Chapter 219: The Material Delivery Has Arrived
Originally, the Deep Sea Worm could wrap the entire train layer by layer.
Now, quite a few vines had split off to fight the zombies, leaving some room for the mechanical arms to maneuver.
Although not as clean and neat as cutting zombies, the speed wasn’t slow either; it could sever a wrist-thick outer tube of the worm in three to five seconds.
Sensing the prey was about to escape, the Deep Sea Worm writhed even more frantically.
It began abandoning the dead corpses at the ends and wrapped around the train with full force.
However, the propellers were already spinning, and combined with the buoyancy from the large amount of air inside the carriages, all the vines were stretched taut.
Pairs of scarlet eyes emerged in the murky water, greedily staring at the massive train in the middle.
Breaking free from the pursuing vines, they charged straight toward the train.
“Bang bang bang——”
Sharp fin blades chopped through four or five vines, directly striking the train’s external armor.
A muffled sound spread layer by layer underwater.
It directly sliced through the outermost nano self-repair coating of the carriage, with the fin blade edge embedding more than one centimeter into the armor!
Keep in mind, the entire armor of the armored train, including its base thickness, was just barely nine centimeters.
Less than a palm thick.
The scarlet glow in the zombie’s eyes flickered.
As if puzzled.
Sensing its kin rushing up around it, each one afraid of being late and missing out on flesh and blood, the zombie immediately shifted its fin blade form, using the tip to stab at the train armor.
Another muffled sound rang out; this time it pierced fully two centimeters, then hit the internal soft glass buffer layer.
However, due to insufficient temperature, the high-temperature glass didn’t melt into liquid to repair.
Only the outermost nano coating was slowly repairing the damage.
The zombie’s attacks grew even more frantic, its four limbs hacking at the train armor; for a moment, chaotic muffled booms erupted underwater, like muffled thunder in the water.
The underwater area was churned into murkiness, and a pile of one-centimeter-deep cuts appeared on the train’s external armor!
More zombies pounced onto the armored train.
Vines snapped one after another, drifting down.
Under both sides’ concerted efforts, the Deep Sea Worm lost its ability to lock down the train, and the remaining vines began snapping one by one under the terrifying buoyancy.
The mechanical arms’ work shifted from cutting the Deep Sea Worm to grabbing the severed outer tubes of the worm.
Each carriage had four pairs of mechanical arms, and with one hundred carriages, there were four hundred mechanical arms in total.
Amid repeated dull snapping sounds, the train floated toward the water surface at a terrifying speed.
Seeing the metal shutters inside the car windows being pulled open, with fresh flesh and blood moving inside, the mutated zombies went even more berserk, clinging tightly under the train body and madly hacking and stabbing at the train armor.
“Boom——”
After over ten days absent, the armored train reappeared on the water surface in Guanchong City Center.
What emerged first was the crown pear tree on the deck, still lush and verdant.
Soaked in floodwater for so many days, aside from some bite marks, there was no sign of rot.
Water flowed along the remaining branches onto the deck, like a beach after the tide receded, exposing all sorts of piled miscellaneous items and corpses on the deck.
Mechanical arms on both sides flung the severed vines onto the deck.
Over a dozen drones took to the air, and under internal personnel’s manipulation, the mechanical arms cleared the deck’s debris.
As the train’s several-meter-high body floated up like lotus root, the armored train fully escaped.
In the armory hall, Su Huan felt the train steadying beneath his feet and waved his large hand. “Open the door, head to the deck for some fresh air!”
The crew was fine, but the armed corps trained at high intensity underwater every day and had been pent up with frustration; hearing the train conductor’s words, their eyes lit up.
He Jie was even more excitedly roaring; he had been unable to hold back for a long time.
Even if there was a group of Tier 2 zombies outside, he had to go out and fight hard.
The armory hall hatch opened, and Su Huan was the first to walk out.
Soldiers filed out behind him.
Crates of ammunition were also carried onto the deck.
Crisp water vapor mixed with a fishy stench hit them in the face; though far smellier than inside the train, Su Huan still took a deep breath.
“This is the feeling— the taste of freedom!”
He Jie, carrying two heavy machine guns on his back, shouted exaggeratedly from behind.
Su Huan jumped onto the front of the train and surveyed the surroundings. The long-absent sun finally showed its face, boldly sitting in the center of the sky, its warm rays spilling over the land.
Even the surrounding buildings soaked and rotted by water were draped in a layer of gentle golden light.
Sofas, tables and chairs, beds, corpses, deep sea worms…
Countless miscellaneous items floated harmoniously on the water surface, slowly drifting into the distance with the current.
Shadows appeared underwater, and the next moment they suddenly leaped into midair.
Shooting out from the water, their height exceeded the train, even some small buildings.
Some Tier 2 zombies even reached heights of over ten meters!
Long hair suddenly whipped wildly in the wind.
Su Huan narrowed his eyes.
“Lightning Pool.”
Countless fine bolts of lightning burst from the black figure at the front of the train, converging into jagged lightning that spread in all directions at terrifying speed.
Overtaking the zombies in midair.
In an instant, within a hundred meters radius, from thirty meters below to above the water surface, it became a domain of thunder.
Dazzling electric light outshone the sun.
“Bang bang bang…”
Charred zombie corpses fell onto the deck like dumplings.
He Jie fired a shot into a twitching Tier 1 mutated zombie at his feet and urgently shouted, “Hurry, hurry! Open fire, or it’ll be too late to hit them!”
Gunfire erupted on the deck.
A fire dragon snaked out, mingling with the thunder in the sky, dyeing the entire Lightning Pool purple-red.
The whole area was lit red by lightning and fire.
Only three Tier 2 zombies landed alive on the deck.
Seeing the fresh flesh and blood around them, they went completely berserk; even with their bodies scorched black by lightning and fire, their movements remained sharp and fierce. They targeted the densest cluster of people, roaring madly like big fish leaping onto the deck, shooting forward in a flash.
All four limbs’ fin blades fully extended, leaving deep gouges on the ironwood deck.
If scratched by this thing even once, you’d be bisected on the spot!
The soldiers in front were frightened into frantically pulling their triggers.
7.62 bullets rained down on the zombie, but the Tier 2 zombie had evolved corpse armor, immune to this caliber.
The firepower specialists manning the heavy machine guns couldn’t easily swivel their muzzles.
Seeing the Tier 2 water ghost about to charge into the soldiers, Su Huan on the front of the train just watched coldly, showing no intent to move.
“Tier 2 water ghost, extremely fast in water, can unleash twelve layers of its combat power there; on land speed slows, but combat power still matches a special armored vehicle…”
Shu Wei said softly from behind Su Huan.
The implication was obvious: if you don’t help, they might die.
“Bang——”
A massive shock rang out from the field.
The gripping force even shook that carriage three times.
A towering figure like a mountain appeared before the soldiers, blocking the charging Tier 2 water ghost like an iron wall.
Anti-slip combat boots dragged two black streaks on the ironwood floor.
His broad dark green short sleeve was stretched like a bodysuit by his blocky muscles.
Liang Kuan gasped a rough breath, then slammed his back foot down, shield forward, forcibly halting on the slippery floor.
Cheers erupted from the surrounding soldiers like a tsunami.
“Bang bang bang…”
The heavy sniper rifle’s muffled voice sounded; a bloodstain burst from the Tier 2 water ghost about to attack in front of the shield, its hard corpse armor cracked by the 12.7 sniper round.
Pain made the water ghost rear back roaring, then a bluish light directly pierced its mouth, shooting toward the sky behind.
Shu Wei looked over in surprise, seeing fully armed Yu Yue half-kneeling at the left train door with a 1.8-meter sniper rifle, charging backpack on her back, slender eyes cold with spreading killing intent.
Such precise timing.
Looking at the decisive Yu Yue, admiration flashed in Shu Wei’s eyes.
She reevaluated this usually warm and gentle woman.
Top-tier evolutionary ability, can sing, can cook, delicate and gentle personality, big sister warmth, and now such formidable combat ability and decisiveness; even as a woman, she felt moved.
Perhaps guilt over stealing her man was at play.
Facing Yu Yue, she always felt somewhat inferior.
In the field, the electromagnetic sniper rifle had torn off half the water ghost’s jaw, but due to the angle, Yu Yue’s muzzle was slightly high, avoiding harm to other soldiers.
The other two water ghosts were intercepted by Xiao Ba and Yu Jing’s mechanical puppets.
Xiao Ba couldn’t kill it, but on home turf, it could freely manipulate all sorts of metal.
The train was designed from the start with Xiao Ba in mind, with plenty of metal counterweights on the deck.
One for easing sinking, the other for Xiao Ba’s manipulation.
Intersecting metal spikes wove a circular metal fortress on the deck, trapping the Tier 2 water ghost in the center.
Soldiers fired at the central water ghost from cover; no matter how fierce, it needed time to chop through metal.
Don’t think the metal was like clay in Xiao Ba’s hands, deformable at will—its properties unchanged, even under manipulation, it was hard steel!
Plus He Jie personally joining the encirclement, this water ghost’s death was just a matter of time.
The last water ghost was locked in close-quarters saber combat with Yu Jing’s mechanical puppet on the deck.
And purely offensive, no defense.
Two inhuman things over two meters tall—one swinging a two-meter long saber, the other with half-meter fin blades on all limbs—frantically hacking at each other, sparks flying.
Lin Jin stood nearby, occasionally using High-Temperature Barrier to bounce back the water ghost trying to switch targets.
Though there was a tier gap, flames had bonus damage against water ghosts; paired with a fearless Tier 2 puppet, it matched evenly.
Though most gains underwater were minimal, this didn’t include Lin Jin and Su Huan.
After Flame Control reached Level 4, even Su Huan with his high-temperature energy resistance didn’t want to touch it.
Melting gold and iron was effortless.
“Material delivery’s here again.” Su Huan said flatly.
More Tier 1 water ghosts leaped from the water; this time he showed no intent to act.
Letting them land on the deck.
The fighting armed soldiers instantly split into squads under officers’ commands, encircling the Tier 1 water ghosts on the deck.
Especially the snipers, somewhat ineffective against fast-moving Tier 2 water ghosts.
But against these ordinary water ghosts, it was one shot one kill.
A 12.7mm bullet—let alone to the head, even to the body meant shattering into four or five pieces.
Tier 1 zombies had no corpse armor.
This was the sniper’s strength: quickly eliminating enemy living forces.
“If it was Black Kite’s original twelve-person squad, how long to eliminate these water ghosts?”
Su Huan asked with interest.
Shu Wei pondered, “About fifteen minutes.”
Su Huan raised a brow. “Faster than the current armed corps?”
“Most battles don’t last long; Black Kite lost back then not because the armored train was strong, but because of you, Train Conductor…”
Shu Wei looked at Su Huan’s profile, gaze complex.
Logically, even against stronger monsters, Black Kite Squad had room to struggle.
But under Su Huan’s violent lightning, they had no way.
Instant cast aside, vast area, high intensity.
Tier suppression, one-shot kills, no chance to play.
Like Yu Yue, Xiao Ba, Lin Jin… they were just strong in one aspect.
For example, Xiao Ba’s steel manipulation—switch to carbon fiber or non-metal weapons, and half its attack methods were gone.
Same for Yu Yue, Liang Kuan.
They were strong, but not beyond limits.
Ultimately Tier 1 evolvers, with room to pull.
Like the two remaining Tier 2 water ghosts in the field, still not killed, only slowly ground down by Yu Yue’s electromagnetic weapon and large-caliber firearms.
“Mm, excluding my factor, how’s the armed corps’ combat power now?”
Shu Wei composed herself and analyzed calmly. “Aside from a few top leaders, others’ evolution intensity is average, reliant on team coordination and logistics, poor solo combat ability, not teamed by abilities—overall… chaotic. Fine for encircling brainless mutated zombies, but against same-level elite squads, they’d be slaughtered.”
Su Huan nodded; matched his judgment.
No surprise though.
The armored train doing this well from ordinary people and soldiers was already impressive.
Needed to accumulate enough quantity for qualitative change.
Like Black Kite elite squad, handpicked from countless evolvers; even with Black Kite’s wealth, couldn’t equip every squad with all experts.
Train’s foundation too thin now, can’t pull core members, need to build up first.
As Lin Jin dispersed the flames in the cage, blue smoke wafted on the deck.
The bullet-riddled Tier 2 water ghost finally died.
He Jie’s cursing rose on the deck, urging battlefield cleanup while berating underperforming officers.
Old San was a prime example.
Although he was the purser, he was still scolded by He Jie like a grandson for poor command.
But no one looked down on Old San because of this.
In the troops, one layer hanging another was the norm.
“After cleaning the battlefield, notify each department to continue advancing toward Xiushui City.”
