A Guide to Humanity’s Extinction

July 7th, 17:00, Old Jingmai District, Abandoned Train Station.

Carrying backpacks and wearing school uniforms, the boy and girl walked onto Platform 7 together.

They turned to see a seemingly endless train speeding toward them. With a deafening roar, it ground to a halt on the tracks.

[Weekly Dungeon Name: Legend of the Ghost Train Conductor]

[Recommended Number of Players: 4]

"Are you sure we shouldn't invite anyone else?" Kuroki Hitomi asked after a slight hesitation, staring at the recommended player count.

"No need."

Ke Mingqing thought to himself, 'I can create two Theater Puppets. Together, they should be as strong as two or three players. With Kuroki Hitomi, we barely count as four people.'

Kuroki Hitomi nodded and explained her two current skills: "Hand of Replication" and "Sun and Moon Halos."

"You're pretty good at picking skills," he said.

"Just lucky."

They set their backpacks down on a public bench and, following the system's instructions, boarded the train's final carriage.

The moment they stepped inside, the train rumbled into motion. Like a rampaging steel behemoth, it hurtled straight into the dark tunnel.

Plumes of snow-white steam erupted from the gaps between the cars. At the same time, lines of system text popped up in their vision.

[Rules: The train has 20 carriages in total. A carriage filled with "Attendants" will appear every 4 carriages. Leaving the train counts as a failure. To clear the dungeon, you must kill the Ghost Train Conductor in the driver's cabin within 3 minutes.]

[Countdown begins now: Players' remaining time is — 03 minutes 00 seconds.]

[Hint: In this dungeon, player Ke Mingqing's skill "Theater Puppet" and player Kuroki Hitomi's item "First Aid Kit" have been temporarily disabled.]

Ke Mingqing stared at the text hovering in midair. 'I can't use my puppets? That lowers the margin for error.'

"What's the plan?" Kuroki Hitomi asked.

"Wait for me here in Carriage 20. When the time comes, I'll use the Red String of Fate to pull you to my side," Ke Mingqing said.

Kuroki Hitomi nodded.

Ke Mingqing walked forward alone and activated "I Am Lightning." His pupils filled with deep blue electricity, and wisps of crackling lightning danced around his body.

The tunnel was dim, illuminated only by the faint orange glow of the wall lamps shining through the windows. He pressed forward through the alternating light and shadow, coming to a slow stop in Carriage 17.

Ke Mingqing looked up. Carriage 16 was filled with a horde of rotting corpses in attendant uniforms.

Their skin was ulcerated, with pus constantly oozing from gaping wounds. The floor was slick with an eerie liquid giving off white steam.

[Dungeon Monster: Zombie Attendant (The moment they detect an enemy, Zombie Attendants will enter a berserk state.)]

"I can't just push through. There are too many, and the slime on the floor might be poisonous."

Thinking this, the blue light in Ke Mingqing's eyes flashed as he cast his E-grade skill — "Phantom Shift."

[Phantom Shift: Instantly swap places with a living target within a twenty-meter radius.]

He swapped places with the Zombie Attendant closest to the rear of the carriage, instantly appearing behind the horde. Leaning forward slightly, he transformed into a streak of deep blue lightning and sped away.

He quickly left the relentless horde of Zombie Attendants behind, arriving at Carriage 12.

The moment he entered Carriage 12, his vision was once again filled with rows of attendants. The car was crammed with festering figures.

[Monster: Explosive Attendant (Initiates a detonation within 5 seconds of coming into contact with an enemy.)]

He froze for a split second. Right before his eyes, the bodies of the rotting attendants split open, erupting into a massive blast of fire that surged toward the ceiling.

Two seconds later, the smoke faded. The carriage was completely wrecked, with flames still spreading across the floor.

Yet Ke Mingqing walked out of the smoke and searing heat without a scratch. Cradled in his right hand was a tiny paper doll shouting, "God is dead!"

["Ubermensch Philosophy" (For 1.2 seconds, grants you or a surrounding target immunity to damage and control effects.)]

Ke Mingqing let out a breath as the layer of golden light surrounding his body slowly faded.

Soon, he stepped into Carriage 8. It was another car infested with Zombie Attendants; their bodies piled like a mountain, completely blocking the path forward.

He had no intention of fighting them head-on. Instead, he raised his right hand and used the ability of his item, the "Red String of Fate."

[Hint: Ability 3 of "Red String of Fate" — The player can use the "Red String of Fate" to pull the bound target to their side at any time.]

Instantly, the red thread on his pinky finger materialized. It stretched far into the distance, connecting him to Kuroki Hitomi over ten carriages away.

Both of their pinky fingers tightened slightly, and Kuroki Hitomi instantly appeared by his side.

She blinked in surprise, turning to look around.

Ke Mingqing leaned down, sliding one arm under her knees and the other under her arms. He scooped her up lightly from the floor, making it easier to carry her along.

The moment he did, the Zombie Attendants in Carriage 8 caught their scent. Like a sweeping tide, they swarmed toward Carriage 9.

Ke Mingqing carried Kuroki Hitomi and charged forward to meet them. "Use your second skill," he said calmly.

Kuroki Hitomi nodded. Staring straight at the zombie horde, she cast the skill in her second slot — "Sun and Moon Halos."

[Sun and Moon Halos (C-Rank Skill): Creates a miniature sun or moon. When sunlight illuminates enemies, it burns them; when moonlight illuminates enemies, it renders them immobile.]

This time, Kuroki Hitomi chose to release the "Moon Halo." A faint blue crescent moon materialized, hanging high near the ceiling of the carriage.

Clear moonlight spilled downward, illuminating the dim space and bathing the figures of the Zombie Attendants.

They froze in place like statues. The entire carriage fell dead silent, like a scene in a silent film.

Seizing the opportunity, Ke Mingqing held her tight and transformed into a bolt of lightning, sprinting forward to squeeze through the single gap between the frozen monsters.

The crescent moon soon vanished, leaving the Zombie Attendants looking around in bewilderment.

Outside the windows, the scenery blurred past. In no time, Ke Mingqing arrived at Carriage 4 like a flash of lightning. The countdown hovering above showed only one minute remaining.

This was the final hurdle before the driver's cabin, and it was packed with another dense crowd of Explosive Attendants.

The moment he got close, they would erupt into a towering blaze.

"I can replicate your 'Ubermensch Philosophy,'" Kuroki Hitomi suggested.

"No, we don't need it yet," Ke Mingqing said, shaking his head. Without another word, he hoisted Kuroki Hitomi over his shoulder like a sandbag and hurled her forward with all his might.

Kuroki Hitomi was stunned. By the time she snapped out of it, she was already sailing through the open cabin doors and plunging straight into Carriage 4.

The moment the attendants saw her fly in, they swarmed like hungry wolves. Their bodies cracked apart before detonating into a massive sea of fire.

The roaring flames engulfed the girl with the teardrop mole.

But right then, Ke Mingqing raised his right palm and cast the second skill of the "Nietzsche" paper doll.

[Eternal Recurrence: Returns you or a surrounding target to the position they were in 1.5 seconds ago.]

The target Ke Mingqing chose was naturally Kuroki Hitomi. In an instant, she vanished from midair. Not only did she completely dodge the explosion, but she snapped right back to where she had been 1.5 seconds earlier.

The girl with the teardrop mole blinked in a daze, looking quietly up at Ke Mingqing from his arms.

A deafening roar shook the air as a massive fireball shot up just ahead, swallowing the entirety of Carriage 4. The oncoming wave of heat fluttered their bangs and school uniforms.

"When I threw you, did you think I was using you as cannon fodder?" Ke Mingqing joked, loosening his grip to let her down.

Kuroki Hitomi landed on her feet and shook her head. "I trust you."

The two moved from Carriage 5 into Carriage 4, stepping over a field of charred and rotting corpses as they approached the final driver's cabin.

"The final boss is in the cabin. What now?" Kuroki Hitomi asked.

"The conductor should be weak," Ke Mingqing said calmly. "Otherwise, it makes no sense for the previous hurdles to be this difficult when the system only gave us a three-minute time limit."

"Good point." Kuroki Hitomi pondered for a moment. "I still have one skill left. I'll use it on you when you need it."

"Let's play it by ear. No need to be too rigid." Ke Mingqing thought to himself, 'As expected, tackling a four-player dungeon with only two players is a bit of a stretch.'

The real issue was that his "Theater Puppet" had been disabled. Otherwise, he wouldn't be stuck in such an awkward, out-of-options situation.

Kuroki Hitomi nodded, and Ke Mingqing stepped forward into the pitch-black driver's cabin.

The instant his feet crossed the threshold, chains suddenly rained down from above, binding him tightly layer by layer. Black lightning erupted from his body as he tried to tear the chains apart, but it was useless.

It seemed to be a "first-encounter kill" mechanic. One player was absolutely guaranteed to be bound by the chains without any chance of escape.

Immediately after, the conductor in the driver's seat stood up. He turned his head and aimed a musket straight at Ke Mingqing's chest. Beneath his hat, his eyes—flickering with eerie blue flames—narrowed, and he pulled the trigger.

"Bang—!" Gunpowder blasted from the muzzle.

But outside the cabin, Kuroki Hitomi hadn't been standing idly by.

"Hand of Replication," she said.

[Hand of Replication (C-Rank Skill): Replicates any C-Rank or lower skill previously used by a nearby player.]

[You have replicated player Ke Mingqing's C-Rank skill — "Gate of Truth." (Currently available philosopher "Nietzsche": 1. Ubermensch Philosophy; 2. Eternal Recurrence).]

"Ubermensch Philosophy."

Kuroki Hitomi commanded in a low voice. The philosopher paper doll in her palm leaped high into the air.

At the same time, Ke Mingqing was once again enveloped in a faint golden glow. He took the musket fire head-on without suffering a single scratch.

The chains shattered under the impact of the gunpowder, freeing him completely.

In a flash, he transformed into a streak of deep blue electricity and shot forward. Amidst the roar of thunder, he raised his right hand. As he bent his fingers forward, crackling black lightning wrapped around his fingertips like a dark, refined blade.

He thrust his lightning blade forward, tearing right through the conductor's raised musket and piercing straight into its skull. The conductor's head exploded, scattering into a mist of blood.

[Congratulations! Player Ke Mingqing has successfully slain the Dungeon Boss — "Ghost Train Conductor."]

[The Weekly Dungeon "Legend of the Ghost Train Conductor" has been successfully cleared. The settlement phase will begin in three minutes.]

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