Chapter 323: A Story No One Cares About
Zhong You, who was just preparing to leave, froze in place.
His gaze complex, “That Tier 3 Matriarch was hand-fed by me.”
“So she’s called a ‘Matriarch,’ huh? First time hearing about this type of zombie. Pretty fitting.”
Su Huan came to a realization, his tone carrying a hint of approval.
Lord-class Zombies are rare. In his previous life, he hadn’t encountered many. For related tasks, he was just a peripheral small fry handling the edges.
“Last time, you beat me pretty badly. Aren’t you worried I’ll backstab you?”
Zhong You stared straight into his eyes, trying to find a trace of gloom or anger-like negative emotions within.
Su Huan magnanimously patted his shoulder, revealing a sunny smile. “No worries, the Train Conductor doesn’t hold grudges.”
Zhong You wanted to curse, but thinking of the power of Su Huan’s snap of the fingers just now, he silently held it back.
Yu Yue held back her laughter and turned her head away.
‘Who knows where he learned all those cheeky lines from. The child can’t be like him in the future, but maybe a little bit—naughty enough not to get bullied…’
Zhong You took a deep breath and said seriously, “I have one more question.”
Su Huan said indifferently, “My patience isn’t endless. Given our pleasant cooperation just now, this is the last one. Speak.”
“Did Cao Yong’s death have anything to do with you?”
“Who is Cao Yong?”
“My… elder. Bronze Kite Special Operations Captain.”
“That level isn’t worth my personal action.”
“In the last battle, he was captured by your train. He was Tier 1…”
Su Huan came to a realization. “He cursed me out, right?”
This was Tong Zizhan’s first merit, so the Train Conductor remembered it vividly. How could a grand Train Conductor quibble with a small character?
Zhong You was stunned for a moment. He really didn’t know this.
“Then he…”
“Uncertain.”
Su Huan’s lip corner lifted, and he said indifferently, “I’ve killed so many people, how could I remember them all? You’ll have to verify this yourself. If it was me, you’re welcome to seek revenge. For the sake of our one perfect transaction, I’ll leave you a complete corpse.”
Zhong You looked at this handsome-to-demonic man with a complex expression.
A heart carved like stubborn stone, evil forged like iron, baleful aura unrestrained, completely undisguised.
At this moment, Zhong You felt Su Huan completely step down from that file full of countless adjectives, becoming the living Train Conductor before his eyes.
He was the one who brought zombies to slaughter the city, and he was also the one who blocked zombies to save people.
No distinction between good and evil, innocence unclear.
Mad enough to inspire fear, resilient enough to win admiration. Truly an iron-clad madman!
Zhong You seemed to understand why Su Huan could kill his way from the high-temperature zone all the way here.
Some cursed him and hated him, some attacked him and tried to kill him, but now absolutely no one dared to underestimate him.
A surge of heroic spirit couldn’t help rising from his chest cavity. Zhong You said solemnly, “I need some time. If it wasn’t you, I’ll join the Armored Train. But if it was you, even if I can’t kill you, my Short Spear has to test the Train Conductor’s blood.”
Without waiting for Su Huan’s response, he turned and left.
“Tsk, confident.”
Su Huan chuckled lightly, extended one hand, and Yu Yue’s long legs moved as she skillfully jumped into his arms. The two ran toward the train’s direction.
On the way, Yu Yue asked worriedly, “If…”
“Then we’ll have one less Water Reservoir.”
Yu Yue’s almond eyes widened slightly. She had thought Su Huan took a liking to the other’s strength.
Unexpectedly, it was a Power Bank appreciating a Water Reservoir.
“I heard you gave me a fitting nickname?”
The eerie voice and the male breath close at hand made Yu Yue’s body stiffen.
……
Black Kite Headquarters, underground Laboratory.
A deep white corridor extended into the distance, with thirty-six cylindrical Incubation Pods lined on both sides. Each Incubation Pod was 2.2 meters high and 1.1 meters in diameter, made of medical-grade Stainless Steel and explosion-proof Glass. Fine water droplets condensed on the pod surface, slowly sliding down along the Metal Frame.
The pod was filled with pale green nutrient solution, appearing semi-transparent under the top LED lighting.
The solution temperature was maintained at 36.5℃, kept in slow circulation by six micro vortex pumps at the bottom. Fine bubbles were produced from the micropore diffuser at the pod bottom, supplied continuously at 15 liters per minute.
Each Incubation Pod suspended an adult male body, all nearly identical in height and build. The body was in an upright position, fixed in the pod center by nylon straps, with various tubes and electrode patches inserted all over.
The air was filled with a faint Alcohol smell and the scent of metal ion solution.
Suddenly, the warning light of Pod 1 lit up. The man suspended inside had his fingers twitch slightly, and rotating eyeballs were visible under his tightly closed eyelids.
Two multi-axis Mechanical Arms quickly arrived, opening the Incubation Pod according to procedure.
With a “whoosh,” the naked man was placed on a surgical cart, and the Mechanical Arm pushed him deeper inside.
The man slowly opened his eyes, looking dazedly at the Mechanical Arm before him.
“This… is where?”
“This is Black Kite Headquarters. Can you recall anything?”
A gentle female voice came from the Mechanical Arm.
Fragmented images suddenly flashed in his mind: terrifying Monsters, Zombie Tide, snake-like elegant creatures… and a man who looked human but inexplicably made one’s soul tremble, as well as White Light that destroyed everything.
“Who is that electric guy?”
The man couldn’t help muttering to himself.
“Database search indicates you’re referring to the Armored Train’s Train Conductor, Su Huan, the only known Tier 3 Evolver, a near-god figure.”
“Near-god figure. Then who am I?”
As the memories deepened, the man’s gaze gradually became vacant.
The man was soon pushed into the operating room. Amid the hum of various instruments, only mechanical prompts sounded.
“Clone body functions normal. Surgery beginning.”
“Limb modification successful. Proceeding to next…”
“Organ modification successful. Beginning next…”
“Head modification beginning…”
“…”
“Beep beep, clone body heart rate too high. Please intervene promptly…”
“Surgery failed. Switch to Clone Body 2. Record failure data. Head modification 20%…”
Soon, the newly awakened Clone Body 2 was pushed into the operating room.
“Head modification failed again. Progress at 35%. Switch to Clone Body 3…”
“Clone Body 3 failed, 56%.”
“Clone Body 4 failed, 72%.”
“Clone Body 5 failed, 93%.”
“Clone Body 6 failed, 99%.”
“Clone Body 7 successful!”
Seeing the man on the operating table open his eyes, the Mechanical Arm immediately turned, holding a gun while asking coldly, “May I ask if you remember who you are?”
Facing the muzzle, the man’s voice was even more indifferent than the machine’s. “I am Number 1.”
“Congratulations on your rebirth!”
The Mechanical Arm put away the Firearm and issued a gentle blessing, like family by the side of a recovered patient, with a relieved gentleness in the tone.
“A clone body is ultimately not a person. The original body is already dead, but I will take over the original body’s research.”
“Replenish clone body numbers. Transfer the original body’s memories to me.”
“Transfer all database information on Su Huan and Tier 3 as well.”
The reborn “Number 1 Director” lay on the Hospital Bed, his eyes clear and bright. After all, it was a new person, so the Evolutionary Degree naturally reset to zero.
Watching Su Huan destroy a city with a snap of the fingers in the transferred memories, admiration flowed in Number 1’s eyes.
‘So this is the power of Tier 3.’
……
Zhinnán District.
An explosion sound comparable to an atomic bomb rang out again.
And all in the areas densest with zombies.
Exhausted Wen Biao stood on a school rooftop. Seeing the distant explosions, he immediately got excited like a fanatic believer, howling to the dozens of brothers left behind him, “The Train Conductor is back! We’ve won!!”
Though Scavengers had no communication between them, this signature explosion sound was more effective than any signal.
The roars of Zhinnán District’s zombies were finally suppressed, and human shouts gained the upper hand.
This was the fruit of their night-long fierce battle, so it tasted especially sweet.
When Su Huan found Captain He, the other had turned into a blood gourd, swinging a Rubber Short Stick in the Zombie Horde, looking rough but with every attack extremely precise, accurately snapping zombie cervical vertebrae or skulls.
His killing speed was faster than the nearby soldiers with guns.
For killing these Ordinary Zombies, weapon Material didn’t matter much. Using a Rubber Short Stick was just more handy.
“Captain He, working out?”
Hearing Su Huan’s surprised and teasing voice, Captain He angrily kicked out, embedding over a dozen zombies in front of him into a car, like squished into a ball by a giant hand, indistinguishable.
Looking at the Train Conductor squatting on the roof, Captain He said indignantly, “You think I want to bash with a stick? The bullets are all fucking used up! If you didn’t come back soon, I’d have taken the men and run!”
“Used up?”
Su Huan’s eyes widened slightly. He casually grabbed a Night Demon Claw stabbing from behind, snapped it like a panda breaking bamboo, then yanked the whole thing over, patted its restless head, snapped its cervical vertebra, and tossed it downstairs like a rag.
“A whole Carriage of 12.7 bullets used up?”
A train Carriage’s worth, not a Box’s worth.
“You think those two hundred on the roof are what? Fire pokers?”
“Gone that fast…”
Su Huan sighed. He thought the bullets from Black Kite support would last to the North, but one battle consumed them all.
Should’ve asked for fewer million Rifle Ammunition rounds and loaded all with 12.7s.
But it wouldn’t last long anyway.
Ammunition Belts take up too much space and weight.
And there were quite a few Heavy Machine Guns on the train. 12.7×99mm caliber ammo had become standard consumption.
Need to find a way to get a production line. Making his own is the way.
Su Huan leaped down. A circle of Lightning spread evenly from him as center. Surrounding zombies were like flies meeting a flyswatter—crackling with flashes before instantly falling.
But the intermixed soldiers and Scavengers were all unharmed.
“Train Conductor!”
“Train Conductor…”
Su Huan waved his hand, walked to Captain He’s side, pulled out crumpled Cigarettes from his pocket, and lit one for this steaming-hot man.
Captain He exhaled a smoke ring and said gravely, “I’ve lured the Zombie Tide out.”
“I saw. I’ll clean up the rest.”
“I don’t know what you’re thinking, but finishing today is impossible. Zhijin is too big. At least over three million zombies left. How many can we kill in one night? Plus those you blasted, at most over a million.”
Su Huan said with a headache, “Can’t finish? Pack up and continue tomorrow. The cars are all damaged; can’t leave for a while. Tons of stuff waiting. Might not step out of Zhijin in two months.”
Hearing this, Captain He relaxed.
He was afraid the Train Conductor would get ruthless and issue a death order, wiping out the hard-cultivated Seeds.
“As long as you’re prepared.”
Su Huan had already circled once earlier. The most dangerous spot was Captain He’s here. The moment he stood here declared humanity’s counterattack on Zhijin a complete victory.
Amid the thick stench, the two men chatted casually.
Occasionally, oblivious zombies were preemptively cleared by Yu Yue overhead.
Yu Yue wielding City Breaker was, besides Su Huan, the strongest single-target attacker on the entire train. Picking off stray Tier 1 Zombies was effortless.
The two stepped over corpses all the way back to the battle’s starting point.
The Blood had been dried and covered by sandstorm, but that brutal smell still made one frown.
The widest Zhijin South Road was dyed thick with Blood Plasma. Corpses filled every visible corner: under cars, in alleys, building crevices… even half-corpses hung on the rooftop barricade nets, swaying in the sandstorm.
Right in the road’s center was a Large Pit over ten meters wide. Buildings on both sides had partially collapsed, one side facing the pit completely vanished.
In the Large Pit, thick Blood Plasma mixed with Fat and various strange things, bubbling occasionally, with one or two rib-exposed corpses sinking down.
The horrifying path of remains extended to the Chenxi Plaza ahead.
Piled into corpse mountains.
The Crew had already begun cleaning the Battlefield. Several old men personally led the Manufacturing Group Crew to Collect Materials.
Seeing Su Huan approach, everyone’s gazes brightened.
Some with Awe, some with undisguised fanaticism.
Strength is more worship-worthy than power; humans have this Instinct etched into their bones.
A group came up to greet him.
“The Tier 3 Matriarch was blown to bits. We only found part of it…”
Director Xu handed over a white Fragment—the White Porcelain Mask from the Matriarch’s face.
The Fragment felt cool and delicate to the touch, like human Skin. In a way, it really was the Matriarch’s Skin.
Looking at the Fragment in his hand, memories not his own surged in Su Huan’s mind.
The scenes were disjointed but easy to understand.
It told of a Young Man and Woman: how they met, fell in love, faced the Apocalypse after marriage, became Evolvers, betrayed by companions—one trapped in Zhijin, the other turning into a Butcher in Pingqiao Village from severe injuries.
The final scene fell on the Ring on the Woman’s ring finger, gold and silver interlocked.
Perhaps due to Tier 3 or Lord differences, she recognized this Ring in her final moments.
What she wanted to protect wasn’t Su Huan.
She just Instinctively wanted to protect her love.
“Better that it’s shattered. Find someone, take it to Pingqiao Village, bury it next to that Butcher.”
Su Huan tossed the Fragment back.
Director Xu looked surprised. “You know her?”
“Does it matter?”
Ultimately, just a Story no one remembers.
