The sports car was incredibly fast, and before long, they arrived at the Lingshui City high-speed rail station.
After parking in the station's underground garage, the two bought tickets to Yunlan City.
Thanks to the rich second-generation Fatty An, they went straight for business class seats. As for who paid, it certainly wasn't Li Qian.
His bank account was cleaner than his face.
After having their tickets checked and boarding the train, Li Qian found his seat and settled in. "I hear that from business class, you can sometimes see a Thunderbolt or Thunder model in battle?" he asked, a little curious.
"That depends on whether we run into any trouble along the way," Fatty An replied. He'd clearly experienced this sort of thing more than once.
"Attention all passengers, the high-speed rail is about to depart. This is train G1542, served by Thunderbolt 122."
The announcement played inside the carriage, and then the train began to move. Li Qian looked all around, his curiosity piqued.
They were both called high-speed rail, but the trains in this world were a far cry from the ones in his past life.
While both were products of high technology, the trains of his past life were merely electric multiple units. The high-speed rail in this world was entirely different.
In essence, they were just like Koi Ah Fu and Qizai—they were Pet Beasts. Mechanical Pet Beasts, to be precise. And they were alive.
At critical moments, they could even detach from the carriages and fight independently, much like a certain transforming train anime from his past life.
And as far as Li Qian knew, the entire Dongxia Federation currently had only two models of high-speed rail trains: the Thunderbolt and the Thunder.
The Thunderbolt 122 they were riding was one of the Thunderbolt models.
Thunderbolt 122 lived up to its name as a Commander Level Mechanical Pet Beast. After starting, it took less than ten seconds to accelerate to eight hundred kilometers per hour.
That speed was already on par with passenger jets from his past life. As for high-performance sports cars, they were left in the dust so completely it wasn't even a competition.
Yunlan City and Lingshui City were two adjacent cities. Yunlan City was a Tier One City, while Lingshui City was a Tier Three City. Because the high-speed rail line wasn't a straight shot between them, the train had to make one stop along the way.
Jizhou City, which was also adjacent to Lingshui City, was a Second Level city.
It was because of Jizhou City that the high-speed rail line from Lingshui City to Yunlan City had a slight bend in it, forming something of an arc.
The Jizhou City station was located at roughly the midpoint of this arc.
About fifty minutes later, the train pulled smoothly into the Jizhou City station.
The journey was uneventful, so unfortunately, Li Qian and Fatty An didn't get to see the Thunderbolt in action.
The disappointment was mainly Li Qian's. Fatty An was long used to this and didn't find it regrettable at all.
Thunderbolt 122 stopped at the Jizhou City station for about five minutes. Once all the new passengers were aboard, it started up again, heading straight for Yunlan City.
Just as Li Qian was thinking this business class trip would be short one major highlight, the unexpected happened.
A Four-horned Yak was sprawled across the tracks, blocking Thunderbolt 122's path.
Inside the locomotive, the driver saw this but didn't panic.
Wild Pet Beasts wandering onto the railway tracks was a common occurrence.
The fences alongside the tracks were enough to stop ordinary animals, but against a wild Pet Beast, they might as well not be there.
"Four-horned Yak. Based on the Energy Intensity from the lightwave scan, its Level should be around Tier Eight Elite." Just then, a strange avatar flashed onto the LCD screen inside the locomotive and reported on the situation ahead.
"Attempt sonic repulsion first. If that fails, prepare for combat." The driver gave the order without a second thought.
This was the standard procedure for dealing with wild Pet Beasts encountered during a run.
The sonic blast was imperceptible to the passengers inside the carriages, but the Four-horned Yak sprawled on the tracks definitely noticed it.
Yes, it certainly noticed, but it had no intention of leaving. It let out a "MOO" and remained stubbornly lying on the tracks.
'Looks like there's no other way. We'll have to fight.' Seeing this, the driver's brow furrowed, and his expression turned cold.
For him, the most important thing was ensuring the safety of everyone on the train.
So, he made his move. Thunderbolt 122 was his Pet Beast. It instantly detached from the carriages and, in a flash of light, transformed into a three-meter-tall robot with a torso resembling the locomotive of a high-speed train.
The High-speed Rail Robot appeared and charged forward at incredible speed.
"Rocket Fist!" At the driver's sharp command, the High-speed Rail Robot, Thunderbolt 122, threw a punch.
BANG!
The iron fist made intimate contact with the Four-horned Yak's body, unleashing a tremendous force in an instant.
WHOOSH!
The Four-horned Yak had no time to react before Thunderbolt 122's iron fist sent it flying.
BOOM!
Roughly a kilometer away, the Four-horned Yak crashed into the ground like a falling meteor, kicking up a cloud of dust.
Inside the business class car, Li Qian watched the entire scene unfold through the special one-way glass. He couldn't help but click his tongue in amazement.
'So this is a Commander Level High-speed Rail Robot? Truly terrifying. I wonder if that punch was enough to kill the Four-horned Yak outright.'
That was what Li Qian thought. He got his answer soon enough.
From within the dust, a massive creature charged out, moving with astonishing speed. It was clear that Thunderbolt 122's last attack had injured it severely but not fatally, and had only served to enrage it.
'Looks like its stubborn streak is showing,' the driver thought, unfazed. On the contrary, he shook his head with a somewhat resigned expression.
"In that case, I'll have to put you out of your misery," he muttered. He then glanced at Thunderbolt 122. "Make it quick. Laser Cannon!"
As the driver's words faded, Thunderbolt 122 impassively held out its hand. A cannon barrel extended from its palm.
The muzzle glowed. The next instant, a beam of light shot out, moving so fast that Li Qian, watching from the business class car, barely had time to register it.
BANG!
The beam of light struck the Four-horned Yak's head. The creature's head, as large as a millstone and seemingly indestructible, exploded like an overinflated balloon.
Its head, struck by Thunderbolt 122's Laser Cannon, had simply detonated. Yet, the Four-horned Yak's body continued to charge forward for another ten-odd meters under its own inertia before finally crashing to the ground.
The sight was even more staggering.
Having dispatched the Four-horned Yak with ease, the driver's expression remained unchanged. He gave a simple command, "Back to work."
Then, with a flash of light and a series of contortions, Thunderbolt 122's arms, legs, and head retracted into its torso, and it once again became a locomotive.
The locomotive reconnected with the carriages, blocking Li Qian's view. The train began to move again as if nothing had happened at all.
But Li Qian knew exactly what had just happened. A Four-horned Yak, at least Elite High Order, had been killed. It had been utterly powerless against the High-speed Rail Robot, its head blown clean off.
'The Mechanical Element... truly terrifying.'
Li Qian silently made a resolution: if he ever got the chance, he would contract a Mechanical Pet Beast of his own.
Fatty An, sitting beside him, was probably used to such sights, as his expression didn't change at all.