Armored train in the apocalypse

Chapter 318 Lord
A fine layer of sweat instantly appeared on Li Xinlong's forehead.

Jiang Rong's expression changed behind her. Just as she was about to explain, she saw He Jie step forward and say in a deep voice.

"The zombie horde intensity has decreased. We haven't seen many Tier 2 zombies since the fighting started. I suspect something's fishy going on!"

Su Huan glanced at He Jie listlessly, his eyes sweeping over the entire area inside the iron wall. Although there seemed to be a lot of corpses, he estimated there were only about 20,000 to 30,000, with 11 second-tier corpses and no more than 100 first-tier corpses.

Outside, this is a terrifying wave, but in a big city like Zhijin, it's just a drop in the ocean.

At level 9, "Universal Energy Perception" naturally expanded, and a faint, primal universal energy spread out at an alarming speed, instantly enveloping the ground within a radius of several kilometers. Then, it continued to expand and extend upwards into space.

It forms a three-dimensional detection system, carrying back the intense energy fluctuations from the surrounding area.

In the instant the information was received, Su Huan suddenly looked up, his dark eyes seeming to pierce through an iron wall.

One kilometer away, three hundred level-two zombies stood there in neat rows.

This distance is equivalent to having it pressed against your face!

Given the zombies' craving for human flesh and energy, there's probably only one thing that could keep them obediently staying in place!
That is being bound by a more powerful being!

Su Huan's lips curled up slightly.

No wonder Black Kite was sneaking around in this base city; she never learns her lesson...

Three hundred Tier 2 zombies are strong, but not enough to devour him.

Although he always appeared lazy, his evolution speed was still incredibly fast. To prevent the energy in his body from exceeding his control limits, he had to suppress his evolution speed. However, the two skills required to advance to the third tier, "Energy Attraction and Repulsion" and "Universal Energy Perception," had already been acquired.

"Universal Energy Perception" goes without saying; it's a skill that awakens at the first tier and has now reached level 9. The standard required to advance to the fourth tier, "Energy Absorption Engine," is only level 6.
Although "Energy Attraction and Repulsion" is only level 3, having it is enough.

The conditions for advancing to the third-tier "Fusion Furnace" are: third-tier "Energy Storage Core" + second-tier "Circulating Vortex" + lv1 "Energy Attraction and Repulsion" + lv1 "Universal Energy Perception".

In addition, there is a special minor condition: an unstable high-energy environment.

For example, a little boy or a chubby boy who is falling.

Su Huan hesitated for a long time when he first saw this formula.

But before he could decide whether or not to swear, the other person had already passed away.

If everything goes according to the plan of these madmen from the Cult of Machines, as long as they don't die, they will smoothly advance to the third-tier "Fusion Furnace".

And this is the pinnacle for the vast majority of evolved beings.

When they reach the third tier, the evolved beings themselves become a more terrifying threat than firearms.

For example, a third-order "fusion furnace" can achieve nuclear fusion by hand.

To manually create nuclear fusion, one must first resist nuclear fusion... This perfectly matches Su Huan's stereotype of the Cult of Machines.

It's hard to put into words.

Perhaps those people never even considered these issues.

However, this special condition can be eliminated for Su Huan. His current genetic activity level has exceeded the species' limit, so he doesn't need any strong stimulation.

The side effect is the rapid depletion of vitality.

He currently has a lifespan of about twenty years, and there are fresh pears and vitality potions in the car, enough for him to have one more adventure.

"Is the situation bad?"

Seeing Su Huan deep in thought, He Jie couldn't help but frown and ask.

As Su Huan manipulated the "Universal Perception" to extend further forward, he casually remarked, "There are quite a few of them."

How many Tier 2 zombies are there?

He Jie asked in a deep voice, "Ordinary zombies and Tier 1 are minor issues; the real deciding factor is Tier 2, which represents high-end combat power."

Given the current strength of the armed forces, if they were to engage in close combat with second-tier units, they could only barely handle between ten and twenty.

"Three hundred...five hundred...wait, there's more!"

Su Huan extended his senses behind him, his tone rising slightly.

His change in tone was accompanied by a rapid shift in the expressions of the crowd.

Even He Jie was getting a little annoyed, and the cigar in his mouth was bitten off. "Second tier, second tier, not first tier!"

Su Huan snapped out of his daze, his narrow eyes staring straight at him, a smirk playing on his lips. "Of course, and we're surrounded too."

After saying that, Su Huan ignored everyone's stiff expressions and put his hand on Li Xinlong's shoulder.

"Come on, let's go up and take a look, shall we?"

Li Xinlong looked at the young face in front of him and was momentarily dazed. He nodded as if possessed.

The two young men, like brothers, put their arms around each other's shoulders. Under Jiang Rong's worried gaze, they stepped over the corpses, making their way towards the iron wall. Behind them, Xiao Ba's eyes flashed with a metallic light. The metal of the iron wall slid down, instantly forming a staircase that led straight to the top and continued to their feet.

"Oh, right." Su Huan suddenly turned around, his eyes warm and serious, "Tell Wen Biao not to let those spoils get away."

After saying that, he put his arm around Li Xinlong's shoulder and stepped onto the stairs.

All eyes fell on He Jie, the battlefield commander.

He Jie glanced subconsciously at a window of the train, where a pair of worried eyes were looking at him.

'Su Huan, you're so stupid...'

He cursed inwardly and roared, "Goat, go and relay the orders! Yu Yue, notify the armed train to enter combat readiness!"

"Xiao Ba, build another line of defense on the inner wall and place the train horizontally on it."

"If you keep hiding up there watching the show, I'll skin you alive!"

Urged on by He Jie's impatience, everyone started spinning like tops.

The goat passed through the iron wall and was stunned to see the convoy following behind the train.

The convoy was impressive, with mostly modified off-road vehicles and SUVs at the front, and all sorts of other vehicles at the back, including buses, sedan chairs, motorcycles, and even two people riding dogs.

Reinforcements?

Standing on the front SUV was a man with dragons and tigers tattooed on his head, Wen Biao. Seeing the goat running out, he quickly jumped off. "Goat Lieutenant, it's me, A-Biao. Did the train conductor send an order?"

The battle had already begun behind him. Looking at the chaotic scavengers, Goat suddenly thought, 'These people might be the spoils the train conductor mentioned? I can't scare them away.'

After organizing his thoughts, he said tactfully, "The upcoming battles will be fierce. The train will not provide you with weapons, but it will also not force you to go to the front lines to become cannon fodder. You just need to wait quietly for the war to end."

After saying that, he leaned close to his ear and whispered, "The train conductor told you to keep an eye on his loot."

"Trophy?"

Wen Biao was taken aback; the train conductor hadn't asked him to keep any spoils of war.

After the goat left, the president and vice president of Jinfeng Chamber of Commerce, along with the remaining leader of Tiejian City and the heads of various forces, gathered around, their eyes filled with anticipation.

President Jin Feng and Lao Xie had bloodshot eyes. Although they had managed to escape from the zombie horde, the Chamber of Commerce had lost its most elite vanguard and more than half of its central army. They hadn't even gotten a drop of soup. The two of them were like gamblers who had lost most of their fortune. Now they were desperate and hoping to get their money back by following the train.

Old Xie asked, "What does the armed train want us to do?"

"What does it mean that he's armed the train? Why won't he let us in?!" Hearing this, everyone turned to look.

Upon seeing that it was Tie Jiancheng's leader with bloodshot eyes, he immediately shut his mouth.

Of the four, Black Kite disappeared without a trace, the Fuyuan caravan was completely wiped out, and Tie Jiancheng suffered the most.

The eldest of the Dragon and Tiger Brothers led more than 3,000 people in, but before they returned, the zombie horde arrived first. The remaining people in Tiejian City could not hold out and had to start fleeing. The territory they had built up over half a year was completely taken over by the zombies.

As the force with the largest number of elderly, weak, women and children, it now has only a mere three hundred people left.

Their plight after their sudden downfall cannot be described even as tragic.

Although the Fuyuan convoy was completely wiped out, the Fuyuan County headquarters was still there. After a period of recuperation, it could make a comeback, only under a different name.

But Tiejiancheng may completely disappear after today.

With him taking the lead, some leaders of smaller factions who had suffered losses immediately said, "There are so many zombies in Zhijin, we don't need to take his spoils, we just want the zombies we killed earlier back..."

"We don't want much, just our share."

"Yes, you can give us a discount by converting it into a universal energy crystal."

"We can't be left without even a sip of soup, can we?"

"That's too domineering."

"..."

The armed train was followed by about 100,000 scavengers, representing all sorts of forces, big and small. With each person speaking, the scene became chaotic, and Wen Biao's henchmen dared not make any rash moves.

But this reminded Wen Biao that what other spoils of war could there be? These 100,000 people were the best spoils of war.

Does the train conductor intend to recruit them all?

Wen Biao was immediately excited. Wouldn't that elevate his status as the first underling to join him?
No, no, no, that's not safe enough.

You must perform meritorious service, and you must perform great meritorious service!
Looking at the increasingly anxious expressions of the leaders around him, Wenbiao felt as if a spark of inspiration had suddenly been injected into his brain, which had been in a daze for decades.

Standing on the off-road vehicle, he shouted, "The train conductor said that the armed train will protect us, but only those who contribute. After the train withstands the first wave of zombies, those who dare to follow the train in a counterattack are our own people! Once we take Zhijin, everyone present will at least have a chance to become an evolved being!"

Although the words weren't very eloquent, the key information they contained caught everyone's attention.

What the leaders of the Jinfeng Chamber of Commerce heard was that the train would have to bear the first wave of zombies before leading them into the attack.

They would feel uneasy if the train made them cannon fodder or didn't let them exert any effort at all, but now that they've avoided the greatest danger and can still contribute, it's just right.

This proves that the train company intended to share profits with them.

Old Xie and the chairman exchanged a glance. "Shall we bet?"

The president's face was gloomy. "What role exactly is Black Kite playing here?"

"Those bastards probably realized something was wrong and ran away! Ignore them, just tell us about this train, should we follow it or not?"

The president sighed deeply, "We have no way out."

……

The sun has completely set.

As dawn breaks over the square, the beautiful blues begin, and everything is hidden beneath this melancholy blue, even the corpses no longer appear grotesque.

Behind the iron wall, an even taller "iron wall" rose up. The armed train climbed up the six-meter-high steel base and stretched from east to west across the entire Morning Light Square, end to end, for a full 1.5 kilometers. The 14-meter-high city wall was built in an instant, and Xiao Ba was so exhausted by the workload that he was carried back into the car.

The electromagnetic armor was activated to its maximum, with flashes of eerie blue electricity occasionally appearing on the tracks.

The commands from the loudspeaker pierced the metal bulkhead, the hydraulic hum of the rotating turret clicked, and the black barrel of the 125mm smoothbore cannon slowly rose, aiming at the distorted silhouette of the city on the horizon. The electromagnetic gun charged slowly, and the 12.7mm heavy machine gun clattered as the automatic loading device filled the ammunition belts.

And this is merely a tiny part of the Black Kite's "gift".

This is also the source of Su Huan's confidence to plunge in despite knowing there was something fishy going on.

At this moment, the two young men sat on the top of the train, their faces flickering in and out of the light from the gunfire.

The terrifying horde of zombies was also faintly visible in the firelight.

The heavy machine guns, 1.5 kilometers apart, opened fire simultaneously, and the whole world seemed to fall into utter silence.

The ground shattered, turning into puddles of mud mixed with flesh and bone, which were then filled by iron-gray figures. They didn't seem to be launching an attack; rather, they were expending their numbers to make room for the main force behind them.

Looking at the scene before him, Li Xinlong felt a surge of emotion as the night wind blew.

She was scared.

The soft voice reached Li Xinlong's ears, and he turned to look at Su Huan, who was sitting cross-legged on the roof of the car.

Perhaps it was the reflection of gunfire, or the searchlight on the roof, that made the train conductor's eyes no longer pitch black, but bright and vibrant, reflecting everything that was happening at that moment.

Hordes of zombies, soldiers, scavengers... and in the corners, things he didn't understand, things that were intertwined and inseparable.

Li Xinlong subconsciously looked behind him. Jiang Rong was standing far away, so far that he couldn't even see her.

But you can still feel that deep worry.

Li Xinlong moved his lips, unsure how to respond to the flat statement.

Do you have ideals?

Finally hearing a clear question, Li Xinlong was about to answer, but all the things he used to say seemed to have vanished, leaving only Jiang Rong's worried eyes.

"...I want to provide for my mother's retirement."

Li Xinlong felt that he was a bit of a failure.

But the gunfire around him was so loud that his head was buzzing, and he couldn't think of anything else.

The train conductor did not respond. He did not know if Su Huan had heard it, after all, the gunshot was too loud, and the violent sound echoed throughout Zhijin.

But he saw Su Huan seem to nod slightly, as if there was a barely perceptible tremor.

It could also be his imagination, because the electromagnetic railgun had just fired a shot, the shell piercing the sky and leaving a trail of pale blue light, carrying scattered sparks of electricity, as if drawing back the curtain on tonight.

Before he could react, a massive, excessively long-bodied creature emerged from the shadows.

Most of its body was a non-reflective black, as if someone had torn the silhouette of an elegant lady off a canvas and stretched it a bit. Under the illumination of the electromagnetic railgun, the thousands of dancing threads behind its head instantly turned into the same dark blue, weaving a huge crown like a jellyfish behind its head.

He wore a plain white porcelain mask, and his eyes, like clear rubies, coldly gazed at the walls formed by the armed train.

Only her upper body retained some human female characteristics.

Its lower body had transformed into a thick snake tail, standing in the center of the horde of corpses in a bizarre posture, with second-tier butchers serving as "laborers" at its feet.

A terrifying aura swept over him like a tidal wave, making it extremely difficult for Li Xinlong to utter a single word.

"what is that?"

"Lord."

(End of this chapter)