The "Survival on the Train" game has bugs, it's really laggy!

"Don't...don't shine the light on them for too long."

"They will wake up."

Su Yuan had already pressed the searchlight adjustment lever with his left hand.

It's not shutting it off. It's lowering it.

The two beams of headlights, which were originally shining directly from the front, changed to a low, angled beam, with the beams controlled to be thirty centimeters below the rail surface. The protective suits hanging upside down on the outer shell of the shield tunneling fortress instantly disappeared into darkness, leaving only the ends of a few safety ropes swaying in the afterglow of the headlights.

Wang Hu was tense, staring at the top of the side window.

When the light shone on them just now, the arms inside those protective suits did move. It wasn't the wind. It wasn't the ropes swaying. It was the muscles contracting.

He forced out a very low curse and wiped the sweat from his forehead with the back of his hand.

Tang Lan's instructions had already been transmitted to Number 013 via the communicator.

"Everyone, turn off the lights."

"All the flashlights went out."

"Keep the gun barrels down, no one is allowed to shoot upwards."

Several clicking sounds came through the channel. Someone turned off their flashlight. Someone pressed down on the butt of their gun. The movements were much more efficient than usual.

The interior of carriage 013 darkened, leaving only the faint glow of a few gauges on the control panel.

No one looked out the window anymore.

The little fire claws were pressed against the edge of the radar screen, its golden pupils fixed on the echo data.

"Master, the track ahead has been completely blocked."

Su Yuan remained silent.

Xiao Huo continues to report.

"The starting point of the break is 27 meters from the front of the vehicle. The width of the break is 42 meters. There are no remaining bridge structures on either side. There is a strong upwelling current of heat at the bottom of the abyss, and the concentration of pollen is extremely high."

It flicked the mechanical rangefinder with its paw.

"At its maximum sprint speed, combined with its current load and towing capacity, the Devourer can theoretically cover a jump distance of no more than nineteen meters."

"Twenty-three meters short."

The last glimmer of hope on Wang Hu's face vanished.

"What about number 013?"

Xiao Huo didn't even glance at him.

"Number 013 has no self-powered leaping ability. When towed, its acceleration distance is insufficient, and it cannot leap more than five meters."

Wang Hu leaned back in his chair and rubbed his face vigorously.

"In other words, flying there is no way."

Xiao Huo nodded.

"At the same time, the wear rate of the anti-corrosion layer under the vehicle is accelerating. In the current parked state, the rate at which fungi re-attach is about 1.3 centimeters per minute. The chassis drive shaft will be entangled again in six minutes."

Six minutes.

Xu Shen leaned back in his seat and coughed twice. His eyes were fixed on the outline of the shield tunnel fortress.

"That number..."

He braced himself on his knees and moved his body forward a little.

"The third support arm of the outer shell has a sequence of blue star standard rivets. The numbering specification is the Pangu Project mobile shield tunneling series."

He raised his hand and pointed to the giant device in the darkness.

"Mobile Tunnel Boring Machine Base No. 04"

Wang Hu turned his head.

Are you sure?

Xu Shen did not hesitate.

"The Pangu Project produced a total of six mobile tunnel boring machines. I reviewed the files before setting off. Machine No. 04 was the main tunneling platform in the abyss direction, with a crew of 370."

He paused, then took a breath.

"If there are still living people inside transmitting radio signals... it means the core module hasn't been penetrated yet."

Wang Hu looked at Su Yuan.

Su Yuan did not turn around. His mechanical left eye slowly rotated in the dim light, scanning the edge of the break, the support arm structure of the shield fortress opposite, and the remaining maintenance cable anchor points on the outer shell.

Suddenly, a sharp metallic knocking sound came from the communicator.

Ding ding ding ding—

The sound wasn't coming from inside the vehicle. It was coming from the shield tunneling bunker on the other side.

Immediately afterwards, an old loudspeaker hissed and crackled.

"Don't come any closer!"

That voice was even sharper than the one on the radio earlier, trembling as if it were on the verge of collapse.

"Turn off the headlights! You'll wake up everyone on the exterior!"

The voice just fell.

On the right side of the shield tunneling fortress, more than a dozen protective suits hanging upside down began to convulse violently at the same time.

The safety rope tightened and then loosened. The mycelium snapped and broke. Several people in protective suits swung their limbs wildly in the darkness, causing the entire mycelial layer to tremble.

Behind observation window 013, the young survivor's face was pressed against the glass, his pupils suddenly contracting.

It moved!

He stumbled backward, his back slamming into an ammunition box.

"It's all moving!"

Another person had already raised his gun, with the barrel pointing towards the roof of the car.

"Damn it, those things are going to fall—"

The veteran mechanic pressed down on the gun barrel.

"Don't shoot!"

The hands of the young survivors were trembling.

"Didn't you see? They're struggling!"

"It fell and hit the roof of our car!"

Chaos erupted instantly inside cell 013. Some shouted for retreat. Others shouted for fire. The wounded were awakened, their cries of pain mingling with the noise.

Tang Lan slammed her hand on the control panel and roared.

"Shut up, all of you!"

Her hand pressed against the holster, her knuckles clenched.

But she didn't pull it out.

Those hanging upside down are personnel from the old days of Earth. Their protective suits have numbers and badges. Some even have names visible on their name tags.

To fight or not to fight?

If we fight, we might end up killing our own people.

If we don't hit them, what if those things really fall down?

Tang Lan clenched her teeth so tightly they made a grinding sound.

Wang Hu's curses burst out from the communicator.

"Don't fucking fire randomly!"

Wang Hu had already leaned his upper body out of the side window, wrench in his hand, and his other hand reaching for the roof rack.

"I'll go up there to block out the light—"

Su Yuan's voice cut off everyone else.

"Sit back down."

Wang Hu froze.

"Old Su?"

Su Yuan didn't answer him. With his left hand, he lowered the searchlight adjustment lever another notch. The beam was now almost flush with the ground, illuminating only the sleepers and the edge of the broken track within five meters ahead.

The person on the other end of the loudspeaker is still yelling.

"If you turn the lights on again, they'll all wake up! The bridge structure is broken, the tracks are gone, and the train can't get through!"

On the side of the shield tunnel fortress, a person in protective clothing suddenly looked up.

The helmet visor was half broken. A plume of white mist was billowing from the crack.

The body struggled frantically as it was entangled in the mycelium, causing the safety rope to snap and rattle.

Inside cell 013, the young survivor's index finger was on the trigger.

Tang Lan roared sharply.

"Take your hand away!"

The young man was trembling all over, with the gun pointed at the roof of the car.

"Captain, it's coming down—"

Tang Lan slapped him on the back of the head.

"I said take your hand away!"

The shot missed. The young man collapsed to the ground, his shoulders trembling as he gasped for breath.

The breathing of everyone in the entire carriage was so heavy that it could be heard.

Inside the cockpit of the Devourer, Su Yuan adjusted the searchlight to its lowest setting.

Extremely low angle. The light only grazed the soles of the boots and safety harness buckles of the person pulling at their protective suit.

Do not photograph the torso. Do not photograph the helmet.

"Small fire."

"exist."

"Thermal imaging magnification, that one."

The small fire claw flicked the manual focus ring on the old-fashioned thermal imager. A blurry temperature distribution map appeared on the screen.

cold.

The entire body temperature is extremely low. The arms, legs, and torso are all around the ambient temperature.

Only a fist-sized area on the back experienced a brief increase in temperature.

There's also a small patch on the chest.

Su Yuan stared at the locations of the two hot spots.

Back. Oxygen pack.

Chest area. Heating pad.

Standard accessories for two old-style protective suits.

He picked up the shortwave walkie-talkie and dialed the receiving frequency of the loudspeaker on the other side.

"Stop howling, catch your breath first."

The person on the other end of the loudspeaker paused for a second.

Su Yuan continued, her voice flat.

"Those people haven't woken up."

The person on the other end of the line tensed up.

"You don't understand—"

Su Yuan interrupted him.

"The residual oxygen tank on the back of the protective suit. When exposed to light and heat, the internal pressure increases, causing the pressure valve to spring back, which in turn pulls on the shoulder straps and safety rope."

He paused for a moment.

"The same principle applies to chest heating pads. When the heat reaches a threshold, the pad expands and compresses the chest cavity, causing the trunk muscles to contract passively."

"It's not the person moving. It's the equipment jumping."

There was no sound coming from the loudspeaker across the street.

There was no sound from communication channel 013.

Xiao Huo quickly switched to thermal imaging comparison mode and scanned each of the dozen or so protective suits that had convulsed simultaneously.

"The master's judgment is correct."

Its claws tapped on the cold-colored outlines on the screen.

"The thirteen convulsing bodies all had core body temperatures more than two degrees Celsius below ambient temperature. Only the oxygen pack area on the back and the heating pad area on the chest had intermittent heat sources."

"No signs of active metabolism."

"It's not the movement of living things. It's the physical and thermal response of the residual equipment."

It pushes the data to shared channel 013.

Behind observation window 013, the veteran mechanic leaned over and stared at the temperature distribution map on the screen.

He stared at it for about ten seconds.

My fingers traced the outline of those cold blue limbs, stopping at the small orange-red dot on the back.

Oxygen pack.

He wore those when he was young. Mining work clothes. The bag on his back would hiss when heated, and the valve would make his shoulders go numb.

The old mechanic slowly lowered his head.

"Not a living thing."

"It's equipment residue."

The young survivor was still sitting on the ground, looking up at him.

"real?"

The old mechanic didn't scold him. He just nodded.

"Really. This isn't a swatter."

Tang Lan loosened the holster.

The people who had been shouting for a retreat in the channel all fell silent.

Two seconds later, someone asked in a low voice.

"So...are those people dead or alive?"

No one answered this question.

Su Yuan didn't answer. He turned off the shortwave and turned to the small fire.

"How many tons can the old cable anchor points on the outer shell of the shield tunneling fortress on the other side support?"

Xiao Huo immediately retrieved the radar scan data.

"There are two heavy-duty maintenance sling anchor points at the base of the third support arm. Blue Star standard specifications, rated load capacity of eighty tons."

"However, due to prolonged exposure, the anchor base may corrode. The actual load-bearing capacity is calculated at 60%, approximately 48 tons."

Su Yuan asked again.

"Maximum throwing distance of the Devourer's winch grappling hook."

Xiao Huo answered even faster.

"In hydraulic catapult mode, under windless conditions, the maximum distance is 45 meters."

A 42-meter gap. A 45-meter throwing limit.

Three meters of margin.

Wang Hu gritted his teeth as he heard those two numbers.

"Old Su, are you going to use a winch to build a bridge?"

Su Yuan didn't answer his question. He turned on the communicator.

"Tang Lan".

Number 013 answered immediately.

"exist."

"How many spare track plates does track 013 have left?"

Tang Lan was stunned for half a second.

"Four pieces. Spare parts from the armory."

"What about the anti-corrosion armor plate?"

"Two large pieces, three small pieces."

Su Yuan said, "Unload all four track plates and two large armor plates to the rear of my vehicle."

Tang Lan kept her hand pressed down on the communicator and didn't move.

"What are you going to do?"

Su Yuan didn't explain further.

"Three minutes."

Wang Hu had already unbuckled his seatbelt and stood up.

"I'll go pick it up."

He pushed open the car door and jumped out, his military boots landing on the mushroom bed. Dark red mycelium rose up at his feet only to be pressed back down by the asphalt soles of his shoes.

The rear hatch of No. 013 opened. Several survivors pushed the track plates and armor plates outwards.

Each track plate weighs 120 kilograms. Armor plates are even heavier.

Wang Hu carried the four track plates to the stern of the Devourer in two trips. By the third trip, his palms were already cut open by the rusty edges, blood mixed with black oil. He didn't stop.

On the other side of number 013, Tang Lan personally helped carry out the large armor plate.

"Su Yuan."

She was breathing heavily.

"What exactly are you doing?"

Su Yuan stood at the rear of the vehicle, staring at the winch launcher.

"suspension bridge."

Tang Lan paused for a moment.

"What?"

Su Yuan patted the heavy-duty hook on the winch.

"The steel cable is laid to the anchor point on the other side. The track plates and armor plates are tied to the bottom of the steel cable to serve as the load-bearing surface."

He raised his hand and pointed to the darkness forty-two meters away.

"The Devourer will sail over there."

Channel 013 was silent for three seconds.

The old mechanic's voice came out first.

"Drive there?"

"Above the steel cable?"

"A vehicle weighing several thousand tons?"

Wang Hu smashed the last piece of armor plate onto the rear platform of the vehicle and replied, panting.

"You think he's joking?"

The old mechanic remained silent.

Su Yuan is already making a move.

He manually cocked the winch launcher. The heavy-duty grappling hook was inserted into the launch slot. The steel cable was quickly released from the winch drum, passed through the guide wheel, and hooked into the tail end of the launch mechanism.

A small flame peeked out from the console.

"Master, the launch angle needs to be tilted upwards by twelve degrees to hit the anchor point of the third support arm on the other side."

"Wind deflection correction of 0.3 degrees."

Su Yuan adjusted the catapult's elevation angle with one hand. He turned the old-fashioned dial to twelve.

"Wang Hu".

Wang Hu stands at attention.

"Tie the four track plates to the underside of the main steel cable at equal intervals using short cables. The intervals should be eight meters. The plates should face upwards."

Wang Hu grinned.

"clear."

He squatted down and began to tie it.

Su Yuan continued to issue orders.

"Two armor plates are tied between the track plates to fill the gaps. The plates should also face upwards."

"Tie it tight. There can be no room for movement."

Wang Hu muttered to himself as he tied her up.

"This work is fucking meticulous."

"They're making a roughneck do needlework again."

Xiao Huo added a comment from the side.

"Tiger, your hands are shaking."

Wang Hu glared at it.

"That's called muscle soreness."

"I just carried 800 pounds of iron, you try it."

three minutes.

Wang Hu really finished tying her up in three minutes.

Six panels are fixed to the main steel cable by short cables, with precise spacing and all panels facing upwards. From the side, it looks like a narrow path hanging under the steel cable.

The width is just enough to accommodate the wheels on both sides of the Devourer.

The error should not exceed ten centimeters.

Su Yuan checked the buckles. They weren't loose.

He returned to the driver's seat.

"catapult."

The hydraulic pump pressurizes the system. The catapult emits a dull thud.

boom.

The heavy grappling hook dragged the steel cable into the darkness. The trajectory was flat. The steel cable at the tail end was released at high speed, and the winch drum spun rapidly.

One second. Two seconds.

when.

Metal impact.

The grappling hook smashed into the base of the third support arm of the opposite shield tunneling fortress. The three-toothed claw bit into the old anchor base and embedded itself in the weld.

Xiao Huo immediately reported the number.

"Hook in place. Anchor point stress test – stable."

"The cable tension is beginning to build up."

Su Yuan started the winch to retrieve the panels. The steel cable tightened. The six planks that had been loosely hanging below were lifted up and suspended above the abyss.

In the 42 meters of darkness, a narrow bridge made of track plates and armor plates appeared.

The surface of the board is basically flat under the traction of the steel cable. Occasionally, one or two boards are slightly tilted due to weight differences, but the angle does not exceed five degrees.

Wang Hu stood at the back of the car, looking at the narrow, suspended road, and his lips twitched.

"Old Su."

Su Yuan did not turn around.

"This bridge."

Wang Hu licked his lips.

There are no guardrails on either side.

Su Yuan said, "No need."

Wang Hu asked again.

Are there gaps between those boards in the middle?

Little Fire answered him.

"Yes. There are gaps of six to eight centimeters between each board."

"The wheel diameter is much larger than the gap width, so it won't get stuck."

Wang Hu nodded.

"And what about the swaying?"

The fire stopped for half a second.

"The main steel cable will have a longitudinal swing after bearing the load. The amplitude is about 15 centimeters during the first ballast load."

Wang Hu's facial muscles tensed up.

The swing amplitude is 15 centimeters. When a car wheel steps on it, the bridge surface will shake.

The Devourer, fully loaded and weighing over sixty tons, was weighed down by a steel cable and six iron plates.

A forty-two-meter-deep abyss. Below are heat currents and pollen.

If you fall in, you won't even get a scrap.

Wang Hu turned his head and looked at Su Yuan.

"Who goes first?"

Su Yuan had already returned to the driver's seat.

"I."

Wang Hu didn't say much. He returned to the passenger seat, fastened his seatbelt, and gripped the handrail tightly.

Xiao Huo jumps back to the console.

"Master, I suggest that No. 013 be unhooked first. After the Devourer crosses the bridge alone, we can pull back the cable and tow No. 013."

Su Yuan nodded.

The communicator is turned on.

"Tang Lan, unhook."

On the other side of number 013, Tang Lan's hand was already on the traction release lever.

"clear."

Click.

The main hook latch popped open. No. 013 separated from the Devourer.

The weight on the front axle of the Devourer immediately changed. The front of the vehicle sank a few centimeters. Su Yuan felt the change in feedback from the steering wheel and lightly pressed the accelerator with his right foot to compensate.

"Small fire, what's the front axle load?"

"The front axle currently weighs 34 tons. The rear axle weighs 28 tons."

Su Yuan frowned.

The front wheels are heavier than the rear wheels. When the axle is being pushed up, the front wheels go up first, and the front axle will bear all the impact of the swaying motion.

He needs to move the weight back.

"Wang Hu".

"exist."

"Push that box of ammunition in the rear compartment to the front."

Wang Hu unbuckled his seatbelt.

"Push it to the front?"

"Main hook buffer spring assembly. Remove it. Tie it above the rear axle."

This time, Wang Hu didn't ask why. He climbed to the back of the car and started disassembling the spring assembly. The thing was incredibly heavy, nearly 800 pounds per set. He gritted his teeth and dragged it to the rear axle mounting bracket all by himself, wrapping it with straps six times.

The load on the front and rear axles is redistributed.

Report back to Xiaohuo.

"The front axle weighs 31 tons. The rear axle weighs 31 tons."

It's even.

Su Yuan reduced the engine speed to idle.

"Wang Hu, come up here."

Wang Hu climbed back to the passenger seat, panting heavily.

"alright."

Su Yuan released the handbrake.

The Devourer slowly moved forward.

The headlights were at their lowest angle, illuminating only the rails two meters ahead. Fungus crunched under the tires, making a sticky, squeaking sound.

Twenty-seven meters.

The headlights illuminated the edge of the break.

The old rails were rusted black, their edges jagged, and below lay utter darkness. Heat surged upwards from the bottom of the abyss, carrying the smell of rotting rust and burning.

The suspension rail is positioned one meter in front. The first track plate is held up by a steel cable; the plate surface is rough, and there are oil stains on the edges.

Plate width: Just wide enough to accommodate the tires on both sides of the Devourer.

Less than five centimeters remain on each side.

Wang Hu glanced out the window at the abyss, then quickly looked away.

"I've decided not to read any further."

Xiao Huo ignored him.

"Master, the front wheel is still 80 centimeters away from the first board."

"It is recommended to maintain a constant speed in first gear. The speed should not exceed five kilometers per hour."

Su Yuan shifted into first gear. He slowly released the clutch.

The front wheels of the Devourer rolled over the last section of old track at the break.

Then, I stepped onto the first track plate.

The panel was pressed down. The steel cable stretched. The entire suspension rail bent downwards by more than ten centimeters before springing back.

The car swayed slightly.

Wang Hu's fingers got stuck in the seam of the handrail.

The Devourer's left and right front wheels pressed down on the board simultaneously. The weight was distributed, and the steel cables emitted a low hum.

The board didn't break. The cable didn't snap.

The car continued to climb forward.

The second board.

The moment the front wheel goes up, the first plate bears the weight of the rear wheel. Both plates are under force at the same time, causing the steel cable to swing more.

The entire suspension bridge began to sway slightly.

Wang Hu clenched his teeth tightly.

"It's set up."

Su Yuan kept his hands steady on the steering wheel.

He neither accelerated nor braked.

Uniform speed.

First block.

Every time a wheel rolls over a seam between two planks, the car body pauses slightly. For gaps of six to eight centimeters, the entire chassis dips slightly and then bounces back up the instant the tire passes over them.

Xiao Huo kept a close eye on the tension gauge.

"The main steel cable tension is 72 percent."

"No abnormalities were found in the anchor point base."

"Third plate contact – stable."

Number 013 stopped at the other end of the break. Tang Lan stood by the car door, leaning halfway out, staring at the slowly crawling, dark train cars above the abyss.

The headlights shone up from below, illuminating only the chassis and wheel arches of the Devourer. The main body of the vehicle was hidden in darkness.

The steel cable was creaking. The iron plate was bending slightly.

Every second felt suffocatingly slow.

The veteran mechanic lay prone behind observation window 013, his forehead pressed against the cold armor wall.

"He really is driving."

The younger survivors also crowded around, their pupils dilated to the maximum.

"It really drives up there..."

No one made a sound in room 013. There were twenty-three people. Everyone was breathing at their shallowest.

The Devourer passed the fourth plank.

The middle section of the suspension bridge has the deepest curve. The steel cable is pressed into an arc by the weight of the vehicles at the midpoint. The vehicle body is almost half a meter lower than at the ends.

The heat from the abyss rushed directly onto the chassis. The anti-corrosion asphalt layer began to smoke from the heat.

Wang Hu smelled a burning odor.

"The bottom is baking."

Su Yuan did not accelerate.

It remains at a constant speed.

The fifth board.

There's one last piece.

Xiao Huo's voice was extremely tense.

"The main steel cable tension is 87 percent."

"Slight deformation has appeared in the anchor base."

"The front wheel is six meters from the rail surface on the opposite bank."

Su Yuan pressed down on the accelerator with his right foot.

It wasn't a sudden, hard press. It was just that half a bar of extra fuel was added.

The speed increased from four kilometers per hour to six kilometers per hour.

The last piece of armor plating was crushed by the front wheels. The steel cables were stretched to their limit between the two anchor points. The entire suspension bridge emitted a sharp, metallic groan.

Wang Hu closed his eyes briefly.

The next second, the front wheel crashed into the remaining old rails on the opposite bank.

boom.

The front of the car jerked violently. The suspension springs compressed to their limit and then bounced back. The car bounced. The rear wheels followed, running over the last plank and onto the hard ground.

All four wheels of the Devourer landed on the maintenance platform outside the shield fortress.

The car swayed twice, then stabilized.

The shield tunneling fortress was affected by the shockwave. Patches of rust fell and clattered onto the roof of the Devourer vehicle.

The person on the other end of the loudspeaker went completely silent.

Channel 013 was silent for a full second.

Then it exploded.

"Passed!"

"He's gone!"

"The lead vehicle has passed!"

Someone banged on the car wall. Someone swore. Someone grabbed the person next to them and shook them violently.

Tang Lan stood by the car door, her hand still holding onto the door frame.

She stared at the dark rear of the car on the opposite bank.

She gripped the communicator tightly. She wanted to say so much, but in the end, she only managed to squeeze out one sentence.

"He really did build the road."

The Devourer came to a halt. Su Yuan did not turn off the engine.

He immediately began to pull back the winch cable.

The suspension bridge had just been run over; several planks were deformed, and the gaps between them had widened by two centimeters. But the planks hadn't broken. The cables hadn't snapped. The anchor points were still gripping the support arms.

Su Yuan tightened the steel cable again, restoring the tension to a safe range.

"Tang Lan".

There was an immediate response from the communicator.

"exist."

"Hook. Connect the No. 013 front-end traction ring to the main steel cable and auxiliary cable."

Tang Lan did not hesitate.

"clear."

She jumped off the vehicle and crouched down under the front chassis of vehicle 013. She pulled the auxiliary cable end from the winch drum, passed it through the guide wheel, and hooked it into the traction ring of the front beam of vehicle 013.

The mechanical locking tongue is closed.

Click.

Tang Lan patted the car wall.

"It's hung up."

Su Yuan started the winch and began to pull the cable forward. The steel cable began to tighten slowly. The front end of No. 013 was pulled by the traction force, and the front of the car moved towards the break.

Tang Lan ran back to the driver's seat.

"The left track assist is excellent."

The operator pushed down the manual valve. The only remaining left track of track 013 began to rotate, propelling it forward in conjunction with the winch's pulling force.

Number 013 is longer than the Devourer. It's also less intelligent than the Devourer.

When its front end rolled onto the first track plate, the entire suspension bridge swayed twice as much as before.

The board is tilted. The steel cables are humming.

Everyone in carriage 013 was thrown to one side. The stretchers carrying the wounded slammed against the guardrail, and someone groaned.

The young survivor clung tightly to the overhead handrail, his face turning green.

"It's much more shaky than before—"

The old mechanic lay prone at the entrance under the vehicle, half his body sticking out, a crowbar in his hand.

He stared at the half-destroyed track on the right.

Although the track was still attached to the drive wheel, the chain links were severely deformed. Every time it passed the seam of a plate, the deformed chain links would get stuck in the gap.

The second board.

A twisted link of the right track got stuck in the gap between the plate and the steel cable.

Number 013 suddenly paused.

The winch tension gauge jumped one notch.

Xiao Huo immediately shouted.

"Right track of No. 013 is stuck!"

Tang Lan felt it from the driver's seat. The vehicle veered to the right, and the left track spun and slipped.

"The right track is stuck!"

The veteran mechanic had already inserted the crowbar.

He lay prone on the edge of the entrance under the car, half his body dangling above the abyss. Below him was heat and darkness. Sweat dripped from his forehead, only to be swept away by the hot air.

The crowbar held the deformed chain link in place.

He gritted his teeth.

"Don't stop!"

"Keep pulling!"

Tang Lan stepped on the brake valve to prevent No. 013 from veering to the right.

The winch continues to pull in the cable. The tension pulls No. 013 forward.

Using the momentum, the veteran mechanic yanked the crowbar sharply.

Click.

The deformable chain link popped out from the gap. Car 013 shuddered and continued to slide forward.

The old mechanic was thrown off balance by the recoil, his shoulder slamming against the edge of the undercarriage entrance. He groaned, but didn't let go.

The third board. The fourth board.

Number 013 climbed the suspension bridge much more slowly than the Devourer. Every meter was accompanied by the scraping of metal and the groaning of the steel cables.

Tang Lan pressed her hand firmly against the brake valve.

She couldn't let number 013 veer off course. Even a slight veer, and the right side would be suspended in mid-air. Suspension would mean a flip. A flip would mean twenty-three lives lost.

The fifth board.

The suspension bridge was bent to its limit in the middle. The 013 was heavier than the Devourer—it was carrying ammunition, clean water, wounded soldiers, and twenty-three living people.

The tension gauge on the steel cable reached 93%.

Little Fire's paw twitched on the control panel.

"The deformation of the anchor base has increased."

Su Yuan stared at the winch's rotation speed.

It neither sped up nor slowed down.

Reel in the cable at a constant speed.

The last board.

The No. 013 front wheel rolled over the edge of the armor plate. The armor plate was bent downwards under the pressure, and one corner almost grazed the steel cable.

Tang Lan pushed the left track to maximum output.

The front of vehicle 013 crossed the edge of the break, and its front wheels crashed into the maintenance platform on the opposite bank.

The rear half of the vehicle was still suspended on the suspension bridge.

The winch continues to pull.

Number 013 moved forward inch by inch. The moment the rear wheel rolled over the last board, the board finally gave way, and a crack appeared in the middle.

But number 013 has already passed.

The rear wheel landed.

All four wheels of the entire carriage were pressed against the solid steel plate of the maintenance platform.

Tang Lan released the brake valve.

Her hands were trembling. Not from fear. It was a spasm from muscles maintaining extreme precision for too long.

No one cheered in carriage 013.

Everyone slumped in their seats. Some covered their faces. Some stared at the ceiling. Some laughed silently.

The old mechanic crawled back from the undercarriage entrance, still clutching his crowbar. He sat down against the side of the vehicle, his shoulders trembling.

The young survivor looked at him.

"Master, you were hanging halfway out of the room just now."

The old mechanic didn't look up.

"Don't even mention it."

He paused.

My legs went weak.

On the shortwave radio, the channel inside the No. 04 tunnel boring machine base suddenly came alive.

It was no longer just one person's weak, gasping breath.

There were several voices.

"They're coming..."

"Someone is driving up here..."

Someone is crying. The crying is very soft, mixed with the static of the electricity.

Inside the shield tunnel bunker, several hand-cranked emergency lights began to illuminate. A dim, yellowish light shone through the gaps in the armor, flickering intermittently.

Su Yuan sat in the driver's seat, his mechanical left eye scanning the front of the shield fortress.

The giant cutterhead rests against the rock face. Its outer armor is thick, with cracks in many welds. The main entrance is a heavy-duty explosion-proof gate, twelve meters wide and eight meters high.

The gate is closed.

But there was light coming through the gaps in the gate.

It's not the yellow light of an emergency light.

It's red.

Car lights.

Su Yuan's mechanical left eye zoomed out to its furthest point.

Inside the gate, in the depths of darkness, a row of red car lights illuminated in unison.

Not one lamp. Not two lamps.

It's a whole row.

At least seven pairs.

Red light squeezed out from the gaps in the gate and shone on the steel plate of the maintenance platform, casting long, thin red streaks.

On the radio, the frail man suddenly spoke urgently.

His breathing was three times heavier than before.

"Don't go through the main entrance—"

He coughed, producing a muffled sound as liquid blocked his throat.

"Behind the main gate are all the carriages we dismantled."

The voice just fell.

The sound of neat tracks rubbing together came from inside the gate.

It's not a car.

There are many.

The metal tracks rolled over the steel plate ground with a uniform rhythm and even spacing.

The red headlights lined up behind the gate and slowly moved forward.

On Xiao Huo's radar screen, seven heat sources simultaneously surged from behind the gate towards the front.

Its claws were frozen on the control panel.

"Owner."

"There are seven modified carriages behind the door."

"All are in standby startup mode."

"Track structure..."

It paused for a moment.

"Just like the train hounds."

Inside the gate, the front of the first modified vehicle was sealed with a door seal.

The red headlights shone directly from the gaps, hitting the windshield of the Devourer.

Wang Hu stared at the red light, his Adam's apple bobbing.

"A hunting dog modified by one of our own?"

The man on the radio was breathing more and more rapidly.

"They don't listen to us—"

"It started up by itself three days ago—"

"Whoever approaches the main gate will die—"

A heavy mechanical unlocking sound came from the bottom of the gate.

The lock beam is retracting.

The door is opening from the inside.

---

Chapter title options:

1. Tire tracks on a 42-meter-deep abyss

2. Do the hunting dogs welded by our own people not bite our own people?

3. The people queuing behind the main entrance are all acquaintances.