Chapter 51: They Want to Harm You!

Liang Kuan strode purposefully toward the front of the train, while Su Huan bent down to pick up two submachine guns lying on the ground. He handed one to the Third Brother, his expression serious. "Looks like we’ve brought trouble back with us. If you have questions, save them for later—survival is the priority."

The Third Brother blinked at the weapon, then snatched it up with a fierce mutter, "These heartless bastards—haven’t even had a bite to eat and already expecting us to fight to the death!"

"I’ll treat you to crab and tofu stew when we get back," Su Huan promised with a grin.

The train trembled lightly beneath their feet. Su Huan laughed heartily and turned to walk backward, deliberately exposing his back to the barrel of Third Brother’s gun.

Yu Jing and the others hurried to catch up.

The eldest and second brothers exchanged hesitant glances toward Third Brother.

"What now?"

Third Brother snapped, "What now? We fight, of course!"

Su Huan caught the sound of footsteps behind him and smiled slightly. Of course, this was just the first test.

"How many passengers have returned?"

"One hundred and twenty fewer regular passengers, but many new ones today—one thousand and two in total. More than a dozen have backgrounds in science and engineering, but two workers died from heatstroke today."

Yu Yue, following behind, quickly scanned the roster and reported.

Su Huan’s steps faltered, his heart tightening. "Died from heatstroke?!"

"Yes, succumbed to the extreme heat," Yu Jing picked up the thread.

The expression on Su Huan’s face shifted like the weather. Morjiang City was utterly uninhabitable, but the first phase of the armored train project had a long way to go.

They’d lost one carriage along the way but added eight new ones, bringing the total to forty-nine.

Only fifteen of these had steel plating installed.

At least two-thirds were still unarmored!

"How far are the zombies?"

"The small groups are less than five hundred meters away—over a hundred in number. But within three kilometers, all the zombies are converging toward us, including those on the tracks ahead."

"And the total number?"

Su Huan waited, but Yu Yue remained silent for a long moment. He glanced at her—her face was pale to the point of fear, her body trembling slightly. If she hadn’t been clutching Yu Jing’s hand, she might have collapsed.

"At least ten thousand," she finally whispered.

Su Huan clenched his teeth and took a deep breath. "If we get through tonight, we can finally leave this heat zone behind."

"Want to live? Move faster!"

The train doors slid open, and a wave of scorching heat blasted in.

Su Huan felt as if he might suffocate for a moment.

---

He suspected the temperature had soared past forty degrees Celsius, though without a thermometer, he couldn’t confirm.

The group moved swiftly.

Yu Yue followed behind Su Huan, keeping watch and reporting zombie distances.

Yu Jing directed the workers loading tools and materials onto the train.

Xiao Ba pried open the rear door and roof hatch of the luggage car to allow the three brothers to drive the fire truck in. With the growing roar of zombie howls, even the workers who had never left the train sensed the danger.

Despite the oppressive heat that left them dizzy, none dared slacken.

Compared to other passengers, these workers were guaranteed meals as long as they worked—no need to risk scavenging outside. Their conditions were far better.

Even those who initially felt bitter watching former small business owners and white-collar workers fight tooth and nail for food started to feel a slight sense of superiority.

But forming a new class divide was still premature.

...

The dying sun bled crimson, its last orange glow fading through the diamond-mesh explosion-proof netting of the carriages.

The armored train had been assembled to forty-seven cars—only two still stained by zombies.

Originally, three cars were packed with zombies, but after a nighttime demon attack shattered the carriage doors, Su Huan had wiped them out in one sweep. Only one carriage had been cleared on the way.

A small portion of the zombies were harvested by Wan Xing for materials; the rest, too rotten, were discarded.

They weren’t worth much anyway—when needed, tasks could be issued for passengers to catch more.

Perhaps a task system could be implemented someday, Su Huan mused oddly.

"Just a hundred meters!" Yu Yue’s voice was unusually sharp.

Su Huan squinted from the last carriage.

A spotlight atop the train flickered on, its piercing white beam sweeping across the tracks’ edges. A lithe figure leapt onto the fence, crimson eyes dilating in the glare.

Two hands spread wide revealed a dense array of eighteen eyes.

As the spotlight scanned, one night demon after another vaulted onto the fence.

But they did not attack the train immediately.

Instead, like soldiers awaiting the signal for battle, they stood poised.

The roar of the undead echoed from all directions, reverberating through this land where the sun had set.

Suddenly, the metal fence collapsed. The spotlight caught two towering butcher figures, their backs swarmed with countless heads.

Su Huan glanced once, then turned to move forward.

The armored train beneath his feet emitted a slow, rhythmic clang.

---

Like the call to battle.

The terrifying howls reached a fever pitch as the ten-meter-long fence around the train crashed down.

Five butchers shoved freight cars forward, crushing everything in their path. Countless ordinary zombies surged past them, piling onto the train in relentless waves—the undead flood launched its assault!

Boom—

A freight car slammed into the last carriage, shattering the tempered glass.

A cry rang out as someone stumbled and fell to the side.

Su Huan caught the staggering Yu Yue with one hand, raised his right to shield her from flying shards, and planted his feet firmly, unshaken as he advanced.

Sharp cracking sounds rang out relentlessly.

Occasionally, sharp claws pierced the thin metal skin of the green carriages overhead.

Su Huan channeled energy into the train beneath him, activating the hydrogen-powered carriages interspersed in the armored train.

With four kinetic boosts, the previously slow train surged forward.

Night demons and ordinary zombies pressed against the carriage were flung far behind.

But more swarmed in from both sides of the tracks.

Su Huan’s steps were measured and steady. His Hummingbird-9 compact submachine gun spat three bursts of armor-piercing rounds, killing several ordinary zombies who had squeezed in.

Reaching the penultimate carriage, he slammed the gangway door shut, his hands glowing with heat.

The lock melted and sealed completely.

Bang!

A night demon slammed against the door, its crimson eyes locking with Su Huan’s.

The glass before them cracked in terrifying patterns under its claws.

Su Huan switched his submachine gun to full auto mode. The moment the glass shattered, he emptied the remaining 22 rounds of 9mm armor-piercing bullets into the creature’s skull.

The muzzle flash illuminated Su Huan’s face—calm to the point of deathly stillness.

Seeing that face gradually eased Yu Yue’s initial tension. She clung to his arm, half-hanging on him as they moved forward.

A flood of chaotic information poured into her mind.

Suddenly, one phrase stopped her in her tracks.

Su Huan felt the tug on his arm and looked back in confusion.

"They want to kill you!"