Kingdom of Corrosion

An hour had passed and with the advantage of coal-fueled speed, Maya maintained the train at its maximum velocity of 120 kilometers per hour, intent on swiftly reaching the Cake Formation.

Everyone sat near the exit doors of their respective carriages, with not much conversation occurring. The atmosphere wasn’t suppressed but tinged with tension and excitement. There was also some worry—concern that they might not reach Cake Mountain within two hours.

The route was as Maya had guessed. Due to malfunctions, two optional branch lines were shut down, so players could only choose Line 1. The terrain along Line 1 was relatively mundane, with plains and knolls alternating, and the system had even arranged some spectacular views for players to enjoy.

Ninety minutes after departure, around eleven o’clock in the morning, Maya reported via walkie-talkie, "We’re here, everyone get ready. We’ll be braking hard soon."

Accompanied by a piercing noise, the train came to an emergency stop, quickly halting at the entrance to the two Cake Mountains to the south. Disembarking here, they could reach the summit directly via the gentle slope. The slope was dotted with bushes, and the surface was uneven, strewn with protruding rocks and some pine trees.

Lin Wu and Wai took the lead, sprinting up the slope on the left, running nearly 300 meters before gunshots echoed from the top of the mountain. Since Lin Wu hadn’t used Stealth, the two special agents stationed at the southwest peak had a clear view of him, which made them panic. The damn weapon didn’t help—the repeater gun had a slow rate of fire and was slow to reload, lacked modern sights, and with the undulating terrain and obstacles, it was difficult to hit Lin Wu. They could only rely on handguns and shotguns in close combat, but they knew very well that their chances of winning a close combat fight against Lin Wu were slim.

The 700-meter distance was covered in an instant. The special agents weren’t pushovers, either. Though the repeater gun missed Lin Wu, they still managed to pin him down with their pistols behind a rock 13 meters away from them as he drew closer.

Why were the special agents so weak? It should be clarified that in the standard configuration of an intelligence agency, the proportion of true combat-ready agents is extremely low, with the majority being clerical, internal, public relations, technical, and administrative personnel. Leaving aside Nightmare, the full-attendance special agent with the highest score, only Blood Meng and Nightmare were field agents.

Nightmare issued an order, "Don’t aim to kill. Containing them is victory."

Although there was mutual disdain and no one considered Nightmare to have strong leadership skills, they couldn’t ignore the fact that Nightmare was the financier. The people on the slopes could only reply, "Yes."

The battle of Southeast Cake Mountain began, with the combatants about 30 meters apart, exchanging fire with repeater guns.