After an unknown amount of time had passed.
The woman finished and gently lay on his chest again, like a docile wildcat.
He, on the other hand, gazed out the window in a daze, secretly vowing to avenge this humiliation. He knew he couldn't defeat the Stellar Train, but once he reached the yellow zone, his brother would avenge him.
No one had ever dared to insult him like this!
At that moment—
The woman lying on his chest suddenly whispered, "There's something I forgot to tell you. Didn't you get two Murphy Stones today? Can you use them to upgrade me?"
"Phew."
The young man let out a sigh of relief. Fortunately, although this woman had access to all the train's components, only he could perform upgrades. He had been pondering a question for some time.
If he destroyed the "Train Auxiliary AI" and rebuilt it, the new AI might not have as many permissions. But he wasn't sure if it could retain its A-grade potential.
He couldn't contact his brother through the Train Radio and could only rely on the old man he had just met to relay messages. He didn't dare to ask about these things over the radio. The woman knew everything. His brother's train was of a higher level, and they couldn't meet in the Combat Training Virtual Space.
But...
The chances seemed slim. AIs don't sleep, and before he could destroy the Train Auxiliary AI, he felt she would likely press the self-destruct button faster. Unless there was a crisis that completely destroyed the "Train Auxiliary AI" without harming him.
"A waste of time."
Chen Mang, stepping out of the Combat Training Virtual Space, shook his head and didn't dwell on the matter. If they didn't provoke him, fine. But if they did, he'd see if they could withstand a barrage of 100,000 grade-6 shells.
Night fell.
All the Train Residents were asleep, and he too felt drowsy. After a quick wash, he stripped off his clothes and climbed into bed.
Under a sky full of stars.
The Stellar Train lay on the Shahe Plain like a steel dragon.
"Roar, roar..."
From time to time, the sounds of monsters echoed, but they were scattered and quickly dealt with by Zhang Da Mei, who was piloting the "Executioner" mech, wielding a giant axe. None of the monsters got close enough to disturb the rest of the people on the train.
But tonight, there seemed to be more monsters.
Two lines of text gradually appeared on the control screen.
-
"Ding. Detected 14 level-3 Zombies approaching the train."
"Threat level: zero. No need to wake the Train Conductor."
-
No sound, just the text slowly appearing on the screen. This was a manifestation of Xiao Ai's judgment logic, like a historical record. When the Train Conductor woke up and checked the records, he would know what had happened during the night.
"Level-3 Zombies?"
Outside the train.
Zhang Da Mei, piloting the "Executioner" mech, glanced at the monster information Director Ai had sent her on the panel. She looked into the darkness where over a dozen Zombies, each about four to five meters tall, were charging toward the train. Excitement filled her eyes as she tightly gripped her giant axe, patiently waiting.
In the night, the massive Zombies rapidly closed in on the train, an awe-inspiring sight.
In the past.
She would have been terrified and run away. But after so many days of training in the Combat Training Virtual Space and experiencing so much with the train, and now piloting this mech, she was fearless!
Finally—
As the dozen or so massive Zombies reached the train, Zhang Da Mei let out a roar and told the second team to watch from behind. She alone leaped into the air to meet them!
"Boom!"
As the giant axe cleaved through a Zombie's head, the massive creature was split in two from the middle. It stood frozen for a moment before slowly collapsing to either side.
A foul, bloody stench immediately filled the air.
Without hesitation, Zhang Da Mei, her face filled with excitement, controlled the mech and charged at the other Zombies.
Meanwhile, several Zombies had already reached the train, snarling and fiercely pounding on the train. It was a terrifying sight, but the train's armor remained unscathed, not a single dent.
Under the effect of "Permanent Shock Absorption," the train car remained perfectly stable, with no sense of impact. The sleeping Train Residents didn't even know a horde of Zombies had surrounded the train.
"..."
Inside the No. 5 High-Talent Car.
Yan Yao sat by the bed with a complex expression, looking out the window at the Zombies violently pounding on the train. This was the first time she had seen Zombies up close, and they were level-3, each towering four to five meters tall, a truly awe-inspiring sight.
If she had been outside the train instead of inside, her pants would have been soaked by now.
But inside the train.
She felt a strong sense of security, with no fear at all. She could even carefully observe the rotting wounds on the Zombies.
At that moment—
"Plop."
A raindrop hit the window, followed by a rumble of thunder. The rain began to pour, a storm with a hint of snowflakes.
This was the first sleet of winter.
From the first drop to a full-blown storm, it took less than a minute. The rain soaked the Zombies, but they paid no heed, continuing to attack the train and the mech leaping in the rain.
The rain left no trace on the glass.
The scene outside remained vividly clear on the window.
"This place feels much safer and more comfortable than the safe room in my villa."
Yan Yao whispered as she looked out.
"Of course."
Ji Chuchu, also sitting by the window, paused before continuing, "Biao Ge told me that when they went to rescue you, there was a middle-aged man hanging in your living room, his lower body completely eaten by monsters. Did you know him?"
"He was my driver. When the apocalypse came, he was in the villa."
"Why did he hang himself?"
"At first, I took him into the safe room with me. He stayed calm for a while, but after two months with no sign of rescue, he seemed to despair and started banging his head against the wall to kill himself."
"He was so forceful that he hit his head against the wall, bloodied, and passed out. I thought he was dead, worried about his body rotting, so I moved him out of the safe room."
"Now it seems he wasn't dead then, just unconscious. He woke up and went to the living room to hang himself."
Ji Chuchu paused before softly asking, "Did you really take him into the safe room when the apocalypse came?"
Yan Yao suddenly laughed, her eyes filled with helplessness.
"Of course not."
"When the apocalypse first hit, monsters were everywhere, people were dying. How could I stay in a safe room with a burly man? He didn't know there was a safe room in the basement."
"I ran in alone and locked the door."
"Why he chose to hang himself instead of running, I don't know. Maybe he couldn't escape."
At that moment—
"Roar, roar!!!"
More and more roars suddenly erupted, interrupting their conversation. In the storm, an increasing number of Zombies charged toward the train, wave after wave, an endless tide.
"It's a Corpse Tide."
Ji Chuchu looked out at the Zombies running through the storm, her expression slightly complex as she whispered.
Inside the Stellar Train, the control screen rapidly displayed several lines of text.
"Beep, beep... Corpse Tide detected."
"Highest level Zombie: level-6. Average level: level-2. Estimated number: 40,000."
-
"Threat level: zero. No need to wake the Train Conductor."
"Train Conductor's permissions activated. Car Blades activating... 3 Doomsday Cannons locked onto 3 level-6 Zombies and 14 level-5 Zombies in the Corpse Tide. Preparing to fire..."
The next moment—
"Buzz, buzz, buzz!"
Car Blades, each ten meters long, extended from both sides of the train and began spinning at high speed. The remaining level-3 Zombies attacking the train were instantly severed at the legs, their bodies suddenly shorter.
They fell onto the Car Blades, where the electric currents on the blades instantly charred them to a crisp.
Then!
"Boom, boom, boom!!!"
The three "Doomsday Cannons" at the front of the Stellar Train began rapidly rotating their eighteen barrels. Shells trailing flames streaked across the sky, landing in the Corpse Tide.
The targeted level-6 Zombies were instantly obliterated by dozens of shells, reduced to bloody mist.
The surrounding Zombies were also turned into bloody mist.
The roar of the Doomsday Cannons was barely noticeable in the rainy night, as countless clumps of earth were blasted into the air, mingling with the rain.
In the blink of an eye.
The high-level Zombies in the Corpse Tide were precisely eliminated. With the activation of the "Powerful Magnet," the surrounding debris was continuously sucked into the train's refrigerator.
The entire process was precise and swift.
Using minimal resources to achieve maximum results.
Outside the train, in the rainy night.
Zhang Da Mei, piloting the "Executioner" mech, watched the scene with a hint of helplessness. Earlier, Director Ai had informed her through her Iris Chip to stay away from the train as the Car Blades were about to activate.
She had immediately charged into the Corpse Tide, wanting to see if the mech could handle level-5 Zombies.
But...
The next moment, she saw the newly added cannons on the train rapidly rotating and firing. In the blink of an eye, hundreds of shells trailing flames landed in the Corpse Tide, precisely eliminating all the high-level Zombies.
She didn't even get a chance to act.
The remaining Zombies, though numerous, were all low-level, hardly satisfying to kill.
But soon she had no time to think about that. She roared and swung her giant axe, thoroughly enjoying herself as she hacked away at the Zombies in the rainy night.
Countless Zombies charged at the train, but before they could get close, they were sliced into pieces by the Car Blades. If she didn't kill faster, there would be no minions left to kill.
That night—
The "Train Radio" was constantly flooded with messages.
No one knew what had happened.
A massive Corpse Tide had suddenly emerged on the Shahe Plain, with many high-level monsters attacking every train. Many lower-level trains that had just arrived from the surrounding white zones met their demise that night.
"Damn it, damn it!!!"
In the control room of a level-4 train, a middle-aged man, his face twisted in fury, desperately piloted the train through the rainy night. Surrounded by the Corpse Tide, the train kept ramming through the Zombies blocking its path, trying to break free.
He didn't know what was happening.
Wasn't the Shahe Plain supposed to be the safest green zone around, with hardly any monsters?
Why was there such a terrifying Corpse Tide!
At that moment—
A level-6 Zombie, nearly seven to eight meters tall, appeared in the Corpse Tide ahead. Before the train could avoid it, the Zombie leaped into the air and crashed onto the train's front.
"Boom!"
Whether it punched or stomped.
"Warning, warning."
"Train front mech integrity: 21%. External Loudspeaker integrity: 0%. Powerful Magnet integrity: 0%. Headlights integrity: 0%..."
The train's AI began urgently and mechanically emitting piercing alerts.
"What to do... what to do..."
"Damn it!"
In the train's control room, the man looked up at the almost shattered armor on the ceiling. Rain and night seeped through the cracks, and the Zombie's roars and stench enveloped him.
"Rat-tat-tat!!!"
The sharp sound of a heavy machine gun echoed through the rainy night. His thugs were in the rear cars, operating the heavy machine guns, firing relentlessly at the level-6 Zombie on the train's front, heedless of ammunition consumption.
But they were only using level-3 bullets, incapable of breaking through the Zombie's defenses.
The man, his face twisted in fury, yanked the control lever. The train, racing through the Corpse Tide, suddenly slowed. The screeching brakes echoed through the rainy night, and the level-6 Zombie on the train's front was thrown off.
"Success!"
The man's eyes filled with the elation of surviving a close call. He immediately prepared to pilot the train to safety, but... the train was now densely surrounded by the Corpse Tide. Zombies climbed on top of each other, piling onto the train and pounding on the armor.
Countless Zombies were jammed beneath the wheels.
The train was completely stuck!
Unable to start again.
At that moment, numerous Zombies climbed onto the train's windows, banging and roaring, ready to smash through.
Just then—
A bolt of lightning split the sky. In despair, the man saw his own bloodshot, hopeless eyes in the mirror, surrounded by the gruesome, flesh-covered Zombies that had already shattered the glass and were about to enter the control room.
The nearest Zombie was almost touching his clothes.
There was no escape.
"If only I had stayed in the white zone."
Sitting in his chair, the man tremblingly lit his last cigarette, took a deep drag, and exhaled. The bluish smoke gathered near the ceiling, mingling with the rainy night air seeping through the cracks in the armor and broken glass.
In the distance, the unscathed level-6 Zombie roared and charged toward the train.
The man gave a bitter smile as he looked at the button on the control panel he thought he would never press.
"Immediate Self-Destruct."
At that moment.
The train's AI's cold, mechanical voice echoed in the control room.
"It seems we have to say goodbye, Train Conductor."
"You were the best Train Conductor I've ever known. If there's a next time..."
The next moment—
"Boom!!!"
The train, already buried under the Corpse Tide, suddenly erupted in a
massive explosion from the front. The ensuing explosions from the rear cars shook the rainy night like thunder.
In an instant, the Zombies surrounding the train were blasted into the air, torn to shreds.
More Zombies were engulfed in the flames, their bodies charred as they fell to the ground, writhing in agony in the rain, emitting the distinctive roars of Zombies.
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