Armed Train in the Apocalypse

The underground base wasn’t as technologically advanced as Su Huan imagined; it resembled the old-style arsenals he saw before in the Acid Rain Zone. The walls on both sides were cast from reinforced, blast-proof concrete covered with dark gray impact-resistant paint, emitting a mixed scent of cold metal, faint engine oil, and disinfectant, giving him a heavy sense of security.

After dual authorization, the two entered the core region of the base.

The interior scene unfolded before Su Huan, with a broad main passage running north to south through the base, eight meters wide and six meters high, enough for a tank to pass through.

The LED light strips on the top were arranged linearly, emitting soft yet ample white light, illuminating every corner of the passage.

Different functional areas were distributed on both sides of the main passage, with each area’s entrance having independent isolation doors and identity verification devices, yet it was deserted.

Only Qiu Chong and Su Huan’s footsteps echoed crisply on the alloy floor.

”The base is divided into inner and outer areas; officers and soldiers live outside. This is the first time the interior has been opened.”

Qiu Chong pointed to the deeper regions and said.

”What did Yang Cunyi leave?”

Su Huan asked.

He couldn’t believe the opposite party would open the base that had been guarded for two years or even longer to outsiders just for a word from the Business Alliance or a bunch of fancy titles. There must be activation conditions, and he unintentionally met these conditions.

Qiu Chong didn’t reply, but walked towards the end of the passage instead.

It wasn’t until they entered the command center, and the isolation door completely closed, that he spoke. ”The General indeed left some information behind, but it can only be revealed to Tier Four Evolvers and above.”

Su Huan looked at the wall in front, similar to a train carriage’s head, a massive curved display screen occupying the entire front wall and showing real-time surveillance footage, radar detection data, communication signal strength, and other information within and outside the base. However, most external images had already turned into snowy static.

Not knowing what Qiu Chong operated, the images suddenly shifted and dimmed.

Without sound, two light spots appeared on the screen, depicting a vehicle, more accurately an off-road one, which suddenly charged into and out of view before even the lens could react.

Large specialized vehicles followed closely behind, abruptly appearing and then disappearing from the screen once again.

No vehicle had its lights on, and there was no sound in the footage, just the oppressive outlines appearing repeatedly.

Su Huan recognized them as soon as they appeared, armored transport vehicles, with several trailing after the train.

Su Huan’s gaze turned slightly heavy, quietly observing.

Qiu Chong pressed a button, switching the camera, the scene lighting up slightly, the transport vehicles turning into squads of soldiers carrying equipment and sprinting toward an end that resembled a lion’s mouth at the gigantic gap, steep and high cliff walls on both sides, clearly Lion’s Mouth Pass.

Pressing again, Lion’s Mouth Pass remained the background, but the marching troops switched once more.

Pressing again, and switching again.

It was as if Qiu Chong was demonstrating to Su Huan, pressing over a dozen times, allowing Su Huan to discern from their facial features and skin tones that they came from all over, northeast, northwest... to the southernmost, as people change, clothing color changes, equipment changes, yet this string of troops never ceases, day and night.

All were active soldiers of Donghuang.

”So is this the truth behind the military’s disappearance, over ten million people all behind Lion’s Mouth Pass?”

Su Huan’s eyes narrowed into a line, showing no emotion.

Qiu Chong no longer switched, instead, he looked at the current scene calmly yet solemnly, ”To be precise, it’s one million standing troops plus two hundred thousand Law Enforcers, all beyond Lion’s Mouth Pass.”

”To avoid leaking any wind, we prepared for over a decade; no one knew where they were heading until the day they set out, unknown mission, unknown enemy!”

”This video lasts 67 hours and 34 minutes, almost three days long!”

Qiu Chong’s voice finally had a wave but quickly calmed.

”But we had no choice.”

”We have already lost.”

Every sentence was succinct, without embellishment, yet carried suffocating amounts of information, especially piled up onto the last sentence, even Su Huan remained silent in place.

”Before the apocalypse?”

”Before the apocalypse.”

Qiu Chong turned around, solemnly stated, ”After venturing into the Wind Snow Zone, the nights grow longer; when the sun never rises again, one enters the Eternal Night Zone. No matter who it is, no one can leave the Eternal Night Zone, as this is the General’s message I must convey to you all.”

”Eternal Night?” Su Huan asked quietly, ”What about those twelve million troops...”

”After the apocalypse strikes, no one can leave Eternal Night, whether it’s the initial entering troops or people entering thereafter. Not a single person has come out, hence nobody knows what occurred in there.”

Qiu Chong stated decisively.

Su Huan suddenly recalled Hua Zonglin’s speculation that the twelve natural disasters weren’t calamities but twelve fortifications.

But if Donghuang intentionally constructed these twelve defenses, why not notify everyone?

Why send all the troops into Eternal Night post-defeat?

Wouldn’t the collected strength of tens of billions be stronger than the current chaos?

Although some truths were confirmed here with Qiu Chong, Su Huan’s heart was riddled with more puzzles, surrounding each issue with various speculations, resembling monumental projects crazily occupying mental resources.