The train transformed into a black shadow, crashing soundly into a crumbling illusory vision. On both sides, the platforms swiftly swept past the people inside, receding behind them.
As silhouettes of city outlines rippled and passed by, isolated figures following in their wake were soon lost without a trace.
Within a minute, those inside the carriage suddenly felt a faint light emanating from the air for a few seconds, and the vehicle briefly became semi-visible.
“Everyone, be careful. Hold on to something.“
“This place…!“
On board, Kim Classiers and the others were astonished to see that the partially visible black steam engine was tilting at the edge of a circular, pool-like opening and on the verge of falling in.
“Chairman Yang. “
“Mr. Buchen. “
“Don’t worry, trust me. As long as it reaches ninety degrees, this well is a straight tunnel for us! “
Darkness suddenly enveloped everyone. Amid a few screams, the vehicle plunged with a howl into this vertically erected, massive circular well of black bricks.
“Ah~ ” A young man gripping the handrail inside the car grabbed another person next to him who almost lost their grip. They all stood level with the falling train, their feet pointing at Yang Zicang’s back, who remained firmly on the vehicle’s floor.
A sliver of moonlight fell from behind; ahead was a deep, dark hole rushing toward them.
With a sharp screech, a phoenix manifested from flames swiftly swept past the car and charged forward, illuminating the darkness ahead as it continuously fell back against the brick walls.
A faint ripple of mist emerged from Yang Zicang’s body. His eyes were fixed rigidly on the front of this vertical lock chamber. At the instant the phoenix flame disappeared over a kilometer ahead, his right hand quickly pulled a lever on the side gate.
Woo——!
The round black locomotive spewed a thick plume of black smoke. It once again plunged into the void, creating an even swifter, faster dark shadow that violently crashed into the rushing ground.
Boom!
The black shadow flashed and vanished. The spreading smoke gradually drifted upward and dissipated.
Beneath the ground, the rapidly descending scorching heat and the shadow following closely behind continuously fell one after the other.
Sensing that Phoenix-Perching Tree behind her had maintained a suitable distance without any sign of being shaken off, despite her own continuous acceleration, she couldn’t help but finally feel a grudging admiration for the human who had managed to take her room.
An abandoned mine shaft appeared ahead. With a flicker of movement, she bypassed the inclined tunnel and plunged deeper into the earth.
The train phantom behind also turned to follow.
Before long, the lead car of the train arrived beside a small cavity, where the presence of the phoenix began to diminish.
“President. “
Inside the dim train car, two miner’s lamps glowed in the center.
They noticed that the tilted front of the carriage had almost come to a halt.
Sword Thirteen loosened his grip and slid over to Yang Zicang, bracing himself against the metal control panel as he said in the stifling air, “I can’t sense the Phoenix aura anymore. Can you? “
“I’ve lost it too. This place below… I’m afraid it won’t be so easy to navigate.“
A woman from behind slid over as well, bracing her legs clad in black pants beneath the control panel of the front car.
“Dear President Buchen, ” her eyes fell on Yang Zicang as he turned to look, and she said, “I’d like to request that I disembark here. “
Yang Zicang thought for a moment. “Are you planning to see if you can make a transfer? “
“Yes. Since we came down to gather intelligence, I might as well try all the means of contact. “
“I think it’s okay. ” Sword Thirteen nodded in agreement from the side.
“Mm… alright, if you feel something’s wrong, come back immediately. ” With that, Yang Zicang handed a prepared key to the woman before him.
Her eyes slightly surprised, she reached out to take it. In the pitch-black halo, her hand kissed her red lips once, turned to shake it towards Yang Zicang, then opened the car door. Dirt quickly clattered and rolled in. She pulled back her arm, punched out. Amid a great rumble, a moderately sized earthen pit appeared ahead. The woman kicked off and leaped inside.
“Be careful, Miss Tayla. “
“Wish you new discoveries. “
Before the vehicle even started, a man from behind let go with a “thud, ” collapsing beside Yang Zicang.
“Chairman Yang, let me handle the transfer for the limit of the next transit zone. “
“But I didn’t prepare that many keys. “
“Then what do we do? Hey, Tayla, how about leaving this place for me? “
“Don’t even dream about it, Kevin. ” The woman outside chuckled.
“I think a business card would work too. If there’s danger, I can use it to get out of the way. “
Yang Zicang shook his head without a second thought. “That won’t work either. Getting lost inside because of emotional fluctuations would make it even harder to find you. Besides… I’m not even sure if I can use it underground. “
A wave of heat hit them. Tiny fine cracks of orange-red flames emerged from the dark soil in front of the carriage, as if alcohol that had seeped into the earth had been ignited.
“What are you discussing? ” A low voice strangely transmitted from within the soil into the train compartment.
“We almost lost track of you. So we were discussing setting up some communication relay points linked to everyone. “
“Hmm… ” Phoenix-Perching Tree inside the soil pondered for a moment, then said sharply:
“Speaking of which, my perception of you all did indeed diminish just now. Alright, then along the next stretch the temperature will increase again. If you follow the temperature, you shouldn’t get lost, right? “
“Please try to be quick. The air in our carriage isn’t ample. ” A man in his thirties wearing a stand-up collar from behind, accompanying Kim Custer, spoke.
“Fine, Pag, ” the firebird left, and Kevin sighed: “Ah, I guess I’ll just have to wait resignedly for you guys to come pick me up then. “
“That won’t work either. It’s very dangerous underground without any way to leave. “
Yang Zicang continued gazing ahead. Amidst the ring-shaped silver-ring-like glow on his chest, not many hexagon-shaped figures were appearing.
“What? Then how is it done? “
“I still have a small companion statue I brought along with me from Mist Sea. I can use it here. “
“Whoa! ” Kevin exclaimed in amazement. Pag looked at Yang Zicang’s back, and then they perceived that the locomotive began vibrating again as it forged ahead, penetrating the darkness.
After about another twenty minutes of travel, the locomotive stopped.
Amidst this mixture of rock, gravel, sand, and earth layer, Sword Thirteen quickly delivered several strokes with his Holy Sword, carving out a hole.
Yang Zicang handed him a small statue, only slightly larger than an adult’s outstretched arm.
Sword Thirteen, having taken it, placed the statue into that hole. Then, the train, which had been compacting the soil and squeezing out the train head, continued charging into the darkness.
On the wall of the pitch-black cave tunnel, a dozen meters long and shaped by the compression of the train’s traversal, in the small cavity, the tiny, dark statue—its shape like a bat folding its wings around itself—rested quietly.
Below the outline of its two wings, one of its shorter surfaces was inscribed with a few lines: —Led by the Summer Fire Phoenix, Year 428 of the Mutao Era. Left by the World Ark’s Apocalypse Survey Team.
……
Continually dripping fiery phoenix flames then abruptly plummeted into a vast, dark, empty cavern below.
It cast a glance at this place; the temperature within it gradually dispersed the thick, dark mist.
Drip.
A few droplets of water fell from the high stalactites into a depression on the ground, a pit emitting faint, warm steam.
In the tranquil atmosphere, the Fire Phoenix, whose form was slowly stabilizing, fixed its gaze opposite—at a spacious tunnel that was now appearing, as the blurry, thin, drifting mist parted.
Its flames soared and coiled, then plummeted dozens of meters through the air space. Returning to its avian form, the Phoenix-Perching Tree cautiously crept a little closer, fixing its stare into the curved depths of the cavern.
Some rumbling began.
Buzzing… it waited for two beats.
Hundreds of wild metal vine currents burst out of the cave like an explosion.
Boom! Flames of a blazing red hue soared into the air. Amidst the rushing and expanding dense metal vines, they transformed into the form of a fire phoenix, spinning a few times to churn open more mist, then charged back towards the iron vines.
The orange-red flames whistled and streaked through the mass of iron vines, surging into the depths of the twisted tunnel.
But a few faint embers were left clinging to the tips of the iron vines.
Information densely cascaded into Phoenix-Perching Tree’s perception.
The high-speed flames raced through the tunnel. Rocky blocks along the way were heated, expanding and cracking. Underground gases and the perpetually cold rock walls pressed against each other, causing continuous pops and bangs.
Rumble! As more twisting metal vines swirled back, sections of the wall were shattered into wider gaps, thick with billowing dust.
The Fire Phoenix suddenly stopped at the end of the passage as its destination, pondering for a moment over the roots of several thick, retracting iron vines amidst the crackling noises catching up from behind.
The tips of the iron vines behind, which were already retracting, rushed forward in a U-shape with thunderous roar. Coupled with their retracting speed, even in terms of physical form, they rapidly approached the flames.
The Phoenix flames abruptly expanded, hugging the walls and moving along them, seeking the gaps at the roots of the iron vines extending from the tunnel walls.
The flames spread rapidly down along their root systems.
…
After the chaotic tremors here quieted down slightly, the locomotive slowly, bit by bit, emerged from the dark cave wall.
As it slid to the middle with a swoosh, inside the vibrating carriage, Kim Clayster, already flushed in the face from the stuffiness, finally took two deep breaths in the swirling gas, coughing twice.
“This bird wasn’t lying, it really is air. “
Thinking of the people in Room 209 who had received the final report from that piece of wood, the group held up their lamps, straining to inspect the stalactite cave outside the car.
Some air, not particularly stifling or turbid, carrying scattered dust, swirled into the cabin through the open windows.
On the ground, a naturally formed hot spring pool, which had been there, had cracked open from the earlier tremors, with numerous streams of water scented with a touch of sulfur and earth flowing out in small trickles. Part of it flowed underneath the black iron locomotive.
“It’s a hot spring. ” Inside the coal and furnace cabin at the rear of this black Venexique-manufactured freight locomotive, which stored shovels, rails, weapons, and some coal and shredded tires, a black-clad silver-trimmed uniformed Blood Major guarding them spoke from the small partition window leading forward:
“Gentlemen, the presence of these hot springs indicates that we are in a geothermal anomaly area, such as a volcanic belt or a fault zone. “
“Thank you, Captain Horne. ” Yang Zicang expressed his gratitude to the Blackwen Zike captain, who shared the same surname as Grand Duke Horne of the Grand Duchy.
He was a soldier selected by the Special Defense Command, possessing extensive knowledge of geology.
“We are the ones who should be thanking you, gentlemen. ” The captain replied with a resounding voice.
“It seems our breathing is fine, Captain Horne. What do you think? ” Pag, who was in his thirties, asked.
Behind the small, face-sized square window on the right side of the carriage partition, the captain took out a military barometer from his pocket and observed it.
“We are now over forty kilometers deep underground, yet the air pressure is only less than ten times higher than on the surface… “
Saying this, the captain frowned and gently shook the pressure gauge in his hand, afraid it might be broken.
“That’s great. We are saved. ” Kevin said, resting one hand on the vehicle’s console.
“According to the news I’ve seen, when fire meets the air pressure in some underground caverns… boom~, the force can be earth-shattering. By the way… “
He looked at Yang Zicang, “Mr. President, ” Kevin said, thumping the iron table under his hand, “How on earth did you manage it? “
“Well… it’s a long story. “
“Cough, cough. So it was good that Mr. Yang stayed away from that bird the whole time. ” Edgar Jin Christie remarked.
Still sliding along the ground bit by bit, not daring to stop, and inside a carriage that was finally no longer tilting but steady, Kim·Klein straightened his legs again and continued with a flushed face:
“I think I’m dragging you all down. Without me, you’d have a much easier time. “
“This is a worthwhile challenge. “
“Since you dared to ask, how could we not dare to vouch for you? “
Supporting him, Jian Yishisan carefully peered into the darkness within the cave, then turned his head and said to this local:
“Just be careful with your breathing. This air is already very ancient; to be safe, if you experience any discomfort, you must inform us immediately. “
As he spoke, Jian Yishisan took out a breathing filter mask from his bag, one featuring two small cylindrical carbon cartridges on either side, and handed it to Kim·Klein.
The moment he put it on, the man immediately found his breathing become much smoother, though the temperature against his lips felt slightly higher.
After waiting about a minute, the iron vines didn’t reappear, leaving Yang Zicang a bit puzzled.
Kevin said, “Old pal, regardless, this place is definitely worth exploring. How about I go down there? Based on my current timeline frame, even if I run into the iron vines, I can hold out for two or three minutes. “
Yang Zicang took out a name card. “Everyone, close your eyes for a moment. Let me see if I can make this work. “
“Great! ” Kevin’s eyes lit up with excitement at the sight of the ordinary paper name card, a hint of dampness forming at the roots of his hair as he exclaimed:
“ChairmanYang, by all means, go ahead and try, but make sure you don’t actually go inside.“
“I know my limits. “
Several people either turned their heads aside or closed their eyes.
Wisps of pale gray ethereal flames flickered from Yang Zicang’s fingertips, the Source of the Five Elements Divine Spirit. Seeing it now, Yang Zicang felt a touch of nostalgia for his homeland. It was now the only remaining tie connecting him to his home.
The ethereal flames touched the business card paper.
Gazing at the paper in his hand, Yang Zicang sensed them beginning to grow somewhat illusory and distant, yet they struggled to penetrate the air that had become as thick and obstructive as a quagmire.
It was unsuccessful.
He immediately withdrew the business cards. “Hah, no way. I don’t know if this place lacks an energy known as ‘Ether’ or if there’s some ancient artifact preventing entry into the Sub-Etheric force field. Either way, counting on the cards to keep us safe seems impossible now. “
Sword Thirteen turned his head, pondering for a moment, when suddenly the ground rumbled with a shock. His eyes flickered, and a surge of expanding Ether rushed out rapidly.
Boom!
Dozens of iron vines burst forth from the dust-shrouded area ahead, hurtling towards the train.
It was at this very moment that Kevin solemnly slammed his hands together on the ground, pulling and tearing open.
A hexagonal force field shimmered and expanded! Zumm!
Boom!
Dozens of iron vines collided simultaneously against the massive force field. Countless small ripples surged outward from the tips of the tens of iron vines, chaotically spreading and crashing into one another.
In the final second before the force field shattered, the black steam locomotive protected behind it vibrated rapidly, transforming into swirling black smoke that coalesced into energy and charged toward the side.
Kim Kloster, wearing a filtered breathing mask, widened his eyes nervously as many metallic vines swept horizontally through his body. Yet both he and the vines seemed to have become viscous, interpenetrating each other like two distinct flows of water and jelly weaving past one another.
Woooosh—!
The gray-black carriage dust and smoke rushed into the interior of the wall, entered the deep rock layer, and sped forward all the way.
Letting out a heavy sigh as if relaxing his tense spirit, Kim Kloster, still visibly shocked, turned his head—but this was no ordinary car; all he saw behind him was the iron partition.
Next, at the edge of Kloster’s vision, he gradually noticed black iron structures, thick at their cores yet thinning outward, buried deep in the ground. No one knew how many miles they stretched.
“What is that?“
As soon as Kloster spoke, he suddenly spotted two gray-orange fluorescent specks, about the size of mugs, with light swirling inside them like magma. They swept across everyone’s bodies briefly before being left behind.
Suddenly, a blast of heat slammed into the exterior of the vehicle as it remained invisible.
Kevin felt his scalp tingle as he shook his head left and right. Pag peering down at the car window, struggling to look behind. But at the vehicle’s current speed, how could they get a full view of that thing? It was already far behind, left in the dust.
Yet the next second, two more of those grayish-orange luminous spots appeared and flickered past.
With a whoosh, Sword Thirteen pushed Jin‧Clester’s head downward.
“Watch out! “
At the same time, several others in the car also ducked their heads.
Hiss, hiss!
In an instant, several bubbling molten spots the size of fists, reeking of acidic corruption and smoke, appeared on the outer wall of the carriage. Some had already corroded irregular little holes the size of thumbs, just like sulfuric acid.
Yang Zicang gritted his teeth, straightened up from his half-crouched position, and gazed ahead. His eyes gradually became calm and pure. On the chest of his flowing robe, a silvery, ring-like glow slowly began to brighten.
A hexagonal shape flickered in and out of visibility.
“Sword Thirteen! “
“What? ” The man pressed his palm against several small holes on the side.
“Tell me… is our mission today to save the human civilization of this world? “
“Of course it is! Do you have any more doubts, or what? ” Sword Thirteen asked in a deep voice, turning his head to look at the young man beside him, his handsome face hard-set, jaw clenched.
“Then there’s no problem here! ” Yang Zicang’s six-sided glyphsuddenly brightened with a faint, colorful light.
“I’m certain now… this time, that’s my target. “
He pulled back the control stick tightly gripped in his palm, and as the vehicle rapidly decelerated, its nose dipped downward. Yang Zicang, still standing, immediately shoved the stick forward again. The whisper he muttered was so low that only he could hear it.
Yet, in that instant the words were uttered, Sword Thirteen stared directly at him with eyes wide open!
“The operation to forge the Seventh Ring. Begins now. “
The man in the billowing shirt stared ahead and murmured towards the cluster of grayish-orange speckles that were approaching rapidly.
Leave a Reply