Chapter 72

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Chapter 72: Aralsk

With their shared interest in photography, Lin Mo and Ma Jun enjoyed a lively conversation on the train. The scenery outside the window was dull for hours, and with most passengers being from ethnic minorities and foreign countries, it was refreshing to find a fellow traveler who spoke Chinese.

After two hours, Ma Jun got off at a small station where he would transfer to a car heading to Yining. He waved goodbye to Lin Mo on the temporary platform.

Lin Mo waved back from the train. The two friends exchanged email addresses, but who knew if they would ever meet again?

The price of a sleeper ticket was already high, and the sleeper compartment was not very crowded. After Ma Jun left, Lin Mo found himself alone, with no one to talk to.

Fortunately, Gold Coin was with Lin Mo. At times, it transformed into various tools, watches, or electronic devices, keeping him company with idle chatter and preventing boredom.

With no one around, Gold Coin proudly demonstrated its latest advancements to Lin Mo. Aside from recently analyzing new types of firearms and various easy-to-evolve machinery, it could simulate phones, radios, navigation devices, and alarms. By devouring rare metals from other worlds, Gold Coin also created transparent metals capable of producing LCD screens and e-ink effects. Thanks to its consumption of countless processors, integrated circuits, and electronic components, as well as the storage cards purchased from Lin Mo’s stipend, it could even conjure a computer on the spot.

With Gold Coin alongside him, Lin Mo no longer worried about weapons and tools. This was part of the gold giant dragon’s expertise; perhaps this was why the gold giant dragon was considered one of the strongest weapons in the hands of gods.

The train Lin Mo was on was an international train that went directly to Kazakhstan. After crossing the border, it turned southwest at Akdutka, with its final destination in Almaty, the former capital of Kazakhstan and the center of Eurasian culture.

After arriving in Almaty, Lin Mo would transfer to another train headed to Aralsk to check in at the China National Petroleum maintenance station for the oil pipeline. He needed to manage his own actions; even if his work required some cover, he couldn’t be too brazen about it.

Perhaps he chose to travel by train instead of flying because of his background as a pilot. The Intelligence Group worried he might reveal some pilot-specific habits during the journey, which was why they arranged this train ride. Additionally, train security was a bit more lenient, allowing Lin Mo to carry more potentially useful items.

At the border between China and Kazakhstan, the train stopped for about half an hour at a security checkpoint. Soldiers from both countries inspected the compartments and all passengers, clearing out prohibited items before allowing the train to continue.

After departing from Urumqi, it took Lin Mo 28 hours to reach Almaty. He disembarked at the second train station there.

Amidst the crowd getting off the train, Lin Mo thought he spotted one of the twin stars of the Intelligence Group, but the surge of people made it impossible to confirm.

Having seen a semblance of one twin, Lin Mo decided to purchase a ticket for the next day at the second train station. He found a hotel nearby to wash up, enjoyed a meal of roasted lamb, and slept well, behaving like a normal traveler.

In a city close to China, Chinese characters were quite common, so Lin Mo easily managed his accommodations.

Kazakhstan, with a population of 17 million, comprises 65% Kazakhs and 21% Russians, along with Germans, Ukrainians, Uzbeks, Belarusians, Uyghurs, Tatars, and Koreans. The land spans 2.72 million square kilometers across two continents, rich in mineral resources, especially uranium, which ranks first in global production. Kazakhstan’s unique geographical location and resources have made it a battleground for economic and military power between China and Russia.

Even though it is a neighboring country to China, the unfamiliar mixture of Kazakh and Russian languages and architecture didn’t make Lin Mo feel lonely. The Su Lan Empire in the other world was also a multi-ethnic empire, but walking alone in an unfamiliar city gathered many curious glances his way.

After a restful night, Lin Mo boarded another train. The rhythmic sounds of the wheels on the tracks began to make him feel drowsy. The repetitive scenery outside the window drained the enthusiasm he had when he first boarded. He casually flipped through a book, placed it on his face, and drifted off to sleep on the bunk.

“What’s wrong with this train today?” the train conductor grumbled. Since leaving Almaty, he felt something was off. The train’s speed fluctuated erratically, accompanied by strange noises.

When stopping at a station, the conductor and the maintenance crew conducted an impromptu inspection but found nothing unusual. The train continued to run erratically on the tracks, though thankfully no major issues occurred.

In the same sleeper compartment, the sounds of snoring rose and fell, punctuated by Lin Mo’s philosophical book draping over his face. He absentmindedly noted how his left wrist was empty, and Gold Coin seemed to have vanished to some undisclosed location. Whether in this world or the other, Lin Mo found he could do little to restrain Gold Coin; whenever he lost focus, this capricious creature would wander off. The allure of this metal-rich world was simply too tempting for Gold Coin, the gold giant dragon.

Lin Mo hoped that when he exited the train, his elusive companion would remember to return to him.

Upon arriving at his destination, the blazing sun and high temperatures scorched the edges of the desert at the Aralsk train station. When Lin Mo set foot on the platform with his luggage, he could distinctly hear the soles of his shoes sizzling against the sun-baked surface.

Suddenly, just as the train was about to depart, a golden coin rolled out from outside the compartment, heading straight for Lin Mo’s feet. It bumped against his shoe and then unexpectedly bounced, silently colliding with his wrist, transforming fluidly into a luxurious dark metallic watch.

That mischievous creature had once again vanished off to find food.

None of the few passengers who disembarked from the small station witnessed this bizarre scene.

Under the hot sun, Lin Mo felt warm and comfortable. The tiny bit of light battle energy he had carefully preserved began to operate spontaneously, without any commands. Photonic energy from the surrounding environment subtly converged toward Lin Mo, seeping into his skin and vanishing. The little remaining light battle energy within him rapidly recovered, almost comparable to the intensity of light he experienced while piloting an aircraft above the clouds.

This place was truly the best battlefield for light warriors.

Although the magical elements in this world were extremely thin, electrical and light energies were abundant. Even though it was slightly different from the other world, Lin Mo could still assimilate the tiny amount of light battle energy in his body, making it usable. With such intense illumination, Lin Mo was confident that he could replenish his light battle energy within a month.

The Aralsk division of China National Petroleum mainly handled the maintenance and upkeep of oil pipelines. Today, this semi-deserted, semi-gobi location surrounded by sand willows, shrubs, camel spines, and cacti welcomed an unexpected visitor.

“I am Chu Zhongtian, here to report from headquarters,” Lin Mo easily found the person in charge after showing his introduction letter.

This station was located in a remote area, half desert and half gobi, with the nearest settlement some ten kilometers away. A wall enclosed hundreds of acres, and employees grew various plants outside to withstand the wind and sand. Inside were two five-story buildings; one for offices, the other for dormitories, and a storage house, along with several vegetable greenhouses that relied on solar energy for power and wind energy generation. The facilities were simple and barely managed to be self-sufficient.

The only recreational facility within the compound was a basketball court that doubled as a helicopter landing pad, covered in dust, as if it had been abandoned for years.

When Lin Mo arrived, most staff members were outside inspecting the pipelines, returning every ten to fifteen days to report their findings and gather supplies. Despite the hard labor, the pay was considerable, with a monthly salary exceeding ten thousand yuan as a guarantee.

“Welcome, Inspector Chu, to Aralsk! I am the station chief, Liu Hongyu!” A middle-aged man in his forties, with slightly long hair and black-framed glasses, warmly greeted Lin Mo. However, deep down, he was mumbling to himself, wondering why, with enough personnel, headquarters would send another inspector over. Had there been a major oversight at the Aralsk station? That couldn’t be; he was always vigilant in such a desolate place, and the daily subsidy was only two hundred yuan. What was the purpose of arriving at such a place for show?