Chapter 919: Poacher's Feast
All the Dragon Abyss Dark Night members boarded the Steel Dragon City and headed to their assigned defense posts!
As the massive train slowly began to move, the steel gate of the forward base facing Dike No Man's Land opened!
The Steel Dragon City sounded its horn, and the deep, resonant whistle echoed throughout the entire forward base!
Everyone in the base, no matter what they were doing, dropped their work the moment they heard the whistle!
Because they knew that the Steel Dragon City was about to enter the No Man's Land!
They all stood up, expressions solemn, and saluted in the direction of the gate!
Every time they entered the No Man's Land, it was a life-and-death struggle!
No one knew how many of these Spirit Martial troops who went in would come back in one piece!
On the train, many new soldiers were nervous, their palms sweaty as they gripped their guns!
An old soldier patted one on the shoulder from the side.
"Don't be afraid! All your brothers are here. Besides, this time we've got the Southern God with us, so we've hit the jackpot!"
The new soldier swallowed hard and looked up at Jiang Nan, who was standing on the roof, hands on his hips, facing the setting sun, still wearing that calm smile.
For some reason, his heart suddenly felt at ease.
"Yeah! I'm not afraid!"
The Steel Dragon City crossed the gate and plunged straight into the No Man's Land!
It accelerated wildly as the radar in the cab constantly monitored the movements of nearby beasts and whether the tracks ahead were intact.
As soon as she got on, Zi Yuan started snoring heavily again.
There was still some distance to the 056 outpost, so she decided to dream a bit more. If she could dream other scenarios, maybe things would take a turn.
Meanwhile, Jiang Nan stood by the railing, enjoying the scenery of the No Man's Land.
On both sides of the tracks, one could already see patches of grassland and some nameless trees that had grown in recent years.
The concentration of spiritual energy here even surpassed that of an ordinary Ling Xu.
The mountains and fields were lush green. It was hard to imagine that just over twenty years ago, this place was a barren Gobi desert.
In the distance, a massive white skeleton lay on the grassland, covered in moss.
A stream of water cascaded from a Ling Xu space gate, forming a vast lake.
One could faintly see traces of spirit beasts wandering, but hearing the roar of the Steel Dragon City passing by, they were scared off and fled.
Jiang Nan clicked his tongue. Entering the Dike No Man's Land felt like stepping into a prehistoric era.
"Squeal, slurp~"
Jiang Nan scratched his head. Where was that drooling sound coming from?
He couldn't help but glance to the side.
There, Liu Mang was standing at the railing, arms around a bikini-clad girl, totally absorbed in kissing her.
(･᷄3･᷅)(ᵔεᵔ*)
Jiang Nan's eyes widened. "Eww—don't you have any shame? Do it where people can't see!"
Liu Mang grinned sheepishly. "S-sorry about that. Come on, Ai Jiang, say hi to the Southern God!"
The bikini girl wiped her mouth, smiled shyly, and waved gently at Jiang Nan.
"Hello, Southern God!"
Jiang Nan beamed. "Hello, hello! So she's your wife? Wait..."
"Where the hell did a bikini girl come from on this Steel Dragon City?"
Liu Mang casually snapped his fingers, and two tattered bikini girls abruptly appeared beside Jiang Nan, giggling charmingly.
Each took one of Jiang Nan's arms.
(｡•́◡•̀(›ಠ﹏ಠ‹)ᵕᴗᵕ๑)
"Giggle~ My name is Bao'er. Do you like me, Southern God?"
"Nonsense! How could the Southern God like someone like you? I'm his type!"
Jiang Nan: (›ʘ̆口ʘ̆‹)!
What the hell? Where did this sudden paradise come from? Is this too real?
Is it... a mental illusion? Projected by Liu Mang?
Sure enough, Jiang Nan's spiritual energy vibrated, and the two girls dissipated like smoke.
Liu Mang was taken aback. "Don't like it? I have other styles!"
He was about to project more.
Jiang Nan's face was full of horror. "Get the hell out of here! And the one you were kissing just now... was that..."
Liu Mang looked blissful. "My wife? What about it?"
Jiang Nan's face darkened. So you're taking the easy way out, projecting illusions from your own mind as your wife?
No need to find a real girl?
You're just entertaining yourself?
Then Liu Mang was basically kissing himself earlier?
And those two girls were also formed from his thoughts?
Thinking about it, Jiang Nan felt a chill of disgust and looked at Liu Mang with utter disdain.
"You'll get used to it. This guy is beyond saving."
A magnetic voice came from beside him, startling Jiang Nan.
He quickly looked to the side.
A short-haired youth was standing next to him with a completely ordinary, forgettable face.
The kind you wouldn't notice in a crowd.
(^_^.)
Jiang Nan was stunned. "Hiss—when did you get here? Was there someone beside me just now?"
[From Zhang San's grievance value +666!]
Zhang San's face darkened. "I was standing here before you even came..."
"Nice to meet you. Zhang San, code name Outlaw. Going down into the Void Sea with Sister Yuan this time. Take care of me!"
Jiang Nan swallowed hard. Outlaw?
That code name is even more arrogant than mine!
But how could this big guy stand next to him for so long without him noticing?
Liu Mang glared. "Zhang San! What do you mean by that? Who's beyond saving? Did I commit a crime or something?"
"Don't you dare look down on my Ai Jiang! Apologize to her right now!"
Zhang San glanced at Liu Mang and completely ignored him.
Liu Mang grinned. "Sister Yuan's dreams are usually accurate, Southern God! Looks like you don't have much time left!"
"As a brother, if you have any unfulfilled dreams, just tell me!"
"I'll do my best to satisfy you. Once you truly experience all kinds of pleasures, you'll realize that the only thing limiting your happiness is your imagination!"
Jiang Nan's face turned pitch black.
What the hell do you mean by 'not much time left'? Can't you say something nice?
Just then, several modified off-road vehicles burst out of the dense forest on both sides of the Steel Dragon City's tracks!
There were also heavily modified stunt motorcycles, carrying quite a few spirit warriors.
Their ranks were fairly high, mostly Platinum, with a few Diamonds too.
They were sitting on the roofs, whistling and yelling at the Steel Dragon City, even taking photos with their phones!
The Dragon Abyss Dark Night ignored them, just watching coldly.
Jiang Nan frowned. "Who are these people? Are there spirit warriors hanging around in the No Man's Land?"
Zhang San sneered. "Poachers. A bunch of people who only see money. They'd risk their lives for it. Annoying as hell!"
Jiang Nan was shocked!
‼(•'口'•۶)۶ "Holy crap! Who's talking?"
Zhang San: ╮(￢_￢)╭
[From Zhang San's grievance value +666!]
Jiang Nan was very shocked by Zhang San's sudden appearance beside him.
But he was also secretly confused. Why did he keep ignoring Zhang San's presence, treating him like a background prop?
Zhang San seemed used to being ignored.
"These are free spirit warriors who snuck into the Dike No Man's Land to hunt rare spirit beasts for their spirit beads."
"They sell those beads at high prices on the black market. They usually slip in through the minefield fences at the edge of the No Man's Land, or dig tunnels."
"They heavily damage the borders set up by the outposts. There have been many cases where poachers destroyed the border, allowing beast swarms to break out of the No Man's Land."
"The poachers' activities also destabilize the movements of beast swarms in the No Man's Land, making it much harder for the outposts to defend against them."
Jiang Nan frowned deeply. "Isn't there any way to control them?"
Zhang San smiled bitterly. "The No Man's Land covers over a million square kilometers. The border is incredibly long. It's impossible to manage completely."
"Plus, these poachers have formed a complete underground industrial chain. They have plenty of tricks."
"See? They're starting to hunt. Every time the Steel Dragon City enters the No Man's Land, it's a feast for the poachers."
Ahead of the Steel Dragon City, a Diamond-ranked spirit warrior was leading a few Platinums, sprinting across the grassland!
Behind them trailed a massive swarm of Rock-Eating Rats, at least a thousand strong!
A dozen off-road motorcycles flanked the swarm, using spirit techniques to drive it forward!
They were heading straight for the Steel Dragon City's tracks!
In an instant, the tracks were covered with a dense carpet of Rock-Eating Rats!
Alarms blared on the Steel Dragon City immediately!
"Prepare for impact! All personnel to positions! Fasten safety ropes to prevent being thrown off!"
"To ensure the Dragon City passes smoothly, kill as many spirit beasts as possible! Prevent the Dragon City from derailing!"
After the announcement, the Steel Dragon City accelerated even more, and the runes on its armor lit up!
Liu Mang said helplessly, "Southern God! Better duck. You'll have to wash off the splatter later!"
The moment he finished speaking, the Steel Dragon City charged forward and crashed straight into them!
"Boom!"
The spirit-binding steel blade at the front of the train shoveled up the Rock-Eating Rats, some of which were twenty or thirty meters tall, smashing them to pieces!
It plowed through relentlessly! Red things flew everywhere in the air. The scene was indescribable!
Relying on its immense kinetic energy and momentum, the Steel Dragon City carved a bloody path through the beast swarm!
The Rock-Eating Rats nearest the train, red-eyed and reckless, rammed into the cars regardless!
But they were met with relentless cannon fire!
"Boom! Boom! Boom!"
Armor-piercing spirit-binding cannons and steel barrages opened fire furiously, shredding the charging Rock-Eating Rats!
The Dragon Abyss Dark Night members standing at the railing also struck out, blasting the rats trying to overturn the train!
Meanwhile, a group of poachers stood at a distance, cheering, whistling, and looking excited.
When they saw beasts killed in the collision, they rushed in to dig out the spirit beads and grab the spoils!
Jiang Nan squinted. "Pretty slick, aren't they? Relying on the fact that the Dragon Abyss Dark Night won't bother with you and have no time to deal with you, so you bully them as much as you want?"
"If the train derails because of this, who's going to take responsibility for the supply equipment?"
"And you're still picking up loot? Let's see if you can still loot later!"
With that, he teleported off the Dragon City!
—
Author's note: