Apocalypse Star House Hoarding

Chapter 235

Every day, a train departs from the “Departure Platform.” However, whether the train that arrives at the “Arrival Platform” that same day is the same one remains unknown to everyone.

The exit at the “Arrival Platform” is randomly generated, while the “Departure Platform” usually remains in the same location. Travelers must confirm the station through their mobile phones to reveal the hidden platform, allowing them to enter before the departure time at the end of their designated stay.

If travelers are in a team, only one person needs to locate the hidden platform for the entire group to confirm the station.

Thus, finding the hidden departure station is not the difficult part. The real challenge begins after travelers enter the station.

New and experienced travelers might be able to avoid conflict and bloodshed while scattered across different areas of the city. But once they step into the station, there is no escape.

Every traveler knows that before the countdown of their stay reaches zero, they must board the train according to the rules outlined in the prompts, heading toward the next destination.

Those who violate the rules have already demonstrated the consequences—with their own blood and lives—by the time they arrive at the platform.

No one dares to challenge the rules dictated by the prompts.

Inside the Departure Platform of Wu Kong City, there are no eerie, nightmarish Smiling Faces known for their overwhelming strength. The only threat is other travelers—other humans.

Perhaps the person standing before you is a complete stranger. Or maybe it’s a companion who has journeyed with you all this way. But when it comes to the train—inside or outside, the line between friend and stranger disappears when life and death are at stake. Yu Xi leaped backward, narrowly avoiding the massive rock fist that crashed onto the ground. The sheer force and ruthless precision in the attack made it clear—this was an experienced traveler.

She had assumed that she and Lin Wu had arrived at the station early enough, ahead of most travelers. But evidently, someone had beaten them to it.

Meanwhile, in the minute they had spent fighting, over a dozen more people had rushed onto the previously empty platform.

Some, like Lin Wu, were trying to board the train as soon as possible, hoping to avoid the bloodshed that would inevitably come as more people arrived. Others had no tickets at all and were here specifically to hunt down the earliest arrivals.

Remaining time: 0 hours 55 minutes 24 seconds.

The more merciless the attacks, the more anxious and fearful their wielders were. Their lives were now on a countdown, and they feared death more than anything.

Yu Xi had once asked Lin Wu whether the Departure Platform had creatures similar to the Smiling Faces at the Arrival Platform. And what happened to those who missed the train?

“No, at least, there weren’t any the last time I boarded. As for those who don’t make it on time… no one knows what happens to them. What I do know is that the hour between the first boarding call and departure is the bloodiest time for travelers.

Tickets are hard to come by. Sometimes, it’s not even about strength—it’s just luck.”

Yu Xi understood.

She had just killed an experienced traveler who ambushed her, and by sheer chance, her ticket had been extended. Her original ticket hadn’t even expired yet, but now it was valid for another trip, meaning she wouldn’t have to fight for a ticket at the next stop.

She analyzed this internally, but her expression remained unreadable.

Her opponent had now fully transformed both arms into stone. His chest, back, and neck were also covered in hardened rock—a manifestation of his ability. Though the transformation had a time limit, he only needed it to last long enough to secure a ticket.

The skill was well-balanced in offense and defense. His stone fists made his attacks devastating, and he had always been confident in his abilities.

The girl in front of him was young, her eyes sharp and striking above the mask she wore. But he knew better than to underestimate her. Anyone who had reached the platform with a valid ticket must have some degree of strength.

Yet, despite all his attacks, she dodged again and again. Each strike was just barely off, making his frustration mount. He lunged forward once more.

His massive fist tore through the air and came crashing down.

This time, Yu Xi didn’t retreat.

She stepped forward.

Sidestepping his punch at the last second, she slipped past his arm, grabbed his rock-solid wrist, and twisted—using his own momentum to swing him into another traveler who had been sneaking up on her from behind.

A deafening impact.

The second traveler coughed up a mouthful of blood upon impact, while the stone traveler’s wrist was completely twisted off.

His ability only mimicked stone; he hadn’t actually become rock. The moment his wrist snapped, the transformation faded, and his arm returned to its normal human form—only now, it was a bloody, severed mess.

He collapsed to the ground, writhing in pain, clutching his mutilated wrist as blood gushed from the wound.

The surrounding travelers, locked in their own battles, immediately saw weakness.

Two of them darted toward the fallen traveler, aiming to finish him off and loot his ticket. Despite his desperate resistance, he was quickly overwhelmed and killed.

Yu Xi ignored the spectacle. She and Lin Wu had a clear goal: don’t join the chaos, don’t steal, get on the train as early as possible.

The sheer power she had just displayed made several travelers hesitate, their initial greed fading into caution. But there were always those who gave in to temptation.

A traveler in the crowd raised a gun and fired at her.

She must have something valuable.

Strong travelers meant powerful abilities, and powerful abilities meant rare, high-level resources. Whether she had a ticket or not, this was an opportunity too good to pass up.

And he had the strength to back up his greed—he had a firearm.

But just as he pulled the trigger, the target in his sights vanished.

And in the very next second—

She was right in front of him.

Teleportation!?

No, it wasn’t. It was just an optical illusion caused by her incredible speed.

The gunman’s heart trembled slightly as he realized he might have made a terrible mistake. In his other hand, a grenade appeared—his last resort, a weapon he would never use unless absolutely necessary.

But before he could even pull the safety pin, a flash of light streaked past. He felt a sudden chill in his arm. When he looked down, his left hand was gone. Only a cleanly severed wrist remained. The grenade had fallen into the opponent’s hand, only to vanish the next instant.

Panic-stricken, he fired wildly. She sidestepped, but at such close range, two bullets still grazed her neck and shoulder.

He saw it clearly—the bullet that had scraped her neck only made her frown slightly. Not only was there no wound, there wasn’t even blood, just a faint red scratch.

The next second, a chill spread through his chest. His body froze as if paralyzed, and he could no longer move. Even as he collapsed and took his last breath, he still didn’t understand how he had lost his life so easily…

Yu Xi’s phone vibrated, but given the current situation, she didn’t take it out to check. Instead, she pulled her tang blade from the man’s chest and quickly regrouped with Lin Wu, who had just finished dealing with another traveler. Without hesitation, they sprinted toward the train.

Some travelers, fearful of their strength, scrambled to get out of their way, while others observed them from the shadows. Yu Xi and Lin Wu remained on full alert until they finally made it onto the train.

—

As soon as the two of them stepped into the train car, the overhead light near the entrance flickered on, casting an orange-red glow over them. A familiar electronic voice echoed from a speaker nearby.

{ Please present your tickets. }

Yu Xi and Lin Wu immediately retrieved their silver-white metal tickets from their storage spaces.

{ Validating tickets… Please wait. }

{ Validation complete. Please check the remaining number of stops on your ticket. }

{ Reminder: All combat is strictly prohibited inside the train. }

Both of them looked down at their tickets, where the text had changed.

Departure Time: 11:00

Previous Stop: Wu Kong City

Next Stop: Not Yet Selected

Yu Xi’s phone vibrated again. When she checked it, she found several new messages.

Congratulations: You have defeated a higher-ranked traveler—Wang Chen.

You have obtained a ticket. (One stop)

Congratulations: Your ticket validity has been extended by one stop. (Remaining: Two stops)

A teammate has been detected. Please select your next stop.

Yu Xi opened the teammate list and selected the arrival destination, but only a single option appeared on her screen: Desolate Land (B-Level).

Yu Xi: …

What kind of choice was this?

Meanwhile, Lin Wu’s screen displayed two possible destinations: City of Hope (A-Level) and Desolate Land (B-Level).

Since Yu Xi only had one option, the decision was obvious. Both of them selected Desolate Land, and soon a new message appeared on their screens.

Next Stop: Desolate Land

Please proceed to Car 4.

Since they had boarded from the rear to avoid the chaotic fights, they were currently in Car 7. After confirming their direction, they began making their way forward through the train.

Several travelers were already inside. Some leaned motionlessly against their seats, seemingly still unconscious, while others sat quietly, observing the events unfolding on the platform outside.

As Yu Xi and Lin Wu passed through the train cars, the awake travelers cast measuring glances at them. Some were filled with caution, while others carried hints of friendliness, as if extending a silent invitation.

When the two of them reached Car 4 and casually chose an empty window seat, Lin Wu finally spoke in a low voice, telling Yu Xi that the hour between boarding and departure was not only a time when travelers fought over tickets but also when experienced travelers scouted potential teammates.

However, since the train hadn’t departed yet, no one knew each other’s destination, so there wouldn’t be any immediate action.

But those who were both skilled and clever would memorize the faces of strong travelers. Even if they couldn’t recruit them as teammates, they would at least be cautious when encountering them at the same destination, avoiding unnecessary conflict.

Yu Xi glanced down at the silver metal ticket in her hand. The information on it was now complete.

Departure time: 11:00

Previous stop: Wukong City

Next stop: Desolate Land

Outside the train, more and more travelers were pouring in. Some stepped over bloodstained ground, forcing their way through the crowd to board the train. Others, outnumbered and overpowered, were left behind on the platform forever.

As the final minutes of the countdown ticked away, some travelers, panicked and desperate, rushed onto the train. However, those whose tickets had expired were instantly enveloped in an orange-red light from above, melting into a puddle of liquid. A moment later, even the liquid vanished from the train car.

One man, who had boarded at the same time as the one who melted, witnessed everything up close. He clutched his ticket tightly, standing frozen under the light with a deathly pale face, too terrified to move.

Holding his injured arm, he trembled uncontrollably. Only now did he truly understand why people fought so desperately for tickets.

Outside the train, other travelers who had been gambling on expired tickets immediately halted their steps.

They knew failing to board within the designated time was a violation, but witnessing someone dissolve into a pool of blood-red liquid was far more terrifying.

The battle had left more than half the travelers dead. Only a quarter had successfully boarded the train with valid tickets. The remaining quarter stood on the platform, trembling as they watched the train begin to move.

Yu Xi looked through the window toward the platform. As the train slowly departed, the once-dim yellow glow of the station suddenly flickered out.

Darkness, thick and tangible as if it were alive, swallowed the remaining travelers whole.

Then came the screams.

Horrifying, bloodcurdling cries echoed through the darkness, making one’s scalp prickle with fear. No one knew what those left behind had encountered, and no one ever would—because the only ones who knew had already been consumed by the dark.

As the train raced along the tracks, speeding through the endless void, no one noticed that at the Arrival Platform in Wukong City, something had quietly changed.

More Smiling Faces had appeared.

If one were to count carefully, the number of new Smiling Faces was exactly the same as the number of travelers left behind on the Departure Platform.

They had not died.

But their consciousness and humanity had been stripped away.

Now, they stood there, motionless, twisted grins stretched across their inhuman faces, waiting for the next batch of travelers to arrive… waiting for violators’ blood to soak the platform.

—

{ Next stop: Desolate Land. Stopping time: 10 minutes. }

{ Travelers with this stop as their destination, please disembark quickly. }

{ Reminder: You must leave the platform within 10 minutes. }

This time, the announcement was different. There was no encrypted message to decode.

On their phone screens, the countdown timer glowed red, marking the time left until they arrived at Desolate Land.

This was the train’s first stop after leaving Wukong City. From Yu Xi’s observations, more than half of the travelers were disembarking here. The ones who remained still seemed to be unconscious.

She guessed they were likely new travelers who hadn’t awakened yet because it wasn’t their stop.

At the one-minute mark, Yu Xi and Lin Wu shouldered their backpacks, preparing to get off.

As the train neared the station, it slowed down. Just like before, the pitch-black view outside the window gradually gave way to a dim, heavy light—signifying that they were approaching the platform.

There was no need to decode anything this time.

But according to the announcement, they had only ten minutes to leave the platform.

So, what was waiting for them on the platform this time?