Chapter 218: Black Lion
“This gun has a magazine that can hold five bullets, but it can’t be removed.”
Old Da pointed at the black box on the gun body.
Su Huan took the bullets and could feel the fluctuations of residual general energy on them. It seemed they had used ability to make some changes to the material properties.
He pressed the bullets one by one into the gun body. Su Huan raised the rifle, aimed at the target straight ahead, “I remember you were always researching handguns. Why suddenly switch to old-fashioned rifle?”
Old Da stepped back a few steps and organized his words, “The assault rifles and submachine guns produced before were aimed at humans, with fast rate of fire but limited power. Now our main enemies are those tough-skinned mutated beasts and zombies, so I think the future development direction of firearms should be high accuracy and high power!”
“Use the fewest bullets to deliver the most effective output!”
Although Su Huan was aiming at the distant target, a hint of surprise flashed in his eyes.
“What books have you been reading lately?”
“Besides some firearm designs and ammunition engineering, I’ve read some on modern war history and such, all related to guns.”
“Not bad, keep it up.”
“Bang!”
Firelight burst from the muzzle, and a bullet hole instantly appeared on the distant paper target.
The loud sound echoed layer upon layer in the armory hall, growing deeper and more muffled, like a roar suppressed in the throat, chilling to the heart.
He pulled the gun bolt, and a crisp metallic clash sounded, with a faint gunpowder smell entering the nostrils.
The familiar sense of excitement gradually returned to his body.
“The ballistics are biased to the left, accuracy needs adjustment, bullet spin speed is insufficient, the gun barrel can be lengthened a bit more, the grip feel of the gun body… extremely poor!”
Su Huan couldn’t help but curl up the corner of his mouth.
But this was the firearm he was most familiar with!
Rough, irritable, yet filled with the handmade wisdom of a small workshop!
He loaded the bullet, slightly adjusted the shooting angle. Although he had no firearm skills, with his current control over his body.
Hundred meters, there was no possibility of missing the target.
“Bang!”
The sound of the second shot was clearly off.
Everyone standing behind Su Huan let out a soft exclamation. The distant target paper was empty.
Missed?
“The bullet exploded, probably due to excessive propellant charge.”
Qu Hang said as he walked over upon hearing the sound.
As the controller of wind, a professional sniper, his understanding of firearms and ammunition surpassed White Deer and the others.
“I really like the sound of this gun.”
Su Huan put down the gun and turned his head to look at Qu Hang who had just arrived. The latter was as usual, holding a sniper rifle in his arms.
At this moment, his eyes were fixed straight on the firearm in Su Huan’s hand.
Qu Hang’s life in his previous life was very bland; besides drinking, it was carrying out tasks.
The things he liked were three: guns, alcohol, He Jie’s wife.
In this life, he hadn’t been seen drinking much. It seemed he was using alcohol to reminisce about the other one.
He Jie’s wife, the train conductor couldn’t decide on that, but a gun was no problem.
Su Huan tossed the bolt-action rifle in his hand to Qu Hang, “Try it.”
The latter wasn’t polite either, refused White Deer’s offer to help, slung the sniper rifle from his arms to his back, took the rifle, checked it, loaded, and shot.
This time the bullet was very stable, accurately hitting the bullseye.
Three shots in a row; except the first one was slightly off, the remaining two hit the same spot.
“Is this a modified gun?”
“No, newly made.”
“The scope can be removed, adjust the ballistics a bit, this gun’s accuracy can make it a sniper rifle. It’s just that the sound is too loud, easy to expose position.”
Qu Hang commented.
Then he frowned and added, “The grip feel is indeed very poor!”
Old Da standing beside had a awkward expression.
“But the power is very good. What’s this gun’s name?”
Qu Hang asked seriously.
“No name yet.” Old Da scratched his head, his gaze turning to Su Huan, “How about the train conductor names it?”
Su Huan pondered for a moment, “Call it Black Lion. Keep this gun’s cold, hard, rough feel, and you modify the rest.”
“Good name.”
“Fitting.”
“Mm.”
Several old soldiers seemed to want to praise the train conductor’s naming skill, but the words got shorter and shorter, eventually turning to an endless discussion of the gun’s pros and cons.
(Black Lion, approximate shape, for reference only)
After the test shooting ended, it was already evening.
By the time Su Huan leisurely returned to the dining car with his secretary, Yu Yue had already prepared the meal.
Today it was all fresh stir-fried vegetables. Except for the first few days of the apocalypse, he hadn’t eaten such fresh stir-fries in a long time.
Everyone ate several pots of rice empty in a row.
Worth mentioning, Shu Wei could also join the table now. Although she still had no salary, her treatment was equivalent to the purser.
The train conductor spent the night in trepidation waiting half the night, confirming he finally got a hard-won quiet period, before sleeping peacefully.
No one bothered him all night.
……
Time flew by, and in a blink of an eye, they had been underwater for four days.
Every day upon waking, there were endless things to do, but Su Huan didn’t feel bored.
During this time, Su Huan mainly stayed in Director Xu’s laboratory, cooperating as an experimental subject in some experiment tests.
Director Xu was indeed the Steel Council’s chief research expert. Although conditions on the train were harsh, the various experiment progresses advanced steadily.
And produced quite a few concrete results.
One was researching out the life potion from his previous life. Originally, one medium-sized crown pear could only extend lifespan by one to two years, but after making four life potions, each could extend lifespan by one year, equivalent to doubling the effect.
Four potions: two drunk by Su Huan and Lin Xi, one for continued research, one stored in the warehouse.
Two was deciphering the production method of basic potion, recently starting production with Wan Xing.
……
Another five days passed.
After numerous attempts, Yu Jing mastered the method to extract tier 2 material, and began extracting tier 2 materials in large quantities.
The manufacturing group began stockpiling various tier 2 composite materials for train upgrade.
On Shu Wei’s suggestion, the train opened a tailor shop, under the logistics group, with Xiao Hezi as the person in charge.
She transferred from the research group to the logistics group, then got promoted a level.
They said Xiao Hezi designed very nice-looking clothes.
Su Huan was skeptical.
But since Professor Ma didn’t make things difficult for him last time, he had to give Old Master Ma some face.
Anyway, it was just half an idle carriage plus some fabric costs; even if it was to tie down Lin Jin, it was worth it.
Perhaps due to the enclosed environment of the carriage, Lin Jin and Xiao Hezi’s relationship progressed rapidly. She had already moved out of the dormitory and into Lin Jin’s room.
Old Liu’s side also got a bottle of wine.
After this period of underwater life, many more people had paired up.
“People choose to forget pain and start life in the new environment. This may be a sign…”
Hu Shuo wandered through the carriages, scribbling vigorously from time to time.
It wasn’t that he liked gossip; managing the logistics group such a key position, everyone’s food, clothing, housing, and transport couldn’t avoid him, so he naturally knew more than ordinary people.
But not everyone maintained pre-apocalypse moral habits to form new families.
Some people went toward more open new concepts.
Like some elite soldiers, having multiple women or multiple men.
However, orgies were not allowed on the train; this was a principled issue affecting combat power and morale. If caught, no negotiation, collective execution by firing squad.
Specific enforcement standards depended on the train conductor’s mood that day.
Based on these conditions, some long-inherited professions began appearing on the train.
Su Huan didn’t shout to eliminate these traditional industries; he had one requirement: pay taxes.
Other jobs were essentially working for the train, for the train conductor, but this industry was purely for herself, so taxation was inevitable, and heavy tax at that, up to half.
Thus, the first taxed profession appeared on the train.
……
“Knock knock!”
“Time to eat!”
A light and graceful figure flashed by the doorway. By the time Su Huan looked up in the room, he only saw a flash of silver light.
He asked faintly, “What time is it?”
Shu Wei standing beside Su Huan glanced at her wristwatch, “It is exactly twelve noon. You have been working for seventeen minutes.”
“Eh, today I’ve really worked hard on myself.”
Su Huan stretched lazily, propped his face with one hand, and looked down at the logbook on the table.
“March 7th, urgent water”
“
Including punctuation, a total of nine characters.
This was the result of his morning’s work.
Could be called bountiful fruits.
After hesitating a bit, he flamboyantly added a few words.
“Leave slip”
Satisfied, he closed the logbook, “Let’s go, eat!”
……
The turbid seawater receded somewhat, exposing more buildings and structures above the water surface.
Sunlight filtered through the sixteen-meter-deep water layer into a sickly eerie green, like melted copper rust suspended between buildings.
In a dark window, a rusted security door was slowly pushed open by water pressure.
In the living room floated a bloated sofa, an overturned coffee table, and a white corpse pupa.
Swaying with the water waves.
Suddenly the corpse pupa shook a few times, emitting a tearing fabric sound. A pair of scarlet light spots appeared in the pitch-black crack.
Then a pair of arms covered in mucus, with fin-like things contracting on the sides.
The instant they touched the water surface, they unfolded to nearly half a meter long.
“Plop.”
Only a shattered corpse pupa remained on the water surface.
The zombie quickly swam out of the building through the broken window.
Its spine elongated like an eel, the caudal vertebra extending a translucent fin membrane, swaying slowly with the water flow rhythm.
Its scarlet gaze peered through the turbid floodwaters toward the depths.
The entire commercial street was submerged in eternal darkness.
Water pressure distorted the shop window glass, broken mannequin limbs stuck in the window frames, swaying wigs like some deep sea creature.
But what truly attracted its line of sight was the colossal thing at the water bottom.
Like a giant dragon coiled in the water, countless thick deep sea worms wrapped it, hundreds of corpses restrained by deep sea worms, suspended in the water, annotating the colossal thing in the middle.
Like some eerie sacrifice.
The nearby water flow surged, a black shadow appearing without warning under the zombie.
But before it could wrap around, the fins on the zombie’s feet suddenly unfolded like sharp blades, severing the deep sea worm.
In the next instant, the zombie burst into inconceivable speed underwater, carrying a string of fine bubbles charging toward the giant in the water.
There was massive flesh and blood!
Enough flesh and blood to promote it to a higher tier!
……
“Already melted over a thousand?” Su Huan asked, slightly surprised, biting into a steak.
Lin Jin sitting opposite nodded, “Recently, I’ve been trying whenever I have time. The density of deep sea worms has dropped somewhat, and after training, my ability has evolved again, burning speed is faster.”
“So we’re getting out soon?”
Surprise showed in Su Huan’s eyes.
“Might take a few more days…” Lin Jin scratched his head uncertainly.
Shu Wei beside chimed in, “The floodwaters outside have receded. According to calculations, as long as below a thousand, with the train’s power, it can break free, but needs energizers on the train to assist.”
Rare good news, Su Huan was in a good mood.
Suddenly thinking of something, he pointed at an empty seat and asked, “Right, why hasn’t Liang Kuan come to eat?”
“His condition hasn’t been good lately…”
Yu Yue, serving dishes to Su Huan from the side, said softly.
Su Huan raised an eyebrow, “Condition not good?”
With Liang Kuan’s build stronger than an ox, could he get sick?
He Jie subconsciously touched the bruise at his mouth corner, “Probably pressure from not promoting to tier 1. He’s been training madly lately.”
Su Huan glanced at He Jie’s sorry state, trying hard to suppress his upturned mouth corner.
“Not all on you, right?”
He Jie smacked his lips, “Laugh if you want.”
“Pfft, what are you talking about.”
“Next time I’ll remind him not to hit the face; after all, bad if wife sees when back… hahaha, pure strength I wouldn’t dare tangle with him. I’m surprised why you weren’t beaten into a pig head.”
He Jie glanced at the empty seats at the end, sucked his teeth, “We all ganged up on him. Goat’s face is now swollen like a wild boar. Wonders never cease, Liang Kuan’s fists are too hard…”
Su Huan laughed enough and gently shook his head.
Liang Kuan had full resources, ample vitality, and frighteningly high basic attributes.
His strength even exceeded tier 1 standard, just stuck there for some reason.
He had no solution for this.
Not just Liang Kuan; during this time, except Yu Jing, no one had promoted.
But everyone’s skills had improved.
People awakened new skills from time to time; overall, the armored train’s power had strengthened.
When tier 1 evolvers appeared in batches, the armored train would truly stand firm.
Suddenly, Yu Yue who was serving dishes and Su Huan both paused.
“Seems some interesting change has occurred.”
Su Huan used chopsticks to pick up the steak under Yu Yue’s knife, chewing slowly.
Shu Wei had already stood up.
In her hand was no longer paper and pen, but the operational tablet from the previous task.
Calmly, “Command platform reports: large number of mutated tier 2 zombies appeared outside the train, battling deep sea worms. The pressure on us has lessened considerably, already nearing breakout standard.”
“Opportunity has come.”
Su Huan tossed the chopsticks on the table, took a hot towel to wipe his mouth.
Everyone uniformly put down their chopsticks, straightened their backs, and looked toward Su Huan at the main seat.
“Notify each group to prepare for departure. Armed corps and combat group prepare to meet the battle!”
“Yes!”
The moment Su Huan’s order was given, the four temporarily formed energizer squads instantly injected massive electricity into the train.
This electrical energy was converted to power, and under the lead of the [Xuanjia] front of the train, the entire train roared to life.
Accumulated mud and miscellaneous items on the train body were shaken off.
The mechanical arms near the propellers had blades and electric saws fitted at the tips, beginning to madly cut the deep sea worms wrapped around the propellers.
