The train stopped at a temporary stop.
According to the geographical location in the mortal world, this place is still more than 60 kilometers away from the border of the Ryukyu Islands. Following the railway and looking towards the jagged rock caves in the distance, we have reached the end.
The train cannot go in, so you need to explore on foot.
At this moment, Meteor finally realized that he was doing something big. Only senior passengers (VIPs) in the railway system would set foot in such a deserted place.
This temporary station is a stronghold built by the attacking team for this mission. The brave men who are going to explore the unknown land need logistical supplies, food to replenish their strength, and a warm place to live. The train will travel to and from the temporary site according to the VIP exploration mission cycle, bringing supplies to Meteor and Ping An.
Once the two passengers are in danger, this train becomes Meteor's lifeline, responsible for immediately dispatching waiters and subsequent reinforcements to the "front line" - the soldiers of the offensive team call this place "the front line".
At this moment, Mr. Ping An crossed the meteor and said hello to the leader of the attack team in the front line stronghold.
Meteor was looking around, going back and forth between the upper and lower floors of this wooden building.
The large terrace on the second floor contains the instruments of the exploration team, and at the highest point there are horizontal surveyors and telescopes. A dozen or so large lamps lay scattered on the ground. They had completed their initial tasks and were casually thrown aside by the soldiers in the team.
On the first floor near the railway track, there were several big soldiers squatting together and smoking. When they saw the meteor coming, they immediately saluted and said hello. It seemed that they had all heard of the legend of "The Crying General" in the Anonymous.
It’s hard for Meteor to go up and strike up a conversation, because these soldier brothers seem to be quite scared——
——He smelled like Ah Hei. The big wolf was the child of the lapis lazuli wolf mother. Ordinary people would shudder involuntarily when they smelled this strong pheromone.
"Bu Liuxing!" Big brother Ping An shouted: "Come in and meet the communications officer of the attack team. Brother, you have something to say!"
Go from the small platform to the kitchen. There is a large iron door that opens to the right in front of the restaurant. When you lift the waterproof canvas curtain, you will find the command room of the attack team.
As soon as Asing entered the door, he saw a legion emblem hanging on the wall. On the flag were two pale green moon symbols, which looked like the two eyes of the boss.
The communications officer shouted: "Are they the soldiers of the Nameless One! Mr. Bu Liuxing?!"
Ah Xing immediately responded: "It's me!"
The three of them gathered at the conference table. The communications officer looked very young, in his mid-twenties, with short chestnut hair. He handed Ah Xing his sergeant certificate and exchanged identity cards. His name was Marco Laifu—— Originally from the United States, he grew up in Oklahoma. His parents were both railway workers, and he didn't know his parents' real jobs until he grew up. This kid had no intention of settling down in the mortal world, so he resolutely joined Guangling Zhixi.
Marco: "Two distinguished guests, I want to explain to you the situation of the frontline stronghold."
A tactical terrain map and a geological map were listed on the big table.
"There is a lot of food in the warehouse, which can keep the advance units in combat status at the stronghold for more than a month. We are not short of water. As long as you can return to the stronghold, you don't need to worry about survival."
"You two, please look here -"
Marco pointed to the geological map with his left hand and the tactical map with his right hand, both at the same location.
"These collapsed caves and fractured cliffs can no longer be walked on. Originally, there were seven roads leading to the Ryukyu Islands, including Shinto Castle. Fifty years ago, we could change trains and stations, and buy tickets for more than ten With this combination, you can customize your own travel route, visit underground Nara, and go to this super scientific research center for a relaxing vacation, but now there is only this way."
The place Marco pointed to was the first stop of this exploration mission.
"I call it Howling Ridge." Marco switched to Chinese to communicate with Meteor and Ping An. "Unlike other roads, it is not a tunnel and does not have many bridges. When the Pacific Rim plate movement produces earthquakes, volcanoes and other natural disasters, this road This route is the least affected. But there are a few things to note.”
With that said, the communications officer brought two walkie-talkies and a fob multi-function terminal.
"There is a safe road of 16 kilometers to this cavity. This is the place that the exploration team has explored. The entire railway was torn apart by the angry earth, and the communication rooms along the way were also destroyed. We repaired it It’s a little bit louder, but there’s no signal deeper down—two distinguished guests, you have to be mentally prepared that you won’t be able to get through on the phone.”
Mr. Ping An nodded.
There were ripples in Meteor's heart, and a long-lost sense of crisis emerged——
——Staying in the secret library and Galahad's schoolhouse for too long, it feels great to be back in the wild again.
The correspondent brought two large boxes from under the table and continued to explain to the distinguished guests.
"We have refractory suits for extreme environments and anti-radiation suits. Please don't go too far for your first exploration. If the frontline stronghold cannot hear your response, we will dispatch a medical search and rescue team to search within three hours. you."
"Then there is an agreement that if the two distinguished guests find a high-value target in an unknown plot and need to explore in depth, they must first return to the railway line and contact us by radio. At the same time, we will prepare all-terrain off-road vehicles and send an exploration team to respond. You—at this time, you can move freely for sixteen hours and remain highly focused to deal with various dangers in the unknown land. Our radio will always be silently listening unless the VIP cancels the agreement."
“The last thing is route guidance.”
The correspondent took out two bottles from the clothing box, which contained fluorite. He took out one and explained it to Meteor and Ping An.
"At least one beacon must be dropped every three hundred meters. This kind of fluorite has a weak psychic reaction, which can allow the brothers in the attack team to find the right path - that's all I have to say."
Marco opened his arms and wanted to hug the two VIPs. The young man was very excited.
"It feels great to be back on this border, comrades. Especially you, Mr. Buliu Xing."
The little brother slapped the Legion battle emblem on Molle's Velcro and handed two sets of cold-proof survival suits to Meteor.
"You have been silent for two years and eight months. The last time I saw news about you was in the tofu cubes of the newspaper. Mr. Meteor, you don't know how much we little people who grew up and fought with you like you. !”
Bu Liuxing scratched the back of his head, his face full of embarrassment.
Marco's face was full of joy and he said with a smile: "Marco Laifu, the correspondent of the Guangling Ceasefire Attack Team and the Knights of the Frost Moon, pays tribute to you! Anonymous soldier, you look a lot thinner now, and you are not as energetic as in the combat records. , I will still be waiting for your good news at the stronghold, and go and rewrite your legend!"
When Meteor and Ping An walked back to the platform, Meteor was still a little uncomfortable. The good brothers on the front line were too enthusiastic.
A big wolf squeezed out from the double door of the restaurant. Brother Hei squeezed his legs and managed to get out. He was fully equipped with a saddle and backpack. He hung up all the equipment he had just received and put on his clothes, shoes and pants. It was time to set off. It's time.
...
...
Just like this, the two of them and one wolf, away from the smoke of the stronghold, followed the railway to an unknown area.
Neither Meteor nor Ping An spoke during this journey——
——Because we had enough chatting during the seven-hour drive in the car.
They were wearing protective helmets, and the weak light source of the survival lights flashed from time to time. Other than that, there was regular, soothing breathing.
Every one or two hundred meters, you can see the traces of activities left by the exploration team on the side of the road, either cigarette butts or temporary shacks. Nowadays, these shacks have been abandoned, leaving only a street light to guide the way.
They walked for a full six hours, and finally crossed the more than 60 kilometers of road and came to the last abandoned signal base station.
Earlier, Mr. Ping An made an agreement with the person in charge stationed at the stronghold to explore unknown areas, and then he took Meteor with him and continued moving forward.
The big wolf followed Ah Xing to an open area, where everything was devastated.
The vast black cavity is blown by the turbulent mountain wind. Some naturally luminous heavy metal minerals with weak radiation can be seen in the far distance. Scattered reddish-brown light sources show the terrain differences.
The way they came was located in the middle and lower part of the winding mountain railway. Now they have to start from the last base station and enter a tunnel cave hundreds of meters long from the southwest side of Howling Ridge. Otherwise, they will not be able to cross Howling Ridge and have to turn to mountain climbing. , climbing the cliff is too risky - and whether Hei Ge can climb up is still a question.
The originally neat railway has now become in disarray. Affected by geological movements, the broken rails have been weathered for decades, and the original line characteristics can no longer be found. The path can only be found by relying on the traces of the natural subsidence of the railway.
Ping An walked in front, and Meteor followed behind. In a dark and lightless environment, he held Hei Ge's chin hair with one hand and looked at the tunnel entrance, which was getting closer and closer.
Mr. Ping An: “That’s it.”
This tunnel is dug through the rock wall of Howling Ridge. According to the description on the geological topographic map, walk 600 meters ahead and you will officially come to the jurisdiction of Shinto City. After that, there will be 378,000 square kilometers of land. , all belong to Shinto Castle - there are sixteen large cities and towns in the surrounding area, and there are countless villages and settlements.
The radio signal could no longer be received, so the two of them stuffed all the extra communication supplies back into Brother Hei's bag.
There are traces of cracks at the entrance and exit of this tunnel, like the deepest cracks in the concrete rock platform and the mountain almost spreading to the edge of the cave wall. The moment he entered the cave, Meteor felt the raging wind blowing in front of him.
Meteor: "Brother Ping An! It's windy! The tunnel is open!"
Ping An: "Not necessarily. There is too much dust in the air. Little brother, you must follow me and don't run around and touch."
With that said, the VIP took out a bottle of ink from his carrying bag and spread it evenly on the boots.
"Your feet are bigger than mine, step on my footprints and move forward."
Meteor was confused: "Why?"
Walking along the platforms on both sides of the tunnel, the reinforced concrete poured inside the shield machine was strong and firm, without many cracks, and the environment was much better than the external road.
At this moment, Ping An explained cautiously.
"If the strong wind in the corridor carries mud and dust, it means that there is new gravel here and there are drastic structural changes. If this wind has been blowing for more than 40 years, it should have blown away the dust on both sides of the mountain."
Meteor then nodded and followed the footprints according to Mr. Ping An's words. The same was true for the big wolf behind him. Although it could not speak human words, it could understand human words and deliberately followed the dark footprints to avoid them. Open those tiny cracks that look dangerous and suspicious.
A few minutes passed——
——In the middle of the tunnel, Director Ping An stopped on the side of the road and shined his flashlight on the rock wall.
This is an exposed hole. The original concrete structure of the tunnel has been crushed by the strange force of nature. There is a hollow on the arc-shaped wall. It is pitch black inside and nothing can be seen. When a flashlight shines in, There were only many tiny flying insects and dust, rushing towards the path they came from along with the strong wind.
Ping An: "Wait a minute."
Meteor: "What's wrong?"
Ping An raised his head and carefully observed the cave, his brows furrowed as if facing a formidable enemy.
Meteor followed and looked over. In the deep and dark cave, it seemed that he could hear inexplicable strange sounds, as if a strong wind was blowing through the deep cave, like a flute or a long flute, and the drums made a whistle of "Woo--" .
But this irregular cave is too big, it is almost five meters high, and the sound coming out is also very low, as if many people are crying and whispering.
The flashlight light follows the cave and shines to the other side.
Meteor and Ping An originally walked forward on the right side of the tunnel. The middle road was made up of four railway tracks. Now the railway tracks were rotten and the roadbed was broken. On the other side, there was a relatively regular walkway, but there were also many cracks.
The part of the road facing the cave had become riddled with holes under the flashlight light. Meteor's scalp felt numb at a glance - he stood almost sluggishly, unable to describe the scenery on the concrete wall.
On this wall, which is only six meters wide and high, there are thousands of pits of different sizes. The erosion of time, the moisture brought by groundwater, and the strong wind in the tunnel have corroded these small pits and modified them into relatively small ones. Regular semicircle.
The basalt stone wall outside the concrete is exposed, and the overall look is like a wall that has been hit by thousands of meteorites.
"What is going on? Is it a spiritual disaster?" Meteor couldn't imagine it. He had no idea what kind of disaster this wall suffered, and how did the cave on the right side of the road come from? It all needs an explanation.
"What monster tunneled through this cave?"
"Brother Ping An, is it still active?"
"Did it bring the mud and dust in the air?"
"Don't worry." Luo Ping'an didn't look back and explained patiently: "It's not a living thing. If it were a living thing, Brother Lang would have smelled it long ago - he would have reminded us."
If you want to continue moving forward, you must cross this six-meter-wide cave.
Mr. Ping An squatted down and followed the bright flashlight to look into the crack on the side of the hole.
Axing was also curious and looked over with Taoist Ping An——
——The ruler turned into a cane. After a while, he knocked and knocked out a few pieces of rock from the cracks.
Immediately afterwards, Asing smelled a strong fishy smell!
"It smells like blood! Brother Ping An! Why does it smell like blood!"
Luo Ping'an stepped aside, put his arm around Ah Xing's shoulders, came to the front of the crack, and pointed at the veins of the earth's muscles inside.
"It's not blood, it smells like iron ore."
Looking from the cracks into the depths of the cave, there were patches of red iron oxide sand ore. Under the strong light of the flashlight, I quickly saw the entire entrance of the iron sand pit. It was not like what Asing thought - there were no traces of red iron oxide sand in this cave. Leading to the outside world, it is only about twenty meters deep.
Meteor whispers——
"——Where did this hole come from? Did an earthquake create such a mine?"
Before he finished speaking, Ah Xing felt a splitting headache.
That sound is coming again! It also comes with intense pressure for inspiration!
Iron-rich sand ores generally have strong geomagnetism. The Research Institute of the Secret Library once said that psychic energy is the bioelectricity bursting out from the iron-nickel core of Mother Earth.
The next second, Mr. Ping An suddenly pulled Ah Xing away from this strange pit.
Hearing a loud noise, Big Wolf Black Brother was so frightened that he stepped back again and again, and a surging rock jet burst out from the cave!
The fine sand and stones were like cannonballs, hitting the wall on the other side of the road, leaving a new layer of scars riddled with holes. The echo of the explosion almost deafened Meteor's ears!
The entire tunnel trembled for a moment, then returned to calm.
Meteor was covered in cold sweat. He grabbed Brother Ping An's clothes and waited for a long time.
"I heard someone talking! Brother Ping An! Did you hear that? There was a rock explosion just now! There are still people talking!"
Rockbursts are a natural phenomenon.
When working in mines or digging tunnels, you may encounter such natural disasters.
It is the special internal stress generated inside the huge mountain. Rocks and metal minerals of different hardness deform under tens of millions of tons of pressure, accumulate huge kinetic energy, and eventually burst out from the rock wall of the cave.
Luo Ping'an walked so carefully along the way because he was on guard against rock bursts.
The place is in a state of disrepair, with no human activity and no signs of plant or animal growth.
The dust in the air is most likely the traces left by rock bursts. Small hematite pits like this one should be produced by the geological activities of the main vein of Howling Ridge. The huge internal stress causes the mountain to collapse every once in a while. Spewing out iron flow, stone and sand.
The scars on the other side of the tunnel are the marks struck by these terrifying flying rocks.
This is a natural phenomenon, not surprising. But Luo Pingan did hear what Meteor said [talking].
Following the roar of the ancient mountains, there are also countless deep calls.
The sounds came and went, echoing in the earth-shattering rock explosion, as if all the ghosts and ghosts had gathered together to express their sorrow and resentment to the world, expressing their anger and sadness.
Ping An: "I heard it too."
Meteor: "You heard it too, right!?"
Brother Hei: "Ugh!"
Meteor: "Brother Hei, did you hear that too?!"
Luo Ping'an took out two pens and asked Meteor to write down the call silently, without letting the other party see it in advance - many times, the inexplicable pressure of inspiration brings different hallucinations to people.
If what they hear is the same sentence, the same meaning, and the same language, then it is indeed not an illusion.
[帰る・kaeru]
The translated meaning is [go back].
