My Apocalypse Train

Translator: AnubisTL

"Everyone!"

At the edge of the city ruins, Biaozi slung his Soaring Dragon Assault Rifle across his back, clutching a car blade fragment wrapped in cloth. He moved swiftly through the ruins, his voice sincere yet hoarse.

"We've gotten along fairly well these past few days. I know some of you may still not fully trust me, but I want you to understand one thing: once we leave the train, the danger Tier skyrockets."

"Regardless of your personal opinions of me, I hope we can present a united front outside. Only by working together can we ensure our safe return to the train."

"Do you all understand?"

His words fell silent.

"Understood."

Black Rat, Biaozi's veteran subordinate, and another burly man responded immediately. The others followed suit, their faces serious as they lowered their voices in agreement. It wasn't the first day of the apocalypse; they all knew how dangerous it was to lack unity in such an environment.

Just a few days ago, the man who had been brutally beaten by Biaozi, Black Rat, and their crew let out a contemptuous snort.

I have to admit, Biaozi thought. This guy's got a spine of steel. He'd been defiant from the start, and even after getting beaten, he still refused to yield. He was simply unyielding.

"..."

Biaozi glanced sideways at the snorting man, his eyes narrowing slightly without speaking. He had noticed a zombie wolf silently emerge from the container buried beneath the ruins behind the man.

The zombie wolf's eyes glowed red, its body crouched low, its limbs tense, poised to strike at any moment.

Biaozi had seen everything, but he showed no reaction, pretending not to notice. He pointed toward a nearby open space and said in a low voice, "Head over there. That's the best shooting position here."

All the thugs followed Biaozi's gesture.

Just then—

A piercing whoosh filled the air. The zombie wolf, which had been lying in wait, finally lost its patience. With a burst of power from its limbs, it shot forward like an arrow loosed from a bow, lunging at the man who had just snorted.

"Watch out!"

Biaozi, the first to react, instantly paled and lunged forward, tackling the man to the side. The other thugs quickly followed suit, their guns instantly trained on the zombie wolf that had missed its target. After half a magazine's worth of bullets, the zombie wolf collapsed into a pool of blood, riddled with bullet holes.

The man pinned beneath Biaozi finally came to his senses, his face pale with fear as he stared at the fallen zombie wolf. A chill ran down his spine.

Biaozi, his expression grim, rose to his feet, clutching his left arm tightly. Blood seeped through his fingers. Tearing a strip of cloth from his own clothes, he hastily bandaged the wound.

"Brother Biao..."

The man who had been sneering moments earlier suddenly felt a wave of shame wash over him. His voice trembling, he stepped forward to support Biaozi. "Brother Biao, I... I never thought you'd save me. At first, I didn't respect you, but you actually saved me... I..."

"It's fine."

Biaozi shook his head impassively, not even flinching. He perfectly embodied the image of a tough guy. Only after hastily finishing the bandage did he pat the man's shoulder and say softly, "Whether it's you or anyone else, I'll save them."

"As your Captain, I have a duty to bring you all back to the train alive."

"That's the responsibility of a Captain."

"If anyone has to die, it'll be me at the front. Otherwise, how could I face Lord Mang? How could I face you all?"

"Alright, let's get moving. Hurry up and finish the Mission so we can report back."

"I..."

The man who had refused to yield even after being beaten senseless suddenly relented. Only someone like this was worthy of being their Captain. He had endured so much malice since the apocalypse began, and this was the first time someone had risked their life to save him. He was overwhelmed by a profound sense of camaraderie.

Clenching his fists, he stood rooted to the spot, watching Biaozi's retreating back. Gritting his teeth, he rasped, "Brother Biao, my name is Wildcat."

"I'll repay you for saving my life!"

Biaozi, walking ahead, heard the voice behind him. A subtle smile tugged at his lips. He cleared his throat and waved his hand without turning around. "Hurry up and catch up. Don't fall behind."

Think you can fight me?

Just because you can take a beating and throw a punch, you think you can be Captain?

In this day and age, you need brains to survive, understand?

His left arm wasn't injured by the zombie wolf. He hadn't controlled his strength properly, and the zombie wolf had merely brushed past him, completely unharmed. Left with no other choice, he secretly used a car blade fragment to cut his own left arm.

Of course, he wasn't that reckless. He only made a shallow scratch, drawing a little blood. After wrapping it up, it would heal in a few days without needing stitches. The car blade fragment was new and hadn't been used to carve up man-eating spiders.

This kind of thing needed to draw blood to be effective; otherwise, its impact would be greatly diminished.

Rescuing someone without any personal cost and rescuing someone at a certain cost evoke vastly different emotions in the rescued.

In truth, he had considered letting Wildcat die right there.

But...

If there were casualties on their first field mission, it would be understandable, but Lord Mang's opinion of him would surely drop further, which wouldn't be ideal.

Moreover, Lord Mang knew Wildcat didn't fully respect him. If Wildcat died on this mission, Lord Mang would inevitably overthink the situation.

He had originally planned that if Wildcat didn't show gratitude, he would find an opportunity to kill him later.

Biaozi hadn't expected this kid, though stubborn and clueless, actually remembered his debt.

The distance wasn't too far, but the collapsed buildings and congested streets slowed their progress considerably.

Moreover, along the way, they encountered three zombie wolves.

It was clear that with the departure of the Tier 3 Man-Eating Spider, some monsters had sensed its aura fading and were cautiously approaching to investigate.

"We're here," Biaozi announced twenty minutes later.

He raised his right hand slightly, and the team immediately halted on the rooftop of a low-rise building in the ruins. After witnessing the earlier events, the other thugs were now much more respectful and obedient, following his orders without hesitation.

In the apocalypse, who wouldn't want a boss who would risk his life to save them in times of danger?

Before them stretched a massive spiderweb woven between several skyscrapers. About a dozen spider cubs hung suspended in mid-air, tethered by Spider Silk and drifting slowly in the wind about fifteen meters above the ground.

Beneath the spiderweb, about twenty Tier 1 zombie wolves lifted their heads, drooling as they watched the dangling cubs drift in the air.

"Brother Biao," Black Rat whispered, sidling up to Biaozi. "There weren't supposed to be these twenty-odd zombie wolves in the plan. Something feels off. If even zombie wolves are here, the other wasteland monsters will probably arrive soon too."

"Normal," Biaozi replied, his eyes narrowing slightly. "I've never seen a plan go off without a hitch. It's like when we worked construction—no client ever paid on time. You just get used to it."

"Let's make this quick. Twenty-odd wolf cubs are nothing."

"Everyone, chamber your rounds. Get closer before you open fire."

"Keep moving forward quietly."

At this point, they were about thirty meters from the zombie wolves. At that distance, bullet accuracy was unreliable. Closing the distance would significantly improve their chances of hitting their targets.

(End of the Chapter)

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