It’s a strange invasion, is it okay for me to fight back?

Chapter 556 Expansion
A special train departs from north to south, carrying a large quantity of medicines and supplies, as well as a group of volunteers holding cards.

The train journey takes about 8 hours. The carriages are all equipped with business-class amenities, with each seat having an individual display screen, reading light, blanket, wet wipes, and other basic supplies. The seats can also be adjusted to recline 180 degrees.

Ling Feiran dragged her suitcase into the carriage. Before she could even ask anything, two attendants greeted her with smiles. One attendant helped her put down her luggage, while the other led her to her seat.

Ling Feiran followed silently behind. She could feel that the train showed preferential treatment to volunteers everywhere.

The social atmosphere is similar; people willingly allow inspectors and hunters to enjoy privileges, from positions, real estate, and salaries to free tickets to scenic spots or priority in queuing. People idolize inspectors and hunters as if they were the first astronauts to fly into space. The core reason for this is that both are willing to dedicate their lives to a great cause.

Inspectors and hunters alike take pride in it.

However, Ling Feiran did not collect cards for the sake of honor.

She simply realized that she would never see Feng Shao return home again. The alien invasion shattered her dreams of a family, so she chose to embrace this bizarre world and explore what other possibilities her life might hold.

The quarantine zone was a good place for her.

She was neither as daring and adventurous as Feng Ling, nor as idealistic and selfless as the inspector. She simply wanted to do what she could in the quarantine area to avoid wallowing in sorrow, and also to avoid...

Avoid becoming a burden to others.

"Please sit here," the flight attendant politely reminded Ling Feiran.

Ling Feiran snapped out of her daze, quickly said thank you, and sat down somewhat awkwardly.

The volunteers entered the carriage one after another, most of them in groups, chatting and laughing, and the quiet carriage gradually became lively.

Ling Feiran touched the armrest of the seat and found a hidden small drawer underneath, which contained the instruction manual for the wireless headphones and display screen.

She can watch movies with headphones on the train to avoid awkward social situations.

Just as Ling Feiran was about to do so, a young girl suddenly sat down next to her—

"Huh? Uh... How do I adjust this seat?" The other person fiddled with it for a bit, then naturally looked up and asked Ling Feiran, "Hello, how do I adjust the backrest of this seat?"

“You need to press that…” Ling Feiran pointed to the adjustment button.

"Oh, thank you!" The girl thanked her and naturally extended her right hand to Ling Feiran. "My name is Wang Xunmei, but people usually call me Xiaomei. What about you? Maybe we'll be colleagues in the future."

Ling Feiran smiled politely, "My name is Ling Feiran, you can call me Feifei."

"Here, have some—" Wang Xunmei grabbed a handful of candy from her bag and handed it over. "It's a specialty from my hometown, White Rabbit yogurt candy, it's super delicious."

Just as Ling Feiran was about to thank them, several more volunteers sat down. They seemed to know each other, and Wang Xunmei grabbed more White Rabbit yogurt candies and stuffed a handful into everyone's hands.

"Wang Xunmei, you brought so much candy?" Lin Pengpeng exclaimed in surprise. "Don't you find it heavy?"

"It's an eight-hour ride, and besides, how heavy can this little bit of candy be? I'm strong, I can carry it." Wang Xunmei said nonchalantly.

Li Yu, who was sitting in the front, leaned over and laughed, "Hehe, actually I also brought some local specialties."

He took out several vacuum-packed bags of spicy chicken feet and handed one to everyone.

He originally only intended to give some to friends he knew, but when he saw Wang Xunmei's candy on Ling Feiran's small table, he generously gave Ling Feiran a bag of spicy chicken feet as well.

"You're in for a treat! This was made by my relative's family, a century-old brand. Their family has been making chicken feet for three generations, and the taste is absolutely authentic!" Li Yu said proudly. Ling Feiran whispered a thank you, but it was unclear whether Li Yu heard her.

Lin Pengpeng sighed, "I should have brought some local specialties with me. I heard that supplies are in short supply in the quarantine area. Forget about food delivery and express delivery. You have to fill out a form for anything you need and the purchasing department will handle the procurement."

Zhang Lu picked up the conversation and said seriously, "Basic living supplies are definitely not lacking, but if you need any special items, it will be difficult to get them. For example, White Rabbit yogurt candy, a specialty of Xiaomei's hometown, is definitely very scarce in the quarantine area."

Wang Xunmei was laughing heartily in her seat.

After returning from Lorias, these people kept in touch. Later, influenced by Pei Xianjue's inspirational words, Lin Pengpeng terminated her contract with Hunter Star International and signed up to become a volunteer in the quarantine area.

Li Yu, Zhang Lu, and Wang Xunmei were all passionate young people who, on a whim, also signed up along with Lin Pengpeng.

Lupo did not return; he remained in the Kingdom of Lorias to continue searching for his relatives.

An announcement came over the loudspeaker that the train was about to depart, and accompanied by soft music, the train gradually accelerated.

The atmosphere on the bus was lively, probably because they all shared common goals and ideals. The young people chatted freely, and the bus was filled with laughter.

Compared to these people, Ling Feiran felt exceptionally old and isolated.

In this atmosphere, watching a movie seemed inappropriate, but she didn't know how to fit in, so she silently unwrapped a candy, put it in her mouth, and looked out the car window at the scenery.

I could hear Wang Xunmei talking to her friends—

"Li Yu, why didn't you sign up for the patrol team? It seems that accommodation is assigned by team. If you also sign up for the patrol team, the rest of us can stay closer together."

“My cards aren’t suited for combat, you forgot? Last time in Lorias, I almost got killed by a Sirin Bird.” Li Yu sighed. “I think I’ll just stay in the logistics team.”

Wang Xunmei turned to Ling Feiran and asked, "Which team did you sign up for? Is it the patrol team?"

Ling Feiran shook her head, "I'm from the medical team."

"A medical team?" Wang Xunmei's eyes lit up. "That's amazing! I really admire people with healing abilities who can treat any kind of injury."

Ling Feiran smiled modestly, "Actually... I don't really know how to treat them. I can't do anything about external injuries. I can only treat some symptoms caused by viruses."

Many volunteers on the train had exchanged information about the cards, so it was fine to reveal some information; being secretive would only seem suspicious.

“Let’s expand our circle,” Wang Xunmei said with a smile. “If I get poisoned, I’ll come to you. You can also ask me for help if you encounter any trouble.”

Ling Feiran was stunned for a moment, "...What is 'expanding your social circle'?"

"It just means expanding your friend list, adding more friends!" Wang Xunmei said with a smile. "You look about our age, how come you don't know how to expand your friend list? Never mind, I'll teach you how!"

Ling Feiran really didn't understand. Her social circle was very narrow, and she was the type to be law-abiding and had never been curious about the outside world.

She took out her phone and added friends according to Wang Xunmei's instructions.

The phone was brand new; Su Yuqing had just helped her register it. There were only two names in her friend list: Feng Ling and Su Yuqing.

Wang Xunmei glanced at it once more, and her eyes widened instantly, her pupils dilating violently!
"My God..." Wang Xunmei looked at her phone in disbelief, then at Ling Feiran, "You, you know Feng Ling?"

　Let me break down the timeline. When Feng Ling was on the phone with Ling Feiran earlier, Ling Feiran mentioned taking the train this Friday. Then Feng Ling killed the White Dragon, rode the kite to the Paradise (two days on the road), killed the Naga in the maze (half a day), went berserk in the Paradise after leaving the maze, traveled to Ilanka that night, was blocked by Ilanka's military restricted area (one day), dug a tunnel to the General's Mansion that night, killed the messenger, and disappeared… So, connecting this to Ling Feiran's Friday storyline should be fine, right? (Anxious)
　　(End of this chapter)