Apocalypse Forecast

Chapter 448 448: 388 Chapter Ruler_1

Fifteen minutes later, a single train car, pulled by an invisible gravitational force, set off from the station, accompanied by the sound of a whistle from no discernible source.

"This is it?"

Huai Shi looked around the carriage in astonishment. "What happened to the promised luxury? The esteemed experience? The goddamn wonderful memories?"

He gnashed his teeth, suddenly feeling the urge to draw his knife and sharpen it a little.

I want to cut someone.

If only there weren't any train staff in this carriage!

It bore not the slightest resemblance to the luxurious train, esteemed experience, and meticulous service he had anticipated. Not only was there just a single carriage, but there wasn't even an engine!

The interior of the carriage... This is totally just a freight car they barely modified, isn't it?

No air conditioning, no seat cushions, and even the windows were broken!

At least the seats were first-come, first-served—not that it made any difference. They were all just cheap five-yuan folding stools from the market, carelessly welded to the floor.

And they weren't even welded on securely!

Even if I'd bought a standing-room-only ticket, this is too much!

How is this worth five hundred thousand?

Someone just said people from the Current Circumstances are all liars, and here I am at the Border encountering such blatant, malicious fraud! They even dare to scam the Astronomical Society!

Was it easy for me to embezzle a little stolen loot?!

This piece of junk isn't even average, and they dared to offer it for free as a limited-time promotion!

Huai Shi was so furious he felt like blowing up this carriage...

After a long while, he finally suppressed his anger and let out a long breath. Can't be helped. Plans never keep up with reality—I'll just get off at the next stop.

The key is to latch onto a Gold Thigh first...

He slowly turned his gaze to the Man in Grey sitting on a folding stool beside him. The prematurely aged, middle-aged office worker clutched his briefcase, leaning against the rust-stained carriage wall, swaying with the clatter of the rails and the movement of the car.

He looked utterly pitiful.

This is outrageous! How could these people treat Brother Gold Thigh like this!

Huai Shi sat directly opposite him with a THUD, which seemed to startle the man. As the man looked on in bewilderment, the serious-faced youth before him suddenly squeezed out a fawning smile and reached into his coat.

"Big Bro, have a dwink!"

A bottle of Happy Water, still cold, emerged from the slit in his chest.

"Ah? Oh, thank you."

The Man in Grey, stunned, accepted it gratefully. Before he could even open the can, he saw Huai Shi take out a lunchbox Uncle Fang had made for him before he left. Huai Shi opened it briskly, and a rich aroma diffused through the air.

He shoved it into the Man in Grey's hands. "Big Bro, have some chicken weg!"

"...Ah, okay."

Then, Huai Shi dug into his pocket again, producing a pack of cigarettes from a metal case with a clink. He presented them respectfully with both hands. "Big Bro, smoke dis, it's potent!"

"..."

A minute later, the Man in Grey—Happy Water in his left hand, lunchbox in his right, and two cigarettes already stuffed into his mouth—watched in stunned silence as Huai Shi pulled a bag of Uncle Fang's special homemade salted peanuts from his saddlebag.

"Big Bro, have some peanutz!"

Just as the Man in Grey, his arms now piled high with things, awkwardly accepted the peanuts, Huai Shi, as if by magic, produced a small violin from his pocket—one he'd idly carved out of boredom—and smiled enthusiastically.

"Big Bro, take your time eating. I'll play some accompaniment for you..."

This is too much!

The Man in Grey's expression twitched. He helplessly grabbed Huai Shi's hand. "My young friend, there's no need for all this, truly no need..."

"Just call me Little Huai, Big Bro! Don't be such a stranger!"

Huai Shi raised his hand, earnestly stopping such behavior that, in his view, disregarded their proper hierarchy. "As the saying goes, 'At home, rely on your parents; when away, rely on your brothers.' We two brothers hit it off right from the start! This is just a small token of my respect, please don't refuse it."

Are you kidding? I was even planning to give Brother Gold Thigh a back and shoulder rub later!

I finally stumbled upon such a prime Gold Thigh to latch onto, and he's awesome enough to be on par with Green Day's boss! If I let this slip by, would I even be human anymore?

This brotherhood, I, Huahai Road Little Peppa, am determined to forge with you!

Seeing Huai Shi's increasingly fervent expression, the Man in Grey became troubled. "Even if you treat me so lavishly, there's really nothing I can do for you..."

He cut Huai Shi off as he was about to speak and sighed. "Actually, I'm just an ordinary retiree... I'm nowhere near as capable as that lady made me out to be. Please don't expect anything from me."

"Besides, given your status, you wouldn't have had trouble staying there even without me, right?"

Saying this, he carefully placed the Happy Water and peanuts on the briefcase on his lap. He then raised both hands and earnestly patted the young man's shoulders, his expression solemn.

"You need to have more confidence in yourself, Huai Shi. Don't sell yourself short."

Gripping the young man's shoulders, he said earnestly, "You don't need to rely on anyone. You're already a big shot."

"Huh?"

Huai Shi was baffled. Why does this big brother think so highly of me?

Weren't all lackeys of the Astronomical Society supposed to be hunted down by everyone?

"Anyway, we still have a little time before we reach the station."

The Man in Grey used his briefcase as a makeshift tray for the food Huai Shi had given him, a gentle smile appearing on his pale face. "This is too much food; I can't finish it all myself. Would you like to share?"

Such a sincere invitation far surpassed any approach or flattery driven by ulterior motives.

Huai Shi was stunned for a long moment, then nodded with a wry smile.

"Okay!"

Just as the two were in a corner of the carriage, savoring Happy Water, peanuts, and chicken drumsticks, Huai Shi felt the entire carriage give a sudden, violent jolt.

It felt as if they had been lifted into the air.

When he poked his head out of the broken window in shock, he was met by a blast of wind and the sight of a grey ocean slowly drawing nearer overhead.

The two rails, continuously extending beneath their single carriage, warped upwards, slanting towards the ocean in the sky. They guided the carriage as it soared into the air, racing through the dim expanse between sky and sea.

Behind them, the lights of Stone City had long since been left far behind.

Huai Shi shook his head, spat two peanut shells into the wind, and stared wide-eyed at what lay ahead.

The carriage raced onward.

Flying.

Straight towards the ocean.

It was as if it were about to smash through the ocean's surface and plunge into its depths, its speed not decreasing but instead accelerating, growing ever faster.

A hurricane-force wind slammed into his face, feeling as if someone were yanking his hair from behind.

It was too fast to react.

By the time Huai Shi pulled his head back into the carriage, his hair was as tousled as a beggar's. It took him a long time to smooth it down, even using his hands.

What in the world is going on?

As if she knew what Huai Shi was thinking, Raven said without turning her head, "It's just an undercurrent transit. Don't make such a fuss, you fool."

Then you could have explained it beforehand, Sister!

"Wasn't I just about to?"

Raven turned back, sighing helplessly. "Can you please not wear your thoughts so plainly on your face? It makes it seem like I have some Mind Reading Technique, which is rather embarrassing."

Well, hurry up and explain then!

"Alright. The Ancient Tourism Company, which operates the Star on consignment, is a company in which Forever Investment holds shares. And as everyone knows, Forever Group is, in turn, a Vest for the Existence Institute... So, I suppose it carries a lot of clout, wouldn't you say?"

"However, sixty-one percent of Ancient Tourism's shares weren't acquired with money, but with a navigation permit."

Raven paused for a moment. "The permit was issued forty years ago by a terrifying entity in this Endless Sea—Leviathan, a [Ruler] whose Rank is above the [Crowned]..."

"Speaking of which, at that time, He was locked in a fierce battle with another Ruler, 'Ifrit, the Middle East's Master of Flame Void.' The war between these two Owners of the Great Mob embroiled over forty Hells and even interfered with the Withering Region below Depth Twenty. At its most critical juncture, it even involved the Destruction Element: Grey... Ahem, ahem, I'm getting sidetracked. Where were we?"

Huai Shi sighed, his face a mask of utter resignation. "The permit."

"Right, right, the permit."

Raven coughed awkwardly and continued, "Any vessel bearing the permit's insignia can navigate the Endless Sea freely by riding its currents. These currents allow them to ignore depth and distance, enabling them to reach any location covered by the seventeen currents in just a few hours."

"Seventeen currents mean there are seventeen navigation permits in total, each held by one of seventeen major Genealogies, corporations, or powerful individuals. Well, you can think of them as seventeen maritime hegemonies. These seventeen forces have completely monopolized all shipping and communication across the entire Endless Sea."

"Well, that concludes today's Sister Crow's Little Lecture on Border Trivia. Is there anything you didn't understand?"

"Apart from understanding that one can perform oceanic transits with the permit, I didn't get a single other thing," Huai Shi said flatly. "And, did you just dump a whole load of new lore on me without any warning again?"

"Please, call this 'proceeding step-by-step,' alright? I can't just smack an eight-million-word copy of the "Hell Survival Guide" into your face the first time we meet, can I?"

"..."

Just as Huai Shi was rolling his eyes, he felt his body jolt violently.

The view outside the window had been replaced by an endless expanse of greyish-blue.

That was seawater.

The carriage, still guided by the rails, had plunged into the ocean. It was now breaking through layer after layer of water, heading towards the dark depths.

In the dead silence, only the low, distant rumble of the undercurrent could be heard.

The undercurrent transit had begun.

No one in the carriage spoke.

Everyone felt a heavy, icy sensation weighing on their chests.

Only Huai Shi, completely unaffected by the strange atmosphere around him, was already standing at the window, peering out.

All he could see was a swirl of greyish-blue, gradually dimming, until, in an instant, it was swallowed by complete darkness.

He couldn't see anything, but he could feel the carriage rushing madly onward, as if pulled by invisible ropes, its speed increasing relentlessly.

Some people in the carriage were already losing their balance, becoming rolling gourds on the floor.

The Man in Grey, however, moved with surprising speed. As if protecting priceless treasures, he snatched the lunchbox and the bag of peanuts. His mouth gaped open, catching a chicken drumstick that flew through the air. Then, he lifted his legs to clamp his briefcase securely between them.

He looked utterly disheveled.

But he had successfully defended the dignity of the food!

Huai Shi turned, about to help, but the corner of his eye caught something in the endless darkness outside the window—that pitch-blackness seemed to writhe for an instant.