Chapter 19: Cute Little Croco

A steam locomotive!

Zhao Kuo abruptly stopped the subway and looked at the quiet station.

If it were anything else, he might have let it go, but a steam locomotive was extremely important. At the very least, it could help Gu Shan and Luo Ping'an reach the next station smoothly and secure a good ranking.

"Why did you stop again all of a sudden?" Tang Yingying asked, puzzled.

Zhao Kuo showed her the message from Luo Ping'an. Tang Yingying's eyes lit up immediately. "A locomotive! It should fetch a good price, right?"

Zhao Kuo tapped her head. "All you think about is money."

Tang Yingying was great in every way, except for being overly money-minded and fond of playing the fool to outsmart others.

"We need to figure out a way to get in. Release the stuffed bunny again and test the damage these bugs can do," Zhao Kuo said.

"Ugh… The bunny recovers health very slowly, and if it takes permanent damage, its attributes will decrease too…"

Tang Yingying grumbled but still released the stuffed bunny again.

This time, she was extra cautious. Since it was just a test to gauge the bugs' damage, she didn't rush straight to the station hut. Instead, she headed toward where she remembered one of the bugs was lurking.

Sure enough, as she got closer, that bug and two others nearby flew up and pounced on the unsuspecting stuffed bunny.

"Bring it back," Zhao Kuo said.

Tang Yingying immediately maneuvered the bunny back toward the car while explaining, "The damage isn't high. Each bug deals 30 damage, but they have a lifesteal effect, causing a continuous loss of 2 health per second."

Once the bunny returned, Zhao Kuo swiftly dealt with the three bugs using his poisoned dagger.

[Snow Mites]

A special type of bug that lurks in the snow. They feed on blood, live in colonies, and have a certain level of social organization.

Special Ability: Call for Companions (When a snow mite finds a suitable environment, it will summon more of its kind.)

There were at least dozens of snow mites lurking near the station hut. If they all swarmed at once, even with each dealing only 30 damage, the two of them would be overwhelmed.

Fortunately, these bugs had low damage and low health, but their numbers were terrifying.

As Zhao Kuo was pondering, Tang Yingying suddenly spoke up. "How about using my second puppet?"

"Huh? Second puppet?" Zhao Kuo was taken aback.

He had no idea Tang Yingying had a second puppet. When did she make it?

Tang Yingying blinked. "Well, everyone has their own trump card. Don't overthink it. I choose you, Fire-breathing Beast!"

With that, a brown, somewhat tattered stuffed animal appeared in the car. It was shaped like a crocodile and even wore a pair of sunglasses.

[Cute Little Croco (Summon)]

Strength: 20/30

Constitution: 13/30

Speed: 21/30

Spirit: 5/30

Skills: Swift Dash, Fire Breath

Swift Dash: Cute Little Croco can significantly increase its speed for 10 seconds.

Fire Breath: Cute Little Croco can spew flames from its mouth. The intensity of the flames is directly proportional to the materials fed by the puppeteer. During fire breath, Cute Little Croco takes 50% more damage.

Looking at these luxurious skills and attributes, Zhao Kuo fell into deep thought.

Sometimes he wondered who the real protagonist was—him or Tang Yingying.

With two puppets and a total of four skills, each more useful than the last, Zhao Kuo couldn't help but feel a bit lost when he looked at his own Lucky Magic Bullet.

"Go, Little Croco! Burn those bugs to ashes!" Tang Yingying fed the crocodile a few pieces of charcoal.

The stuffed crocodile let out an excited cry and darted out of the car, swiftly moving across the snow.

Although its attributes were similar to the bunny's, the crocodile's crawling speed was noticeably faster. It raced across the snow, quickly alerting the lurking snow mites.

The snow mites swarmed out, charging toward the stuffed crocodile.

But at that moment, Tang Yingying activated Swift Dash, and the crocodile's speed increased yet again, almost leaving an afterimage as it zipped around the hut.

More and more snow mites were drawn out, but they could only fly behind the crocodile, unable to catch up.

Zhao Kuo counted—there were at least sixty or seventy of them!

If they had rashly gone down earlier, they might have been sucked dry, leaving nothing but skin and bones!

Zhao Kuo relayed the information to Gu Shan and Luo Ping'an to prevent them from falling into the same trap.

Meanwhile, the Swift Dash skill wore off, but Tang Yingying didn't panic. Instead, she immediately directed the cute crocodile to turn around.

"Fire Breath!" she shouted, delivering a rather cringy line.

A burst of flames shot out from the crocodile's mouth, engulfing most of the snow mites chasing it.

The air was instantly filled with the smell of burning.

However, about a dozen snow mites managed to avoid the flames and pounced on the crocodile.

Without hesitation, Zhao Kuo got out of the car and swiftly dealt with the remaining bugs using his poisoned dagger.

The crocodile had lost over 500 health but was still in decent shape.

"As you gather more puppets, you'll only grow stronger," Zhao Kuo praised Tang Yingying.

The Puppeteer class was truly overpowered. Zhao Kuo could imagine how terrifying Tang Yingying's puppets would become as the material quality improved.

Tang Yingying puffed out her chest proudly. "Of course."

Zhao Kuo glanced at her ample figure and quickly looked away. "Let's go inside and check it out. If there's a steam locomotive, I suggest giving it to Brother Gu Shan first."

Zhao Kuo didn't make the decision immediately but instead sought Tang Yingying's opinion.

After all, it was her puppet that had dealt with the snow mites, so she deserved the lion's share of the spoils.

Tang Yingying naturally didn't object to Zhao Kuo's suggestion.

Although the steam locomotive could fetch a high price, the interests of their friends were more important.

After spending these past few days together, she had come to understand Brother Gu Shan's character—he was a friend worth trusting with her life!

Once they decided, the two entered the station hut.

Sure enough, on the tracks inside sat a vintage steam locomotive—not just a blueprint, but a real, physical locomotive!

They didn't even need to gather materials to craft it.

Zhao Kuo immediately stored it in his inventory and initiated a trade with Gu Shan.

On the other end, Gu Shan was stunned. "Brother Zhao, this…"

He knew the value of a steam locomotive. At this stage, everyone coveted such an item.

He had originally planned to trade some high-value items for it, but he never expected Zhao Kuo to simply give it to him. He was deeply moved.

Zhao Kuo: "It's mainly thanks to Tang Yingying. Without her, we wouldn't have gotten this. Brother Gu Shan, be careful when you approach the station. If you're not confident, protecting your life is more important."

Gu Shan: "Alright, I won't stand on ceremony. If you ever need anything in the future, just say the word."

Zhao Kuo: "We're family—no need for such formalities. By the way, there's also an intermediate treasure chest and some supplies in the station hut. It's a great resource point, but it's a bit dangerous."

Zhao Kuo explained the entire process to Gu Shan.

In his opinion, it wouldn't be difficult for Gu Shan to obtain the items inside the station. After all, his attributes were impressive, and with his Unshakable Mountain skill, the snow mites could only deal limited damage to him.

Looking at the intermediate treasure chest before him, Zhao Kuo couldn't help but feel a sense of anticipation.