Chapter 298: Is Anyone There?
“June 4th, light wind.”
“This is the era of evolution, and also the era of decline.”
On days without sandstorms, the sunlight was even more scorching.
Tiny dust particles in the air danced up and down with the train’s movement, the fragrance of flour mingling with the aroma of meat swirling in the dining car. Inside the transparent steamer lid, plump white steamed buns looked truly appetizing. Yu Yue, wearing a strawberry bear apron, fiddled with the newly acquired coffee machine.
A low hum vibrated the countertop, carrying the leisurely pace of life.
Su Huan sat on the sofa with his legs crossed, twirling a slender gold and silver ring in his hand.
The ring size was very small, with a simple design where gold and silver metals intertwined and interlocked.
Perhaps because today’s orange cat blanket had been replaced with a little black dog, Su Huan felt faintly irritable inside. The metal ring in his hand was like soft plasticine, pinched into a small loop.
The ring and the person both fell into that pair of almond-shaped eyes.
“Huh, where did this come from?”
Yu Yue, carrying coffee as she walked over, saw the ring in Su Huan’s hand and naturally took it.
She pinched it in her hand and saw no reaction from Su Huan. The woman lowered her almond eyes slightly, then held the ring up to his ear to compare, stars seeming to sparkle in her eyes. “It’s pretty nice.”
After saying that, she knelt into Su Huan’s lap, brushed back the long hair by his ear, and clipped the gold and silver ring shaped into an earring onto his ear.
Su Huan glanced at her increasingly plump little face, letting the woman fuss over him.
She always liked adding little things to him.
But most of them wouldn’t stay on, and after a while, Su Huan himself didn’t know where they had gone.
“How’s it been on the train lately?”
“Every laboratory is shouting about being short on people, progress is slow. The crown pear tree in the cultivation pod has grown a new pear. He Jie has made multiple team adjustments over there, beatings have almost stopped, but Old San got beaten again.”
Su Huan’s sharp eyebrows raised. “Who would beat him?”
“Who else, the kangaroo. Old San always wants to get revenge on that kangaroo, got kicked flying five times in three days. Huang Hai complained that the frame he finally set up got kicked apart.”
Under a head of obsidian-like long hair, the gold and silver earring became the most striking accent.
Yu Yue’s lips curved up slightly, her eyes full of appreciation for her own handiwork.
Su Huan’s palm rested on that increasingly alluring waist, but before he could make the next move, he was interrupted by the roar of an engine outside the vehicle.
Yu Yue tilted her head. “There’s a convoy approaching us. Doesn’t sound very friendly.”
Lately, convoys traveling back and forth between Zhijin City and Xiaohe City had been particularly numerous. The armored train, due to its slow speed, had become the most famous sight on this road.
Most small convoys lacked the strength to provoke the train and would only watch from afar before leaving.
But today, it seemed there was a brave soul wanting to eat crab.
Su Huan looked out the car window. A knight in a charge jacket whistled past outside the window, followed closely by five motorcycles.
Farther away, a modified off-road vehicle drove on the wasteland about dozens of meters from the train, with rolling yellow sand behind it. It looked like the convoy was not small.
“Twenty-three cars, sixteen motorcycles.”
Yu Yue said after listening for a while.
The command platform at the front of the train sent Su Huan a video feed. Several motorcycles hadn’t fully overtaken the train but had gone ahead instead, darting back and forth on both sides of the road like a provocation.
Seeing the train show no reaction, some knights were already preparing to perform jumping over the train.
Su Huan casually connected to the armed corps on the terminal. He Jie’s bearded rough face appeared on the screen.
With a fierce expression, he said, “The armed corps is ready. We can twist the heads off those brats anytime!”
Su Huan smiled. “It’s rare to have visitors. Go ask for directions, don’t be so rough.”
He Jie instantly understood, grinning wickedly as he nodded. “Got it!”
Three seconds after hanging up the communication, the convoy saw the armored train’s side carriage drop directly down.
One armed off-road vehicle and three armored personnel carriers rumbled out.
The convoy erupted in a series of ghostly howls.
“Damn, they have military vehicles!”
“And heavy machine guns!”
“Tough nuts! Run, run, run!! Floor it!”
“Damn it, they’re catching up!”
He Jie’s off-road vehicle had long locked onto the first off-road vehicle to appear, ignoring everything else and charging forward at full throttle.
The modified civilian off-road vehicle ahead was nearly bouncing apart but couldn’t shake them off no matter what.
These military vehicles had barely been used and were maintained daily by Old Liu. They could pass as brand-new for a girl’s personal use. Chasing these civilian vehicles was like a game.
“Speed up, damn it, speed up!”
The co-driver waved his handgun and howled frantically.
The driver, drenched in sweat, cursed wildly. “Pedal’s floored! What the hell are those vehicles? What crap is ours? Bark! Bark! All you know how to do is dog bark!”
“Bang!”
A muffled bang, glass shards exploding across the driver’s face.
The driver instinctively jerked the wheel the opposite way, but a large hand gripped the car door tightly. The two vehicles’ tires screeched, smoke and dust billowing, but they stayed locked together.
“Don’t panic, I’m just here to ask for directions.”
A gruff voice cackled.
The driver looked up to see a rough man like a black bear looming over him.
One hand grabbing the car door, the other clutching a grenade without a pin.
The co-driver pointed his handgun at He Jie, snarling, “Get out! Don’t make me put a hole in you!”
The goat directly shoved the anti-aircraft machine gun muzzle into the off-road vehicle’s car window.
12.7mm caliber against 9mm caliber.
Absolute dominance of thick over thin!
Two plumes of smoke curled from He Jie’s nostrils, his smile ferocious. “Looks like you’re not very friendly.”
Cold sweat instantly dripped from everyone’s heads in the vehicle.
“This time, Xinma Gang admits defeat. Whatever you decide for us, we’ll listen.”
A rough voice came from the back seat, like someone whose throat was burned from too much baijiu.
He Jie turned to look. In the seat behind the driver sat a man tattooed with dragons and tigers, high brow bone, cold gaze.
Hearing that, He Jie immediately recognized him.
“From Xinma County?”
“Yeah.”
If Su Huan were here, he might be confused, but He Jie had long memorized the maps of everywhere the train passed.
There were three counties around Xiaohe, arranged in a ring. South of Zhijin were also three counties. Besides Changxing to the southeast, directly south was this Xinma County.
“Up ahead is Zhijin, right?”
“We’ve already entered our Xinma County. Follow this road and you’ll reach our Xinma County station, then ahead is Zhijin City. For the sake of us all being Dong Huang people, big brother, give us a way to live.”
The man spoke clearly and logically, his slightly gloomy eyes fixed on He Jie.
He was ruthless, but he’d seen ruther people.
The He Jie in front of him was one.
Maybe once the questions were done, that grenade in his hand would explode in their vehicle.
He Jie eyed him in surprise. “What’s your name? What did you do before?”
“Was young and dumb back then, got a tiger tattooed on my face. The guys on the street called me Wen Biao. Came out after the apocalypse. Not much worldliness. If big brother doesn’t mind, little brother will follow you.”
He Jie frowned in disgust, casually tossing the grenade away. The two vehicles roared forward, soon followed by an explosion behind them.
Wen Biao’s face twitched, heart pounding.
Lucky his eyes were sharp, or he’d have offended a big shot.
“Wasted a grenade today. If you can’t satisfy the train conductor, the value of this grenade will come out of you.”
He Jie gave him a cold look.
“Little brother understands the rules.”
“Pull over.”
……
After getting out of the vehicle, Wen Biao realized the little brothers he’d sent to provoke had been hanged by strange mechanical arms on the side of the train. Two had their legs worn away.
Crimson blood trails extended far away.
Wen Biao glanced back at his off-road vehicle. A huge handprint on the car door was shocking.
Any lingering thoughts Wen Biao had were immediately extinguished, and he obediently followed He Jie onto the train.
The train showing just the tip of the iceberg was enough to crush their entire convoy. No point in struggling.
In a carriage renovated like a pre-apocalypse home, Wen Biao met the terrifying train conductor, like a dangerous lion. That was Wen Biao’s first thought.
In front of Su Huan, even a blind man could feel the most instinctive fear.
“Got the directions clear. We’re already in Xinma County. Fifteen kilometers straight along the main road and we’ll enter Zhijin city district. Afraid of not getting clear info, I brought the guy back.”
He Jie sat on the side single sofa, downing the coffee on the table.
Seeing Su Huan look over, Wen Biao nodded hurriedly, not daring to sit, not even daring to step forward.
Steamed buns in the steamer, the warmly luxurious dining car, clean clothes… Every detail represented terrifying strength and resources.
Sure, he could boss around in Xinma Gang’s turf in Xinma County.
But he rationed water daily. Last bath was in the pre-apocalypse prison. His clothes looked clean because street clothes were free pickings, but he actually stank.
“I ask, you answer. No bullshit.”
Su Huan said flatly.
Wen Biao tensed up and nodded quickly.
“What’s been happening in Zhijin lately? What forces are there? Who needs watching?”
Wen Biao considered, then said cautiously, “The biggest thing in Zhijin lately is building a base city, led by Black Kite, Jin Feng Chamber of Commerce, Tiejian City, and Fu Yuan Convoy.”
Su Huan’s mind stirred slightly. “Details.”
Wen Biao knew he’d hit the mark and elaborated immediately. “We don’t know much about Black Kite. They’re very strong and rarely deal with us. They only show up at scavenger market openings each month, always trading in hot commodities, but only big bulk transactions, no deals with small convoys like ours.”
“The other three are local. Jin Feng Chamber of Commerce was formed by a few rich merchants, the earliest established, first to take a town, but quiet now. Heard Black Kite dealt with them once. Tiejian City is a residential community on Zhijin’s outskirts. They’re united, have two particularly strong evolvers. Fu Yuan Convoy was recently formed by integrating Fuyuan County…”
When mentioning Fu Yuan Convoy, Wen Biao’s lips showed clear disdain.
“Those goods in Fu Yuan Convoy are just so-so alone, not better than my Xinma Gang, but together they edge us out.”
“These four are the most famous around Zhijin. The rest are like my Xinma Gang. There’s Black Star Convoy by Xiaohe, originally from Changxing County. Haven’t contacted in ages, don’t know their situation. Further down are small fries, won’t waste your time.”
Su Huan was somewhat surprised inside.
Thought he was just a reckless thug, but quick mind, clear speech.
Though just a simple questioning.
But brains, reactions, pressure resistance—all essential.
Makes sense. Surviving half a year in the apocalypse, even a thug isn’t ordinary.
“Know this guy?”
Su Huan suddenly asked out of nowhere.
Wen Biao glanced back casually and saw a long-necked young man behind him sizing him up. Seeing the tattoo on his head as he turned, he nodded immediately.
“Big Brother Biao of Xinma Gang. Our boss dealt with him before.”
He Jie glared. “I asked you, is he telling truth or lies!”
Big Goose panicked. “I don’t know much about Zhijin side, but from what I know, yeah, that’s it. We Dragon Riders know about that base city plan too, but our boss said the risk was too high. Small fry like us would just get eaten, so we didn’t dig more.”
A flash of impatience in Su Huan’s eyes. If Lin Xi weren’t recuperating with Director Xu, he wouldn’t need this guy.
Video didn’t work, so this for now.
“Continue on the base city.”
Wen Biao glanced warily at Big Goose. Didn’t expect someone on the train knew him.
Good thing he didn’t lie.
“The plan is to clear Zhinnán District of Zhijin City, then gather idle people from surrounding counties and cities to form a large base city of over 200,000. Specific cleanup starts gradually in a month. Now it’s the gathering people phase.”
Hearing ‘a month,’ Su Huan relaxed a bit inside.
That much time, if something was up, the train would’ve left. Probably not a trap aimed at the train.
Of course, doesn’t rule out Black Kite’s No.1 having a sick brain.
He Jie immediately questioned, “200,000 people? That many, how to handle food and water? Safety? Zombies in the city will smell humans and come crawling out.”
“Black Kite provided special mutated plants that produce water just by watering with zombie flesh and blood. Zhijin has plenty of zombies, not short on food solutions either. For safety, gathering these people is to solve the zombies.”
“200,000 isn’t few. All named convoys around Zhijin together are 30-50,000. Rely on scavenging rogues from surroundings, arm them, slowly clear zombies. Even if start with just tens of thousands, after months of clearing, Zhijin City gets cleaned.”
“Bullshit!”
He Jie snorted coldly.
“Probably more zombies the more you clear!”
Su Huan glanced at him, and He Jie grudgingly shut up.
These guys clearly planned to use surrounding scavengers as cannon fodder, trading them bit by bit for Zhijin’s zombies.
If just these ordinary forces, pure fantasy.
But with Black Kite, not impossible.
Last life, Steel Council held in acid rain area against million-level zombie tides in high-temperature zone. Though over a year later, Zhijin’s five million zombies were just preset fat meat before premeditated organized humans.
Black Kite lost big to him, understandable panic to recover.
“What do they trade at scavenger market?”
Wen Biao wiped sweat from his forehead. “Lots: food, weapons, vehicles, information… Whatever you want, they have it.”
“…Anyone?”
