Armored train in the apocalypse

Chapter 234 Stand Firm!

Why do you think I'd be willing to protect you?

Su Huan turned his head to the side, a hint of doubt in his eyes.

Zhang Min stood on the edge of the rooftop, facing each other across a five-meter-long steel beam.

A hissing electric current broke through the air, and the burnt, fishy smell filled the nasal cavity.

The closer they got, the more they could feel the terrifying pressure emanating from Su Huan, like approaching a ferocious beast grinding its teeth and sucking blood; their hearts instinctively jumped into their throats.

Feeling her body trembling and her heart filled with fear, Zhang Min became even more excited.

This is the train conductor she remembers.

Although they were unfathomable before, their deep concealment only made people feel disappointed.

Zhang Min curled her lips in a sarcastic smile. "Of course I know that train conductors don't do things without a profit motive."

After saying that, he reached out and took off his jacket, revealing a white sports bra underneath.

Shu Wei, who was watching from the sidelines, was shocked by this action and her eyes widened.

How come this girl is even more willing to go all out than her?

There are still so many people here.

Don't they have any shame at all?

But... what a youthful and vibrant look!

Then, realizing the key point, he looked down at himself.

The accumulation of time has yielded heavy fruits on her, but even the healthiest fruit must follow the laws of physics, and the fruit humbly bows its head.

Each has its advantages and disadvantages.

Shu Wei pursed her lips with a hint of worry.

Su Huan's gaze was deep, because Zhang Min didn't continue taking off her clothes, but instead spread them out in front of him, revealing greasy handprints on her shoulders.

Even though the clothes were wet from the rain, you could still tell that they were a different color from the surrounding clothes.

Zhang Min didn't speak, but her eyes clearly conveyed the message: "You used me to wipe your hands, so it's not unreasonable for me to ask you to protect me this once, is it?"

Seeing Su Huan remain silent, Zhang Min knew he understood her meaning, and calmly said while putting on her clothes.

"Of course, I'm not one to sit around doing nothing. I'll help you resolve this problem downstairs."

Yes, this is a dig at his past mockery of her for wanting to freeload.

He just didn't expect his little trick to be discovered.

"Yes, but only before dawn. Prices will be charged separately after that."

Since the other party has made it clear that they will not join the armed train, then the score needs to be settled.

"No problem, we'll go our separate ways after daybreak."

Zhang Min figured the evolved beast downstairs would definitely be gone by then, so she readily agreed.

……

Hearing that the two of them had reached an agreement so readily, Shu Wei was completely dumbfounded.

If Yu Yue and Su Huan's conversation had some basis in fact, then Zhang Min's conversation was completely inexplicable.

Just because she took off her clothes, he agreed to shelter her for one night?
And if you can solve the crab infestation downstairs, why come back for shelter?

Looking at Zhang Min, who seemed to have won a battle, Shu Wei had one question after another in her mind.

Her eyes kept shifting between Su Huan and Zhang Min. She was now more curious about what had happened between the two of them to be able to have such a tacit understanding.

"Keep your promise."

Su Huan dispelled the lightning from the building beneath his feet.

Unleashed, the crabs perked up instantly, one after another, excitedly climbing towards the rooftop, already past the twelfth floor.

Su Huan locked his "Universal Energy Perception" onto Zhang Min.

This skill has been upgraded to level 7 due to frequent use, maintaining the same speed as the main skill.

Although his perception wasn't very refined, he had helped Su Huan solve many problems.

"Suddenly," an invisible energy fluctuation emanated from Zhang Min, like a large net capturing the crabs below. But to his surprise, a general energy fluctuation actually originated from himself, as if actively responding to Zhang Min's abilities.

But the fluctuation was fleeting, making Su Huan doubt that it was his imagination.

Soon, the energy from the large network began to return.

These generalized energies were heavier, as if they were carrying something that exceeded the scope of "generalized energy," so Su Huan only vaguely sensed them and did not make an accurate judgment.

Zhang Min's aura visibly improved.

"It's gone! The crab tide has receded!"

The soldiers by the building immediately shouted.

Su Huan looked down and saw that the blue crabs downstairs had not died. They retreated in an orderly manner, as if organized by someone. A thoughtful look flashed in his eyes.

This is yet another ability he doesn't understand.

It looks a bit like the ability to manipulate mutated beasts, but judging from what I just felt, it's clearly not a normal information exchange process.

He had seen the evolved beings who controlled the mutated beasts in his previous life.

Most of them simply pass their commands to the mutated beasts, rather than extracting something from them like Zhang Min did.

But don't worry if you don't understand, just be careful.

I'm a whole level above Zhang Min.

It won't overturn.

The crab tide, like the receding tide, surges down in an extremely orderly fashion.

The exposed wall surface was pitted and dented from their claws.

Su Huan stood up, his energy surging, and dried his clothes.

Although the result was somewhat unexpected, it's good that the problem was solved.

"Why are those crabs back again?"

Hearing the soldiers' shouts, Su Huan looked down.

The retreating crabs seemed poised for a comeback, rebuilding their platforms on the water's surface like armored soldiers launching a fierce attack.

Zhang Min's expression changed, and she activated her ability again to disperse the crab tide.

ten minutes later.

Su Huan shook his head. "Don't waste time. These aren't the same batch of crabs. If you want to disperse the crab swarm this way, you'll have to go through all of them."

"Not only that, the crabs that were previously driven away have already swum back. In other words, as long as you don't kill all the crabs at once, the driven-away crabs will still be assimilated into the group."

Shu Wei added.

Zhang Min frowned. "Then what should we do?"

"We have no choice but to use the brute force method."

Su Huan sighed and sat back down on the steel beam. A thunderous boom shattered the gathered crabs.

The crackling and popping sounds once again echoed throughout the Tieshan Refuge.

The storm intensified, but the armed train on the water remained relatively still.

Because the deck was piled up like a mountain of crabs, the train's waterline was a meter deep.

Zhang Min bit her pink lips, watching Su Huan's retreating figure, stubbornly chasing away the crabs again and again.

Besides her, Lin Jin was also silently manipulating flames in the corner to bombard the surrounding Crab Mountain.

He is currently a Tier 1 "Burner".

However, his abilities have improved significantly, with all three main skills—"Flame Control," "High Temperature Barrier," and "Fire Seed"—leveled up to lv3.
In addition, he also awakened a skill called "Explosive Flame".

It can impart explosive properties to flames.

He can make any flame explode in the most spectacular way if he wants to.

"Torrent" is a seed of fire attached to a living being. Within a certain time and distance, the creature can choose whether or not to ignite the seed.

The conditions for planting a seed of fire are not demanding. As long as his flame touches the other party, even if the flame goes out, the seed will still exist.

The "fire seed" is not an actual physical flame, but rather a spiritual imprint left by Lin Jin.

Now with the "Explosive Flame" skill, combined with the "Fire Seed" trait, he can detonate the "Fire Seed" directly, just like igniting a bomb.

According to the train conductor's personal test, a person caught off guard by a sudden attack will suffer a minor injury.

But what's truly terrifying isn't this explosion.

Rather, it was the flames generated after the explosion. Given Lin Jin's inextinguishable flames, anyone caught in them would be doomed without some means of protection.

In terms of ability, Shu Wei was the only one on the entire train who could completely restrain him.

However, Lin Jin only had eyes for the train conductor.

but now……

Lin Jin felt that the distance between him and Su Huan was not only not getting closer, but actually getting further and further apart. The roaring sound continued for another ten minutes.

Although Zhang Min was in a state of high spirits, the excessive absorption of negative emotions had made it difficult for her to control herself. Looking at Su Huan in front of her, she gritted her teeth and continued to try to dispel the negative emotions.

Lin Jin was a little tired.

To blow up those crabs, he had to use multiple skills in combination each time.

This high-intensity output is a tremendous test of both energy and mental strength.

Su Huan remained unchanged.

After half an hour.

Zhang Min had stopped dispelling the evil spirits, her jewel-like eyes fixed on Su Huan as she bit her fingernails, lost in thought.

Shu Wei watched warily from the side.

Lin Jin was already exhausted, so he began to reduce the intensity of the flames, no longer aiming to burn them to death in one go, but only retaining the explosion effect.

Just make sure you can blast open a whole bunch of crabs.

Lin Jin looked toward Su Huan's position.

The storm was so strong that people couldn't open their eyes, but the blurry black figure stood as still as a nail.

Tall, mysterious, and majestic.

Lightning flashed across the sky like the hissing of snakes, steadily striking the gathering crabs.

After an hour of use, Su Huan was not only not tired, but also had become more adept at controlling the energy.

The electric current, which would occasionally injure their own people, was always cleverly avoided by Lao San and his group.

Even with the pull of rainwater.

Because I can feel my own visible progress, I don't even find it boring.

Another two hours passed.

The lightning not only did not weaken, but became even more intense. Previously, the crab could maintain its position around the tenth floor and engage in a tug-of-war with Su Huan, but now it could only barely rise about three meters above the water. Once it exceeded this limit, it would be struck by lightning.

Looking at the radiant Su Huan.

The same thought simultaneously arose in everyone's mind.

"Is this still a human being?"

Even power plants can't be this outrageous, right?

Lin Jin had completely given up. He sat under a tin shed, holding the Pan-Energy Crystal in one hand and staring blankly at the lightning flashing across the sky.

If this is evolution.

So what are they?
Growing crooked?
He had a strong sense of delusion.

Perhaps they are the ones who are evolving.

Su Huan has ascended to godhood.

Zhang Min had already gone downstairs; she wasn't surprised by the train conductor's behavior.

Even if Su Huan were to ascend to heaven on the spot with his left foot on his right, she would consider it perfectly natural.

But the way she looked at Su Huan became increasingly strange.

Shu Wei didn't leave; she stood in the wind and rain, being buffeted by the tide for two hours.

I felt completely numb.

She actually wanted to leave, but her body was overwhelmed by stress and she couldn't move.

Then no one noticed her situation, so she was inexplicably left there to listen to the thunder for two hours.

The third brother wasn't really shaken by this. In his simple mind, the more awesome the train conductor was, the more awesome he was. As for how awesome the train conductor should be...
As awesome as can be!
So after arranging the soldiers' patrols, he pulled a few officers aside and started playing cards and bragging.

At first, Qu Hang and the others were a little reserved, but it wasn't a big problem. Apart from the third brother, they were all soldiers from the Steel Council.

The group got two more blue crabs, and after they had eaten and drunk their fill, they chatted about their days in the army and cursed He Jie. They all let loose.

A group of bloodthirsty killers who live on the edge don't care about danger at all.

Even if the crabs rush up, all they'll do is curse them and then grab a gun and start a fight.

To die leaving behind a piece of national essence, or to leave this world cleanly and without a trace.

"Four sevens, bomb!"

"Brilliant!"

"I can't afford it!"

"The train conductor is the best!"

"Brothers, let's raise a glass to the train conductor."

"If you don't have any wine, just go downstairs and get some, red or white, I don't care..."

The people at Tieshan Refuge didn't have such a strong heart.

All the survivors on the roof were driven inside the building. It wasn't that Su Huan was being mean; it was mainly because the wet metal pieces were a real lightning magnet and difficult to control at first.

They might as well have someone chase them all away at once.

They're not the third oldest; a couple of electric shocks are just to perk them up.

Ordinary people's bodies are too fragile; even a simple electric current can take away a large number of them.

After all, the decision was made to protect these people.

If you manage to kill half of them yourself, that would be a huge joke.

The Qi family members also hid among the crowd downstairs.

Xiao Dong clung to the window, gazing longingly at the lightning pouring down outside.

Qi Jianguo asked in a low voice, "How long has this been going on?"

Qi Zhendong: "It's been more than three hours. It shouldn't be an evolved being; it's some kind of method we don't know about."

Hearing the two talking, others nearby chimed in.

"It definitely is. Even after further evolution, we are still human. This thunder is the might of heaven, and it is definitely not something that humans can control."

"Yes, they must have used some methods we don't know about."

Qi Zhiyuan, who was squatting in the corner with his knees drawn up, raised his head.

His eyes flickered, as if he had seen some hope.

"That must be it. They just used some trick to deceive us, Dad. As long as we find the device that emits lightning, we can defeat them."

Yu Yue, who was busy cooking upstairs, twitched her ear tips and suddenly smiled.

Then, with a serious expression, he began to think about how to deal with the crabs on the table.

People around heard Qi Zhiyuan's voice and made way for him.

Qi Jianguo then noticed his son huddled there, his brows furrowed as he looked at his bruised and swollen face.

"come over."

The incident happened so suddenly that he didn't even know how his son got the injury on his face.

Qi Zhiyuan quickly got up and ran over.

"What's wrong with your face?"

The old man sitting by the window didn't turn around.

Qi Zhiyuan's eyes flickered, but he dared not lie in front of his grandfather, so he could only say insincerely, "I made a mistake and was beaten by my grandfather."

But Qi Jianguo was also a soldier, and he wasn't so easily fooled.

Besides, he knew perfectly well what kind of person his own son was.

He was at least 70% involved in what happened at the Tieshan shelter tonight. If it weren't for the fact that all the people in the know had been killed by Lao San, he would have asked about it long ago.

Qi Jianguo's gaze remained calm. "Tell me in detail why you were hit and how you were hit."

Seeing his father's expression, Qi Zhiyuan knew he was in trouble.

His legs trembled uncontrollably; his pants, which had been wet with urine, felt cold, as if a chilling wind was seeping into his body.

He picked out the less important parts and recounted the events of the evening in a light-hearted manner.

He dared not lie, but he would choose to say the part that posed the least threat to him.

After hearing this, Qi Jianguo did not fly into a rage as usual.

He simply said softly, "I've been in the military all these years and haven't paid much attention to you. It's my fault as your father."

Qi Zhiyuan was startled, then suddenly looked up, his eyes wide with astonishment.

"dad?"

"Zhiyuan, hold on tight!"

Just as Qi Zhiyuan was stunned, an even more ferocious slap landed on his other, undamaged cheek.

(End of this chapter)