Night fell like a massive black curtain, swallowing the Seventh Viaduct and the abyss beneath it entirely. The wind howled, stinging their faces, yet it could not extinguish the burning fire in Jin Wanchao's eyes. Wearing a crude protective helmet, he gripped a pair of binoculars, lay prone on the cold concrete edge, and fixed his gaze unblinkingly into the distance.
"Brother Wanchao, everything's ready. All lines secure, fully charged." Ah Huo's voice came from behind, tinged with suppressed excitement. He squeezed the control lever of the launcher so tightly his knuckles whitened. Beside him, Old Zhong also wore a protective mask, his muddy eyes glinting with fanatical light. Little Axing hugged a toolbox, his face pale, yet he bit his lip hard and made no sound.
Everyone waited, bracing for the moment of the great gamble. On the viaduct, only the wind screamed, joined by the faint, distant wail of sirens deep in the city. The entire Lower District seemed to have fallen asleep, holding its breath for the gamble about to begin.
Jin Wanchao suddenly lowered his binoculars. At the edge of the night, two piercing lights, like a monster's eyes, were closing in fast. They were the bright headlights of an armored train, cutting through the darkness with a low rumble, speeding toward them. Its body was black as iron, a giant steel serpent opening its jaws to devour them.
"Get ready!" Jin Wanchao's voice was not loud, but firm, carrying unquestionable authority.
Ah Huo took a deep breath and clamped down harder on the control lever, veins bulging on his hands. Old Zhong's body trembled slightly, but there was no fear in his eyes—only ignited fervor.
The train drew nearer, its immense wind pressure and roar crashing over them. The grim metal face of the engine seemed ready to crush them at any second.
"Now!" Jin Wanchao roared.
"Fire!" Ah Huo slammed the lever all the way forward.
Boom!
The massive electromagnetic anchor launcher jolted violently. A thick cable shot out like a cannonball, slicing through the night sky and slamming hard into the speeding armored train.
Clang!
A sharp metallic crash exploded in the silent night. The electromagnetic吸附 device at the tip of the cable locked firmly onto the train's heavy armor.
Jin Wanchao's "flame" surged violently into the electromagnetic cable. He could clearly "see" the energy veins inside the cable light up instantly. A wild electromagnetic pulse poured into the train's power core like a bursting dam.
Screech—!
A teeth-grinding sound of metal friction, mixed with a pungent burnt stench, came from beneath the train. The speeding vehicle was seized by an invisible hand. Its wheels ground fiercely against the rails, sparks flying, leaving a long trail of fire. The train's massive inertia let out a desperate wail, its body shaking violently before finally grinding to a halt in the middle of the viaduct.
"We did it!" Ah Huo shouted triumphantly, pumping his fist. Old Zhong and Little Axing exhaled in relief, joy etched across their faces after a narrow escape.
"Move in!" Jin Wanchao gave them no time to catch their breath. He charged onto the train first, his steam gauntlet primed. Ah Huo, Old Zhong, and the Fire Cult warriors behind them poured out from cover on both sides of the viaduct like tigers descending a mountain, swarming the train. At the same time, the scavengers under Wrench's command surged from the deeper darkness like a tide, joining the raid.
Yet when they boarded the train, ready to pry open the freight cars, they met far fiercer resistance than expected.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Inside the cars, rows of new steam-powered combat puppets emerged from the dark like ghosts. Their bodies were pitch-black, eyes glowing scarlet. Their chain saws and heavy rifles opened fire at once, spitting deadly fire.
"Dammit! Bastards! Knew it wouldn't be easy!" Ah Huo roared, slamming his steam gauntlet into a puppet and smashing it to pieces. But more puppets poured from the depths of the car, flooding over them like a tide.
"These puppets are different! They have self-awareness!" Old Zhong warned loudly. His sledgehammer struck a puppet's joint, leaving only a white mark.
The Fire Cult warriors fought bloody battles. Their steam gauntlets and makeshift weapons dented the puppets again and again, yet could hardly destroy them completely. The scavengers were caught off guard by the sudden resistance, and casualties mounted quickly.
Jin Wanchao's "flame" burned fiercely inside him. He could clearly "see" the delicate flow of energy within these new models. Their cores were wrapped in layers of armor, immune to ordinary attacks.
He lunged at a heavy puppet, his steam gauntlet striking not its torso, but precisely at the leg hydraulic system. A sharp metal crack rang out—the puppet's leg twisted, lost balance, and crashed to the ground.
"Aim for the joints! Their joints are weak points!" Jin Wanchao shouted. His voice cut through the chaotic battlefield like thunder.
The Fire Cult warriors understood at once. They shifted tactics, targeting the puppets' weak joints. Electric arcs flashed, chain saws screamed, and the clatter and explosions of metal echoed endlessly. With flesh and blood, they tore open a path in the steel tide.
Finally, at a heavy cost, they broke into the train's core carriage.
But the car was empty. There was no "Resonance Crystal" as they had imagined. Only a fist-sized blue orb hovered in the center.
Jin Wanchao's heart sank. A terrible premonition washed over him. The "flame" inside him shrank abruptly, as if doused in ice water.
The moment his fingers touched the orb, it expanded violently. A hologram flickered to life before them.
It was a man in an ornate white uniform, wearing a monocle. His hair was combed back neatly, his face locked in an eternally haughty smile. He was Valerius, a high-ranking official of the Blacksteel Council.
He swirled a glass of red wine gracefully. Amid the chaotic battlefield, his voice remained clear and magnetic, steeped in innate arrogance.
"Ah, the poor 'Prophet.' It seems your 'divine revelation' is not enough to see everything." He spoke softly, his smile playful and sarcastic. "My dear Lady Wrench, you really are as restless as ever. No matter—all pieces will eventually return to me."
"You… you know who we are!" Ah Huo roared in rage.
Valerius paid no attention to him. His gaze settled on Jin Wanchao, filled with curiosity and faint mockery.
"You truly thought I would greet you with the real 'Resonance Crystal'?" He snapped his fingers. The orb projected another hologram—an identical cargo crate, safe and sound inside a hidden underground warehouse.
"The crystal was bait. This entire train was a trap carefully laid for you." Valerius smiled. To Jin Wanchao, that grin was the smirk of a demon. "Welcome to the real game, Prophet."
As his words faded, blinding lights blazed to life at both ends of the viaduct. Countless Blacksteel Guards and heavy equipment poured from the dark like a steel flood, sealing every escape route. At the same time, a teeth-grinding sound of metal snapping came from beneath the viaduct. The bridge's support structures began to disintegrate from below. The entire viaduct was collapsing on its own.
"Shit! We fell for it!" Despair and rage twisted Ah Huo's face.
Valerius's hologram faded, but his voice lingered above the viaduct, like the overture to a victory proclamation.
"Enjoy the final fireworks. Soon, you will have a sky graveyard all to yourselves."