The train rocked violently. The shaking came from the last carriage of the train. The Covert Ops agents, who were trying hard to maintain their footings, peeked out of the windows, and the sight in front of them was shocking.

Under the cover of darkness, a gargantuan black worm was coiled up around the last carriage. The worm’s body spanned over tens of meters, and it had a glossy, black exoskeleton that was composed of chitin, reflecting the moonlight.

The creature looked hideous. The head of the worm housed its gigantic mouth, with sharp teeth that continued way down into its throat. The worm was chewing on the metallic exterior of the train carriage, perforating the carriage’s exterior. An unfortunate agent ended up in the worm’s mouth, and in a brief moment, the screaming ended as the victim turned into minced meat.

Xiao Han felt a cold shiver. The bold ideas he previously had vanished instantly.

“It is the Dark Earthly Worm!” One could see the fear on Qi Bai Jia’s face.

Xiao Han drew his Berserk Eagle out from the holster and fired a shot at the worm. He tensed up the moment the stats of the worm flashed on the screen before his eyes.

_____________

The Dark Earthly Worm

Level: 48

(Infant stage) Lv. 10, (Adolescent stage) Lv. 10, (Adult stage) Lv. 10, (Mating stage) lv10, (???) Lv. 8

Age: 71 years old

Stats: STR 80, DEX ?, END ?, INT?, MYSTERY 1, LUCK 2

Energy: 0

Energy rank: ?

HP: ?

Abilities:

– Thick chitin exoskeleton: DEF +20

– Dark: +15% darkness attributes

– Large body: HP +1000, reduction of shock by 20%)

– Metal-chewing: additional 25% damage to metallic elements

– Rare blood of the Earthly Dragon: HP +2000, +10% defense against supernatural elements

– ???, ???, ??? …

Skills:

– Kill by Strangling Lv. 7

– Slither Lv. 10

– Rotating incisors Lv. 6

– Acid-spit Lv. 5

– ???, ???, ??? …

¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯

Xiao Han felt it was really unfair that even the monster had more luck than him.

“Fire!”

The agents fired their pistols. The gunshots were deafening. However, the bullets merely grazed the thick exoskeleton of the worm, causing almost no harm to it.

The wilderness of Aquamarine was especially dangerous. All sorts of ghastly creatures roamed in it. There were many cases from the past where these creatures brutally slaughtered towns and cities. Humans had to rely on their collective intelligence and wisdom to counter these creatures in order to stay at the top of the food-chain.

The Dark Earthly Worm had a long lifespan. Its length increased proportionately with its age. Under normal circumstances, it peacefully resided in darkness with little activity. However, it would be awakened by violent vibrations in the ground.

It became clear to the folks that the worm had been woken up by the noise of the passing train.

To prevent encounters with wild creatures, every rail line had maintenance personnel who would inspect the infrastructure and survey the traffic, which also included surveying the underground for signs of life. If the worm had come before the last survey, it meant that the personnel in charge had slacked and failed to inspect the ground thoroughly.

The agents, who were considered prey by the worm, reacted to the situation with shock by firing their pistols. However, the smaller bullets form the pistol dealt almost zero damage to the worm, whose defense points were way above one hundred.

All the explosives and Gatling guns were in the store carriage. However, the agents were unable to obtain these weapons. Their access to the store carriage was blocked by the worm. The situation was not optimistic for the agents.

Amidst the chaos, a strong gust of wind buffeted the carriage. Random items fell out and started drifting in the wind. The train tilted at an angle of fifteen degrees as sparks flew out from the base of the train screeching against the track. The carriage looked as if it would be flipped by the massive body of the worm at any moment.

“Move aside!” Li Ya Lin shouted as she leapt forward with the foldable machete in her hand. She channeled the flames of yellow energy and hacked hard into the worm’s exoskeleton. A crack was heard, and a distinct cut appeared on the worm’s body.

It was useful!

Pugilists could channel their internal energy to deal astonishing damage. In this case, the punches and kicks had immense power and worked effectively.

After a quick glance, Di Su Su also went forward. With the foldable machete in her hand, channeling the flames of green energy, she hacked hard and fast, like streaks of lightning. A small piece of exoskeleton fell off the worm, and a faint glow of green could be seen.

The worm showed no signs of apprehension. It had its thick flesh and armor for protection and was, therefore, especially calm. It subsequently shrank its body to give the carriage a harder squeeze.

The monsters on Aquamarine were ferocious, and many had stacked abilities that made them especially hardy. The worm was evidently a wild BOSS level creature, and without the firepower of the modern military, it would be difficult to slaughter the monster. The worm was a creature that required at least fifty players of the same level to defeat. However, there were some instances where the monster was defeated by solo players.

In two gulps, another two agents were swallowed by the worm. The flesh of humans tasted much better than that of the sandworms underground. The Dark Earthly Worm ground its teeth as if it had enjoyed the meal.

The agents were shivering, and the brutality of the predator caused many to almost collapse to the ground. At that instant, it seemed like humans had lost their intelligence and had been reduced to prey waiting for their fateful moments to arrive.

“Use fire, the worm is afraid of fire!” Di Su Su yelled.

The worm had poor eyesight and was especially sensitive to heat and sparkles of ember, which had a similar effect on the worm to flashbangs on humans.

The agents realized that if the situation remained stagnant for much longer, the train would be destroyed. The only solution was to use flames to push the worm back. Zhang Wei immediately took out the magazine housing the High-Explosive ammunition.

Bang!

Instantly, the impregnable exoskeleton of the worm started burning. The worm lost its composure and started wriggling violently. The flames and the temperature made it especially uncomfortable. It became as agitated as a restless baboon.

Xiao Han stood there steadily like a nail in a plank. The increasing magnitude of the jolts made him worry about the carriage flipping. Almost all of Division 13’s agents had purchased the High-Explosive rounds, so he was confident that they could handle the situation effectively without him getting involved.

The fire started growing on the worm, and in less than a moment’s time, the worm could no longer withstand the glaring ember. It gave a shriek and loosened its grip on the carriage. Following that, it tunneled into the ground. In a matter of seconds, it was deep in the ground, leaving only piles of dirt.

The agents that managed to escape the wrath of the monster were still feeling shocked and fearful. They collapsed onto the ground.

“We are saved!”

“We are not dead yet, not dead yet…”

“Mama, I miss you!”

Although the worm only appeared for a few minutes, the damage it had caused was immense. There were holes everywhere on the carriage. It was in a shambles. If the worm had not been chased away, the train along with its passengers would have… well, maybe not all of the passengers would have perished, but the train was definitely going to have been delayed.

Luckily, there was the High-Explosive ammunition. The folk all looked toward Xiao Han. One could sense the appreciation in their eyes.

Zhang Wei patted on Xiao Han’s shoulder. No words could describe his gratitude.

“If you want to thank me, just say it. I can’t really read minds.”

“…”

Everyone was speechless.

Xiao Han’s words completely destroyed the atmosphere.

The agents rested for a moment and started clearing up the mess.

The attack by the Dark Earthly Worm was ultimately a one-time incident, and the fact that only one of such accidents had occurred proved that the military rail line was safest.

The scenery outside the train’s windows was mainly mountains, dense forests, and loess plains, which gradually became boring.

Along the way, Xiao Han stationed himself in the large black carriage, practicing his energy training technique and machine manufacturing skill.

Three days later, the train arrived at the Hesla Border station.