Chapter 5: Fight to the End Without Regret

Seeing these ghost shadows really blocked outside the carriage, Ye Yuan and Mu Bai both breathed a sigh of relief.

“Sorry, I was too overconfident this time. I’ll consult with you on issues involving our common safety in the future,” Ye Yuan said with an apologetic face.

Hearing is not necessarily believing; no one could guarantee that the messages in the Chat Room were true.

Because of her stubbornness, they were almost put in danger, making Ye Yuan feel ashamed.

Mu Bai shook her head, indicating she didn’t mind.

Ye Yuan rubbed the spot on her shoulder where she had hit the wall, letting out a soft “hiss.”

She had sprinted in with all her might, leaving no room for cushioning.

It was a hard hit; she’d likely have some bruising.

However, her life was saved, and since there was no threat in the carriage, a small bruise was nothing.

“Since these things can’t get in, I want to see if bolts have any effect on monsters in a Supernatural Station. What do you think?”

Ye Yuan looked up again.

“I have no objection.”

“Alright.”

Ye Yuan raised the Compound Crossbow, aimed at a ghost shadow in a school uniform nearest the door, and pulled the trigger.

The arrow shot out.

The bolt passed through the Light Screen, hitting the ghost shadow’s face directly, but it continued flying backward without being affected at all.

Clearly, physical attacks were useless against these ghost shadows.

Bolt -1

Seeing this, Ye Yuan sighed inwardly.

Better not go out in these kinds of Supernatural Stations in the future.

Without a way to deal with the Weirdness Type, the dangers within the Station were lethal.

Gambling on not encountering danger was gambling with one’s life.

“Let’s minimize our activities. If we can lie on the bed in the carriage, don’t stand or sit. If we can’t get food at the next Station, we’ll have to starve,” Mu Bai reminded her.

The water was barely enough to last until the third day.

Three slices of bread—120 grams of carbs—weren’t even enough for one person for a day.

Lasting until the next Station was already the result of saving as much as possible.

Although dying of thirst is much faster than starving, without sufficient energy for a long time, one wouldn’t just lack the strength to explore the Station; even the mind wouldn’t be clear.

Thus, food was the highest priority for now.

Ye Yuan was stunned for a moment, then nodded.

She had actually thought of this but hadn’t taken it to heart.

After Mu Bai’s reminder, she realized the supply problem they were facing might be quite severe.

If they couldn’t find supplies within two Stations, trading weapons might be the only way.

Currently, weapons like axes and crossbows were very scarce.

An axe was not just a melee weapon but also a tool; the Compound Crossbow was a ranged weapon second only to firearms.

Neither was easy to part with.

Unless absolutely necessary, it was best not to trade them.

***

The next afternoon.

As it turned out, the more one feared something, the more likely it was to happen.

In between, they had randomly encountered a Desert Station and an Ocean Station, neither of which provided food or water.

The desert had no resources.

The ocean didn’t lack water and fish, but without a seawater filtration device and fishing tools, supplies were completely unattainable.

By this time, Ye Yuan was nearly unconscious, curled up on the bed, clutching her cramping stomach, trying to soothe the pain.

This morning, Ye Yuan’s supplies ran out; she had endured like this for a day.

She had gone out for a walk at the Desert Station, but within sight, there were no oases or living things, resulting in a wasted expenditure of stamina and water.

During the exploration of several Stations, she was the one who put in the most effort, while Mu Bai stayed in the carriage except for the first Beginner Station.

Therefore, even though Ye Yuan had better physical stats, she was about to collapse.

Mu Bai’s body seemed to have its benefits; her stomach was smaller, and combined with her lack of movement, she had endured the hunger for the past two days eating only one slice of bread.

Thus, she still retained basic movement and thinking abilities.

Yes, she had one slice of bread left.

Although 40g of carbohydrates wouldn’t do much for her physical condition, the fluffy bread could provide a lot of satiety, and her mental state would be much better.

After some struggle, Mu Bai woke the semi-unconscious Ye Yuan.

“What…”

When a person is extremely hungry, they don’t want to talk at all.

For Ye Yuan to squeeze out those two words, she had already spent a lot of energy resisting her physiological instincts.

“Bread, for you to eat,” Mu Bai said in a weak voice.

Ye Yuan looked into Mu Bai’s purple eyes with a dazed expression, her nose catching a faint, sweet scent from the other girl.

For a moment, she couldn’t tell if it was the scent of bread or the scent of Mu Bai.

She only felt that she was very hungry.

Her hands were too heavy to move as she wished.

Ye Yuan leaned her head slightly toward Mu Bai, her ice-blue eyes narrowing a bit as she opened her slightly pale lips.

Mu Bai:

“…”

Wait, seriously?

We’ve only known each other for a few days, and suddenly we’re starting a feeding play session?

Is this appropriate?

But Mu Bai also knew the other girl didn’t want to move at all, so she could only tear the bread into pieces and feed Ye Yuan, waiting for her to chew and swallow before stuffing in another piece.

Salivary amylase broke down the starch into maltose, and Ye Yuan’s expression visibly improved.

“Sit up, I’ll give you water.”

Mu Bai pulled Ye Yuan up firmly.

Ye Yuan’s water was gone; she had wasted too much yesterday exploring the desert.

Mu Bai still had about one-fifth left.

Mu Bai endured the thirst and hunger, yet giving her last supplies to Ye Yuan was something she’d struggled with.

Over the past few days, Ye Yuan had been the one risking herself outside while she remained in safety, unable to help even if she wanted to.

This feeling of helplessness, of her fate resting in someone else’s hands, pained Mu Bai.

But she was rational.

No matter what, Ye Yuan was the mainstay for exploring Stations, possessing base stats several times her own and the [Weapon Master] talent.

Even a near-death Ye Yuan was more useful than a fully healthy Mu Bai.

So, all Mu Bai could do was her best to keep this pro carry going.

A Survival Game was still a game; when playing in a duo with an expert, the most important thing was not to drag them down.

Whether or not she was a late-game hero, Ye Yuan’s role was stronger right now, making Ye Yuan the expert.

With that, both of their supplies were completely exhausted.

With food and water in her system, Ye Yuan came to her senses.

She opened her eyes, looked at Mu Bai with a complex gaze for a moment, then hugged her, collapsing on the bed with the little cream cake to wait for the next Station.

The soft body in her arms put up a token resistance, but seeing that Ye Yuan had no intention of letting go, she stopped wasting her energy.

An unknown amount of time passed.

[The Train is about to arrive at the station. This Station type—Doomsday, Difficulty Level 2]

[Stopping time, 4 hours. Survivors, please pay attention to your exploration time]

The announcement rang out.

Two pairs of eyes opened simultaneously.

Mu Bai and Ye Yuan were not asleep.

Mu Bai’s condition had worsened, while Ye Yuan had improved thanks to her recent energy intake.

A Doomsday Station, and level 2 at that—it dampened their moods.

“It’s fine. I can go alone this time too. I’ll definitely bring back food and water,” Ye Yuan said soothingly.

Her voice had regained some strength.

Ye Yuan stood up first, intending to explore the Station alone as she had before.

“Give me a hand, I’m going too,” Mu Bai said with a resolute look, forcing her voice out despite her weakness.

She knew very well that neither her nor Ye Yuan’s condition would last until tomorrow.

By then, even Ye Yuan with her [Weapon Master] talent might not be able to kill monsters.

Up until now, food and water were precious.

Even a highly valuable axe would only trade for enough supplies to barely survive for a few days.

Reason told Mu Bai that before selling their fishing gear for a few small fish, she had to give it her all at least once.

How could one survive without taking risks?

Physical stats were just excuses for being afraid of death… she was an adult, not some little girl who needed protection!