Ch.1717. The Train Station.

# 17. Train Station

A magnificent ceiling with glimpses of sky between the gaps, supported by ornate pillars.

Although many lights that would have made the building more splendid couldn’t withstand the passage of time and now remain silent, leaving only the beam from my flashlight to examine the building.

Nevertheless, I’ve entered a building more magnificent and impressive than any I’ve seen so far.

“…I wonder if cities, like people, need to make a good first impression?”

Every city I’ve passed through has been surrounded by fences too high and sharp to be overcome by human power.

The fences are usually far from populated areas and so thin they’re barely visible.

But because of those fences, ordinary people had to pass through this “Train Station” to enter or leave the city.

“I’ve thought several times while traveling through cities that train stations seem to be built particularly grandly… but this one is truly amazing.”

Perhaps because they’re responsible for a city’s first impression, train stations were elegant and magnificent even in the most remote cities.

But this building was in a completely different league, worthy of being called more impressive than any building I’d seen before.

If this city’s history had continued, this would surely have been remembered as one of its great architectural achievements.

“…I wonder if this is related to that black pillar I saw from the rooftop a few days ago?”

The unusually magnificent face of the city and the enormous pillar I hadn’t known existed until coming here.

It seems too deliberate to be coincidence, with the train station and pillar built almost in a straight line.

“Maybe they decided to make this train station as magnificent as possible because it connected to such a special place!”

It’s just speculation, but… considering the peculiar pillar, I think it’s quite plausible.

It would be stranger if a place with such an enormous pillar—visible from dozens of kilometers away—were just an ordinary location.

“Hehe, thinking of it as a special place makes me feel like some miracle might happen.”

Perhaps many people who left the city are living together there, or maybe there’s still transportation that can easily take you to distant cities.

With such happy thoughts, I trudge around inside the train station.

“It’s a bit disappointing, though. Such a magnificently built structure now abandoned in this state.”

The actual height of the train station was incredibly low compared to other buildings—perhaps only 4-5 stories tall.

Yet its massive pillars stretched toward the sky, and the ceiling gave the illusion of touching the heavens with its elegant, orderly beauty.

But that was only when pointing my flashlight upward.

When I lowered the light to see where “people” rather than “technology” would have stayed, the building instantly became chaotic.

Now, the interior of the train station was so packed with large bags and trunks that there was barely room to step.

“It seems many people wanted to leave this city like me. Though it looks like they were blocked by security robots and had to turn back.”

I can’t know when the electricity and water were cut off.

But I can vividly sense the desperation and struggle of people who realized staying in this city meant death.

Numerous clothes and bills scattered on the floor.

I passed between the now-motionless security robots and security checkpoints, moving deeper inside, past a family clutching small crosses and Bibles.

“I naturally assumed the machines stopped working after everyone died… but that doesn’t seem to be the case.”

The security robots at the entrance were different from those I saw at the Superstore—they were built specifically for their “security” mission.

Their appearance wasn’t far from what you’d imagine a basic robot to be—a rectangular body with caterpillar treads and robot arms.

However, they were about twice the size of an adult male.

With each robot arm equipped with terrifying weapons like batons or machine guns, they were excellent security robots.

Even I instinctively hunched my shoulders when passing through the security checkpoint, despite knowing the robots weren’t operational.

…Ordinary people probably wouldn’t have even thought of confronting them.

“Ah. There’s a bag here too.”

In that sense, finding an intact bag in this space beyond the security checkpoint was evidence that the people of this city had survived longer than I thought.

“The bag is in too good condition to have been left by someone who forced their way through during the chaos.”

They might have had a pass that allowed the security robots to let them through.

If so, they would have surely taken the large train that would have operated alongside the security robots to the next city.

What fool would choose to remain in a city heading toward doom when escape was right in front of them?

“The fact that only the bag is sitting here alone… suggests someone came this far but turned back, lacking the courage to venture into the snowfield.”

Perhaps because the security robots had guarded it so thoroughly, the space beyond the security checkpoint was relatively clean.

There were bags and trunks scattered here and there, but unlike in the city, there were no corpses to be seen.

“People who made it this far had exactly two choices.”

Either abandon everything and venture into the unknown snowfield.

Or remain in the familiar city, even if it meant starvation.

“I can choose the former without hesitation because I’m a wanderer on a journey to find survivors. But for people with families, or those who’ve lived their entire lives in this city… it must have been a difficult choice.”

Those who couldn’t overcome their fear of the unknown.

Or those bound by reasons they couldn’t leave the city and gave up moving forward.

“I wonder what happened to those who turned back when escape from the dying city was right in front of them.”

The fate of those who returned to their birthplace, leaving behind all their precious belongings they had gathered to survive in this place—the only escape route from the city.

…Perhaps I had already encountered them while passing through the residential areas.

“This seems to be the last bag here.”

The line of ownerless bags continued longer than I expected, suggesting more people had survived after the power was cut than I thought. But now it was coming to an end.

“This is truly the ‘end of the city.’ Once I open this door and go outside, I’ll be departing into an unknown world, far from the lonely yet comfortable city.”

I place my hand on the handle of a door marked with an emergency exit sign.

Someone had written “Toward Paradise” on the emergency exit with red spray paint.

“‘Toward Paradise’… what a romantic phrase.”

I struggle to open the door—either because it’s been abandoned for so long or frozen from the cold—and step outside the city.

“Ugh… the wind is too strong.”

Immediately, wind unobstructed by buildings or trees hits me, tossing my hair.

“Even though I’m wearing thick clothes, the wind seems to penetrate everything… I miss my long hair that used to reach my waist. I shouldn’t have cut it just because it was annoying.”

I slowly open my eyes, which I had kept closed until I could get used to the cold, sharp wind.

A vast snowfield stretches before me, contrasting with the darkness beyond the horizon.

“Wow. I’m already feeling breathless.”

I can’t help but sigh at the sight of the snowfield where absolutely nothing is visible.

You’d think I’d be used to crossing such snowfields after the past year, but…

Knowing how painful the journey will be, rather than getting used to it, I just feel a stronger urge to smoke.

Still, the difference now is… I have a drone beside me that delivers messages from people.

“Alright! Whatever happens, this is a much better situation than having to cross the snowfield alone, so there’s no need to feel discouraged already!”

Humans are strangely influenced by the presence of others.

Sometimes that presence can have a negative effect, making you tense or breathless.

But occasionally, just knowing someone is watching can make you feel better and give you strength.

…Still, it feels so overwhelming.

I can’t even see that black pillar because it’s so dark, so I have no idea how far I need to go.

“…I don’t know how long it will take to reach the next city, but with you all, I think I can endure for more than a month.”

If a city with tall buildings lined up makes people feel confined…

This wide-open snowfield with nothing in sight gives me a sense of overwhelming emptiness.

“…No, is a month too long? Right, if it takes that long, you watching this video would get bored too. I hope I can reach the next city within a week!”

To overcome that overwhelming feeling, I joke toward the drone, then open the emergency exit door again to escape from the cold wind.

“Oh. I can spend the night here. Robot management room… I guess? How lucky!”

After returning to the train station, I found a perfect room near the emergency exit while looking for a place to spend the night.

It seems to have been a place for managing various robots, including security and cleaning robots. It had a desk and a comfortable chair, which looked very nice.

Because of its purpose, there was an unusually complex physical lock on the door, probably to prevent access by ordinary people.

“Well, it’s time for you to work again, Maximus!”

Fortunately, I had my sturdy Fire Axe, which had already helped me break through and open many locked doors.

“First… as I mentioned before, I’ll wait for the best weather before officially departing.”

After entering the room, I put down my bag, sat in the chair, and placed only the stove and map on the desk.

In the instantly warmed room, I picked up a pencil and clearly wrote my future objectives on the map so everyone watching the video could understand.

“You might think, ‘If it’s going to take several days anyway, is there really any point in waiting for clear weather?'”

That statement isn’t wrong.

In a world where blizzards hit several times a day, how long could clear skies last?

Having clear weather for even one day would be a miracle. In a world where it’s constantly snowing, insisting on clear weather doesn’t make much sense.

“But you know… the journey from one city to the next can be considered a travel experience. If I’m going to travel, I want to set out with the best weather and the best conditions.”

Setting out under clear skies is different from departing under gloomy ones.

The physical burden might be similar, but the psychological burden is significantly reduced.

Even when facing difficulties, you can endure by remembering the blue sky you saw when you first set out.

Considering that the hardest thing in the snowfield is maintaining hope, nothing could be more important.

“So what will I do until the sky clears… you probably already guessed, but I plan to examine the bags and trunks here.”

For a wanderer like me, bags filled with items that people here needed to survive outside their nest are like treasure chests.

Not only can I find food, but there’s a high chance of finding useful tools, and I might even get clean clothes to change into!

“I shouldn’t be happy about this… I’ve really become a terrible person.”

Calling a dead person’s belongings a “treasure chest.”

Feeling more eager to change out of these clothes I’ve worn for so long than feeling guilty.

Whenever I find myself in situations like this, I feel like I’m getting used to the apocalypse and slowly breaking down…

But still… good things were good.