Chapter 813: Beneath the Storm
Seeing his grave expression, Yan Jiayu also became serious. She followed him all the way to the fourth carriage before lowering her voice to ask, "Is it that bad?"
"It might not be an ordinary storm," Xu Huo estimated the distance between the front and back, stopping in the passage between the third and fourth carriages. "If it's a dimensional storm, the first to be hit hard would definitely be the locomotive. But if the storm's thickness isn't enough, the middle carriages might be able to break through."
He wasn't certain, as this was only based on video footage he had seen. In those recordings, the front and rear of trains caught in dimensional storms had vanished, leaving only the middle two carriages barely intact.
Yan Jiayu had clearly heard of dimensional storms too. She immediately said, "I'll go find the train staff up front!"
In fact, the train staff already knew this was a dimensional storm before the passengers did. The train had specialized detection instruments that could determine the storm's level even before the clouds were visible to the naked eye.
Before Yan Jiayu could leave, the train's broadcast system crackled to life: "Welcome aboard, dear passengers. I am the train's operations director. Unfortunately, I have bad news: an E3-level dimensional storm lies ahead."
"As everyone knows, dimensional storms are the most dangerous spacetime storms for tracks and trains. This train's grade cannot fully withstand an E3-level dimensional storm. However, the good news is that E3 is the lowest hazard level for dimensional storms. According to monitoring data, when the storm meets our train, its range will shrink to two-thirds of its original size."
"Therefore, all passengers are requested to gather in carriages three, four, and five to maximize the protection of your lives and property. The train will now proceed at maximum speed. Please do not panic."
"Finally, I wish all passengers good luck."
As the broadcast ended, players from the front and rear carriages stirred into action, converging on carriages three, four, and five as quickly as possible. This included the train staff, the operations director, and the head chef.
There were quite a few people on board, making the three carriages a bit cramped. Even at full speed, the train made little noise. Under this tense atmosphere, the operations director smiled and turned on some music. "Don't be so pessimistic, everyone. After we get through this storm, we just have to wait for rescue by the tracks—if the tracks are still there."
His words offered no comfort. Not only the players but even the staff grew restless.
The train sped straight ahead. With the front and rear carriages blocking the view, it was hard to see the full scope of the storm from the windows. Everyone could only judge its position from the edges.
But this anxious wait didn't last long. With a tremor in the tracks, the storm struck the train in less than half a second. It wasn't as violent or fierce as everyone had imagined. The front carriages crumpled like tin cans, crushed backward. Whether it was the metal floor panels or the glass walls, everything seemed to change form in an instant—shattered, weightless—as the grayish, slow-moving air passed through the carriages, wrapping around and sweeping everything away in a flash!
It was like a thick wall passing through the train. The locomotive punched a huge hole in the wall, charging forward madly, while the slightly slower backflow of air took a moment longer to merge back from all directions, striking the train again... In that brief moment, less than half a second, two carriages survived!
Xu Huo, holding "Three Seconds of Life," turned back to look at the receding "gray wall," his heart shaken. Who would have thought that the dreaded dimensional storm would last only two or three seconds in total!
The train stopped at its original track position. Only a third of the third carriage remained, and half of the fifth carriage. Both ends looked as if they had been sliced off by a blade. The rest of the carriages, along with everyone inside them, had vanished with the "gray wall." On the scene, or within the "gray wall," there wasn't a single drop of blood, nor any of the gruesome scenes they had anticipated. The storm came gently and left gently. Apart from two massive pits gouged out near the tracks, everything else remained calm and sunny.
"Did those people... turn into fragments in the storm?" a player murmured.
Most players lacked knowledge about this. The danger came and went so quickly that many hadn't even recovered their composure, let alone analyze the storm's mechanics.
Because no matter the principle, it was like an ordinary person facing a natural disaster—once caught in it, escape was nearly impossible.
"Looks like we're pretty lucky," the operations director said, turning off the music with a chuckle. "Now, let's all wait here together!"
Just then, several players from the third carriage who had narrowly survived burst through the doors into the passage, gasping for air. "The oxygen outside is thin..."
Everyone's faces darkened. That was not good news!
Xu Huo lightly tapped Yan Jiayu, signaling her to go outside and take a look.
The two put on protective suits and stepped out. Yan Jiayu said, "At least the air pressure is normal."
Xu Huo tried using his ticket. "Can't teleport to a nearby station."
The old man followed them out. "Player tickets don't always work on the tracks, especially after a dimensional storm."
"So we just have to wait," Yan Jiayu said. "I wonder how fast the Orbital Supply Department works."
The old man, wearing a transparent breathing device, smiled. "The tracks are destroyed. It'll take some time, I imagine."
Yan Jiayu looked at the two large pits on either side. "Is the space near the tracks dangerous? Can we walk a bit farther?"
"Better not," said the female player knitting wool as she walked over. "There could be traps in the sky, underground, or even in the air."
"That's not a big problem," the old man said. "Look, although the tracks are destroyed, the area along them isn't as badly damaged as the sides. That's because the tracks were built using special methods. The space and time near here are very stable. As long as the dimensional storm doesn't reach a certain level, we'll be fine. Besides, aren't we all out here?"
"Then we really are lucky," Yan Jiayu said with a smile.
"Staying here is hardly good luck," the middle-aged woman said darkly. "Even if we wait, how many days can we last? If no one comes, we'll all die!"
This was what the other players were worried about too. Someone asked the operations director if there was any way to leave.
"If there was a way, we would have left long ago," the operations director said casually. "Don't worry. A signal was sent out before we went full speed. The Orbital Supply Department will definitely arrive within three days."
Hearing this, everyone calmed down a bit. They didn't dare wander far, so they all sat down along the tracks to rest. Those who knew each other huddled together, keeping their distance from others.
(Chapter End)