A bolt of light shot out from the Nightmare Train, which had just burst out from the cabin of Guest Room 405, and scattered into the sea.
Inside the wooden sailboat on Picture Scroll Sea, Ning Jiajia and the others heard a faint whisper of wind rising in the ocean of their consciousness, yet it dissipated moments later before they could grasp it.
As she still had no idea what was happening, a halo of light suddenly shone from her chest, flickering through several interconnected lines.
｛Cheng Yunze seeks to make an active investment for me.｝
“Captain Yunze, what’s the situation? “
{Immediately summon your train, swallow everyone, and leave. There are enemies hiding in the sea. }
Ning Jiajia’s breath caught for a moment. The pressure of time was critical…?
She had experienced that kind of scene before—one that constantly tormented her heart every second; she dreaded repeating that same desperate urgency even once more.
Having once risked missing that vital sliver of a second to lose the most important person to her, she wasted no time with further words.
Even though she had previously summoned a replica of the Demon Train floating on the ocean right beside her, she chose not to use it. Instead, she moved her fingers directly to a portable device that resembled a flashlight at her side.
Amid the bustle of the cabin, the group was joyfully chatting, joking, and playing cards, savoring this brief leisurely moment of their evening. The two scientists from Tafvek Corporation were just finishing the final packaging of the film reels to be screened the next day. Suddenly, they all turned simultaneously toward the woman leaning against the wooden wall.
Bang! In an instant, a train figure engulfed everyone, hurtling with the people on board at an immense speed out across the sea, speeding toward the distant shoreline.
……
On the pitch-black sea, the flickering point of light ahead wavered with a hazy trail.
The Demon Train followed from behind, continuously carving out similarly zigzagging tracks on the ocean along the trail of its prey.
“Can we go any faster?“
The halo on Yang Zicang’s chest flickered.
-｛Reseller April · Odyssey is paying attention to my current life experience.｝
“No can do. Without a station implanted, the Demon Train can’t reach its top speed.“
-｛Reseller April · Odyssey wants to pre-order the brilliant prelude I’m currently nurturing.｝
“Just a little more speed.“
“What if we also find someone to accelerate it?” someone asked.
“Unfortunately, we can’t get to those ships now to find someone who can accelerate it now.“
“Its speed has actually changed quite a bit already,” Wang Zhi said from the side:
“Over the past six months, the Big Star has traveled back and forth with the Silver Chase Mayor and Shed Master Luo Bin several times to the Dark Hub Town under construction. He’s gained a lot of combat experience and is faster than before. But for further speed, unless its own mental strength gets a bit stronger, it’s hard to accelerate any further.“
The faint light trail ahead reappeared, its light point flickering and growing smaller, as if about to pierce the sea’s surface and vanish beyond a distant arc.
{Ah… this is infuriating. }
“Can’t catch him!” Zhao Anlong’s chest seemed to spew flames of suffocating frustration. That punch just now had clearly landed, piercing straight through the opponent’s body.
Yet that turbulent bloodline ability forcefully pulled him back for half a second.
Truly a baffling ability. At this moment, he felt like a fishbone was stuck in his throat.
“The turbulent bloodline cannot be underestimated either,” someone nearby said.
“This isn’t about the bloodline right now.“
A martial artist sheathed his longsword back into the scabbard at his waist. “What we need to focus on now is finding a way to catch up to the enemy.“
“We absolutely must catch him,” Yang Zicang stated.
The few people ahead turned their heads back to look.
“Because that bloodline might not actually be the turbulent one.“
“What?“
“How is that possible?” The crowd buzzed with discussion.
Yang Zicang continued, “I have seen the turbulent bloodline in use before, and the effect was indeed similar. That terrifying ability would pull back the trajectory of all attacks and running along the path they were launched. However…“
His gaze pierced through the carriage that had become translucent, staring intently ahead.
“But I have never heard of the turbulent bloodline being able to reverse injuries, rendering all the damage that had already been inflicted completely null and void.“
-｛Distributor Loki Tata Mingqi is busy paying attention to my current life experiences.｝
A deep voice emerged from the crowd: “Could it be the ability of that wooden staff in their hands?“
“So one of us had better get our hands on something like that.“
-｛Distributor February. Di’an indicates that the glorious prelude I am nurturing has birthed a new node.｝
{It’s called a Pathfinder Rod. } The Demon Train said, {Having it allows one to return to the past. They come from the future. }
“Holy shit?! ” Wang Zhi was utterly shocked. The murmurs of the crowd instantly erupted into a din.
“What organization is that! “
“Going back from the future to make changes… How are we even supposed to play in this world? “
“So we must get to the bottom of this. ” Yang Zicang’s voice cut through the crowd.
“But, President Young Yang, our speed is already maximized. “
“It hasn’t reached the maximum yet. “
“Huh? “
The people scattered inside the carriage watched Yang Zicang walk forward until he stopped beside Zhao Anlong, Ying Renyu, Sword Thirteen, and the others.
-｛Distributor Loki. Tata Mingqi expresses a ‘Watch!’｝
“If it’s just about catching up, I think I can give it another try. “
“How is that possible? ” Eyes from those around him showed a hint of doubt. “I know that sounds harsh, and we often joke about it with our own people. But that thing ahead can flicker and shift its position along the Path of Light with every passing second. “
Sword Thirteen raised his arm and held up a palm to silence the voices beside him.
“President Yang. You’re going to use your Flying Carpet to chase it, right? I can come with you. “
“I can go too, ” said another person.
“The Flying Carpet’s speed isn’t enough. “
Yang Zicang’s response drew a silence even from Sword Thirteen.
Zhao Anlong swept his gaze across those present, who had fallen silent, and a faint smile curled at the corners of his mouth.
“So-called destruction, you know, is sometimes just poking your nose into everything. “
Sword Thirteen lifted his eyes and cast a cold glance in his direction.
Zhao Anlong looked back at them with a faint, calm smile.
“You think it’s impossible? Hmph, I also think there’s no real way to catch up with that trail of light. But now, ” he scanned the more than twenty people who had turned to look at him.
“Since we’ve all built this wall of silence together, how about I try flicking a finger at it? “
Zhao Anlong turned to Yang Zicang. “Whatever you plan to do, I’m on your side. On one condition: you lay out all your plans and concerns for me right now, straight and clear. “
“Anlong, you—! ” Ying Renyu shot him a resentful glare.
“Oh, sure, you gathered the intel for me. But there’s no reason I can’t tear it apart myself, is there? Heh heh. ” Zhao Anlong crossed his hands behind his head. “Ah, don’t look at me like that. Really, this is just me banking up the wealth I want—the kind tied to destruction. “
Yang Zicang’s expression shifted slightly.
You crafty devil, this stinking brat.
He gave a soft, wry laugh and met Zhao Anlong’s gaze.
“Alright, fine. My plan is to go after them myself. “
Yang Zicang drew the easily concealable Mauser pistol from the holster on his right side.
“My concern is that I might only be able to catch up to them, but not take them down. “
{Mount my station. }
A buzzing sound echoed.
Yang Zicang’s eyes twitched as he swept his gaze across the carriage.
“Hmm, well, ” Zhao Anlong mused, “indeed, getting close would be very dangerous. Still, I don’t know what you’re planning to do. “
Yang Zicang felt a little more at ease about Little Machao. Though it had become somewhat cleverer, it still had its occasional simple-minded moments that would create trouble for him.
“Xiao Yang, what rank and sequential rhythm level are you at now? The Ten-thousand-rank should be open, right? ” A middle-aged man radiating a refined aura emerged from the crowd. Three rings of light glowed in his pupils, but on the periphery, two more faint rings remained subtly visible.
This was a man with a Five-Ring Bloodline, who had not yet fully awoken his final two rings.
“If you could unlock the Hundred-thousand-rank, combined with our investment, you should be able to protect yourself, ” said the slender woman beside him. “But, a figure of Chairman Yang’s stature, whether or not you’ve just entered a new Track of Fate, it wouldn’t be limited to merely a hundred thousand timelaps, would it? “
“Correct. I have already unlocked my sixth rank: the Hundred-thousand-rank. “
Though the woman’s fingers stiffened for a moment, she gently smiled, nodding lightly.
“Good. Then, we will raise a million timelaps for you. That won’t be difficult, ” the middle-aged man in the form said sonorously.
Just as the man with the Five-Ring Bloodline finished speaking, Ying Renyu suddenly glanced at Yang Zicang, then at the contemplive Zhao Anlong.
“What about ten million timelaps? “
“Ten million should still be okay… Ten million? ” The crowd all looked in their direction simultaneously.
Zhao Anlong’s eyes bulged violently.
｛I began to check the extra lifespan I was carrying.｝
｛Principal in Chronological Order: 9,999,999.817N.｝
｛I, the Great Quadrilateral, felt the power of accumulated ages.｝
They saw that within the halo on Yang Zicang’s chest, the slowly rotating quadrilateral suddenly snapped into position. Wisps of ethereal, almost non-existent flame ether gathered around Yang Zicang’s body, as if a different kind of Stellar Yuan.
“You! “
“Prepare my investment. “
Before the crowd could react, Yang Zicang stirred with his mind. The lifespan inherent within his very body filled the allowable upper limit of the years within the halo to capacity.
Then—
｛9,999,999N. of the Principal has been invested.｝
｛The station of the “Order ” ability has been permanently expanded to the million-fold position.｝
Snap! According to the model’s own feedback that only one could sense, the seventh cell became completely transparent. Subsequently, the next adjacent cell also appeared as if from nothing, seemingly able to be filled and saturated by the gathered lifespan of living beings that more time sequences represented.
Wisps of floating orange radiance surfaced and drifted on the surface of his body, before fading into concealment.
“This is… “
“…an omen that only occurs when surpassing the maximum limit of 990,000 years and reaching the million-fold position represented by the seventh station! “
Many people there were veterans who had been on this continent for years. Zhao Anlong was already considered an up-and-comer, but even someone like Zhao Anlong had yet to break through the million-mark!
This was simply because normal creatures on land could never possess such an immense span of life for anyone to gather.
However, to find those ancient and terrifying demons spoken of by the land’s people, it’s either too late now, or one must venture far away from the mainland into distant regions.
-｛May Valkyrie, the Distributor, slightly hesitantly marked a new node for my current life experience.｝
This is…? Just as Yang Zicang was pondering. Slap, slap, slap! The middle-aged man burst into applause.
“As expected of Chairman Yang. I can’t believe I get to witness, once again, the manifestation of a million-level time-sequence lattice position. ” A blazing, extraordinary light gleamed in his eyes.
Zhao Anlong narrowed his eyes slightly, sizing up the young man before him from head to toe.
“You son of a bitch. “
｛Zhao Anlong wishes to make a voluntary investment for me.｝
｛Marshal Anlong’s legion has invested 1,200,000 N for me.｝
｛Ying Renyu wishes to make a voluntary investment for me.｝
｛Anxi wishes to make a voluntary investment for me…｝
Voices came one after another.
A complex expression flickered across Cheng Yunze’s face as he fixed his gaze on Yang Zicang.
Wang Zhi poked his fingers together, looking at Captain Cheng, whose expression was hard to read.
“Wait a moment. ” Yang Zicang’s voice rang out.
The people in the carriage, their mood suddenly strange, followed his gaze out towards the distant sea. Amidst the howling, high-speed wind, the train was clearly already at its maximum speed. And yet, on the faintly reappearing trail of light, the diminished points of light shrank again to the size of a needle’s tip, growing ever farther away.
“I’m going, ” he shouted. “The train! “
Shadows flickered inside the carriage, and a faint platform shrank and fell beside Yang Zicang’s head, only to be suddenly snatched by a telekinetic head that bulged from his back.
“Do you need my help? ” Cheng Yunze asked.
Yang Zicang crouched down, assuming a pre-sprint position of bending at the waist and tucking his legs. “No. This time, I have to handle it myself. “
He raised the Mauser C96 in his hand, his gaze locked onto the glimmering dot at the far end of the sea before being gently veiled by his eyelids.
He began to recall the leaf technique he had used back when he first infiltrated the Grand Duchy’s coastal village and the encampment of Colonel Firmheim Navy stationed in the White Violet Mountains.
This must not go wrong, especially on this vast, boundless, and swift-moving sea!
Behind the crowd, the two locals from Motáólù’s Kǎafūkèdiàn, who had been watching the whole scene, muttered prayers under their breath.
“Whatever Chairman Yang intends to do… “
Frightened yet protected, the two locals pictured the statues of saints and heroes they had seen before.
“I hope he succeeds. ” Then, to their astonishment, they saw something emerging alongside their urgent wishes.
Yang Zicang shut his eyelids tightly, then opened them with a snap.
Bang! The “Black Rose ” in his hand let out a contented sound. A pitch-black bullet, veined with a trace of pale gold radiance, shot forth under the gaze of the onlookers, speeding past the charging Demon Night Train and disappearing into its suddenly concealed cockpit up ahead.
｛Trajectory Master!｝
The instant Yang Zicang touched the business card.
Suddenly, he seemed to actually see his own figure, once among the mountains, trampling leaves as it darted past a campsite—materialized before him!
Immediately after came a series of unfamiliar, indistinct shadows: someone running across farmland, someone sprinting at high speed to dodge a hail of bullets, someone straining their legs toward a cliff and the shore beyond the opposite edge, then someone charging headlong at a speeding train just to rescue someone it was about to crush.
But all these fleeting shadows were just apparitions! They did not disturb any of Yang Zicang’s subsequent actions, as if they were merely conveying some undeniable fact to him.
“What the hell is this?! “
The others only saw the crouching and bracing figure of Yang Zicang, who had just started to rise; a flicker of strange energy pulsed over him, and he vanished from the carriage with a roar as he broke the sound barrier in a thunderous surge.
“Holy shit! “
{Huh? }
“Is that Chairman Yang?! ” The crowd clamored and surged forward.
In shock, Zhao Anlong took a few quick steps in pursuit and saw, in the distance, that bullet piercing the sea of mist upon which a figure lightly stepped.
The young man with his black hair swaying jogged two paces to the edge of the carriage and muttered a complex name under his breath: “Son of a bitch… “
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