Chapter 127: Purified Water |
"We all encountered it! If it weren’t for Jiang Yun, we would’ve been completely wiped out!"
Shu Qin’s voice rang with anger, her expression darkening. "There was a gang of thugs called the Black Crow Four, specialized in hunting down Ability Users. One of them seemed to have the power to repel zombies. That night, when all our convoys gathered at the factory, they targeted us—they wanted to wipe us all out. Later, Jiang Yun and Big Beard’s convoy chased them all the way to Ping’a Lake, but Big Beard’s team suffered heavy losses, and one of Jiang Yun’s men, Dongdong, died there too... Even worse, according to radio reports, those four bastards got away in the end. Damn it!"
Her frustration was palpable. Clearly, that zombie horde attack had cost them dearly.
Lin Xian’s expression shifted as he processed the information. So that zombie horde had nothing to do with Tang Hai after all...
His luck really was terrible—he had run into two major disasters at the same time.
"Dongdong…" Lin Xian recalled the young man who had guided them through Qu Guan City that night and even warned them to be cautious. He sighed, feeling a twinge of regret.
"Yeah, those guys were total maniacs."
Lin Xian nodded, realizing that night had been even more dangerous than he originally thought. Not only had he barely survived, but he had also unknowingly made new enemies.
"Right, there’s someone else you should meet." Shu Qin suddenly remembered something and pointed toward a large, heavily modified RV parked by the roadside.
The casual, carefree scene was completely at odds with the somber atmosphere of the survivors around them.
"Who the hell is that? Doesn’t look like a refugee… more like someone on vacation," Lin Xian remarked.
"That’s Lu Xingchen," Shu Qin explained. "He’s a solo survivor, a one-man convoy. We met him back at Mount Daluo, and he’s helped us out quite a bit on the way to Yubei."
She paused before adding, "His Ability is extremely powerful—he can handle eerie entities alone."
Lin Xian raised an eyebrow and looked over at the man. Just then, Lu Xingchen tilted down his sunglasses, glanced at Lin Xian, and casually lifted a hand in greeting.
"Hi~"
Lin Xian gave a nod in return, but the man quickly lost interest, returning to his tea.
After some introductions and small talk, Lin Xian got a rough understanding of the convoy groups present:
- Shu Qin’s Bigfoot Convoy: 7 vehicles, 30+ survivors, moderate weapons.
- Xu Jin’s Convoy: 18 vehicles, 3 heavy trucks, over 100 survivors.
- Old Mo’s Iron Force Convoy: 2 heavily-armored, all-terrain crawler trucks, 20+ people (including family and close friends).
Old Mo’s crawler trucks were particularly impressive—six pairs of large off-road wheels, thick armor plating, and even watchtowers. The exterior was painted with a cool sunglasses logo and the words "Iron Force Clan".
"So, why are you all stuck here?" Lin Xian asked, getting straight to the point.
Shu Qin and Xu Jin exchanged glances before Shu Qin responded gravely,
"The city has a large eerie entity inside!"
Lin Xian frowned. "Are you talking about that giant jellyfish?"
"You ran into it?!" Shu Qin asked in shock.
Lin Xian didn’t hide it. "Yeah, back when I was crossing Mount Daluo. Luckily, I managed to avoid it."
"Then your luck’s really good," Old Mo chuckled, pushing up his sunglasses. "Even the Iron Guard Battalion was forced to retreat when they encountered that thing. If we see it, the only thing we can do is run."
Xu Jin spoke up next, "Aside from that, the roads are completely blocked. The entire city is crawling with zombies, and the snow and ice make driving impossible. That’s why we decided to move onto the railway tracks—following the trains heading to the spaceport seemed like the best bet. Our vehicles are built for rough terrain, so we can manage it."
"And there’s fog in the city," Shu Qin added grimly. "We’ve lost contact with many other convoys because of it. That’s why we’re trying to gather as many survivors as possible before making the push forward."
"Wait a second," Lin Xian interrupted. "You said 'those jellyfish'—as in more than one?"
Shu Qin looked at him strangely. "Of course! There’s definitely more than one. But unlike the large eerie entity in Mount Daluo, the ones in the fog are much smaller."
Xu Jin shrugged. "Maybe they’re its offspring. Either way, we’ve seen multiple of them inside the city."
Lin Xian nodded slowly. "That explains a lot. Well, the climbing passage is still operational. We can follow the railway tracks—I’ll lead the way with my train, and you all can follow behind. That way, we have more firepower if things go bad."
The floating eerie entities made Lin Xian uneasy. His Infinite Train had solid defenses, but his firepower was still lacking. Until he finished assembling the 1130 CIWS, he wasn’t fully prepared for battle.
Hearing Lin Xian’s plan, Shu Qin’s eyes lit up.
"That’s perfect! Captain Lin, with your train leading the way, our chances will be much higher!"
Old Mo, however, was more interested in Lin Xian’s train. He strolled along the length of the Infinite Train, taking in every detail. Finally, he stopped and gave an approving nod.
"Didn’t expect you to have an intercontinental-class nuclear-powered locomotive as well," he mused. "How many passengers do you have on board?"
"Less than ten," Lin Xian replied honestly.
At this, all three convoy leaders gave him strange looks.
Xu Jin was the first to react. "Less than ten people?! And you’re running a train that big?!"
"That takes some guts…"
Shu Qin added suspiciously, "So does that mean everyone on your train is as strong as Lu Xingchen?"
Lin Xian chuckled. "Not quite. I do have some ordinary people onboard. I’m still looking for suitable teammates, but so far, I’ve encountered more monsters than humans. Just making it this far alive is lucky enough."
At these words, Shu Qin fell silent.
More monsters than people.
That wasn’t an exaggeration. With zombies and eerie entities lurking everywhere, running into a living person was rare.
Even the campfire gathering Jiang Yun had organized, where a few convoys had banded together for mutual support, was a rare stroke of luck.
That was why Shu Qin trusted Lin Xian more than a stranger—they had already survived together once before.
"Alright, it’s settled then." Old Mo cracked his knuckles. "Lin’s train will lead, and I’ll cover the rear. Don’t underestimate my trucks—they’re packed with firepower!"
"By the way, Captain Lin," Shu Qin suddenly walked back to her truck, pulled out a box, and handed it to him.
"Last time, you fixed my water purifier, and I only repaid you with a box of canned food. I felt bad about that. Since we’ve crossed paths again, take this—you’ll find it useful. It’s a set of reverse osmosis filter membranes."
She smiled. "With these, our purifiers can now produce Level-2 purified water. We don’t even need to boil it—the quality is safe for drinking. Over a hundred people in our group have been drinking it without any issues."
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