Wang Yi had no idea where those Mummies came from. Based on their appearance and sheer numbers, he tentatively classified them as cannon fodder.

"Kill!"

With a sharp command, the order was quickly relayed to the carriages behind him.

Soon, more than a dozen of the small train’s cabin doors opened simultaneously, and a crowd of Soldiers charged out.

Zhang Lengzi was the first to strike.

Wielding a steel blade, he met the Mummies with a flurry of horizontal slashes and vertical chops. Under his sharp blade, the Mummies seemed to be made of wood. Their bodies were splintered and hacked apart, sending severed limbs flying with a RATTLE, but not a single drop of blood was spilled.

"Watch me!"

Yang Qingniu roared and charged out right after Zhang Lengzi.

He was now an Earth Warrior and had begun Cultivation. His original skills were gone, but his power had grown.

When Yang Qingniu first jumped off the small train, he still looked like a normal person. Three steps later, a layer of Rock Armor Fragments covered his body. Ten steps later, he had transformed into a Stone Golem over two meters tall.

His hands were like two giant stone hammers. His very first punch shattered a Mummy’s skull, scattering wood-like splinters all over the ground.

He spun and swung again, pulverizing another Mummy’s upper body into smithereens.

The Spartan Warriors disembarked next. All forty-four of them quickly formed a straight line. Leveling their Sha River Overlord Spears, they advanced shoulder to shoulder in a wave of thrusts.

CLANG! CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!

Wherever the Sha River Overlord Spears struck, Mummies were shattered. The forty-four men were like a steamroller, maintaining their formation as they swept outward, completely unstoppable.

Feng Yuxiu of the Western Depot also charged into the fray. Against his fists, legs, Swords, and Sabers, the Mummies were powerless to retaliate. They were little more than humanoid targets, cut down by his relentless assault.

Fish-Transformed Dragon descended from the small train atop Jade Jiaolong. His bearing was cold and aloof, his Cloak untouched by dust. Man and steed faced the Mummies alone. His formless Inner Strength coalesced into a tangible domain around him. With a soft utterance of the word "Perish," a dozen Mummies that had rushed toward him were lifted into the air. Then, their bodies exploded, scattering into a shower of wooden splinters.

From the rear, the sound of a Zither arose.

On the other side of the small train, four pairs of the Heaven and Earth Defects leaped onto the roof. They sat in a row and began to pluck their Zithers. Invisible Inner Strength transformed into invisible Swords and Sabers that flew out in every direction.

SWISH! SWISH! SWISH! SWISH! SWISH!

The slowly advancing Mummies fell in row after row, as if mowed down by machine-gun fire.

The Heaven and Earth Defects were useless in a one-on-one duel and couldn’t handle experts, but their skill at "mowing the lawn" was remarkable.

On another front, Fire Fire Evil God, Boyka, Taisen, and the others also joined the fight. They were powerful combatants, and in close-quarters brawling, they were taking out one Mummy per hit, smashing their bodies into fragments.

Wang Yi observed quietly, mentally taking notes.

He noted that the Mummies had no blood. Their bodies seemed to be made of wood and were extremely fragile, practically falling apart at the slightest touch. They also appeared to be mindless, neither dodging nor retreating. They targeted the living and just stood their ground, attacking relentlessly.

These monsters were truly weak, but their numbers were also truly massive. As soon as the ones in front fell, new ones would continuously emerge from the ground to take their place, a mechanical and seemingly inexhaustible wave of replacements.

Furthermore, when a Mummy was killed, its body fragments would quickly sink into the earth and vanish, leaving no loot behind.

"What bizarre monsters!"

Wang Yi muttered, starting to limber up.

Soon, the door to carriage number nine of the small train rose like a castle drawbridge, revealing the Crossbow Machine Carriage.

Wang Yi hadn’t brought Prototype No. 1 this time, but he had brought the Crossbow Machine Carriage.

"Let’s get ’em!"

Wang Yi roared, opening fire with the Crossbow Machine Carriage. He drove it out of the train car, rampaging like a gun truck. Wherever the volley of Flying Light Arrows swept, swaths of Mummies fell.

The scene was a chaotic, thrilling spectacle.

In this fashion, Wang Yi charged in and out of the Mummy horde seven times, slaughtering an untold number. Yet when he looked back, their ranks had not thinned; on the contrary, they had grown, like soap bubbles that multiply the more they’re disturbed.

At this point, even Hai Zhongxian and Qin Mo joined the fight.

The Sword Pill transformed into a dancing line of golden light, flitting about unpredictably. One strike, one kill!

Hai Zhongxian struck out with his palm from a distance. With a single blow, a dozen Mummies froze in place. A hole in the shape of a Palm Seal simultaneously appeared on their chests. Their bodies then began to smoke and rapidly melt away, leaving nothing behind.

Man Datou also charged out of the small train, unstoppable wherever his fists and palms landed.

The various Soldiers fought as if they intended to blot out the sun.

The situation was a completely one-sided slaughter.

But despite this, the Mummies just kept coming. In the distance, some had even started to climb onto the back of the small train.

’So they’re just going to zerg-rush me?’

Wang Yi frowned. He observed carefully and discovered that all the Mummies were crawling out of the red grass. They didn’t seem to appear anywhere else.

’Don’t tell me this patch of red grass is the Mummies’ nest?’

Wang Yi rubbed his chin. He felt there was no point in continuing this slaughter; it was just a waste of energy. He drove the Crossbow Machine Carriage over to Man Datou and said, "Big Head, get the train moving. Let’s get out of here. Head for that slope over there."

As he spoke, Wang Yi pointed into the distance.

The area was covered in gravel, with no grass in sight.

"Right!"

Man Datou acknowledged the order and took off. He crushed no fewer than two dozen Mummies on his way back to the front of the train.

Soon, the small train began to move slowly. Wang Yi yelled, "Everyone, fall back with the train! We’re changing position!"

At his command, Leonidas, Taisen, and the others retreated to the small train. Fire Fire Evil God and Feng Yuxiu, who possessed Lightweight Skill, leaped onto the carriage roofs to stand guard.

Fish-Transformed Dragon did not board the train. He rode the elegant Jade Jiaolong, keeping pace alongside it. He paid the surrounding Mummies no mind, yet any that drew near were instantly immobilized before violently exploding.

His Inner Strength was so powerful it could shatter tempered steel weapons from afar, to say nothing of these Mummies that were as brittle as dried kindling.

The Mummies gave chase immediately, a swarming, dark tide of bodies, but they ultimately couldn’t keep up.

Soon, the small train had driven off the crimson grassland. The Mummies pursued it to the very edge of the grass but went no further. As if frozen in place, they stared after the departing train before their bodies slowly sank back into the ground.

Seeing this, Wang Yi’s mind raced with theories, but he also breathed a sigh of relief.

A few moments later, the small train formed a large circle on the gravel slope. Wang Yi re-boarded and called out to the others, "There are still some Mummies on the rear carriages! Come on, let’s go clean them up!"

A group of Soldiers made their way to the rear carriages, but Wang Yi soon discovered that the Mummies that had climbed aboard had transformed into something resembling dried turf.

This couldn’t possibly be the result of the small train’s flame effects.

Wang Yi picked up a piece of the "turf." It was light as a feather. With a slight squeeze, it crumbled to dust.

’What on earth is this stuff? Did they turn into this the moment the train left the grassland?’

Though his mind was filled with questions, Wang Yi gave the order, "Get all this disgusting stuff off the train! Check everywhere, I don’t want a single scrap left!"

"Yes, sir!"

The Soldiers acknowledged the command and immediately began the cleanup.

A moment later, all the "turf" had been cleared away. Wang Yi went to the rooftop and looked back at the now-quiet grassland, muttering to himself, "If only I could bring the Floating Mountain over. I’d hit you with an endless bubble bombardment and blow this whole grassland to kingdom come. Let’s see what other tricks you have then!"

But just then, an unbelievable sight unfolded.

Wang Yi watched as, right at the edge of the grassland, green trees began to sprout. Within a dozen breaths, the trees shot up to five or six meters high, then rapidly blossomed and bore fruit. Before long, a small orchard had formed, with every tree laden with bright red fruit.

’Are you putting on a magic show for me?’ Wang Yi frowned. ’So what’s the next act? Are you going to use those fruits as cannonballs and start throwing them at me?’

This time, Wang Yi’s guess was spot on. The newly grown fruit trees suddenly bent backward like compressed springs, then snapped forward, launching great volleys of fruit toward the slope.

Wang Yi burst out laughing.

They didn’t have enough force. The fruits only flew about a hundred meters, falling far short of their target. However, a strong, sweet, fruity fragrance washed over them, making Wang Yi’s mouth water.

’Are those bright red fruits... edible?’

The thought popped into his head unbidden.

Apparently, he wasn’t the only one. Yang Qingniu and Zhang Lengzi were also gulping, their mouths watering.

But the two of them didn’t dare act on their own. They came before Wang Yi to ask for permission. Zhang Lengzi said, "Boss, I could use my Invisibility to sneak over and grab some of those fruits. Should we give them a try?"

Wang Yi thought for a moment. "Don’t eat things you’re not familiar with. You could be poisoned! But... perhaps those fruits are a form of loot. Go bring a few back and let me see what’s so special about them!"

"You got it!"

Overjoyed, Yang Qingniu and Zhang Lengzi immediately leaped off the small train and sprinted down the slope.

The two weren’t reckless. They didn’t get close to the bizarre orchard, but instead just picked up a few unbroken fruits from the ground before heading back.

Just then, a woman in a tattered burlap coat came running from the distance. Holding a small knife, she blocked Yang Qingniu and Zhang Lengzi’s path. "If you don’t want to turn into monsters, throw those evil fruits away right now!"

After speaking, she looked up at Wang Yi, who was standing on the roof of the train.

A light breeze blew back the woman’s hood, revealing short white hair and a face that was clearly beautiful and delicate, even from a distance.

Wang Yi was startled. He could actually see the woman’s character information.

[Watermelon: Surface Survivor, Age 22, Green Plot Character, Recruitable!]

’A green plot character, and she’s recruitable? Is she one of this world’s Indigenous People?’

Wang Yi’s eyes narrowed as he discreetly took out his Talent Assessment Machine.

Just then, the woman named Watermelon shouted up at Wang Yi, "I don’t know who you are, where you’re from, or why you’re here, but you’ve brought disaster with you! This terrible grassland has been dormant for half a year, and you’ve woken it up again. A catastrophe is coming. Everyone has to evacuate immediately!"

"Huh?"

"What are you talking about, you white-haired girl?"

Yang Qingniu and Zhang Lengzi scratched their heads in confusion.

Watermelon spun around and pointed her small knife at them, her gaze fierce. "Because you came, we have to abandon the village we worked so hard to build! We’re being forced to migrate, and every migration means heavy casualties and final goodbyes. Countless people will die during this move! Why would you do this?!"

"I don’t get it!"

"We just got here, miss!"

Watermelon’s expression grew more and more furious. "Tell me who you are!" she demanded.

Zhang Lengzi cleared his throat. "Zhang Lengzi, the Chopping King of Eggshell Village!"

Yang Qingniu pointed at his own nose. "Earth Warrior Yang Qingniu. I’m a cultivator! And who are you?"