Armed Train in the Apocalypse

He Jie furrowed his brows, ”The troops are hidden nearby?”

”That would have been discovered long ago; they’re hidden in an underground facility. They’re very vigilant. Even when we deliver supplies, it’s done in a temporarily dug snow cave, which is collapsed after the trade is done.”

”But after trading numerous times, we roughly figured out the location. However, our Business Alliance doesn’t plan to clash with them, so we’ve been at peace...”

Su Huan obviously wouldn’t believe his nonsense.

If there were truly no ulterior motives, why trade supplies with them?

It was simply because they couldn’t tackle the tough challenge.

Nevertheless, it further fueled Su Huan’s anticipation. All along, the soldiers he met were either retired or border guards, hardly providing any information.

What could make the Business Alliance wary here must certainly be a standing unit.

Coupled with the unique location, it would surely leave some traces.

”Then let’s go there!”

Su Huan made his decision, and the train rumbled forward.

After a while, dawn broke. The wind noises also subsided considerably. Although snow mist still permeated the air, they could more or less discern the shape of the city below.

Everything seemed to be covered by a thick blanket; streets, skyscrapers, parks, neighborhoods, all pressed down in the snow, with only a few tall streetlights peeking out.

Without the zombies’ howls and mutant plants hiding in corners, the whole city was sealed under heavy snow, exuding an innocent fairy tale-like charm.

The train moved slowly forward, with Su Huan sitting at the front, admiring the scenery along the way.

Everywhere gave him a feeling both familiar and novel.

Su Huan did not enter; He Jie and Huayang had to accompany him from behind.

However, the Domain was continuously spread out. Though thirty degrees below zero was somewhat uncomfortable, it wasn’t as unbearable.

Not long after, Su Huan saw the ”Flooded Building” Huayang talked about.

Who knows what it went through when the apocalypse arrived; the building’s exterior was bare, leaving only some concrete frames. Streams of water like rapids poured down from the top, freezing in their rushing moment.

The entire building was encased in ice, like a sculptor’s masterpiece, carrying a spectacular yet disruptive beauty.

Under the bleak morning sun, the ice crystals were clear and magnificent.

The snow layer here was even thicker, averaging over six meters, with powerful information isolation abilities. The train’s scanning devices couldn’t view the situation below; electronic devices like mechanical dogs and spiders stopped functioning in this temperature.

Fortunately, Su Huan’s perception was strong enough; with a sweep, he detected a powerful Pan Energy feedback a kilometer away.

”It’s here.”

The train slowly came to a halt. The train conductor confidently waved his hand, and an invisible force lifted a mass of fluffy snow, revealing a large pit about a hundred meters in diameter to everyone.

Seeing the situation inside, He Jie chuckled, and Huayang scratched his head, pretending not to notice the conductor’s stiff smile.

For his level, he didn’t have the qualification to mock the conductor.

In the pit.

Two brown bears, over five meters each, were sleeping soundly with heads in hands. Feeling the biting cold, the mother bear shivered and slapped the father bear awake, who then roared angrily at the sky with closed eyes.

”Roar—Boom!”

In the dining car, the cook checked the prepared dishes with hands behind his back, sipping his small drink while bragging.

”I know you all can cook pretty well, but none of you have experience with handling high-end ingredients. Back in the day, when I first got on the train, I had to prepare meals for hundreds, and that wolf meat was as tough as stone, blunting five cleavers! But I finished it in one day. The aroma was so delicious that people couldn’t stop eating quietly, even the conductor tasted my cooking...”

The voice suddenly ceased, and someone turned to see the cook’s eyes looking dazed, as if he’s drunk, before they even felt puzzled.

The cook had already run towards a young man, his face filled with embarrassment, ”Conductor, why did you come in person? And why did you bring stuff...”

Su Huan’s face darkened, dropped the bears he was holding, and left.

This time, he chose another direction and headed to a place with strong Pan Energy fluctuations.

With a wave, he lifted the snow layer, revealing black soil underneath.

Amid the broken snow layer, they saw a snow tunnel over a meter high, with visible shoe prints on top.

Huayang inspected carefully and said excitedly, ”This time it must be Yushu Camp!”

Su Huan’s expression eased slightly as finding it was good.

Instead of digging further, he let the train stay put, taking He Jie and Huayang down, while the others remained to guard the train.

Watching Old He run back enthusiastically, carrying out a heavy machine gun, Su Huan was speechless, ”Why are you taking that thing?”

He Jie patted his treasured object, and replied confidently, ”Of course, to show strength, lest someone with unclear mind causes trouble.”

Seeing reason in his words, Su Huan didn’t bother further.

The three of them crawled into the snow tunnel.

The snow tunnel was low, not to mention walking upright; even at Su Huan’s height, bending still bumped his head, requiring hands and feet to climb quickly forward.

But since the train conductor went first, he wouldn’t allow himself to suffer.

With hands in his pockets, he walked forward, widening the snow tunnel into his shape using energy.

No wonder Huayang couldn’t remember the location; the snow tunnel inside made numerous twists and turns. Without sensing the train parked outside to determine relative position, he’d be lost too.

However, the temperature rose quickly, from over negative hundred degrees to negative fifty. Even without Su Huan’s open Domain, Huayang and He Jie could survive in this environment.

Creaking crunching sounds resonated as they walked, and Huayang whispered an introduction from behind.

”Yushu Camp has only about three hundred people under the Iron Pine Forest Camp. Within the Wind Snow Zone, most camps belong to Iron Pine Forest, with just a few transit stations set up by our Business Alliance.”

”What about Mine City?”

”Mine City is a resource-based force, highly retracted. Half the manpower is in the mines, and the other half at the Dragon Gate. They’re hardly anywhere else.”

”Usually, we complete resource consolidation here at Yushu Platform, summing up Mine City’s coal and Iron Pine Forest’s common supplies before agreeing with the troop on an exchange site. My uncle has pre-arranged with them, so today we can go straight there...”

Huayang’s voice abruptly halted as the conductor stopped walking.

...

Four figures clad in thick cotton clothes ran quickly through the snow tunnel. Compared to the tunnel Su Huan and the others entered, this one was much wider, enough for two people to walk side-by-side; yet each was bundled heavily and carried guns, forcing them to proceed single-file.

”They went this way!”

A dull sound echoed, and the last person silently fell to the ground.

The two in front turned back, dragging the fallen injured forward, while the leader ducked into a corner and waved; the pair swiftly joined.

Safely tucked behind the bend, they checked the injured’s condition.

One man gritted his teeth, ”Squad leader, Gangzi is gone!”

”Damn it! This bunch of bastards just wants to wipe us out! They’re not after those supplies, I’m fighting them!”

The other tried to charge out but was kicked back by the squad leader, harshly smacking him, ”Fight my ass! Are you fucking insane?! The whole camp is theirs; you’d be throwing yourself at them for nothing. Our mission is to get back with the news! Got it?!”

Intimidated by the squad leader, the soldier no longer uttered a word, with only heavy breathing echoing in the cave.

Seeing him calm down, the squad leader wiped the moist ice from his mouth, ”Follow my orders!”

With footsteps drawing closer behind, the squad leader pulled out a flashbang from his pocket and threw it.