The train shook and jolted violently, the source clearly coming from the carriage at the rear. The secret service agents struggled to stay on their feet and quickly leaned out of the window to look back—only to be startled out of their wits.
In the night, a massive black worm was coiled tightly around the last carriage, looping around it again and again. It stretched for dozens of metres, its glossy black chitin glimmering under the moonlight, sinister and grotesque. Its head was a gaping maw, ringed with layers of razor‑sharp teeth extending deep into its throat. At this moment, the creature was biting chunks out of the metal carriage shell, one hole after another. A field operative was swallowed whole right before their eyes—his scream barely lasted half a second before those teeth shredded him into pulp!
Xiao Han shuddered hard, and the bold idea that had just crossed his mind vanished instantly.
Qi Baijia's expression changed dramatically. "Black Burrower!"
Xiao Han pulled out his Fury Eagle pistol from his waistband and fired at the huge dark worm. He glanced at the combat log that popped up—and immediately felt a tight clench somewhere below the belt.
———
Black Burrower
Level: 48
Sub‑Classes:
• Juvenile Lv10
• Young Adult Lv10
• Mature Lv10
• Mating Phase Lv10
• ????? Lv8
Age: 71 years
Stats:
Strength 80, Agility ?, Endurance ?, Intelligence ?, Mystique ?, Charisma 1, Luck 2
Stamina: 0
Energy Level: ?
HP: ?
Traits:
• Thick Chitin Shell (+20 Defence)
• Dark‑Dweller (+15% stats in darkness)
• Massive Body (+1000 HP, –20% chance to be crit)
• Metal Gnawer (+25% damage to metal)
• Diluted Earth Dragon Bloodline (+2000 HP, +10% status resistance)
• ???
• ???
• ???
Skills:
• Constricting Kill Lv7
• Burrow Run Lv10
• Spinning Bite Lv6
• Acid Spit Lv5
• ???
• ???
• ???
———
Even a wild beast has more luck than me—who am I supposed to complain to?!
"Open fire!"
The secret service agents drew their sidearms and fired. Gunshots thundered, sparks flying as bullets bounced harmlessly off the Black Burrower's dense armour. They barely scratched it.
Blue Planet's wilderness was full of deadly creatures, and beast tides had wiped out countless cities throughout history. Humanity survived only by relying on the strength of collective intelligence, barely holding on to the peak of the food chain.
Black Burrowers lived long lives, growing in size as they aged. Though generally docile and fond of darkness, they slept deep underground and rarely emerged—unless some huge disturbance above ground woke them.
Everyone immediately realised what had happened: the train must have passed overhead and woken this enormous Black Burrower.
To prevent such incidents, every railway employed specialised maintenance teams using various detection tools, including underground life‑detectors capable of locating Black Burrowers. If this creature hadn't arrived after the last inspection, then someone in maintenance had clearly been slacking off, hoping nothing would go wrong.
The field operatives, treated as prey, aimed their pistols back in panic—but the small‑calibre rounds were useless. Against a creature with over a hundred points of defence, they might as well have been tickling it.
All heavy weapons and explosives were stored in an equipment carriage—how unfortunate that the Burrower was wrapped around the carriage right between them. There was no way to reach the gear. With only sidearms at hand, the situation turned dire.
Chaos erupted. Wind roared through the carriage as debris flew out through the holes and was flung into the night by the speeding train. The entire train tilted at a 15‑degree angle, the undercarriage screeching against the tracks, sparks spraying wildly. It felt as though the Black Burrower's immense weight would topple the train at any moment.
"Move!" Li Yalin shouted. She leapt into the air, unfolding her combat blade. Wrapped in a bright yellow aura of force, she struck down fiercely on the Burrower's shell.
A cracking sound rang out—a clear, visible fracture appeared.
It worked!
Martial Artists could unleash the full destructive potential of their internal force, their physical strikes carrying immense power. In this situation, they were the ones who could actually make a difference.
Di Susu's eyes flashed as she followed up, pulling out a folding combat blade. A blue flame wrapped around the edge. Her strike was as fast as lightning, heavy and fierce. It sliced off a small piece of the creature's carapace, leaving a faint blue afterimage in everyone's vision.
But the Black Earth Worm ignored the two of them completely. Relying on its thick hide and tough flesh, it had the attitude of "go ahead, hit me however you want, if I move I lose." It continued contracting its body along its predetermined rhythm, causing the train car to gradually deform. Wild beasts on Blue Planet were extremely formidable, stacking multiple innate templates and specialities. The Black Earth Worm was clearly a boss‑level wilderness creature. Without the firepower of a fully equipped modern strike force, it was very difficult to kill. Even for players, this thing would require a party of five to ten at the same level. Of course, there were always legendary pro players who could solo it through god‑tier operations.
Crunch. Crunch. Two more delicious humanoid bread rolls were swallowed into the worm's stomach. This kind of fresh food tasted far better than the sandworms underground. The worm ground its teeth together as if savoring this rare delicacy.
The field agents felt chills down their spines. The pressure of a predator from the top of the food chain nearly made their legs give out. At moments like this, human pride in intellect vanished, replaced by the helpless terror of livestock awaiting slaughter.
"Fire! Black Earth Worms fear fire!" Di Susu shouted.
The creature's vision was degraded, and it was very sensitive to firelight and high temperatures. The effect was similar to flashbangs on humans, damaging its sight.
If this continued, the train would be destroyed. Everyone understood this instantly. The only option was to use fire to drive the Black Earth Worm away. Zhang Wei hurriedly swapped in his high‑combustion ammo. These special rounds weren't normally loaded during routine missions.
Bang bang bang—
In an instant, majestic flames from the great Brigade ignited upon the worm's bulletproof carapace. The previously calm Black Earth Worm began thrashing wildly. The light and heat were unbearable to it, and it became violently agitated, like a baboon that just failed to mate.
Xiao stood as steady as a nail. The shaking grew stronger, and he wondered whether the train might tip over. Most Secret Division agents had bought high‑combustion ammo from him, so he let them handle the situation while he happily played the role of background decoration.
Streams of flame spread across the worm's body. Before long, the Black Earth Worm could no longer tolerate the harsh glare burning its face. With a screech, it loosened its grip on the car, twisted around, and burrowed into the ground. Sand sprayed everywhere. Within seconds, the dozens‑of‑meters‑long body vanished underground at astonishing speed, leaving only loose soil covering the freshly dug tunnel.
The field agents collapsed to the floor with jelly‑like legs, grateful to be alive.
"We're saved!"
"I'm still alive… still alive…"
"Mom, I miss you!"
The worm had appeared for only a few minutes, yet it caused massive destruction. The car now leaked wind everywhere, battered and broken. If they hadn't driven it off in time, the result would have been a destroyed train and… not necessarily dead people, but they would definitely have been late.
Fortunately, they had the high‑combustion rounds… Everyone glanced at Xiao, feeling a hint of gratitude.
Zhang Wei patted Xiao's shoulder, believing the sentiment needed no words. It felt nice.
"If you want to thank me, just say it. I can't read minds."
"..."
Everyone was speechless.
Your ability to ruin the mood is expert‑level.
After resting a moment, the field agents got up and started cleaning the mess.
The Black Earth Worm attack was only a small incident. It proved that the military rail line was still relatively safe. This was the only unexpected event during the journey.
Most scenery along the way was distant mountains, forests, plains, and yellow soil. After a while, the monotony dulled the senses.
Throughout the trip, Xiao stayed in the big cargo car, spending each day training his Qi Strength Refining Method and crafting machinery to grind experience.
Three days later, the train arrived at the HaiXia border station.