In this forest, there was a narrow, winding, and bumpy path specifically for steam trains.
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 looked 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 alarm, 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 emanating from those pairs of eyes.
Unlike the panic in the next carriage...
Yangyang stood up and brought her face closer to observe: "Huh, I can't really see what kind of creature it is. Are they... tasty?"
Qing Chen: "..."
This girl is as carefree as ever; the other party is 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.
Yangyang 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.
Yangyang 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 real world like to go to amusement parks for thrills, why not come to the other world and ride the steam train?"
Shadow laughed and said, "I'm really growing to like Yangyang's personality more and more. These little monkeys are called Six-Eared Macaques. Occasionally, some of them will be particularly powerful, but most of the time they're just cute little ones."
Looking out the window, Yangyang saw a six-eared macaque clinging to a 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 macaques 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.
Yangyang asked curiously, "They seem to be afraid of something."
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, and Qingchen and the others could even see the veins on them.
Qing Chen suddenly stood up, staring out the window in astonishment: "What kind of creature did the steam train crawl into? What could possibly be so huge?"
Something capable of swallowing a steam train whole opened its mouth right on the train's path, waiting for it to crawl into its belly.
It was utterly terrifying.
Shadow frowned: "I heard that there was a giant python hiding in Forbidden Land No. 40. Could this be it?"
No sooner had the words left his mouth than 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 object, this steam train?"
The shadow laughed and said, "According to historical records, he was a demigod named Wang Congyang, but this demigod did not have a good reputation."
"Huh? Is he a bad guy?" Qingchen asked curiously.
“He’s not a bad person either,” Shadow organized his thoughts, “This Wang Congyang was one of the earliest awakeners 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 is said that he spent his whole life riding the steam train to avoid danger. Even though he was already very strong, he would run away immediately at the slightest sign of trouble. He was nicknamed ‘Saint of Deception’.”
The shadow laughed, "The other demigods all fought their way to the top, but he 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."
Qingchen sighed, "I think this demigod is quite a romantic person. The route that this steam train travels through is full of beautiful or mysterious scenery. Actually, there's nothing wrong with living like him."
Shadow thought for a moment: "This is not quite what you think. This Wang Congyang was hunted down by Ren Xiaosu of your Knights organization in his early years. Some people suspect that the route the steam train is taking now is the same route he took 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 object would emerge from this place.
Inside the carriage, everyone was still in shock.
Everyone is wondering what the consequences would be if the forbidden lands 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 something forbidden."
Qing Chen asked, "Is the forbidden substance ACE-003, the Serpent of Deception, 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 Land No. 002."
Qing Chen thought to himself, "I only inquired about it because I knew it was in Forbidden Land No. 002..."
Given the way my ancestors were so affectionate towards their grandchildren, I should take all my apprentices to pay my respects to the old folks in a little while.
"Have you been to Forbidden Land No. 001?" Qing Chen suddenly asked.
Shadow nodded: "The only advice I can give you is... don't go. There are so many rules there, it's a whole system of its own. I went there a long time ago and felt completely disoriented for a long time."
"What does 'self-contained system' mean?" Qing Chen asked curiously.
Shadow pondered and said, "That place... is like a huge, terrifying amusement park that someone specially built for the world with rules. The rules of Forbidden Land No. 001 are not hidden. There are even 'Guidelines for Visitors' that tell 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 when that game ends."
"It seems my master came out alive," Qingchen asked curiously.
Shadow was both amused and exasperated: "Your master almost lost half his life fighting his way out, and he went crazy for quite a while."
At this moment, the steam train entered the void, and when it emerged again, the brightly lit City 13 could be seen in the distance.
As the parents got off the bus, Wang Dingye secretly glanced at Qingchen to say goodbye before heading off to their own battlefield.
Qingchen memorized each of their names and appearances, because he didn't know if these people would live to see the day they reunited.
Shadow said, "Soon, the conglomerate will find out what the parents' meeting is about, and a lot of people will die that day."
The steam train re-entered the virtual realm, and the next stop was Forbidden Land No. 10.
Chapter 603, The Strongest Tour Guide Team
"What exactly is the last rule of Forbidden Land Number 10?" Shadow asked.
“I can’t say, it’s a secret of us knights, and you’re not a knight,” Qing Chen said.
Shadow raised an eyebrow: "I'm your own brother, I've helped you so much, and you do this to me? Give me back the Jingshan tea you drank."
"How can you ask for something back after giving it away? Are you a child?" Qingchen said indignantly.
Shadow: "You were so cute in my arms when you were little, but you're not cute at all now!"
The two people arguing were holding playing cards, and each of them had a bunch of white paper strips stuck to their foreheads.
Yangyang sat to the side, resting her chin on the small table in front of her, watching with great interest as Yingzi and Qingchen bickered.
Despite being a well-known figure in the Federation, he showed a childlike side.
Therefore, it is especially interesting when the two of them get together.
When the two stopped talking and started arguing, Yangyang quickly peeled a tangerine for Yingzi.
Shadow turned her head away: "I'm not eating it. Give it to Qingchen so he can have a sweet treat and stop making me angry all the time!"
Yangyang: "..."
Zhang Mengqian asked from the side, "Boss lady..."
"Ahem," Yangyang stepped on Xiaomengqian's foot under the table and whispered, "You can call me that in private, but call me Aunt Yangyang in public."
With her shadow present, she needed to leave a good impression of modesty on her elders.
It was evening, and Yangyang glanced at her arm; the countdown to the return was 28:32:21.
5:30 p.m.
Yangyang whispered, "If we get off the bus with them, will they be suspicious?"
Qingchen got up and packed his things: "It's okay, I'll handle it. Let's get ready to get off the bus."
As he spoke, he went to the train door and waited for the steam train to enter the void, eventually stopping 20 kilometers away from Forbidden Land No. 10.
Qingchen and the others were the first to jump off the train.
Ma Jingjing and the others were somewhat surprised and uncertain when they saw this scene, wondering why this group of people were getting off the bus here as well.
But just because Qingchen is getting off here doesn't mean I shouldn't get off either.
Ma Jingjing and the others felt a bit awkward. In this desolate place, there were only so many people in the car, and it would feel like they were being followed no matter who was behind them.
At this moment.
Qing Chen suddenly turned around and looked at them: "Hey, why are you following us?"
Zhang Mengqian twitched her lips, thinking to herself that her boss's heart was truly filthy.
They clearly heard others talking about coming here, so they followed them, but the boss got off the bus beforehand and started blaming them...
Meanwhile, Shadow was still playing along with Qing Chen's act: "Yeah, why are you following us?"
Yangyang felt that these were definitely brothers, and it was impossible for anyone to impersonate them.
At this point, Ma Jingjing and her companions were speechless: "We weren't following you, we were just about to get off here! We even have a tour guide waiting for us up ahead!"
"Oh, really?" the shadow said. "Never mind then, it seems to be a coincidence."
Qing Chen: "Yes, you misunderstood."
After saying that, Shadow and Qingchen walked towards Forbidden Land No. 10 in tacit agreement, as if nothing had happened.
"Won't the tour guide have some issues?" Qing Chen asked in a low voice, "How many companies did you give my whereabouts to?"
The shadow said with a smile, "Don't worry... I've given information to any organization that has a motive to kill you, and I've even given them a fire pit."
"When you say things like that, can you please not add the word 'don't worry' before it? Who can feel at ease? What if you suddenly fall asleep again?" Qingchen complained.