Chapter 100: Chapter 100: The Marauder Metropolis and the Ultimate Luxury Lounge

Bai Cheng’s arm, which had been actively locking onto the primary brake lever to clear the station, suddenly froze in mid-air. Her entire posture stiffened as she stared at the flashing interface, slightly stunned.

It turned out the system hadn’t gone completely silent after the conclusion of the initial Pioneer Trial; instead, it had merely been holding its breath, waiting for the global pool of Pioneers to collectively finish the first phase of their localized progression tracking.

Her eyes immediately narrowed into sharp, calculative slits, her gaze locking dead onto the crimson data feeds rolling across the primary monitor.

The previous Pioneer Trial run had rewarded her with a whole new structural train carriage to expand her mobile domain. So, what kind of game-breaking prize was the algorithm dangling in front of them this time around?

[Pioneer Trial Phase Two: Identity and Strength]

[Introduction]

> A Pioneer title does not merely symbolize an administrative identity on the regional boards—it represents absolute, crushing strength. The preliminary trials have already documented that your title was not achieved through sheer luck. Now, prepare to face harsher challenges and directly confront your true regional enemies!

[Trial Details]

> Within the active coordination radius of this localized server channel, there exist several fortified stations completely ruled, managed, or built by the Infinite Marauders. At the absolute center of their network, they have even successfully constructed a functioning rogue city!

Your directive is simple: Complete and absolute eradication of their entire structural network.

Restricted Operational Sector: Lava Volcano Grid

Deployment Restrictions: The execution sequence will actively commence once all regional Pioneers accept the primary directive and physically enter the boundaries of the Lava Volcano area.

System Hint: The moment the mission sequence initiates, your locomotive’s track geometry will follow a fixed, unalterable progression route. Concurrently, your radar detection station will continuously map and display the real-time coordinates of the Infinite Marauders’ stations, regardless of geographical distance.

Absolute Deadline Note: All registered regional Pioneers must arrive within the perimeter of the restricted area within a strict 7-day window. Any conductor failing to meet this baseline condition will have their Pioneer title permanently revoked, and the tactical mission will be forcibly initiated by the system.

Carriage Appendix: Operational slots vacated due to specific external parameters—such as train consolidation merges or Pioneer fatalities—will not be replenished under any circumstances. Current Active Pioneer Count: 62 Conductors.

Phase Completion Reward: Heart of Immortality.

Although the screen was completely packed with rows of dense text, the overarching premise of the second trial phase wasn’t complicated once summarized.

Simply put, Phase Two was a large-scale, server-wide group campaign forcing all remaining 62 Pioneers to converge on a single sector, pool their combat metrics, and systematically wipe out every single rogue faction member occupying the local grid.

However, there were still several critical details in the brief that caught Bai Cheng completely off guard.

The Infinite Marauders had already progressed to the point of commanding their own fortified stations?

But thinking back to her previous encounters, the highly aggressive, organized behavior displayed by those rogue elements back at the First Station had clearly been a tactical attempt to permanently occupy and fortify the hub. It made perfect algorithmic sense.

What truly made Bai Cheng’s lips curl into an excited smile, however, was the phase completion reward: the Heart of Immortality!

She instantly turned her head toward the purple-haired phantom assassin standing at her flank, a brilliant spark in her eyes. "Well, Zi Yuan, looks like your path to successfully breaking through to the Immortality tier just cleared its final bottleneck."

"Yay! Young Miss is the absolute best!" Zi Yuan’s eyes lit up like stars, her entire posture instantly bursting with a fresh wave of hype and combat energy.

However, given that this version of the Pioneer Trial was classified as a forced group campaign, Bai Cheng couldn’t simply trigger the main event solo right out of the gate.

"A maximum buffer of seven days before the system forcibly drags everyone into the instance," Bai Cheng murmured, raising an amused eyebrow. "I certainly hope these other 61 Pioneers aren’t moving at a snail’s pace along their tracks."

"Wait, those Infinite Marauders actually managed to build an entire working city? Is that even real, or is the system just exaggerating?"

Right at that moment, Yu Nian walked back into the control cockpit, carefully balancing a glowing crystal core and a metallic item cylinder in her hands. Judging by her timing, she had clearly audited the secondary trial prompt that had popped up on the display terminal inside the third carriage.

"If they’ve scaled their infrastructure to the point of founding a city, it implies they have a massive pool of manpower gathered in one sector," Bai Cheng analyzed, her thoughts instantly drifting toward a far more important tactical metric. "Which means... their central vault should be absolutely, disgustingly loaded with loot, right?!"

Yu Nian’s eyes brightened as she caught her captain’s wavelength. She tilted her head to glance at the detection terminal, noting that their navigation path toward the next standard milestone station had been temporarily locked out until the trial parameters were updated.

"Perfect. While the regional servers are waiting for the rest of the pack to hit the Lava Volcano grid, we can utilize the travel buffer to properly grind out some extra experience points and build up our stats," Yu Nian noted merrily, presenting the two items in her hands.

Only then did Bai Cheng pull her attention away from the system alert to inspect the physical rewards.

Their sweeping raid of Station Three had truly been a goldmine. Aside from the massive stockpile of lifestyle commodities looted from the convenience store shelves, the two highest-value drops were the blind box tokens Yu Nian had just cleared from the storefront pedestals.

The Elemental Core Box and the Structural Blueprint Box—guaranteed to yield a high-tier core node and an unlearned blueprint from the server database upon activation.

Since Yu Nian had already cracked the casings open, Bai Cheng tapped the items to audit their baseline descriptions.

[Name: Elemental Core]

-> Attribute: Telekinesis

-> Description: Upon integration into a designated train car, all internal furniture, storage containers, and cargo assets can be custom-placed anywhere within the perimeter regardless of gravity constraints.

-> Passive Synergy: While a survivor remains inside the boundaries of this specific carriage, their personal Mental Power recovery rate is accelerated by 50% and their maximum Mental capacity will slowly and permanently scale over time.

-> Evaluation: A true freebie drop that punches well above its weight class!

The physical gravity-defying placement trait on the car itself was relatively niche, but the passive mental buff was an absolute game-changer. An item that could slowly and permanently increase a conductor’s base mental power just by resting inside it?

"If we fuse this Telekinesis core into the specific carriage we use as our primary living quarters..." Bai Cheng’s eyes instantly flashed with intense interest.

It completely lived up to its billing as a high-tier specialized node; the hidden utility attributes it provided were completely unexpected.

Shifting her gaze, she tapped the blueprint card resting beside the core, her anticipation mounting.

[Name: Custom Car Room Layout Blueprint]

-> Quality: Excellent

-> Description: Allows the Conductor to select and construct an exclusive, fully furnished room module (Kitchen, Luxury Bathroom, Master Bedroom, or Living Room Suite). Upon execution, all fixed structural facilities, premium decorations, and baseline furniture sets will be built simultaneously.

-> Construction Cost: 1,000 Infinite Coins.

-> Structural Note: The finalized room module will systematically expand in direct proportion to future carriage upgrades without any adverse structural or structural clipping issues.

-> Evaluation: In a brutal apocalypse world, the value of a pristine set of furniture is immeasurable!

Bai Cheng was slightly stunned yet again. "This kit..."

"How does it look, Xiao Cheng?" Yu Nian looked up, a smug, expectant grin plastered across her face. "Isn’t this a super-value combo drop?"

"It really is. This layout blueprint bypassed my initial estimates completely..." Bai Cheng tilted her head, her gaze shifting back and forth between the blueprint text and the glowing Telekinesis core in her hand. A perfect, optimized engineering plan was already assembling itself in her mind.

Since the Telekinesis-attributed Elemental Core was tailor-made for optimizing a rest area, why not go all the way and utilize the layout blueprint to construct a dedicated master bedroom lounge? 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝕨𝕖𝗯𝚗𝚘𝕧𝕖𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝕞

As for which carriage to select for the installation, Bai Cheng didn’t need to deliberate. Currently, only the third car on their unified train array remained a blank slate without an integrated elemental core.

"Alright then—let’s build our exclusive bedroom suite!"

With a decisive nod, Bai Cheng channeled her interface, consuming both high-tier items simultaneously.

The integration of the Telekinesis core didn’t cause any immediate visual distortions to the train’s outer metal hull, but the execution of the layout blueprint triggered a massive, interactive customization screen before their eyes.

This allowed the two girls to completely immerse themselves in the process of designing their private sanctuary. Their heads were huddled close together over the glowing UI console, their design preferences proving to be surprisingly in sync.

"Let’s stick to just a single heavy reinforced door to maximize privacy, and install two wide side-viewports to ensure plenty of ambient lighting... Wait, look at this option! Can we actually replace the entire rear bulkhead of the carriage with a massive, panoramic floor-to-ceiling window?"

By the time they clicked the final confirmation button, the balance of [Infinite Coins] in their shared account instantly dipped by nearly half.

Filled with anticipation, the two girls immediately turned on their heels and marched back to inspect the newly renovated Third Car.

The exact second the heavy interior door glided open, a breathtaking view greeted them.

The floor was laid out in beautifully polished, waxed hardwood planks that gleamed under the soft recessed lighting, while all four structural walls were wrapped in exquisite, quilted cream-colored leather insulation. The entire aesthetic was a massive departure from the rugged, industrial look of the train, exuding an undeniable aura of high-end luxury.

The layout wasn’t overcrowded with useless furniture, but everything present was arranged with flawless, space-saving precision.

Two sleek, rectangular double-paned windows lined one side of the car, while the opposite corner housed an elegant bunk-bed frame. The beds were roughly 1.5 meters wide and 2 meters long, utilizing a stacked configuration that left plenty of remaining floor space while providing more than enough room for two people to rest comfortably.

A thick, burgundy velvet carpet was laid perfectly flush in front of the bed frame, a sprawling mahogany wardrobe was built straight into the side wall, and a beautifully lit vanity dressing table sat diagonally opposite the lounge chairs.

The moment Bai Cheng and Yu Nian stepped across the threshold, a faint, crisp fragrance drifting through the air immediately washed over them, instantly clearing their senses.

Bai Cheng let out a soft sigh of relief as the heavy mental fatigue and splitting migraine brought on by her recent consecutive spatial teleportation tests dissipated at an extremely fast rate.

This was the active, passive feedback from the integrated Telekinesis core!

She glanced briefly at the custom shoe cabinet mounted right next to the entry door, but her attention—along with Yu Nian’s—was immediately pulled toward the massive, square floor-to-ceiling window occupying the far end of the room.

Originally, that section had been the solid, armored rear wall of the train car, but they had explicitly chosen to delete the standard connecting door mechanism in favor of a panoramic glass view.

The visual clarity was staggering; their gaze could pass through the reinforced glass to track the snow-covered scenery outside the station platform with perfect precision. Of course, since it was classified as a private bedroom suite, the system had automatically equipped every viewport with thick, light-blocking blackout curtains to ensure total privacy whenever required.

Curious about the structural boundaries, Bai Cheng walked to the end of the lounge and pushed open the central latch of the floor-to-ceiling window.

To her delight, she discovered that opening the glass didn’t lead to a dangerous drop straight onto the iron tracks. Instead, the blueprint had engineered a reasonably spacious, semi-circular open-air observation deck extending past the bumper. It came fully equipped with a weather-proof utility table, two matching lounge chairs, and a sleek overhead canopy, creating a perfect private patio for them to relax.

"This architectural design is absolutely flawless!" The blueprint’s spatial transformation had completely exceeded Bai Cheng’s initial expectations, leaving her thoroughly delighted.

But while Yu Nian was also completely enamored by the sheer luxury of the room, she still managed to find a small point to pout about.

"Hey! Why in the world are there two separate single beds?!"

"Two people means two beds, simple math," Bai Cheng laughed, spreading her hands in a playful shrug.

Now that the master carriage transformation was finalized, the two girls had absolutely zero desire to linger inside the creepy, vine-choked terminal for a single second longer.

Bai Cheng still had her legendary Destiny Weapon forging sequence burning at the top of her priority list, and she needed to hit the tracks to locate the hidden crafting hub. She marched straight back up to the lead pilot cockpit and shouted a clear command down to the lion general holding the line.

"Chi Yan! Ignite the primary boilers! We are officially leaving the station!"