Time Remaining: 36 Days, 18 Hours. (Status: Rails ended. Switching to Off-Road Mode. Traction is critical.) Location: Sector 3 - The Glass Plains.
They burst out of the tunnel and hit the light.
But they didn't hit tracks. The rails, which had guided them safely through the mountain, simply stopped. They didn't end at a station. They disappeared into the floor—melted, fused, and swallowed by the ground itself.
"End of the line!" Arthur shouted, seeing the track vanish into a sheet of smooth obsidian. "Retract rail-gear! Drop tires!"
He slammed the hydraulic lever. HISSS-THUNK. Under the chassis, the heavy steel train wheels lifted up. The massive rubber off-road tires slammed down, making contact with the ground.
It wasn't a smooth transition. The tires didn't hit dirt or gravel. They hit Glass.
SCREEEEEEE.
The Iron Horse didn't grip. It drifted. The ten-ton vehicle spun 90 degrees, sliding sideways across the mirror-smooth surface like a hockey puck on ice.
