Chapter 12
Chapter 12: Mobile Fortress
One of them gasped: “Mobile Fortress?”
Long Ming was stunned by the sight. The machine did not look very advanced on the surface, but it still felt overwhelming.
Someone blurted out in awe: “Whoa, that’s awesome!”
Another added, voice shaking with excitement: “I can’t believe this world has something so monstrous.”
Gu Yi and the others chattered with excitement as they ran. Long Ming took a deep breath to steady his nerves, then sped toward the moving fortress.
The group dashed after the Mobile Fortress. The sand underfoot thinned out, turning into sandy soil and gravel, and the ground began to harden.
Chen Wei shouted with delight: “Ha, it’s the Gobi!”
He added, almost laughing: “We made it to the edge of the desert!”
Long Ming was not surprised. A machine that huge would have trouble moving deep inside the dunes. Even so, he showed no joy.
Gu Yi glanced at him in confusion and asked: “Bro, we finally got out of the desert, aren’t you happy?”
Long Ming answered flatly: “What’s there to be happy about? The Gobi isn’t much different from the desert. Our situation isn’t really better.”
Gu Yi swallowed and asked: “Then what do we do now?”
Long Ming looked at the approaching Mobile Fortress, his eyes firm, and said: “This place is barren. What else can we do? Climb up and take a gamble. Otherwise, it’s still a dead end.”
Gu Yi nodded hard: “Makes sense.”
They reached the front of the Mobile Fortress.
Rumble, rumble. The giant machine slid sideways past them. It was not very fast, but it still kicked up dust and gravel.
They ran alongside the fortress, studying it. A large entry gate stood at the front, but it was sealed tight. There was no way through it.
A nearby Player shouted with excitement: “Look, there’s a boarding ladder on the side of the front gate!”
Everyone looked and saw a thick metal wall with an iron boarding ladder bolted to it. Above the ladder was a platform that jutted out.
A Player yelled: “Bros, go!”
Another answered: “Move!”
Players sprinted, jumped, and grabbed for the ladder. The agile ones caught it and climbed quickly. Many others missed, crashed to the ground, and the unlucky ones were crushed by the treads, their screams tearing through the noise.
Long Ming did not rush in. He kept watching the Mobile Fortress, looking for other ladders. In his mind, a machine like this would never have only one way up.
Gu Yi tugged at him and asked: “Bro, why aren’t you going? People are already climbing.”
Chen Wei echoed in a hurry: “Yeah, if we wait any longer, it’ll be too late and they’ll beat us to it.”
Long Ming didn’t answer. He kept observing.
Chen Wei frowned and said to Gu Yi: “Gu Yi, maybe we should go first.”
Gu Yi hesitated and said: “Let’s wait a little longer.”
Chen Wei sighed: “Alright.”
The Mobile Fortress rolled past them, and they saw there were ladders at the back too, one on each side.
Gu Yi cried out with surprise: “Whoa, there are ladders on the back too!”
Chen Wei burst forward and leaped: “I’ll go first!” Thanks to his height, he easily caught the ladder.
But before he could celebrate, the rusted ladder snapped.
Chen Wei crashed to the ground. Luckily, they were behind the machine, so the treads did not run him over. Gu Yi hurried to pull him up.
Long Ming’s eyes shifted to the ladder on the other side. He broke into a sprint and jumped, grabbing the rungs in one clean move.
Gu Yi and Chen Wei shouted after him in panic: “Ace, wait for us!”
Long Ming’s body looked weak, and he had always been in poor health. But his parents had put him through all kinds of training to help him live longer. Because of that, his reflexes and coordination were excellent. He climbed without hesitation.
Gu Yi and Chen Wei pushed themselves hard, leaped, and grabbed the ladder. One after the other, they hauled themselves up.
Long Ming crossed the outer platform and slipped through an open iron door into a dim corridor. A sour mix of rust, machine oil, and rot rushed at him. He frowned. The air made him feel sick, but he forced down the discomfort and checked his surroundings.
The corridor was about three meters wide. Both walls were blotched with rust, and two iron pipes were fixed along them, likely sewage lines. Old lights hung from the ceiling. Some were dead, and the ones that worked glowed a tired yellow and flickered now and then.
Gu Yi and Chen Wei stumbled in, panting. Chen Wei managed a breathless smile and said: “We finally caught up.”
Long Ming gave them a quick glance and moved on. They hurried after him.
Gu Yi asked hopefully: “Bro, how about we form a team?”
Long Ming refused without expression: “Not interested.”
His standards for teammates were high. Gu Yi and Chen Wei were only a little stronger than normal people. He did not want to babysit them while exploring.
They were not angry. If anything, their eyes burned hotter with respect; to them, his cold attitude marked him as a real expert.
At the end of the corridor stood a staircase going up. Long Ming paused to listen, then climbed carefully. The other two stayed close behind.
He pushed up a manhole cover and crawled out. His view opened onto an upper street lined with rusty metal buildings. Second floors were linked by iron bridges, and some houses were built high, with stairs leading up.
Gu Yi whispered as he looked around: “Wow, so many houses, but why is it so quiet?”
Chen Wei scanned the empty walkways and asked: “Is no one here?”
Long Ming answered softly: “Not sure,” and moved with care toward a larger house nearby.
When Gu Yi and Chen Wei started to follow, Long Ming stopped, turned, and said coolly: “Why are you following me? There are plenty of houses to search.”
They shared an awkward look and nodded. Gu Yi said quickly: “Oh, right, right,” and the two of them headed for a different house.