Chapter 139: Here Comes The Train!
The Captain wiped his nose and said viciously, “We’ve taken an over-level task this time. The one in charge of logistics is my Old Squad Leader. I’ll go up and argue with him in a bit. You all remember, just load up as much as you can, at least three bases of ammunition per person, hang grenades and everything full! Otherwise, when the fight starts, there’s no place to resupply your ammunition, and don’t cry foul if you get eaten alive due to lack of bullets.”
Lin Jin was stunned for a moment. ‘Fight? Haven’t we been fighting all along?’
However, he was of low status and didn’t ask rashly.
The group followed the Captain toward logistics.
At this time, the entire temporary camp was busy to the point of takeoff. Two officers roared commands to the servant soldiers to flip roadside abandoned vehicles onto the sidewalk. Cargo trucks encountering people only honked without slowing down, engines roaring as they sped past, kicking up large swaths of acid rain and curses. Soldiers holding guns cursed a couple times but weren’t satisfied, even pulling the gun bolt on the military vehicle, only stopping sullenly after being slapped twice by the Captain.
Lin Jin cautiously walked on the very edge, afraid his skin would get contaminated with acid rain. Although he was no longer afraid of the corrosive substances in the acid rain now, the ingrained habit wouldn’t disappear so quickly.
But this didn’t let him escape unscathed, even though he heard the massive vibration sound from far away.
An attack helicopter lowered its altitude, streaking between the staggered building floors.
The violent blast wave scattered the rain threads into chaos, and the pooled water on the ground was also kicked up into rain waves.
Then it was split open by the luxury bulletproof sedan following closely behind like a yacht. Over a dozen cars uniformly arced beautifully, disappearing around the corner, leaving the squad’s everyone in a disheveled state.
“A bunch of damn dogs, fuck!”
A soldier cursed angrily.
The Captain didn’t stop him, because he was still spitting out sand.
Fortunately, they were all Evolvers, so aside from feeling uncomfortable, they wouldn’t lose combat power from this bit of acid rain.
“Who are they?” Lin Jin asked cautiously.
This was the war front line, and this kind of behavior was somewhat unusual.
The soldier beside him sneered, “Rich people, of course. They all say the apocalypse will reshuffle things, reshuffle my ass. The rich are still rich. After all the shuffling, they’re still trampling us ordinary folk!”
“Pah!”
The Captain wiped his face and said gloomily, “Enough talk. Now it’s not about who has more glory, but who can live longer. What we need to do now is survive the upcoming task!”
“Yes!”
Several people responded and arrived at logistics.
The Captain went up to argue with the quartermaster, then they stuffed every pocket on themselves as full as possible until they couldn’t carry more.
Amid the quartermaster’s laughing curses, the cheeky grinning Captain led the group to the battlefield.
Their battlefield this time was in the Wenshu Alley Residential Community, with the task to clear the large number of Corpse Pupae inside that were about to advance to Tier 1.
The Steel Council’s cleanup plan was from north to south, and the Wenshu Residential Community was in the southeast direction of Changli County, meaning they needed to detach to a certain extent from the main force, with relatively high danger level.
However, there were more than just their small squad executing tasks around; squads in the southwest direction would also pin down the zombie tide to prevent zombies from massing on the frontal battlefield.
After spending an hour, the group cautiously arrived at the designated battlefield.
The Residential Community wasn’t large, with a total of twelve buildings, surrounded by a four-meter-high light yellow outer wall. Large trees extended beyond the wall. Before the apocalypse, they might have cast dappled tree shadows, but now only a tree trunk corroded by acid rain into an unrecognizable state remained, with eerie red plants entwined on the trunk like venomous snakes sucking the tree’s nutrients, snaking along the wall top, coldly staring at everyone.
After using silenced handguns to deal with a few wandering zombies, the Captain gave a look to the scout in the team.
The latter lightly jumped onto the electric vehicle beside, placed his hand on the wall top, and vaulted up.
Several people could clearly see his body stiffen for a moment.
After a while, he cautiously climbed down, his voice trembling as he spoke, “It’s all Corpse Pupae inside, scattered around. I counted, should be over forty, and there are also over a dozen Tier 1 zombies.”
Several people drew in a sharp breath.
Even Lin Jin furrowed his brows.
When they were servant soldiers before, they didn’t need to handle Tier 1 zombies, but whenever any broke through the defense line, they always caused huge casualties to the servant soldiers.
Whether it was the strong and powerful Butcher wielding weapons, or the ghostly and unpredictable Night Demon, they weren’t something a group of newly evolved people could handle.
‘No wonder it’s an over-level task.’
“Can’t we skip this task?” someone asked tentatively.
The Captain glared at him, “Mandatory task. You think I wanted it? Everyone’s the same, no complaining. Hurry and execute, or when night falls and those Night Demons come out, it’ll be even more trouble.”
Although unwilling in their hearts, their long-term discipline had formed a habit: execute orders first.
Before the group even entered the Residential Community, they saw a white Corpse Pupa in the security pavilion at the community doorway.
The Corpse Pupa was extremely bloated, filling the small security pavilion, with parts even bursting the glass.
“This size, there’s probably a Butcher inside.”
The scout said.
The Captain looked around and saw no movement, his gaze sweeping over several teammates before landing on Lin Jin, “Lin Jin, this Corpse Pupa is yours.”
Hearing this, several people in the team looked at this silent young man.
This was a test for the newcomer.
The soldier beside patted Lin Jin’s shoulder, “Just don’t panic. The zombie inside the Corpse Pupa hasn’t fully evolved, its combat power is just a bit stronger than an ordinary zombie. Stab it open with a knife, then use a handgun to aim at the head and shoot. Absolutely don’t panic!”
Lin Jin sensed his goodwill, nodded, and was about to step forward.
Suddenly, a faint sound source came from the distance. It wasn’t gunshots, nor zombie roars.
Much sharper and more continuous than those sounds.
And it was growing louder and louder.
Lin Jin turned back to look. Not only him, but even the several teammates behind had heard it.
The scout quickly jumped onto a roadside car, stood on top, and used a telescope to look into the distance.
“Can’t see too clearly…”
Hearing this, several people grew more anxious, but without telescopes, they all tried to find high
However, Lin Jin felt it wasn’t necessary anymore; he seemed to have heard clearly.
That sharp sound pierced through the misty fine rain and the shadowy buildings, pouring into his eardrums from three kilometers or farther away.
The sharp whistle sound was like some kind of civilized symbol, causing certain memories that had rotted in the acid rain to reignite relentlessly.
That was a symbol more intuitive and forceful than cars or helicopters.
“Train! It’s a train with dozens of cars!”
The scout blurted out.
“Train… is it still running?” Lin Jin’s eyes flashed with a hint of doubt.
He felt his brain was a bit chaotic, but soon these emotions were suppressed by another more intuitive fear.
The corpse pupa in the security booth moved.
Heavy footsteps that didn’t sound human also came from the courtyard.
That shrill whistle sound startled all the zombies within a few kilometers range!
……
Changli County due east, Freight Platform.
“Hurry, hurry, hurry, where’s the heavy machine gun? Set it up, set them all up for me!”
“Run! Everyone run!”
“The enemy is coming right away, what are you still dawdling for?!”
“A bunch of trash, dig the trench deeper, do you want to be fed to the zombies?!”
The roars of low-level officers rose one after another on the outermost freight platform in Changli County.
Survivor servant soldiers wearing rain boots stepped deep and shallow into the muddy ground, destroying the railway track and digging deep pits.
Soldiers built layered defense lines on both sides of the railway track, ensuring that anything coming on the railway track could be covered 360° without blind spots.
But in the apocalypse, what monster would choose to walk on the railway track?
An elite evolver soldier stood inside a high-rise building, frowning as he looked down at the everyone bustling about like ants below. “With this firepower, even a Tier 1 zombie tide couldn’t get through. They’re still up there reinforcing the fortifications, adding a full three layers. What the hell are they thinking?”
The colleague next to him said with lingering fear, “I heard that Zhang Tie and his team also got wiped out, with only four people returning from the entire team.”
The other person drew in a sharp breath, “How many? Four?!”
“Counting He Jie’s team, the armored train has already taken out nearly forty of our people.”
“Even pigs aren’t slaughtered like this, right? How many Evolvers does the other side have?”
“I heard there are only about a dozen of them, mainly relying on a metal manipulator and a heavily armored train. Even 7.62mm armor-piercing rounds can’t penetrate it, so the higher-ups want to station troops here to take them out all at once in one go, killing them directly!”
“Metal Manipulator, no wonder. This thing truly counters us. But today there are over a thousand people here—almost the size of a combined battalion. Even if we pile them with cannonballs, we can bury them alive.”
The other person did not refute it, but nodded in strong agreement.
Quantitative change leads to qualitative change.
When over a thousand armed soldiers equipped with light and heavy firepower gathered together, they could already fight a proper battle.
Moreover, these one thousand people are not trash like servant soldiers, but proper soldiers withdrawn from various armies, who have also undergone the company’s secret training.
Even if the armored train can fly, it still has to be shot down on the spot!
“What the hell is this armored train for? Why does it have such a huge grudge against us?”
“Then who— the large team is here!”
The two immediately stood at attention, their muscles all over their bodies tense.
A tall man stepped out from the corridor behind him. His cold gaze swept over the two of them and the fortifications downstairs. “No matter which Director is behind you, or who your backers are, you’re still under my command right now. Whoever drops the ball in today’s battle, I’ll definitely shoot him dead!”
Both of their hearts instantly turned cold.
It’s not before the apocalypse now; they value comradeship in battle. Now they are mercenaries after the apocalypse.
If they were killed by Zhong Cheng, no one would seek justice for them.
He immediately straightened his back and responded loudly, “Yes!”
At that moment, Zhong Cheng’s adjutant hurriedly walked in, glanced at the two soldiers, and the two smartly slipped out of the room.
Only then did the adjutant say in a low voice, “Director Li and Director Wang have arrived. The entire Board of Directors is assembled.”
Zhong Cheng’s brows suddenly furrowed, cursing inwardly.
Why are these troublesome guys not sitting in the office waiting for the results, but coming to the battlefield instead?
“What did you say there wasn’t?”
“Director Wang said not to go see her, go directly to see Li Wangchuan.”
Zhong Cheng’s footsteps halted as he walked outward, then resumed normally after a moment.
……
A six-story building next to the platform had already been cleaned up by someone.
All obstructions between the top floor and the railway track platform had been completely removed.
The beige floor was empty, and the entire room contained only two sofas in the center facing the window. A woman with an elegant demeanor sat on the sofa, gazing at the drizzle outside. Her assistant was brewing coffee nearby, with steam rising gently, just like an ordinary rainy day before the apocalypse.
It was precisely Director Wang of the Steel Council, Wang Yi.
“Do you think so highly of this small company, the Steel Council?”
A somewhat aged voice came from behind the woman.
A man about the same age as the woman walked over and naturally sat on the sofa.
Behind him, a short-haired woman wearing a gray suit dress opened a huge suitcase, took out a tea set from it, and set it up on the side, forming a wonderful contrast with the assistant brewing coffee opposite.
“You look much older than me.”
Wang Yi said indifferently, her calm voice carrying a hint of deliberate sarcasm.
The man shrugged indifferently, “It just looks that way, but in reality, I’m doing much better than you imagine. I recently gained another little daughter.”
“So you also know that some things aren’t just about looking. You’ve had another daughter, looks like you’ve really sinned a lot.”
The man was stunned for a moment, then laughed, “You’re always so eloquent, but I’m very curious about what the Steel Council is really like inside.”
A trace of impatience appeared in Wang Yi’s eyes, “You’re still the same as before, always trying to blame your mistakes on me. Divorcing you was the most correct decision I’ve made in my life.”
“Wait, let’s not talk about those old rotten grains from the past. We’re both over fifty years old now. Tell me the reason why you think highly of the Steel Council.”
“Naturally, it’s Li Wangchuan.”
“That young man is pretty good, but I heard he ran into some trouble.”
“First create a crisis that makes everyone panic, then jump out to resolve the crisis when everyone is helpless. It has to be said, he did it beautifully.”
A hint of admiration flickered in Wang Yi’s eyes.
“Oh?”
There were no ripples in the man’s eyes, but this was merely a deeper form of arrogance.
“It’s truly a familiar technique, but to play like this, one needs the ability to control the overall situation. Not everyone is… Director Wang.”
A flash of cold intent appeared in Wang Yi’s eyes. “You have no right to mention my father.”
The man smiled wryly and waved his hand, suddenly seeming to remember something. “You’re not planning to marry your daughter to this kid, are you?”
“What’s so bad about that? If I were twenty years younger, I’d even pay him to be with a man as bold as that.”
“But you’re old.”
“Shut up!”
The man frowned, taking the hot tea from the assistant.
From beginning to end, the two mentioned Li Wangchuan at most, and even the entire Steel Council had only this one person qualified to be discussed.
As for what trouble he encountered.
And no one cared.
Until that armored train tearing through the rain curtain appeared before everyone.
The sharp whistle sounded like a whale’s cry, overturning the fine rain and stirring up towering waves.
The tea cup that was brought to his lips paused there, the man looking at the armed train that had been modified to be so ferocious, a trace of surprise surging in his eyes.
In the apocalypse, are there still people driving trains?
