eurekapd Chapter 284 The Train Travels Above the Nine Heavens
Chapter 284 The Train Travels Above the Nine Heavens
Chapter 284 The Train Travels Above the Nine Heavens
High in the sky, the steam train sped along.
Its size is huge and heavy, like a steel behemoth.
A huge black, fleshy object was mounted on the front of the vehicle, constantly spewing out white steam that quickly spread across the sky and soon merged with the surrounding clouds.
Below the bacon was a round boiler, which was now glowing red-hot, radiating a heat as intense as fresh blood.
The boiler is connected to many complex pipes and valves, and terrifying forces flow through the pipes, causing them to tremble slightly.
If you listen carefully, you can hear sounds coming from the boiler that sound like hundreds of ghosts roaring and howling.
On either side of the front of the train, there is a finely crafted, independent wheel. The spokes on the outside of the wheel are extremely thick, like two front claws. As the train moves, the wheel turns rhythmically, making a "clanging" sound.
The train has a retro-futuristic feel. It looks like a train from the last century, but its exterior is so exquisite that it seems like a product of the future.
The carriages were tightly linked together, their surfaces coated with a layer of bright orange paint that shimmered in the sunlight.
Zhang Wei, on the ground, was now filled with utter hatred.
"My goodness..." The detective beside him sighed, gazing at the departing train, then anxiously looked at Zhang Wei beside him. "Boss, what do we do?"
Zhang Wei finally realized what was happening and jumped three feet high in surprise, yelling, "What?! What do we do?! Chase after them!"
"Boss, it seems difficult for us to catch up with them. That train can fly, and they're not slow either; they're almost out of sight."
"Then let's use satellites to pinpoint its location!"
Zhang Wei strode towards the temporary operations room, shouting to the other agents who were still in shock as he ran.
"Everyone back to your positions, and quickly figure out which direction the train is heading. I need to know where it's going!"
In fact, without his reminder, the well-trained agents had already come to their senses. Although they didn't know what had happened, they quickly began their operation.
Alarm messages and incident reports were rapidly being transmitted, indicating that the impact of the world spiraling out of control was still significant, and they had to ensure that surrounding cities were prepared for prevention.
It is currently impossible to determine where the other party is going. If it falls halfway down, it could very likely cause huge losses of life and property.
After doing all this, Zhang Wei pulled a cell phone out of his pocket. "Truly worthy of a six-star agent; even a casual raid on a low-difficulty surface world can generate such a huge news story..."
"Hey, get Chief of Staff Ma on board..."
What? Chief of Staff Ma and Deputy Director Chang went to a meeting?
"...Then answer it! It's extremely urgent!"
Just as Zhang Wei was making the urgent report, the other carriage high above was filled with laughter and cheers.
"It smells so good! Adding bamboo shoots to hot pot is really delicious. They're so crunchy, you know? Mmm...!"
Tang Cao put the spicy bamboo shoots dipped in chili oil into her mouth, her face full of happiness.
"Eat more meat, look how thin you are." Tang Zijun handed the beef jerky to Tang Cao, and then tore open a packet of fish slices.
"I want to eat! I want to eat!"
The aroma of the fish slices instantly caught Xiaobai's attention. She leaped into Tang Zijun's arms and precisely snatched the fish slices into her mouth.
"Seriously, is it really okay for us to treat the ruler so dismissively? Didn't you say that 'passengers' can't leave their seats?"
"We've been using the food carts as tables," Qin Nan suddenly asked.
"We're not 'passengers,' in a way, we should be considered outsiders." Tang Zijun struggled to snatch a few fish slices from Xiaobai's mouth, quickly popped them into her own, and continued, "Actually, as my connection with the train deepens, I feel like I'm starting to understand other rules."
"Really?" Qin Nan was taken aback at first, but then became interested. "Tell me quickly, I'm quite curious about the rules here."
"It's nothing really." Tang Zijun smiled faintly. "You know, this world is pretty timid. I remember there's a rule that pets aren't allowed on the bus, but look, Little White and Little Gray have been wandering around for so long and nothing's happened."
"That's strange. If we broke the rules, why didn't those rulers attack us?" Tang Cao asked curiously. She and Xiao Bai had been sitting there for a long time. If the rules were true, they should have broken them the moment they got on the bus.
"Maybe it's because we can't beat them," Little Grey guessed. "The ruler here is at most an elite-level one; they pose no threat to us at all."
"Even if we can't win, I've never heard of these weirdos being so polite to us. Magical girls and rulers don't usually interact, but strictly speaking, aren't they also adversaries?"
Hearing Xiaobai's words, Tangcao shook her head slightly. "Xiaobai, I don't think we can assume that beings born from negative energy are necessarily evil. If the Bureau's research direction is correct, then these rulers are living, breathing people."
"A living 'dead person,' right?"
Qin Nan grinned, then said seriously.
"Dominators are born from the fear of their victims, but in the end, they are just ordinary people who have disappeared from people's memories. I think we seem to have been ignoring a very important issue."
"What's the problem?" Everyone's attention was focused on Qin Nan.
"will."
Qin Nan didn't intend to keep them in suspense. She put down the disposable chopsticks in her hand and looked at Tang Zijun and Tang Cao before speaking.
"As you know, this is my first time coming to the surface world in person. My previous impressions of the surface world all came from the descriptions of my other sisters. In their stories, the rulers are a group of strange beings just like the Outer Path Demons, and they are extremely difficult to kill."
Xiao Bai nodded. "Indeed, strictly speaking, the Dominators should be 'immortal.' As long as the energy center of the surface world supplies them with negative energy, the Dominators can emerge from their memories time and time again."
"That's the crux of the problem," Qin Nan said seriously. "If the existence of the Dominator originates from the negative energy of the energy center, then... who exactly controls the surface world?"
Upon hearing Qin Nan's question, Tang Zijun and Tang Cao exchanged a glance and both became serious.
"Yes, if the surface world is a world of strange rules and mysteries, then who is the being that sets up these rules?"
Tang Zijun stroked her chin.
"They can't possibly be the rulers; they don't have that ability."
Why think so much? Why not just ask?
Tangcao quickly stood up, walked to the side of a 'passenger', and politely began to speak.
"Hello, may I bother you for a moment? I'd like to know who made the rules of this world. Could you tell me?"
The "passenger" had actually tried his best to minimize his presence; to be honest, he still felt a lot of pressure sitting next to these outsiders.
If it weren't for the rules, he would have wanted to change seats long ago. Unfortunately, his seat was the closest to Tang Zijun and the others in this carriage.
Upon hearing Tang Cao's question, the "passenger" was unsure whether to answer or not. He instinctively gave Tang Cao an awkward yet polite smile before turning to look at Tang Zijun.
"Why are you looking at me?"
Tang Zijun was eating lotus root slices when she noticed the strange look on the 'passenger's face.
The next moment, the 'passenger' slowly raised his hand, his movements extremely slow and trembling, pointing out the window.
"Hmm? What do you mean?" Qin Nan raised an eyebrow. "Are you saying that the rule-makers aren't inside the train, but outside of it?"
"Woolen cloth"
Just then, Little Gray's voice came from the side.
"No, he might have seen that thing..."
"What the hell is that?"
Looking out in the direction the "passenger" was pointing, Qin Nan's expression changed drastically the next moment.
"Holy crap! Old hag!?"
Qin Nan's shout instantly shattered the silence in the carriage, startling even Tang Zijun and Tang Cao.
When Tang Zijun glanced out the car window and saw the fighter jets that he had only ever seen on television and at airports, he was dumbfounded.
The carriage erupted in chaos. The three of them forgot about their hotpot and rushed to the windows, staring in disbelief at the fighter jets flying alongside the train through the clouds.
"I...I can't believe my eyes! That...that really is a fighter jet!?"
Qin Nan's red lips parted slightly as she stared intently at the fighter jets outside the window.
She could hardly believe it was real, even though she had seen the pilot in the fighter jet cockpit gesturing at her—clearly, the other side had seen them too.
As Qin Nan opened his mouth, a terrifying thought surfaced in his mind.
The next second, she broke out in a cold sweat.
"No, that's not right. We're still in the physical world. Yes, this is an illusion of the physical world, a hallucination, it must be a hallucination."
Whether she was trying to deceive herself or not, Qin Nan looked at Tang Zijun with a mournful face.
"Tang Zijun, tell me! Aren't you supposed to be able to make your words come true? Tell me this must be an illusion, right?!"
"I..." Tang Zijun's expression was also quite interesting.
Even if others can't tell, he can. Through the mirror reflection of the inverted world, he can clearly see the face under the pilot's mask, which proves that he is a real human being.
Then, Tang Zijun shifted the focus of her glasses to the lens of the fighter jet.
From the other person's perspective, an unparalleled steam train is piercing through thick clouds, traveling high in the sky.
This is no ordinary world.
This train has transported them directly into the real world!