Chapter 22: Station Selection

When Lin Ye regained consciousness, he found himself sitting in the last row of a bus.

All his equipment in the backpack and on his person remained intact.

The bus was sparsely occupied with passengers. Lin Ye quickly counted - excluding the driver, there were twelve people.

The bus was currently traveling along a highway surrounded by dense forests.

Suddenly, a new system interface popped up, resembling a chatroom from a messaging app.

There were currently four people in the chatroom.

One of them sent a message.

Li Ji: Hello everyone, does anyone know what's going on?

Each speaker's name came with a profile picture. Lin Ye quickly matched the avatar to a passenger sitting diagonally in front of him - a slender young girl wearing traditional Chinese school uniform. She appeared quite young with translucent pale skin, medium-length black hair, and cute features. Despite her tense expression, she gave off a small animal-like vibe.

Zhao Yong was a robust elderly man sitting by the window in the second row. Though clearly over sixty with wrinkles and graying hair, his energetic demeanor made it hard to believe his age.

Xu Min: Same here. Does anyone know anything about this activity?

Xu Min was a middle-aged woman, the only one among the four showing obvious mutation characteristics - at least her limbs appeared transformed.

Lin Ye: Since you don't recognize me, we must be from different regions. Can you tell me about your regions?

Zhao Yong: Huh? You mean everyone in your region knows you? Impossible! Each region has a million people. Kid, do you even understand what a million means?

Lin Ye: I've been sending strategy guides to everyone since day one. If you checked chat groups at all, you'd have seen my name. So we're definitely from different regions. When the Nighttime Activity started, my region still had 992,341 people. Don't tell me yours had the same number?

Zhao Yong: What? No way! Over a hundred thousand have died in ours. How could yours have so few casualties?

Lin Ye: Because of me.

Zhao Yong: "..."

After exchanging information, they confirmed they were indeed from different regions. Each region started with one million people, with dangerous conditions outside shelters. The first two nights' activities were Maze Explorations, while the third night changed to Station Missions.

Xu Min: I'm looking for my daughter. Have you seen a girl named Li Xiaolu?

Lin Ye: No.

Zhao Yong: Can't recall.

Li Ji: There might have been someone similar, but I don't remember clearly. Too many people share the surname Li.

As they shared intel, a system notification suddenly appeared in the chatroom:

Li Ji: So this is the Station Mission?

Zhao Yong: Seems so. Station selection appears crucial.

Xu Min: The prompt didn't say we have to choose the same station.

Li Ji: You're not thinking of going alone, are you? With unknown dangers, sticking together is safer.

Xu Min: No, I'm just pointing out the option exists.

Lin Ye: Let's pick one carefully. I suggest deciding before the ninth station.

Zhao Yong: Obviously. Since the system mentioned it, the shallow sea area must differ from previous stations. Best avoid it.

Soon the bus reached the first station - an ink-green swamp filled with wetland plants and thick emerald mist hovering in its depths.

Xu Min: I don't recommend this one. Swamps are too dangerous.

Li Ji: Agreed.

Lin Ye: Same.

Zhao Yong: Superficially it looks manageable, but if you all disagree, let's check the next one.

The bus wouldn't turn back. They only got one chance per station, so choices required caution.

Ten minutes later, they arrived at the second station - an unnaturally pristine beach with snow-like white sand, appearing both scorching and desolate.

Li Ji: Ten minutes from swamp to coast? This road and bus aren't normal.

Xu Min: Indeed. The bus is suspicious. The driver and other passengers look human but lack any human presence - like something wearing human skin.

Zhao Yong: So... getting off here?

Lin Ye: No. I can't swim well, and oceans are inherently dangerous.

Xu Min: Places showing no visible threats are actually the most concerning.

Ten more minutes brought them to the third station - the entrance to a sunny small town where friendly-looking residents smiled warmly.

Zhao Yong: This seems decent. Any problems would be manageable.

Li Ji: I've got bad vibes here.

Lin Ye: I don't like it either.

Xu Min: Their smiles look fake, like mannequins.

Zhao Yong: "...Fine."

The fourth station featured empty void - one side of the platform extended into nothingness.

Lin Ye: Next.

Zhao Yong: Agreed.

Li Ji: Seconded.

Xu Min: Same.

The fifth station was shrouded in mist, its contents completely obscured.

Lin Ye: Next.

Zhao Yong: Agreed.

Xu Min: Agreed.

Li Ji: Agreed.

The sixth station presented a giant jungle with a plant stretching beyond the clouds, its top invisible.

Li Ji: Feels dangerous.

Lin Ye: Agree.

Xu Min: Next one then.

Zhao Yong: Only four stations left. Maybe we should pick the least bad option.

Li Ji: Next one then. I've got a hunch it won't be terrible.

Lin Ye: Fine.

The seventh station was ruins shrouded in faint mist. At the edges, Lin Ye spotted familiar blood-corpses. But in the distance at the center loomed a colossal shadow dozens of stories tall, pulsating rhythmically like breathing.

Lin Ye: Let's pick this one. I'm actually quite confident about handling blood-corpses.

Li Ji: Agreed.

Xu Min: Seconded. Ruins provide good hiding spots. Our goal is just surviving until tomorrow's bus.

Zhao Yong: Agreed. At least I know how to kill them.

As the four disembarked, the driver and other passengers remained motionless. Just when Lin Ye thought they were NPC-like entities, the passenger nearest the door suddenly turned and gave them a meaningful smile.

Lin Ye happened to look back, meeting his gaze.

"Goodbye. Have a pleasant journey," the passenger said.

"...Goodbye. You too," Lin Ye replied before leaving the station with the others.