Survivors who have managed to stay alive until now are no fools. The Clown Train had shown an extremely unscientific side, and they all suspected there might be traps inside.

But what if it was an opportunity?

Just like when the darkness descended, the lucky ones gained transformation abilities by eating animal flesh.

Could the Clown Train be like transformation abilities—a rare chance!

A once-in-a-lifetime opportunity you'd regret missing!

Coupled with the continuous extreme weather, countless survivors were already on the brink of collapse. The heavy snow showed no signs of stopping. Staying behind meant certain death, so why not take a gamble?

If the Clown Train truly had clean hot water and food as the loudspeaker advertised, they'd hit the jackpot!

The number of survivors willing to take the risk was far from small!

Hesitant survivors, seeing the appearance of the Prehistoric Colossus, quickly made their decisions and rushed toward the train.

The Prehistoric Colossus carved a path through the snow layers. People from R City Survivor Base desperately ran along this path.

Transformers displayed their unique abilities. Brother Liu from the Vulture team transformed into a black horse, carrying backpacks as he galloped, accompanied by a teammate transformed into a wolf dog, while other team members ran alongside the black horse.

When Li Xuan reached the Clown Train, he realized he wasn't the first to arrive. Some survivors had incredibly good luck—the Clown Train had stopped near their hiding shelter.

However, none of them could board because they lacked money.

The ticket cost one yuan, a trivial amount, but survivors in the apocalypse no longer used money. Without specific preparation, no one carried cash.

They could only leave the train first, find money, and then board.

But the snow layers were too thick;

finding money in a short time wasn't easy at all.

There were already people on the train, clearly survivors from other cities. They pressed against the windows, their mouths moving as they shouted something, but no sound came through.

Li Xuan knew what they were shouting: prepare more money. If observant survivors could communicate with those who boarded early through lip reading, they might gain some intelligence.

Yet, how many survivors, knowing tickets required money, could remain calm enough to first observe the passengers and then search for money?

The train wouldn't wait for anyone. Above the door was a small hourglass, and everyone understood what it represented.

Li Xuan glanced at it and saw the sand had already fallen halfway.

Many people were still behind. Those who ran slowly definitely wouldn't make it aboard. Even the fast ones had to find money first. Ultimately, very few would manage to board.

He raised his massive claw, comparing it to the Clown Train. He too was a giant. If this were a normal train, his tremendous strength would be enough to overturn it.

The train's loudspeaker sounded, "Please do not attack the train! Consequences are your own responsibility!"

The giant beast transformed, instantly shrinking into human form.

Huo Lingling landed first, catching the travel bag. "We made it!"

The ticket inspector was a slender humanoid figure wearing a clown mask, dressed in a tight-fitting suit completely covering its body without revealing any skin, making it impossible to tell if it was human or a puppet.

"Passenger, ticket costs one yuan. Please pay for your ticket before boarding." The clown-masked figure extended a hand wearing white gloves.

Huo Lingling opened the backpack, revealing large amounts of red banknotes inside.

Seeing the money in the backpack, the clown-masked figure's eyes flashed with red light, showing a trace of emotion—seemingly surprised that Huo Lingling had prepared so much money in advance.

Huo Lingling rummaged through the backpack and pulled out three coins.

Slap!

She slapped the coins into the clown-masked figure's hand.

"Here! Tickets for the three of us!" Huo Lingling said grandly.

The clown-masked figure first looked at the coins in its hand, then at the bundles of red banknotes in Huo Lingling's backpack, then back at the coins.

It seemed shocked by Huo Lingling's stinginess.

Would it have killed her to give just one red banknote!

Aren't coins heavier than paper money?

Why keep coins in a backpack full of red banknotes?

"Respected passengers, please board. The train attendant will guide you to your seats and inform you of the train rules. Please do not violate the rules." The clown-masked figure pocketed the coins.

Rules were rules. No one could break them, including itself.

The ticket cost exactly one yuan. If passengers paid more, it could accept it. If passengers didn't want to pay extra, it couldn't demand it.

Huo Lingling walked ahead, while Li Xuan followed with Yun Xiuzhi.

Suddenly, the clown-masked figure stopped them.

"One passenger hasn't purchased a ticket."

Li Xuan paused, then realized it was referring to the Chinese Alligator. "It's a pet."

"If it boards the train, it's a passenger and needs a ticket," said the clown-masked figure.

Li Xuan stared at the clown-masked figure, almost sensing a hint of smugness.

It had self-awareness! Could it be human?

But it didn't quite seem human.

The clown-masked figure's clothing was too thin. In such freezing weather, without Huo Lingling's robust physique, it wouldn't survive.

Forget it, overthinking was useless. The Clown Train definitely wasn't a product of the first version.

Slap!

Huo Lingling pulled another coin from her pocket. "Hehe! I've got another coin!"

The clown-masked figure was speechless, silently pocketing the coin. "Welcome aboard. We wish you a pleasant journey."

After boarding, a train attendant immediately approached to guide them. The attendant wore a goat-head mask, had a slender build, and was completely covered without revealing any skin.

"You have standing tickets for carriage thirty-six. Please follow me." The attendant's voice was hoarse, making gender indistinguishable.

Huo Lingling immediately spoke up, "Can we upgrade our cabin?"

"Do you have money?"

"Yes! Upgrade us!"

"Hard seat in ordinary carriage: five thousand. Hard seat in premium carriage: twenty thousand. Hard sleeper in ordinary carriage: two hundred thousand. Hard sleeper in premium carriage: five hundred thousand. Soft sleeper in ordinary carriage: one million. Soft sleeper in premium carriage: two million," recited the goat-headed attendant.

"What's the difference between premium and ordinary carriages?"

"Premium carriage passengers can visit ordinary carriages, but not vice versa. Additionally, premium carriages provide food made from all ingredients available in the world and various beverages. Ordinary carriages only have food made from chicken, duck, fish, cow, and sheep ingredients, with no beverages provided. Also, passengers needing to disembark early can use the VIP passage," explained the goat-headed attendant.

So expensive!

Li Xuan was secretly astonished. Fortunately, they'd ventured out two days earlier and filled two more travel bags with money.

They used oversized travel bags for the money, each containing roughly seven to eight million.

Even with advance intelligence and preparation, Li Xuan found the two-million price for a soft sleeper cabin exorbitant. Other unprepared survivors had almost no chance of upgrading to soft sleeper.

Unless survivors somewhere had taken refuge in a bank vault, and the Clown Train happened to stop nearby.

The probability was too low.

"Upgrade all of us to premium soft sleeper," Li Xuan said.

The goat-headed attendant gave Li Xuan a few extra glances, then pointed at the Chinese Alligator. "Upgrade it too?"

"Yes."

Spending two million to upgrade a Chinese Alligator was undoubtedly extravagant, but absolutely worthwhile. The Chinese Alligator was the future Earth Dragon, the foundation of Li Xuan's dominance in the second version. It couldn't be risked and must stay by his side.

Three travel bags of money became two.

Li Xuan's lavish spending attracted many survivors' attention. On the way to the premium carriage, numerous survivors begged them for money.

"That's him! He upgraded to premium soft sleeper! Even upgraded a bird and a crocodile!"

"Sir, lend me some money! I only need a few hundred thousand, I'll definitely repay you later!"

"Boss! Do you remember me? I'm a soldier from the Black Bear Survivor Base!" shouted a young man in black.

Li Xuan stopped and looked at the young man in black, not recognizing him. "Did the Minor Celebrity board?"

He didn't ask about Xia Xuebing and the bald man—both had great ambitions and wouldn't abandon power just to board the train.

"She didn't board. I'm the only one from Black Bear Base who made it. The train stopped too far from our base. By the time we reached it, the hourglass was almost empty. No one else had money, but I had a coin in my clothes, so I luckily got on," explained the young man in black.

Li Xuan casually grabbed a handful of money and placed it in the young man's arms. "Use it sparingly."

The young man in black was overjoyed. "Thank you, Boss!"

On the way to the soft sleeper compartment, some people grew greedy and tried to snatch the money right in front of the attendant. Before Huo Lingling could react, the attendant slapped the perpetrator's head, shattering it.

The speed was so fast even Huo Lingling didn't perceive it, startling everyone.

The premium carriage soft sleeper had eight beds total, currently occupied only by Li Xuan's group of four.

Ordinary single beds, suitable for one person but cramped for two.

Brand new bedding, complimentary toothpaste and toothbrush. Additionally, the premium carriage had its own bathroom with shower facilities, so they wouldn't have to squeeze into toilets shared by several carriages of survivors.

The goat-headed attendant produced a manual. "There are rules on the train. Please do not violate them."

"Beside the bed are three buttons. Press the first for meals, the second to call an attendant for assistance, the third for emergencies. If you have medical conditions requiring surgery, you can also press the third button. This is exclusive to premium soft sleeper carriages. For specific charges, consult the doctor."

After introducing the soft sleeper cabin, the goat-headed attendant left. Li Xuan picked up the manual and flipped through the train rules.

First: No stealing others' money on the train! If caught by attendants, death!

Second: No killing on the train! If caught by attendants, death!

Third: No attacking attendants!

Fourth: If encountering difficulties, you can request help from attendants, but must pay equivalent money.

......

Li Xuan sat on the bed, gently rubbing Huo Lingling's stomach while recalling the recent events.

"Survivors in the carriage begged us for money, and the attendant didn't stop them. But when someone tried to snatch money, the attendant immediately killed them."

Yun Xiuzhi stood on Li Xuan's shoulder and nodded. "The ordinary carriages aren't safe either, with plenty of troubles. Fortunately, only the three of us are in the soft sleeper cabin, so we won't be disturbed."

Huo Lingling turned over and lay by the train's small window, gazing outside while murmuring, "Did Huo Shuangshuang board?"

"Huo Shuangshuang can board. She's smart. After Li Xuan reminded her, she must have prepared money," Yun Xiuzhi said.

"Do you miss her?" Li Xuan asked.

Huo Lingling shook her head. "No, I don't have memories of her. It's just that she gave me a Supernatural Characteristic, so I don't want her to miss the train."

Outside the train, R City base survivors arrived one after another. Learning that boarding required money, they grew agitated. Some quickly left to find money, while others attempted to force their way aboard.

"Money? You want money for saving people? Are you insane! I'll definitely report you once I'm on board!"

"Everyone, just board directly! The train must belong to the authorities! They won't attack us!"

A thin survivor shouted, inciting others to force their way onto the train.

Nearby survivors observed the ticket inspector, noticing it showed no panic or attempt to stop them, immediately realizing something and rushing to find money instead.

The thin young man shouted for a long time with no one joining him.

The nail that sticks out gets hammered down. The thin young man wanted other survivors to be the test subjects, but they weren't fools—they waited for him to test the train first.

The thin young man resentfully scanned the crowd, then gritted his teeth and charged toward the train.

As he passed the ticket inspector, his face showed joy. The next second, the leg that stepped onto the train vanished!

His leg that boarded the train disappeared!

The thin young man was sprinting and couldn't stop in time. Most of his body vanished, leaving only one calf behind.

Blood flowed from the severed stump, staining the snow red.

Watching survivors trembled with fear. What kind of power had erased the thin young man's body?

Some survivors lost their nerve and turned to leave, not even bothering to search for money.

Huo Shuangshuang witnessed the thin young man's disappearance firsthand, her brow furrowed.

A train that didn't belong to this era, perhaps not even to this world.

Should she board?

Could there be danger?

After brief consideration, Huo Shuangshuang stepped forward. Since Li Xuan had boarded, the train might be dangerous but definitely held benefits—otherwise why would Li Xuan board?

Li Xuan was the strongest person she'd ever seen, seemingly aware of the apocalypse's secrets. Following Li Xuan's lead couldn't be wrong.

"I'm boarding!" Huo Shuangshuang took out five yuan.

She didn't have one-yuan notes;

the smallest denomination was five yuan.

The ticket inspector took the five yuan without giving change. "Madam, please board."

"Shuangshuang! Lend me some money! I have none!" someone shouted from outside the train.

Huo Shuangshuang recognized the voice as the Bespectacled Man but entered the train without looking back.

She hadn't originally felt hostile or disgusted toward this suitor, but after their last conversation, Huo Shuangshuang found him utterly repulsive.

The Vulture team arrived. Burdened by numerous backpacks, even with Brother Liu transformed into a black horse, they were slower than others.

Learning that boarding required money, Brother Liu looked pleased—his judgment had been correct. He immediately took out money, purchased seven tickets, and the entire seven-member team boarded.

The round-faced girl remained silent, while the two team members who had searched for money with Brother Liu looked displeased. Why should they share the money they found with the others?

Out of respect for Brother Liu, they didn't immediately explode.

Rumble~

The Clown Train started moving.

Many survivors remained outside, unable to board.

They cried and begged the ticket inspector to let them on, but received no response.

Not far away, several survivors holding money desperately ran toward the train, their eyes filled with panic.

They were so close! They could have made it!

Unfortunately, the train wouldn't stop. Once it started moving, it wouldn't halt until the next station.

They had missed their chance.