Armed Train in the Apocalypse

The setting sun dyed the wasteland on both sides in dark gold, while the sky was a dim, dull prussian blue.

Between these two extreme colors loomed the massive black silhouette of the train.

The four sets of [Magnetic Fluid Propulsion Devices] rotated slowly, and the hexagonal anti-gravity array nodes under the carriage lit up one by one. The train, hovering in midair, flew forward steadily.

Inside the newly completed Four Nations outpost, Zhao Yuan saluted the departing train, and a thin figure on top of it stood just as straight.

In the Donghuang Heavy Industry camp, Lian Jin waved his hand; he didn’t even know if anyone could see him.

He looked around and asked Yang Ruoyu beside him, ”Where’s my sister?”

”The leaders said she went back to headquarters first. They want you to head back as soon as you can if there’s nothing urgent.”

Lian Jin scratched his head. ”She’s leaving already and won’t even see me off?”

A solitary figure was running along the shattered highway. Hearing the sound, he instinctively lifted his head. The giant shadow of the train swept over his head.

Jiao Ting shaded his brow with his palm and watched. When the train passed, he lowered his head and kept running.

Didn’t manage to die; the life that needs continuing still has to continue.

...

On the train, second floor of Car 3.

The pile of layered blankets in the e-sports pod suddenly shifted, revealing a human-shaped outline.

Wan Xing stretched lazily, joints making a soft clicking sound. Bored out of her mind, she shut off the hovering monitor in front of her and sighed. ”Life without new anime is really hard to get through.”

She glanced at the mechanical watch beside her, hesitated for a moment, then still wriggled out from the cozy blankets.

Although the carriage’s thermostat kept the temperature at a comfortable twenty degrees, she habitually threw on an oversized black jacket with fluorescent green stripes. She zipped it up to her collar, burying half her face in it.

She headed out, radiating the dejected aura of a worn-out office worker.

With this major overhaul of the train, the seven main laboratories had all been moved to the rear carriages; only her potion workshop remained in Car 3.

After all, potions were high-value evolution supplies, and dedicating a whole carriage to store them wasn’t a waste.

But the materials decomposition work had been shifted to the rear Cultivation Pod.

That was fine too, Wan Xing thought as she walked. The old Car 3 really had been too cramped. Often she couldn’t even stretch, especially when dissecting those large Evolution Beasts—the stench of blood would permeate the entire car and linger for days.

The reformed train was much more spacious, and most of the warehouses and storage spaces had been shifted to the back.

The Cultivation Pod had become the new core; the laboratories were built around it, so naturally the materials had to be moved there for easier access.

The crew now spent most of their time in the Cultivation Pod and the several carriages behind it, only returning to the front living quarters at night to rest.

The Cultivation Pod had two levels. The lower level was set within the ”tortoise shell” structure and served as the core zone of the entire pod.

At the very center was the train’s supercomputer and data center; all equipment from the seven laboratories that needed high computing power was hooked up here. The supercomputer was literally encircled by the labs in a ring.

The upper level of the Cultivation Pod had been remodeled into the exclusive territory of the Crown Pear Tree.

The space here was semi-enclosed; the roof could slide open, and it was only fully sealed during extreme weather or when entering contaminated zones. Most of the time, more than half the pear tree’s crown was exposed, its branches and leaves spreading in the wind.

The low wall encircling the Crown Pear Tree formed the upper structures. At present most of this area was still vacant, with only the train school under Liu Yu, the bullet workshop, the dorms for Li Han and the others, and Wan Xing’s materials decomposition studio set up here.

There were also four large water purifiers and a water storage system here to supply water for the plants.

Right now the Cultivation Pod area had no sense of aesthetics whatsoever.

Li Han was busy with several assistants, painstakingly restoring and cultivating various plants. The ground was full of pits and bumps. Only the Crown Pear Tree still looked as lively as ever, its broad leaves swaying in the breeze with a rustling sound.

”Sister Xingzi’s here.”

Liu Yu, just off work, spotted Wan Xing and greeted her.

”Mm, clocking in.”

Wan Xing replied weakly, shuffling in her slippers toward her studio.

Entering the room faintly scented with disinfectant, she started tidying the stainless steel dissection table in the center, along with the tools and reagents on the wall shelves used for decomposition.

She had barely started when she heard the door gently pushed open.

Wan Xing instinctively lifted her head and saw a tall figure standing at the doorway.

It was Yu Jing.

This woman, usually clad in White Scale Armor, was now in casual clothes: a gray jacket over a black tight-fitting top, looking neat and efficient. Her nose twitched slightly, as if sniffing the air.

”Can you do me a favor?” Yu Jing got straight to the point.

Wan Xing pushed up the large glasses on her nose, her eyes turning a bit more serious. ”What is it?”

Yu Jing walked in and reached back to gently close the door, her movements smooth and silent.

Leaning against the wall, she said, ”It’s not complicated. In your downtime at work, just provide me with some flesh and blood.”

”Flesh and blood?” Wan Xing blinked. ”Any quality requirements? Any rank requirements?”

”I want flesh and blood from all different ranks. As for the part, there’s no restriction—whatever scraps and offcuts you normally slice off are fine.” Yu Jing’s tone was very calm, as if discussing what to eat today. ”But I do have one request: I hope you’ll keep this confidential.”

Wan Xing nodded straightforwardly. ”No problem.”

Once Yu Jing left and the studio door closed softly, the casual expression on Wan Xing’s face tightened a little. She reached straight for the micro button on the arm of her glasses.