Armored train in the apocalypse

Chapter 201 Medium-rare

The most bewildered were Tong Zizhan and Gao Yuan.

"How... should this report be written?"

"you saw it?"

"I'd rather I hadn't seen it..."

"I'm asking how the train conductor was promoted to level two."

Gao Yuan twirled the ring, then clapped his hands together with a complicated expression.

Tong Zizhan frowned. "What do you mean?"

That's how he got promoted.

Gao Yuan clapped his hands again.

Tong Zizhan craned his neck forward, mouth agape, "Are you kidding me? Clapping your hands and getting promoted on the spot? Are you telling a story?"

Gao Yuan countered, "Do you think I would joke at a time like this?"

Tong Zizhan was furious: "Is this still a rigorous evolution?!"

"The train conductor is very careless!"

"The key question is, how should I write my report?"

Gao Yuan turned the ring, remained silent for a moment, and then suddenly looked up at the battlefield in the distance. Besides the Black Kite Squad, which was suppressed by the armed forces and dared not show their faces, there was a group of sneaky guys mixed in with them.

"Why don't we see how they write it later?"

Tong Zizhan's eyes lit up. "That's a good idea, but how come they're hanging out with Black Kite?"

"They must have been captured..."

The commotion below was so loud that Haywood on the mountain heard it, but he ignored it and instead searched for the crown pear tree even more diligently.

……

Su Huan squinted at the ball of light in front of him.

As I carefully considered reducing the energy output, a sense of underestimation arose in my mind.

'He didn't get electrocuted, did he? It only had about half its energy left; theoretically, he should have been able to escape after a little struggle… This kid is probably all show and no substance.'

As Zhao Kuo listened to the mechanical prompts flashing wildly in his ears, despair settled in his heart.

"Warning: Pain levels have reached the tolerance threshold; pain receptors have been blocked."

Warning: More than 80% of skin tissue is destroyed.

"WARNING: Exoskeleton energy absorption module damaged"

Warning: 4 exoskeleton motors damaged.

Warning: 8 exoskeleton motors have been damaged.

Warning: Communication module damaged.

"Warning: Electronic scanning module damaged, power module damaged, weapon electronics module damaged..."

"Warning: More than 60% of the exoskeleton has been damaged, leaving only its mechanical function."

"Warning: Subcutaneous defense tissue damaged, internal organs injured..."

"Warning: Energy exceeded threshold detected, brain tissue shut down."

"Exoskeleton power is full"

"Should the emergency response plan be activated?"

"The main brain tissue has entered a state of shutdown; emergency plan activated."

Upon smelling a burnt aroma, Su Huan decisively stopped the energy output.

The next moment, a hysterical roar came from within the lightning.

A long blade, more than two meters long, cleaved through the lightning.

"bang"

Zhao Kuo, who was forcibly pulled into the air by the electric current, landed on the ground, propped up with his long sword, and only with the help of his exoskeleton did he not fall to the ground.

But their condition was so terrible that it was unbearable to look at.

The insulation layer on the exoskeleton was punctured by the electric current, leaving it covered in lightning-shaped marks, like frost flowers.

All the exposed flesh was charred black by the electric current. Acid rain fell on it like falling into burning coals, making a crackling sound, and the charred powder slid off with the rain.

Su Huan was stunned when he saw this magnificent appearance.

This is the first time he has mastered second-tier power in both his lifetimes combined, and he has no idea how much he has.

"How about... we start over?"

Zhao Kuo, standing opposite him, did not react at all.

His human flesh and blood had become completely numb.

If it weren't for the fact that the proportion of his body modified exceeded 40%, Zhao Kuo would already be dead by now.

A crisp "crack" sounded.

A spark flashed in Zhao Kuo's right eye, the blue light went out, and it turned into a cold metal ball.

He raised his two-meter-long narrow knife and charged at Su Huan.

Su Huan sensed that something was wrong with him, hesitated for a moment, and then stopped shocking him. He casually drew a carbon fiber longsword and held it in front of him, and then took a step backward.

His "Defender" level is still at Tier 1, so he shouldn't engage in close combat.

"what?"

Su Huan looked up in surprise.

A gust of wind swept past him, and the menacing Zhao Kuo merely swung his sword in the air, forcing Su Huan aside, before running away into the distance.

They showed no intention of turning back.

'He's probably been electrocuted...'

But it saves trouble too.

He was racking his brains trying to figure out how to get the black kite into the mountains.

Now look what happened, he ran right in there.

They manipulated the sky to send down several bolts of lightning, forcing Zhao Kuo onto the right path.

Although this guy had lost his consciousness, his escape speed still surpassed that of most first-tier evolved beings.

They disappeared into the mountains in the blink of an eye.

The Black Kite Squad members and the armed train crew were left staring at each other in bewilderment.

The team members have already started asking her, as the deputy commander, what the next step should be.

HT-426 felt a chill run down his spine as he watched Zhao Kuo flee, and gritted his teeth, cursing him as a piece of trash.

Just then, she noticed Su Huan walking towards her, and an uncontrollable fear crept into her gray-blue eyes.

Issue the order immediately.

"Evacuate towards Wangjiang Peak!"

What to do with the prisoners of Deep Blue data?

"Throw it all away!"

Black Kite then launched an even fiercer attack.

The experienced elite soldiers, including He Jie, immediately realized that the other side was trying to escape. However, remembering the train conductor's instructions, they pretended to act along with the other side.

Except for one unlucky fellow who was knocked down by Su Huan's electric spear, most of them ran up Wangjiang Peak.

In the heavy rain, He Jie habitually yelled in his broken voice to call on the soldiers to clean up the battlefield.

The rainwater rushing down the mountain had almost formed a river, splashing over our feet. An ordinary person would be unable to even stand up now.

Su Huan picked up the guy he had electrocuted, speechless.

Never mind him, a dignified first-tier evolved being can drown here.

He heard the splashing sound of water behind him, and sensing the restless energy fluctuations, Su Huan raised an eyebrow in surprise, "Promoted to the first rank of 'Soldier'?"

Liang Kuan's chest heaved as he said in a muffled voice, "No, my skills have broken through. I killed him without holding back."

After saying that, he left behind a pitiful body.

The once-powerful "fighter" was now even more formidable. All four limbs encased in the exoskeleton were broken, his chest was dented as if trampled by an elephant, and blood was flowing from his seven orifices—a truly pitiful sight. Su Huan frowned. "Don't waste it. Next time, take the exoskeleton off. Theirs is more advanced than ours. Giving it to Yu Jing might lead to some good research."

"Hmm." Liang Kuan responded, then hesitated for a moment before asking, "Why can't I advance to the next level even after using the gene serum?"

Su Huan shook his head slightly and looked at the towering Wangjiang Peak in front of him. "It's just one more big battle. Maybe it'll be the next one, maybe the one after that. As long as we fight hard enough, it'll happen sooner or later."

Actually, Lao Liang is already fast enough. The first level is a huge hurdle, and countless people get stuck here.

It will be a year after the apocalypse that a large number of wilderness geniuses will reach the first tier.

It's only been two months, and Lao Liang is already on the verge of success.

Su Huan's influence played a part, but it also shows that Lao Liang's talent is not bad.

Compared to geniuses like him and Lin Jin, Lao Liang seemed as slow as a tortoise.

He Jie and Qu Hang got a head start, but their actual evolutionary talent may not be as strong as Lao Liang's.

In terms of evolution speed, Su Huan is in the top tier, an absolute T0, because with several layers of buffs stacked, no one can compare to him.

The second tier consists of gene prototypes like Lin Xi, who consume life force and advance extremely quickly.

These two levels have exceeded the normal speed, at the cost of a shorter lifespan.

The third tier consists of top geniuses like Lin Jin. Su Huan always felt that Lin Jin was some kind of perfect genetic prototype who had found a balance between advancement speed and vitality. Otherwise, even the most outstanding genius could not reach the fifth rank in four years.

But this was just his wild guess. After all, he had only ever seen one genius in his previous life, and he had never even seen any other fifth-tier powerhouses. The sample size was too small, and there was a lack of evidence.

The fourth tier should be ordinary geniuses like Xiao Ba, who have both combat power and advancement speed, and have the potential to reach the fifth tier.

The fifth tier includes Liang Kuan, Yu Jing, Yu Yue, He Jie, and Qu Hang, who are slightly stronger and have the potential to become third-tier professionals.

There are many more people in the sixth tier, including Lu Xiao, Jiang Rong, the brothers Lao San, Shan Yang, Huang Hai, and even elite soldiers. It's difficult for them to advance to the next tier, and they might be stuck in the first tier for life.

As for Professor Ma, Vice President Deng, and Wan Xing, it's hard to say for sure, since they didn't know each other in their past lives.

Professor Ma and his colleagues have devoted more of their energy to research in this lifetime, making it even harder to say for sure.

However, Wan Xing and Professor Ma both impressed him in some ways regarding their evolutionary abilities, and it's really hard to say how far they will go on the path of evolution.

Just like Zhang Min, whom he initially thought was going to die somewhere, she later became a first-order "manipulator".

Evolution is a diverse thing, with each path leading to the next.

While the two were talking, He Jie had already led his men to clean up the battlefield.

He brought over several prisoners and reported, "We captured six prisoners, five from the Deep Blue Data Investigation Team. Apart from the one from the Steel Council, the rest are all Tier 1."

With a wave of his hand, Su Huan tore away a large section of rain between the two of them with an energy barrier.

"Does the Steel Council still exist?" he asked curiously.

He Jie's gaze was deep and unfathomable. "Li Wangchuan is still alive. He has gathered some survivors and established a new base in the original location of the new city."

"Oh, I see. That's good."

Su Huanping said calmly.

"Should we just ignore him?"

"That's all in the past, why the heavy killing intent?"

The train conductor holds a grudge against those who wronged him, but he is always magnanimous towards those he wronged.

The head of Deep Blue Data's investigation team gave He Jie a deep look.

Their internal documents also contain information about He Jie.

"He once strongly suggested burning down the logistics center. After analysis, it was found that this person had a volatile and extreme personality and a certain degree of antisocial personality."

When I saw it today, it certainly lived up to its reputation.

Your former employer has been treated so badly by you guys, and you still want to go back and silence him?

That black bear is no human being.

He Jie continued, "So what's next...?"

Su Huan's gaze was already fixed on the investigation team leader's face, and he calmly asked, "You know that a mutated plant called the Crown Pear Tree, which can replenish life force, has appeared in Wangjiang Peak, right?"

The investigation team leader was taken aback.

vitality?
Crown pear tree?

"We...don't know."

The investigation team leader hesitated for a moment before speaking truthfully.

Su Huan was taken aback. Considering the timing of their appearance, if they had been captured by Hei Yuan at that time, they would indeed not have known.

"That's not important." Su Huan smiled kindly. "You know now, don't you?"

Alarm bells rang in the investigation team leader's mind, and he shook his head vigorously, "I don't know any of those concepts you're talking about..."

Before he could finish speaking, he was interrupted by a hand that landed on his shoulder.

A harmless spark of electricity flickered on Su Huan's well-defined knuckles as he calmly asked, "Think about it again?"

"The Crown Pear Tree is a mutated plant that can replenish vitality and may even have some restorative effects."

"Very good." Su Huan's eyes were encouraging. "Use all your methods to help me find him."

The investigation team leader responded with a pained expression.

This is like escaping one wolf's den only to fall into another; it would have been better for me to fall into Black Kite's hands!

At least I don't have to do any work.

Su Huan said coldly, "He Jie, I'll give you twenty minutes to prepare. Then take them up the mountain and put some pressure on the people there."

He Jie looked worried; he had been searching for the pear tree for many days.

"What if they can't find it either?"

A cold glint flashed in Su Huan's eyes, and a smirk appeared on his lips. "Then let's die together."

The investigation team leader shuddered.

He knew he had messed up this time.

The company's reputation couldn't save him.

Only the prisoner from the Steel Council showed no fear, and instead looked at Su Huan with an inquisitive gaze.

……

Twenty minutes later, the battlefield at the foot of the mountain was cleaned up, and Su Huan personally led the team.

Apart from the crew, all members of the armed forces, including Xiao Ba, went up the mountain.

In the procession, six prisoners were dispersed and walked at the front.

The rain intensified, and if the mutated plants hadn't taken deep root, mudslides would have already washed away the mountain.

The murky water gurgled down the mountain, and if you hadn't walked past it several times, you wouldn't have been able to find the bluestone steps at all.

The mutated plants on both sides stubbornly covered the road that He Jie had just cleared out today.

Soldiers brandished their sabers, quickly clearing away vegetation, finding anchor points on the mountain, and tying ropes to facilitate the climb for the soldiers behind them.

After all, most soldiers in the armed regiments are not highly evolved, unlike the group of Haywood and Black Kite, whose weakest members have reached the first rank and who, with their extensive advanced equipment, can climb mountains whether they use ropes or not.

The armed forces steadily advanced up the mountain.

They weren't worried at all that the Black Kite's people would escape.

Wangjiang Peak is a fault-block mountain, also known as a single-sided mountain, with only one passageway on both sides. On the other side is a cliff, offering a perfect view of the distant Mojiang Waterfall.

The Mojiang River, which spans three provinces, originates in Qingchuan Province.

This is also the origin of the name Wangjiang Peak.

If it had been a couple of days earlier, when the rain wasn't too heavy, we could have flown the helicopter up there.

Even if Black Kite and his ten companions sprouted wings, it wouldn't make a difference in this torrential rain.

Even Su Huan couldn't climb down a vertical height of over a thousand meters. Hei Yuan and the others were only first-tier evolved beings, not superhumans.

If it were Zhao Kuo at the peak of the second tier, it would still be possible.

Even when beaten to medium-rare, they can still escape.

It must be said that second-tier evolved beings have a truly diverse range of methods.

Yu Yue, who was focused on climbing the mountain, suddenly turned around and frowned as she looked down the mountain.

His lips moved slightly, "Su Huan... I think I heard a beast's roar."

(I've been having some writer's block lately... Brothers with ideas, feel free to suggest them in the comments. The current outline only goes up to the point where the protagonist solves his life force problem and enters the flood zone.)
(End of this chapter)