Apocalypse Invasion: Survival on the Infinite Train
February 25, 2053, sunny.
Right after the Lantern Festival, college junior Ming Chu dragged a huge suitcase stuffed with her parents' love, turned around, and waved goodbye. "I am getting on the train now! It is cold outside, you guys go on back!"
Ming Chu's parents and younger sister waved back vigorously outside the ticket gates. Ming Chu turned and headed into the rail station.
She scanned her ticket and stepped onto the platform.
Ming Chu found Carriage 2 and stood waiting outside the yellow line.
The train arrived right on time, and Ming Chu's steps paused for a fraction of a second as she prepared to board.
Just a moment ago, in a daze, she thought she saw the commuter rail turn translucent for a split second, revealing a pitch-black train underneath.
But when she looked closely, the train still looked completely white.
It must have been the cold air she breathed out playing tricks on her eyes.
Or maybe it was time for her to get her eyes checked.
Seeing everyone else around her boarding the train, Ming Chu picked up her suitcase and followed them inside.
Little did she know, the exact second she stepped onto the train, the railcar outside truly turned a pitch-black color that was invisible to her eyes.
At the very second she boarded, all around the world—in residential buildings, on major roads, aboard fishing boats, and in countless other places—black trains appeared simultaneously, lasting for just one second.
Commuter trains only had unreserved standing tickets. The platform where Ming Chu boarded was the second stop, and even during the peak back-to-school rush, she could usually find a seat. She had braced herself to fight for one, but the moment she looked up, she was utterly bewildered.
The interior was filled with extremely wide and comfortable seats, looking just like the first-class high-speed rail seats she had once bought by accident when she forgot to book tickets in advance for her only trip away.
Since when were commuter trains this luxurious and comfortable?
Wait a minute!
What on earth were those people over there wearing? Short sleeves and flashy floral swim trunks?
"No wait, where the heck did they send me? Didn't I just board a regular sightseeing train?"
With a howl from the young man in floral trunks, the twenty or thirty people inside the carriage all snapped to their senses.
"I bought a business-class ticket, so why am I in first class?"
"Are you kidding me? I booked a sleeper train! Is this some kind of prank?"
The carriage instantly erupted into a chaotic uproar.
Ming Chu's heart sank. Almost instinctively, she pulled out her phone, desperate to dial the emergency police number.
Yet that emergency hotline—famously capable of connecting anywhere even without a signal—showed zero bars.
Ding-dong... Welcome to Infinite Train, the Infinite Train app has loaded successfully. Please return to your assigned seats and fasten your seatbelts within thirty seconds. If you fail to obey the passenger rules, you will bear the consequences yourself.
What on earth was that?
Ming Chu felt a jolt of shock. She had boarded a commuter train—they did not have assigned seats!
Wait, did that voice just say an app?
Ming Chu looked down at her phone. Sure enough, a new app featuring a black train locomotive icon had appeared on her screen. She tapped it hastily. Luckily, the Infinite Train app seemed to have a blazing fast connection; the moment she opened it, Ming Chu saw her seat number.
Carriage 1, Seat 33.
She was definitely in the right carriage. Ming Chu spotted the numbers on the side of the seats; to her right was Seat 5, and behind Seat 5 was Seat 8.
Ming Chu turned tail and sprinted toward the very back of the carriage, shouting as she ran, "There is a black Infinite Train app on our phones, and it has our seat numbers on it!"
Everyone in the carriage was between eighteen and forty years old and quite familiar with smartphones. The moment they heard Ming Chu's shout, it clicked.
Yet there were still people who refused to accept it.
Take the man right at the front, for instance—dressed in a sharp suit, clutching a briefcase, radiating the air of a successful executive: "What kind of game are you people playing? Are you shooting some kind of show? I am warning you, let me out right now. I have a multi-million-dollar deal to negotiate today, and if you mess it up, don't blame me for being ruthless!"
There was also a woman in her thirties wearing an apron, looking somewhat tan, who stammered in Mandarin, "I-I have to go back and cook lunch for madam..."
During the time they wasted fussing around, Ming Chu had already sprinted to the back of the carriage and located her seat.
There were four seats to a row in this carriage, but Ming Chu never expected that her row, sitting all the way at the very back, would consist of just a single, lonely seat occupying the entire row all by itself.
Given how bizarre everything was, Ming Chu decided to follow the instructions of that mysterious voice. She sat down immediately and pulled the seatbelt across her, only to discover it was a five-point harness, just like the straps on a baby stroller.
A creeping sense of foreboding grew stronger in her chest.
That voice was still counting down.
...15, 14...
Clenching her teeth, Ming Chu buckled the harness tightly, pulling it as far as it would go. Finally, she wedged her suitcase directly in front of her, not only gripping the handle with her hands but also clamping her legs tightly around it.
...5, 4...
From her vantage point, she could see that most people had reluctantly returned to their seats, but a stubborn few still refused to give up.
...1. Infinite Train, departing.
The moment the voice finished, an immense G-force slammed into her. Ming Chu felt as though she were about to be flattened against her seat. If she felt this crushed, it was unimaginable how much worse it must be for those who had failed to reach their seats or fasten their harnesses.
She caught blurred shadows flying past the corners of her eyes, followed instantly by the sound of heavy impacts and agonizing cries from behind.
Ming Chu didn't even dare to turn her head and look, because the train had started tumbling and tossing wildly as if trapped inside a washing machine. She hugged her suitcase for dear life, fighting down the violent wave of nausea rising in her throat.
All around her echoed the clatter of crashing objects and screams of terror. Out of the corner of her eye, she even saw people hurled all the way from the back of the car straight to the front. Most absurdly, for a split second, the train seemed to run upside down, and Ming Chu actually saw people crashing into the ceiling.
She had no idea how much time passed before the train finally stabilized. Looking up with a deathly pale face, she spotted streaks of blood smeared across the interior of the carriage.
The good news: nobody inside the train had died.
The bad news: a few people had broken arms and legs.
Wailing and agonizing groans filled the carriage as everyone struggled to recover from the shock.
Ding-dong... Congratulations to the first batch of 99 passengers for surviving. Your talents are now being awakened.
Virtually at that exact moment, Ming Chu heard a mechanical electronic chime in her ear.
Awakening talent... Awakening successful. Congratulations on acquiring the S-grade upgradeable talent "I Have a Suitcase".
Congratulations on being the first player to discover the Infinite Train app and find your seat. You have unlocked the achievement: Stepping Out Ahead.
To check your specific abilities, please open the Infinite Train app.
In a daze, Ming Chu opened the Infinite Train app. The moment she tapped inside, her personal profile appeared before her eyes.
Name: Ming Chu
Age: 21
Player Level: F-grade
Talent: I Have a Suitcase (Upgradeable) (Details)
Achievement: Stepping Out Ahead (Details)
I Have a Suitcase: You possess an exceptionally cherished suitcase. In return for your love, the suitcase has willingly become your talent.
Skill 1: Portable Storage. The most important function of a suitcase is, of course, carrying things! Congratulations, your suitcase storage capacity is multiplied by 4x, becoming your personal portable space.
Skill 2: Master Organizer. Packing a twenty-six-inch suitcase so tightly not even a sliver of space remains—this is the pinnacle of a organization master! When facing any storage container, you can effortlessly pack 2x the supplies.
Skill 3: See How Heavy My Suitcase Is! You carry a tremendously heavy suitcase. If you use your suitcase as a weapon to attack, you can deal a 10x weight critical strike.
Stepping Out Ahead: Every time you enter a world, you have a 100% probability of receiving a relevant piece of intelligence. For every day spent in a mission world, you have a 10% probability of refreshing a clue.
Ming Chu: "..."
Sure enough, the connection she had felt earlier between herself and her suitcase was no illusion.
The suitcase, which had originally been packed to the absolute brim, now felt to Ming Chu like it only occupied a quarter of its total volume, leaving three-quarters completely empty.
"I awakened my talent! I am a doctor, everyone please make way, let me save them!"
A startled cry snapped Ming Chu out of her daze. Turning to the side, she spotted an injured person right next to her. In this bizarre place, having one more fellow human around was always a good thing!
Shoving her suitcase aside, Ming Chu hurried over to help rescue the wounded.
The person whose talent was a doctor happened to be a recent graduate with less than a year of work experience. Once doctorhood became her talent, a medical kit materialized right beside her, and the medicines inside possessed special properties.
Take the bandages, for instance.
Bandage: Instantly stops bleeding for minor wounds, slowly stops bleeding for major wounds.
Painkiller: Relieves any kind of pain, lasts for 12 hours.
Adrenaline: Triggers a physical burst for half an hour, followed by 24 hours of weakness.
Fortunately, the injuries here were mostly external wounds. For the only two people who had suffered fractures, the doctor quickly set their bones, bandaged them up, and handed each a painkiller.
Ding-dong... The train is about to arrive at the station. Players, please gather your luggage. The train will come to a halt in one minute.
Friendly advice from the train: 1. Please protect your train ticket. After 30 days, present your ticket to board the return train.
2. The train will prepare a form of identity documentation and 2,000 in funds for all passengers. Passengers can claim them via the Infinite Train app after alighting.
3. Newbie world bonus tip: The doomsday outbreak will begin in 28 hours.
4. Survive, survive, survive!
"Wait a minute, what do you mean, doomsday? This is kidnapping!"
Someone near the front flipped out, cursing wildly at the train and its staff.
Ming Chu sat back down in her seat, her hands trembling as she pulled out a wet wipe to clean the blood off her hands.
It was real.
Someone had genuinely broken a leg, the bone protruding right through skin and flesh.
Ming Chu was only a college junior, not even a medical student. Suddenly thrust into such a bloody scene, she felt nauseous and panicked, her hands slick with warm, metallic-smelling blood.
The train arrived at the station.
The train has reached the doomsday alien world. Stopover time: 2 minutes. Players who fail to get off within 2 minutes will bear the consequences.
By now, no one dared ignore the train's warnings, and nobody wanted to get hurt when things were this uncertain. The moment the doors slid open, everyone scrambled out in a mad rush.
One lagging woman turned back for a final look and noticed someone still inside, shouting, "Hey, you girl in the back, hurry up and get off the train!!"
Trembling, Ming Chu dragged her suitcase and prepared to leave. But once the luggage was moved, she noticed a piece of white paper that had been hidden underneath it.
Four bold characters were written upon it.
"Do not get hurt!!"