Chapter 232: The Old Man And The Sea
The sound of water waves crashing was no longer crisp, becoming viscous and dull, and every time it rose to the highest point, it would be pressed down with a rumbling sound.
Water and sky merged into one, pitch black and oppressive.
The office buildings of the four industrial parks became the only light in the entire world.
Urgent knocking sounds and the storm battering the tin house rose and fell one after another.
One by one, trepidatious shelter survivors walked out from inside the houses, then underwent soldiers’ questioning and assignment orders.
Returning to the narrow rooms with fear.
Qu Hang stood on the metal frame of the highest floor, listening to the whispers the wind brought him.
His ink-green coat was tugged by the wind, flapping noisily.
Not a single drop of rainwater fell on the sniper rifle he held in front of him.
Suddenly, Qu Hang’s ears twitched slightly, and he responded in a low voice.
Judging by the amplitude of his lips’ movement, it should be a “yes.”
Walking to the edge of the steel frame, looking at the busy armored train below, Qu Hang withdrew his gaze and directly jumped from the over ten meters high steel frame to the rooftop.
Asking Lin Jin, who was guarding in front of the tin house, “Has the train conductor finished being busy?”
The latter shook his head, “What’s the matter?”
“You received Sister Yue’s messages just now, right?”
“Received them, but I don’t know what happened.”
“Creak—”
The tin door behind him opened, and Su Huan walked out stretching lazily.
“This old man is really stubborn.”
After his friendly exchange, Iron Mountain Shelter decided to mobilize everyone to help the armored train find the required electronic components, and contribute all heavy firepower as well as two-thirds of the weapons.
Su Huan generously left some coarse powder grass seeds, which could help Iron Mountain Shelter escape the crisis.
And try to ensure the safety of most people, letting them return alive here.
At first, the old man didn’t want to agree; he thought Su Huan’s three conditions were somewhat bullying.
The shelter and the armored train could conduct some free trade.
Su Huan was very puzzled.
Isn’t this free enough?
The old man thought this was triangular trade; as fellow countrymen, they should respect their rights.
Su Huan didn’t back down.
The old man threatened with death, saying he would jump down.
Su Huan told him to jump.
The old man didn’t jump.
Su Huan wanted to help him.
The old man said if he died, the shelter would fall into chaos.
Su Huan said they didn’t need that many people.
The old man conceded.
Su Huan loosened his grip and gave them that assurance from above.
Hearing the door opening sound, Xiao Dong suddenly darted out from the corner, looking at Su Huan eagerly.
Seeing his worried expression, Su Huan sidestepped, and Old Man Tie’s slightly hunched figure stepped out from the door; only then did Xiao Dong breathe a sigh of relief.
Old Man Tie looked deeply at Su Huan, “I hope you keep your promise.”
“As long as it’s a transaction, I never go back on my word. But you, don’t die from a headache or a cold or something; if over five thousand people cause chaos, it’ll be trouble for me too.”
Su Huan said indifferently.
Old Man Tie’s voice was low, “You’re very powerful now, but you won’t get far. Only unity can overcome this heavenly calamity.”
Su Huan let out a light sigh, white mist shooting out nearly a meter long in the violent rain.
“That’s the era of the past.”
“United as one, of one mind and heart, any powerful enemy, any harsh environment, will surrender to us.”
“Don’t wait until it’s scattered to remember to gather.”
“The organization is gone.”
A simple sentence, yet like a stone, thudding heavily onto the ground.
“But we’re still alive. As long as one person is alive, the organization won’t perish…”
“Are you debating scripture with me?”
Su Huan asked calmly in return.
The old man’s breath hitched; perhaps thinking that Su Huan decided the life and death of their shelter’s five thousand people, he swallowed his words.
Rumbling sounds came from downstairs; Su Huan turned and walked toward the edge.
No one knew better than him what the future would be like.
It was the collapse after all powerful order vanished—technology, culture, education… all symbols representing civilization were receding.
Heavenly calamity shattered all the advantages humanity had accumulated over thousands of years.
All things evolved, vying anew for the dominant position.
Only by standing at the forefront of evolution could one see the future’s scenery.
Unity might be a path, but not the one he chose.
Everyone had the right to choose.
Su Huan did.
Iron Mountain Shelter did too.
Judging solely by the current outcome, if unity worked, Iron Mountain Shelter wouldn’t be yielding to his muzzle’s demands.
But those words were too vicious.
Su Huan was too lazy to strike down an old man on the verge of the grave.
Let him carry his persistence back to the era in his memory.
Xiao Dong stayed in place, looking at Old Man Tie, his eyes filled with guilt and unease.
He didn’t quite understand what Old Man Tie and Su Huan were arguing about.
But he felt like he had betrayed the shelter, and that feeling pained him greatly.
“You all need to unite.”
Not hearing Grandpa Tie Shan’s rebuke, Xiao Dong breathed a sigh of relief inwardly.
He responded in a half-understanding manner.
……
With a splash, the mongoose rushed onto the deck, its beastly eyes fixed deadly on the water surface behind.
Moments later, a blue crab the size of a suitcase burst out of the water, flailing its claws as it landed on the water surface.
The mongoose’s mouth corners lifted, revealing sharp fangs, “It’s hooked! Don’t let it get away no matter what!”
“This is the biggest one!”
Logistics group members who were prepared in advance rushed forward with several large nets.
The blue crab realized it had been tricked and angrily used its large pincers to cut at the nets on its body, but these nets were woven from evolution materials, and it took half a day to cut a small piece.
In that short time, four or five more nets had already covered it.
The train attendants manipulated mechanical arms inside the train to drag the nets, directly hoisting this tier 1 blue crab into the air.
The mongoose clapped its hands and turned to the staff, “How many do we have? Enough for research?”
“Better get two more; Director Xu needs three, and the other laboratories might want one or two for experiments in different directions.”
Before the words were finished, two more blue crabs jumped from the water onto the deck.
The same flailing claws, just slightly smaller in size.
The mongoose’s eyes lit up, “Ha! Aren’t they here?”
The staff also smiled, “Now we can report back.”
The mongoose’s ears suddenly twitched.
The water surface was repeatedly broken open like a sieve.
“Pa pa pa…”
One by one, blue crabs jumped out of the water, landing on the deck.
Dozens, hundreds, thousands…
The dense mass of blue crabs made the two people’s smiles freeze completely on their faces.
The external broadcast sounded with Glasses’ notification, “Emergency notice: Mutated beasts are attacking the train. All staff on the deck enter the train immediately, transport mission terminated. Those who can’t enter the train return upstairs to the shelter. Execute immediately upon hearing!”
“Should we keep catching them?”
“Catch a ghost!”
The mongoose grabbed the staff’s collar and darted toward the nearest door.
……
Su Huan jumped down from upstairs upon hearing the sound.
Seeing Old San, he asked in surprise how his nose was gone.
Old San, with a wide whip mark across his face, insisted it was from bumping into something.
On the other side, two big men were wrestling, their rumbling sounds smashing the bar’s remaining decorations to smithereens.
Over a dozen soldiers cornered Qi Zhenbang and Qi Zhendong brothers in the corner of the wall.
As for the others, they were nowhere to be seen, only pools of bloodstains washed everywhere by rainwater, then smashed flying in all directions by Qi Jianguo covered in scale armor.
Furious Qi Jianguo let out an angry roar from the ground, his tail propping him up as his feet kicked, standing right back up.
His tail gouged a deep trench in the ground.
The width matched perfectly with the mark on Old San’s face.
Without looking at anyone else, he charged fiercely at Liang Kuan opposite.
Then Liang Kuan grabbed his fist expressionlessly, flung him hard with both hands, smashing through a decorative wall with a rumbling sound, flying into the next room.
The floor full of large pits groaned under the heavy load.
Su Huan’s eyelid twitched, “Where are those people?”
Old San chuckled, “All thrown down to feed the fish.”
“Over a hundred people?”
“Of course!”
Su Huan was silent for a moment.
“Butcher!”
“Beasts!”
The Qi Family brothers, squatting in the wall corner, cursed one after another.
Looking as if they wanted to devour Su Huan.
Su Huan fell into silence.
Not mourning those hundred-plus people.
After all, two of them had wanted to grope his butt.
It was just that he felt Old San had misunderstood his orders somewhat.
At that moment, the train’s amplified horn voice also reached upstairs.
Mixed with gunshot sounds like raindrops.
Su Huan walked to the window edge and looked down; densely packed blue crabs jumped out of the water, layer upon layer covering the armored train, the light from the car windows quickly obscured by blue crabs.
Even more exaggeratedly, the blue crabs piled up downstairs, like reefs, climbing upward layer by layer.
In this short time, they had already climbed to the tenth floor.
“Holy shit, where did all these crabs come from?!”
Old San, one hand covering his collapsed bridge of nose, said through gritted teeth.
“It’s the shell disaster.” Old Man Tie hurried in, paused at the bloody smell, and said, “The smell of blood attracts them. Hurry and clean up all the blood here!”
Su Huan looked at Old San; Old San turned his head away.
Muttering lowly, “Who could’ve known…”
Su Huan ignored him and turned to Old Man Tie, “What is the shell disaster?”
Old Man Tie’s complexion was serious, “Every certain period, the crabs from Jingchao Lake migrate en masse, passing by our shelter. As long as we don’t provoke them, it’s fine. They number many, but we’re only at their edge position…”
Yu Yue’s floor erupted in fierce gunfire; the crabs that had just climbed to that layer had their ascent interrupted.
Su Huan rubbed his brow, “What if we’ve already provoked them?”
Old Man Tie’s face went dazed.
He didn’t even glance when Liang Kuan dragged Qi Jianguo over.
“Assemble everyone, protect the shelter.”
“How confident are you?”
“I don’t know. The number of blue crabs is enough to overwhelm the entire shelter.”
“Then what’s the point of defending? Yu Yue, notify the train to circle back, prepare to pick us up for evacuation. Have Qu Hang notify the people upstairs to retreat.”
Su Huan walked outward.
“Where will we withdraw to?”
Su Huan stopped and looked at him, thought for a moment, and said honestly, “Haven’t thought of it.”
“There’s no place we can settle anyway, considering it’s over five thousand people.”
Old Man Tie showed no anger, no sorrow, not even a ripple of emotion, as if merely stating an utterly ordinary fact.
Su Huan didn’t answer either; finding another foothold for five thousand people was indeed very difficult.
Moreover, the shelter wasn’t all evolvers; how many could survive, he wasn’t sure.
The old man walked to the edge of the broken window, rainwater wetting his gray-white short hair and beard.
“When I was born, people hated not throwing even the family pots into the blast furnaces; the forged steel piled into small mountains, so my father named me Qi Tieshan, hoping I’d be useful to the country like that iron mountain.”
“Just like that pot, even if it played a tiny role.”
“Carrying this name, I served as a soldier for a full twenty years, never retreating a step.”
“Everyone said Guan Chong had an iron mountain.”
“Now standing on this land, where do you want Guan Chong’s iron mountain to retreat to?”
Old Man Tie turned back to look at Su Huan, his spine straightening like an old gun—rusted, but still able to roar.
Su Huan looked at this stubborn old soldier and said seriously, “But you’re not an iron mountain. When mutated beasts press in and the flood surges, there’ll be nothing left here.”
The old soldier’s words were like iron, “If it’s gone, build it again, house by house, as long as I’m alive.”
“If I die, my son will continue building; if my son dies, there’s still…”
Old Man Tie suddenly remembered his unworthy grandson, a hard-to-describe disappointment flashing in his eyes.
“There’s still me!”
Xiao Dong stepped forward and said.
The old soldier smiled.
“This is Guan Chong’s breed, this is Guan Chong’s iron mountain!”
Xiao Dong bowed apologetically to Su Huan, his head nearly bending to the ground, “Sorry, bro, I’m from Guan Chong. I want to follow Grandpa Tie Shan to protect my own home.”
Blue crabs had already climbed in through the window.
Yu Yue’s inquiry sounded in his ear.
Su Huan silently waved his hand; the soldiers released the Qi Family brothers and began an orderly retreat.
Lin Jin and Old San hesitated to speak; Liang Kuan said nothing, turning and leaving.
Watching them retreat, Qi Jianguo and the others showed no contempt, no hatred in their eyes—only cold indifference and the solemnity of facing battle.
Old Man Tie picked up his discarded shotgun from the ground.
Aimed at the surging blue crabs and pulled the trigger.
……
Su Huan had walked two steps when he heard the shotgun’s roar from behind.
Like contending with the storm.
But guns run out of bullets, people get tired.
Would his last bullet guard his hometown, or be saved for himself?
Would Old Man Tie regret it then?
Bringing his son, Xiao Dong, bringing everyone to die here.
Everyone would die out.
In the end, nothing left.
His so-called rebuilding was merely a fleeting boost to morale.
But this brief sound would eventually be drowned out.
Would it?
Liang Kuan noticed the train conductor’s steps slowing.
Until completely stopping.
Without any surprise or doubt, Liang Kuan simply took off his shirt and handed it to Old San, who was covering his nose nearby.
The latter was stunned for a moment, “What for?”
“To fight, hold it for me.”
Before Old San could ask who, everyone heard a long sigh.
“How much work will they have to do to make up for my losses…”
Azure blue electric light flickered in the void, spreading with the wind and rain like a rapidly unfolding thunder god realm.
Within a hundred meters radius, all four buildings were enveloped in scalp-numbing electric light.
Everyone’s ears seemed to hear a low roar like a mountain rock falling into a valley.
“Lightning Pool.”
