39: Chapter 39 Forced Dock: Abandoned Titanium Alloy Mine

Two hours later.

On the horizon ahead, a vast, undulating mountain range, entirely pitch-black and eerie in appearance, gradually emerged.

These black peaks, like sharp swords thrusting straight into the clouds, exuded a cold aura that felt oppressive and heart-palpitating.

The train slowly drove into the hinterland of this black mountain range along a rusty, abandoned branch railway line.

The surrounding mist became exceptionally thick, and the air was permeated with a pungent smell of metal oxidation.

"Bzz... bzzzt..."

On the holographic radar screen in the cockpit, a burst of intense static interference suddenly appeared.

Immediately after, the majestic and emotionless mechanical voice of the Heavenly Dao System rang out abruptly in the minds of Su Chen and all the crew members.

[Ding! Detected that the train has entered a special resource zone: Abandoned Titanium Alloy Mine!]

[Zone Assessment: High-risk/High-reward closed instance!]

[Warning: Forced stop duration is five hours!]

[During this period, the train will be locked at the current coordinates, and the engine cannot be started to disengage.]

[Hint: This place is occupied by a large number of gregarious mutant creatures with extremely strong territorial awareness. Please, Train Master, make preparations for the highest level of defense!]

Listening to the series of red warnings from the system, the atmosphere in the cockpit instantly became heavy.

A forced stop of five hours was absolutely a very dangerous signal in wasteland survival.

This meant that if they encountered an unstoppable beast tide, they wouldn't even have the chance to drive away and escape.

"Forced stop?"

A wild and arrogant sneer curled up on the corner of Su Chen's mouth.

"There has never been a reason for me, Su Chen, to return empty-handed once I've set my eyes on something."

"Since the system has delivered this piece of fat to my mouth, even if I have to use my teeth, I must tear a piece of meat off it."

Su Chen stood up from the command chair, the terrifying aura belonging to an unparalleled overlord instantly radiating outward.

Through the panoramic glass, he looked at the huge mine entrance hidden in the black mountain rock, which resembled a giant beast opening its pitch-black maw.

Because the terrain inside the mine was extremely complex and narrow, it was filled with collapsed rocks and abandoned mine carts everywhere.

The massive [abyss roarer] could not directly drive into it.

"It seems I can only lead the team down to take a trip myself."

Su Chen loosened his excellent shoulder and neck muscles, emitting a series of crisp bone-popping sounds.

He turned his head and looked at the girls standing by, ready for battle behind him.

"Qingxue, Zhang Man, Mo Mo, the three of you follow me into the mine."

"Xiaoxiao, you stay on the train, coordinate with Ling Yi to control the train's defense system, and be ready at any time to use the machine gun turrets on the roof to provide us with fire cover."

The girls whose names were called immediately straightened their backs; there was no trace of retreat in their eyes, but rather, they were filled with a craving for battle.

"Yes! Train Master!"

Su Chen nodded with satisfaction and then strode out of the cockpit.

He went straight to the door of the [Fully Automated Military Industrial Factory] at the rear of the train, which was filled with a heavy industrial atmosphere.

"Bang!"

Su Chen kicked open the heavy metal door.

A wave of heat mixed with the smell of machine oil and metal debris instantly hit his face.

In front of the messy workbench, Ye Qingyu was fast asleep on a pile of complex blueprints.

To research the conductive circuits of the exoskeleton armor, this girl had already pulled two all-nighters in a row.

At this moment, her delicate, fair face was stained with several streaks of black oil, like a little tabby cat that had rolled around in an ash heap.

Because her sleeping posture was too restless, one of the shoulder straps of the black work vest she was wearing, which was already a bit loose, had slipped down below her fair, rounded shoulder.

That large expanse of snow-white skin on her chest that made one's blood boil, along with that deep, charming, and astonishing cleavage, was exposed to Su Chen's sight without reservation.

Su Chen raised an eyebrow, walked up without ceremony, extended two fingers, and pinched Ye Qingyu's small, pert nose.

"Mmph... holding breath... going to suffocate..."

Ye Qingyu waved her hands wildly in her sleep and suddenly opened her large, dazed eyes, which were filled with intense morning grumpiness.

When she saw clearly that the person standing in front of her was Su Chen, she was so scared that she jumped straight up from the chair.

"T-Train Master?"

"Why are you here? I... I just dozed off for three minutes!"

Ye Qingyu scrambled to adjust her slipped vest, her cheeks instantly turning bright red.

Although she was a slovenly mechanical geek, in front of Su Chen, this domineering and powerful man, she still felt an instinctive shyness and nervousness.

"Don't hide it; your drool has already flowed onto the blueprints."

Su Chen mercilessly exposed her lie.

"Hurry up and tidy up; follow me off the train."

Ye Qingyu was stunned for a moment and stepped back with some resistance.

"Off the train? Where to?"

"I am the noble Chief Mechanic. My battlefield is in front of these precision machine tools. I don't want to go outside and deal with those disgusting monsters!"

The tsundere attribute in this girl's bones began to flare up again.

Su Chen sneered, crossed his arms, and looked down at her.

"Outside is an abandoned titanium alloy mine that has not yet been exploited."

"Since you are unwilling to go, I will just let someone else go and dig up some rocks to report back with."

"As for the high-purity titanium alloy you want, who knows when it will be collected."

Upon hearing the words "titanium alloy mine," Ye Qingyu's eyes, which were originally still sleepy, instantly erupted with a fanatic light brighter than a lightbulb!

"Go! I'll go! I must go!"

How could Ye Qingyu care about any danger or tsundere attitude now? She pounced like a hungry tiger and hugged Su Chen's arm.

"Train Master, take me with you!"

"Laypeople don't understand how to distinguish the purity of raw ore at all. Only my eyes, which possess the Mechanical Resonance talent, can find the most premium titanium alloy ore mother in the pile of waste rocks!"

Watching this girl's attitude change as if she were a different person, Su Chen patted her head with satisfaction.

"Since you are going, don't go empty-handed."

"Go and carry that largest mining mechanical backpack. Today, your task is to be a qualified miner for me."

Ten minutes later.

On the steel deck of the first level of the train.

A fully armed, stunningly beautiful female exploration team had already assembled.

In addition to the three core female supporting characters, Chu Qingxue, Zhang Man, and Lin Momo.

Su Chen also specifically selected ten dance department girls from the crew who had the best physical fitness and the greatest courage.

These ten elites of the combat squad were uniformly dressed in slim-fitting, form-flattering black tactical camouflage uniforms.

The tight fabric outlined their perfect curves, exercised from years of dance practice, to the fullest extent.

Ten pairs of straight, slender, camouflage-clad legs stood in a row, which was simply a beautiful landscape on the wasteland that made it impossible for people to look away.

In each of their hands, they held a [Black Iron-grade Repeating Hand Crossbow] that had just been mass-produced by the military factory.

On the tactical belts around their waists, sharp daggers quenched with paralytic poison were inserted.

At this moment, the terror and weakness they had at the beginning of the apocalypse were long gone from their eyes.

Replacing it was absolute fanaticism and obedience toward Su Chen, this unparalleled overlord.

In their hearts, as long as Su Chen was holding the line in front, even if what lay ahead was a true Shura hell, they would dare to jump down without hesitation.

"Train Master, the combat squad has finished assembling and is ready to depart at any time!"

A tall girl with ear-length short hair reported loudly.

When her eyes looked at Su Chen, they were filled with that intense heat of wanting to dedicate herself to him without reservation.

"Very good."

Su Chen nodded, his gaze sweeping over this group of heroic girls.

Just at this moment, a sound of heavy and clumsy footsteps came from the depths of the corridor.

"Make way... phew... it's killing me with the weight..."

It turned out to be Ye Qingyu, who was sweating profusely while carrying a giant metal mechanical backpack that was a full size larger than her entire body, walking over while panting.

This backpack was specially used for loading high-density ore, and its empty weight was as high as fifty jin.

The two wide, load-bearing shoulder straps were tightly digging into Ye Qingyu's shoulders.

This not only caused her body to be pressed slightly forward but also squeezed her already proud fullness on her chest, making it even more ready to burst out, as if it would tear that pitiful vest apart at any moment.

The girls in the combat squad nearby couldn't help but cover their mouths and giggle when they saw this scene.

"What are you laughing at! I call this sacrificing for science!"

Ye Qingyu glared at them with a flushed face, gritted her teeth, and stubbornly straightened her back.

"Depart."

Su Chen didn't waste any words; he simply waved his hand and was the first to walk down the lowered steel gangway, stepping onto the hard ground covered with black gravel.

The group marched majestically toward the entrance of the abandoned mine, which resembled the maw of a giant beast.

As soon as they stepped into the mine.

A draft of cold, damp air mixed with a strong smell of rust rushed towards them.

The light inside the cave instantly dimmed, as if even the blood-colored mist from outside could not penetrate this deep darkness.

"Turn on the lights."

Su Chen gave the order.

A dozen beams from high-intensity flashlights instantly lit up, like sharp swords piercing through the thick darkness inside the mine.

By the light, everyone finally saw the scene inside the mine.

The space here was even narrower and more cramped than it looked from the outside.

On the surrounding rock walls, there were traces of rough mining crisscrossing everywhere.

Scattered on the ground were rusty pickaxes, broken railway tracks, and a few wooden mine carts that had long since rotted away.

"Everyone be careful, maintain formation, and watch your step."

Chu Qingxue held an ice crystal longsword emitting cold air, diligently performing her duties as the secondary carry and housekeeper, directing the girls of the combat squad to disperse into a battle formation.

Zhang Man held the heavy [guillotine battleaxe], like a female leopard ready to pounce, following closely by Su Chen's side, acting as the most solid meat shield.

Lin Momo hid in the middle of the team, her hands clasped together nervously, ready to sing a buffing battle song at any time.

"Go this way."

At this moment, Ye Qingyu finally demonstrated her value.

She closed her eyes tightly, using her S-rank [Mechanical Resonance] talent to perceive the frequency of that special metal buried deep beneath the rock layer.

"In the passage to the front left, there is a very strong titanium alloy vein fluctuation!"

Su Chen immediately led the team, heading deeper in the direction guided by Ye Qingyu.

As they continued to advance deep underground, the surrounding space became narrower and narrower.

One section of the passage had even experienced a severe collapse, leaving only a rock crevice that was barely wide enough for a person to pass through sideways.

"Line up, squeeze through one by one."

Su Chen turned his body sideways and was the first to easily pass through the crevice.

Next was Chu Qingxue.

When her slender figure passed through the crevice, her tight tactical pants inevitably rubbed against the rough rock wall.

The sense of oppression brought by the narrow space made this usually aloof school beauty blush slightly, and her breathing became somewhat rapid.

When it was Zhang Man's turn, it seemed a bit difficult.

Her hot body, full of wild power, especially her pert and full perfect buttocks, were actually stuck tightly when passing through the narrowest part.

"Ouch... damn it, why is this damn rock so narrow!"

Zhang Man twisted her body in annoyance, trying to force her way through.

But as she moved, the astonishing magnificence on her chest rubbed violently against the rock wall, making her unable to help but let out a seductive muffled groan.

"Don't move around; I'll pull you."

Su Chen stood on the other side of the crevice, watching Zhang Man's alluring predicament, and couldn't help but chuckle.

He reached out his powerful hand and grabbed Zhang Man's wrist.

With a little effort, he pulled this wild beauty straight out of the crevice.

Due to inertia, Zhang Man fell directly into Su Chen's arms.

Feeling Su Chen's chest, which was as hard as iron, this battle fanatic who usually feared nothing, actually revealed a rare touch of a little woman's shyness.

When it was finally Ye Qingyu's turn, the scene became even more comical.

Her figure was already quite well-endowed, and with that huge metal mechanical backpack on her back, she looked just like a snail carrying a heavy shell.

"Stuck... stuck!"

"Train Master, help, I'm in a dilemma!"

Ye Qingyu's cry for help with a sobbing tone came from the crevice.

With no other choice, Su Chen had to extend a helping hand again.

He had to lean his body in, wrap his hands around Ye Qingyu's slim waist that could be encircled by one's hands, and like pulling a radish, he dragged her out along with the backpack.

In the process of pulling, Su Chen's arm inevitably touched the soft and full edges of the young girl.

That astonishing elasticity and warm touch couldn't help but raise a ripple of strangeness in the bottom of Su Chen's heart.

Ye Qingyu lay on the ground, panting heavily, her little face as red as a ripe apple, not daring to look into Su Chen's eyes at all.

After a difficult trek.

The group finally passed through the narrow collapsed area and entered a huge underground cave the size of a football field.

"My god..."

When the beam of the flashlight swept across this huge cave, everyone couldn't help but let out a gasp of amazement.

On the surrounding pitch-black rock walls, countless pieces of ore emitting a charming silver-gray metallic luster were densely embedded!

Under the illumination of the lights, these ores were like bright stars in the night sky, exuding an ultimate beauty full of industrial violence.