The train shook violently, the source of the vibration coming from the carriage behind. The Special Operations agents barely managed to stand, hurriedly peering out of the windows to look back, and were immediately shocked.

In the darkness of night, a huge black worm was wrapped around the rear carriage, circling it again and again. It was tens of meters long, its body covered in a shiny, jet-black chitinous exoskeleton, reflecting the moonlight with a sinister and eerie gleam. Its head was a gaping maw filled with circles of sharp teeth leading down its throat. At this moment, the giant worm was chewing on the iron shell of the carriage, biting out chunks. One field agent was swallowed whole, his scream lasting only half a breath before he was crushed into meat paste by the rows of teeth!

Han Xiao shuddered, the bold idea that had just sprung to mind instantly vanishing without a trace.

Qi Peijia's expression changed drastically. "Black Earth Worm!"

Han Xiao drew his Wild Eagle from his lower back and fired a shot at the thick, black-armored worm. Then he glanced at the combat information that popped up on his interface, and immediately felt a tightening in his nerves.

————

Black Earth Worm

Level: 48

Class: [Infant Stage] lv10 / [Youth Stage] lv10 / [Prime Stage] lv10 / [Mating Season] lv10 / [???] lv8

Age: 71 years

Attributes: Strength 80, Agility ?, Endurance ?, Intelligence ?, Mysticism ?, Charm 1, Luck 2

Energy: 0

Energy Level: ?

Health: ?

Perks: Thick Chitinous Exoskeleton (Defense +20), Shadow Affinity (Attribute bonus of 15% in dark environments), Massive Body (Health +1000, Critical Hit Rate -20%), Iron Jaw (Extra 25% damage against metal), Thin Earth Dragon Bloodline (Health +2000, Abnormal Resistance +10%), ???, ???, ???…

Skills: Entangling Kill lv7, Earth Walk lv10, Rotary Bite lv6, Acid Spit lv5, ???, ???, ???…

————

Even a beast has more luck than me. Who can I reason with?

"Fire!"

The Special Operations agents drew their sidearms and returned fire. The gunshots were deafening, and bullets sparked against the Black Earth Worm's thick armor, unable to inflict significant damage.

The wilderness of Planet Aquamarine was extremely dangerous, teeming with ferocious beasts. Historically, there had been many tragic incidents of beast tides slaughtering cities. Humanity had only managed to barely secure its place at the top of the food chain through the power of collective intelligence.

Black Earth Worms had long lifespans, their body length constantly increasing with age. They were originally docile creatures with an affinity for darkness, generally dwelling underground in slumber, rarely moving unless the ground above them emitted a great vibration that woke them.

The agents immediately realized that the train had probably awakened this giant Black Earth Worm.

To avoid encountering beasts, every railway line was specially equipped with maintenance personnel who would periodically use various devices to check the road conditions, including underground life detectors capable of finding Black Earth Worms. If this Black Earth Worm hadn't arrived after the last inspection, then the maintenance personnel had been lazy and taken their chances.

The field agents, now treated as prey, frantically fired back, but the small-caliber power of their handguns wasn't even enough to tickle the Black Earth Worm, which had a defense stat of over one hundred.

All the bombs and high-powered firearms were in the storage carriage, conveniently separated by the carriage being attacked by the Black Earth Worm. The agents couldn't get to their equipment. Without being able to harm the Black Earth Worm with their handguns, the situation was perilous.

The situation was chaotic. The wind whipped through the carriage, and debris was flung out of the gaping holes, tossed into the wind by the speeding train. The train tilted at a fifteen-degree angle, the chassis scraping against the rails with an ear-splitting screech, scattering a series of sparks, as if the Black Earth Worm's massive weight would cause it to overturn at any moment.

"Get out of the way!" Li Yalin shouted, leaping into the air, drawing her folding combat blade, and slashing fiercely at the Black Earth Worm's exoskeleton with a bright yellow halo of *qi*. With a crack, she cleaved a clearly visible fissure.

It worked!

Martial artists could maximize the destructive power of their *qi*, their fists and feet possessing tremendous strength. In this situation, they could actually be effective.

Di Susu's eyes flashed, and she followed closely, also drawing a folding combat blade. A cyan light enveloped the blade, her speed as fast as lightning, and she delivered a powerful side-chop that sent a small piece of armor flying, leaving a faint cyan afterimage on everyone's retinas.

The Black Earth Worm, however, ignored them, relying on its thick hide and taking on a "hit me all you want, I won't flinch" attitude as it tightened its body, gradually deforming the carriage. The beasts of Planet Aquamarine were extremely strong, with various templates and perks stacked on top of each other, making them incredibly durable. The Black Earth Worm was clearly a Boss-level monster in the wild. Without the firepower of a modern armed military force, it would be difficult to kill. Even for players, the Black Earth Worm was at least a five-to-ten-man team challenge. Of course, there were also some professional experts with earth-shattering skills who could solo it successfully.

*Crack, crack*, two more delicious humanoid buns were swallowed by the Black Earth Worm. This kind of fresh food was much tastier than the sandworms in the ground. The Black Earth Worm ground its teeth together, as if savoring this rare fresh treat.

The field agents felt their hair stand on end. The pressure from the top of the food chain made them almost unable to stand. In this situation, humanity seemed to have been stripped of its pride in being intelligent, becoming terrified lambs waiting to be slaughtered.

"Fire, Black Earth Worms are afraid of fire!" Di Susu shouted.

Black Earth Worms had poor eyesight and were very sensitive to firelight and high temperatures, which had the same effect as a flashbang grenade on humans, damaging their eyesight.

If they continued to stalemate, the train would be destroyed. Realizing this, everyone understood that the only option was to use fire to force the Black Earth Worm back. Zhang Wei hurriedly took out the high-explosive ammunition clip he carried with him. High-explosive bullets were special ammunition, and usually the agents used regular ammunition clips.

*Bang, bang, bang*—

In an instant, magnificent flames from the Great FFF Group ignited on the Black Earth Worm's invulnerable armor. The always-calm Black Earth Worm immediately writhed wildly. The bright flames and high temperatures made it extremely uncomfortable, and it became very irritable, looking exactly like a baboon that had failed to mate.

Han Xiao stood as steady as a nail. The increasing swaying made him worried that the train would overturn. Basically, the Special Operations agents had all bought his high-explosive ammunition, so it was enough to let the Thirteenth Bureau's Special Operations agents handle it. He cheerfully watched from the sidelines.

Streams of flames erupted on the Black Earth Worm's body. Before long, the Black Earth Worm couldn't stand the feeling of being blinded by the dazzling light, let out a hiss, released the carriage, and burrowed into the ground. Sand and soil flew everywhere, and in just a few seconds, its tens-of-meters-long body had burrowed into the ground with astonishing speed, leaving only a layer of topsoil covering the burrow it had dug.

The field agents, who had narrowly escaped death, felt their legs go weak and collapsed to the ground, still shaken.

"We're saved!"

"I'm not dead, I'm not dead…"

"Mom, I miss you so much!"

The Black Earth Worm had only appeared for a few minutes, but it had caused massive destruction. The carriage was leaking air everywhere, and it was a complete mess. If they hadn't driven it away in time, the consequences would have been the destruction of the train and the death of… not necessarily death, but they would definitely be late.

Fortunately, they had high-explosive bullets… Everyone looked at Han Xiao, a trace of gratitude rising in their hearts.

Zhang Wei patted Han Xiao on the shoulder, feeling that everything was unspoken. This feeling was great.

"If you want to thank me, just say it. I can't read minds."

"…"

Everyone was speechless.

Your ability to ruin the atmosphere is at an expert level, isn't it.

The field agents recovered for a while before getting up to clean up the mess.

The Black Earth Worm attack was just a small interlude. The facts proved that the military railway route was relatively safe, and this was the only accident.

The scenery along the way was mostly distant mountains, dense forests, and plains of yellow earth, which became aesthetically tiresome after a while.

Along the way, Han Xiao stayed in the big black freight car, exercising his *qi* refining method and manufacturing machinery to grind experience every day.

Three days later, the train arrived at the Haixia border station.