Chapter 203 203 Chapter - #5 The Lonely Ocean Strange Ship Station
203 Chapter - #5 The Lonely Ocean Strange Ship Station
"Yu Nian, wake up!"
"Bai Cheng, don't sleep!"
Leng Ningxue's voice echoed in their ears, and both of them groggily opened their eyes.
"Ugh... so sleepy. Is it dinner time?" Yu Nian was the first to poke her head out from the upper bunk.
She then noticed that the window, though obscured by curtains, still let in a faint, dim light, indicating it was still daytime.
"What the heck, it's not even dark yet..."
Bai Cheng, however, quickly sobered up, immediately sat up, and asked, "Have we arrived at Station #5?"
"Almost," Leng Ningxue replied, "The train is already slowing down."
By then, she was already prepared, just waiting for Bai Cheng and Yu Nian.
The two quickly changed their clothes and washed up, then, as usual, slung on their backpacks with essential survival supplies and hurried towards the front of /N_o_v_e_l_i_g_h_t/ the train.
At this moment, the triangular curtain was almost completely burned out, with the entire front of the train having already entered it.
The three immediately looked out the window, scanning their surroundings. It was still the familiar layout, but this time, the words "Channel #2 Exclusive" were missing from the walls.
Moreover, unlike previous times, this Station was very small, so small that it only had a single track for passage.
Bai Cheng was slightly surprised by this. "Is this... a solo Station?"
They hadn't seen a Station like this in a long time.
It was hard to imagine that after entering a large public area, they would still visit such a Station.
Based on past experience, solo Stations have always been relatively low in difficulty and should be easy to pass.
"Could it be that because of the prerequisite conditions, the difficulty of this Station has actually decreased?" Yu Nian couldn't help but speculate.
With a hiss, the train came to a complete stop, and almost simultaneously, the Station information updated on the screen.
The three immediately leaned closer to look.
"Arrival Station: #5 Solitary Ocean Ghost Ship Station!"
"Station Type: Solo Restricted Station"
"Station Description: Enter the abandoned giant ship, search for clues, and successfully restore its operation."
"Time remaining to depart: 6 hours (If the mission is not completed within 6 hours, the difficulty will greatly increase)"
"Station Rules: Staff cannot enter the Station, all crew members must enter the Station, and no life artifacts or abilities (including weapons) can be used within the Station."
"Reward: Mental attribute points awarded based on contribution appraisal."
However, it was clear that the actual situation was not as they had imagined.
Although this was a solo Station, with staff restricted and their powers sealed, the three felt that this mission would be even more dangerous.
Bai Cheng frowned deeply. "This time, there's even a rare reward."
It was worth noting that among all the numbered Stations they had arrived at, Station #5 was the first to explicitly state what rewards would be gained upon completion.
"But it's one thing for staff not to be able to enter, it's another that our powers will be sealed..." Yu Nian showed a worried expression, clearly concerned about the danger of this Station.
Leng Ningxue was more optimistic. "You can think of it the other way: if we can still clear this Station even with our powers restricted, doesn't that just mean that Station #5 is less dangerous than all previous Stations?"
"Oh, that makes sense."
Ultimately, the inability to use their abilities simply made them feel insecure within the Station.
Bai Cheng had already opened the train door, and at the same time, the entire interior of the arrival Station instantly lit up.
She said without looking back, "Let's get ready to go."
"The description also says we need to search for clues, which is probably a puzzle-solving type of mission," Bai Cheng guessed, then continued, "It seems we just need to restore the operation of this giant ship to pass."
"Puzzle-solving, huh?" Leng Ningxue suddenly chuckled, "Actually, I'm quite good at escape room puzzles."
Seeing the two of them looking relaxed, even joking, Yu Nian, who was behind them, couldn't help but feel a bit relieved.
As Bai Cheng stood before the mechanical door and completed the authentication, with a click, the door slowly opened.
A cool breeze immediately swept in, making their hair flutter.
The air even carried a very strong, fishy, salty scent.
"This smell..."
"It's sea breeze."
Since the Station was an abandoned giant ship, it must be docked on the sea.
However, why sea breeze would blow from an indoor connecting corridor was something the three couldn't understand.
Stepping onto the walkway, in addition to the fishy, salty air they encountered against the wind, there were continuous lapping sounds from both sides, the surging of waves.
And the sound seemed to come from beneath their feet, not far from them.
"This walkway is suspended; it's the gangway to board the giant ship."
The three didn't stop, continuing forward.
The walkway was very long; they walked for a full ten minutes. Pushing open the decayed wooden door in front of them, what greeted their eyes was a pitch-black, impenetrable darkness.
Bai Cheng stopped there, not stepping in immediately.
"So dark?" Yu Nian frowned; her voice faintly echoed in the dark space before them.
This indicated that the room they were about to enter was very large.
However, the three were well-prepared; the backpacks they packed each time they boarded a Station weren't just for food and water, but also contained some tools.
Three beams of white light from flashlights dispelled the darkness before them, and Bai Cheng and the others stepped in one after another.
Creak—
The old wooden floor beneath their feet immediately let out a grating sound, its decay so severe it seemed ready to collapse at any moment.
The room before them was indeed very large, but also very dilapidated.
Everything around them was made of wood; the air was unusually damp, and everything was already covered in cracks and moss.
The flashlight beams swept around, revealing nothing but a single wooden door in the distance, on which a yellowed parchment was nailed with a rusty long nail, densely covered with what looked like writing.
"I thought it was a modern ship, but I didn't expect it to be an antique..." Yu Nian observed her surroundings with some unease; she felt something was off.
Bai Cheng's gaze was still on the parchment. She said, "Let's go."
At this moment, Yu Nian suddenly reacted. "Wait, why is it so quiet here?"
Bai Cheng and Leng Ningxue were also taken aback.
Right, where was the sea breeze that blew from who knows where? And the sound of the waves had also disappeared.
Clearly, this giant ship was not only strange but also revealed a hint of eeriness.
Just then, Yu Nian, whose peripheral vision had been observing her surroundings, suddenly noticed a dark shadow flash from a corner.
She quickly chased after it with her flashlight beam, shouting at the same time.
"Who's there!"
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