“The Train is about to arrive at the station. Please be seated and hold on tight.”
Xi Jian was woken by the broadcast and reluctantly poked her head out from under the covers.
She groggily threw off the blanket, shook her disheveled hair, and got up to go to the initial carriage.
“Air conditioning is truly humanity’s greatest invention!”
Xi Jian left her door open; the first two carriages were very warm.
Through the window, she saw a vast ice lake outside.
“Wow, an ice lake! Looks like I don’t need to go out today.”
Picking up four train coins from the floor, Xi Jian took a deep breath and transferred three to Qi Xiao.
Clutching the last remaining coin, she forced herself to hold back her tears.
Every day I have to give this scoundrel three train coins. What kind of ally is this? He’s completely exploiting me!
Just think of it as buying food, just think of it as buying food.
Xi Jian comforted herself this way every day.
Chewing on the bread Qi Xiao had sent her, Xi Jian felt even more wronged.
“Today I want milk! Hot milk!”
Before she could even send the message, it showed that Qi Xiao had transferred another bottle of milk and a roasted pumpkin.
Xi Jian got her hot milk, and the corners of her mouth, which had been pouting from feeling wronged, straightened out.
Hmph, at least you have some conscience.
Qi Xiao: “Which station?”
Xi Jian deleted the unsent message and re-edited it:
“Glacial Island, on an ice lake.”
“Even if you’ve been there, I’m not going out. It’s finally warm here.”
“Besides, there aren’t any resources here. I can’t exactly go dig for ice, can I?”
Xi Jian poured a bottle of hot milk into the roasted pumpkin and ate it with bread.
“I’ve actually been to this one. There’s a Level 3 treasure chest in the center of the lake that can yield 12 train coins.”
Pfft.
Xi Jian saw Qi Xiao’s message and spat out a mouthful of milk.
She wiped her mouth with the back of her hand:
“You’re not lying to me, are you?”
“Please tell me, what reason would I have to deceive an ally?”
“You can also stay in the carriage. Maybe someone will pull the treasure chest directly to you in a while.”
“Do you take me for an idiot? How could there be such a good thing?”
Xi Jian pouted, quickly finished her breakfast, changed into the thick clothes Qi Xiao had given her earlier, grabbed her revolver, and walked out of the Train.
Twelve train coins! That’s a lot!
And she wouldn’t have to share it with that big oaf; it would be her own twelve train coins.
Woohoo, I’m taking off!
Hiss, it’s so cold…
Xi Jian hugged her arms.
The center of the lake, where exactly is the center of the lake?
Xi Jian hadn’t walked more than two steps when she saw a box-shaped object under the ice surface at her feet.
She bent down to examine it; it was indeed a treasure chest.
I really am a favored child of destiny! This treasure chest is right next to my Train!
Xi Jian knocked on the ice surface and immediately deflated.
This ice is thicker than my life!
Xi Jian immediately returned to the Train and told Qi Xiao that she had found the treasure chest, but the ice was too thick, and asked if there was a solution.
Qi Xiao transferred a shotgun to her.
“Infinite bullets, but the recoil is a bit strong. You can try it first.”
Infinite bullets? Where did he get them? Do those even exist in reality?
“Ah—!!!”
A girl’s scream suddenly came from outside, and Xi Jian quickly took out the shotgun and went out.
A small girl was being relentlessly pursued by a white bear.
Seeing the distance between the white bear and the girl getting closer and closer, Xi Jian directly pulled out her revolver and fired a shot.
The girl fell down in fright, while the white bear changed direction and charged towards Xi Jian.
“Roar!!!”
Xi Jian raised the shotgun and fired a shot.
The recoil knocked her backward, and she landed on the ground with a thud.
The white bear didn’t fare much better; it took a direct hit to the front, and blood stained its fur.
This also ignited its fury, and it raised its paw to strike down heavily at Xi Jian.
Xi Jian did a somersault, barely dodging while clutching the shotgun.
She leaned her body against the carriage to brace against the shotgun’s recoil and fired another shot at the white bear.
This time, it hit the white bear’s abdomen. It cried out in pain and tried to flee, but it didn’t run far before its body swayed, and it lay down on the ice.
It was dead.
Xi Jian held the shotgun, breathing heavily, with white mist rising.
So I’m this powerful.
Xi Jian went to the girl’s side and helped her up.
The girl was clearly overly frightened; after Xi Jian woke her, she was still screaming “Help, help” repeatedly.
Xi Jian was a postgraduate student in languages from a prestigious university, mastering multiple languages, and this now came in handy.
She gently patted the girl’s back, comforting her:
“It’s okay, it’s okay. Look, the bear is dead.”
The girl looked in the direction Xi Jian pointed and saw the white bear lying motionless on the ground.
“My name is Xi Jian. What’s your name?”
“My name is Sheryl, big sister. Did you kill the bear?”
“Yes, I did.”
“Wow, big sister is so amazing!”
Just then, a man appeared on the lake on a dog-pulled sled, loudly calling out Sheryl’s name.
“Papa, I’m here! Here!”
Sheryl quickly got up, waving and shouting.
The man stopped the sled, got off, and hugged Sheryl tightly, tears streaming down his face.
“Papa, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have snuck out by myself.”
Sheryl told Winnifred about being chased by the white bear.
“This big sister saved me.”
Xi Jian smiled as she watched the two. Winnifred released Sheryl, wiped away his tears, stood up, and thanked Xi Jian.
Winnifred strongly invited Xi Jian to his home as a guest, but Xi Jian quickly declined.
“I still have things to do. I appreciate your kind offer.”
With that, Xi Jian returned to the treasure chest.
She had only fired two shots just now, and she still hadn’t recovered.
Xi Jian raised the gun and fired a shot at the ice surface.
Aside from leaving a white mark, it only chipped off a little ice.
“Big sister, are you trying to break the ice?”
Sheryl had followed her at some point.
At this moment, Winnifred also dragged the white bear to Xi Jian’s side.
He meant that this was Xi Jian’s hunt, and she should take it.
“Papa, can you help Big Sister Xi Jian break the ice here?”
Winnifred nodded repeatedly, saying it was no problem.
He just needed to go home and get some tools.
“Really? That’s great! I don’t want this bear; you can take it back. Just help me break this ice, please.”
And so, Xi Jian returned to the Train to wait for Winnifred to come back with the tools.
“Big sister, your Train has such a unique shape.”
“And it’s so warm, so comfortable.”
Sheryl really liked the Train, running back and forth inside.
“Wow, this hat is so pretty.”
“Do you like it? It’s yours.”
Xi Jian put the red knitted hat on Sheryl, and it matched Sheryl’s rosy cheeks perfectly.
“Thank you, big sister.”
Sheryl happily hugged Xi Jian.
An hour and a half later, Winnifred’s sled appeared in Xi Jian’s sight.
He had returned with ice-breaking tools.
Having professional tools made a difference; in just one hour, the meter-thick ice layer was broken.
Xi Jian saw the treasure chest in the water and happily clenched her fist.
Yes, it’s mine!
But just as Winnifred lowered the grappling hook to lift the treasure chest, an undercurrent suddenly surged beneath the ice, carrying the treasure chest more than ten meters away.
The treasure chest was once again covered by thick ice.
Xi Jian froze, and then her whole body instantly deflated like a punctured balloon, slumping down.
To retrieve it now would require breaking the ice again, but the Train was departing in half an hour.
Twelve o’clock.
“The Train is departing. Please be seated and hold on tight.”
Xi Jian lay on the Simmons mattress, her body trembling from sobbing, tears falling incessantly:
“My treasure chest! ┭┮﹏┭┮”
…
Shortly after Xi Jian left, Winnifred broke through the ice again.
This time, he successfully hooked the treasure chest.
This treasure chest was strange; it had no lock, but it just wouldn’t open.
“Papa, can we come back tomorrow? Maybe Big Sister Xi Jian will be back.”
Winnifred affectionately stroked Sheryl’s head. They tied the treasure chest to the sled and dragged the white bear home.
The next day, they dragged the treasure chest back to the ice lake.
This time, a red Train was parked by the ice lake.