Chapter 160: The Train Departs
Without letting Su Huan fuss, Yu Jing directed Old Liu to discard the original SUV in the garage, allowing Jiang Rong to drive the personnel carrier directly into the garage.
The garage carriage had been modified; initially, to accommodate the fire truck, it had been widened considerably overall.
Now it could just fit the personnel carrier.
Inside the carriage, Doctor Lin Xia and Translator Hu Shuo had been waiting here for a long time.
Because Hu Shuo had to arrange work for the other attendants, he gradually became a role like the purser; now that the Train Conductor was back, he naturally had to stay by his side awaiting orders.
In addition, Huang Hai and the assistant had also hurried over.
Pulling open the carriage, Old Hu quickly reported, “Train Conductor, per Captain Yu’s orders, we have prepared medical equipment in your Carriage No. 1, ready to begin treatment at any time.”
“Mm, good, but does anyone know how to use it?”
Su Huan, lying in the carriage, asked subconsciously.
If facing anyone else, Hu Shuo would claim it was a professional team, but facing the Train Conductor, he didn’t dare bluff and kept glancing at Lin Xia with his eyes.
Lin Xia’s complexion was slightly embarrassed. “We found it in the front carriage; I’m not too familiar with it yet.”
“How much stuff did you prepare exactly?”
Su Huan yawned, sat up; the dimness of the carriage obscured most of his figure, his narrow eyes carrying a hint of lethargy, like cinnabar, like a spot of ink, making everyone feel a chill in their hearts.
Director Xu nearby smiled wryly, “It was all hastily gathered; most are equipment for researching evolution, which can be used for medical purposes without issue, and there’s even a small bullet production line on top—who knew a force of tens of thousands could collapse so quickly…”
Hearing this, Hu Shuo, Old Liu, and the others’ gazes shifted slightly. ‘Looks like this is a captured enemy high-level.’
In their hearts, they felt even more awe toward the Train Conductor who had passed through ten thousand corpses and easily abducted the enemy high-level.
Su Huan said indifferently, “Apocalypse, anything is possible—just like I never planned to wipe out the Steel Council at the start; who would’ve thought we’d reach this point. Do you have family?”
His words turned too abruptly; Director Xu didn’t react, asking puzzledly, “My wife passed away many years ago, no children, a few students, but they’re all… sigh.”
“Shed the old shackles; isn’t this the perfect chance to start over? I admire you stubborn old folks with firm resolve. Welcome to join the Armored Train, Director Xu.”
Su Huan was too tired, skipping even perfunctory smiles.
His expression management completely collapsed.
Director Xu looked at the dim carriage, at Old Liu, Hu Shuo, Lin Xia—these ragtag, unreliable types—and didn’t answer, just kept smiling wryly.
Before, even the most ordinary research personnel under him were elites cultivated by the pre-apocalypse education system.
They had just made some breakthroughs in evolution research, cracking open a sliver of the new era’s gate, and now it was thoroughly shut.
At nearly sixty, having to start over from scratch.
The gap was too big for him to accept.
Su Huan was too lazy to pressure him; they were all smart people who’d figure it out eventually.
As the head of the Steel Council High Tower Laboratory, Director Xu’s pre-apocalypse status was even higher than Professor Ma’s, a true authority in biology.
With him around, grabbing a few related personnel could restart research.
Couldn’t just casually kill him off.
Listening to Yu Jing’s stream of orders outside, Su Huan suddenly raised an eyebrow, turning to Lin Xi curled up like a kitten in the corner. “Your brother is back; aren’t you going to see him?”
Lin Xi tilted her head, silver hair cascading down, reaching both hands toward Su Huan.
Only then did Huang Hai and the others notice the stunningly beautiful girl sitting in the corner.
A trace of doubt flashed in Hu Shuo’s eyes.
If she were an unremarkable ordinary person, fine, but how had he not noticed such a breathtakingly beautiful woman?
Su Huan always felt this girl was sneaky, though she hadn’t done anything since they met.
But something just felt off.
Still, he didn’t mind holding Lin Xi; the girl was light to begin with, and with his current constitution, it was like picking up a small piece of tofu—soft and tender.
……
Outside the train, under Yu Jing’s command, the crew members were responsible for dismantling the train and reassembling it onto the Armored Train.
After Liang Kuan returned, the work proceeded even faster.
A group of High Tower Laboratory security personnel, led by Wang He, quickly loaded supplies onto the train; the three brothers ran back and forth nearby, guns in hand.
Director Xu’s side had transported supplies in several batches; the gene primordium that Zhang Min and the others carried was the last two batches.
But the platform side hadn’t finished loading when the Armored Train conveniently intercepted them.
Anyway, it was all for loading onto a train—which train didn’t matter.
After settling his wife and daughter, He Jie didn’t go help out; having been stabbed twice by a Night Demon, he went to the dining car to find a captured medic to treat his wounds.
In the distance, toward the metal barrier, lightning’s glow gradually faded, leaving only increasingly bright firelight; he looked down at the peace knot his daughter had stuffed in his palm and suddenly grinned.
“Captain He, you guys are ruthless—actually fishing people out from headquarters.”
The medic deftly treated the wound on his chest, glancing at the peace knot in his hand, a trace of awe on his face.
He Jie glanced at him. “Kid, you don’t have family at headquarters; why the long face?”
“Who says I don’t have family? My new girlfriend is still at headquarters.”
The medic immediately retorted.
He Jie frowned. “Which one?”
“The one from about three days ago—you were missing then, so you wouldn’t know.”
“Get lost, you damn punk!”
The medic tied the bandage into a bow tie, pinching the ends to adjust the shape, then said solemnly, “Yes!”
“Get back here!”
He Jie grumbled irritably.
The medic grinned cheekily and returned; He Jie grabbed him, patted him up and down, then pulled half a pack of crumpled cigarettes from his pocket, lit one, took a deep drag, and gazed through the smoke at the crowd reassembling the train.
“Back in Yi Jin, when I first saw the Armored Train, I thought, what idiot runs a train in the apocalypse? Got thoroughly thrashed as a result—that battle was so frustrating; even after capture, I wasn’t fully convinced.”
“But later that crazy bastard Zhang Tie got taken down too.”
A hint of wariness appeared in the medic’s eyes. “Losing once might be coincidence; losing twice is no fluke.”
He Jie flicked ash. “Back then, the Train Conductor said he’d refit the train into a mobile fortress; I wasn’t optimistic about the plan, but I felt he had something divine about him—indescribable energy, different from normal folks like us.”
He pointed at the thickly armored carriage wall. “Today, driving with wife and kid through the zombie tide—I still break out in cold sweat thinking about it. With this thing, it’d be totally different.”
The medic nodded silently, looking at the Steel Council engulfed in the sea of fire amid the zombie tide, saying confusedly, “Who could’ve thought such a huge company would collapse just like that.”
He Jie flicked away the cigarette butt, squinting at him. “The real apocalypse is coming; from now on, I’m sticking with the Train Conductor. A heads-up for you guys—don’t follow Li Tao down the dead end; his little uncle is an executive director, but without the Armored Train, you’re nothing.”
The medic smiled wryly. “Li Tao is dead.”
“Hm?”
He Jie sat up in surprise, ignoring the pain from his chest wound. “Who killed Li Tao?! Secretary Li knew a lot; with his personality…”
“Not the Train Conductor—the kid in the wheelchair.”
“Xiao Ba?”
After hearing the medic recount the events, He Jie sucked in a cold breath. Eighth Master seemed so amiable—turns out he strikes so ruthlessly?
……
Outside the carriage, the survivors Xiao Ba and the others brought back had all boarded the train.
Some didn’t even know the Armored Train was the source of this disaster, thinking it was the company’s backup plan; the few in the know kept silent.
The reassembled Armored Train spewed thick smoke, the TS-20000 diesel engine in the front of the train rumbling so hard the ground trembled.
Yu Jing’s voice boomed across the platform via loudspeaker: “All personnel board immediately!”
In the driver’s cabin of the front of the train, Yu Jing was listening to Old San’s report: “…Total survivors received: 247, of which 26 are injured, suspected of infection.”
“Tell the crew,” Yu Jing’s phoenix eyes narrowed slightly, exuding a sharp edge, “put those 27 all in the rear carriage.”
“If signs of mutation… handle directly.”
Outside the car window, the first ray of dawn pierced the clouds.
Liang Kuan pushed the throttle lever, the train slowly starting; behind him, Xiao Ba was slowly repairing the shattered car window.
The youth’s fingertips were white like scallion segments, dawn light flickering at his fingers.
“Take a break.” Liang Kuan handed over the water bottle. “We’re safe now.”
Xiao Ba shook his head, propelling the wheelchair toward the survivors’ carriage in the back.
His gaze swept over the shocked faces in the carriage.
A little boy in pajamas suddenly said in surprise, “Brother, I’ve seen you—how did you climb such a high wall?”
The little boy opened his mouth, missing a front tooth, like those pre-apocalypse sunflowers missing seeds, carrying a bright warmth.
Metal fragments coalesced in his palm into a small butterfly, flying toward the little boy, drawing his gaze.
But soon, that sparkle in his eyes vanished.
Xiao Ba looked puzzled at the five- or six-year-old boy. “Don’t like it?”
The little boy’s mood sank. “Mom said to wait for her in the car; she’ll be back soon.”
Xiao Ba’s gaze trembled, lips pressed, looking out the car window.
Accompanied by the diesel engine’s roar, the 55-car steel dragon slowly started.
A dozen figures who didn’t squeeze onto the platform began frantically chasing, howling to take a bite out of the train; with a few crisp gunshots, they toppled to the ground.
The burning Steel Council Headquarters gradually blurred into the background.
“January 8th, Great Fire”
“The million-scale zombie tide caused intense turmoil in the acid rain area; I played a decisive role.”
……
Three days later, the great fire extinguished.
A hazy fog hung over the Steel Council Headquarters heavy industrial zone skies—that was the smoke and dust left from burning massive zombies.
The once precise and orderly complex of buildings now lay in ruins, the charred Experimental High Tower jutting grotesquely toward the sky like a giant beast’s ribs.
Wang Yi stepped over the charred corpse of a Tier 2 Jumper in her custom high-heeled boots.
She wore a well-tailored black long skirt, an golden iris brooch pinned at the collar.
“Find something useful.”
She ordered without looking back; even with her father’s self-built company collapsing before her eyes, it brought little fluctuation.
Twenty fully armed elite soldiers behind her immediately dispersed.
Their movements swift and precise, weapons spitting accurate flames; residual zombies were headshot before they could roar.
The middle-aged man crouched, his gloved fingers gently tracing a scorch mark on the ground.
The mark radiated outward, like rampant climbing ivy, but with sharp, decisive lines.
Completely different from the surrounding flame traces.
“Static Swamp…” he murmured lowly, voice laced with undisguised astonishment. “He actually developed the Energizer Realm’s perception skill to this extent.”
Wang Yi walked to his side, her high heels clicking coldly on the ground.
“You’re sure he’s just a Tier 1 Evolver?”
“No doubt.” The middle-aged man stood. “We both saw his performance then; combat power exceptional, but not exceeding Tier 1 scope. Leave the rest to the professionals.”
A voluptuous woman stepped forward, expression icy as frost but eyes holding a seductive glint. “Happy to serve you, Mister Shu.”
Wang Yi coldly swept her a glance, disgust unmasked in her eyes.
“Can’t go anywhere without bringing a woman.”
The scolded woman’s complexion chilled slightly but held her tongue due to Wang Yi’s status.
Mister Shu waved her off to work, helplessly saying, “Though we do have a relationship, she’s no ordinary woman—my high-priced profiling expert; talents who can recreate battlefields are rare even in the company.”
Wang Yi sneered coldly, no reply.
She turned to look at the field.
The woman led a small assistant to the battlefield edge; her eyes suddenly went blank, while the assistant placed a hand on her shoulder, and the entire battlefield changed.
Light distorted inexplicably.
Shattered into countless golden glow points, converging mid-air into a lifelike 3D holographic scene.
The Tier 2 Jumper frozen mid-air, face with human-like bewilderment; the motorcycle-riding knight streaked below, his 1.8-meter sniper rifle aimed at the airborne jumper, glow like fine sand spreading around the knight, recreating that night’s violent thunder.
Had to admit, this woman might look cheap, but her ability was solid.
Wang Yi walked up, circling to the knight’s front, looking down at the knight’s face.
Long hair whipped by gale winds, revealing narrow eyes, corners of mouth slightly upturned, as if alive, mockingly staring at her.
Her heart jolted slightly; after a moment, seeing the light-shadow unchanged, she secretly relaxed.
Examining closely again, she felt infected by that icy madness.
This was true evolution—cruel, yet brimming with vitality.
The nearby “Trace Expert” quickly analyzed, “Outside Steel Council Headquarters, his ability changed—nerve reflex, physical strength greatly enhanced, like evolving Defender Realm ability.”
“But here it’s already declining from peak.” The expert pointed at the motorcycle skid marks on the ground. “He was losing control of the motorcycle—unthinkable with his strength that easily tore the heavy industrial zone outer defense line.”
He suddenly stopped, crouching to pick a carbonized fabric fragment from the scorched earth.
A gentle rub, black ash flaking off, revealing a deep red beneath; even after so long, still vivid in texture.
The expert’s expression turned grave, pulling a small sealed bag from his pocket and placing the fabric fragment inside.
“Missing a battlefield in between.”
The expert gazed confidently toward the motorcycle’s approach direction.
A charred black high tower loomed in the northwest.
Under elite soldiers’ protection, the group quickly reached the Experimental High Tower.
The expert approached a half-collapsed building—once part of the High Tower Laboratory.
A massive hole in the wall, edges melted.
“From this entry, he has not only powerful energy but pure physical destructive power—exceeding Tier 1 Energizer physique limit, reaching Tier 1 Defender level, specifically the close-combat fighting specialist type.” The expert analyzed calmly.
“But I’m not sure if some info was lost; his energy release was overly wasteful.”
Behind, the electronics expert quickly found a relatively intact control panel, connecting equipment.
Soon pulling up a blurry surveillance footage.
On screen, a man wreathed in electric light sped through the corridor at astonishing speed; lights flickered, equipment exploded in his wake.
“His speed…” The Trace Expert affirmed, “Absolutely not an Energizer’s—pure Tier 1 Defender speed, agility-focused type!”
Wang Yi followed, her high heels out of place in the ruins. “So he’s a dual domain evolver, right?”
The Trace Expert hesitated, then nodded. “Only possibility.”
Mister Shu said calmly, “Report to the company—one gene primordium, one new dual domain evolver—enough to secure your position.”
Persistence flickered in Wang Yi’s eyes. “If I bring them back to Black Kite, can I transfer the three major functional departments?”
“Two stray gene primordia, non-duplicates—any force learning this would spare no cost to get them. Without company help, you wouldn’t even qualify to join the hunt.” A sharp glint flashed in Mister Shu’s eyes.
Wang Yi didn’t deny, just a faint unwillingness in her eyes.
Su Huan’s calm madness flashed in her mind again.
Sudden realization: to lead in this era, be calmer and crazier than all.
She said resolutely, “Ten days—I won’t stop you reporting to the company, but delay it ten days. If I bring them back, you get thirty percent of the rewards; if not, all yours.”
A gleam in Mister Shu’s eyes. “A bet hard to refuse, but you won’t give me a show.”
Wang Yi said matter-of-factly, “I lack manpower; lend me some. Or refuse, we report together—but company’s rewards mean little to you now.”
Faint corpse roars came from afar; zombies not fully dispersed were wandering back.
Due to the great zombie tide, the heavy industrial zone had become a dangerous area prowled by high-level zombies.
Soldiers quickly set up a zombie jammer nearby to prevent interruptions to the big shots’ talk.
“How many do you want?”
“One.”
Mister Shu looked deeply at his ex-wife.
This woman’s ambition hadn’t diminished—same as before, even stronger.
Their split wasn’t over trivial infidelity…
“Tier 2?”
“Tier 2!”
“Good.”
One bed can’t hold two ambitious people.
The armored vehicle’s engine roared to life, carrying the two and the elite squad away from the ruins.
Behind them, the jammer’s effect waned; the zombie horde regained mobility, wandering aimlessly.
No sooner had they left than another group arrived, far fewer in number.
They didn’t venture deep into the heavy industrial zone, just glanced from the periphery.
Li Wangchuan’s collar remained straight, but just standing there added weight to his figure.
The secretary in fitted tactical suit walked to his side, whispering, “Someone’s already been here. Last night, the first to react were survivors on the heavy industrial zone outskirts—they escaped in greatest numbers. Company’s core members died in the zombie tide; only the northern freight platform shows traces of a few lingering.”
———
(New house has no table, coded on bed and fell asleep… embarrassing, sorry everyone)
