Chapter 12: Chapter 12: Mobile Fortress
"A mobile fortress?"
Long Ming was stunned by the sight.
Although the technology of this mobile fortress didn’t seem particularly advanced on the surface, it still gave off an incredibly striking impression.
"Holy shit, that’s fucking awesome!"
"To think a freak of engineering like this exists in this world."
...
Gu Yi and the others discussed excitedly.
Long Ming took a deep breath to calm his turbulent emotions, then accelerated toward the moving fortress.
Gu Yi and the others also ran toward the mobile fortress with great excitement.
The sand on the ground began to thin out, replaced by sandy soil and gravel, and the ground itself started to harden.
"Haha, it’s the Gobi!"
"We’ve reached the edge of the desert!"
...
Chen Wei and the others shouted excitedly upon their discovery.
Long Ming wasn’t surprised by this outcome. ’After all, it would be pretty difficult for such a massive mobile fortress to move through the desert.’ But he showed no sign of joy.
Seeing Long Ming’s unchanging expression, Gu Yi asked in confusion.
"Dude, we finally made it out of the desert. Aren’t you happy?"
"What’s there to be happy about? The Gobi isn’t that different from the desert. Our situation hasn’t improved much."
"Ah, so what do we do now?"
"This place is a godforsaken wasteland. What else can we do? We climb aboard and take our chances. Otherwise, it’s a dead end either way."
Long Ming stared at the approaching mobile fortress, his gaze becoming resolute.
"Makes sense."
Gu Yi nodded heavily at Long Ming’s words.
Soon, Long Ming and the others ran to the front of the mobile fortress.
RUMBLE...
Before long, the massive mobile fortress passed by in front of them. Although it wasn’t moving very fast, it still kicked up dust and gravel.
Long Ming and the others immediately began running alongside the fortress, observing it.
The front of the mobile fortress had a large entrance, but it was completely sealed, offering no way in.
At that moment, a player shouted excitedly.
"Look! There’s a boarding ladder on the side of the main entrance at the front!"
Everyone looked over and saw an iron ladder attached to the thick metal wall. Above the ladder was an external platform.
"Brothers, let’s go!"
"Get up there!"
...
Player after player sprinted forward desperately, leaping and reaching for the ladder.
Some of the more agile players successfully grabbed the ladder and quickly climbed up.
However, most players failed to grab it, falling hard to the ground. The unlucky ones were crushed directly under the tracks, letting out blood-curdling screams.
Watching this, Long Ming didn’t rush forward blindly. Instead, he continued observing the mobile fortress, looking for other ladders. ’Normally, a mobile fortress like this wouldn’t have just one boarding ladder,’ he reasoned.
"Dude, why aren’t you going? People are already getting on."
Gu Yi was puzzled, seeing Long Ming hadn’t made a move.
"Yeah, if we don’t go now, it’ll be too late. They’ll get a head start," Chen Wei added.
Long Ming didn’t answer them, observing patiently instead.
Seeing that Long Ming was still not moving, Chen Wei said to Gu Yi,
"Gu Yi, maybe we should go ahead without him."
"Let’s wait a little longer," Gu Yi replied after a moment of hesitation.
"Alright."
Since Gu Yi said so, Chen Wei waited patiently.
Just then, the mobile fortress rolled past them, and they saw more boarding ladders at the rear—one on each side.
Gu Yi exclaimed in pleasant surprise.
"Holy shit, there are ladders in the back too!"
"I’ll go first!"
Chen Wei immediately sprinted forward and jumped. Taking advantage of his height, he easily reached out and grabbed the ladder.
But before he could celebrate, the rusty ladder snapped instantly.
Chen Wei fell hard, but luckily they were at the rear, so he wasn’t crushed by the tracks.
Gu Yi quickly helped Chen Wei up.
Just then, Long Ming fixed his gaze on the ladder on the other side of the fortress. He sprinted over, leaped, and grabbed hold of it.
"Master, wait for us!"
Seeing Long Ming ascend so cleanly, the two of them shouted in a hurry, afraid of being left behind.
In truth, although Long Ming’s body was in poor health and he looked frail, his parents had put him through all sorts of training since he was a child so he could be a bit healthier and live a little longer.
As a result, his reflexes and agility were excellent.
Once on, Long Ming climbed up the ladder without any hesitation.
"Wait for us!"
Seeing this, Gu Yi and Chen Wei summoned all their strength and charged forward. One after the other, they leaped, grabbed the ladder, and successfully pulled themselves up.
By this time, Long Ming had already crossed the external platform and ducked through an open iron door into a dim corridor.
He was immediately hit by a murky stench—a mixture of rust, engine oil, and rot.
Long Ming’s brow furrowed. The air in here made him feel very uncomfortable, but he suppressed his physical discomfort and carefully observed his surroundings.
The corridor was about three meters wide. The walls on both sides were covered in mottled rust, with two iron pipes fixed to them. ’Probably for sewage, if I had to guess.’
Old-fashioned lamps were installed on the ceiling. Some were already out, while the ones that were still on cast a yellowed light, flickering from time to time.
Just then, Gu Yi and Chen Wei came panting through the iron door.
"Finally caught up."
Long Ming glanced back at the two of them, then continued deeper inside.
Seeing Long Ming move on, the two couldn’t afford to rest and quickly followed.
"Hey man, you wanna team up?"
"Not interested."
Long Ming refused flatly.
Long Ming had high standards for teammates. Gu Yi and Chen Wei were only slightly stronger than average people, and he had no desire to babysit them while exploring.
Being rejected by Long Ming didn’t anger Gu Yi and Chen Wei. Instead, the look in their eyes as they watched him grew even more fervent.
’Someone with such a cold and aloof personality has to be an absolute pro.’
At that moment, Long Ming reached the end of the hall where a stairway leading up came into view. He listened for a moment, then carefully began to climb.
Gu Yi and Chen Wei followed close behind.
When Long Ming reached the top of the stairs, he pushed open a manhole cover and climbed out. His view suddenly opened up as he arrived on a street on the upper level.
Rows of rusty metal buildings came into view.
The exteriors of these buildings’ second floors were connected by iron bridges. Some buildings were also built on higher ground, accessible by stairs.
"Whoa, so many buildings. But why is it so quiet?"
"Is no one here?"
Gu Yi and Chen Wei also climbed out just then, constantly turning their heads to observe their surroundings.
"I don’t know."
Long Ming cautiously walked toward a relatively large building nearby.
Gu Yi and Chen Wei were just about to follow when Long Ming stopped, turned to look at them, and spoke coolly.
"Why are you following me? There are plenty of buildings here for you to search."
"Oh, right, right."
Gu Yi and Chen Wei exchanged a glance, then awkwardly walked toward a building to the side.
