The train departed from Jiang City's main station and left the urban area, gradually quieting down to the light singing of the rails echoing around.
Lin Xian looked up and gazed at the huge cloud layer above Jiang City, which stood immovably. It made one's heart flutter every time one looked at it. Many had seen it, and there was definitely some kind of atmospheric creature within it, far more terrifying than any Zombie or Abnormal Body.
But no one knew what it was. For humans, other than curling up in fortresses, there was only hasty fleeing. Who would dare to delve into the true face of such a world-ending creature?
After leaving the city, the scenery around gradually became mountains and pastoral scenes, with less of the bleak, blood-stained, and smoky miasma, giving one the illusion of having escaped the apocalypse.
Lin Xian originally thought it would be difficult to see anyone along the way.
Unexpectedly, several cars in motion appeared on a dirt road near the railway, most of them off-road Jeeps, with a few sedans that were rare and already muddy and packed with belongings, hitting the throttle hard.
As one of the cars saw a train passing by, a middle-aged man in one of the off-road vehicles rolled down the window and stuck his head out, shouting loudly,
"Holy shit, a train!"
Another Jeep covered in paint opened its sunroof, and a young man with a crew cut holding an AK poked out and fired a burst into the sky.
"That train, got any food or water? Wanna join our Oasis convoy?!"
The young man yelled at the people on the train, while Lin Xian in the driver's cabin ignored him and continued to focus on operating the train.
The crew-cut youth, seeing no response, cursed under his breath and sat back down.
"Brother Yong, should we notify Brother Wei up ahead?" said Huang Mao, with a nasal voice from the co-driver's seat.
Zhang Dayong looked indifferent: "Why, should we all switch to taking the train?"
Huang Mao, his underling co-driver, bulged his eyes in disbelief and said oddly, "Brother Yong, the fuel."
Hearing this, Zhang Dayong immediately realized, slapped his thigh, and spat out,
"Holy shit, that's right!!"
A functional train could have thousands of liters of fuel. Even if not that much, a few hundred liters would be enough for their convoy to use for a day or two.
So, he immediately picked up the walkie-talkie,
"Brother Wei, Brother Wei, there's a big one passing along the Jiangyu Line, a train, I reckon there's a good amount of fuel on it."
"Hmm, a train?" A husky voice came through the walkie-talkie, sounding a bit interested from the other end.
"Yes, I guess it'll be passing Yushan in about fifteen minutes, what do you think..."
"I'll go intercept, second team you follow from behind."
At that moment, a small convoy was rushing wildly some ten kilometers ahead of them, led by a modified Raptor. Liu Wei, with a square face and fierce demeanor, sat in the back hugging a heavily made-up young girl.
"Third brother, turn up ahead at the fork, a big one is coming to Yushan Station."
The whole convoy, everyone looked up to Liu Wei as their leader.
Liu Wei was actually not some big gangster boss; before the apocalypse, he was just a small market owner, but after the apocalypse, he unexpectedly awakened a superpower, which catapulted him to a higher status overnight.
To seek his protection, his former relatives and friends groveled pitifully, but he was a clever man. Utilizing his superpower, he recruited a bunch of tough, armed men, and then simply waited for others to scour for supplies to present to him.
In just a few days, he had gathered around twenty subordinates and lived like a local despot. Even the high-class women who used to look down on him threw themselves at him. For a while, Liu Wei was living large, reveling in his success night after night, feeling incredibly smug.
At this moment, hearing his brother's report that there was a big shot in Jiang City who not only hadn't "paid tribute," but had even had the audacity to escape right under his nose, how could this not infuriate him? He immediately prepared to act as a roadblock... After all, when he left Jiang City, he had the same plan in mind.
On the other hand, Lin Xian frowned when he heard the rifle shot from Zhang Dayong. Out of caution, he sped up a bit. Traveling on the clear rail tracks was much faster than driving on dirt roads.
"The 'Oasis' convoy, I just heard on the radio, their leader seems to be a superpower user too," Chen Sixuan said with some worry upon hearing the gunshot.
"I heard it too, but they're taking the roads while we're on the railway. We shouldn't cross paths since we're sticking to our separate paths."
Lin Xian couldn't help but feel a bit worried when Chen Sixuan mentioned other superpower users.
His train plan had many advantages, but the disadvantage was very clear - it was too ostentatious. A magnificent train could attract the attention of many survivors.
"We need to find more allies as well, otherwise it would be difficult to handle if everyone sets their sights on us."
Chen Sixuan looked at him with surprise and then lowered her gaze.
"I've seen the posts you made before, and I think it's hard for others to believe in your plan if they don't know about your superpower."
Lin Xian said nonchalantly, "Quality over quantity for allies. My superpower isn't to serve as a chauffeur for everyone; I'm not just going to let anyone on board unless they're valuable. Otherwise, it's better not to trouble ourselves." He glanced at Chen Sixuan with a smile and added, "Plus, they need to meet my standards."
Chen Sixuan blushed upon hearing this, thinking that Lin Xian was flirting with her, and felt somewhat embarrassed.
"That's not what I mean," Lin Xian coughed lightly. "I'm not talking about good looks, but character, personality, and so on..."
With this clarification, Chen Sixuan's cheeks turned even redder. She avoided Lin Xian's gaze and busied herself recording something in the logbook.
Clang clang, clang clang,
The train sped across the flat plains.
At that moment, Lin Xian's enhanced vision allowed him to see from afar that a damaged sedan was deliberately placed across the tracks at Yushan Station. The car's placement was too deliberate, making it obvious that it was intended to stop any passing trains.
Lin Xian's expression turned stern. He yelled at Chen Sixuan, "Get to the back, quick, hold on tight!"
Realizing the imminent danger, Chen Sixuan's expression changed, and she obediently ran to the first carriage. There, she saw the sleeping girl, so she went over and hugged her tight.
Behind the pillars of the platform at Yushan Station, Liu Wei and his men had already been lying in wait with their guns at the ready. As they heard the sound of the train approaching, Liu Wei poked his head out to look. Seeing the train showed no signs of slowing down, he was consumed with rage and shouted,
"Fire! Make the son of a bitch stop!"
Upon receiving the order, the brothers came out from behind the pillars, holding various types of firearms. Without a second thought, they unleashed a barrage of gunfire at the swiftly approaching train's driver cabin.
Bang! Bang! Bang-bang-bang! Bang-bang!
Gunfire erupted everywhere. Lin Xian clenched his teeth, grabbed the handle, and ducked down, yet he controlled the train with his mind to speed up instead!
Damn it, the reason why I chose to drive a train is to smash all these motherf***ing roadblocks to smithereens!