Chapter 67
Our Discord Server: https://discord.gg/PazjBDkTmW
Chapter 67: Ambush
11:50 PM, approximately 2.5 kilometers northwest of the Gaotian Smelting Plant.
“Hey, can any you guys spot the Russian?” Zhang Zhiyuan asked, his voice a low whisper as he crouched behind the thick underbrush, eyes straining toward the obscured railway track ahead.
“Nope, this fog is just too dense.” Zhou Zhi replied and glanced back at Asahara Naruko, “How about you?”
Naruko shook her head silently, her expression unreadable in the dim light.
The challenges posed by the Foggy Region were far beyond what they had imagined. Even with the specialized lanterns they had painstakingly obtained through exchanges, the dense fog refused to yield, clinging stubbornly to the air around them. The lanterns barely managed to carve out a small sanctuary of visibility, a mere ten meters in radius, while anything beyond twenty meters was swallowed by a wall of white, like trying to peer through a mountain’s relentless fog.
Zhang Zhiyuan had chosen their ambush site with care, positioning them near a small depression in the terrain. This section of the railway track required a low wooden bridge to maintain a smooth path over the dip, and it was precisely this bridge—standing no more than two meters high—that they intended to exploit. Its aged wooden structure was already precarious which made it inherently prone to instability.
To cause the train to plunge into the depression, the most straightforward and effective method involved explosives. They wouldn’t even need to destroy the entire track; damaging three or four of the short bridge supports would suffice, allowing the train’s weight to force it off the rails.
The task of setting the explosives had fallen to Anthony Chekhov, though he had eagerly volunteered for it himself. He had boasted of his experience with Siberian ice fishing explosions, claiming that whether it involved crafting improvised bombs or applying theoretical knowledge of blast engineering, he was more than up to the task
Zhang Zhiyuan always felt that Anthony wasn’t entirely reliable, but unfortunately, there were no better options available. Thus, he could only watch with a mix of anxiety and hope as the Russian disappeared into the fog, carrying the group’s exchanged aluminum thermite packets, black powder, portable gas cylinders, and a bewildering assortment of “household materials.”
“Do we have any points left?” Zhang Zhiyuan asked, the uncertainty gnawing at him.
“I’m not sure, but my 2,200 points are definitely gone,” Zhou Zhi replied, recalling his exchanges. “I got myself a CQ-B rifle and another one for Anthony, while the rest went into materials for the mission.”
Zhang Zhiyuan sighed, feeling the weight of their precarious situation settle heavily on his shoulders. “Alright, we’re down to relying on luck, then.”
“Don’t worry, Big Brother Zhang. Even if Plan A fails, we still got have Plan B, right?”
‘Plan B’… the very thought of it made Zhang Zhiyuan’s stomach twist. It hardly deserved to be called a plan.
If the detonation failed, their only option would be to climb onto the moving train, run along its roof all the way to the driver’s cabin and forcefully bring it to a halt. However, Zhang Zhiyuan knew well that even a slow-moving steam train typically operates at speeds around forty to fifty kilometers per hour. Climbing onto such a massive moving object would be far from easy. “Do you think we’re making a movie? One misstep and we’ll be torn to pieces under those wheels.”
“With you and Miss Naruko, I’m confident we’ll succeed!” Zhou Zhi declared with a cheerfulness that bordered on the absurd.
Zhang Zhiyuan couldn’t help but glance at Zhou Zhi, wondering when he had become so optimistic, so full of enthusiasm. There was something else, too—he noticed how Zhou Zhi’s gaze kept sneaking back to Naruko, as if drawn by an invisible thread.
“You little rascal, getting quite familiar with her now?” he asked in a low voice.
“Not really,” Zhou Zhi replied, a hint of mischief in his voice. “We just talked a bit more yesterday. Don’t let her cold demeanor fool you—she’s like that because of her strict upbringing. She’s always had guardians around, keeping her interactions with outsiders to a minimum. But I found she’s actually quite approachable.”
Zhang Zhiyuan raised an eyebrow. “Is that something she told you, or just your own guess?”
“I figured it out, of course. When it comes to these things, I’ve got some experience, So I won’t misjudge.”
“Just based on what? your past social circle?” Zhang Zhiyuan rubbed his forehead in disbelief. “Don’t blame me for not warning you, but you’re simply not in the same league as her.”
He expected Zhou Zhi to get angry or vehemently deny it, but instead Zhou Zhi surprised him with a calm, almost resigned acknowledgment. “I know, it’s true in reality. While my family isn’t poor, compared to Jiangcheng’s truly wealthy, we hardly count for anything, let alone those who possess both immense wealth and influence.”
“But here… In Paradise, the gap between her and me isn’t as significant,” continued, a relaxed smile spreading across his face. “So no matter what, I want to stay here.”
Zhang Zhiyuan was momentarily speechless, caught off guard by the realization that while he was still exploring and figuring out the intricacies of Paradise, his buddy Zhou had already clearly defined his path.
Could it be that this rich second-generation is even more straightforward than and decisive than he had imagined?
His gaze shifted towards the thicket on the right, where their newest team member, Luo Di, lay hidden. Honestly, Zhang Zhiyuan harbored considerable doubts about this newcomer’s background—he wondered why the others rarely mentioned Luo Di. Was it simply because she was young and strikingly attractive?
Typically, when people find themselves in unfamiliar territory, they tend to group together to gather information, driven by human instinct and as a means for survival. However, this new recruit seemed even more “reserved” than Asahara Naruko; she mostly kept to herself throughout their time here. More astonishingly, she appeared well-adapted without falling behind.
It was as if Luo Di possessed her own unique source of knowledge a secret wellspring of information that set her apart.
Who exactly was she? And how had she stumbled upon the twisted games of Paradise?
Unfortunately, the fragments of information Zhang Zhiyuan had gathered about her were woefully insufficient, leaving him unable to piece together a coherent picture.
“Big Bro Zhang, since you seem to know a lot, can I ask you something?” Zhou Zhi broke the silence, shifting into a more comfortable sitting position as he dusted off his trousers.
“Go ahead,” Zhang Zhiyuan replied, trying to shake off his lingering thoughts.
“My high school biology teacher used to say that plants require sunlight to growth, right? But in the Foggy Region, the visibility is so poor; everything turns hazy even slightly farther away. The light exposure should be significantly less compared to outside.” Zhou Zhi mused, plucking a leafy branch from a nearby shrub. “But look at these plants… They seem to grow quite well, don’t they? There’s hardly any difference from those outside. What could be the reason behind this?”
“Uh…” Zhang Zhiyuan was taken aback, realizing that Zhou Zhi’s observation was actually quite astute. But botany had never been his strong suit. Beyond the basics he remembered from high school, he was at a loss for how to explain it. “…I honestly don’t know either.”
“What if this isn’t fog at all?” Zhou Zhi suddenly Zhou Zhi suddenly proposed, a spark of curiosity in his voice.
“If not fog, then what could it be?”
“Maybe it’s some sort of light-permeable gas, or even microorganisms? But for it to limit our field of vision, creating this illusion of impenetrability…”
“Your speculation lacks any basis,” Zhang Zhiyuan responded instinctively. “In our line of work, evidence is paramount.” Realizing his words might come across as dismissive, he glanced around to ensure Asahara Naruko and Luo Di weren’t within earshot, then continued in a whisper,, “In any case, unless we collect samples to analyze back home, we may never find the answers.”
Ultimately, his own abilities felt woefully inadequate in the face of such mysteries. This world was far too vast, its secrets too deep, requiring the expertise of specialists—physicists, biologists, geologists, engineers. Any of them could likely uncover more in a day than he could in a lifetime.
He needed to swiftly uncover concrete evidence of the world’s true existence, something undeniable that would compel those in power to take it seriously.
Suddenly, Zhou Zhi tapped him on the shoulder. “Big Brother Zhang, look over there!”
Following the direction Zhou Zhi pointed, Zhang Zhiyuan squinted into the fog. At the very edge of their vision, a faint blue light flickered, bobbing through the mist like a lone firefly staggering forward amidst a storm.
“That’s… Anthony?” Zhang Zhiyuan muttered, unsure.
They strained their eyes, watching intently. Asahara Naruko was the first to notice something was off. “That blue light… it’s much larger than our lanterns!”
“Could it be due to different lamp power?”
“But if it’s not then Russian, then who else could it be?”
The three of them exchanged uneasy glances.
“Hush!” Zhang Zhiyuan suddenly hissed, making a gesture for silence. He dropped to the ground, pressing his ear against the cold earth.
Clank, clank, clank…
A rhythmic sound of dull metallic collisions echoed through the ground, like the slow, steady heartbeat of a giant.
His expression darkened as the realization hit him. “It’s a train!”
Following his low exclamation, a colossal steam-powered beast emerged from the fog, its thunderous approach shaking the very ground beneath them. The train roared into view, a hulking, iron beast with a glaring white headlamp that sliced through the fog, leaving a long, ghostly trail in its wake. The central lantern of the locomotive emitted a brilliant blue glow, pushing back the fog and creating a clear zone nearly two hundred meters wide around the train’s front.
Recruitment of Editors: https://gravitytales.com/recruitment-of-editors/