Bai Cheng couldn't be sure of the surroundings where she had parked.
But as the wolf's howl faded, rustling noises began to sound from all directions.
"Is there a forest around here?" Bai Cheng frowned.
The night was pitch-black, so dark that she couldn't even see her own hand in front of her face. There was no way to make out her surroundings.
She flicked on her lighter, but the blue flame barely dispelled any of the darkness.
Next, she gathered the remaining four pieces of wood from the cart, stacking them together before lighting them beside the rail cart. The warm, orange-red glow spread outward, finally allowing Bai Cheng to see her surroundings clearly.
Thick trees, each as wide as a person, encircled her on all sides. Even the light was quickly swallowed by the dense trunks not far away, while the thick canopy overhead completely blotted out the sky, reflecting a sickly, eerie shade of green.
At that moment, Bai Cheng felt as though she was trapped in a cage crafted by nature itself.
Deeper in the forest, shadows shifted. Pairs of crimson eyes flickered in the darkness, moving back and forth, accompanied by the constant rustling of undergrowth.
Seeing this scene, Bai Cheng froze.
Before nightfall, she had seen a patch of woods not far ahead, but it had never been this dense, nor had the trees been so unnaturally thick!
Besides, the entire journey so far had been across open plains. Where did this forest come from?
There was only one explanation… Bai Cheng's gaze darkened. "So, when 'Silent Night' arrives, it directly changes the environment?"
This was not good news.
Moreover, there was no way to get a clear grasp of an unfamiliar environment at night.
Venturing out recklessly would be both foolish and deadly.
Although wolves lurked outside, Bai Cheng was absolutely certain of her safety. After all, the hyena from earlier had proven that much.
For now, she had no intention of exploring. Securing food and water took priority.
The rail cart didn't have much wood left, and the fire wouldn't last long.
Bai Cheng decided to make use of what she had. She easily sliced off a portion of hyena meat with her dagger, skewered it on her stone spear, and began roasting it over the fire.
She estimated the weight. This portion was roughly one kilogram.
For someone like her, that would be enough for an entire day.
"Speaking of which, that hyena must've weighed at least thirty to forty kilos. Why did it only drop six kilograms of meat?"
But then she immediately shook her head. "What am I thinking? Why bother trying to make sense of this damned world…"
Food wasn't an issue for now, but water was another problem.
Bai Cheng only had one bottle of mineral water left, which wouldn't last long.
"Why isn't there a damn water filter?!" She wailed in frustration.
Still, the hyena meat was more than she needed, and it wouldn't stay fresh for long. She could always trade the excess.
At least for now, resources weren't so scarce that she had to tighten her belt just yet.
Soon, the flames licked at the meat, sizzling as fat dripped, filling the air with a rich, savory aroma.
Deep in the dark forest, the beasts seemed to catch the scent, stirring restlessly.
Bai Cheng ignored them completely. Holding the roasted meat close, she inhaled deeply. "Hah, smells amazing!"
She blew on it a few times before tearing into it ravenously.
The meat was tough, chewy, and nearly flavorless, carrying only a faint, gamey aftertaste.
Actually, it tasted nowhere near as good as it smelled.
"It's edible… just bland!" Bai Cheng forced herself to swallow, tilting her head back in resignation.
She kept reassuring herself that no matter how bad it was, it had to be better than compressed biscuits…
After washing it down with half a bottle of water, she finally finished her dinner.
"I feel like throwing up… I hope I don't get diarrhea…" She looked like she was on the verge of tears.
By now, the campfire beside the rail cart had nearly burned out. Bai Cheng picked up the Employee Card and Infinite Coin she had obtained earlier, scanning the prompts that had already appeared on the screen.
There was no description for the Infinite Coin. It was about the size of a one-yuan coin, with the words 'Infinite Train' and an emblem stamped on both sides.
Clearly, it was some form of currency.
Not wanting to lose it, Bai Cheng tossed it into her storage box before turning back to the screen.
[Name: Employee Card (Spotted Hyena)]
[Rarity: Common]
[Description: The first time you kill a creature in the Infinite World, you will receive an Employee Card for that species. Using it will assign a new employee to your train.]
[Evaluation: Who would want a hyena?]
[Hint 1: Each train carriage can only be bound to one employee. Once bound, the employee cannot be replaced or abandoned. If the employee dies, your carriage will be damaged.]
[Hint 2: Without preconditions, employees will be absolutely loyal to you. Their life and death are tied to yours!]
[Hint 3: Employees can grow stronger along with the Train Conductor, gaining strength as your experience increases.]
[Recommended Employee Setup: White, Green, Blue, Purple, Purple…]
The explanation was straightforward. Bai Cheng understood immediately.
"Employees can't be swapped freely, meaning that future train expansions will have the same restrictions. And under certain conditions, they can betray you."
She rubbed her chin. As for the recommended setup, it seemed to imply that obtaining a Green Employee Card early on was impossible.
At the very least, trying to take down an elite-level beast without an employee's help would be next to impossible.
In any case, the system's recommended setup was undoubtedly reliable and suited for most people.
Bai Cheng examined the card in her hand. The front bore the image of a hyena, while the back was inscribed with the words 'Infinite Train'.
It was about the size of a playing card, with a stiff texture.
"I guess this thing doesn't have an upgrade path?" She raised an eyebrow before summoning the Book of Cheng with a thought.
Instantly, the item illustration on the first page transformed into the Employee Card's image.
[White Employee Card: 0/1]
"It needs another card of the same color to upgrade?" Bai Cheng was taken aback. The upgrade method was brutally simple.
But what surprised her more was that she had assumed that the 24-hour cooldown for switching items in the Book of Cheng would apply even after upgrading.
But now, it seemed that upgraded items weren't counted as switched.
Even though the Book of Cheng was her talent, she hadn't fully grasped its mechanics, just like how she still couldn't flip to the second page.
Her earlier actions of killing the hyena, hauling the supplies, and pushing the rail cart had all been considered as work, so no prompts had appeared.
But this was undoubtedly good news for Bai Cheng.
"Does this mean I can upgrade my first employee all the way to Gold-tier?"
If everyone's first employee was limited to White grade, then these Employee Cards would inevitably pile up as surplus.
By trading for extras, Bai Cheng could enhance her own.
But the real question was, what did she have to offer in exchange?
Food like meat was out of the question. Survivors who had obtained Employee Cards must have also slain beasts, meaning that they wouldn't be short on meat.
Bai Cheng shook her head. "Employee Cards are probably still scarce right now. I'll wait a couple of days before trading. For now, I should focus on handling immediate matters."
Just as she was deep in thought, several white wolves with glowing crimson eyes emerged from the dark forest, silently closing in on the rail cart.
Bai Cheng smirked. "Oh. Another Employee Card just delivered itself to my doorstep."