Chapter 194: Punching Power
Shun’an Market.
It originally had a large amount of farm vegetables, but because the apocalypse erupted too suddenly, it had long ago become a paradise for zombies and mutated beasts.
Not long ago, it was swept through by He Jie, leaving only a mess on the ground.
Various rotting flesh and blood and vegetables piled up in the corner, rummaged and gnawed by mutated rats with red eyes.
Originally, survivors would occasionally use some small techniques to get some grain and oil from inside.
Now everyone avoids this place like the plague, and it has thoroughly become a paradise for mutated beasts.
Unexpectedly, a group of new customers arrived tonight.
The sound of splashing footsteps rang out, and a figure stumbled in, attracting pairs of scarlet gazes from the corner.
But the next moment, as if sensing something, the red glow trembled, accompanied by squeaking cries, and the mutated beasts fled madly.
The Investigator Captain fell in front of a seasoning counter, leaning against the counter and gasping for breath.
A wisp of electric arc flashed at his hair tips, the lights on the counter flickered on, and the warm light illuminated his disheveled appearance. The left shoulder of his combat suit was already stained scarlet, and from the broken clothing marks, it could be seen that it was a huge handprint.
It was hard to imagine how terrifying the grip strength was, piercing through the body with just five fingers.
Clear footsteps came from ahead, metal clashing against the cement ground, producing a crisp “clack clack” sound, like gears turning.
The cold killing intent was like the wind outside the door, continuous and drilling straight into one’s bones.
Yet the Investigator Captain didn’t care about the terrifying oppression in front of him.
His eyes were slightly unfocused.
Thoughts surged in his mind.
Eleven Tier 1s, one Tier 2… what task was Black Kite carrying out that required such terrifying force?
They even had to strike mercilessly against their Deep Blue Data investigation team?
Could it be that Black Kite was actually behind the armored train?
Had they accidentally touched upon Black Kite’s secrets?
Too many mysteries intersected in his mind, and he couldn’t sort out any logic.
Zhao Kuo walked in with a grim complexion, his right eye blooming with eerie blue light. In the modified mechanical prosthetic eye, the darkness in front of the market dissipated formlessly, even without the lamp lit by the other party.
“What exactly are you Deep Blue Data people here for?”
The Investigator Captain’s eyes showed mockery, “I fucking want to know what you’re here for too.”
Even Zhao Kuo, who had undergone extensive observation training, couldn’t figure out the twists and turns here.
Clearly those two people were also from Deep Blue Data!
How come this group was too?
Could it be that the armored train was their pawn?
Then the Steel Council’s crushing defeat not long ago would make sense.
Deep Blue Data orchestrated the Steel Council’s downfall, seizing the gene primordium that originally belonged to the Steel Council, but this behavior might have violated certain rules, forcing Deep Blue Data to cover it up desperately.
Then Mister Shu sending him here became obvious.
A flash of intense killing intent passed through Zhao Kuo’s eyes.
Black eating black!
The Investigator Captain also sensed his thoughts and sneered, “Looks like your Black Kite is developing well. Wait for the company’s declaration of war.”
Zhao Kuo, having figured out the logic behind it, was no longer in a hurry.
These were all shady dealings; whether the company admitted it was another matter.
How could they declare war over something like this?
But the premise was that the task had to be completed properly, otherwise this defective Tier 2 of his might very well become a sacrificial pawn in the transaction.
“We only want those two gene primordiums, we don’t want to kill.”
Hearing this, the Investigator Captain forcibly kept his face calm, but his heartbeat quickened a bit.
It was actually gene primordiums!
And two of them!
No wonder Black Kite mobilized so many evolvers.
But two gene primordiums were precious, yet was it worth risking war with their Deep Blue Data?
In the first year of the apocalypse, everyone was busy fighting, who had time for development? It would directly collapse.
Something like the Steel Conference, which was in an acid rain area, would be wiped out in one wave if it went to a major heavenly calamity area.
While using a backup method to send the message back, he mocked, “All four of my teammates were taken out by you, and you don’t want to kill… You go explain that to the company’s combat team later.”
Zhao Kuo’s expression was strange, “Except for that unlucky bastard at the beginning, the rest aren’t dead.”
“Bang bang bang—”
All the surviving large lights on the market’s shed roof lit up, and five cocoon-like human figures were thrown down from the shed roof, hanging upside down.
Each person was wrapped in a black bag similar to a sleeping bag, with only their head exposed.
The Investigator Captain looked up in astonishment.
A lean figure jumped down, the exoskeleton on his body simpler and thinner than everyone’s, and the combat suit slightly different, with tight-fitting designs of different materials in key areas, especially the arms, wrapped like in black bandages.
The whole person was like a sharpened blade, cold and swift.
He nodded slightly toward Zhao Kuo and retreated two steps.
Figures wearing exoskeletons appeared openly or covertly throughout the market.
Hearing the pained groans from his teammates’ mouths, the Investigator Captain relaxed a bit inwardly.
It seemed the other side wasn’t too mad.
“Now it’s your turn to show sincerity. I’m very curious why your team has seven people, while the other team has five.”
Zhao Kuo’s 1.78-meter frame was made to look cold, hard, and tall by the exoskeleton.
The Investigator Captain glanced at his teammates and frowned, “We’ve always been five people. The other two are from the Steel Council. As for the other team you mentioned, I don’t know.”
Zhao Kuo’s face stiffened for a moment.
It was as if he could feel the contemptuous gaze from HT-426 behind him.
He seemed to have made a very stupid decision.
And…
Which side were those two bastards he let go from?
He didn’t continue asking. The reason the Investigator Captain answered was that the headcount issue wasn’t important.
It was something everyone knew.
But probing Deep Blue Data’s secrets from their mouths was impossible.
Investigators knew far less than collectors, and the former had undergone strict confidentiality training.
Interestingly, the latter hadn’t.
In an apocalypse like this, without sufficient guarantees, who with a bad brain would do undercover work?
Deep Blue Data’s predecessor was a company, not a religion; it couldn’t cultivate such firm faith.
That job was better suited for the Mechanical God Cult.
But those crazy bunch had too distinctive a vibe to go undercover.
Zhao Kuo took a deep breath and clenched his fists.
Now he could only regain his dignity by completing the task.
“Then we’ll have to trouble you Deep Blue Data folks to travel with us for a while. We’ll let you go once the task is done.”
The Investigator Captain snorted coldly twice, also relieved inwardly.
Not having to die was really great.
“Clack clack—”
Zhao Kuo turned around, his right eye blooming with chilling blue light.
“The remaining questions will have to be answered by the armored train.”
……
“February 8th, Heavy Rain”
“Things ahead may not necessarily be better, but as long as we keep moving forward, there is hope.”
The Train Conductor had no idea he was being targeted again.
Hu Shuo was standing beside him giving the final report.
“…In addition to various non-staple food cans, this time we also added two carriages of staple grains, totaling about 300 tons, enough for everyone on the train to eat normally for over a year.”
“The crew currently totals 640 people, combat group 40 people, research group 80 people, logistics group 220 people, manufacturing group 300 people.”
“The armed corps, including officers, totals 510 people. The armored train totals 1150 people, all accounted for.”
“Shall we depart?”
Su Huan’s gaze swept outside the window; the dark night outside his window had already disappeared.
Wan Hao and Old Yuan led a crowd of workers standing on the platform, reluctantly seeing off the train.
But this scene looked weird no matter how you saw it.
Su Huan felt the expressions on their faces were more like urging him to leave.
More annoying than that gloomy night.
His entire exchange with Wan Hao was just that one night; the rest of the time, including today when they decided to leave, there was nothing said.
Everyone was smart; saying unnecessary things would just waste time.
As long as the train returned next time and the Train Conductor still maintained his high-spirited posture and overwhelming strength.
Then Shun’an Base would become the armored train’s No. 1 station as he said.
Like a polite waiter, providing various conveniences for the train.
“Set off.”
The Train Conductor said flatly.
The armored train started again, carrying hope, shaking off the crowd, blending into the night, heading toward even farther night.
This time, the train would head straight to Wangjiang Peak in Guangren City, the northernmost part of Qingchuan Province.
No more long stops midway.
After a brief explanation, Su Huan returned to his room.
Now the internal space of the train had expanded, and everyone had more comfortable private space. The foremost was naturally the Train Conductor’s No. 1 carriage.
Hu Shuo and the others hadn’t greatly modified the room; it still had the original survivalist style, with even some small items kept intact.
Then they added new things on the original basis.
Like wooden flooring, various new furniture and decorations, making it look like a hardcore apocalypse-style small apartment.
(Train internal space schematic)
(The Train Conductor wouldn’t sleep in bunks, just for show)
Of course, those filling the room, like the little yellow duck bath bomb by the bathtub, the carpet printed with the discharging Train Conductor’s big head sticker, the giant bear blanket on the sofa, the mug on the table, and other small surprises, were all personally prepared by Yu Yue.
Besides her, no one dared to secretly put the Train Conductor underfoot to step on.
Besides the bed, there were several different workbenches added, with four or five firearms of various types hanging on the wall. At the top was the 1.8-meter-long City Breaker electromagnetic sniper rifle, and below it the carbon fiber composite long saber.
Four or five exquisite and beautiful handguns were inserted into gun holsters beside the workbench.
A bit further to the side was a hanging sandbag, with black leather and thickness comparable to a large tree.
It was a bear skin liner sandbag carefully made by the manufacturing group over much time.
Over a hundred people in the manufacturing group spent a lot of time eroding and dismantling to completely break down this Tier 2 giant bear.
The flesh and blood became workers’ side dishes, and the tendons, bones, skin, and flesh became various materials used by manufacturers in various constructions.
Among them, the most valuable bear skin was cut into dozens of blankets.
Currently, no one could make good use of such precious leather; forcing it would be time-consuming, laborious, and wasteful, so it was used in raw material form for now.
Including most of the materials from the previously hunted White Snake Desert River, which were stored in the warehouse.
“Bang!”
The sandbag didn’t move an inch.
Su Huan slightly increased the force, throwing a straight punch that hit the sandbag again.
The sandbag vibrated a bit.
A flash of interest passed through his narrow eyes. As expected of a custom 700kg sandbag; it should withstand his full force.
He slightly pulled back his stance and assumed a fighting posture.
It wasn’t martial arts, nor boxing or wrestling. This was the combat instinct granted by lv3 “Grappling Specialization”.
If anything, it was somewhat similar to sanda.
Front foot pushing off the ground, hips like a tightly wound spring suddenly releasing, the instant the shoulder blades pushed forward, the fist shot out in a straight line, hammering into the sandbag like a nail.
It emitted a dull thud, and the 700kg sandbag swung back like a candle in the wind.
This time without pause: straight punch, hook punch, low sweep kick, front push kick, side kick…
Su Huan tried all his techniques on the sandbag.
The violent striking sounds were like the rumbling acid rain outside the train.
The high-intensity hitting sounds continued for half an hour.
Accompanied by the final heavy strike, lion-and-tiger-like heavy breathing filled the room, each breath like a blacksmith pulling the bellows.
“Refreshing…”
Su Huan muttered, lying on the ground utterly satisfied.
Letting sweat pour from his pores, soaking his shirt.
Normal heavyweight fighters’ punch force hovered between 500~800kg, with extreme tests even reaching 1000kg+.
But that was the privilege of top pre-apocalypse human fighters.
Ordinary amateurs hovered between 100~200kg.
But now anyone on the armed train could easily punch over 800kg.
In other words, over a thousand people on the train, each a top-tier boxing champion.
Even gentle Yu Yue, if really angry, could poke a hole in an iron pot with one spatula strike, and leave a huge pit in a solid wood cabinet with one slap.
Not to mention strength-type evolvers like Liang Kuan.
Common industrial products in daily life were no different from biscuits in his presence.
And the Train Conductor, second only to Liang Kuan on the train, had never really had a chance to show it.
This “Fighter” strength was properly used today.
……
Lying on the ground, various fighting techniques flashed through his mind like a parade, the feeling like sudden enlightenment, with all moves and secrets instantly unlocked in his brain.
What vibrated even more intensely was the gene in his body.
The original lv3 “Grappling Specialization” quietly reached lv4.
This was the gene primordium; promotion speed fast to the point of being unreasonable.
After resting a bit, Su Huan felt like he had lost something. He got up from the ground and took a recovery potion from the refrigerator specially storing potions, downing it in one gulp.
This potion also had a weak life-restoring effect, far inferior to the life potion extracted from crown pears.
But Su Huan suspected that even life potion treated the symptoms but not the root cause.
To truly resolve the body’s hidden dangers, he had to find that earliest mutated crown pear tree and directly eat the fruit growing on it.
Perhaps it could alleviate the issue of excessive vitality consumption during gene conflict.
(There was an error earlier, writing the current-stage recovery potion as life potion; correction here: the train currently has two potions, recovery potion and general energy recovery potion, the former small red bottle, the latter small blue bottle)
