Kingdom of Corrosion
Chapter 639 - 307 Joy City

Chapter 639: Chapter 307 Joy City

Just at that moment, a flurry of snowflakes arose near the tops of two mountains, a strange phenomenon that none had ever witnessed before. Following the snowflakes, a mist seemed to emerge.

Having seen much of the world, Maya exclaimed in alarm, "Avalanche."

In an instant, the rules flashed through her mind. The mass of the avalanche was definitely greater than the weight of a locomotive. In the first scenario, the train might be struck by the avalanche and could potentially be derailed. In the second scenario, the avalanche could block the train’s path, and according to the rules, the obstructing snow would be refreshed after one minute. But there was a limitation to this rule, which was that the countdown for the refresh would only start after the avalanche had come to a stop. And an avalanche was a continuous process.

That both mountains avalanched at the same time was no coincidence; it was most likely the handiwork of a Fortress special agent. Just when the first avalanche was about to end and the countdown for the refresh began, a second wave of explosions-triggered avalanches would arrive, forcing a recalculation of the refresh time. Then there would be a third wave, a fourth...

If they were to be blocked, the special agents could ambush the Orient Express, or even adopt a strategy of delay, allowing Blood Mist and darkness to swallow the train.

Seeing Shuihua was about to slow down, Maya stretched out her hand and pushed the speed to the maximum, "Break through." The train started to accelerate, going from 50 kilometers per hour to 100, the wheels wobbling on the tracks, as if it might derail at any moment.

The closer they got, the more terrifying the momentum of the avalanches on both sides of the mountain became, the piles of snow churning up a snow mist like two massive white monsters barreling down, bringing a roaring noise with them.

Shuihua shouted, "It seems like we can’t get through."

Four possibilities: stop and wait, get swept off the tracks by the avalanche, get buried under the snow. Maya gambled on the fourth possibility, which was to break through. She made this choice because the first three were bad options; you couldn’t estimate how many more tricks the ambushers had up their sleeves.

Such a risky move could lead to the train being derailed and caught in a 10-minute repair and defense battle. With the cold weather outside and no warm clothing, they wouldn’t be able to last long in the tide of corpses, let alone for 10 minutes. As such, Maya’s decision was a matter of life or death, refusing to leave their fate in the hands of ambushers.

How could Fortress special agents be frugal with their strategies, expecting them to not have a back-up plan?

"Charge!" The people at the locomotive cried out as the raging avalanches on both sides engulfed the entire train in the snow mist.

Nightmare stood on high ground, eyes wide as she watched the area engulfed in snow mist, holding her breath for several seconds until the Orient Express burst out of the snow mist, blaring its horn and belching black smoke, pressing on. Seeing the trap she had meticulously arranged fail by a hair’s breadth, Nightmare could only kneel and look up to the heavens with a long sigh. Just 10 seconds more, maybe even 5 seconds, and she would have been able to bury the Orient Express, eliminating Lin Wu, the thorn in her side. Compared to killing Sasha for the mission, Nightmare would rather have killed Lin Wu.

The Orient Express had a narrow escape, naturally leading to cheers inside the train. Although Maya did not join in, she felt a huge relief; when every decision mattered to both her and others’ survival, every choice was difficult. Moreover, Maya felt fortunate that it was an avalanche and not a mudslide; avalanches were relatively more unpredictable.

However, the next three days were unlikely to be easy. Maya didn’t quite understand; by her estimates, at least 20 trains should have been able to reach Town No. 10 four days ago, with at least 70 percent capable of taking on Sasha’s task. Why then were the Fortress special agents singling out the Orient Express? They had suffered plenty at her and Lin Wu’s hands. Could it all be for the Nightmare’s bounty?

Maya said to Shuihua, "Keep an eye on things; I’ll check the damage to the carriages."

Although they had passed through the avalanche, several carriages had still sustained damage, with the flatbed and passenger carriages being the most severely affected, having more than 20% damage. Maya called over the repairman Lin Wu, and they used 60 materials to fix all the carriages.

Hong Yi then reported, "Traveling at our current speed of 50 kilometers per hour, we will arrive at Snow Ridge Station in 4 hours."

"The station?" everyone questioned. Why was every stop after Town No. 10 its own separate scenario?

Hong Yi: "Yes. Snow Ridge Station is built on a high mountain at an altitude of five thousand meters, and there’s a Sky Lake on Snow Ridge Mountain, which is currently frozen. Joy City at Snow Ridge Station offers a variety of tourist activities, including but not limited to bobsledding, ice skating, winter swimming, and ice fishing. All activities are free, and you can win gifts for completing the activity or parts of it, including but not limited to precious items. The shortest stopping time is 5 minutes, and the longest is 24 hours."

Hong Yi: "Players can stay at Snow Ridge Hotel for free, which provides complimentary hot springs and board. During the stopover, the train and people are under system protection."

Lin Wu admired, "Dawn really thinks of everything, just to waste our time. Not only are the offerings free, but we can also earn items."

Exploring might be a waste of time since rewards and penalties have been laid out clearly, and Dawn has never been a saint. On the other hand, knowing that there were item rewards at stake and giving up felt like facing a significant loss. What mattered most was that Maya had strengths in several of the activities. Maya suggested, "Maybe we could try a few projects?"

Wu voiced his doubt, "These are not the kind of activities just anyone can perform." Bobsledding and ice skating required skill, skills that took time to refine. Ice fishing wasn’t demanding, but whether you’d get a bite depended on Dawn’s whims. As for winter swimming, that was out of the question – it was an old man’s pursuit.

Maya said, "I can swim two hundred meters under the ice without losing my direction and can hold my breath and dive for four minutes."