Apocalypse Forecast

Chapter 449: Chapter 389 Group Star_1

He stood still, squinting into the distance.

In an instant, a feeling of bewilderment overcame him, followed rapidly by blood loss. The Mirror of Nothingness was frantically draining his vitality; in a moment, it had sucked the life force of more than ten ordinary people! Huai Shi subconsciously braced himself against the wall, steadying his body.

And then, he saw it—through the reflection of the Mirror of Nothingness, he pierced through the layer of the Abyss that was imperceptible to both the naked eye and spiritual sense.

It wasn’t so much seeing as it was a feeling, an intuition. Driven by the subtle and delicate reaction of Death Perception, the Mirror of Nothingness rapidly extracted information from Huai Shi’s perceptions—his eyesight, hearing, subconscious, and even spiritual awareness and guesses—analyzing and detecting the nature of this darkness. In an instant, it revealed the vague silhouette behind the darkness.

It was just a feeling.

It was as if he saw countless nightmare bubbles surging up from the frenzied abyssal sea, gleaming with mad light in the darkness, each bubble echoing with endless wails and screams. But then, with a frightening twist, those bubbles slowly spun, materializing with amber, jade, verdigris, and diamond-like textures, transforming into a series of noble yet grotesque eyes. The darkness was the body that bore the eyes, and the roaring of the tides was Its breath...

At that moment, as if sensing the gaze of a crawling creature, the noble one within the darkness lowered Its arrogant eyes for a brief glance before withdrawing Its gaze, uninterested. All that was left was Huai Shi, slumped on the chair, gasping for air intensely, his back drenched in sweat.

It wasn’t until half an hour later that he came to his senses, feeling a dry thirst in his lungs.

”Quick, drink some water.”

The Man in Grey propped up his head, pried open his jaw, and poured half a can of Green Day into him. Huai Shi instinctively swallowed like an imbecile.

It took a long while for him to recover. His little finger twitched.

This was different from his reaction to the leader of Green Day; it was an innate human dread and fear of the alien, coupled with the tearing, intense pain from Death Perception.

What astonished him even more was that even though it started as a fleeting guess, that guess seemed to come alive within his consciousness, taking root and growing on its own, eventually evolving into that maddening silhouette.

Thankfully, It wasn’t interested in him. If It had thought, ’Hey, this little thing is quite cute, let me have another look,’ Huai Shi would definitely have been long gone by now.

When It withdrew Its gaze, however, the impression Huai Shi had of It in his mind quickly faded and vanished. That burst of inspiration also left with it. Even the Book of Fate was vague about the spectacle Huai Shi had just witnessed, devoid of any concrete records.

”There’s no use thinking about it; form and flesh mean nothing to It.” Raven shook her head helplessly. ”Once they reach the level of a [Ruler]—the Owner of the Great Mob—they have merged their existence with Hell itself, becoming a Living Hell that wanders below the depths we know. Such beings, if placed before the year 1700, could already be called true ’Kings of Devils.’”

As she spoke, she began to take pleasure in Huai Shi’s misfortune. ”Congratulations, you’ve learned a blood-soaked lesson from the archaeological team—don’t just look around because you think you’re perceptive, especially when you have something like the Mirror of Nothingness. This is something only those beyond the Fifth Stage can handle. You, right now, are still too young.”

”...”

Huai Shi’s expression twitched, and he forced out a smile. ”Yeah, I also feel like I’m bearing a handsomeness and beauty that’s not appropriate for my age...”

”Hmm? Still able to talk rubbish? That proves you’re okay.” Raven shook her head. ”If you still have the strength to lift your head, you can take a look out the window now.”

She said, ”We’re about to reach our destination.”

Destination?

Following her words, Huai Shi, the deep-sea PTSD patient, mustered his courage, lifted his head, and looked out the window, only to find that the writhing darkness had dissipated.

Along with the cheers of all the passengers, the carriage burst from the sea and arrived in a pitch-black expanse of sea, hanging upside down in the sky. Only a lone lamp hanging from the carriage flickered slowly. It continued to speed forward, even though there was nothing ahead.

Not until Huai Shi heard a roaring sound. It was another thunderous noise from the sea; accompanied by waves, a carriage that looked both luxurious and ancient broke through the ocean. Hundreds of meters away, he could see its exquisite decorations, warm lights, and even hear the sound of dance music...

Damn! Why are other people’s carriages so nice, while the one I’m in is just wrapped in iron sheets?

Before Huai Shi could react, successive thunderous sounds followed as more carriages burst from the sea. Section after section of carriages emerged from all directions, breaking through the resistance of the deep sea and appearing on the now empty surface of the sea. Some were ancient, some modern; some broken, some intact. Even the era, style, and color of their creation were completely different.

Hundreds? Thousands? Tens of thousands?

With just the changes in an instant, Huai Shi could no longer count the number of carriages above this expanse of sea—it was a scale terrifying enough to move all railway maniacs to tears. Countless translucent rails crisscrossed, cleverly merging and fitting together. In the end, the carriages linked with each other, bursting out with a roar like the tide. From all around, metal continuously collided, emitting a pleasant buzz.

Whether joining or running parallel, what followed next was... Huai Shi saw the roof of their carriage suddenly open, expanding to both sides, ingeniously merging with the trains running parallel on either side. It formed a solid ground.

A shock from the depths of his Soul welled up in Huai Shi’s heart. He could feel that, at this moment, an almost boundless amount of metal was being born from the surging sea of Source Substance. And at the end of his vision, a massive shadow like a mountain range was gradually taking shape as the carriages pieced together.

That seemed like... a city? Yes, the entire city, as if running on railway tracks! Right in front!

Sharp whistles burst forth, echoing each other. Accompanied by a loud noise, Huai Shi’s carriage suddenly made a rough drift on the rails and crashed into a reserved gap, sealing tightly together as one. Fresh air rushed toward them.

With the rising and falling of the carriages, a huge train station quickly took shape at the edge of the city, enveloping Huai Shi and the other Travelers within. First the colonnades, then the walls, and finally the dome. Then, extravagant decorations appeared out of nowhere: a bright red carpet spread from the far end all the way here, and hundreds of exquisite crystal chandeliers hung from the dome above, casting a soft light.

This place had already formed a massive transportation hub, a train station pieced together by the trains themselves—no, a city made up of trains, still thunderously moving forward on the tracks...

”What is this...?” he gaped at everything around him, in disbelief.

”This is the beginning of your journey, young man.” At his side, Raven chuckled softly. ”The special travel train that circles the Asian Border once a year, the Mirage that exists only for four days and three nights, a Boxed World crafted by the skilled hands of the past... This is the Star Sea formed by solitary ’stars’!”

”Although I don’t really have the right to say this, I’ll tell you anyway.” Raven lifted her wings, cheerfully pointing forward. ”—Welcome to the Mobile Border—[Group Star]!”

They had finally boarded the train. Huai Shi sat down on a folding stool, staring blankly around him.

Unacceptable. You’re telling me this is a train?

”Welcome aboard the Group Star. We hope you enjoy this wonderful journey over the next four days—The third station has been successfully connected. Please proceed in an orderly manner; staff will be on hand to guide you shortly. Please maintain public order and do not...”

Amid the overhead speaker announcement, a gentle female voice alternated between various languages for the broadcast.

After finishing the last edamame, the satisfied Man in Grey’s face showed a hint of color. He took a deep breath. ”That was satisfying...”

He closed the food box carefully and handed it back to Huai Shi with both hands. ”Exquisite cooking. If possible, I’d really like to meet that gentleman.”

Picking up his briefcase, he rose to his feet and nodded a farewell to Huai Shi and Raven. ”Thank you for your hospitality on this journey. I sincerely hope we do not meet again—”

He paused, quickly glanced at the notepad in his pocket, snapped it shut, leaned in, and whispered to Huai Shi, ”Don’t get involved with the ’Sapphire Club.’ You should get off the train tomorrow—and whatever you do, don’t go to Gray Shore next month.”

”Ah? Why?”

Huai Shi was completely confused. Before he could respond, the Man in Grey, briefcase in hand, disappeared into the crowd. Only a few seconds later did he react.

Wait, how could that reliable guy just leave me behind? He left so quickly, Huai Shi could hardly keep up!

By the time Huai Shi plunged into the crowd, he could no longer see that weary figure. But he felt no regret or unwillingness in his heart, rather a hint of melancholy, like bidding farewell to an old friend.

...I should have invited him to eat more, Huai Shi sighed, touching his waist pouch, which still held plenty of food made by Uncle Fang. I could have let him take a few packets with him. He was filled with regret.

”That workaholic actually shared his work details with you... Seems like you two got along quite well!” Raven murmured softly, seemingly to herself, and chuckled lightly. ”But, the Sapphire Club, huh? That’s unexpected. Is that little bitch stirring up trouble again after all these years? Or is there someone else pulling the strings from behind?”

Huai Shi turned and glared at this ever-unreliable fellow. Despite all his resistance, he had ultimately been tricked and coaxed here by this guy. For every trick he had, Raven had one to beat it.

There’s nothing I can do, he thought. I’m almost resigned to my fate.

”So what do we do now?” Huai Shi sighed helplessly. ”This is where the main quest ends, right? Do I have to find the clues myself?”

”Don’t worry, there’s plenty of time. Let’s just look around first.” Raven shook her head. ”You’re just here for a trip, incidentally collecting materials for your advancement. Why act like you’re about to face life and death?”

And whose fault do you think all this is?! Huai Shi rolled his eyes, about to retort, but then he heard an astonished voice from behind.

”Huai... Shi?”

He turned around to see travelers emerging from a luxurious carriage behind him. Among them, a familiar-looking young man peeked out, looking over, incredulous. ”How come you are here?”

Who was that...? Huai Shi paused, unable to recall at first.

”Ah! What a coincidence.” Huai Shi squeezed out an awkward smile. ”You are... aren’t you that... that...”

The name was on the tip of his tongue, but he couldn’t say it.

Until the young man’s expression grew tortured, he reminded him, ”Yuan Zhao.”

”Ohh, Yuan Zhao!” Huai Shi clapped his hands in delight, rushing forward enthusiastically and grasping his hands. ”Isn’t this such a coincidence! Isn’t this just the biggest coincidence!”

It’s just as they say: even if Raven closes a door on you, she’s bound to leave a window open she didn’t notice—wasn’t this his good buddy who hadn’t appeared in the Book of Fate for months?!

Unfeigned joy and happiness radiated from his smile. Even Yuan Zhao, who had been about to get angry, froze on the spot. Then he started to feel a little embarrassed...

At first, I thought this bastard had forgotten me, but I didn’t expect him to be so happy to see me. I must have misunderstood, right? He was completely unaware of what Huai Shi was actually so happy about.

—My meal ticket is secured!

Huai Shi was overjoyed.