Armed Train in the Apocalypse

The slave market was located deep within Dog City, inside an abandoned sports arena.

As soon as one walked in, a wave of noise and a mixed stench hit them in the face.

Hundreds of iron cages were placed everywhere, with shouts of selling, cries, and sounds of whips that were endless. The traffickers categorized various slaves according to their value in the apocalypse: strong laborers, skilled workers, women, experts and scholars, etc.

But there were very few experts and scholars, more of them were mediocres.

If someone truly had talent, they would be honored even in the apocalypse, unless they had highly specialized technical skills with no managerial ability at all, they would not end up here.

Qin Tong was just about to ask his old friend when he saw two familiar figures.

One with wild long hair, the other built like a city wall.

They were standing in front of a stall specializing in female slaves. The trafficker was a bald, fat man wearing an ill-fitting suit, holding an electric baton.

Behind him, more than a dozen large iron cages held groups of five to eight women each.

Compared to other slaves, these women were well-groomed; their clothes were clean and bright, and even their hair was silky smooth. Though standing in cages, they appeared to belong to a world separate from the Scavengers outside.

Apart from the black-haired, yellow-skinned Donghuang People, there were also White Elephant People with fair skin and deep features, and Soft-featured Stick People.

They stood obediently in the cages, facing around, as if dolls in a showcase, exquisite and beautiful, their eyes vacant.

Qin Tong recalled Su Huan asking about Liang Kuan’s daughter Liang Shu yesterday, and his heart tightened.

He immediately looked around and indeed found three members of the Hyena Gang in the shadows diagonally opposite him, who were staring at Su Huan’s direction.

After a moment of hesitation, Qin Tong quickly stepped forward, lowering his voice, ”Brother Su, if you’re asking about people, it’s best not to do it here. There are rules in the slave market; don’t ask about origins.”

Su Huan glanced at him in surprise and smiled, ”You arrived quite quickly, but I suggest you finish your business and get out of town.”

The slave trafficker in the suit stood with his arms crossed, looking at them coldly.

Coming to give him trouble so early in the morning, if they didn’t look difficult to deal with, he would have called for help by now.

Qin Tong had not yet reacted to what Su Huan meant when a stiff Donghuang voice interjected, ”All these women, I want them all, how many do you have?”

The one speaking was a short man in dark blue uniform, with a long knife hanging at his waist. Four people followed him, each with sharp and arrogant eyes.

This distinctive voice instantly drew everyone’s attention.

Su Huan narrowed his eyes, his pitch-black pupils reflecting contemplation.

The gazes from those Hyena Gang members around were growing more numerous; it seemed these Chongying People were highly regarded.

The leading Chongying man seemed pricked by a needle, scanning Su Huan up and down suspiciously, but relaxed upon finding no Evolver aura on Su Huan; as for the other big guy, though somewhat exaggerated, he was nothing more than a small camp leader.

Upon seeing this Chongying man, the bald trafficker immediately wore a fawning smile, ”Oh, it’s Mr. Yamamoto, these are all new arrivals, guaranteed clean. As for the quantity...”

Before he finished speaking, Yamamoto gestured for his subordinate to pass over a small bag.

Su Huan clearly sensed it: one Tier Two Pan-energy Crystal, and a hundred Tier One.

The Trainmaster could easily leak more than this amount from between his fingers, but having gotten used to robbing, didn’t have the habit of carrying money when going out. Otherwise, this negotiation could have been much smoother.

’I must correct this bad habit later.’

Su Huan sighed inwardly.

Had he not feared that the other party might secretly kill off people, he would have violently broken into the city long ago, rather than come to politely ask for information, but after wandering the whole morning, he hadn’t seen any trace of them, leading Su Huan to consider changing approach.

Kill everyone first... then look for them?

He looked at the trafficker with a calm tone, ”Is there a woman named Liang Shu, twenty-one years old, height 1.72 meters, accompanied by a man...”

The trafficker’s face turned grim instantly. Those who spent time in these environments were inherently sinister, and having Su Huan disrupt his transaction made him even more irritable, ”I said no! Buy it if you want, otherwise, fuck off and stop delaying my business, damn it!”

A dozen ”onlookers” came over, surrounding the three of them.

Liang Kuan’s palm rested on the shield behind him, his eyes as calm as a stagnant well.

The atmosphere suddenly tightened, the small leader of the Hyena Gang managing the market already taking people over.

Qin Tong quietly cursed, but hesitated for a moment before stepping forward, taking out several Tier One Pan-energy Crystals from his chest and handing them over with a smile, ”My friend doesn’t know the rules, just gaining some insights. Please be the bigger person and let bygones be bygones...”

The small leader weighed the crystals in his hand, his eyes sweeping over Su Huan and Liang Kuan’s faces.

His eyes lit up instantly, ”Exquisite goods!”

Su Huan’s appearance was dangerously eye-catching in the apocalypse, while Liang Kuan was like a silent iron tower exuding an intangible oppression. The small leader’s eyes flickered; the Hyena Gang had a rule not to capture Evolvers above Tier One as slaves, such people must be killed directly if offended.

He could sense the threat from Liang Kuan, while Su Huan... should be an ordinary person, at most just awakened!

The second leader liked these pretty boys the most. If he could deliver such a premium gift to him, wouldn’t his next promotion to a big leader be secured!

With that thought, the small leader’s heart burned with eagerness, ”Old Qin, are you selling this person?”

The finger pointed precisely at... Su Huan!

Liang Kuan’s eyelids twitched at those four words, and he was completely numb when he heard the whole sentence; he couldn’t help but sneak a glance at the Trainmaster’s expression.

Su Huan seemed not to have heard, wearing a warm and appropriately timed smile, yet those eyes were narrowly slitted, as if a deep abyss was surging without a hint of light.

Qin Tong’s face stiffened, ”They are my friends, and also powerful Evolvers, not in line with the City Lord’s rules.”

The City Lord was naturally the leader of the Hyena Gang. However, since the name sounded too unpleasant, people normally referred to him as the City Lord out of respect.

”Somewhat capable?” The small leader hesitated; he himself was not even Tier One. If he mistook them and provoked two Tier Ones, not to mention his sister being the second leader’s lover, even his father would face punishment.

Just then, the Chongying man who had been ignored on the side snorted dissatisfiedly, ”These two stopped my transaction. According to Dog City’s rules, how should they be dealt with?”

The slave trafficker also chimed in, ”Yes, they came looking for someone first thing in the morning, broke the rules!”

Qin Tong’s forehead was sweating, but since he had already helped, he decided to go all the way, gritting his teeth and arguing, ”They just want to buy a slave, didn’t break the City Lord’s rules.”

A crowd of onlookers was already forming, more and more Hyena Gang members noticing the commotion, some vehicles already arriving, mounted with heavy machine guns, two Tier One leaders specifically stationed to keep the peace were also arriving, eyeing Liang Kuan unfavorably.

Their build obviously suggested they were troublemakers.

The small leader suddenly regained confidence.

His tone hardened, coldly saying, ”Everyone says you’re causing trouble first, I am not picking on you, just show something valuable, prove you’re not here causing trouble, or don’t blame me for enforcing the law mercilessly.”

The small leader’s voice was loud, letting everyone around hear.

Now he had the upper hand, and if these two couldn’t produce something valuable, he could leverage the gang’s power to capture Su Huan. Once delivered to the second leader, wouldn’t that be a done deal?

Qin Tong meant to argue further, but felt a hand on his shoulder, noticing Su Huan smiling and stepping forward.

”Verifying assets? How?”

The small leader smiled coldly inside, ”Simple, just valuable would do, Tier Two Crystal, complete Tier Two materials, firearms, heavy machine guns, all acceptable.”

Qin Tong gasped, it was an outrageous demand!

Everyone around could see it too, but what could be done?

In the end, Dog City was their territory.

Considering for a moment, Su Huan seriously stated, ”Weapons, none. Tier Two materials... I do have one, but haven’t collected it, not sure if you’d want it.”