Chapter 89: Chapter 89: The Cost of a Clean Break (Bonus Chapter)

"Are you sure?"

Bai Cheng looked skeptical, her gaze sweeping over the empty plaza of the station. "Did you actually see someone?"

Chi Yan quickly recounted his recent encounter in full detail.

"Young Lady, that must have been the intruder’s unique Talent," Chi Yan explained, a smirk playing on his lips as he recalled the clash. "A clumsy feint, at best."

He had raised a hand and ignited his hellfire, lunging directly at the stranger with clear intent to execution. But before his fist could connect, the hazy, vapor-like figure erupted into a thick cloud of white steam. The body evaporated rapidly, turning translucent as it dissolved.

Sensing immediate danger, the figure vanished entirely, only to rematerialize at the far end of the train, completely unharmed.

By then, Chi Yan realized he had only been fighting a clone. Before his hellfire could consume it, the enemy had proactively destroyed it themselves. As for the figure at the tail end of the train, it was simply another clone that had stealthily infiltrated the area while he was distracted.

Chi Yan was certain of this because his passive senses picked up absolutely zero biological aura within the entire station.

"I didn’t expect Bai Cheng’s employees to be so unique," the blurry-faced clone had sneered, its eyes sweeping over the carriages. "How many does she have now? Is this her third?"

Chi Yan, naturally, hadn’t graced the question with an answer. Realizing the physical body wasn’t present, his only goal was to wipe out these illusions in one fell swoop.

Seeing the fiery lion preparing to strike again without a word, the figure hurriedly spat out a harsh threat.

"Don’t get too smug! Brother Tang is bringing his people into this station soon. When he arrives, you’re all dead!" The clone snapped, its form flickering. "And that Train Conductor title of yours? It’ll belong to us soon enough..."

Before it could finish the sentence, Chi Yan punched straight through its chest. 𝒻𝓇𝑒𝘦𝘸𝑒𝒷𝓃ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝒸ℴ𝘮

He unleashed a massive wave of hellfire, sweeping the entire station until he was absolutely certain no more clones remained. Only then did he return to the front of the train to await Bai Cheng’s return.

Back in the present, Bai Cheng frowned as she processed Chi Yan’s story.

"Brother Tang?"

That undoubtedly meant Tang Yan. Among all the Pioneers she had crossed paths with, he was the only one with that surname.

"Did he finish his loot mission that quickly?" Bai Cheng muttered, growing curious about the man’s capabilities.

He must have forcibly triggered his own promotion challenge just to catch up to her, rushing his crew over without a single stop. However, rather than worrying about a crusade, she was far more intrigued by the mysterious scout who had arrived early.

Does Tang Yan really have someone like that under his command? A guy with that kind of power shouldn’t be willing to play second fiddle, right?

"A bunch of small fry," Bai Cheng laughed.

She now commanded two Warlord-rank employees. It was no exaggeration to say that either Zi Yuan or Chi Yan could obliterate Tang Yan’s entire squad with a casual swing of their arms.

"How dare they challenge me when they don’t even understand the gap between us?" Bai Cheng smiled charmingly, a flicker of sadistic excitement dancing in her eyes. She certainly didn’t mind hanging around a bit longer to collect a few "deliveries." After all, who would turn down free supplies?

"Pioneer hunting... I haven’t tried that before."

But just as she turned to lead Zi Yuan back into the station to set an ambush, reality poured a bucket of ice water over her head. Two rows of crisp text flashed across the small screen by the door:

[You have completed the promotion challenge and can no longer enter the Elite Stage Promotion Station!]

[Please depart the station within 30 minutes!]

"There’s a restriction for this too?!" Bai Cheng gaped, a wave of intense annoyance washing over her. "Damn it! I shouldn’t have stepped back onto the train so fast!"

Just like that, her free deliveries were gone.

Chi Yan hadn’t been able to enter the station to warn her earlier because guarding the train took priority. Bai Cheng tried to rattle the door, but it was firmly locked from the inside. After a moment of frustration, she shook her head and gave up. It wasn’t worth wasting time over. Tang Yan’s group might not even make it within thirty minutes anyway. Besides, this station had ten different entrances, and she knew exactly how terrible her luck could be when it came to random encounters.

"Let’s move," she sighed, stepping into the cockpit.

The primary console was still displaying her reward summary. Bai Cheng glanced at it, but aside from a single blue Employee Card, the loot screen was entirely bare.

"I thought an enhanced boss like that would at least drop a purple card..." she pouted in dissatisfaction.

[Congratulations on completing the promotion challenge! You have been awarded 2 Promotion Slots.]

[Slot Transfer: You can transfer these slots to players on your Friends List. This process requires mutual confirmation and agreement.]

[Benefit: Upon accepting a slot, your friend will successfully break through their rank bottleneck without needing to complete the promotion challenge.]

[Congratulations on defeating the Crimson Blood Stag! You and your employees have each gained 100 Experience Points.]

Bai Cheng had been ready to complain about the lack of Magic Crystals, but her eyes widened as she read the prompt. She nodded, thoroughly satisfied.

"Okay, wow. This is actually way more valuable."

The level lock on the station was still annoying since it meant she couldn’t stay and farm the boss, but these electronic promotion slots were insane.

"These slots must scale with the number of challengers," Bai Cheng mused, rubbing her chin. "With up to a hundred people allowed in, there’s no way the baseline reward is only two slots."

If it gave one slot per participant... then that confirmed it. There had been another survivor hiding in that station during the fight.

Bai Cheng’s gaze sharpened. The fact that even Zi Yuan—now a Warlord-rank powerhouse—hadn’t sensed them meant the intruder possessed a terrifyingly high-tier concealment stealth or background.

Outside, the triangular energy curtain began to burn away. The train groaned to life, slowly accelerating as a blinding white light enveloped the cabins. When the glare subsided, the train was once again cruising smoothly across the endless, snow-covered plains.

The radar display updated:

[Distance to next Station: 2,216 km]

Two and a Half Hours Later...

Seven trains roared in succession into Entrance No. 3 of the Forest Altar.

Tang Yan was the first to leap off his locomotive, his teammates hot on his heels. But as he charged toward the inner sanctum, a heavy, mechanical barrier slammed shut, blocking their path.

[You are currently unable to enter this Station!]

[Cooldown Remaining: 3 Days]

Tang Yan froze. The crowd behind him erupted into a frenzy.

"What the hell is this?! Why can’t we get in?"

"Are we supposed to sit on our hands here for three days?!"

"Damn it, what kind of garbage rule is this?!"

As the complaints turned into a chaotic din, Tang Yan remained completely silent, his expression darkening into something monstrous. After a long, suffocating silence, he spoke, his voice dropping to a harsh whisper.

"The boss is dead. Bai Cheng killed it."

The noisy crowd went dead silent. Everyone stared at him in sheer disbelief.

"How is that even possible?!" Xiao Ran shouted, stepping forward. "She cleared a boss of that caliber in such a short window?!"

Tang Yan didn’t want to believe it either, but it was the only mathematical reality. He closed his eyes, activating a sensory skill to tune into the lingering ambient energy of the station. A few seconds later, his eyes snapped open, a sharp, predatory glare sweeping over his team.

"Bai Cheng has a Legendary-grade employee."

"What?!"

Shouts of shock echoed through the platform.

"Brother Tang... you’re joking, right? A Legendary?"

Suddenly, a teammate still inside one of the cabins yelled out through the open door, "Brother Tang! Look at the radar! There’s a train signature leaving the sector to the north! It has to be her!"

The Pioneers scrambled back into their control rooms. Sure enough, on the long-range scanning map, a solitary train icon was steadily pulling away toward the northern horizon.

Tang Yan’s expression twisted into pure, unadulterated greed. If his animosity toward Bai Cheng before had been driven by pride and competition, the revelation of a Legendary employee changed everything.

"Catch her," Tang Yan ordered decisively. "If we execute her, that Legendary employee becomes ours!"

But before anyone could slam the throttles forward, a series of system-wide notifications flashed simultaneously across every Pioneer’s screen.

[The Pioneer Trial (Part One) has officially concluded!]

[Team Functions: Fully Unlocked.]

[Train Merging Function: Enabled.]

Looking at the prompt, the fury on Tang Yan’s face slowly melted away, replaced by a cruel, mocking smile.

"Perfect timing," he murmured, his fingers gripping the console. "Now my teammates can finally climb aboard."