Chapter 228 - 222: Rusted River Crossing, Frog Hunt

Chapter 228: Chapter 222: Rusted River Crossing, Frog Hunt

On the night of the Little New Year, the people living along the Su River in the old district tossed and turned, unable to sleep—the sound of gunfire had replaced the celebratory crackle of firecrackers, popping and snapping for half the night.

Many were jolted awake, thinking some rogue army had stormed the city under the cover of darkness.

Those living closer to the river, however, swore they saw a massive fish-like shadow, as large as a small boat, swimming through the channel. On the banks, a dragon of torches snaked along as countless people, armed with guns and clubs, shouted in pursuit...

Before dawn, the bolder ones crept to the riverbank to see what had happened.

They saw schools of fat fish swarming and churning in the river, fighting to peck at the corpses bobbing in the current.

Soon, eerie rumors of a "River Demon on the rampage on Little New Year’s Eve" began to spread through the neighborhoods like the morning mist over the river.

.....

「Two days later.」

Rust River Crossing Railway Station.

This station, located twenty li southwest of Shenghai at the intersection of the Rusted River and the old railway, had long since lost its former glory.

It was once part of the Jianghai Railway Branch, funded and built by the Viliduo Yifeng Trading Company to connect the docks with the interior for transporting tungsten ore, tea, and porcelain.

At its peak, at least three mixed-use trains came roaring to a stop here every day. The station was surrounded by warehouses and inns, forming its own bustling little hub.

Later, due to infighting among the Southeast Warlords, the main line was rerouted, and the number of passing trains dwindled from several a month to virtually none. The crowds dispersed, and the platform fell into disuse. On a normal day, you wouldn’t see a soul, save for the occasional Old Foot Patrol making his rounds.

Today, however, an unusual number of people were standing on the abandoned platform.

They were all dressed in blue shirts, armed with sabers and guns. Each one was burly and fierce-looking, carrying the distinct air of the criminal underworld.

Their leader was a pale-faced, sinister-looking middle-aged man. Beside him stood a pair of ugly twins who were short and stout like winter gourds, with dark skin and lumpy faces.

They were gathered at the station’s loading point, guarding a giant crate several men tall and wide, which was tightly covered by a heavy black cloth. It was as if they were escorting something extraordinary.

It was just after five in the morning, and the sky was not yet light. A thin white mist coiled around the tracks. In the distance, the mouth of the tunnel looked like a slumbering beast. The area was overgrown with weeds, and a chilling, deathly silence permeated the air.

The group stood on the platform. The middle-aged leader in blue glanced down at his pocket watch from time to time. They had apparently been waiting for a while.

CLANG—!

A clear yet abrupt metallic clang suddenly echoed from the deep, dark tunnel.

At the sound, the blue-shirted men waiting on the platform all looked up toward the tunnel.

"Is the train here?"

Someone asked, but quickly frowned and dismissed the idea. "It’s not time yet... and that doesn’t sound like a train."

CLANG—CLANG—CLANG—

A rhythmic clanging rang out continuously from the tunnel, unhurried, growing closer and closer.

At first, it sounded like train wheels on the tracks, but upon closer listening, it was completely different. The rhythm was slow and monotonous, more like someone deep in the tunnel was deliberately striking the cold steel rail, over and over.

"Two of you, go see what’s going on."

On the platform, Bai Hexing’s eyes narrowed as he gave the cold command.

Two members of the Blue-clothed Gang stepped forward, only to be stopped by an impatient wave from the ugly twins.

"Enough. We’ll go... good to stretch our legs. They’re getting stiff just standing here."

Bai Hexing frowned, a nearly imperceptible motion, but didn’t stop them. He only said in a low voice, "Be careful, both of you."

The two ugly men, their small pigtails bouncing, paid him no mind and leaped from the platform together.

Though short and stout, they moved as fast as bolting hares, disappearing into the dimness of the tunnel mouth in just a few bounds.

Not long after the two ugly men entered the tunnel, the noise from within stopped abruptly.

Bai Hexing’s expression relaxed. He turned, about to send someone to welcome the two men back, but just then—

CLANG—CLANG—CLANG—

The bizarre clanging started up again.

In an instant, Bai Hexing whipped his head around, his eyes fixed on the mouth of the tunnel where the sound was coming from.

Beside him, the faces of the Blue-clothed Gang members paled in unison. They all drew the pistols from their waists and held them ready.

It was no wonder they looked as if they were facing a great enemy. The twin ugly men who had gone to investigate were masters from the Toad Palace—the strongest fighters among them!

An ordinary Tongxuan Realm Martial Artist was no match for either of them. When they fought together, they could even contend with an expert from a Great Martial Family at the Gratitude Sensing Realm!

But from the moment they entered the tunnel to the moment the clanging resumed, only a few breaths had passed.

From start to finish, no other sound had come from the tunnel. It was as if they had been silently swallowed whole by something within.

"Gang Leader."

One of the Blue-clothed Gang members stepped forward, his voice tight with tension.

But Bai Hexing said nothing, his eyes still glued to the tunnel.

CLANG—CLANG—

The sound grew closer and clearer.

At last, a silhouette began to materialize at the mouth of the mist-shrouded tunnel.

It was an exceptionally tall and burly man with features so sharp they looked chiseled from stone. A not-quite-smile played on his lips, and his eyes were narrowed to slits. His gaze alone exuded an overwhelming aura of arrogant, domineering power.

The burly man was dragging a thick, several-meter-long steel rebar with one hand. One end had clearly been sharpened, and it glinted coldly in the dim light.

And now, they could see that impaled on the sharpened rebar, like fruit on a skewer, were two short, stout bodies—who else could they be but the ugly twins from the Toad Palace?

As for the rhythmic "clang clang" Bai Hexing and his men had heard, it was simply the sound of the rebar’s sharpened tip striking the steel rail as the man dragged it along!

Bai Hexing strained his eyes in the dim, pre-dawn light. When he finally made out the newcomer’s face, his pupils contracted and his expression twisted in horror. He forced a ragged shout from his throat: "Everyone—open fire!"

In an instant, the Blue-clothed Gang members on the platform raised their guns and fired at the burly man standing before the tunnel mouth.

BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG!!

A dense barrage of gunfire instantly shattered the station’s morning silence.

Bullets rained down on the figure at the tunnel entrance, kicking up blinding sparks as they struck the rails and stone ballast.

But the burly man stood unconcerned in the hail of bullets, simply giving the corpse-skewered rebar a light shake with one hand.

With a pair of THUDS, the two ugly men’s corpses were flung to the ground like broken sacks.

This was followed by a cringe-inducing KRAK-KRAK-KRAK of popping joints.

Before their very eyes, the man’s already massive frame swelled. Something seemed to flow like a living creature beneath his skin, and in the blink of an eye, he transformed into a ferocious, two-meter-tall tower of muscle, his sinews knotted like cast iron!

Then, he gripped the long, thick rebar with both hands and aimed its sharpened end steadily at the platform.

A terrifying sound came from his body, like a great machine winding tighter and tighter as he gathered his power to the absolute limit. His arms became like two great bows, drawn to their breaking point—

The next moment, that immense power was unleashed!

He swung the rebar forward and hurled it like a massive javelin!

WHOOSH—!!!

Bai Hexing had just emptied a magazine, his hands trembling as he tried to reload.

Suddenly, he heard a piercing shriek that seemed to tear the very air apart!

He didn’t even have time to look up. A deathly chill that made his scalp crawl and his hair stand on end, combined with the frantic pounding of his heart, drove him to throw himself sideways with all his might!

WHOOSH—

A visible vacuum trail seemed to rip across the platform. In the corner of his eye, Bai Hexing caught a fleeting glimpse of a black shadow. The next instant, a deafening crash echoed from behind him!

BOOM!

The giant, black-draped crate was completely pierced and torn apart by the terrifyingly thick steel rebar! Splinters of wood, broken iron bars, and unidentifiable fragments shot out in all directions amidst a cloud of dust, as if from an explosion!

Amidst the chaotic din, Bai Hexing heard a distorted, grotesque sound that seemed to pierce him to the very soul—

"Gwaaaah..."

It sounded like a frog’s croak, yet also like a bizarre midnight echo mixed with countless screams of agony.

In that instant, Bai Hexing finally understood—

’He... he’s here for the Toad Immortal!’