Death Train: SSS-level talent right from the start!

The temperature inside the station was still bone-chillingly low, and the white breath exhaled condensed into a thin mist in front of you before being quickly dispersed by the wind.

Qin Zhaoyang sat on the ground, his hands tucked into his sleeves, his gaze sweeping aimlessly over the unfamiliar faces in the station. Suddenly, as if remembering something, he turned to Chen Ye and asked, "Li Jiahao didn't go into the palace, so he should still be alive, right? Why didn't he return to the station?"

"I guess they won't come back until the train doors open."

Chen Ye glanced at Jiang Ning, who was leaning against the wall of carriage number two. Jiang Ning had her eyes closed and her hands in her pockets.

Wen Ning stood a few steps away, rubbing her arms to ward off the chill. Hearing this, she turned her head and said, "That Li Jiahao you're talking about is really tough. He's always at the bottom of the rankings, but he always manages to survive."

Qin Zhaoyang clicked his tongue: "That's right. I've survived all the way from the Corpse Capital to now. Anyone else would have been dead long ago."

Chen Ye nodded slightly: "His talent is very special. His ability to etherealize is almost top-notch in avoiding fatal damage. As long as he still has energy and potions, he is indeed very difficult to kill. What can really threaten him are those mandatory trial tasks, such as obtaining survival marks. He can't get through them by relying on etherealization."

Wen Ning nodded thoughtfully: "In that case, he really is a master at getting the minimum wage."

Chen Ye didn't reply. His gaze swept across the direction of the station entrance. The snow and wind there had subsided considerably, but the outline of the terrain in the distance was still unclear.

Zhao Hai followed Chen Ye's gaze and said, "It's truly remarkable that he's survived this long. Speaking of which, should we try to mediate the conflict between Li Jiahao and Jiang Ning?"

Chen Ye shook his head slightly: "It's no use. Jian Lan's death in the Mechanical City is most likely related to Li Jiahao. With Jiang Ning's personality, once he's made up his mind, no one can persuade him. If Jiang Ning really wants to kill Li Jiahao, there's plenty of time in the later trials. He can protect him for a while, but not forever."

He paused, then turned to look at Zhao Hai: "Speaking of which, Brother Hai, when we first participated in the survival trial, you and Li Jiahao didn't get along. Why are you helping him now?"

Zhao Hai was taken aback by the question, remained silent for a moment, and then countered with, "Then why did you help Wang Ze and Xia Yan in the palace? Didn't they refuse your team invitation the first time they merged trains to protect themselves?"

Chen Ye smiled but didn't reply.

Qin Zhaoyang squatted down and looked around, muttering, "Brother Hai's tongue is getting sharper."

The conversations inside the station gradually subsided, and the remaining time flowed slowly in the cold, with occasional people standing up to stomp their numb feet.

Night slowly receded over the snow-covered ice field outside the station, and the sky began to lighten with the first hint of dawn.

The system panels of more than twenty people in the station popped up automatically at the same time, and the pale blue light screen lit up one after another in the morning light.

Chen Ye glanced down at his panel.

[This trial has ended!]

Name: Chen Ye

Survival Rating: S

[Kill Points: 11500]

Survival Points: 700

The Death Train will depart in 2 hours. Please return to the train in time to claim your reward!

Countdown: 1:59:59

He earned nearly 12000 points in this trial, and after the trial ends, his level should surpass Lu Qingchuan's.

Chen Ye closed the panel. After the settlement, he had more than 2 points. Now he needed a higher-level skill. He needed to earn enough points before going to the next Infinite City.

Zhao Hai was also looking down at his system panel: "After the settlement, my points have exceeded 10000, which is enough to exchange for an S-level skill selection chest."

Chen Ye glanced at him sideways: "With an S-rank skill, you can level up faster."

Zhao Hai responded but didn't say anything more.

Not far away, Wang Ze was also looking down at his system panel. Xia Yan stood beside him, and Su Jin and Yang Qing's eyes were also on their own panels.

Further away, Lu Qingchuan's team was also checking their respective panel information.

at the same time.

A figure slowly walked out of the snow outside the station entrance.

Li Jiahao's windbreaker was covered in ice chips and snow, and the edges of the hem were frozen solid, making a soft scraping sound with each step.

His hair was disheveled by the cold wind, half-covering his forehead. His face was so pale that he almost blended into the surrounding snow. His lips were frozen and turned a little purple, but he still maintained a steady pace and stopped about two hundred meters away from the station entrance.

Li Jiahao did not continue walking forward.

He stood in the wind and snow, looking down at the pale blue light screen floating in front of him.

[This trial has ended!]

Name: Li Jiahao

Survival Rating: D

[Kill Points: 0]

Survival Points: 700

The Death Train will depart in 2 hours. Please return to the train in time to claim your reward!

Countdown: 1:45:23

On the kill points line, there was a glaring zero.

Li Jiahao stared at the line of text for about two seconds, then closed the panel, mentally cursing Jiang Ning's ancestors for eighteen generations.

If Jiang Ning hadn't relentlessly pursued him and exhausted his potions, he could have tried to get some points from ordinary monsters.

He took a deep breath of the cold air, raised his head again, and looked past the snow-covered open space, landing in the direction of the station entrance.

He can't go in yet. The train doors usually open 15 minutes before departure, so he has to wait until then to enter the station.

Even if Jiang Ning is lying in wait for him, he's not afraid. As long as he still has the strength to activate his intangibility ability, Jiang Ning won't be able to do anything to him for a short time. He'll be safe once he gets into the carriage.

He stood there in the wind and snow, quietly waiting for time to pass by, second by second.

……

An hour and a half later.

The doors of all eight carriages inside the station slid open simultaneously, the metal doors retracting to the sides with a crisp "click" sound.

The scattered passengers on the platform began to move toward their respective carriages.

Chen Ye did not immediately enter the carriage.

He stood on the platform in front of carriage number one, his gaze fixed on the entrance, without moving.

As expected, Li Jiahao walked into the station at this moment, with tiny ice crystals still hanging on the hem of his clothes, and his face was pale.

The moment he stepped into the station, his gaze precisely locked onto the figure leaning against the wall in front of carriage number two, and his nerves visibly tensed up at that instant.

Jiang Ning was leaning against the wall of carriage number two, her arms crossed in front of her chest, her posture relaxed as if she were waiting for someone.

He noticed Li Jiahao's gaze, raised his head, and slowly curved the corners of his mouth into a very shallow arc.

Jiang Ning did not make a move against Li Jiahao. He simply maintained that arc and looked at Li Jiahao for a moment before straightening up, turning around, and walking into carriage number two.

Li Jiahao stood still, his chest heaving noticeably more rapidly than before.

After entering the carriage, Jiang Ning did not linger for a moment and quickly walked into carriage number one.

Chen Ye only looked away after Li Jiahao entered the carriage.

Jiang Ning was somewhat surprised that he didn't attack Li Jiahao. It was possible that the train doors had already opened, and with Li Jiahao's ability to become ethereal, it wouldn't have been difficult for him to rush into the carriage, which was why Jiang Ning didn't make a move.

"Has Jiang Ning changed her personality?"

Qin Zhaoyang looked surprised.

"Let's go, get in the car."

Chen Ye turned and walked into the carriage.

Gu Qinghuan, Zhao Hai, Wen Ning, Qin Zhaoyang, and Zhou Yating also entered the carriage one after another.

Chen Ye walked to his seat and sat down. Wen Ning and Zhou Yating in the front row had already taken their seats, and Zhao Hai across the aisle was also adjusting his posture.

Qin Zhaoyang let out a long breath as he sat down next to Chen Ye, then slumped back in his chair.

The system settlement panels for all of them popped up automatically at the same time.