Armored train in the apocalypse

Chapter 169 Treehouse Black Market
"No wonder there are far fewer zombies here," Lin Jin suddenly realized.

Su Huan's fingertips turned red as a high-temperature projectile gradually formed. After two or three seconds, he launched it at a ferret tree dozens of meters away. A muffled thud was heard, sparks flew everywhere, and the bark was instantly charred black. The high-temperature projectile, which could easily melt the flesh of an ordinary person, did not cause any damage to the tree.

After being attacked, the iron-eating tree belatedly began to wildly swing its branches, sending pebbles flying and leaving green whip marks on the cement ground.

After fighting for a long time, apart from shaking off its leaves, the iron-eating tree did not find any enemies. Only then did it laboriously pull its roots out of the ground and slowly migrate to a distance.

After teasing the iron-eating tree, the train conductor turned to Lin Jin beside him and said, "Go and cut two branches."

"Hey, okay!"

Lin Jin jumped down without thinking.

Head straight for the iron-eating tree that is moving.

Sensing the intense heat emanating from behind, the iron-eating tree ran even faster.

Su Huan smiled, a look of reminiscence flashing in his eyes.

He didn't tease Lin Jin; the reason why this Shun'an black market was able to be established was because of this iron-eating tree.

It's unclear which clever people came up with the idea of ​​feeding the iron-eating trees with metal, but they later discovered that these trees, like dogs, could be tamed. Survivors began feeding the iron-eating trees in large quantities, and the iron-eating trees would protect the humans who were finding metal for them. Gradually, a symbiotic relationship was formed between the two.

In addition, the ironwood tree is tall and sturdy with lush branches and leaves, so people began to build treehouses on it.

The largest iron-eating tree in my past life was seventy meters tall, making it a local tyrant in Shun'an. Even zombies with husky personalities like Butcher were unwilling to provoke it.

Human survival rates stabilized thanks to these mobile treehouses.

However, the Iron-Eating Trees were unwilling to leave Shun'an. With limited metal resources on the surface, the survivors could only trade metals with past forces, which gradually led to the formation of treehouse trading platforms of various sizes.

Therefore, the Shunan Black Market is also known as the Treehouse Black Market.

It's still early, and I don't know if anyone has started domesticating iron-eating trees yet.

However, the iron-eating trees were just a side goal. What Su Huan actually valued was the resources accumulated by Shun'an before the apocalypse. The area had a well-developed railway and abundant resources, so many raw material factories were built. Later, with policy support, automobile manufacturing plants were established. After the industrial base was built, a small high-speed train production base was set up. The factory area for producing trains alone was comparable to a small town, which is why so many iron-eating trees could be fed during the four years after the apocalypse.

In terms of overall size, it is similar to the Steel Council's heavy industrial zone. The only difference is that these manufacturing plants belong to different companies and have not formed a monopoly like the Steel Council.

Su Huan initially only knew that there was a black market here; it was only after he completed the map that he learned there was a high-speed train production base here.

The destination of this trip is also this base.

With the existing equipment here, the train modification process can be accelerated considerably.

Moreover, there should be professionals related to high-speed trains here.

On the other side, Lin Jin also brought back two still-twisting iron-eating tree paper strips. Su Huan waved his hand dismissively, "Don't give them to me, give them to Huang Hai and have him cultivate two. Remember to feed them plenty of scrap metal, so they don't gnaw on the train."

Xiao Zhao said there were people ahead.

Yu Yue's gentle voice suddenly appeared in their ears.

Su Huan looked up and saw a rusty gantry crane standing on the railway tracks in the distance. Its tall metal frame cut the sunlight into sharp geometric shapes, casting shadows on the ground. As the train moved, he could also see abandoned train carriages hanging below.

Behind the gantry crane is a giant "metal structure" made of trucks and containers, more than 30 meters high, which is no less impressive than the gantry crane itself.

It wasn't the kind of wreckage from a car accident, but rather a collection of objects arranged in a certain pattern, imbued with a wild and intelligent spirit.

There were traces of welding between the scrapped truck compartments, and there were explosion-proof nets with lighter rust on the windows. The dismantled truck doors were welded to the outer wall of the "building" to become armor. On top was a row of anti-climb frames welded to axles and drive rods, with the tips cut very sharp. The oil tanker of the tanker truck was erected and converted into a sentry tower.

With a quick glance, Su Huan recognized various vehicle types on the metal building, including SUVs, RVs, and tanker trucks.

One has to admire the imagination and creativity of the survivors.

He hadn't seen this magnificent metal structure when he came here in his previous life; this iron-eating tree really can eat a lot.

Su Huan reached out and tapped the front of the car, saying calmly, "Have Liang Kuan warn the other side to prepare to stop, and have He Jie and Lao Hu get ready for the transaction."

"Okay, what if the other party refuses the deal?"

"Then rob it."

As soon as he finished speaking, a high-frequency buzzing sound came from ahead, and a detection drone with an optical fiber attached to its rear flew back, while the train beneath it let out a piercing whistle.

As the train drew closer, a man wearing a rubber apron emerged from the watchtower. Even from several hundred meters away, Su Huan could clearly see the astonishment on his face.

After hesitating for a moment, the man picked up a huge iron hammer and swung it to strike a hanging chain. Rusty rain fell in response, triggering some kind of alarm. The metal building rang with the sound of an old-fashioned clock.

The man waved at the train and shouted something.

"He was greeting us, trying to confirm our identities."

"Then tell them."

Yu Yue paused noticeably, then asked again to confirm, "Really?"

Su Huan said with a smile, "Why not tell the truth? Is the train conductor the kind of person who says one thing to your face and another behind your back?"

Yu Yue paused noticeably for a moment.

You could tell from his voice that he took a deep breath, as if he had made a very firm decision.

"Ignore you."

……

Carriages 13, 14, and 15 were extremely crowded due to the influx of many Steel Council survivors.

Fortunately, this was taken into account when the carriages were reorganized, and some family members were arranged in the two newly added carriages at the back, right next to Director Xu's four research carriages.

The first three carriages were barely enough to accommodate the train crew.

"15"

"14"

"13"

At this moment, He Jie walked down the corridor with his hands behind his back, counting down an unintelligible number. The third and second brothers stood behind him with tense faces, each carrying a short rubber baton in addition to their equipment.

The combat team members rushed out of the room.

Nobody wanted to be subjected to Captain He's stern warning.

Fortunately, they were all well-trained soldiers, and since they had only been in a new environment for a short time, they were all on edge. When the countdown ended, they all stood in the corridor, and no one fell behind.

The corridor was extremely narrow, making it somewhat cramped for a single soldier to stand.

But He Jie acted as if he didn't see it, and squeezed in with his arms outstretched.

Caught off guard, the soldiers at the front were unable to withstand the deliberate impact of the Tier 1 Defender, and the two soldiers behind them who were supporting him were also knocked over.

The group immediately sensed something was wrong.

Looking up, I saw He Jie's lower eyelids and his sinister smile.

"Bang bang bang!"

The stick left afterimages in an instant, and the third brother standing behind him cursed inwardly as he finally saw it clearly.

He Jie, that bastard, swung nine sticks in one second! Each person was hit three times evenly. No wonder he felt pain all over his body even though he was hit once!
Moreover, at that time it was just an ordinary rubber roller.

After being disciplined by Su Huan a few times, He Jie developed a liking for the sensation of electric shocks and replaced his rubber baton with an electric baton.

The three brothers have been quite busy lately, and He Jie hasn't been able to find anyone to practice with until today. He finally got his chance.

The three soldiers on the ground gaped in pain, like catfish that had been brought ashore.

Forget about screaming in pain, he couldn't even exhale a single breath.

The other soldiers immediately felt as if they were facing a formidable enemy.

Feet apart, body tense.

Seeing everyone's reaction, He Jie grinned with satisfaction. "Keep this tense state going. This is the first mission for the combat team. Although you are under the command of the second-in-command, he is my subordinate. If you lose face, he loses face, and if he loses face, I lose face. If I lose face, I'll shove all your brains into your asses!"

"Did you hear that?!"

"Yes!!"

They were all veterans, so naturally they wouldn't give He Jie a second chance, and they all shouted at the top of their lungs.

The three soldiers in front also got up and stood upright in the ranks.

He Jie nodded in satisfaction and waved his hand, "Line up to collect your guns. There are twenty [Iron Guard-5] assault rifles and twenty [Iron Falcon-2] submachine guns in total. Each person should carry one load of primary weapon ammunition and one magazine for secondary weapons. As for the 12.7mm bullets for the heavy machine gun, take as many as you can. If you can't hold them in your hands, you'll have to eat them! Not a single one is allowed!"

"Do you understand?"

"Yes!!"

The soldiers were already wearing bulletproof vests and tactical vests; all they needed to do now was collect their weapons and ammunition from the ammunition depot.

The two men stood on either side of the ammunition depot and passed it back to the next person in turn, at an extremely fast pace.

Before the train even stopped, forty people were already fully prepared to depart.

He Jie, with a cigarette dangling from his lips, reached into his pocket but couldn't find a lighter. He ejected a pistol bullet, flicked it with his index finger to send the bullet flying, and then, with a satisfying twist, lit a cigarette amidst the gunpowder smoke.

Turning around, I saw that damned Qu Hang leaning against the wall with a sniper rifle in his arms, surrounded by Goat and several elite soldiers.

Su Huan has not yet divided the core members into groups, and they are free to act before he gives orders. However, everyone still subconsciously gathered together.

Just as I was about to go up and cause trouble, the train conductor's voice came over the loudspeaker.

"The third brother will take two people to protect the negotiators, Qu Hangshan will be in one group to find sniping positions on his own, and He Jie and the second brother will organize the combat team to set up firing points to ensure the effective output of the train."

He Jie glared fiercely at Qu Hang and began to direct the soldiers to deploy their defenses.

The crowd dispersed.

……

A rumbling, shaking sound arose, and the bright lights pierced through like swords. Wang Fei barely opened his eyes. In the light, a menacing armed train roared toward him, scaring him so much that his scalp tingled, his hair stood on end, and he frantically tried to escape.

But somehow the road beneath his feet had turned into a grid of railway tracks, causing him to fall hard.

They scrambled forward as fast as they could.

But the train behind us sped up faster and faster, and with a sharp whistle, it crashed into us with a loud "boom".

"what--"

Wang Fei suddenly woke up with a start and tried to run away.

When he reached for the empty handle, he was startled and realized he had already jumped onto the control panel.

Coming to my senses, looking around at the rooms converted from abandoned buses and the scorching sunlight outside the window, I realized that I was no longer in the heavy industrial area of ​​the Steel Council.

That day was truly full of ups and downs.

That morning, he had just been rewarded by the company for discovering the armed train and was transferred from the front lines of the new city back to the headquarters in the heavy industrial zone.

However, because it takes some time to confirm, we did not go inside.

They stayed temporarily in the survivor camp outside.

As Zhang Min imagined what kind of expression that bitch would have after she joined the Steel Council.

Then came the nightmarish scene: a haunting armed train carrying thousands of zombie-evolved beasts roared in and instantly flattened the survivor camp.

Fortunately, he started running away reflexively as soon as he heard the whistle.

The lack of a wall for protection ironically became an aid in his escape.

Using the habit of abandoning teammates that he had developed in the Mojiang Mutual Aid Team, he finally escaped the zombie horde in a desperate dash.

Realizing the train was heading north, he had a sudden inspiration and decided to escape eastward.

They gathered survivors along the way, taking almost no detours, and arrived directly at Shun'an.

Having discovered survivors here, they decided to rest here for the time being.

The subordinates outside the door rushed in upon hearing the noise, and were taken aback when they saw the empty bed and Wang Fei slumped over the control panel.

"Brother Fei?"

"Damn it, I had a nightmare." Wang Fei jumped off the control panel without any shame. "Have you figured out the local situation yet?"

The subordinate immediately said, "There aren't many big companies in Shun'an, and there are few outsiders. Most of them are locals. They are roughly divided into four groups. One group is from the train manufacturing base, and I heard they are mostly intellectuals. There are two other groups, which are two factions of factory workers. Some of them follow their original leaders, and some have gone out to work independently. Finally, there is a group of outsiders like us."

"What about the locals?" Wang Fei asked, frowning.

"The locals are scattered in twos and threes, like the hundred or so people in the gantry crane. They're not organized. I heard the most dangerous ones are the outsiders, who have guns."

"Fierce?" Wang Fei scoffed dismissively. "Is it fiercer than a train?"

"That's really not true. These country bumpkins have all been stifled in this small place since the apocalypse. They've never seen a big battle where a powerful dragon can overpower a local snake."

His subordinates looked lingering fear.

Wang Fei revealed a smug expression, "I've figured it out. If we can't beat them, can't we at least avoid them? As long as we stay away from their armed train, the vast Qingchuan Province won't let us cause trouble. We have guns and men wherever we want."

The subordinate flattered, "It has to be Brother Fei. He still managed to think of this even in such a chaotic situation. We were just like headless flies."

"Alright, stop flattering me. Get that leopard guy to dinner later."

"I'll do it right away—"

The younger brother's ears twitched, and the sound stopped abruptly.

A look of confusion crossed his face, and he tentatively asked, "Brother Fei, did you hear that...?"

"What?"

"A steam horn?"

(End of this chapter)