Qing Chen's Wonderful Journey

"Close all the windows tightly, and everyone should refrain from speaking or making any unnecessary movements while the train is in motion."

As the Steam Train traveled, Wang Dingye Parent's Association, patiently persuaded everyone in the carriage, even checking every window like an airplane flight attendant, almost asking everyone to adjust their seat backs and stow their tray tables.

Ma Jingjing asked, puzzled, "What's going on? Is there any danger?"

Wang Dingye laughed and said, "In 15 minutes, we will arrive at the natural barrier next to the Minnan Corridor, namely Forbidden Zone No. 40 and Forbidden Zone No. 41. They have surrounded City No. 13, leaving only one passage. This Steam Train will pass through Forbidden Zone No. 40."

Another Parent's Association member said, "We don't know the rules of Forbidden Zone No. 40 yet, but don't worry, as long as we close the windows and doors, we'll be fine inside the Steam Train."

"Thanks for reminding me," Ma Jingjing said softly. Although they were going to pass through here, the tour guide hadn't mentioned this to them.

If they had opened the car window just now, and some poisonous insects or snakes flew in, everyone in the car would probably have been wiped out.

After two days of interaction, Ma Jingjing and the others suddenly realized that Wang Dingye and his group were truly warm and hospitable, without any airs, willing to make friends with everyone, and charitable.

Ma Jingjing found it hard to believe that there was such a group of people in the Inner World, far better than the person who collected their tickets.

At this moment, Yi Wenbo suddenly said, "This guy Wang Dingye is a very nice person. Why don't we talk to him about the train tickets and ask him to help us get them back?"

Xiao Yu and Li Mengyun's eyes lit up. "Great idea! Brother Wang Dingye have a lot of people, they can definitely help us get it back."

Yi Wenbo immediately stood up, walked to Wang Dingye's side, and occasionally pointed at Qing Chen, muttering something to himself...

But Wang Dingye's expression gradually became strange...

He finally knew where the three gold coins Qing Chen had given him came from.

"I'm sorry, we can't help with this," Wang Dingye shook his head. "You have to pay gold coins to ride the Steam Train anyway, so just consider it a donation to the Steam Train and don't worry about it."

Yi Wenbo asked doubtfully, "Brother Wang Dingye, are they some kind of hidden masters? You can't afford to offend them?"

"No, no," Wang Dingye quickly changed the subject, remembering that he had to keep Qing Chen's identity a secret. "They're not experts, just ordinary people. Sit down quickly, we're about to enter Forbidden Zone No. 40. Aren't you going to Forbidden Zone No. 10? After this, it seems like we'll be there in about a day."

At that moment, everyone looked out the window and saw the lush forest in front of them.

On the outermost edge, on each of the hundreds-of-meters-tall banyan trees, countless aerial roots cascade down like waterfalls.

As the Steam Train approached, countless birds in the woods suddenly took flight, flapping their wings in the sky and producing a rhythmic, resonant sound.

With a rumbling sound, the Steam Train crashed headlong into the dark forest.

In this forest, there was a narrow, winding, and bumpy path specifically for Steam Train.

Everyone sitting in the car felt like they were on a roller coaster, having to hold on tightly to avoid falling to the ground.

As Ma Jingjing turned her head, she suddenly looked out the window. In the dark forest, there was an unknown creature that had somehow climbed onto the carriage and was looking inside with its bright green eyes.

He stared at Ma Jingjing.

A clanging sound came from outside, as if the creatures outside were trying to smash the windows of the Steam Train.

"Ah!" Ma Jingjing cried out in panic, fearing that some unknown creature had broken in.

More and more creatures clung to the Steam Train. It was pitch black inside and out, except for the faint light shining from those pairs of eyes.

Unlike the carriage next door...

Yang Yang stood up and brought her face closer to observe. "Hmm, I can't really see what kind of creature it is. Are they... tasty?"

Qing Chen: "..."

Qing Chen thought to himself, "This girl is as carefree as ever. She's treating this dangerous trip like a roller coaster ride."

Just like at Universal Studios, many roller coaster rides include scary elements along the way, such as skeletons and ghosts.

But if you know it's fake, you'll find it meaningless.

And now, everything outside the car is real.

Yang Yang took out her phone and used the flashlight to observe what the creatures outside were. She saw tiny, furry monkeys with big eyes and dense, fluffy orange fur all over their bodies. They were incredibly cute.

The only odd thing is that all of these little monkeys have six ears.

Yang Yang laughed and said, "It's not that scary. Besides... isn't this more interesting than the roller coasters at Universal Studios? So many people in the Outer World like to go to amusement parks for thrills, why not come to the Inner World and ride the Steam Train?"

Shadow laughed, "I'm really growing to like Yang Yang's personality more and more. These little monkeys are called Six-Eared Macaque. Occasionally, some of them will be particularly powerful, but most of the time they're just cute little ones."

Looking out the window, Yang Yang saw a Six-Eared Macaque clinging to Steam Train with one hand and gnawing on a half-meter-long worm with the other, as if it were sugarcane.

However, at that moment, all the Six-Eared Macaque that had been clinging to the outside of the Steam Train suddenly left, jumped onto a nearby banyan tree, and swung away on its hanging aerial roots.

Yang Yang asked curiously, "They seem afraid of something."

Xiao Mengqian was trembling in his seat, but seeing that everyone else seemed completely unafraid, he forced himself to pretend he wasn't scared either...

The next moment, a rumbling sound came, as if the Steam Train had entered a huge cave.

However, the cave walls were not made of stone. From inside the car, they were clearly writhing flesh walls, Qing Chen and the others could even see the veins on them.

Qing Chen suddenly stood up, staring in astonishment out the window. "What kind of creature did the Steam Train crawl into? What could be so enormous?"

Something capable of swallowing Steam Train whole opened its mouth right on the Steam Train's path, waiting for it to crawl into its belly.

It was terrifying.

Shadow frowned. "I heard that there's a giant python hiding in Forbidden Zone No. 40. Could this be it?"

As soon as he finished speaking, a crashing sound came from the front of the Steam Train, and the surrounding fleshy walls contracted, constantly squeezing the exterior of the carriage.

Everyone inside the car screamed in terror; they were going to die here!

"Don't worry, the Steam Train hasn't stopped," Shadow said slowly.

As soon as he finished speaking, a torrent of blood stained the glass red, like a red rain falling.

The Steam Train emerged from the environment surrounded by fleshy walls. Qing Chen hurriedly turned around and was shocked to see a giant python struggling in pain, with a huge bloody hole in its tail.

"This Steam Train is a bit outrageous," Qing Chen exclaimed in shock. "It can pass right through such an extraordinary creature without any restraint. Who created this Forbidden Item?"

The shadow chuckled, "Historical records indicate that he was a demigod created from Wang Congyang, but this demigod did not have a good reputation."

"Huh? Is he a bad guy?" Qing Chen asked curiously.

"He's not a bad person either," Shadow said, organizing his thoughts. "This Wang Congyang was one of the earliest Awakened in the Extraordinary Era. After he awakened the Steam Train, he didn't participate in battles. He spent his days riding the steam train between cities to deliver packages and smuggle goods. It's said that he spent his entire life riding the Steam Train to avoid danger. Even though he was already very strong, he would immediately run away at the slightest sign of trouble. He was nicknamed 'The Saint of Survival'."

The shadow laughed, "The other demigods all fought their way to the top, but he just endured long enough to become a demigod... Of course, his talent is also absolutely top-notch, otherwise he wouldn't have become one of the first superhumans."

Qing Chen sighed, "I think this demigod was quite a romantic person. The Steam Train traveled through beautiful or mysterious landscapes. Actually, living like him wouldn't be a problem."

Shadow thought for a moment, "This is not quite what you think. This Wang Congyang was hunted down by Ren Xiaosu of your Knight Organization in his early years. Some people suspect that the route the Steam Train is taking now is the same route he used to escape back then."

Qing Chen: "..."

This is truly a strange and interesting secret from the past.

He looked back and saw that the giant python had slowly stopped struggling. Perhaps decades later, another Forbidden Item would emerge from this place.

Inside the carriage, everyone was still in shock.

Everyone is wondering what the consequences would be if the Forbidden Zone were to one day cover the entire Federation.

The shadow chuckled and said, "Remember this place. Come back for the Forbidden Item in 32 years. That kind of creature is practically a spirit; it's bound to have Forbidden Item."

Qing Chen asked, "Is the Forbidden Item ACE-003, the Serpent of Deceit, derived from snakes?"

Shadow shook his head. "No, as for its origin, you'd have to ask your knights' ancestors. This thing is currently in Forbidden Zone No. 002."

Qing Chen thought to himself, "I only inquired about it because I knew it was in Forbidden Zone No. 002..."

Given the way my ancestors were so affectionate towards their grandparents, I should take all my apprentices to pay my respects to the old folks in a little while.

"Have you been to Forbidden Zone 001?" Qing Chen suddenly asked.

The shadow nodded. "The only advice I can give you is, whatever you do, don't go. Not only are there extremely terrifying creatures there, but the place also has a multitude of rules, forming its own unique system."

"What do you mean by 'self-contained system'?" Qing Chen asked curiously.

Shadow pondered and said, "That place... is like a huge, terrifying playground that someone specially built for the world with rules. The rules of Forbidden Zone 001 are not hidden; there are even signs telling you the rules. But even if you are told the rules, you may not be able to come out alive. To this day, no one knows what awaits you at the end of that game."

"It seems my master has come out alive," Qing Chen asked curiously.

Shadow was both amused and exasperated. "Your master almost lost half his life fighting his way out, and he didn't even enter the heart of Forbidden Zone 001."

At this moment, the Steam Train entered the void, and when it emerged again, the brightly lit City No. 13 could be seen in the distance.

よ hook gong drillapp𫓺ソUM𣗋ヤ

Parent's Association got off the bus, Wang Dingye secretly glanced at Qing Chen to say goodbye before heading off to their own battlefield.

Qing Chen memorized each of their names and appearances, because he didn't know if these people would live to see the day they reunited.

The shadow said, "Soon, the conglomerate will find out what you're up to, and many people will die that day."

The Steam Train re-entered the virtual realm, and the next stop was Forbidden Zone No. 10.

There will be another chapter at 11 PM.