Armored train in the apocalypse

Chapter 293 Pingqiao Village

Since learning that the Pan-Asian Alliance was a marginal player, Su Huan lost interest in learning more about it.

They decided to assign the task to Director Xu to conduct some dangerous human experiments.

If there is any intelligence, Shu Wei will inform him.

The next day was just another day in a cycle.

The train conductor listened to the progress reports from the main responsible persons in each laboratory, and occasionally took a detour to the armed forces area.

Because of how the Lao Wu incident was handled, the soldiers clearly held him in greater awe, even more so than He Jie, with whom they spent every day.

The Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps has just completed its reforms and is still in a period of adjustment and integration.

Some outstanding recruits were assigned to non-commissioned officer squads, while the rest under experienced officers underwent regular training.

Physical fitness, tactical maneuvers, weapons training, evolutionary information...

At present, firearms remain the primary means of warfare, especially as our evolutionary capabilities have not yet matured. Therefore, firearms training cannot be stopped, and in addition, training in the operation of equipment such as artillery and drones has been added.

There is not much training in cold weapons; only "defenders" who choose this direction receive targeted and specialized training.

The non-commissioned officer squad mainly focuses on training coordination skills.

Although there were some disorganized rabble at the beginning, with veterans like He Jie among them, Su Huan was not worried about their combat capabilities.

Officer training requires objectives; ordinary training does not provide an environment where they can utilize their abilities.

To test the limits of their abilities, you need at least a second-tier or higher enemy.

Unfortunately, the area around the ruins of Xiaohe City was cleared too thoroughly by the Black Kite, and not a single second-tier creature was encountered in two days.

"rumble……"

The armed train was parked in the ruins of a village.

Avoid the storm that is too violent.

While a train fully armored at Tier 1 can be immune to damage, an excessively harsh environment will further reduce the train's speed and increase energy consumption.

Inside the vehicle, staff members discussed in hushed tones, summarizing various pieces of information.

Finally, the person with glasses reported to the train conductor sitting on the highest control platform.

"Due to the storm, the train's destination has been slightly deviated. It is currently stopped in Pingqiao Village, Fengxi County, northeast of Xiaohe City. It is 210 kilometers away from its target, Zhijin City, in a straight line. If it takes the national highway, it is 230 kilometers away. There are three groups of generalized energy fluctuations within a 10-kilometer radius, all of which are first-order and there are no second-order generalized energy fluctuations."

"The vehicle body is undamaged, the system is sealed and stable, the power system is normal, and the braking system is normal."

"The air filtration system needs to be replaced with consumables, one drone is damaged, one robotic arm is damaged, and six tracks on the vehicle are faulty. The logistics team has been notified to replace them."

Looking at the route map on the screen, Su Huan asked in confusion, "It took several days to travel just over a hundred kilometers?"

The bespectacled man said awkwardly, "The cultivation pod is moving too slowly, mainly relying on the train for propulsion. In stormy conditions, the wind resistance from the tree canopy is even greater, causing the speed to decrease further..."

"Will it run faster if it's charged?"

Seeing the train conductor's chilling gaze, Glasses decisively shut his mouth.

The armed train can maintain its current stability thanks to two indispensable things: the massive water resources stored in the flood zone and the train conductor's near-perpetual energy supply.

But I heard that the train conductor hates being a power bank.

"There's a general energy fluctuation near the train," Shu Wei said, pointing to the screen at just the right moment.

Su Huan glanced at it; a small red dot swept past the front of the car at an extremely fast speed, its energy level around Tier 1. "Let the third brother go out and handle it."

Shu Wei slid her finger across the tablet and added, "There's a batch of new equipment that needs testing. Yu Jing's exoskeleton is encountering difficulties and also needs combat testing."

"Why haven't we developed a combat exoskeleton yet?"

"The exoskeletons we obtained from the logistics center were all civilian models. To get a combat exoskeleton, we had to manufacture it from scratch, which was very difficult. It was only thanks to Tan Yunxi's involvement that we were able to solve the weapon system design problem..."

"The progress is a bit slow."

Su Huan frowned.

Shu Wei lowered her eyes, "There are too few mechanical-related talents on the train, only the factory director has some."

"I remember she was quite skilled when she installed the car; it seemed much more complex than an exoskeleton."

"Motorcycles are her hobby."

Su Huan rubbed his chin and squinted at the map. "Tell me, where can we capture a group of wild researchers?"

Shu Wei said calmly, "If you don't want to fight a mutually destructive battle with Black Kite or other major forces, I suggest you put away this dangerous idea."

Su Huan withdrew his gaze from the Black Kite's territory.

"Alright, let's try out the weapon first."

……

"Wow—"

The car door opens.

The sandstorm rushed into the car like a madman, but was blocked by an invisible layer of wind. In just a short while, it piled up a layer of sand several centimeters thick on the ground.

Su Huan led the third brother and others out.

The light sand and dust falling on the train felt like needles pricking his skin. Although Su Huan's skin was thick enough to be completely immune to the damage from the sand and dust, it was still somewhat uncomfortable. He briefly tested the intensity and then used his energy barrier to isolate himself from it.

This test involved a combat team of five people: Qu Hang's squad transferred from the armed forces, plus Yu Jing and Tan Yunxi wearing brand-new exoskeletons.

Including Su Huan, Shu Wei, Lao San, Bai Lu, and Giraffe, there are a total of seventeen people.

As soon as he got out of the car, Qu Hang manipulated a gust of wind to isolate everyone inside.

The sandstorm within a ten-meter radius instantly subsided, and even the sand on our clothes fell to the ground, while ten meters away, the scene of yellow sand still filled the sky.

It's like a transparent pane of glass separating everyone from the outside world.

Su Huan deployed "Universal Energy Sensing," instantly covering this small, modern village.

He swept past the auras below the first rank and quickly locked onto an entity inside a nearby two-story house. He raised his pistol and pointed it in that direction.

Everyone immediately understood and followed the train conductor toward the houses.

The equipment used in this test consisted of three main types: two guns and a bulletproof vest.

The pistol that Su Huan was holding was the one his boss had just made. It was silver and matte, and at first glance it looked a bit like a Desert Eagle, but with sharper and cleaner lines. It was named after the Black Lion, using a name that was part of the Black Lion system: Bright Lion.

It is chosen for its bright sound.

It uses specially made pistol ammunition, with power comparable to that of a rifle.

The other one, called the War Lion, is an assault rifle modeled after the Iron Curtain.

Other parameters remained unchanged; only the bullet caliber was altered to increase its firing power.

Given the current intensity of armed train warfare, ordinary assault rifles are no longer sufficient, and pistols have become completely useless. Before the widespread adoption of general-purpose weapons, the transformation into high-powered firearms is imperative.

The bulletproof vest is made from the previous sand armor leather, and today we are conducting a real-world war test.

The separate combat groups and armed regiments were also used to observe the impact of this equipment on different combat scenarios.

The isolation zone quickly enveloped the two-story building in front of them.

Before the apocalypse, the family living in the small building was quite well-off. The exterior walls were all covered with tiles, which had not peeled off despite being ravaged by wind and sand for so long. However, all the windows on the first floor were broken, and only the double security doors on the front were intact.

Su Huan walked straight toward the security door.

Lao San and Qu Hang exchanged a glance, then led their combat team past the train conductor, first throwing a few grenades into the window, and then kicking open the security door and rushing inside while the grenades exploded.

The room was immediately filled with frenzied gunfire and terrifying screams.

Qu Hang picked up his sniper rifle and calmly gave the order: "The target is already wounded. Mongoose, lead the pilot and medic to circle around to the rear and block the escape route. Xiao Ba, launch a frontal assault."

"Yes!"

Almost instantly, the meerkats launched themselves forward, not going around to the side, but jumping onto the second-floor balcony and flipping over the roof, while the other two went around to the left and right.

This time, Xiao Ba didn't use a wheelchair and rushed straight towards the main entrance of the building.

Even more chilling wails came from inside the room.

Only when the gunfire stopped did Su Huan step onto the steps outside the door.

Excluding the train conductor and his entourage who did not participate in the battle, the combat team plus the armed corps consisted of six Tier 1 members. They could not only kill a Tier 1 individual, but also handle a horde of Tier 1 zombies.

Just as he was about to enter, Su Huan paused and looked to the side where the sandstorm was swirling. A first-order energy fluctuation had just swept past from that direction, and it felt very similar to the thing that had swept past the front of the car.

Its size and energy intensity are greater than those of humans, so it should be some kind of evolved beast.

He is weak and injured.

Su Huan's slightly curious gaze shifted back into the room.

So who is the unlucky guy in this story?
……

Outside Pingqiao Village, a convoy of small vehicles sped out of the sandstorm.

The convoy was much smaller than Li Xinlong's, consisting of only two off-road vehicles that looked dusty and whose original paint color was barely visible up close.

The driver, covered in sweat, said, "Boss, the storm is too big. I've been driving blindly with my eyes closed. If this continues, we might crash!"

"Shut up!" The burly man in the passenger seat held up a pistol, his face grim as he stared at Pingqiao Village in front of them. "Big Goose, look where we are!"

The long-necked man in the back seat crawled out from between the two seats, looked around for a long time but couldn't make out his shape. He asked the driver to open the sunroof, crawled out to take a look, then suddenly pulled his head back and said warily, "Pingqiao Village! How did we end up here?"

Upon hearing this name, the driver and the two people in the back all changed their expressions.

The burly man slammed his fist on the car door and cursed, "Damn it, this beast, it can still run so fast even when it's injured. I should have known better than to be stingy with those bullets and just shot it out, then none of this would have happened."

The goose shook its head, and sand rolled down.

The burly man slapped him across the face, yelling, "Stop slapping your dog head, it's covered in sand. You're cleaning the car tonight."

The goose clutched its head and let out a muffled groan.

The driver asked, "This is Hu Tieche's territory, are we still going in?"

The burly man's eyes flashed with a fierce light. "Go in, why not go in? That's an injured evolved beast. If we kill it, we can eat for a month. The resources we get can be exchanged for a lot of equipment at the Xiahe Black Market. Next time we see that son of a bitch Li Xinlong, we won't have to be afraid of him."

"Don't even mention Hu Tieche living inside, I'd go in even if it were Optimus Prime!"

The group realized their leader was determined and stopped trying to persuade him.

"Got it! Damn Hu Tieche! Then our Dragon Riders can be said to be a large caravan that snatched food from Hu Tieche's hands!"

"That's awesome!"

"Fuck you!"

With the roar of the engine, the off-road vehicle rumbled into Pingqiao Village.

Because of the different angle of approach and the strong wind and sand, the group completely failed to see the armed train stretching for thousands of meters on the other side.

……

The ground floor of the small building was in a mess, with a large hole in the wall that had been sealed with a piece of metal.

The combat team soldiers, dressed in black, watched the window warily.

The floorboards in the room were trampled to pieces, and in the middle lay a first-tier killer, its body completely black, its head hidden in its chest cavity, its hands holding a rope and a giant hammer.

It was that unlucky guy.

However, there was an unlucky guy sitting next to them in this battle.

The third brother's arm, the only one not protected by the bulletproof vest, was injured, and the medic in Qu Hang's team was treating his injury.

The doctor was originally in the combat team, but was later transferred to the armed forces and promoted one rank.

Qu Hang disliked trouble, so he gave the two of them codenames based on their combat duties.

Hearing the third brother's painful groans, Su Huan picked up the photo frame from the corner cabinet, the only intact piece of furniture in the room.

The photo shows a young couple, of average appearance, taking a picture by a small river.

It should be the river from which Xiahe City got its name.

I didn't see it when I came; it must be dried up now.

Based on the killer's obsession, the person in the photo should be one of them, and there may be a touching or ordinary story behind it.

Unfortunately, Su Huan had no intention of finding out.

After the apocalypse, there will be many stories like this.

An endless stream.

He placed the photo frame on the fallen killer and said indifferently, "Burn it after you've extracted the crystals."

The doctor standing nearby paused for a moment, but didn't bring up the matter of the materials.

Everyone quickly evacuated.

A fire engulfed the unrecovered story, which vanished in the flames.

Su Huan walked along the village road. Thanks to economic development, even the rural roads in Donghuang were extremely smooth. The sand could not stand on them and could only pile up at the base of the walls, where it was squeezed out by the tenacious mutated plants.

Su Huan walked towards the location of the energy fluctuation.

Qu Hang's team moved around on both sides, clearing away potential crises.

However, Pingqiao Village is very clean, with few ordinary zombies and only some evolved beasts that have not yet reached a higher level.

Su Huan pulled back the bolt and casually pulled the trigger to the side.

Bright flames burst from the muzzle, like the loud roar of a lion.

The head of a starving wild dog bloomed like a rose.

Qu Hang frowned, took a few more steps forward, and filled in the gaps in the defense.

Perhaps it was the loud gunshot from the Bright Lion that scared off the other evolved beasts.

They encountered no danger for the next half day.

The meerkat at the front suddenly crouched down on the roof, its clear golden eyes fixed on the other side of the village.

"There is a situation."

Qu Hang jumped to a high point, aimed at the point where the wind was disturbing, and fired decisively. The bullet disappeared into the rolling sandstorm and there was no echo for a long time.

"A few small fry. If they're alive, bring them back. If they're anything else, kill them all."

Su Huan's faint voice disappeared into a bungalow.

The meerkat's gaze fell on Qu Hang.

The latter pressed his palm forward.

The meerkat vanished into the wind in an instant.

Hachi followed closely behind on the ground.

(End of this chapter)