Armed Train in the Apocalypse

The numerous Black Bandits immediately lowered their heads, respectfully staring at their toes.

The person next to her handed over a rifle, and the woman glanced at it with a light click of her tongue, saying, ”It’s actually military-grade. Seems like there’s quite a lot of good stuff here.”

The person next to him immediately pushed him forward, saying, ”Boss, this kid looks pretty good. If you like, we’ll clean him up and send him to your room tonight.”

Zhao Yuan watched as his weapon was confiscated and he was treated like merchandise, pushed forward, his face flushed red, unsure whether it was from hanging or from shame and anger.

The woman’s eyes lit up when she saw Zhao Yuan. Just as she reached out, she noticed the turbulent waves in Zhao Yuan’s eyes, as two water snakes quickly coiled towards the woman’s neck.

The surrounding Black Bandits looked at this scene with mocking eyes.

Sure enough, in the next moment, the woman casually swatted away the water snakes, as if she were shooing away some small beasts.

A cold hand pressed against Zhao Yuan’s chest, swinging him back and forth like a swing, saying, ”You little wild thing, got anything else that’s good?”

Zhao Yuan heard a Black Bandit running over, holding a backpack, and felt his heart sink infinitely further.

The Black Bandit leader took the backpack, casually dumping it on the ground, chocolate and cookies scattered everywhere, but what stood out more was the military insignia and a full military uniform!

The woman’s face showed a moment of surprise as she raised the backpack and sternly questioned, ”Whose is this?”

The camp leader remained silent, not even glancing at Zhao Yuan.

Yet, there was a streak of harshness on the woman’s face, ”Are you treating my words as bullshit?”

Zhao Yuan feared she might harm the people in the camp, sighed, ”It’s mine.”

...

Ten minutes later, everyone in the camp was released, but their expressions when looking at the surrounding Black Bandits still carried fear and hatred.

In the central hall, the camp leader watched the two conversing nervously.

”Are you saying the Chongying People are entering our Donghuang?”

The woman’s voice inexplicably carried a few hints of danger.

Zhao Yuan’s expression was resolute, ”Yes!”

”Bang!”

Zhao Yuan was kicked by the woman and flew out, then crashed into the wall behind him. The massive force left him dizzy, and before he could recover, he was grabbed by the collar and pinned against the wall, a cold touch pressed against his neck, slightly stinging.

The woman in front of him was like an enraged mother leopard, her arched eyebrows sharp, ”You think I’m stupid?!”

”All the military units have fled, you think holding a uniform and making up any excuse will get you off the hook?”

A surge of anger instantly burned from Zhao Yuan’s chest to his eyes. He could accept others not helping them, even capturing them, but he couldn’t accept someone saying he was fake, saying they were fake!

That was his pride, the one untouchable reverse scale.

All explanations were mixed with anger, stuck in his chest, transformed into a cold, ”I’ll bet my life!”

The murderous intent in the woman’s eyes nearly solidified.

This year, she had traversed almost all of the Gravity Zone, though sparsely through Donghuang Heavy Industry and few other dangerous areas. All military zones were empty, how could a current border duty soldier suddenly appear?

But seeing Zhao Yuan’s anger and persistence, she was also unsure.

She threw him on the ground, stepped on his chest with a sneer, ”You better be, otherwise I’ll make you regret ever crawling out of your mother’s womb!”

...

One day later, news of the Four Nations invasion spread out of nowhere across the entire Gravity Zone.

It wasn’t just among the top powers, but also spread among the smaller groups, and even individual Scavengers.

A dozen black-clad Knights swept past a village with windows and doors nailed shut, accompanied by the roar of engines, only disappearing as the eyes hidden behind door cracks disappeared.

The man breathed a sigh of relief, turned, and walked inside, ”Dad, the Black Bandits are gone.”

The old man steadily carved a piece of wood with a knife, asking, ”What were they shouting outside?”

The man paused, carefully recalling, ”Seems like something about Four Nations entering, these bastards will say any lies to trick us out...”

The old man inserted the carved wood into an iron spear tip, saying, ”I heard Old Wang next door mention this, it might not be fake. Those bastards have coveted our Donghuang for quite a while now. If it weren’t for your great-grandfather’s generation giving them a good thrashing, they wouldn’t have stayed quiet until now.”

”Oh, what’s the use of saying this?” The man waved his hand unnaturally, ”It’s all Old Huang’s calendar now, it’s the apocalypse, everything’s gone, we’re lucky if we can just survive. I’ll go check how much rice is left in the jar. Let’s have porridge tonight...”

The old man thrust the homemade spear into the air twice, then closed one eye to check if the shaft was straight, yet his tone was non-negotiable, ”We’ll eat solid tonight!”

”Solid food? We don’t have much rice left...”

The man was reluctant, but he hadn’t had a solid meal for a long time, he couldn’t help but add more rice.

After dinner, the man was just about to clean up the dishes when he heard the old man say, ”Don’t clean up.”

The man’s father’s strange behavior puzzled him, he looked at his old father.

”Didn’t you always say you wanted to be a soldier when you were a kid? To defend the country? Now’s the chance.”

The man’s face stiffened, ”I was just saying back then.”

The old man clicked his tongue, ”Just saying, yeah? Then forget it, sleep early, tomorrow you’ve got to go find food again.”

In the middle of the night, the man went to bed early.

No internet or electricity in the apocalypse, yet his mental spirit grew stronger. Tossing and turning in bed, he couldn’t sleep.

Old memories surged like waves.

”Dad, is this Grandpa?”

”This is your great-grandfather when he was young, just came back from the war.”

”Why fight the enemies?”

”Because they never learn, always wanting to take our land.”

”They deserved a fight!”

”I want to be like Great-grandfather, wear the military uniform, defend the country!”

The tough father in his memories laughed heartily, ”You’ve got to grow up first, but with what you just said, the future is like the ocean, the days are long!”

The man suddenly sat up, shouted towards the next room, ”Dad, are you awake?”

A candlelight came from the next room, illuminating the old man’s white strands, startling the man, who realized his father was fully dressed, with the backpack he used in school on his back, holding two homemade spears in addition to the candle.

The man widened his eyes, ”Dad, what do you want to do?”

The old man retorted, ”What do you want to do?”

”I... uh, nothing.”

”If you don’t want to do anything, why ask if I’m awake?”

The man was silent for a moment, ”I want to go.”

The old man tossed him a spear, ”Ambitious, then get dressed. Uncle Wang will drive us there soon.”

”Uncle Wang is going too?”

”Why should only you go, and not others?”

The man got dressed, father and son left the door. Outside, the moonlight was still bright, yet the two were no longer terrified but filled with ardor.

A small car rolled up beside them, the door opened, revealing a bearded middle-aged man and a half-full car, ”Waiting for you two!”

The overcrowded car chugged towards the edge of He Shui.

The same scenario played out in various parts of the Gravity Zone. Survivors, who hid like rats in corners, coincidentally emerged from their homes, bringing minimal food and giving the rest to their neighbors, setting out for the highway towards He Shui.

Initially, there were few people, needing to avoid Evolution Beasts and zombies.

Soon, more people joined, more experts emerged, Evolution Beasts were slaughtered, becoming feast for heroes, as fuel, igniting roaring flames.

Wide roads once again populated by past dominators, countless flows of cars silently converged.

Heading to the shores of He Shui, just like ancestors have done for ages.

They knew where the end was, they also knew what the outcome would be.