Armed Train in the Apocalypse

”Xiao Hong.”

”Little Red? What a girly name.” Bomb was taken aback for a moment and kindly reminded, ”...I’m called Bomb, you can call me Brother Bomb. If you have nothing to do, you’d better go for the test early.”

Xiao Hong didn’t correct the misunderstanding about his name, but asked suspiciously, ”Why go early, is there an advantage?”

”The armed train is recruiting soldiers. If you can make it, you’ll be on the fast track to success.”

”Oh.”

Seeing Xiao Hong’s calm demeanor, Bomb was unsettled and asked in surprise, ”You don’t know about the armed train?”

”I know.”

”Then why aren’t you excited?”

”Well... ”

Xiao Hong didn’t know how to answer, ”I want to join Black Star.”

Bomb was even more unsettled, utterly shocked, ”You’d pass up the chance to join the armed train but want to join Black Star?”

”Is there a problem?”

Xiao Hong read something from Bomb’s expression and tone but intended to keep playing dumb to get Bomb to talk more.

”You kid...”

Bomb suddenly leaned closer to Xiao Hong, carefully searching his face for any suspicious expression. But all he could see was an adult-like calm, or perhaps a numbed expression.

The corners of his eyes relaxed slightly, and he sighed, ”Never mind, it’s too stuffy here. Let’s talk outside.”

Seeing Xiao Hong and Bomb heading out, a woman who had come out first from upstairs showed a hint of worry in her eyes, but she quickly suppressed it beneath other concerns.

From the empty door frame, the low murmurs of the two young men echoed.

”Who’s the one in pink?”

”What pink?”

”Just...”

Bomb felt a bit awkward. Even though things had changed after the apocalypse, he couldn’t just say the woman standing upstairs, using her arm to support her chest, wearing tight seamless pink panties, exuding astounding feminine charm, was who she was.

Was it a bit too depressing?

Seeing Bomb’s conflicted expression, Xiao Hong immediately understood what he was referring to.

Yet his gaze remained calm, ”That’s my aunt.”

Bomb: ”...”

”Auntie is really nice.”

”She doesn’t have a man.”

”Huh?”

Seeing Bomb’s awkward and surprised expression, Xiao Hong wondered if he had misunderstood, then tried to emphasize differently, ”She had boyfriends a long time before the apocalypse, but now she hasn’t had a man since.”

Bomb’s steps paused briefly, then he hurried forward again.

Xiao Hong silently followed behind. The two maintained a strange sense of harmony as they passed through the reconstructed street precincts, with heavy machinery and patrolling armed soldiers.

Suddenly, Bomb turned his head, his sharp eyes showing displeasure, ”You’re one weird guy!”

Xiao Hong glanced at him, ”What’s so weird? She’s a woman, a young and beautiful woman, who needs a man’s protection to live well.”

”She’s your family; why don’t you protect her?”

”I’m weak.”

”I can see that, with such a girly demeanor.”

Bomb felt stifled speaking to Xiao Hong, so he seized the opportunity to mercilessly retort.

”If I die, she will have a man, and can survive.”

”Coward!”

Xiao Hong didn’t reply. He knew no shame; he had simply witnessed enough in the past six months to understand the best way to survive.

These words might lack veneer and were hard for people to accept.

The crowd ahead grew larger, lined densely in front of the train, first being body-searched by armed soldiers, then gathered in canopies in Chenxi Square, with each tent having two openings, one for entering, the other for exiting, revealing nothing from the outside.

Bomb went up and said something to the soldiers on the perimeter, and they let the two of them cut the line directly.

Seeing Bomb place his personal belongings on a shelf outside, Xiao Hong was puzzled, ”Are you going for the test too?”

”No, I’m here to enlist, aiming to join the Armed Corps!”

Bomb’s eyes were filled with soaring ambition.

Xiao Hong was confused, ”Aren’t you with Black Star...?”

”Don’t worry about it, Master Rong sent me.”

”Who’s Master Rong?”

”The boss of my boss, Black Star’s big shot!”

Watching Bomb, with his red-dyed hair, enter, Xiao Hong touched a carving knife he had casually placed on himself as a personal item and put it in the shelf before the soldier.

The soldier’s sharp gaze swept over him, said nothing, nodded, and let him through.

Xiao Hong’s gaze lingered on the other’s pale green trench coat, thinking how wearing such an outfit would be nice.

Inside the shed, under an incandescent lamp, was only a table, and a particularly enchanting woman, but seasoned Xiao Hong’s heart only hesitated slightly before falling silent, waiting for instructions.

The woman seemed quite bored, twirling a pencil dexterously between her pale fingers, at a speed too fast for him to see clearly, her tone was lazy and casual.

”The paper and pen are to your left, fill out the form while standing, don’t write nonsense.”

Xiao Hong picked up the paper and glanced at it; it was akin to a personal resume, with the only additions being sections labeled ”Evolution” and ”Skill Specialties.”

Though a bit rusty in writing, Xiao Hong’s speed wasn’t slow.

Su Reya didn’t lift her head the entire time, not even sparing him a glance, just idly drawing meaningless wavy lines on a blank form.

[I really can’t finish today, I’ve even drafted a leave of absence, but I feel I must persist]

[The content’s a bit lacking, I’ll fill in with settings first]

[Refresh a bit later and you all should see updates]

[Brothers seeing this, just refresh, I’ll amend it tonight]

”2045.12.9”

”December 16, early winter, temperature 23°C-27°C”

”In the first week of the apocalypse, people were quite obedient.”

High temperature eruption: Nine days

”December 17, early winter, temperature 24°C—”

”December 18, early winter, 26°C—29°C”

”People seem to have chosen a new leader.”

”December 19, early winter, 28°C—”

”It seems I’ve molded a hero”

”December 20, early winter, 29°C—”

”The conductor always has endless worries”

”December 20, evening, 29°C—34°C”

”Damn, I seem to have become a villain in a novel”

—— ”Conductor’s Log”

”December 21, rain, 35°C”

”Four days left until high temperature eruptions.”

”December 21, 35°C-41°C”

”He’s dead, he didn’t accomplish anything.”

”The time isn’t very accurate, the high temperature seems ready to erupt anytime.”

”December 23—”

”34°C-38°C”

”The temperature is dropping, I’ve left the heat zone, but now the trouble is theirs.”

”December 24, 28°C”

”Whiskey with ice is rich, talent moms are also very satisfying.”

”December 24 evening, acid rain”

”Who on earth wants to harm me?”

”December 27 morning, acid rain”

”Phase one of the armed train modifications completed”

”December 30, 24°C, no rain”

”The new order has been established, but I always feel out of place with them, apart from Yu Yue”

...

”December 30, no rain”

”To bid farewell to the past days, relax for a bit, and help Yu Yue adjust to the new ability.”

”December 31, no rain”

”To celebrate the end of the first full month of the apocalypse, help Yu Yue relax.”

”January 1, no rain”

”The little cook looks quite decent today, but pouting”

”January 2, no rain”

”The Steel Council seems to have started the new city plan, which should last at least half a month”

”No reason, pout!”

...

”January 3, light rain”

”The logistics center’s supplies are plenty, it seems we need to add a couple more carriages”

”January 6, heavy rain”

”When people want to escape, they tend to sleep longer, accompanied by nightmares, and the conductor’s nightmare is seafood soup.”

”January 7, no rain”

”The weather is nice, it’s good for visiting relatives.”

”January 8, great fire”

”A million-level corpse tide caused severe turmoil in the Acid Rain Zone; I played a decisive role.”

”January 12, light rain turning clear”

”The conductor is preparing to face a new disaster.”

”January 14, light rain”

”Trade is nothing but continuous plunder.”

...