Chapter 204: Mountain Collapse
Different sensor lights inside the vehicle lit up one by one, and soft lights illuminated the carriage.
The man’s corpse lay face-up on the ground, his face still bearing a bewildered expression.
Yu Jing ejected the magazine and inserted another one. The Iron Eagle series handgun’s design fully embodied Dong Huang’s traditional hamster hoarding, with a standard 20-round double-stack double-feed magazine.
Muffled thuds came from outside the vehicle, and the train gave a slight tremor.
Given the train’s current stage of armor thickness and soundproofing design, the fact that such a clear impact sound could be heard inside meant it was already a mountainous collapse and tsunami-like chaos outside.
Ignoring the six people behind her with varied expressions, Yu Jing answered the call request from the front of the train’s command platform.
“This is the train command platform. We saw a situation at Purser Yu’s location via surveillance. We’ve notified the combat group, and they’ll arrive soon…”
“What’s the water flow speed outside? How much damage have the mutated beasts caused to the train?”
Yu Jing interrupted the voice on the other end and asked directly.
“Water flow speed exceeds 8 m/s, reaching dam-breach flood level. Among the mutated beast group, there are only two Tier 2 mutated beasts. They only probed and attacked the train before being drawn away, causing no damage to the train.”
Yu Jing said calmly, “After the water flow stabilizes, conduct positioning detection. Switch the train to ship mode, float up to the water surface, and prepare to pick up the people on the mountain.”
“Yes. I’ll transmit the positioning detection information and related intel to your terminal.”
A series of heavy footsteps came from the corridor behind, followed by Old San’s tone, which was increasingly similar to He Jie’s.
“Which bastard wants to rebel? I’ll twist his head off and shove it into—”
Old San, pushing open the manual partition door, saw the corpse on the ground, and his voice abruptly stopped, his heart leaping to his throat in an instant.
A pair of eyes panicked as they searched the mechanical carriage until they saw the unharmed Yu Jing inside, then he suddenly relaxed.
The dignified purser’s legs went a bit weak for a moment.
“Boss, he’s dead!”
“Bullshit! Drag this thousand-knife dog bastard out and chop him up to feed the dogs!”
Old San said furiously.
Soldiers from the combat group behind him dragged the corpse on the ground out and skillfully cleaned up the bloodstains on the floor.
All elite soldiers—just two words: highly professional.
“There’s still this one.” Yu Jing pointed to another man whose face still showed lingering fear. “He said he’s from the Same Boat Society.”
Old San looked up at the man, his eyeballs turning red.
The train conductor had put them brothers in charge of the combat group protecting the train, but no sooner had she left than trouble broke out inside the vehicle.
Luckily Yu Jing had shot the guy. If anything happened to Yu Jing today, he wouldn’t know how to face Su Huan!
Thinking of this, Old San broke out in a cold sweat of fear, followed by anger that made the muscles on his face twitch slightly. “Leave him to me.”
The man looked at the ferocious-faced Old San and turned to beg Yu Jing, “Purser, I only joined back then to have something to eat. I’ve never done anything against the train. Please, don’t kill me…”
Yu Jing holstered her handgun. “We’ll decide his matter when the train conductor returns. I’m going to change clothes. Later, bring some people and come with me for the pickup.”
Hearing Yu Jing’s words, Old San calmed down a bit and took a deep breath. “I’m ready anytime.”
The man also let out a huge sigh of relief and knelt excitedly on the ground. “Thank you, Purser. Thank you…”
Yu Jing sighed inwardly and went up to the second floor.
Because the train carriages had been widened considerably, a small lounge had been added inside the second floor. It was called a lounge, but it was just a liftable mechanical workbench covered with a failed-refined elastic material that faintly showed scale-like patterns.
Yu Jing opened the side cabinet, where several modular black high-elastic fiber tactical suits hung.
The order showed the iteration versions.
She stood in front of the mirror, her fingertip lightly sliding over the tactical suit’s zipper, pulling it up to tighten.
The tactical suit fit like a second layer of skin, outlining sharp shoulder and back lines, while her waist was cinched like a bow, appearing even more fierce under the tactical vest’s constraint.
The slightly discordant part was the flexible armor embedded at the joints, which didn’t look as smooth.
She fastened the holster on her thigh side, turned, and walked out. The 【Engineer-I】 type was already primed and ready.
Five minutes later, the underwater armored train suddenly shook.
The mechanical arms fixed into the ground around the carriage exterior were pulled out from the silt, retracting onto the carriage top like centipede legs.
The turbid floodwaters on the carriage surface began to vibrate.
From atop Wangjiang Peak looking down, one could see a massive shadow emerging under the slightly calmer water surface, so enormous that even the turbid floodwaters couldn’t cover it.
A low whale-like whistle sounded, and the armored train broke through the water surface, steadily floating on the water. Thanks to the numerous experts’ balance design, the armored train only had minimal swaying, and the carriage bridges didn’t twist into knots.
The heavy rain was still falling, and the flood had submerged the scenic area buildings at the foot of Wangjiang Peak.
Only the toll station’s pointed roof stubbornly protruded above the water.
Propellers pushed forward, and the armored train’s front crushed over the large characters “Wangjiang Peak Hiking Entrance,” heading toward Wangjiang Peak.
Fully armed Yu Jing stood on the train roof with Old San, Old Er, and soldiers from the combat group.
Wiping rainwater from her face, Yu Jing frowned at the data on the exoskeleton’s display screen.
She turned to remind Old San behind her, “Water depth at the mountain foot exceeds twelve meters, over thirty meters in low-lying areas. Don’t fall off no matter what.”
Old San was also wearing a 【Engineer-I】 type exoskeleton, holding a large bundle of rope in hand, directing soldiers to secure it, when he suddenly pointed at Wangjiang Peak. “Are people coming down from the mountain?”
Yu Jing squinted up, but the heavy rain and rapids made it impossible to see clearly.
The faint gunshots were drowned out by the rumbling crashes.
Only the searchlight on the mountain top steadily beamed its light.
“Turn on the lights!”
Old San roared.
Soldiers immediately contacted the command platform inside, and searchlights on the train roof switched on one by one, illuminating the side of Wangjiang Peak.
Seeing the situation above, everyone gasped.
The lush plants were full of mutated beasts, layered and hanging on the mountain body, but without their usual bloody cruelty. They shivered looking at the flood below, as if recalling fear deep in their genes.
A team of soldiers clung to ropes, climbing down while spraying at mutated beasts that suddenly rushed out from both sides.
From time to time, someone was torn by mutated beasts and rolled down the mountain.
“Cover them!”
Yu Jing fired first, her back heavy machine gun aimed at a mutated silverback gorilla, bullets streaking out.
Combat group members on the armored train quickly opened fire, providing cover for the descending soldiers.
The mountain immediately echoed with pained roars.
With support, the descending soldiers’ casualty rate dropped rapidly.
In the chaos, Yu Jing fired while calling out to Yu Yue.
“Xiao Jing, I’m fine.”
A slightly hurried voice suddenly sounded in Yu Jing’s ear.
Yu Jing relaxed a bit. “Have the train keep approaching the mountain!”
Because communication equipment wasn’t lightweight yet, and without wire connections after leaving the train, orders could only be conveyed the most primitive way.
—Roar.
Soon, soldiers ran over and shouted, “Command platform says getting too close will crash into the mountain!”
“Then crash!”
A fierce glint flashed in Yu Jing’s phoenix eyes.
The train slowly approached the mountain body.
Underwater, it hit something unknown, emitting a harsh scraping sound.
“Bang!”
It still crashed into the mountain, and everyone on the roof staggered.
Yu Jing activated the suction cups on her exoskeleton feet, steadily adhering to the roof.
Surrounding mutated beasts jumped onto the roof one by one, engaging in fierce combat with the group members.
Muzzle flashes even overpowered the roof’s searchlights.
Soldiers on the mountain threw down ropes, connecting to the train.
Leader Goat leaped down when still over five meters up, landing perfectly on the deck.
After several rolls to dissipate momentum, he collapsed on the deck. Old San and several soldiers hurried over. “Still alive?”
Goat squinted to keep rainwater from his eyes.
Flickering gunfire illuminated several huddled heads, all acquaintances from the Steel Council.
Strangely, back at the Steel Council, he’d somewhat looked down on these eliminated soldiers.
When captured onto the train, he’d been resentful too.
But circumstances were stronger than people; no choice.
Suddenly back on the train today, seeing them felt a bit warm.
Like returning to the old barracks.
He sighed faintly, “I missed you guys so much…”
Everyone chorused, “Pfft~”
Old San: “So sappy at a time like this! Gross!”
Surrounding soldiers laughed heartily and reached out hands to him.
Seeing the hands, Goat dazed for a moment, grabbed one, flipped up, and stood. “Told you and you don’t believe. Up there, I nearly got gnawed by monkeys!”
Old San tossed him an assault rifle. “Cut the crap, help out.”
Trailing soldiers jumped down one by one.
They joined the cover fire, quickly killing off the mutated beasts that jumped onto the train.
By the time Yu Yue and Xiao Ba came down, all five hundred soldiers had safely descended.
Yu Jing scanned the now-empty mountain, her slender brows knitting. “Mom, how come so few people? Where are Su Huan, He Jie, and the others?”
Yu Yue’s eyes drooped low, twisting her fingers anxiously. “They’re still on the mountain. Haven’t found the thing yet…”
“Rumble…”
Everyone’s hearts jolted as Wangjiang Peak’s summit slid down slowly, as if diagonally sliced by a knife.
The mountain—collapsed!
Massive rocks crashed into the water, raising terrifying waves that madly swept outward.
Yu Jing looked toward Wangjiang Peak’s top, her gaze deep.
“Get back inside the vehicle fast!”
…
Half an hour before the mountain collapse.
A group of evolvers frantically dug in waist-deep water at the mountain top.
Rain poured into the pit.
If not for everyone being at least Tier 1, forget digging in such conditions—they’d drown from one unsteady step.
Suddenly, amid mountain vibrations, the pit’s water visibly drained.
Forming a small vortex in the center.
“We hit it, we hit it! Wangjiang Peak’s body really has a fissure.” Deep Blue Data’s expert howled excitedly.
Haywood tossed aside his shovel and collapsed relieved into the silt.
Even HT-426 sat down ungracefully.
With exoskeletons, their physical consumption wasn’t high, but the mental pressure was immense.
Su Huan silently stood at the pit’s edge, his killing intent-filled eyes occasionally sweeping over everyone’s napes.
Liang Kuan and the others were fine, knowing it was their own Old Da.
But Black Kite and Deep Blue Data didn’t even dare pause, let alone slack off. Seeing others digging fast, they’d speed up, then others would see and dig even faster!
It wasn’t that they wanted to compete.
One from Deep Blue Data had stopped for a bit and got killed on the spot by Su Huan.
One lightning bolt, and the person carbonized.
Now that they’d found the thing, they could finally live.
“Come up.”
Su Huan finally spoke.
Everyone sighed in relief.
But the next moment as they climbed up, perhaps from too much rainwater pouring in, a gurgling sound came from the pit.
Like Wangjiang Peak belching after a full meal.
Everyone froze, then felt the ground before them rise.
And the speed kept increasing.
“This is…”
“The mountain’s collapsing!”
“Shit!”
The group frantically ran toward the opposite side.
Only Su Huan kept staring ahead. As the ground underfoot collapsed nonstop, a massive mountain cavity appeared before him, and a green branch firmly caught his eye.
“Lightning Pool.”
Electric light lit the heavens and earth, accompanying the accelerating mountain slide.
Like an unfolding secret realm cave heaven, a massive Crown Pear Tree finally appeared before him.
Though not as huge as in his previous life, its canopy diameter exceeded twenty meters.
Height reaching forty meters.
Basketball-sized golden pears hung on it, gently swaying with the tremors.
Rich general energy fluctuations rippled out layer by layer from above.
No wonder they couldn’t find it after searching the whole mountain.
Turns out the tree was hidden inside the mountain body!
Su Huan moved, jumping upward against gravity at terrifying speed.
But faster than him was a pitch-black figure.
“Rip—”
Killing intent in Su Huan’s eyes flashed with the electric light. The lightning long whip directly hooked his neck, with no holding back this time—raging current surged in.
Heavily injured Zhao Kuo lost all vitality mid-air and plummeted, rolling down the mountain.
Su Huan stepped on his corpse and jumped onto the Crown Pear Tree.
Above, HT-426 and others silently watched the scene. “Madman.”
With no thought of revenge, they quickly descended the other side.
Only equal footing strength makes it a contest.
Now, with Su Huan’s strength, squashing them was no more trouble than electrocuting a mosquito.
While he couldn’t free a hand now, why not run instead of staying to be captured?
Even being swept away by the flood had better survival odds than falling into Su Huan’s hands!
Lin Jin and others stood at the cliff edge, worriedly looking down.
Su Huan’s faint voice pierced the rain curtain, clearly reaching everyone’s ears. “You all go down the mountain too and rendezvous with Yu Jing and them.”
Only then did the group retreat.
Underground, Su Huan stood on the water bucket-thick trunk, having already picked a golden pear.
Looking at the Crown Pear in hand, all 36,000 pores on his body seemed to grow mouths, madly clamoring and urging him to bite.
Without hesitation, he bit down.
