Losing that firm and warm embrace, an extremely faint sense of loss inexplicably flashed through Chu Qingxue's heart.

But she quickly shook her head, forcing herself back into her cold and rational demeanor.

"Attention everyone, speed up the coal collection!"

Chu Qingxue turned around and shouted orders at the girls who were still in a daze.

The thirty-odd girls finally snapped out of it, suppressing their inner fear and physiological disgust as they continued to frantically search through the carts and corners of the abandoned mine.

The environment here was nauseating to the extreme.

The soil beneath their feet was mixed with an unknown black slime, making a squelching sound with every step.

And the "flesh and blood coal" they were collecting had a bizarre, sinister nature to it.

The surface of these black crystals was actually covered with an extremely thin, fat-like membrane.

Not only were they slimy to the touch, but they also emitted a faint yet pungent smell of blood.

"Ugh... this thing is so disgusting, it feels like I'm touching dead man's flesh!"

A delicate girl, who usually needed boys to help her unscrew water bottle caps, couldn't help but dry heave as she picked up the coal.

But no matter how disgusting it was, no one dared to stop.

Because that god-of-slaughter-like Train Master had already spoken: if they were short even a single piece of coal, everyone on the train would go hungry today.

Under this immense pressure of life and death, these once-aloof art department goddesses completely cast aside all their reserve and pride.

The dance department counselor, Liu Ruyan, bent over, struggling to dig out coal from the bottom of a rusted, abandoned mine cart.

The tight black hip-hugging skirt she was wearing today inevitably rode up a bit as she bent over.

Her two plump, long legs, wrapped in ultra-thin black stockings, exuded a breathtakingly mature charm in the dim light.

Her already tight white shirt was stretched by her curvaceous bust to the point where the buttons seemed ready to pop at any moment, revealing a large area of snow-white, deep, and alluring cleavage.

Due to excessive tension and exhaustion, Liu Ruyan's smooth forehead was covered in fine beads of fragrant sweat.

A few strands of hair stuck to her pale cheeks, adding a touch of messy yet ultimate enchantment to her look.

"Everyone, keep it up, try to pick up as much as possible. Su Chen is blocking the monsters for us in front; we can't hold him back."

Liu Ruyan panted heavily while encouraging the girls around her with her mature and intellectual voice.

On the other side, the class's "Know-it-all," Su Xiaoxiao, showed an extremely shrewd side.

Not only was she nimble in picking up coal herself, but she was also constantly observing the surroundings and the progress of others.

"Zhang Man, you're strong. Go move that rusted iron bucket over. We'll collect the coal in there to make transportation more efficient!"

Su Xiaoxiao pushed up the black-framed glasses on her nose, her large eyes sparkling with the light of a little money-grubber.

She knew very well that this disgusting flesh and blood coal was the core energy to drive that Level 0 train in the early stages and their only guarantee for survival.

As long as she controlled the inventory of logistics supplies, she could prove her irreplaceable value to Su Chen.

Zhang Man heard Su Xiaoxiao's direction and without a word, simply rolled up her sleeves, revealing her firm forearms developed from years of exercise.

"Got it! Mo Mo, stay behind me, don't wander off!"

While instructing Lin Momo behind her, Zhang Man picked up the iron bucket, which weighed dozens of pounds, with one hand and strode forward to lead the way.

Lin Momo, the sweet girl from the dance department, was like a frightened little rabbit now, tightly clutching the corner of Zhang Man's clothes.

The hem of her exquisite Hanfu skirt was already covered in black mud and coal dust.

But she still bit her lip and used her small, fair hands to pick up pieces of the fishy-smelling flesh and blood coal, throwing them into the iron bucket in Zhang Man's hand.

While the girls were working hard for survival, the battle on the outskirts of the mine had reached a fever pitch.

"Roar—!"

Accompanied by a scalp-numbing roar, over a dozen low-level Ghouls with crimson eyes swarmed out of the fog like hyenas smelling blood.

They opened their bloody maws filled with fangs, nauseating slime hanging from the corners of their mouths, as they lunged crazily at Su Chen, who stood at the very front.

"Good timing."

A cruel and excited arc curled at the corner of Su Chen's mouth.

Not only did he show no fear, but he also took the initiative to charge into the horde of corpses!

His constitution, boosted by his Train Master authority, made his speed and power far exceed those of ordinary people.

"Whoosh—Boom!"

The explosive combustion iron staff drew a dark red arc of death in mid-air.

The end of the staff instantly ignited with scorching red flames of over a thousand degrees, slamming hard into the head of the Ghoul charging at the very front.

"Bang—Pfft!"

With a dull explosion, the Ghoul's head burst open like a ripe watermelon!

Charred bone fragments and burning rotten flesh splattered everywhere.

Su Chen's movements didn't pause for a second; using the twisting force of his waist, he swung the iron staff horizontally.

"Boom! Boom!"

Two more lunging Ghouls were smashed in half at the waist, their wounds instantly cauterized by the high temperature, without a single drop of blood flowing out.

[Ding! Successfully killed a Low-level Ghoul (Lv1). Obtained survival points: 1.]

[Ding! Successfully killed a Low-level Ghoul (Lv1). Obtained survival points: 1.]

The cold system notification sounds kept scrolling through Su Chen's mind.

Su Chen was like a tireless, ruthless meat grinder, frantically harvesting the lives of these monsters within the horde.

Every swing of the staff was inevitably accompanied by a brilliant flash of fire and the shrill scream of a Ghoul.

His fluid yet violent combat aesthetics left the girls picking up coal in the back stunned.

"So... so cool..."

Lin Momo held a piece of coal, her large eyes filled with shock and little stars.

Looking at that back that slaughtered everything like a demon god amidst the flames, a sudden, inexplicable impulse welled up in her heart.

"I... I want to help too!"

Lin Momo suddenly stood up straight and took a deep breath.

She suddenly closed her eyes and pressed her hands together in front of her chest, as if performing some sacred prayer.

Then, an extremely ethereal, sweet, and heavenly song drifted out from her delicate lips.

"In that distant sky, the starlight guides your path forward..."

This was an extremely soothing pop song, full of vitality and hope.

As Lin Momo sang, a shocking scene unfolded!

Around her body, materialized notes emitting pink and pale gold light appeared out of thin air!

These notes, as if they were alive, skipped joyfully around her small frame.

This was the A-rank talent Lin Momo had awakened—[Vitality Notes]!

"Go!"

Lin Momo opened her eyes, gave a soft shout, and pointed at Su Chen ahead.

Those glowing Vitality Notes instantly turned into streaks of light, flying toward Su Chen at high speed and merging into his body.

Su Chen, who was swinging his iron staff, felt an extremely warm and gentle power instantly flow through his entire body.

His muscles, which had been slightly sore from continuous high-intensity combat, instantly returned to their peak state!

Not only that, he felt his body become lighter than ever, and his movement speed increased by at least twenty percent!

"Oh? Mass stamina recovery plus a movement speed buff?"

Su Chen smashed a Ghoul's throat with his staff and glanced back at Lin Momo with some surprise.

He saw the sweet girl in the dirty Hanfu with her fists clenched in front of her chest, making an extremely cute "fighting" gesture at him.

That soft and cute appearance, tinged with a hint of stubbornness, made Su Chen feel a sense of amusement.

"Good job, top-tier support."

Su Chen's lips curled up slightly as he offered a word of praise without hesitation.

With the boost from Lin Momo's A-rank talent, Su Chen's killing efficiency instantly doubled.

He turned into a dark red afterimage, frantically weaving through the edge of the fog.

These low-level Ghouls couldn't even touch the hem of his clothes before being ruthlessly smashed into charred remains by the explosive combustion iron staff.

In just over ten minutes, Su Chen had cleared out as many as thirty low-level Ghouls.

And the girls in the back, organized by Chu Qingxue and Su Xiaoxiao, had already collected a mountain of flesh and blood coal.

The combustion efficiency of this coal was ten times that of ordinary coal, enough to power that Level 0 train at full speed for three days and nights.

However, just when everyone thought the crisis was about to be resolved and was ready to breathe a sigh of relief...

"ROAR—!!!"

An extremely violent, deafening, and terrifying roar suddenly exploded from the deepest part of the abandoned mine!

This roar seemed to carry a physical sonic shock, making the surrounding scrap metal rattle loudly.

Even the thick black blood on the ground rippled in bizarre circles.

"Ah! It hurts!"

Inside the carriage, Zhao Yuxin covered her ears and let out a painful scream.

The girls picking up coal were even more shaken by the roar, their blood and energy churning as they slumped to the ground in horror.

Su Chen's eyes instantly became incredibly sharp; he snapped his head around, staring intently at the churning thick red mist ahead.

"Thump! Thump! Thump!"

Heavy footsteps, like the beating of drums, came from the depths of the fog, each step making the earth tremble.

Then, an extremely large and distorted terrifying shadow slowly tore through the red mist and appeared in everyone's sight.

It was a giant monster standing a full 2.5 meters tall!

Its body was more than three times larger than an ordinary Ghoul, and its muscles were a nauseating dark purple, bulging high and filled with explosive power.

Several sharp bone spikes even grew from its head, and its crimson eyes, larger than copper bells, flickered with extremely cruel and tyrannical light.

This was definitely no ordinary Ghoul!

On Su Chen's retina, a red warning from the Heavenly Dao System immediately popped up.

"[Warning! Encountered an Elite-level monster: Mutated Giant Strength Ghoul (Lv5)!]"

"[Monster Traits: Immense strength, skin possesses low-level toughness, high immunity to ordinary physical attacks.]"

"[Weaknesses: Fears high-temperature flames, defense at the cervical spine is relatively weak.]"

"Elite-level monster?"

Su Chen narrowed his eyes; not only was he not afraid, but a flash of extremely fanatical greed also crossed his eyes.

According to the rules of the Heavenly Dao System, killing monsters of Elite rank or higher had a chance to drop extremely precious blind boxes!

[part:gemini-3.1-flash-lite]

"Everyone, stop collecting supplies immediately! Move the iron buckets filled with coal onto the train!"

Su Chen roared without looking back, his voice filled with unquestionable authority.

"Hurry! Listen to the Train Master, quickly move the coal onto the train!"

Chu Qingxue was the first to react; she fought against the dizziness in her head and directed the girls to retreat frantically toward the train.

Zhang Man gritted her teeth, grabbed two overflowing iron buckets with both hands, and sprinted toward the carriage while shouting.

"Roar!"

The mutant Giant Strength Ghoul seemed to have sensed the prey's intention to escape.

It let out a violent roar, strode forward with its thick legs, and launched a brutal charge toward Su Chen like a heavy tank!

"Rumble!"

The abandoned mine carts and rusty iron frames along the way were smashed to pieces by its massive body!

Facing this terrifying impact, which felt like Mount Tai pressing down, Su Chen remained standing in place, like a steel nail driven into a raging storm.

"Come on, beast."

Su Chen took a deep breath, gripped the body of the explosive combustion iron staff tightly with both hands, and poured all the strength in his body into his arms.

Just as the mutant Giant Strength Ghoul charged to within less than three meters of him, the moment its foul-smelling, massive maw was about to bite off his head!

Su Chen moved!

He did not choose to clash head-on but instead executed an extremely agile slide, relying on the movement speed bonus added by Lin Momo to narrowly dodge the monster's lethal frontal charge.

"Bang!"

The monster's massive body missed its target and slammed directly into a thick concrete pillar behind Su Chen, instantly smashing a huge gap into it.

Amidst the flying rubble, the monster's form experienced an extremely brief moment of rigidity due to inertia.

"Now is the time!"

A cold glint flashed in Su Chen's eyes; seizing this fleeting combat opportunity, he exerted force with his legs and leaped high into the air!

He twisted his waist violently in mid-air, swung the twenty-five-pound iron staff with both hands, and carved a dazzling, dark red full moon in the air!

"Die!"

Su Chen roared and smashed the explosive combustion iron staff with extreme precision and force onto the weakest part of the monster's cervical spine!

"Boom—!!!"

This time, the [Micro-Explosion and High-Temperature Burning] special effect attached to the iron staff was fully triggered, and its power reached a terrifying level!

A dazzling, crimson fireball with a temperature reaching over a thousand degrees exploded violently at the back of the monster's neck!

"Awoo—!"

The mutant Giant Strength Ghoul let out a shrill, ear-piercing scream that was to the extreme.

Its tough, dark purple skin was instantly torn apart like paper under the dual devastation of high temperature and explosion!

The hard cervical vertebrae were smashed to pieces by this powerful, heavy blow!

Its massive body, as if drained of all strength, slammed heavily onto the muddy ground, twitched a few times, and then completely lost all signs of life.

The air was filled with a thick, burnt smell.

[Ding! You have killed a mutant Giant Strength Ghoul (Lv5) above your level. survival points gained: 10.]

[Ding! Drop mechanism triggered. Congratulations to player Su Chen for obtaining: Black Iron-grade blind box * 1!]

[Ding! Materials obtained: Refined Iron Scraps * 5!]

"It dropped!"

Su Chen looked at the small metal box emitting a dark golden light that had appeared beside the monster's corpse, and a satisfied smile finally appeared on the corner of his mouth.

He quickly stepped forward and collected the [Black Iron-grade blind box] and the few pieces of [Refined Iron Scraps] into his system's personal inventory.

However, just as he was about to turn and leave.

The ground suddenly began to tremble violently!

"Rumble—Rumble—"

It felt as if thousands of beasts were running at the same time, and the entire abandoned mine was trembling in this terrifying vibration.

From deep within the mist came countless roars, even more terrifying and denser than before!

The sounds intertwined to form a symphony of death that induced despair.

The true tide of monsters had been completely ignited by the smell of blood and the sounds of battle here.

Su Chen looked up and saw that at the edge of the mist, hundreds of meters away, dense, scarlet eyes lit up like stars, as if a sea of blood was spreading wildly toward them!

Glancing at the docking countdown on his retina, which had less than three minutes remaining, Su Chen's expression instantly became extremely grave.

"Run! Everyone, get on the train immediately!"

Su Chen turned around and roared sternly at the girls who were still moving coal.

Hearing Su Chen's roar and feeling the violent trembling of the ground, the girls were frightened out of their wits.

They no longer cared about their poise; they even dropped the coal buckets in their hands that weren't full yet and ran for their lives, screaming, toward the train.

"Hurry! Get on!"

Chu Qingxue stood by the train door, panting heavily while pulling and dragging the girls whose legs were too weak to climb onto the train.

Her long trench coat was already covered in sludge, but she still gritted her teeth, showing the responsibility expected of a class monitor.

Liu Ruyan didn't care about the risk of exposure; she struggled to push a heavy iron bucket filled with coal onto the carriage.

Because of the excessive force, two buttons on her chest popped off instantly, revealing a large expanse of blood-pumping, snow-white scenery and deep, alluring cleavage.

But at this moment, no one had the heart to appreciate such peerless beauty.

Because that tide of blood, composed of countless deformed monsters, was already less than fifty meters away from the train!

"Roar—!"

Dozens of the fastest Ghouls had already rushed out of the mist, baring their fangs and brandishing their claws as they lunged at Su Xiaoxiao, who was lagging behind.

"Ah! Help!"

Su Xiaoxiao was terrified, her face pale; she stumbled and fell directly beside the muddy tracks.

Watching as those pustule-covered claws were about to tear her into pieces.

Just at this critical moment, a wall of dark red flames suddenly rose up behind her with a roar!

It was Su Chen!

He had retreated to the train door at some point; the explosive combustion iron staff in his hand had violently carved a deep trench into the ground, triggering a small flame explosion.

"Get on the train!"

Su Chen grabbed Su Xiaoxiao by the collar and, like picking up a chick, threw her into the carriage extremely roughly.

"Bang!"

Immediately after, Su Chen kicked the last Ghoul attempting to climb onto the train away and pulled the heavy steel door shut with great force!

He rushed into the driver's cab and shoved the grease-covered lever all the way to the bottom!

"Boom—!!!"

The furnace, filled with flesh-coal, instantly erupted with an extremely dazzling light.

The green-skinned train let out a whistle that pierced the sky; the huge steel wheels rubbed frantically against the tracks, bursting forth with a long string of dazzling sparks.

Just one second before the hundreds of monsters crashed into the platform like a tidal wave.

The train finally, with an extremely powerful sense of thrust, roared through the mist ahead and drove away from this abandoned mine, which was like a living hell.

"Bang, bang, bang!"

A few monsters that jumped extremely high slammed into the iron plating of the carriage, making dull, loud noises, but they were quickly left far behind by the speed of the train.

Inside the carriage.

It was deathly silent, with only extremely heavy breathing rising and falling in the narrow space.

More than thirty dance department girls, who were usually glamorous, were now sitting slumped on the dust and mud-covered floor with no regard for their image.

Their clothes were tattered, and their fair skin was covered with black coal dust and sweat.

Some girls were panting heavily, while others were sobbing in low voices.

But in every person's eyes, there flickered a light of relief called "surviving a disaster."

They had survived.

In this extremely cruel wasteland world, they had successfully passed their first life-and-death test.

Chu Qingxue leaned against the edge of the seat, her chest heaving violently.

Although her cold, beautiful face was stained with grime, her lovely eyes had become brighter and more resilient than ever before.

She took a deep breath, forced her exhausted body to stand up, and slowly rose.

Under the gaze of everyone's extremely complex expressions, Chu Qingxue walked with a somewhat unsteady gait to the door of the driver's cab.

Su Chen was currently leaning casually against the control console, fiddling with the iron staff whose flames had already extinguished, looking at her with deep eyes.

Chu Qingxue did not speak.

She just, with extreme seriousness, placed all the flesh-coal she had collected in her pockets onto the control console in front of Su Chen, not leaving a single piece behind.

Then, this school beauty and class monitor, who was usually as arrogant as an iceberg snow lotus, bowed deeply and solemnly to Su Chen.

"Train Master."

Although Chu Qingxue's voice remained cold, it lacked a bit of arrogance and held a bit more extremely sincere awe and submission.

"Thank you for saving us, and thank you for teaching us the rules of survival."

"The coal here is enough for the train to run at full speed for three days."

She looked up, her beautiful eyes gazing with extreme focus into Su Chen's eyes.

"From now on, no matter how dangerous it is ahead, we will obey any of your orders."

"Please look after us, Train Master."

Following Chu Qingxue's statement, the other girls in the carriage also forced themselves to stand up and lowered their once-noble heads toward Su Chen.

Even Su Xiaoxiao, who was usually shrewd and cunning, respectfully shouted in a low voice, "Train Master is mighty."

At this moment, in this extremely crude, dilapidated carriage.

Su Chen, with his absolute force and iron-fisted methods, had completely established an unshakable kingly authority.

All the core figures had formally submitted to him under the pressure of this doomsday law.

Except for Zhao Yuxin, who was still huddled in the corner, trembling and not daring to make a sound.

Su Chen accepted the women's submission extremely calmly; he just nodded slightly and did not say any unnecessary words.

He turned around and cast his gaze toward the loot that had just been obtained, emitting a dark golden light, on the system interface.

"Let me see what good things this first Elite-grade drop can yield."

Su Chen's mind stirred, and he gave the command to open it in his mind extremely decisively.

"Open Black Iron-grade blind box!"

[Ding! Opening Black Iron-grade blind box...]

Accompanied by a flash of extremely dazzling dark golden light in the driver's cab.

The Heavenly Dao System's notification sound, which was cold yet tinged with a hint of joy, rang out in Su Chen's mind one after another.

[Congratulations to player Su Chen for obtaining an extremely rare survival blueprint: Primary Train Water Purifier Blueprint * 1!]

[Congratulations to player Su Chen for obtaining top-tier doomsday supplies: Master Kong Braised Beef Noodles (5-pack) * 1!]

Looking at these two items that appeared in his system inventory.

Especially the 5-pack of instant noodles, which were extremely familiar and exuded an alluring packaging luster.

A curve of extreme playfulness and anticipation slowly curled up on the corner of Su Chen's mouth.

He knew that in this wasteland world, where even a sip of clean water was an extreme luxury.

A steaming, fragrant bowl of braised beef noodles was enough to make those arrogant goddesses outside completely lay down their last shred of dignity.