Chapter 5

"Ding, answer, due to your insufficient level and permissions, the system cannot execute this."

"Level? Permissions?" He opened the personal panel in the system, and indeed, there was a section for levels and permissions.

[Host: Li Feng.]

[Age: 23.]

[Strength: 30 (normal is 10).]

[Endurance: 30 (normal is 10).]

[Agility: 30...]

[Level Permissions: Level 1, Mission 1/3, Upgradable.]

"Everything else I understand, but what's this 'Mission 1/3' about? Do I need to complete three missions to level up?"

Staring at the last section, Li Feng fell into contemplation. Instantly, the system provided an answer.

"Yes, Host. To reach Level 2, you need to complete three missions."

"Thank you."

At this moment, Yu Dulin's voice came from beside him. Although it sounded a bit stiff, she had evidently regained her composure after the earlier shock.

For some reason, being near Li Feng gave her an inexplicable sense of security, maybe because he had just saved her. At this moment, she thought that having a man to rely on might not be such a bad idea in this apocalyptic world.

As she thought this, her cheeks turned slightly red, and she even looked away from Li Feng with a hint of shyness.

When everyone listened to the TV broadcast, the voice of a high-ranking leader of the "Cabbage Nation" was heard.

"Citizens, there were riots in several cities, including Seoul, yesterday. It resulted in many casualties on both the police and civilian sides."

"The situation created chaos, leading to the paralysis of several cities, with some citizens damaging police cars and attempting to seize them, as well as vandalizing public facilities."

"As a result, the government has declared a state of emergency, and in order to protect the safety of the citizens and prevent further deterioration of the situation, thanks to the swift response of the Z government, the chaos is gradually being brought under control, and it is expected to be resolved soon."

"Citizens, please trust us..."

Hearing this, Li Feng knew that they might have already been abandoned even at the top level, and that the real situation was being concealed.

Apart from not saying anything else, he knew that the virus was caused by a biological leak from a biotech company, but it was being portrayed as a riot event.

Perhaps it was to avoid causing greater panic.

Thinking this, he couldn't help but sigh softly. He realized that they might lose many lives this time.

But he wasn't the only one who was smart. Looking at the disaster shown on the TV, and the vague and irrelevant words, almost everyone had begun to realize something.

All of them fell silent, and even some women started to sob softly.

In this world, they were in dire straits. The country was gone, their homes were gone, and even phone calls to relatives and friends went unanswered. Some who did manage to make contact only heard their screams as they turned into infected.

Where could they go now? This question plagued everyone's minds, and the answer only led to further despair.

More cries echoed throughout the car, as the feelings of hopelessness and sorrow spread. Finally, they overwhelmed the entire train.

"Li Feng, can we survive this?" Yu Dulin couldn't help but have tears in her eyes. Right now, her only hope was to place it in Li Feng.

"Don't worry; I won't let you get hurt," Li Feng said with a determined look.

At this moment, the announcement over the train's speaker system brought good news.

"Attention, passengers. This train will only go to Daejeon Station. The military is deployed there, ready to clear the train. All passengers are requested to disembark when the train arrives at the station."

"Repeating, all passengers..."

The mention of the military and the deployment sounded promising. It gave a sense of security to the passengers.

"Great, we are safe!"

The atmosphere in the train car became much more lively, no longer as desolate as before.

However, Li Feng couldn't help but feel a touch of disdain in his heart. He knew that the authorities were using this as a way to separate them from the epicenter and avoid taking the virus source to Busan directly. In other words, this station wasn't a real safe zone. Once they arrived there, they would still be quarantined, and there would be a risk of infection. He also knew from the movies that the lack of proper checks had led to the military's downfall at the station, and right now, they were walking into danger.

Li Feng wasn't the only one who realized this. Another perceptive person was Shi Yu, who was in the eighth car. After hearing the news, he handed his backpack to his daughter, Shi Xiu'an, and went to an empty car. There, he pulled out his phone and dialed a number from someone with military connections, Captain Min from Daejeon...

One hour later, the train finally arrived at Daejeon Station.

However, the strange thing was that the entire station was eerily quiet, with a mysterious atmosphere hanging in the air.

Looking around, they found that the station was undamaged, and all the indicator lights were on.

But there were no infected individuals, no military personnel, and not even a hint of human presence.

The silence was eerie...

"Why is no one here?"

"They said the military would be deployed; where are they?"

"It's too quiet, too eerily quiet!"

As the passengers disembarked, they couldn't help but peer around cautiously, as if fearing that an infected person might suddenly jump out from a corner.