Armored train in the apocalypse

Chapter 298 Is anyone there?

"June 4th, the wind was gentle."

"This is an era of evolution, and also an era of decline."

On days without sandstorms, the sun shines even more intensely.

Dust particles in the air bounced up and down with the train's movement, the aroma of noodles and meat swirled in the dining car, and plump white buns in the transparent steamer lids looked truly delightful. Yu Yue, wearing a strawberry bear apron, fiddled with her newly acquired coffee machine.

A deep hum vibrated across the countertop, carrying the leisurely rhythm of life.

Su Huan sat on the sofa with his legs crossed, fiddling with a delicate gold and silver ring in his hand.

The ring is small in size and has a simple design, with gold and silver metals intertwined and inlaid together.

Perhaps it was because the orange cat blanket had been replaced with a small black dog today, Su Huan felt a little anxious. The metal ring in his hand felt like soft clay, and he molded it into a small ring.

Both the ring and the person were captured in those almond-shaped eyes.

"Huh, where did this come from?"

Yu Yue, who was carrying coffee, saw the ring in Su Huan's hand and took it without hesitation.

She squeezed the ring in her hand, and seeing that Su Huan didn't react, the woman lowered her almond-shaped eyes slightly, then held the ring to his ear and showed it to him, her eyes sparkling as if stars were twinkling, "It's quite pretty."

After speaking, she knelt down in Su Huan's arms, gathered his long hair behind his ears, and clipped the earrings made of gold and silver rings onto his ears.

Su Huan glanced at her increasingly round face and let the woman do as she pleased.

She always liked to add little things to him.

But most of them couldn't stay on, and after a while, Su Huan himself would disappear without a trace.

How's the car lately?

“Every lab is complaining about staff shortages and slow progress. A new pear has grown on the crown pear tree in the cultivation chamber. He Jie has made several team adjustments, and the beatings and scoldings have almost stopped. However, Lao San was beaten again.”

Su Huan raised a sharp eyebrow. "Who would hit him?"

"Who else could it be but the kangaroo? The third brother is always looking for revenge on that kangaroo. He's been kicked away five times in three days. Huang Hai is complaining that the scaffold he worked so hard to build has been destroyed."

Beneath her long, obsidian-black hair, the gold and silver earrings became the most eye-catching embellishment.

Yu Yue's lips curled up slightly, her eyes filled with admiration for her masterpiece.

Su Huan's hand was wrapped around her increasingly alluring waist, but before he could make a further move, he was interrupted by the roar of the engine outside the car.

Yu Yue tilted her head. "A convoy is approaching us, and it doesn't sound very friendly."

Recently, there have been many convoys traveling between Zhijin City and Xiaohe City. The armed trains, due to their slow speed, have become the most famous sight on this route.

Most small convoys don't have the strength to provoke trains, so they'll just watch from afar and leave.

But it seems there are some brave souls out there who want to try it today.

Su Huan looked out the car window and saw a rider in a windbreaker whizzing past, followed closely by five motorcycles.

Further away, a modified off-road vehicle was driving on a barren field a few dozen meters from the train, with yellow sand rolling behind it, indicating that the convoy was quite large.

"Twenty-three cars and sixteen motorcycles."

Yu Yue listened for a while and then spoke.

The command center at the front of the train sent Su Huan a video. Several motorcycles did not completely overtake the train, but instead ran in front of it, weaving left and right on both sides of the road as if in a provocation.

Seeing that the train was not responding for a long time, some riders were already preparing to perform a stunt by jumping over it.

Su Huan casually dialed the number for the Armed Corps on his terminal, and He Jie's stubble-faced man appeared on the screen.

With a fierce look, he said, "The armed forces are ready and can twist the heads off those bastards at any time!"

Su Huan smiled and said, "It's rare to find someone here. Go ask for directions. Don't be so rude."

He Jie instantly understood, grinning maliciously as he nodded, "Understood!"

Three seconds after the communication was disconnected, the convoy saw the side carriages of the armed train lowered directly.

An armed off-road vehicle and three armored personnel carriers roared out.

A series of ghostly screams erupted from the convoy.

"Damn it, they have military vehicles!"

"And heavy machine guns!"

"Tough guy, run! Run, run, run, run! Step on the gas!"

"Damn it, they've caught up!"

He Jie's SUV had already set its sights on the first off-road vehicle to appear, ignoring everything else and speeding straight over at full throttle.

The modified civilian off-road vehicle was almost thrown off balance, but it just wouldn't shake off.

These military vehicles have hardly been used, and with Lao Liu maintaining them daily, they could easily be mistaken for brand-new civilian vehicles used by a woman. Chasing after these civilian vehicles is like child's play.

"Speed ​​up! Speed ​​up, you fucking idiot!"

The passenger in the front seat was holding a pistol and screaming wildly.

The driver, sweating profusely, cursed, "He's flooring the gas pedal! What kind of car are they? What kind of junk is this? Barking! Barking! All they do is bark like dogs!"

"Oh!"

With a muffled thud, shards of glass flew all over the driver's face.

The driver instinctively turned the steering wheel in the opposite direction, but a large hand gripped the car door tightly. The tires of the two cars rubbed together, billowing dust, but the two cars just wouldn't separate.

"Don't panic, I just came to ask for directions."

The angry voice cackled.

The driver looked up and saw a rough-looking man, like a black bear, looking down at him.

He held onto the car door with one hand and a grenade without a latch with the other.

The co-pilot pulled out a pistol and pointed it at He Jie, saying fiercely, "Get out of here, or I'll make you pay!"

The goat shoved the muzzle of the anti-aircraft machine gun off the roof directly into the window of the off-road vehicle.

The 12.7mm diameter matches the 9mm diameter.

An absolute crushing victory over the fine with the crude!
Two plumes of smoke emerged from He Jie's nostrils, his smile fierce. "Looks like you guys aren't very friendly."

Cold sweat instantly dripped down the heads of everyone on the bus.

"This time, the New Horse Carriage Gang has admitted defeat. We'd like to hear your decision."

A rough voice came from the back driver's seat, sounding like someone who had drunk too much liquor and damaged their voice.

He Jie turned his head and saw a man with dragon and tiger tattoos sitting in the back seat of the driver's seat. He had high brow bones and a cold look in his eyes.

Upon hearing this, He Jie immediately understood.

"From Singapore and Malaysia?"

"Correct."

If Su Huan were here, he might be completely confused, but He Jie had already memorized all the maps of the places the train would pass through.

There are three counties along the river, arranged in a circle, and there are also three counties south of Zhijin. In addition to Changxing to the southeast, Xinma County is directly south.

"We'll reach Zhijin soon, right?"

“We’ve already entered our Xinma County. If we continue along this road, we’ll reach the Xinma County bus station, and further ahead is Zhijin City. Please, brother, give us a way out, since we’re all from Donghuang.”

The man spoke clearly and logically, his slightly gloomy eyes fixed on He Jie.

He's a ruthless man, but he's seen even ruthless ones. He Jie, standing before him, is one of them.

Perhaps after the questioning, the grenade he was holding would explode in his car.

He Jie looked him over with surprise. "What's your name? What did you do before?"

"I was naive when I was young and got a tiger tattooed on my face. People in the underworld call me 'Tattooed Tiger.' I only got out of prison when the world was ending. I'm still a bit naive. If you don't mind, I'll follow you."

He Jie frowned in disgust, casually tossed the grenade away, and the two cars sped forward, followed by an explosion behind them.

Wen Biao's face twitched, and his heart pounded.

Thank goodness I have good eyesight, otherwise I almost offended a great master.

"If you waste a grenade today and can't satisfy the train conductor, the only way to make up for its value is by dealing with you."

He Jie gave him a cold look.

"I understand the rules."

"parking."

……

When Wen Biao got off the train, he discovered that the few henchmen he had sent out to provoke the train had been hanged by a strange mechanical arm, and two of them had their legs worn away.

The scarlet bloodstains stretched far into the distance.

Wen Biao looked back at his SUV, where a huge handprint on the door was a shocking sight.

Wen Biao, who had initially harbored some ideas, immediately gave up and obediently followed He Jie into the car.

If the train can control their entire convoy by showing only a fraction of its strength, then what's the point of all this trouble?

In a carriage decorated like a pre-apocalyptic dwelling, Wenbiao encountered a terrifying train conductor, who resembled a dangerous lion—that was Wenbiao's first thought.

Even a blind person could feel the most primal fear in front of Su Huan.

“We’ve found out the way. We’ve arrived in Xinma County. If we continue along the main road for 15 kilometers, we’ll enter Zhijin City. I was worried we might not get the information we needed, so I brought the person back.”

He Jie sat down on the single sofa to the side, picked up the coffee on the table, and drank it all in one gulp.

Seeing Su Huan looking over, Wen Biao nodded hurriedly, not daring to sit down or even take a step forward.

The steamed buns in the steamer, the warmly decorated and luxurious food cart, the clean clothes... every detail represents terrifying strength and resources.

Don't be fooled by his control of the Xinma Gang and his ability to boss people around in Xinma County.

But I have to be careful with my water intake every day. The last time I took a shower was in prison before the apocalypse. Although my clothes were relatively clean, that was because I could just grab any clothes I wanted from the street. In reality, I was already smelly.

"I ask, you answer; stop with the nonsense."

Su Huan said calmly.

Wenbiao's heart tightened, and he quickly nodded.

"What has happened in Zhijin recently? What forces are involved? Who are the people we need to be wary of?"

After considering it carefully, Wen Biao said cautiously, "The biggest thing in Zhijin recently is the establishment of a base city, led by four forces: Black Kite, Jinfeng Chamber of Commerce, Tiejian City, and Fuyuan Caravan."

Su Huan's heart stirred slightly. "More details."

Wen Biao knew he had hit the nail on the head and immediately began, “We don’t know much about Black Kite. This force is very powerful and rarely contacts us. They only come when the scavenging market opens each month. They only sell scarce goods each time, but they only do large-scale transactions and don’t cooperate with our small caravans.”

"The remaining three are all local forces. Jinfeng Chamber of Commerce was founded by several wealthy merchants. It was the earliest established and the first force to conquer a town, but now it has a very low profile. I heard it was dealt with by Hei Yuan once. Tiejian City is a small town on the outskirts of Zhijin. They are quite united and have two particularly powerful evolved beings. Fuyuan Caravan is a recent project organized by Fuyuan County..."

When Wen Biao talked about the Fuyuan team, a clear look of disdain appeared on his lips.

“The shipments from the Fuyuan caravan are just so-so on their own, not as good as my Xinma caravan, but when they're put together, they have the upper hand over me.”

"These are the four most famous forces around Zhijin. The rest are similar to my Xinma Gang. There's a Black Star Caravan over by the river. They used to be from Changxing County. I haven't had any contact with them in a long time, so I don't know what's going on with them. Anything below that is just small-scale fighting, so I won't waste your time."

Su Huan was somewhat surprised.

I thought he was just a hot-blooded thug, but I didn't expect him to be quick-witted and speak quite logically.

Although it was just a simple question and answer session.

But intelligence, reaction time, and resilience are all indispensable.

That makes sense, though. If someone can survive half a year until the apocalypse, even a slacker is no ordinary slacker.

Do you recognize this person?

Su Huan suddenly asked a question out of the blue.

Wen Biao glanced back without making a sound and saw a long-necked young man standing behind him, sizing him up. When he saw the tattoo on Wen Biao's head, he nodded.

“Brother Biao from the Xinma Gang, our boss had dealt with him before.”

He Jie glared at him, "Are you asking me if what he said is true or false!"

Big Goose panicked, "I don't know much about Zhijin, but from what I know, it's true. We Dragon Riders also know about that base city plan, but our leader said it's too risky. We small fry would just get eaten if we went there, so we didn't ask around."

A hint of impatience flashed in Su Huan's eyes. If Lin Xi hadn't been recuperating at Director Xu's place, he wouldn't have needed to be used.

Watching the video didn't help, so this is the only option for now.

"Let's continue talking about the base city."

Wen Biao glanced at the goose with lingering fear, never expecting that someone on the train would recognize him.

Thankfully, I didn't make up a lie.

"The plan is to clear out Zhinan District of Zhijin City, and then gather the idle population from surrounding counties and cities to form a large base city with more than 200,000 people. The specific clearing plan will be gradually launched in a month. Now is the stage of gathering the population."

Hearing that it would take a month, Su Huan felt relieved.

Given such a long timeframe, if something had really happened, the train would have left long ago; it's unlikely to be a trap designed specifically for the train.

Of course, we cannot rule out the possibility that Black Kite's number 1 character is mentally ill.

He Jie immediately raised a question, "Two hundred thousand people? How will they solve the problem of food and water? How will they ensure safety? The zombies in the city will come out just from the smell of humans."

"Black Kite provided special mutated plants that can produce water simply by watering them with zombie flesh and blood. Zhijin City may not have much else, but it has a lot of zombies. We also have ways to solve the food problem. As for safety, we gathered these people to deal with the zombies."

"Two hundred thousand is not a small number. All the well-known caravans around Zhijin only number thirty to fifty thousand. We still need to rely on scavenging scattered people and scavengers from the surrounding areas, then arming these people, and slowly clearing out the zombies. Even if we can only clear out tens of thousands or hundreds of thousands at first, after a few months of clearing, Zhijin City will be cleaned up."

"Bullshit!"

He Jie snorted coldly.

"I'm afraid the more we clean, the more there will be!"

Su Huan glanced at him, and He Jie reluctantly shut up.

This group clearly intended to gradually eliminate the zombies in Zhijin City by consuming the surrounding scavengers.

If it were just these ordinary forces, it would be wishful thinking.

But with Black Kite added, it's not impossible.

In the past, the Steel Council was able to hold its ground even in the acid rain zone and against a zombie horde of tens of millions in the high-temperature zone. Although this happened more than a year later, the five million zombies in Zhijin were nothing more than a piece of fat meat in the face of premeditated and organized humans.

He could understand Black Kite's eagerness to make up for the significant losses it had suffered.

What do people trade at the scavenger market?

Wen Biao wiped the sweat from his forehead. "There's plenty: food, weapons, vehicles, information... whatever you want, we have it all."

"...Is anyone there?"

(End of this chapter)