Armored train in the apocalypse

Chapter 324 Fruits of Victory
The post-war cleanup took far longer than Su Huan had anticipated.

It took five days just to clear out the zombie horde in the Zhinan District. The crew and armed corps took turns leading the scavengers to kill the zombies left in the southern district.

Over the course of five days, Xiao Ba erected an iron wall 3.6 meters wide and 20 meters high by the river. The interior was filled with earth and stones by Chen Shan, one of the Five Tigers of Black Star, blocking the restless horde of corpses from the north.

Without the command of the matriarch and after a long period of not seeing humans, the horde of zombies that had gathered together gradually dispersed.

Occasionally, a jumper would leap over the iron wall, only to be shot dead by patrolling Lin Jin.

As the first officer besides the train conductor to advance to the second rank in the armed train, Lin Jin gave He Jie and other officers a huge boost, and now they are all putting in their best effort to rush to the second rank.

The massive horde of zombies didn't need their help; the train conductor could simply rush over and snap his fingers to solve the problem.

The main force they had to fight was the few thousand scattered zombies in the streets. These zombies were also very unlucky. No matter day or night, there were small teams harassing them 24 hours a day, and they would retreat after taking a little bit of the zombies each time.

By the third day, the zombies stopped chasing humans.

This phenomenon piqued Director Xu's curiosity, and then this wave of unfortunate zombies began their nightmare.

In order to test the zombies' physical limits and energy replenishment methods, Director Xu ordered the entire street to be sealed off, and then arranged for two groups of people to lure the zombies on both sides, making them run back and forth.

On the fourth day, the ordinary zombies that had been running for more than ninety hours went into standby mode.

Some zombies have been seen cannibalizing each other.

When Su Huan went to check on the fifth day, the zombies would only give a perfunctory shout when they saw people, and then huddle in a corner and lie down.

That's right, lying down.

This is the most important way for zombies to recover besides eating.

Relying on the free-floating energy in the air to replenish the body's energy, according to Su Huan's perception, the speed is quite fast, much faster than a living person absorbing the energy in the air. However, this replenishment efficiency is not high. A completely exhausted zombie needs at least twenty hours to recover.

"But that's not a disadvantage for zombies; they have plenty of time."

Su Huan, standing on the high wall, said calmly.

“We can effectively weaken the zombie horde’s combat power using this information,” Director Xu said, brushing the sand from the seams of his clothes. “I’ve made some progress on the ten-dimensional basic attribute test. Would you like to take the test?”

Su Huan asked with great interest, "What are the grading standards?"

"According to your description, they can be divided into two main categories: physical attributes: strength, speed, defense, endurance, and constitution; and energy attributes: total amount, intensity, fine manipulation, duration, and resistance to immunity."

"Then the level is calculated comprehensively with reference to the skill level, and the final level can be compared with the skill level."

"Okay, I'll try it later."

……

The southern area is only slightly "cleaner" now, but that doesn't mean it's safe.

There are still many dangers lurking in the dark corners of the building, but for most people, it is still a victory without compromise.

The various factions and scavengers, who had fought for a long time, believed that they also deserved to enjoy the fruits of victory, hence this meeting.

The meeting was held in the hotel ballroom at Dawn Plaza.

The meeting was scheduled for 11 o'clock, but it was already full by 8 o'clock. As the evolved beings who had been beheaded and revealed their talents in battle gradually appeared, the atmosphere became more and more heated. When the three major forces of Jin Feng, Tie Jiancheng, and Black Star appeared, the atmosphere reached its peak.

Black Kite escaped, the Fuyuan caravan was wiped out, and Black Star instantly became popular among other scavengers because of Li Xinlong and others' performance.

With the added protection of the armed convoy, Black Star suffered minimal losses during the cleanup operation.

The Big Four have become the Big Three.

An interesting little incident occurred in the middle: because of the care provided by the armed train, some scavengers privately spread rumors that Black Star was actually the vanguard of the train and that they were actually a group of people.

The rumors became increasingly outrageous. At first, it was said that Li Xinlong's mother had an affair with a high-ranking official on the train. Later, it became that Li Xinlong's mother had an affair with the train conductor. By the third day, the rumors had spread that Li Xinlong was the train conductor's illegitimate son!
Enraged, Li Xinlong broke down. Before he could even make a move, the murderous Yu Yue led her team back from the front lines and killed all the gossips.

By nipping the rumors in the bud, the scavengers were finally able to settle down.

Many flight attendants tacitly refrained from reporting the matter to their superiors, and it was thus suppressed.

Li Xinlong walked in and looked around. Ignoring everyone's invitation to sit in the seat closest to the head of the group, he walked towards Wen Biao. This gang leader had lost the heroic spirit of leading 100,000 scavengers in a counterattack. Instead, he sat cautiously on the edge, humbly dealing with the eager leaders around him.

I glanced at the wall clock and the people coming in every now and then.

He exuded a polite but distant aura.

Upon seeing Li Xinlong, some people tried to approach him to establish a connection, but were stopped by Old Yang's gloomy gaze.

Old Yang's terrifying "corpse explosion" technique had earned him a formidable reputation during the battle. A couple of days ago, a small convoy took the opportunity to cause trouble, but before they could even reach the armed train, Old Yang inoculated them with a plague. The dozen or so people in the convoy were covered in festering sores and howled for three whole hours before finally dying.

When everyone went up to take a look, they found that the bones of more than a dozen people had rotted away. The horrific scene left a deep impression on everyone, so they privately called Old Yang "the Plague King".

After being glared at by the Plague God, no one dared to step forward.

Chen Shan pulled out a chair, and Li Xinlong sat down next to Wen Biao.

Because of the armed train, the two people who were completely unrelated actually became much closer.

Wen Biao laughed, "I thought Master Rong would be a little late."

Li Xinlong shook his head, "In the entire Zhijin, only the train conductor is qualified to be the finale."

Looking at the group of scavengers excitedly discussing how much loot they would get, Wen Biao sneered, "It's a pity there are still some who don't understand, they still don't know who's in charge."

Li Xinlong gave a cryptic chuckle, which could be interpreted as agreement.

A light footstep sounded outside the door. Two armed soldiers in gray-green trench coats entered first. Their sharp eyes swept around, then they stepped back and stood on either side of the doorway, like two drawn military knives, cold, hard, and sharp!

A figure with his hands in his pockets strode closer, his black hair casually draped behind his head, fluffy and wild, his narrow eyes seemingly smiling yet not smiling. The moment he appeared, the entire ballroom was filled with the clattering of chairs.

No one can stick their butt to the chair.

"Train conductor..."

The voices, though not perfectly coordinated, spoke in unison.

Su Huan walked to the chair placed at the very front of the entire ballroom, and a group of observant people immediately pulled the chair out and moved it further forward to correct its position.

Su Huan flicked his toes, tilting the chair slightly, and sat on the backrest, his line of sight level with everyone else.

Seeing this, President Jin Feng and Lao Yang in the crowd exchanged a glance.

I have a bad feeling about this.

"I have a lot of things to do, Lao Hu, just give them a brief explanation of the situation."

Su Huan said.

"Ok."

Hu Shuo responded, and only then did everyone see Hu Shuo in a suit behind the train conductor.

Hu Shuo handled the train's logistics, and many people present had interacted with him, regarding him as the chief steward of the armed train. Hu Shuo stepped forward, opened the document, and without any lengthy preface, went straight to the point.

"According to statistics, a total of about 120,000 scavengers participated in the cleanup war in the southern district in the later stages, and the number of deaths exceeded 25,000. As of today, more than 10,000 people have left one after another. There are currently 86,000 people in Zhijin, with more than 600 large and small forces. There were 104 forces that existed before the war."

"There are twelve forces with more than five hundred people in total, including sixteen first-tier evolved beings."

"The armed train has decided to establish an armed outpost in Zhijin City, with an estimated population of 100,000..."

At first, everyone felt a pang of grief upon hearing these figures, because those who died were all their people. Of the more than six hundred factions, only a little over a hundred existed before the war.

But hearing the subsequent plans, I couldn't help but be amazed.

Armed trains are going to build a metropolis of 100,000 people!

The base city plan has actually been put into progress!
Although they had expected it, everyone felt their blood boil with excitement and a sense of witnessing history when they heard the results with their own ears.

But the unease in the hearts of leaders such as Jin Feng grew stronger.

They had heard a little bit about the data statistics above, but they knew nothing about the subsequent establishment of the base city, and they didn't even know when the plan for the armed train was issued!

They've been completely isolated!

Moreover, the name "Armed Station" itself reveals the train's domineering nature, clearly indicating that it treats the base city as its own.

Wen Biao and Li Xinlong listened carefully.

This concerns their future.

"The main departments of the base city are three bureaus and two institutes, namely the Food Production Bureau, the Energy Management Bureau, the Housing Planning Bureau, the Academy of Sciences, and the Medical Institute. Security is divided into two parts: the city defense army is responsible for the internal area, and the station garrison regiment is established on the periphery. The former replaces the law enforcement function, while the latter is responsible for early warning and exploration."

"All of the aforementioned departments were appointed based on their merits in this battle, and the announcement will be made after the meeting."

"Finally, all matters in the base city will be the responsibility of the station chief, and the first station chief will be Li Xinlong, the leader of the Black Star Motorcade."

After saying that, Hu Shuo looked up and around.

Just as he expected, everyone was completely overwhelmed by the sheer volume of information. Some looked at Li Xinlong, some were red-faced and looked unconvinced, and others were sneaking glances at the train conductor next to them.

Su Huan was observing a first-tier evolved being; as for the content of the meeting...

We already had a short meeting in the car.

This meeting took place only after all the details and points had been finalized.

It was called a meeting, but more accurately, it was a unilateral announcement by the armed train.

Zhijin Station differs from Shunan and Guanchong in that it has a huge population and complex internal composition. It cannot be solved by the simple structure of the past. It must be built according to a complete urban administrative structure, with the train playing a dominant role.

This will take a lot of time, but fortunately, the train repairs won't be a quick fix either.

As for the scavengers' discontent and resistance...

None of these were mentioned as an important factor at the meeting.

"You can ask any questions now."

Su Huan's clear voice sent a chill down everyone's spine.

At this point, everything was settled, leaving them no room for discussion.

A murmur rippled through the ballroom.

Wenbiao's gaze towards Li Xinlong immediately became fervent. "Brother Gao, I'll be relying on you to take good care of me from now on..."

Li Xinlong was stunned by the windfall. Although he had a feeling that he would get some benefits, he did not expect it to be such a big piece of meat.

He was immediately transformed from a motorcade of two thousand people into a mayor in charge of one hundred thousand people!

A population of 100,000 might be just an insignificant small county town before the apocalypse; a town with less than a few million people wouldn't even be considered a city.

But this is the end of the world!

The ruler of a base city with 100,000 people is already capable of influencing the course of human civilization.

Even if he does nothing, as the mayor of the base city established during humanity's first counterattack on a large city, he is destined to make history!
The sheer volume of information contained within left Li Xinlong somewhat bewildered, unsure even how to respond to Wen Biao.

Various relationships, factors, and influences churned in my mind.

On the other side, Lao Yang frantically tried to signal to President Jin Feng, but the latter acted as if he didn't see it.

Anxious, Old Yang tugged at his arm twice, "Chairman, say something! You damn well better say something now! If you don't speak, it's all over."

Before the armed trains even arrived, the Jin Feng Chamber of Commerce had already lost its vanguard, and after the cleanup operation, it wiped out half of its central force.

Of the eight thousand people they brought, only half remain; the losses have been devastating.

It was easy to wipe out the entire population of dozens of small factions.

The quantity of various supplies and ammunition was countless.

If they can't even get a sip of soup after the war, the remaining four thousand people will have to run away. The huge business they've built up over the past six months will be mostly wiped out after just one meeting. He can't afford to be unhurried.

President Jin Feng was also heartbroken, but he still comforted his old partner and gestured with his chin towards the person opposite him.

The leader of Tiejian City sat opposite him with a gloomy face.

Jin Feng Chamber of Commerce had a solid foundation; even if most of it disbanded, some would still remain. But Tie Jiancheng was truly wiped out.

Although the "Tiejiancheng" residential area was retaken, everyone was dead, so what use was a dilapidated building?

The reason why Tie Jiancheng has not been removed from the list is because he, as a first-tier evolved being, is holding the fort.

It turns out that one of them has already started his own faction.

"Everyone who participates in the battle is entitled to enjoy the fruits of victory."

The leader of Tiejian City spoke in a cold voice, and the entire venue instantly became so quiet you could hear a pin drop.

Although no one dared to say it, this statement represented the sentiments of everyone.

Everyone looked at the train conductor, wanting to see how he would handle the situation.

Su Huan looked in the direction of the voice and saw a thin man with short hair, cold eyes, and an aura of menace that lingered around him.

Su Huan was not angry, and said with a smile, "To correct you, only the victor has the right to enjoy the fruits of victory."

As he finished speaking, his gentle gaze swept across the entire room.

"Here, only the armed trains are the victors."

"And you are the fruits of victory."

(End of this chapter)