Chapter 307: Are You A Cs Major?
Liu Yu and his group looked dejected as they followed the Armored Train’s attendant onto the train.
At first glance, there was a hall five meters wide and seemingly endless, with cold mechanical locks on the metal doors on both sides that chilled the heart; various hidden light strips illuminated the wood grain on the ironwood floor in exquisite detail.
A row of four tables, spaced one meter apart front to back, extending forward.
Everyone dazedly thought they had returned to before the Apocalypse.
Just one door apart, outside was the Wasteland Apocalypse, inside was such a sci-fi scene.
Liu Yu even forgot that he had been sold onto it.
“Please take seats nearby, no empty seats allowed, no talking, wait for the examiner to distribute the test papers. Exam time is one hour. The entire train is monitored by surveillance cameras. Those who cheat or disrupt the exam will be shot on the spot.”
A calm voice wearing glasses came from the broadcast.
To confirm his words, a dark gun barrel popped out from the ceiling every ten meters.
Everyone felt their hearts go numb and quickly found seats to sit down.
‘There’s still a damn exam!’
Liu Yu looked at the signing pen on the table with an inexplicable weird feeling in his heart.
He looked up at his companions, everyone sharing a sense of absurd detachment as if in another world.
Who would believe it?
One second ago, charging wildly on an abandoned road full of monsters and zombies with guns in hand, the next moment pulled into a train full of civilized atmosphere for a tense and thrilling one-hour passionate written test.
It was simply damn ghostly!
As soon as they sat down, a group of people came in behind with a clatter. Although their clothes were disheveled without markings, Liu Yu spotted several acquaintances at a glance, all small leaders of the Jin Feng Chamber of Commerce.
Seeing their ashen faces, Liu Yu felt much better.
More and more people came in, shocking Liu Yu; just the Jin Feng Chamber of Commerce had over two hundred people entering, plus quite a few who were clearly lone scavengers.
These lone scavengers had no entanglements like the Four Greats’ people and instead looked expectant to be selected onto the Armored Train.
But upon hearing the repeated rules in the broadcast, some who were just filling numbers panicked immediately.
A group of attendants in black clothes holding thick stacks of papers began distributing them; the Armory Hall with hundreds of people had only the rustling sound of flipping papers.
“I’m not taking the exam, it’s been a long time since I taught students, I’m afraid I can’t do it…”
The man at the desk in front of Liu Yu, disheveled and dirty, shouted after looking at the paper and tried to run out.
The attendant distributing papers just watched coldly, with no intention of stopping him.
“Bang!”
The muzzle overhead slowly turned back.
Liu Yu’s heart skipped a beat, dispelling the thought of handing in early.
Soon the paper reached his hand.
His palm sank, Liu Yu’s eyes went dull—fully eighteen sheets, and damn it, double-sided.
One hour!
Liu Yu shouted ghostly in his heart again.
Recalling exam secrets from another world, Liu Yu first skimmed through all four sheets.
The paper was very complex; the first three were common sense questions, not language, math, English or anything he had learned, but firearm disassembly and maintenance, weapon cognition, wilderness survival, tool repair, zombie habits, Mutated Beast cognition, and the like.
[If a zombie is still ten meters away from you, which covers would you choose to hide in?]
[If you get bitten on the butt by a Blood Hound, how should you provide first aid?]
[If you only have the following tools at hand, now assume a scenario… what decision would you make?]
The next three pages were theoretical knowledge he understood: physics, from easy to hard, no multiple-choice questions.
Then math, chemistry, biology…
After that were mixed questions on various machinery, biology, geography, metals, etc.
[How to handcraft an engine?]
[What processes are needed to build an Apocalypse ecological circulation system?]
[If you have a military off-road vehicle, how would you modify it?]
[Facing a massive plant siege, what device would you design in advance?]
After reading these questions, Liu Yu calmly began analyzing which overhead gun barrel would kill him.
……
A bizarre scene appeared in the wilderness.
A ferocious Armored Train blocked all roads leading to Zhijin City.
Stretching over a kilometer in a grand procession.
A convoy of over ten thousand people was stopped in front of the train, with sporadic gunshots from time to time around them killing Mutated Beasts and zombies.
More scavengers gathered here from the distance.
Several force leaders gathered in the very middle, waiting for their subordinates’ exam results.
Like parents before the Apocalypse waiting for their students’ college entrance exam results, each one furrowed their brows anxiously, eyes full of anticipation.
Originally, they weren’t willing.
But the resources brought out by the Armored Train were too abundant.
Abundant to the point that they believed even taking down Zhijin wouldn’t yield such terrifying resources.
Especially the various bulk evolution resources, which they had never even heard of.
After receiving Mister Shu’s “gift,” calling the Armored Train a moving treasure trove of the Storm Zone was no exaggeration.
Ordinary firearms could already be fully equipped across the train, cutting-edge electromagnetic weapons had comprehensively armed the Armed Corps according to needs: snipers, marksmen, medics, Demolition Men, communication… all personalized individual equipment was provided.
Higher-end ones like individual exoskeletons, individual drone combat groups, electromagnetic cloaking capes were also equipped.
The train was now beginning to produce personalized equipment based on the new system’s five combat roles: fire suppression, perception and reconnaissance, medical collection, melee combat, mechanical repair.
Not to mention the dozens of evolution potions, hundreds of profession recipes, nearly a thousand bizarre evolution materials.
The Armored Train’s current tech level was only slightly stronger than a force like Jin Feng, but the supplies it possessed surpassed top-tier forces like Black Kite, reaching the level of great nation warfare.
Forming a terrifying gap with forces like the Black Star Convoy.
So after seeing this exchange list, even the most arrogant Li Xinlong changed his attitude.
From beginning to end, only Black Kite remained silent.
Because seventy percent of the supplies on the list came from them.
“Rumble—”
For this exam, the entire scene fell into an eerie silence.
Making the massive bang at the convoy’s edge even more shocking.
Jinfeng President abruptly stood up and saw through the sandstorm a Gluttonous Pig the size of a small mountain rampaging at the convoy’s edge, flipping over quite a few vehicles.
“That seems like… Baldy’s people?”
Old Xie said uncertainly.
Jinfeng President steadily crouched back onto the vehicle, “Scared me.”
Old Xie gloated, “Getting flipped by a pig, Baldy’s face is lost big time today.”
Before they could gloat long, a dark blue light band shot from the train’s roof, tearing through the sandstorm and slamming onto the Gluttonous Pig. Everyone could see the dark blue trail overhead, like a comet streaking across the sky.
“Those who disrupt the exam will be shot.”
The glasses’ calm narration came from the broadcast.
Old Xie looked up at the gradually dissipating light band, then frantically searched the list in his hand, pointing at the [Electromagnetic Railgun] text and said to his old partner, “Exchange for this, must exchange for this!”
Jinfeng President glanced at it and said speechlessly, “150,000 points, even selling you as a university student wouldn’t gather that much money.”
Old Xie sullenly crouched back down.
He didn’t really want to exchange, just expressing his shock this way.
“I feel the gap between us is getting bigger.”
“The gap between people is bigger than between people and dogs, but you’re right on one point: we overestimated ourselves before.”
Jinfeng President spat and said wistfully.
“Ah, that force classification you mentioned last time?”
“Originally thought we were a major force, looks like we need to drop two levels.”
“Two levels? That many?”
Jinfeng President pointed at the forward train armed to the teeth, “Only those who can rampage through a province can be called a major force. If we could build this base city and gain discourse power, perhaps we could promote to mid-tier force.”
Old Xie looked surprised, “You mean we’re still a small force now? Then what are they?”
Jinfeng followed Old Xie’s finger and named them one by one, “Baldy’s Fu Yuan Convoy, fragmented and third-rate; Tiejian City holding one spot, third-rate; Black Star really gets the ‘convoy’—proper mix of large, medium, small vehicles, long-term mobile experience, counts as small force.”
“As for Black Kite… based on your info, at least same level as the Armored Train, a major force.”
……
Zhijin City core, countless zombie hordes crowded in narrow streets and buildings, howling day and night.
Everywhere the eye could see was outstretched arms and pitch-black pupils.
Two Tier 2 Butchers were teaming up to beat a Tier 2 Skull Crusher, a group of Tier 1 Night Demons and Jumpers hanging on surrounding buildings, their pitch-black eyes following the movements of the three zombies below.
The lower-level zombies weren’t as agile or brainy; every collision of the three squeezed large numbers of low-level zombies to death.
“Tier 2 zombies already show obvious intelligence, able to cooperate and utilize and store tools.”
Number 1 watched the battle below and said calmly.
As soon as he spoke, the two Butchers used the city center’s metal sculpture to tear apart the Skull Crusher, then each grabbed one of the Skull Crusher’s hammers and howled excitedly.
As the Butchers raised the hammers high, the surrounding zombie horde let out deafening roars.
Like frenzied fans in the stands below, waving arms and rhythmically roaring along with the Tier 2 Butchers’ actions.
The building’s vibrations made the assistant faintly uneasy.
“Perhaps Tier 3 will bring a qualitative change…”
Zhong You’s appearance pushing through the door appeared on the glass in front of Number 1, his handsome face frosty and brows furrowed with anger.
“You’re going to tell me bad news, right?”
Number 1 asked calmly.
Though burning with anger, Zhong You’s salute was precise, “The convoy was stopped by the Armored Train, so it didn’t arrive on time.”
Number 1 nodded, “Though only under 2.3% probability, given the Train Conductor’s 92% randomness, it’s not strange. What are they doing?”
“The Armored Train is exchanging talent with various small forces using supplies.”
“Pretty good, retains some talent with knowledge and skills without affecting the base city plan’s normal progress.”
Zhong You jerked his head up, “But this plan shouldn’t proceed, this is Black Kite and Armored Train’s war! What do you plan to do bringing these 200,000 people to the battlefield?”
Number 1 said calmly, “You know it’s war. Also, let me remind you: even promoted to Golden Kite, you lack permission to question me.”
Fury blazed in Zhong You’s eyes, the steel canister nozzle behind him faintly trembling.
“That’s 200,000 people! A full 200,000 people!”
In the empty room, several auras at his level suddenly appeared, not manifesting but locking onto him deadly.
“Precisely over 50,000 evolvers. Only this number of evolvers can birth enough Butchers through emotions, giving a chance to break the train’s defense and drown it completely. Ordinary zombies can’t…”
Number 1’s tone had no fluctuation, like stating ordinary parameters.
This attitude turned Zhong You’s fair skin red.
Zhong You stepped forward, tone intense, “We can kill them, use them, but absolutely cannot feed them to zombies.”
But Number 1 didn’t understand Zhong You’s meaning, even puzzled by the intense emotions.
“They lack knowledge, offer no benefit to human development, useless even for rebuilding civilization, instead wasting resources. They’ll die in the wilderness sooner or later, turning into zombies. Whether we guide it or they choose themselves, what’s the difference?”
Zhong You looked into Black Kite this Supreme Director’s utterly inhuman eyes, as if falling into an ice cave.
All arguments and anger couldn’t form, finally stifled in his throat into a question.
“Are you a beast?”
With these words, the air seemed to condense into frost.
The several hidden protector auras all paused.
But Number 1 Director’s gaze remained calm, “If you mean physiologically, humans are just more advanced animals; I’d answer yes. But your words carry clear attack tendency. My judgment system classifies it as insult. Per company rules, insulting or attacking the Supreme Director is punishable by death. Given you’re company high-level and high-value evolver, I’ll give you one chance to retract.”
“Do you retract your earlier words?”
Zhong You stared into Number 1’s eyes, standing silently; the space’s atmosphere congealed to the extreme, chill spreading soundlessly.
“Zhong You, don’t make it ugly over some inexplicable triviality. I don’t want to act against my own.”
A man with a Golden Kite iris brooch at his collar stepped out, playing with a revolver in hand.
From the opposite corner, a figure in a tuxedo dressed like a butler stepped out, warning, “Your strength is good, but not enough.”
After a long time, Zhong You slowly exhaled, white mist condensing at his lips and silently dissipating.
He took a step back.
Just as everyone thought it was over, Zhong You yanked off the iris brooch at his collar and smashed it hard on the ground amid everyone’s stunned gazes.
In the crisp sound, the floor shattered, silver cold light flashing and vanishing in mid-air.
Zhong You turned and left.
Behind him, Number 1’s voice was steady as machinery, “Strip Zhong You of Yin Yuan status, detain back to company headquarters. His task replaced by Golden Kite Dailang.”
……
