Armed Train in the Apocalypse-Chapter 283 - 209: The Show Begins (Part 2)
"This was witnessed by both our investigation team and the collectors."
"How did the exploration team get involved too?"
"They were captured as well, at the time we were all digging up trees in the mountains."
The deputy general manager laughed out of frustration, "So, you mean to tell me I've spent a lot and pulled favors, but ended up with neither the Genetic Primordial nor the Tree of Life, only to send people to dig trees for them?"
Haywood was taken aback, knowing full well that the costs were covered by their division!
Yet he dared not retort.
He hesitated and asked, "Should we take action against the armed train?"
The deputy general manager paced the room twice, the anger in his heart dissipating some, and he replied calmly.
"Continue to observe the armed train, the Genetic Primordial is evolving too rapidly, avoid escalating the conflict, it doesn't align with the company's interests."
"Anyway, they've already entered a hard-hit area, it's uncertain if they can survive; even if they do, they still have to get past Black Kite."
Listening to the disconnection from the other end, Haywood quietly breathed a sigh of relief.
As long as they don't send him to deal with the trainmaster.
Su Huan, who acted like a tyrant that night, left a deep impression on him, a wildness and madness unlike any other.
Like a lone wolf on the precarious wilderness, living every day as if it were the last.
Compared to him, Black Kite and the people from Deep Blue Data were like chicks in a greenhouse.
Moreover, the opponent's growth speed was too fast, even though the company had planted spies early on, they still couldn't figure out the full strength of the armed train.
In just over two months, they rose to become a force that everyone feared.
A faint trace of awe flashed in Haywood's blue eyes.
Looking at the other report in hand, regarding Tong Zizhan's application to return to the company, he muttered to himself, "Changing people now is too dangerous, they can only hold on a bit longer..."
...
The flood, laden with debris, battered against the heavy deck of the armed train, unable to even damage the outermost nanotech repair coating, and the water spread across the ironwood planks.
Inside the armed train, the dim lighting illuminated the corridor.
The carriage numbers hadn't changed, but the internal space allocation underwent significant changes.
Lu Xiao's team's dedicated carriage was canceled and replanned altogether.
There are two trains, with the left one housing Su Huan being the main carriage and the right one as the auxiliary carriage.
To prevent confusion, they are directly referred to as Auxiliary 1, Auxiliary 2, and so on...
He Jie moved in with the Armed Corps, but the one facing Auxiliary 1 and Su Huan's Carriage 1 was left vacant.
Carriages 13, 14, and 15 became the crew's public space, mainly for large meetings or events, serving as a special public venue.
Carriage 16 was the crew's dining car, starting from carriage 17, most crew members resided there.
Liu Ming sat in the second room of Carriage 18, calmly loading bullets into the pistol magazine.
Opposite him sat the tense and numb-faced Zhang Qiang, "Will they find us through the pistol..."
Liu Ming lowered his eyelids and said in a deep voice, "No, this pistol isn't registered on the train, every part was hand-crafted in a factory, the bullets were exchanged for sporadically with others, even if someone wanted to investigate, they wouldn't find anything."
"Won't they discover it?"
Liu Ming pointed to the flickering disruptor on the wall, "There's more than just us behind this, there are plenty of people discontent with the trainmaster."
Zhang Qiang swallowed nervously, he had met the trainmaster and didn't think he was as bad as they said.
Besides, since the train was restructured, his life had improved significantly, with ample food daily and a private bathroom, the obese woman who fought him for the toilet stayed at the Shun'an Base.
He thought he could live this peaceful life forever, but Liu Ming unexpectedly came tonight.
And suddenly insisted on initiating the plan they had discussed initially.
Back then, he did have the courage to break everything.
But that was merely a fleeting courage.
Now that courage had long dissipated, if it weren't for Liu Ming holding a grip on him, he would've even considered reporting to the train.
"Don't worry, each part is arranged by someone, you just need to follow the instructions, this gun is just a backup for you, don't worry, it won't be triggered, the brothers in Tongzhou Association are counting on you..."
Liu Ming's soothing voice gradually calmed Zhang Qiang's fear.
Liu Ming finished loading the bullets, handed the pistol to him, "It's time for us to go."
The two of them stepped out with the disruptor.
Liu Ming led the way, calmly using the disruptor to interfere with the cameras mounted above the corridor, opening the door to Carriage 15, which was decorated like a regular family living room, with a small bar and kitchen on the side for families who preferred cooking over public meals.
There were also some separated lounges in the corner.
During breaks, the crew liked to play cards here or have a drink.
Though it was already deep into the night, there were still a few figures sitting and chatting inside.
Many people had only known each other for a few days but had already become inseparable friends.
No one knew what tomorrow held, what battles or disasters awaited.
Everyone was trying to spend their time as they pleased.
Liu Ming never participated in these activities; he believed his capabilities would eventually help him stand out.
But the world changed too quickly.
Many things had spiraled beyond his control.
Although a large number of Tongzhou Association members were left at Shun'an Base, he didn't expect an idiot assigned to the manufacturing group to foolishly expose the organization.
These past days, he could feel the odd looks from Tong Zizhan and others.
Once the train digs out the remaining Tongzhou Association members, he wouldn't be able to justify himself.
A decision had to be made.
Right now, there's only one possible way to extricate himself from this whirlpool.
His gaze darkened as he looked at a small room in the corner.
Having infiltrated Tong Zizhan's team for so long, he hadn't been idle; concerning the mysterious figure who approached them initially, he already had some suspicions.
The two moved silently in the shadows, avoiding the notice of those drunkards.
They headed directly into the room.
A man was already seated inside, wearing an unusually wide mask, with some brass shavings caught in the seams, resembling a worker from a bullet workshop.
The man, seeing the two, became agitated and cursed under his breath.
"I told you, the operation is canceled! Canceled! Why are you still looking for me?!"
"Don't be agitated."
Liu Ming raised his hands, stepped aside, and stood behind the startled Zhang Qiang, a hysteria-tinged smile in his bloodshot eyes, "Though you don't need us anymore, I still need you..."
The man sensed something was amiss and instinctively reached for his pocket.
Just as Zhang Qiang was still reeling from the canceled mission, a gunshot suddenly rang out.
The man opposite shuddered in fright, drawing his gun and emptied the magazine at the two in terror.
Then, he frantically patted himself down.
After checking his entire body, clarity slowly returned to his brain, realizing he wasn't hit.
While the two across were already lying in a pool of blood.
Before he could figure out what had happened, the lights in and outside the lounge abruptly brightened, as if infused with a new energy.
"Cut! That's a wrap!"
A voice laced with a faint smile called from outside.
The man recognized the individual standing at the door, his face instantly losing all color, and he fell to his knees.
His lips trembled for a long time before he managed to stutter out a word.
"Train... Trainmaster..."
Su Huan stood at the entrance, observing the scene in the lounge with keen interest.
Behind him, He Jie, Lao San, Tong Zizhan, Gao Yuan, and others glared coldly, as if looking at dead men, towards everyone inside the room.
Su Huan squatted down, looking at Liu Ming whose face was stained with quite a bit of blood, and lightly patted his cheeks, chuckling, "Isn't it time to get up for the next performance?"
The lounge was silent, and Liu Ming on the ground didn't react for a long time.
"Severely injured and can't be healed? Tong, drag him out to feed the fish then."
