Armed Train in the Apocalypse

When they finally recognized the faces of Ruble and the others, the arena erupted with waves of commotion, discussions, and exclamations filling the air.

Only when the high-tier Evolvers hurried over did they barely manage to stabilize the situation on the scene.

However, compared to the gladiatorial match that had just resumed, what truly captured the people’s attention were those standing precariously in the air above, and the tables laden with exquisite dishes, each one valuable enough for an ordinary person to fight for in this era.

The gladiator holding a bone spike cautiously kept his distance from his opponent while glancing at the people in the sky out of the corner of his eye.

Feeling the powerful presences of the Evolvers in the sky, the man’s brows furrowed tightly, his expression grave.

Especially the long-haired, narrow-eyed man in the center; although he hadn’t emitted any aura, just a single glance from him was enough to freeze him in fear.

He sensed that something significant was about to happen, yet all he could do was continue fighting.

Only by winning one more match and achieving the feat of three consecutive victories could he obtain the restorative potion to heal his wife’s injuries.

This was his only hope; conceding now would forfeit the rewards he’d earned thus far.

All his efforts thus far would be in vain.

His gaze returned to the opponent before him, whose calf was grotesquely disproportionate, as if a piece was missing, yet there were no visible blood traces. Instead, just a mass of flesh and stark white bone membrane, with blood seeping from the wound beneath the bandage, flowing down and staining the ground red.

To the others present, the injury might be a mystery, but Su Huan understood the situation with just a glance.

The two people below, one was an ordinary ”Defender,” and the other was a relatively rare ”Gatherer.”

The ”Gatherer” seemed like a purely auxiliary logistical role on the train, sounding rather weak.

But it must be noted that the term ”Disassembler” was merely a name derived from their core ability characteristics; it didn’t mean this profession lacked combat capability.

Their core ability lay in those special eyes, capable of discerning the attributes of various materials, seeing energy flow, and future trends, which, when combined with some combat abilities, resulted in bizarrely lethal methods.

A Defender’s combat techniques, on the other hand, were simple: either wield a weapon or use fists.

No one could curse you to death with just a glance.

That’s why in the wilderness there was a saying: ”Controllers” play concepts, ”Makers” play taboos, ”Gatherers” play mysticism, and ”Power Suppliers” gamble with their lives.

In terms of danger, ”Defenders” are the easiest to provoke in the wilderness, while ”Power Suppliers” are the most difficult to deal with.

The combat ability of ”Power Suppliers” is the weakest, with the fewest techniques, but they have a common trump card regardless of strength: self-detonation.

The worst part is, you never know if self-detonation is the Power Supplier’s last resort or their only option.

If it’s the latter, it becomes utterly despairing.

You might just probe them with a minor attack, but they may have no counter, leaving you with a shared self-destruction.

Provoking a ”Power Supplier” is like defusing a bomb; you need to understand their methods and endurance limits.

The second most dangerous are the professional ”Gatherers.”

A professional ”Gatherer” is undoubtedly a fearsome character.

No one knows what their ability entails, nor the strange ways they might attack you.

Furthermore, once in their grasp, not even a whole corpse remains.

Like the man standing in the arena, his evolutionary direction was clearly combat-oriented.

The combat details showed he was a Tier One ”Disassembler.”

This ability seems to simply enhance the speed at which materials are gathered, allowing easy decomposition of higher-tier materials, sounding relatively harmless.

But like a sharp bone-chopping knife, quick in slicing meat, even quicker on humans.

If a butcher were to kill, they might need time to adapt.

But an ordinary disassembler most frequently encounters evolution materials like zombies, humanoid material.

If asked to kill a person, they hardly need any adjustment.

After a pause, the two resumed combat.

Wherever the Disassembler touched, the Defender’s flesh would immediately separate from bone, blood distinct from flesh, materials from evolution materials, clearly delineated.

It wasn’t long before the Defender had no choice but to surrender.

Seeing Su Huan’s interest in the combat, Hua Junyan explained, ”In the Dragon Gate Colosseum, a gladiator can choose to surrender for a price, without fighting to the death.”

”This price is usually around half of the gladiator’s wealth, which must be placed as collateral in the arena beforehand, and will be transferred to the other gladiator upon surrender, overseen by the Dragon Gate City Hall.”

But the gladiator stands to gain far more than that.

The arena rewards are cumulative, with four types: ranking rewards, challenge rewards, winning streak rewards, and cumulative rewards.

For an ordinary Scavenger, winning any ranked match brings immense wealth.

Defeating Cheng Zhan at Dragon Gate isn’t necessary to be seen as ’leaping over the Dragon Gate.’

Just winning could earn vast resources and potentially catch the eye of major powers, changing one’s fate entirely.

After the battle ended, the judge’s pronouncement made the ”Disassembler” the 35th ranked champion in the arena.

The man cast a deep glance at the people above before turning away to the corner lounge without delay.

The surrendered ”Defender” heaved a slight sigh of relief, though his face showed some pain over his loss.

Staff dragged in a Tier One Fearsome Wolf, placing it in the arena center; only after this did the colosseum’s doors open, and amid audience jeers, the ”Defender” hurriedly exited.

The staff quickly left as well, as if avoiding something.

The audience didn’t leave, as if anticipating the next fight.

Yet only a solitary corpse remained in the arena.

Su Huan was puzzled as a dense wave of Pan Energy made him raise his head, gazing into the distant, dark sky.

Soon came the sound of fluttering wings, as a flock of black birds flew in, descending on the Fearsome Wolf and tearing it apart ravenously.

The crowd, however, was already accustomed to it.

”Why feed the birds after a fight?”

Su Huan raised an eyebrow.

Hua Junyan explained gravely, ”This custom was here before we settled in Dragon Gate. A defeated contestant must offer up food equivalent to their strength level to avoid being devoured by these birds. They call this process ’sacrifice’.”

”Breaking this rule incurs the bird flock’s frenzied retaliation, and amongst these birds is a Tier Three Evolution Beast that we cannot contend with. That’s why we hope to seek your help, Train Master.”

At this point, many of the Dragon Gate leaders present looked disheartened, wearing expressions akin to mourning. Su Huan glanced at them, letting out a cold laugh.

He didn’t ask why these two top forces hadn’t tried eliminating the Tier Three bird—it was evident from their grief-stricken faces that they’d suffered significantly at its hands, unable to mount a counterattack, likely routed entirely without a chance to fight back.