Chapter 116: Liang Bing's Speculation

“Don’t worry about it; we were just cannon fodder from the start! It’s already a blessing to come back alive. I don’t even know what went wrong with this mission—it suddenly became so dangerous!”

Gao Ning stood up and stretched lazily.

“There’s nothing else going on, so I’ll head back to rest first. I find all this wandering around quite tiring, and with no news from you all, I can’t settle my mind at all. I really need a good sleep now.”

Liang Bing said earnestly, “I owe you one for lending a hand; otherwise, I’d be finished today!”

“No need to—”

“Let me tell you a secret!”

“Hm?” Gao Ning turned back upon hearing this.

Liang Bing nodded and tapped the coffee table. Two portions of jelly appeared right on the surface.

She scooped a spoonful, tasting it, and the exquisite flavor flushed her cheeks with color.

“The mysterious train does have a destination!”

Upon hearing this, Gao Ning’s brow furrowed sharply.

“Although on the surface, the mysterious train seems far gentler than the Infinite Space, where failing tasks isn’t such a big deal, the train itself is actually a process of selection.

Only those who survive the mission worlds, acquire certain abilities, and gain enough self-protection can witness the scenery at the final stop.

“What exactly do you mean?”

“After completing this mission and returning to the mysterious train’s space, some special information suddenly appeared in my mind.

As we thought before, the train’s mission worlds come in groups of three, with a no-task world between each group.

After experiencing three worlds, you gain a new ability—random in nature, sometimes strong or weak, orthodox or sinister, bright or dark, anything is possible.

As we continue to go through mission worlds, we grow stronger and accumulate more abilities.”

Liang Bing paused. Gao Ning asked, “Isn’t that how it works?”

“On the surface, yes. But beneath the obvious, there’s a hidden thread.

The so-called gentle attitude of the mysterious train—towards missions—is misleading.

Of course, we can ignore the missions as long as we protect ourselves well, hiding from enemies and others in each mission world.

But actually, the more mission worlds you go through, the more you realize this theory doesn’t hold.

Mission worlds vary widely, and you often encounter unavoidable scenarios.

When you, with no combat experience, face a hostile enemy group, it’s basically a death sentence.”

Gao Ning grew impatient. “Can you just get to the point? I’m completely lost!”

“What I’m saying is, missions do matter. After completing three missions in a row, you get a city entry card.

And that’s exactly what I mean by the final stop!”

Liang Bing slammed the table.

Gao Ning looked down with a strange expression. “What are you showing me? Are you joking?”

Liang Bing showed no surprise and said calmly, “Looks like you really can’t see it. Probably some condition hasn’t been met.

If I’m right, the basic requirements for the entry card should be three missions completed and five worlds traversed. You’re missing one.”

Gao Ning remained silent.

Liang Bing continued, “Since boarding the mysterious train, I’ve been wondering where the hostile groups come from.

At first, I thought they were like us—poor souls extending their lives in this train’s space, endlessly doing missions.

But as time went on, I abandoned that theory.

If they were all newcomers, it wouldn’t make sense for every enemy we meet to have special abilities.

According to the rule that abilities come after three worlds, this doesn’t add up.

By that logic, hostile groups always have the upper hand in combat.

Then it dawned on me: this must be by design.

The first set of mission worlds is manageable; enemies aren’t too strong. But from the second set onward, enemies grow stronger and mission spaces become more restrictive—just like this time.”

Liang Bing looked at Gao Ning seriously. “If it weren’t for you, I wouldn’t have realized the town was isolated.

Even more, the flow of time on both sides differs—something unimaginable before.”

Gao Ning nodded thoughtfully.

Liang Bing was right: once the mission space is confined, even a sealed chamber, there’s no room for maneuvering and close-quarters combat is inevitable.

“So I have two theories. First, the hostile group are deadbeats stranded in the mysterious train.

They accept their fate, refuse to improve, or fear reaching the final stop, forever running away.

They extend their time on the train by hunting, trying to gain more abilities.”

“Second!” Liang Bing held up a second finger.

“They are simply deserters from the final battle!”

Gao Ning pondered for a moment, then looked up. “You mean you want to see the final stop?”

“Yes! But my abilities are limited, so I’m not planning to use the card right now.”

“You want to wait until I get the card too and enter together?”

Liang Bing nodded. “Your offensive power is unparalleled. My ability has some flaws, but if I level up just a bit more, I could link three to four mirror spaces, making survival much easier.

Together, your offense and my defense would perfectly complement each other.”

“That makes sense! But from what you’ve analyzed, the final stop clearly isn’t a safe place. It could be even more dangerous than Infinite Space. Why risk your life when you could just enjoy life on the mysterious train? Risking your life isn’t my style.”

“We have to gather more information and see the final stop with our own eyes. It’s crucial for us.”

Liang Bing paused, then suddenly said, “Don’t you want to see a broader world, gain more powerful abilities,

become the master of a world, or even a god?”

Gao Ning shook his head decisively. “No.”

Liang Bing couldn’t help but roll her eyes.

“Then are you just going to drift through life? Can’t you have some ambition?”

Gao Ning smiled. “We’re already dead. Chasing ambitions now is exhausting, isn’t it? Danger lurks everywhere on the train. Though it seems calm on the surface, dark currents flow beneath.

The hostile group is only one part of it. The real danger lies in scripted events.

Even a master of luck like Zhou Banxian met a tragic death. Why bother scheming so carefully?

Listen to me: while gathering intelligence is important, don’t overthink it.

Discard the false information your mind conjures up. Get a good, steady sleep, rest for a while, relax your spirit, then reconsider the matter.

That’s what you truly want.

That so-called city entry card probably has no time limit anyway. If that’s the case, why rush? Isn’t watching from the sidelines good enough?”