Island in the lake.
The ritual unfolded fervently under the storm, accompanied by the crashing of ocean waves and the rumble of thunder.
Ah Duo hovered by the High Priest, gazing at her with concern.
Recently, due to overusing her prophetic abilities, her health had deteriorated significantly. Though she was fifty, she now appeared as an old woman.
The High Priest looked calmly at the surface of the water.
Yet, with Ah Duoâs eyesight, all she could see were inky black waves surging, and nothing else.
"High Priest, perhaps we should return and rest."
"I must wait here for the executor. He will surely appear, riding a dragon, pursuing the giant whale, donned in myriad streaks of light, like the Thunder God..."
Hearing the High Priestâs increasingly far-fetched words, Ah Duo couldnât help but turn her head away.
Suddenly, she noticed something appear on the waterâs surface.
The previously barren sea suddenly filled with "water mist," not real mist but the white froth stirred up by the intense rain.
A blue-black ridge cut through the murky waves, like a submerged mountain suddenly rising.
A colossal whale, so enormous it sent a shiver through oneâs soul, leapt out of the water, letting out a whale song.
The powerful soundwave swept across the water surface, making Ah Duoâs scalp go numb.
It actually came?!
The second whale call reverberated, less deep but incredibly penetrating, laden with a violent murderous intent.
Before Ah Duo could react, she saw two lightning bolts shooting out like chains from the thick mist, striking the whale fiercely.
The whale let out a painful wail, desperately rushing towards the island in the lake.
"Heâs here!"
The High Priest suddenly shouted sharply.
Ah Duoâs pupils shrank to needle points; the being pursuing the whale finally revealed its form.
It was indeed a dragon!
With a sharp horn on its head, its body exuded a cold metallic sheen, emitting countless currents of electricity that illuminated several black characters on its body.
â Armed Train.
Hold on...
No, thatâs not right!
Ah Duo rubbed her eyes, ensuring she wasnât mistaken; those were definitely the words Armed Train.
"Thatâs not a dragon!"
Ah Duo quickly said.
Seeing the High Priest furrow his brows, Ah Duo hastily added, "There are words on it, Chinese characters!"
The High Priest pinched her arm gently, replying calmly, "A dragon from Donghuang having Chinese characters on it isnât unusual, is it?"
Seeing the whale getting ever closer to the shore, Ah Duo didnât have time to explain and could only forcibly escort the High Priest towards the center of the island.
The whale, feeling the worsening injuries on its body, desperately maneuvered its last reserves of strength, using the flow of water to propel itself toward the island in the lake.
Hoping thereby to shake off the terrifying predators behind it.
"Boomââ"
The jagged reefs were stripped away layer by layer by blade-like waves, debris mixing into the whirlpool stirred up by the whaleâs tail, turning the whole area into a swirling muddy hue.
A deep rumbling rolled from the lake bottom, followed by an even more terrifying surge, as the water surface surrounding the island abruptly sank, as if sucked by an invisible giant maw.
After three seconds of silence, billions of tons of lake water rushed back, engulfing the lake islandâs perimeter in the jaws of white waves.
The colossal body, driven by momentum, continued to lunge forward.
Its belly ridges plowed through the reef, leaving seething sand and stone in its wake like boiling oil.
The whale rolled sideways onto the lake islandâs shore, like a capsized giant ship, plowing the ground as it went.
Sea water still trickled from the gills, pooling beneath it into winding streams, trying one last time to carry it away.
But the lightning whips trailing behind hadnât broken off; instead, they grew thicker as they landed ashore with it.
A menacing train whistle sounded.
An equally massive armed train nosed its way onto the shore, a small black figure standing atop the train.
Thousands of lightning bolts bloomed around him, eventually gathering into two thick lightning whips.
Like outstretched arms, they grasped the beached whale firmly.
This scene unfolded before the eyes of Ah Duo and the High Priest on the shore.
Both were struck speechless by the awe.
Yet, their awe was not the same.
Ah Duo was astounded that someone could be so formidable, capable of hunting a giant whale.
But in the High Priestâs eyes, was this not the most direct testament to a divine miracle?
Before Ah Duo could react, she ran forward, dragging her heavy, soaked black robe, stepping through the muddy ground towards the direction where the whale was stranded.
...
"Is it dead?"
Standing atop the train head, Su Huan reduced the release of electricity, asking in mild surprise.
"According to observations from the personnel on the train, the whale isnât dead yet; it seems to be using this method to escape us. We just need to wait for a while,"
Shu Wei jumped onto the train roof, sprinting quickly in the drizzle to Su Huanâs side, replying.
"Do you think it might be waiting for me to get close, then give me a fierce counterattack?"
Su Huan stroked his chin.
Shu Wei pondered and said, "Itâs possible..."
He hadnât finished speaking when he saw Su Huan leap off the train head, walking towards the beached whale.
Feeling like heâd been talking nonsense.
Shu Wei took a deep breath, expressionless, he jumped off and followed suit.
His task was to be there whenever called, whether while sleeping or at beck and call, wherever Su Huan went, he had to follow.
As Su Huan walked, he directed the crew inside the train through Shu Wei.
But there wasnât much to direct, as all Su Huan could hear through the audio was a cacophony of excited wails like ghosts and wolves.
Everyone was exhilarated after surviving the terrifying whirlpool.
Especially the crew who hadnât been with the train long; this brush with death further bolstered their confidence in the armed train.
"How long will the train repairs take?"
Su Huan asked casually.
The factory director on the other side of the tablet hesitated, "The damage reached 80%. There are many areas flooded in the train, but Xiaoba used his ability to block it. This part has inconsistent materials, so afterward, weâll need to disassemble and carefully repair it, and most importantly, the onboard equipment and sensor installationsâeach carriage has at least hundreds of sensors, some crucial carriages have thousands. These will take a long time..."