Armed Train in the Apocalypse

The rumbling noise was even more overwhelming than the zombie horde.

...

Watching the armed train rampaging across the screen, Number One furrowed his brow, as if presented with an unsolvable puzzle.

”Why did the armed train appear at this time?”

The assistant analyzed, ”Judging by the train’s recent actions, their goal is to collect materials and top talents, all of which Zhijin City has, where they can save many people...”

”Impossible.” Number One decisively rejected, ”According to Su Huan’s personality model, there’s a 96% chance he wouldn’t care about what’s happening in Zhijin City. In realistic terms, a probability over 90% is nearly certain!”

The assistant suddenly understood, ”So there’s an unknown factor involved, but it shouldn’t affect the final outcome, right?”

Number One’s voice was icy, ”With the train intervening early, the Scavengers’ losses won’t exceed fifty thousand. The Slaughterers converted from these numbers won’t exceed fifty thousand, without enough Low-tier Zombies, the Tier Three ’Lady of the House’ cannot display her strongest power.”

”Then...”

”Release Zhong You.”

The assistant shivered instantly, ”Tier Two Evolver?”

Number One’s face remained mechanically calm, but the data streaming in his eyes flashed wildly, like a star-filled night sky.

”Can Tier One Evolvers bypass numerous shackles to become Tier Two Slaughterers, is it all just about emotions?”

”If this secret is unlocked, the shortcut to evolution will be open to me.”

Although having conducted many crazy experiments with Number One, the assistant still felt a chill down the spine.

He took a deep breath and whispered, ”I understand.”

”Prepare all observation points, process the data once collected, then transmit it back to headquarters as soon as possible—fill in the last gaps.”

...

”Cao Yong is dead.”

The assistant stood in front of the iron cage, looking up at the stone wall inside with a complicated expression.

The surface of the ”stone wall” was smeared with something, reflecting an iron-gray sheen, three meters off the ground, hung an extremely sophisticated exoskeleton, more robust than the team leader’s, but without operational permissions. All joints of the exoskeleton were locked, serving as Zhong You’s prison.

Besides this exoskeleton, the basement was equipped with three large dehumidifiers to ensure air humidity remained below 10% at all times.

No response was heard, only a low and annoying humming sound filled the space.

”Bang!”

The wall suddenly emitted a dull thud, causing the entire prison to tremble.

The assistant quickly said, ”Don’t get agitated, I’ll get you down!”

Saying so, he swiftly manipulated a few controls, causing the exoskeleton hanging on the wall to clang to the ground, the helmet opened, revealing Zhong You’s pale face and abyss-like cold eyes.

The assistant felt a strange sensation of unleashing a wild beast.

Yet his hands showed no hesitation, rapidly completing the final steps, retracting a dozen iron bars back into the ground, removing any barriers between them.

He could even feel a blade-like chill of murderous intent sweeping over him.

All around him grew cold.

Zhong You stepped out one step at a time, the assistant took several steps back, yet he barely glanced at him, instead dismantling a paired steel cylinder, a short spear from the wall.

”Aren’t you curious how he died?”

The assistant suddenly asked.

Zhong You’s movement paused slightly, ”Would you tell the truth?”

He twisted the two segments of the short spear together with a click.

The assistant choked, the rehearsed words stuck in his throat.

”Was it that thing, or... the armed train?”

Zhong You asked with an inscrutable expression while facing away.

The assistant hesitated for a moment, ”Both.”

Zhong You opened the steel cylinder, his empty gaze fixed on the hollow container.

A moment later, a piercing scream echoed in the basement.

Zhong You left the cell carrying a fully filled steel cylinder.

...

Luo Jingyi had contemplated many times how to put an end to his calm yet grandeur-filled life.

Ordinary, because he came from a wealthy family, studied at top overseas institutions for all his undergraduate, masters, and doctoral degrees, graduated smoothly at 26, mentored by industry leaders, participating in major projects in the field of artificial intelligence. In 2030, at the age of 35, he returned to the country full of honors, becoming the youngest professor at Zijin University.

Money, honor, a lover, he lacked none of these, but even so, up until the day before the apocalypse broke out, Luo Jingyi still considered this a ”normal” life.

After reveling in the arms of beautiful women, feeling the progressive aging in his body, he mocked that perhaps his life would gradually decay in this world of intoxication.

Then the great apocalypse descended, terrifying zombies, a crazily evolving world made him feel a vibrant vitality.

With renewed energy and vigorous ambition, he organized the first alliance of universities.

Though many professors were more reputable and knowledgeable than him, they were not as young as Luo Jingyi, and those who were younger did not possess his capabilities.

Even though the alliance eventually broke down, he still obtained sufficient benefits for himself.

He emerged as a Tier One Evolver.

But the sudden outbreak of the zombie tide forced him to curl up in a dusty exhibition car in a mall, holding two Pan-energy Crystals to replenish his energy.

Thanks to the car’s excellent sealing, the vague zombies around surprisingly did not notice him.

Luo Jingyi cautiously lifted his head from the reclined chair, looking at the rearview mirror at the girl sobbing in the corner.

She was his student, his most excellent and favorite student.

Her young and firm body had once inspired him countless times.

After the apocalypse, the girl not only became his right-hand but also got herself a boyfriend.

Luo Jingyi didn’t mind these things, because the boyfriend was already dead.

The girl was crying for her deceased boyfriend, occasionally attracting sniffing zombies above her before they moved away.

This puzzled Luo Jingyi, making him hesitate to call out to the girl.

He felt there was something subtly changed about her.

Heavy footsteps were approaching, a Tier One Butcher walked in from the main entrance of the hall, hoisting a hefty Guan Blade, the heavy broadsword scratched the floor of the supermarket to bits.

Luo Jingyi’s lips twitched, if he remembered correctly, this was a metal ornament from a large sculpture five kilometers away.

Never expected it to actually be used in battle.

The Butcher’s pair of scarlet little eyes spun wildly, first looking at the girl solemnly in the corner, then seeing the exhibition car in the center of the display, revealing a joyful grin, dragging the Guan Blade over.

He loved opening little boxes!

Luo Jingyi suddenly recalled this, drenched in cold sweat.

He grabbed the door handle, getting ready to rush out.

Suddenly, a whip-like bone joint abruptly wrapped around the Butcher’s leg, the Butcher raised his head in confusion.

Luo Jingyi followed the bone whip with his eyes, his pupils suddenly contracted.

He saw the sobbing girl gradually stand up, her original height of about 1.63 meters growing by over 40 centimeters, her head painfully curling back into her chest cavity, leaving just the tall shoulders and the scarlet eyes peeking through the fracture.

One hand wrapped a bone whip around the Butcher, the other transformed into a meter-long bone blade.

Her entire body was covered by a grey-black keratin layer.

’Slaughterer!’

The name instantly emerged in Luo Jingyi’s mind.

Although he didn’t know why the girl turned into a Slaughterer, the two monsters were engaged in a brawl.

The Butcher was strong and wielded weapons, but the Guan Blade, over five meters long, couldn’t be of much use in close combat.

He was being stabbed fiercely by the Tier One Slaughterer.

The bone blade over a meter long plunged into the Butcher’s obese belly with a slash.

The sound alerted the zombies, who quickly gathered around.

Though Luo Jingyi was curious about the outcome of this zombie infight, self-preservation took precedence, fleeing while they were locked in combat.

Using the skills of a Tier One Evolver and the self-crafted weapon in his hand, he took down a few troublesome ordinary zombies, rushing out onto the street via another door.

Instead of moving through the building interiors, he chose to walk directly on the street.

Compared to the dark and complex interiors of the buildings, the streets proved to be safer.

Just as he stepped outside, he witnessed a group of Scavengers sprinting past.

Both sides were momentarily stunned, recognizing each other as humans, then hurriedly converged and ran together.

It wasn’t so much about trusting one another, rather the pursuing zombies left them no time for caution.

”Run fast, we’ll be safe once we reach the train!”

One of them called out softly.

Luo Jingyi was taken aback.

”What train?”

”The train!”

”What train?”

”Armed train!”