A Core Ship From The Start
Chapter 1431 - 970: On the Road (Need to Visit the Hospital Tomorrow)

Chapter 1431: Chapter 970: On the Road (Need to Visit the Hospital Tomorrow)

Although they had boarded the train, everyone was still deeply unsettled. Food and water were pressing issues for them, and being dependent on strangers made them unsure of what kind of treatment they would receive.

"Do you think they’ll feed us?"

While staying inside the carriage, Miyamoto Rei asked softly. After all, they had stayed in the mall for so long, eating whatever was left until there wasn’t even a single can left behind. When they left the mall, each of them only carried a few items of clothing for changing and some leftover medicine. Originally, they still had some food reserves, but once the zombies swarmed into the mall, even their remaining food supplies were completely ruined...

"I don’t think they’ll let us starve... I mean, they seem pretty nice."

Marikawa Shizuka, oblivious and carefree as always, replied in an almost maddeningly relaxed tone. Still, say what one might about her—she was at least a doctor, even if just a school nurse. In the chaos of an apocalyptic world, her skills made her extraordinarily precious.

"I don’t think they look like people who’ve survived wandering through the ruins,"

Tall City Saye snorted softly.

"This train—strange as it is—is quite perplexing. I’ve heard of ’survivalists’ or whatever they’re called, people who prepare bunkers for scenarios like the apocalypse or nuclear war, but using a train as a shelter? That’s really bizarre. Trains need rails to run, and who can guarantee the tracks won’t collapse somewhere? Not to mention trains require fuel..."

As she spoke, Tall City Saye counted on her fingers, her brows furrowing deeper with each additional point.

"And also... to them, what exactly is our value?"

"Value?"

"Exactly. Even before the apocalypse, getting on a train would require purchasing a ticket, right? So now that this train has taken us in, what do we have to offer as ’fare’?"

"Well..."

Hearing Tall City Saye’s pointed question, everyone fell into silence for a moment. Even Tall City Saye herself seemed to think discussing this was too heavy, so she sighed and quickly changed the subject.

"Never mind, talking about this now won’t help... Let’s just hope they won’t make things too difficult for us."

[Ding dong—]

Right at that moment, the soft chime of the intercom suddenly resounded through the carriage, catching everyone off guard for a moment. Then, a voice came from the speaker.

[Hello, dear passengers. Dinner will begin shortly. Please prepare to head to the dining car for your meal.]

"Wow! Dinner time!"

Hillary Alice, being the youngest among them, cheered with raised hands, visibly excited. She hadn’t had a proper meal in a long time, and hearing there would be dinner made her jump with joy. Seeing the little girl so elated, the others couldn’t help but smile as well.

"Well, at least it seems like they don’t intend to starve us."

Tall City Saye shrugged and stood up.

"Let’s go see what kind of good food we’re about to get."

The dining car was located between the VIP section and the regular carriages. As Tall City Saye and the others left the women’s carriage, they saw people from the men’s section walking over from the other side. The groups exchanged greetings before heading toward the dining car. Naturally, casual chatter about the evening’s menu began along the way.

"Whatever they serve is fine, just please, no more beans,"

Komuro Takashi groaned in despair, unable to resist complaining. In the mall, they had eaten plenty of canned goods, but most of the cans contained beans—likely because it was a local staple. However, for Komuro Takashi, who wasn’t from this country, eating beans every day felt akin to torture. Sure, they were nutritious, but eating them three times a day for months was enough to make anyone nauseous.

"Having beans at all is already a blessing. Beans can be delicious when done right—bean soup, fried beans, roasted beans..."

"Spare me."

"Eating is secondary for me; I’d much rather have some alcohol."

Being an adult, Aiden couldn’t help but express his preferences compared to these bean-obsessed kids.

"Whiskey would do, or maybe a cocktail, or even vodka..."

"Yeah, dream on. What do you have to trade for booze?"

Joel’s sarcastic jab made Aiden fall silent—after all, alcohol in this world was a luxury. As Aiden had learned, the mall’s liquor store had been raided long ago, and much of the valuable collection had been used to light fires by people who didn’t even appreciate good drinks. That nearly drove Aiden mad with frustration.

[Swoosh...]

The door to the dining car slid open, and with it came an inviting aroma that made everyone freeze in astonishment.

The tables in the dining car carried an array of dishes. Of course, it was far from a hotel feast—just a simple dinner of bread, steak, soup, and some salad. For Duanmu Huai, this was just a "regular dinner menu."

But for the survivors in this bleak world...

"Am I dreaming...?"

Miyamoto Rei’s eyes sparkled, and she walked toward the table in a trance as if hypnotized, staring at the steaming food with disbelief.

Six months. Six entire months. Who could understand what it felt like to be stuck in a mall for half a year, surviving on canned goods and biscuits, drinking filtered rainwater? What kind of life was that?

By the way, Duanmu Huai himself preferred hotpot or something Chinese, but most of the girls around him leaned toward Western cuisine. With names like Axelle and Lumiaire, they didn’t seem like fans of dumplings. Mary was the same, having grown up in the "fish and chips" capital of the world—afternoon tea with sweet treats was her thing.

Ogis and Gavi didn’t really care; they could eat or skip meals without fuss.

So the minority yielded to the majority, and Duanmu Huai had to settle for red wine beef instead of stewed beef with soy sauce...

What could he do? Everyone loved familiar flavors. Other countries might mock Fog City for offering nothing but fish, chips, and "starry pies," but Mary was devoted to her native dishes. Other foods weren’t necessarily bad—they were just unfamiliar... Such was life.

"Is this really for us?"

Even Tall City Saye couldn’t quite believe it. She thought having some hot soup and bread would already be luxurious, but steak and salad? Even before the apocalypse, steak wasn’t an everyday indulgence!

[Swoosh.]

While the group hesitated, the opposite door of the dining car slid open. Mary and others entered. Seeing the group of stunned survivors, Mary and her companions paused briefly, then offered a polite nod.

"Ah, hello."

"Hello..."

Tall City Saye quickly returned the greeting, then pointed to the table of food.

"Excuse me, was this prepared for us?"

"Yes, of course. You were notified to dine, weren’t you?"

"That’s true, but... isn’t this a bit too extravagant?"

"Extravagant?"

Mary and Axelle exchanged puzzled looks in response to Tall City Saye’s question.

"Whatever. If there’s food, I’m eating first."

Aiden couldn’t care less about the details. He hurriedly found a seat and began devouring his meal. Hillary Alice also couldn’t resist and took a spot at another table, eagerly savoring the food.

With these two leading the way, the remaining survivors stopped hesitating. After all, eating was their survival instinct. If they were going to die, they at least wanted one good meal before they went!

Soon, everyone was full—or as full as one can be without alcohol. In this brutal world, the chance to sit in comfort and savor tender, fragrant beef, sweet and sour soup, and fluffy white bread was nothing short of heavenly.

After dinner, Mary and her team returned to their own carriages to rest. The survivors also left the dining car. Tall City Saye and Miyamoto Rei had volunteered to wash dishes, but Mary assured them someone else would take care of it. Satisfied and with full stomachs, everyone returned to their respective quarters to relax and lay down.

"Ah... Who would’ve thought we could have food like this again? I could die happy tomorrow..."

Miyamoto Rei sprawled out on her bed, listening to the rhythmic clanking of the iron rails outside. The steady sound of "clack-clack" lulled her into a dreamy state, making her feel like she was already in Heaven.

"But we can’t just eat and drink for free. We have to do something to repay them."

Tall City Saye sat on a different bed. She couldn’t deny the meal had been extraordinary, but she didn’t believe in taking without contributing. Even if Mary and her group were genuinely kind, there was no way they could freeload indefinitely.

"Besides, we still don’t know what’s going to happen next."

Aiden and Joel had clear goals; Tall City Saye knew Aiden planned to deliver a message to the next city, while Joel wanted to escort a girl to her destination. But their group was different—their homeland was on the other side of the ocean, a place nearly impossible to return to now.

Tall City Saye had also asked Aiden and Joel about conditions in human settlements, and what she learned wasn’t promising. From her perspective, those settlements didn’t sound like places where their group would thrive. On the contrary, staying on this train seemed like a far better option.

This brought up the next issue.

What could their group contribute?

With this thought in mind, Tall City Saye contemplated for a moment and clapped her hands.

"I’ve decided—I’m going to try to talk to them."