“What?”

Bai Cheng froze at the words; Leng Ningxue and Yu Nian both swung their gaze toward the armor outside the train.

After Purple Iris slew those Black Mist Monsters, the creatures would re-condense in the distance, yet some of the black fog still surged toward the train.

Wherever ⊛ Nоvеlιght ⊛ (Read the full story) the mist brushed the cars, corrosion set in at shocking speed—rust blossomed like the scrap metal littering the ground.

Even the best plating and every earlier defense were useless against the Black Mist's erosion.

At the same moment the train screamed with alarms.

【Warning! Abnormal status detected—the train's Mechanical Core is being eroded!】

【Warning! Warning!!】

【Abandon contaminated items in the carriage or engage full-power countermeasures immediately!】

“What?” Bai Cheng frowned. “Because of the stuff we picked up?”

The system left no doubt: retrieving those tainted machines from the ground had drawn the monsters' Black Mist.

Tossing them might end the crisis—but it would also waste a day's hard labor.

“Forget it—no way I'm dumping parts this vital!”

Bai Cheng refused to surrender the supplies she'd just secured.

That left only the second option the system had offered.

“We can't stay put.” Bai Cheng looked to Lan Xiaoyu, who understood instantly.

The engine roared, steam gushed, and the steel colossus rumbled forward, steering clear of the encroaching Black Mist.

Yet even in motion the erosion continued—only slower than before.

A slight reduction in speed, nothing more.

“Does this mean it'll last the whole night?” Bai Cheng arched a brow, annoyed.

They had covered barely ten thousand kilometers; nine times that distance remained—days of travel still ahead.

By then the train would rust into scrap long before reaching Station.

“Wait—is that how all the surface junk got here?”

Rolling again, the cars soon outran the monster tide—even if storms ahead kept top speed impossible.

The corrosion thinned further, yet still lingered.

“Are we going to end up a heap of junk?” Yu Nian paled; beyond the crisis, she feared for Azure Bird. 𝘧𝓇𝑒𝑒𝑤ℯ𝑏𝓃𝘰𝑣ℯ𝘭.𝘤ℴ𝘮

“Speaking of Azure Bird—what about him?”

“The train's moving, but once he returns to the Sea of Clouds he can catch us easily—don't worry.”

It was the best reassurance Bai Cheng could give.

After re-examining the parts, Lan Xiaoyu spotted a clue.

“Miss, the grease on these components carries odd energy,” she said. “I believe it links to the elements hidden in the Black Mist.”

Bai Cheng glanced over. “So...”

“If we scrub every oily part on board, we might stop the corrosion,” Lan Xiaoyu finished.

Hope flashed across everyone's face.

The Black Mist wave was weak but maddeningly persistent.

And they happened to own a parts-cleaning machine.

Just as Bai Cheng reached for its specs, Lan Xiaoyu doused the plan with cold reason.

“Miss, our batteries can't power that unit.”

She frowned. “To run it the Steam Generator must feed it everything—halting the train and blacking out every other system.”

Bai Cheng read the implication: “We'd have to stop?”

Lan Xiaoyu nodded.

Bai Cheng looked aft at the Black Mist tide chasing Liu San's cars and vetoed the idea.

“When Silent Night lifts the status will clear—we're not stopping.”

The words had barely left her when violent tremors rocked the cars; the Black Mist below boiled and a blazing spear of lightning tore the clouds!

“Azure Bird?!” Yu Nian cried.

In the flash Azure Bird burst into view—wings scorched, dragging a hunk of mangled metal: the Internal-Combustion Engine wreckage!

Yet instead of boarding, he leveled off above the train, pacing them.

Before anyone could wonder, azure lightning erupted around him, dyeing the night a brilliant blue like a newborn star.

A hush spread outward with him at its center, soon blanketing both Bai Cheng's cars and Liu San's behind.

Then the impossible happened.

Bai Cheng gaped as the Black Mist stilled—and began to disperse.

The pursuing waves crashed against the unseen barrier and froze, unable to advance.

Within the vast sphere everything fell eerily calm.

“Miss, the corrosion has stopped,” Lan Xiaoyu reported.

“This... is Azure Bird's domain?” Yu Nian exclaimed.

They all knew a domain was a self-contained space—yet they clearly hadn't moved.

After studying it, Purple Iris clicked her tongue in envy.

“Miss, it's an Externalized Field—a stretched application.”

“He saw the mist is driven by lightning elements, so he drained every trace in range—leaving the fog powerless.”

“Hmph, even I haven't mastered that trick!” she grumbled.

Still, she had to admit—on this lightning-rich stage Azure Bird had grown terrifyingly fast.

“He's stepped into the second phase of King rank.”

Maintaining the Externalized Field demanded constant output, but it didn't hinder his movements.

Azure Bird descended, engine wreckage in tow.

“Miss, the Internal-Combustion Engine—delivered.”