Armed Train in the Apocalypse

Steel Council Headquarters, northwest corner, Experimental Tower.

The hexagonal walls of the tower shimmered with a pearlescent glow in the night, as if covered with a special film, gleaming different colors with each change of the viewing angle.

The tower stood out among the buildings eroded by acid rain around it like a crane among chickens.

This was the most valuable building of the Steel Council, occupying sixty percent of the pre-apocalyptic liquid capital.

Its core was the pan-energy monitoring device at the top of the tower, while at the base lay the evolution research laboratory of the Steel Council.

A fierce argument was going on in the conference room at the top floor.

”You have no right to terminate my experiment, get Li Wangchuan here, he personally promised me in the beginning!”

The laboratory director, an elderly man with gray hair but impeccable demeanor, stood in the room, angrily pointing at board members behind a few bodyguards.

The bodyguards completely ignored the director, swiftly counting and loading the Pan-energy Crystals, their actions carrying a hint of anxiety.

The scolded board member stared out the window intently, taking one cigarette after another.

Upon hearing the director’s words, he suddenly became like an enraged brush wolf, cursing, ”Don’t mention that fool Li Wangchuan to me! If not for him, how would things have gotten to this point?! Now nobody even knows where he is, and it’s over, the whole Steel Council is finished! If I hadn’t run fast, I’d have been gnawed on by the zombie horde by now!”

The director was taken aback, ”Finished? What does that mean? Zombie horde?”

He too had just been informed by his subordinates while conducting experiments, that a board member was using their authority to come in and plunder a lot of resources, even trying to take away research personnel. He thought it was another internal power struggle, which is why he came up angrily to stop it.

But things seemed different than expected.

The board member calmed down after venting, and explained the situation with a composed face.

The upheaval left the director dumbfounded.

An apparently successful New City Plan was suddenly disrupted by someone, using a super-inducer to catch tens of thousands in one go, killing most of the board members, leaving only a couple alive, and now the enemy was leading a million-strong zombie horde toward the Steel Council.

Despite having been through many ups and downs, he was bewildered by the situation.

A research done halfway, a great situation... all gone?

Suddenly, a piercing alarm blared throughout the tower, making the board member flinch like a startled bird, and he rushed out, ”Director Xu, I know you have an armed force protecting the laboratory, but don’t think about relying on those few people to hold the headquarters. A million-strong zombie horde is not something the current weakened humanity can fight against.”

”In three minutes, I’m evacuating. If you don’t want to leave, don’t stop me, because nobody will survive then!”

The bodyguards carrying safe boxes left with him, leaving Director Xu standing silently in the room, the warning red light casting a shifting shadow over his face.

A subordinate rushed in, face filled with panic, ”Director, we just detected a high-intensity pan-energy reaction outside the ten-kilometer range, with source numbers exceeding a hundred thousand, and the strongest reaction source reaching Stage Two!”

Director Xu took a deep breath, ”First, load all important data and equipment onto trucks, then take away the gene drugs, Pan-energy Crystals, and important experiment subjects including the Genetic Primordial.”

The subordinate’s eyes flickered, and without further questions, went to handle it immediately.

...

The evacuation news was initially circulated only among the board members and the director, but as senior researchers hurriedly evacuated with their families, it alarmed others.

The news of the approaching zombie horde spread layer by layer.

Late at night, the lights suddenly came on in the family area of the Steel Council.

A series of footsteps woke Han Qin, who had been sleeping poorly for the past few days. She quietly opened her eyes, cautiously glanced around the bedroom, confirmed everyone was asleep, and walked barefoot across the floor to the balcony.

Circumventing the painting easel on the balcony, she looked down.

A group of armed personnel quickly ran in, and Han Qin’s eyes filled with anticipation, scanning each person’s face carefully but not seeing the one she hoped for.

Her heart instantly felt empty.

It was at this time that her husband had left, and then never returned. The company’s explanation was temporary disappearance.

She had pulled many strings but couldn’t find out anything, and after a few days, more security personnel appeared at the door.

Her movements began to be restricted.

”Mom.”

A young voice called from behind, bright and crisp, echoing loudly in the silent room.

Han Qin was startled, turned around and saw a small figure standing behind her, her eight-year-old son.

She quickly walked over and gently asked, ”Why is Xiaoxiao up?”

”Did Dad come back?”

The woman’s heart ached, and she embraced her son gently, comforting him softly.

After a moment, Han Qin suddenly sensed something was wrong; why were the footsteps outside growing more frequent?

Holding her child, she looked out onto the balcony and immediately noticed something amiss.

On ordinary days, even if a late-night gathering occurred, it would be for armed personnel or important scientific researchers; who would gather women and children in the dead of night?

Han Qin carefully peeked outside the door, saw no usual surveillance personnel, and decisiveness flashed in her eyes.

”Xiaoxiao, wake your sister and get dressed quickly.”

”Mom, where are we going?”

”To find Dad!”

...

The base floor of the Experimental Tower.

In a transparent room, Zhang Min, dressed in simple underwear, slowly awoke.

It was still the usual warm light, never dimming whether they drank water, slept, or went to the toilet.