Chapter 74: Alright, alright, alright, you wanna play like this, huh?

Inside the cockpit.

Shen Yifeng, the train conductor, and Xiao Liu were all staring fixedly at the distance.

They were searching for the source of this beast surge.

“Where is it… where the hell is it…”

Shen Yifeng frantically scanned through his telescope.

Suddenly,

Xiao Liu cried out: “Captain Shen, I think I found it! Look at eleven o’clock!”

Shen Yifeng’s heart leapt, and he instantly turned his gaze.

A massive figure entered his line of sight.

It was a terrifying giant, over twenty meters tall!

Its entire body was made of gray-white rock.

Thick chains wrapped around its body, and on its back stuck a tattered battle flag radiating a crimson glow.

Though its movements appeared slow,

its direction of advance lay directly on the train’s inevitable path.

“Damn it…”

“That’s… the War Giant…”

Shen Yifeng recognized it and involuntarily sucked in a sharp breath.

“War Giant? Captain Shen, is this thing that powerful?”

Xiao Liu asked urgently.

Shen Yifeng’s expression turned grave:

“The War Giant itself isn’t strong—it just has enormous HP, is extremely tanky, and is immune to all control skills.”

“So it’s just dumb?”

Xiao Liu blinked, then relaxed, “If it has no attack power, why not call up the elite squad and focus fire to take it down in one go?”

Shen Yifeng lowered his telescope and said grimly:

“Its most terrifying feature isn’t itself—it’s its core skill, [War Aura]!”

“All monsters under its control gain a 200% boost to all attributes!”

“A-all attributes boosted by 200%?!”

Xiao Liu was utterly stunned.

The current beast surge was only around level 25–30; the train’s defensive forces alone could easily repel it.

But… a 200% boost to all attributes was a different matter.

Those cannon fodder that used to be wiped out by a single burst from a magic-energy machine gun might now charge straight through the fire to the train’s front!

If these enhanced beasts broke through the defense array and engaged the roof guards in close combat…

The passengers inside the carriages would likely be caught in the crossfire.

Xiao Liu dared not imagine further.

And with this vast, enhanced beast surge, the carriage’s defenses would inevitably be breached!

“Damn it! Why did we have to run into this?!”

Shen Yifeng slammed a fist onto the control panel, his eyes blazing red.

The situation had instantly become a dead end.

If the elite guard squad focused fire on this thick-skinned giant, the remaining regular troops couldn’t hold back the doubled-strength berserk beast surge.

But if the elite forces cleared the minor beasts to defend the carriage,

the giant would advance unimpeded to the train’s front.

At that point, with this control-immune, tanky giant looming, the passengers inside would have no chance of survival!

Either way, death awaited.

“No choice left…”

Shen Yifeng’s eyes flashed with resolve as he roared at the train conductor:

“Stop the train!!!”

“What?!”

The train conductor’s hand trembled.

“Stop immediately! Hold position! Await reinforcements!”

Shen Yifeng’s eyes burned red as he bellowed:

“We have no other option!”

“Order all elite guards: give everything you’ve got! Eliminate that damn giant as fast as possible, then return to defend the carriage!”

“Everyone else: get to the roof! Hold the line at all costs! Not a single beast is allowed to breach the carriage!”

“Even if we all die, we must hold out until reinforcements arrive!”

This order carried the weight of a tragic, certain death.

There was no retreat.

Only a gamble remained.

They had to bet they could destroy the giant before the beast surge crushed everything.

“Yes!!!”

Xiao Liu didn’t hesitate—he turned and pulled out his communicator to relay the orders.

…

“Hssss—!!!”

The high-speed magic-powered train came to a sudden halt.

Inside the luxury carriage:

“What’s going on? Why did we stop?”

Lin Mo frowned slightly.

He looked out the window.

At this moment,

the beast surge had already clashed with the train’s guards—flames erupted everywhere.

“Tatata-tatata—!”

“Boom! Boom! Boom!”

Magic-energy machine guns and cannons roared furiously.

Various cultivators unleashed colorful skills, blasting the endless waves of beasts.

“That’s odd…”

Lin Mo was puzzled:

“I remember magic-powered trains often encounter beast surges, but they usually keep moving while fighting—why are they stopping to stand their ground?”

Han Mengqing also didn’t understand: “Yeah, I’ve ridden this route many times—I’ve never seen them stop to fight.”

Lin Mo stared at the dark, overwhelming beast surge and the explosive battle outside, a bad premonition stirring in his chest.

“After finally getting out, something has to go wrong?”

“Could my luck really be this bad?”

Yet, seeing the guards’ intense firepower and the beasts being mowed down in droves, he felt slightly reassured.

“Looks like the guards are pretty strong?”

Lin Mo rubbed his chin, trying to comfort himself:

“Captain Shen is a professional—if he dared stop, he must have a plan.”

“Besides, I’m just a passenger. This kind of violent mess is better left to the experts.”

Once he accepted this, the tension in his chest eased.

“Alright, stop staring—it’s scary. Forget that last hand, let’s keep playing, three hundred rounds!”

Han Mengqing called out to Lin Mo to resume their card game.

Lin Mo agreed.

“Fine, you think I’m scared?”

…

“Three of a kind!”

“Can’t match.”

“Five of a kind!”

“Pass.”

Suddenly,

Boom—!!

A deafening crash came from above.

“What the—!”

“What the hell?!”

Amid the panic in the carriage, the entire vehicle shook violently.

A massive claw tore a gaping tear, several meters long, straight through the rigid roof!

Above the tear, a huge monster’s head lowered, greedily scanning the passengers inside.

“Aaaahhh!”

“Help!”

The passengers screamed in unison, thrown into chaos.

Earth Shield spell was the first to react.

[Earth Shield spell: Protect the carriage!!]

[Fireball spell erupted instantly, face lit with excitement: Finally! Daring to cause trouble on the Emperor’s territory!]

Lin Mo shot to his feet.

“You’re asking for death.”

His eyes turned cold; his lazy expression vanished as he raised his arm decisively.

Hum—!

Dark red dots coalesced instantly at his fingertips.

The next instant, a spiraling dragon bullet shot forth!

Boom—!!

The monster, just about to pounce, was blasted spiraling away.

“Phew…”

Han Mengqing patted her chest, still shaken:

“Thank goodness you’re here… I nearly had a heart attack.”

Immediately after, Han Mengqing stood up, her expression grave:

“But Lin Mo, the defense array has been shattered—this is truly going to be big.”

Lin Mo stared at the tear.

He’d truly been too lazy to act; after all, that was the guards’ job.

But…

Laziness didn’t make him heartless.

Now that the threat had reached him—and endangered everyone in this carriage—

There was no longer any reason to stand idly by.

“Han Mengqing.”

Lin Mo turned his head, his voice sharp: “Give me all your strongest buffs!”

Han Mengqing’s eyes lit up; she instantly became exhilarated.

“Huh? Okay, Lin Mo!”

The next moment, her staff appeared in her hand as she swung it sharply.

Three beams of light struck Lin Mo.

He felt his body grow light, an unprecedented surge of power flooding through him.

“Thanks.”

Then,

Lin Mo stepped into the aisle.

Boom—!

A pair of massive flame wings burst open behind him!

Brilliant firelight instantly illuminated the dim carriage, revealing Han Mengqing’s awestruck expression.

“No way… is he this cool? No wonder he’s the top donor.”

Lin Mo ignored Han Mengqing and the other passengers’ shock.

He flared his wings and shot out through the tear.

…

Wind howled around him.

Lin Mo hovered in midair, glancing at his buff panel.

He wanted to see exactly what buffs Han Mengqing had given him.

【Power Through Miracle: Damage increased by 50%, defense reduced by 50%, duration 5 minutes, unremovable.】

【Pain and Joy: Regenerate 2% of max HP per second, pain sensitivity increased by 200%, duration 5 minutes, unremovable.】

Lin Mo’s lips twitched slightly.

“What kind of stupid names are these? And there are side effects?”

“But… the effects are strong, and the side effects are tolerable.”

“I have Lava Armor—my defense is already high enough; halving it won’t matter.”

“As for pain…”

“Forget it. As long as I don’t get killed, I’m fine. This healing is insane—so long as I’m not one-shotted, I’m an indestructible cockroach!”

Then Lin Mo turned his gaze to the third buff.

【Come Here!: All damage taken reduced by 50%, forcibly draws aggro from all monsters within 1000 meters, unremovable, immune to evasion.】

【All buffs collected—set bonus activated: Hope of the Village】

【All above effects increased by an additional 30%.】

“...”

Lin Mo snapped his head up.

Tens of thousands of crimson eyes locked onto him in midair.

Lin Mo smiled.

“Alright, alright. You wanna play like this?”

[Fireball spell frantically darted across the panel: This… is what it feels like to be the center of attention? Hahaha! Let these vermin witness true destruction! Tremble! Burn to ashes before absolute annihilation!]

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