Life and Death Be Damned

The Steam Train burst out of the dark void, its whistle loud and wide, and thick smoke billowing from its chimney.

The thick black smoke in the sky looked like a black ribbon being stretched out.

As you walk through the forest, you startle flocks of birds into flight.

Without tracks or a driver, it simply travels abruptly across the wilderness, thus turning what was originally Forbidden Item for exploring the desolate landscape into a scenic attraction itself.

"Hold on tight to my neck!" Qing Chen shouted. He was hanging on the Steam Train, and Xiao Mengqian was hanging on his neck. The wind was blowing so hard that their faces were almost distorted, and the cold wind was blowing straight into the little boy's mouth.

Zhang Mengqian never dreamed that the trip her boss was talking about would be like this.

Isn't this just a place to suffer?

At this moment, Qing Chen freed one hand to turn the car door handle, and the door opened with a click.

At one point, the Steam Train's whistle carried a hint of anger.

He quickly led Xiao Mengqian into the carriage, then rushed to the back of the Steam Train to open the door and let Yang Yang and Qing Zhun in as well.

He shouted, "Qing Zhun, don't lose your backpack!"

Qing Zhun:

Qing Zhun had a backpack in his mouth and another in his right hand; he could only hold onto the handrail outside the car door with one hand.

But then he exerted a little force with his arm and jumped into the car.

As soon as he entered, he angrily questioned, "You're considered rich now, aren't you? The Secret Intelligence Department pays you hundreds of thousands a month. I heard you'll soon be included in the Qing family trust's profit-sharing list. Is it really necessary to save such a small amount of money? One gold coin is only worth a little over ten thousand yuan!"

Yang Yang quickly took the backpack from him.

Qing Chen chuckled and said, "Getting something for free is a kind of happiness! Don't always question your boss!"

Qing Zhun: "Okay."

Steam Train probably never imagined that someone would ever use them for free.

But Qing Zhun was quick-witted, and he soon realized that the Steam Train was not avoiding Qing Chen because Qing Chen could evade the fare.

However, if Qing Chen had the ability to open the car door at any time, it would mean that the entire car full of gold coins behind him would be in some danger.

This is the fundamental reason why Steam Train avoided Qing Chen.

Qing Chen looked at Qing Zhun with a smile and asked, "You're quite fast. Back in Intelligence Department One, didn't you say you were only a D-rank? A D-rank doesn't have this kind of speed."

Qing Zhun responded, "I was sent by Mr. Shadow to secretly protect you, so of course I can't reveal my true strength."

"I see, Mr. Shadow is truly a good person!" Qing Chen exclaimed.

"Mr. Shadow is definitely a good person." Qing Zhun went to tour the carriages with a curious look on his face, and the last carriage was full of gold coins.

Yang Yang whispered, "I've seen this Qing Zhun's force field before. Shouldn't you be a little more polite to him?"

"Shh!" Qing Chen quickly said, "Of course I know who he is, but you can't let him know 'I know,' otherwise how can I get him to work! He likes to play around, so let him play to his heart's content!"

Yang Yang glanced at Qing Chen: "You're really bold, but I can't pretend I don't know like you do. That's an elder."

At this moment, Qing Zhun returned. Qing Chen stuffed both backpacks onto the overhead luggage rack, found a seat, and looked out the window.

Only at this moment did he feel completely detached from the previous struggles and begin to enjoy the real life in the Inner World.

Qing Zhun asked, "Where is our destination?"

"No destination," Qing Chen laughed. "I get off wherever I want to go, and get back on when I'm done. I don't make any plans or schedule my trip."

He smiled at Qing Zhun, "Don't you think this kind of travel is interesting? No more anxiety, just going with the flow. No need to think about how to deal with power and struggle, no need for social niceties. Learn to make friends with the world, the world never rejects anyone."

Qing Zhun seemed very interested. He stood by the car window, watching the scenery and snow-capped mountains rushing past.

He watched the herd of horses galloping across the snowfield, a fiery brown horse leading the pack across the plain.

He watched as a few wolves lone in the distance, curiously peering at the Steam Train, cautious yet calm.

He doesn't know when it started, but he has become very far removed from that kind of life.

Those who enjoy playing the field can unknowingly become trapped in the pursuit of power.

Qing Zhun disregarded his image, rolled down the car window, and shouted loudly, scaring away the wolves that were watching nearby.

Qing Chen watched silently, perhaps this was the reason why the other party insisted on coming out with him.

He said to everyone, "Next, the Steam Train will pass through the southern Yunshan Hills, Yunmeng Marsh, and Impact Plain, passing through seven Forbidden Zone, and then travel westward, passing through the Suchuan Forest, along the waterway from west to east, all the way through the Hengchuan Mountains, reaching the southwestern Great Snow Mountain and Plateau, and finally turning back before Forbidden Zone 001."

Sitting opposite Qing Chen Xiao Mengqian's eyes were bright, full of anticipation.

At this moment, Qing Zhun also laughed, "That sounds quite interesting. A life without desires is something everyone pursues, but not everyone can achieve it."

Letting go of money and fame is something many people love to talk about, but can never actually do.

Qing Chen suddenly asked, "Qing Zhun, have you ever heard of Whale Island? There's only one sentence about it in Hu Corporation Intelligence Agency, nothing else is recorded."

"The Forbidden Item, Ace-013 Whale Island?" Qing Zhun. "Within the Kyung family, there's only one short story recorded about Whale Island."

"Even the Qing clan doesn't have information on the containment conditions? What stories are recorded within the Qing clan?" Qing Chen was taken aback.

"Some crew members said that it suddenly appeared on the shipping route one day. At that time, the Forbidden Sea was not yet Forbidden Sea, and there was trade at sea," Qing Zhun said. "The crew members who first discovered Whale Island had been sailing on that route for decades. One day, while they were at sea, there was nothing in front of the ship, and the view was extremely vast. Suddenly, a huge mountain range appeared in the sea and blocked the ship's way. The ship was caught off guard and crashed into the mountain and was destroyed. There were a total of 127 people on board, and they all escaped to Whale Island."

Qing Chen pondered, "An island that sailors who have traveled this route for decades have never seen before."

Qing Zhun continued, "Later, the crew lived on Whale Island for a while. They said that the island was incredibly rich and fertile. If a grape seed fell to the ground, it would sprout into a vine the next day and grow into a grapevine seven days later. Crabs would swarm up the edge of the island and gnaw on the moss on the rocks, so it would be hard for the crew to starve. There were springs on the island, and the water that flowed from them was extremely sweet."

Qing Zhun: "At that time, the Federation also had satellites, but the search and rescue team could not find the ship. The crew's communication equipment was lost in the water and they could not call for help. Later, the crew got tired of the island's rich but unentertaining life, so they cut down trees to build rafts and drifted back to sea. They were carried by the monsoon and ocean currents and drifted back to the mainland, landing at the location of what is now City No. 7."

Qing Zhun: "A crew member recounted that the island was so large that they walked for ten days and ten nights without reaching the end. Interestingly, shortly after they discovered the island, the Federation encountered the skeleton of Giant Whale on the seabed, which is the origin of the Forbidden Sea. Therefore, some within the Federation suspect that the island may very well be the Forbidden Item excreted by the Giant Whale."

"Wait, can non-human creatures also release Forbidden Item?" Qing Chen asked.

"Of course," Qing Zhun laughed. "For example, the Forbidden Item ace-021 'Bull Horn' is Forbidden Item extracted from a divine bull near the fire pit. It is currently in the hands of the Fire Pit Great Elder and is said to be able to stimulate the adrenaline of the entire group. The containment conditions are rather strange; you have to drink two ounces of liquor every day, any kind of liquor will do."

Qing Chen was stunned for a moment. He had been wondering who could have extracted such a massive Forbidden Item. Could it be a god?

But now it has been discovered that supernatural beings other than humans can also release Forbidden Item!

The Federation's assessment of Whale Island might be true; otherwise, who else could have extracted such a mysterious Forbidden Item?

"Didn't the Federation search for the Forbidden Item ace-013 Whale Island later?" Qing Chen asked.

He was very curious that the Bystander Organization, led by Zheng Yuandong, had no presence in the Federation, yet it possessed Forbidden Item such as the Ace-004 True Sight Eye and the Ace-013 Whale Island.

How many members are there in the Bystanders, and what kind of power do they wield?

Among the bystanders, are there any wizards, or perhaps Zheng Yuandong possesses even more formidable abilities besides his unparalleled swordsmanship?

"We searched for it; we even deployed a fleet," Qing Zhun chuckled. "But nobody found it. Whale Island seemed to have vanished into thin air. Some people suspected it was constantly moving. Later, others tried to find it, but the Forbidden Sea appeared, and the sea routes were cut off. By the way, boss, why did you suddenly ask about it?"

"It's nothing," Qing Chen shook his head. "Don't ask questions you shouldn't ask."

Qing Zhun:

Yang Yang suddenly felt a deep respect for Qing Chen; this guy was really flirting with death!

He has a kind of magnanimity that disregards life and death.