The so-called "safe zone" in the Storm Zone is nothing but a gigantic jungle.

Adhering to the simple rule of survival of the fittest.

Each form of life seeks to avoid calamity and pursue evolution in its own way.

The arrival of the uninvited armed train had long caught the attention of the native inhabitants.

After all, the Storm Zone is too vast.

Even a massive force like Black Kite is merely at the scale of a hundred thousand people, a mere drop in the ocean within this enormous region.

The remaining spaces are naturally filled with various survivor settlements, camps, shelters, city ruins, hordes of zombies, zones restricted by mutant plants... Here, different forms of life fight and entangle with each other on this land, wild yet vibrant with life.

The ground’s gravel and sand faintly trembled, and a scorpion the size of a washbasin on the asphalt road turned around confusedly, searching for the source of the vibration.

Isn’t there supposed to be no sandstorm today?

"Buzzing——"

The low hum of an engine grew closer.

The mutated scorpion raised its tail, intimidating the unknown enemy.

"Bang!"

A crisp gunshot rang out, shattering the scorpion’s black shell, with juice spurting out.

Before it could react, three more shots interrupted its only weapon.

Two wheels rolled over its back, stopping five or six meters ahead, followed by a swift sprint. The dying mutated scorpion felt itself being pierced and lifted, finally seeing the creature to claim its life up close.

No hard shell, no sharp claws or fangs, just a dark, fierce face.

"Hey, Master Rong, look at what I’ve got, a Sun Scorpion!"

Before the man could raise his trophy to show off, he was kicked and stumbled by a large foot.

The Sun Scorpion in his hand fell to the ground, spurting venom in all directions like crazy, emitting a hissing sound as it landed on the asphalt and sand, releasing white smoke.

The dark-faced man froze, dumbfounded.

Before he could react, a man in a leather coat kicked him forcefully in the head.

"Idiot! I told you not to pick things up randomly, not to pick things up! You never learn your lesson!"

Those around stopped their vehicles, each staring coldly at the beaten dark-faced man. Someone even laughed and shouted, "Brother Wei, why don’t you just beat him to death? His brain is already poisoned dumb, and he’s just a mouth to feed, what’s the use apart from excrement production?"

This provoked a burst of laughter.

Yuan Wei’s face remained sullen, as he slowly reached for his gun handle while looking at his neighbor groaning with his head in his arms on the ground.

"Enough!"

Li Xinlong, sitting in an off-road vehicle, yelled to stop them.

Only then did Yuan Wei breathe a sigh of relief, turning to the young man in the front passenger seat with a fawning smile, "Master Rong, your kindness saves him. Otherwise, I’d have to beat this fool to death today."

Li Xinlong wanted to say something but noticed the crowd and waved his hand irritably.

Yuan Wei quickly dragged the foolish neighbor away.

The others in the convoy treated both men as if they were poisonous, but Yuan Wei pretended not to notice.

Someone got off the vehicle and brought the dead Sun Scorpion over to the off-road vehicle, ingratiatingly saying, "Master Rong, take a look."

Li Xinlong glanced up, caught sight of a pair of dazzlingly long legs in the rearview mirror.

Instinctively, he thought of those long legs wrapped around his waist last night, showcasing incredible elasticity, and couldn’t help but shift slightly.

A coy, soft voice came from the back seat of the off-road vehicle, "It hasn’t evolved once, it can only yield the most ordinary crystals. Should I deal with it for you now?"

Li Xinlong turned back, looking at the woman’s vivid lips, carelessly saying. 𝕗𝐫𝚎𝗲𝘄𝐞𝕓𝐧𝕠𝘃𝕖𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝚖

"Which one?"

The woman was momentarily stunned, then spat and cursed.

As Li Xinlong turned forward, a flash of keen insight into human nature appeared in his eyes.

Like an old jackal, pondering where to go stealing chickens tonight.

The driver asked, "Master Rong, should we head straight over, or...?"

Li Xinlong turned his eyes to the city ruins bathed in sunlight, considering, "Don’t get too close. Bomb said those people have guns and cannons, it seems the vehicle got stuck, that’s why they stopped there."

"Got it!"

The driver responded, the six or seven vehicles, along with over a dozen motorcycles, ventured deeper into the city.

Curiously, the bothersome zombies in the ruins were nowhere to be seen today, each building eerily silent.

The group cautiously circled around, following the cracked asphalt, arriving at a high-rise residential complex.

The huge words "Huangpu International" had only "Huangpu" remaining, the "International" part had vanished.

A giant billboard stood to the side, with a bright red background and white text printing auspicious words like merely 6080 per square meter, including a parking spot.

Behind it were a circle of finished houses and two unfinished abandoned buildings.

From a distance, they could hear the clanging of hammers and metal.

The driver cautiously parked the car at the side, hesitantly saying, "Are these people actually planning to build here?"

"Build what, they’re repairing vehicles!"

Li Xinlong retorted, grabbing binoculars, climbing onto the truck beside them.

Seeing this, the others also found vantage points, quickly climbing up with clanking sounds.

Li Xinlong was startled upon seeing the massive train occupying the square, raising his binoculars to look.

The train, more than seven or eight meters tall, with a heavy rhomboid front, and wide iron-wood decks.

Along with the menacing-looking railgun on the roof, it was all a shock to Li Xinlong’s senses.

Could this contraption be engineered in such times?

"Holy shit!"

"Oh my holy shit!"

"Wow, Master Rong, Bomb wasn’t lying, it’s actually a train!"

"Look closely, is this a train? It’s more likely one of our Donghuang’s hidden military armaments!"

"Bullshit military armaments, there aren’t any soldiers now. I figure it’s a group who somehow got this out from a military base."

"Isn’t that essentially what I said."

"This situation indeed seems tricky..."

The woman idling in the off-road vehicle suddenly smirked coldly, her eyes shifting, contemplating something unknown.

Whereas Li Xinlong appeared much more tangled.

He originally heard about a group of powerful outsiders in the Xiaohe City ruins, capable of deterring neighboring convoys just by standing there, leaving him curious about their strength.

Anyway, he figured he might as well bring his crew along, perhaps scavenge some spoils.

But seeing the armed train made him abandon that thought.

They weren’t even on the same level.

Without mentioning the awe-inspiring train itself, the organized armed personnel in uniform were intimidating enough.

They had more people in a single train carriage than in his entire convoy.

It would be fortunate not to get devoured whole.

Just when he intended to give up, one of his subordinates suddenly shouted, "Master Rong, two people are coming out."

Li Xinlong lifted his binoculars to look.

Indeed, two individuals wearing green military uniforms, holding guns, were running towards the complex’s exit, seemingly heading in their direction, startling Li Xinlong.

"What do they mean? Have they discovered us?"

His subordinate asked, sounding uncertain.

"No, it doesn’t seem like it. Instruct everyone to prepare for withdrawal!"

Li Xinlong replied cautiously.

The driver waved to the back, prompting everyone to scatter like birds and beasts, diving into vehicles and starting the engines.

But Li Xinlong didn’t enter his off-road vehicle, instead, the group anxiously awaited.

Soon, the two individuals clad in green windbreakers, cradling assault rifles, rushed out of the complex, alarmed at the sight of Li Xinlong and his crew outside, like startled birds raising their firearms.

The convoy instinctively raised their guns too.

"Don’t move!"

"Don’t move!"

"Who are you?!"

"Don’t fire!"

At Li Xinlong’s command, the convoy maintained restraint, resulting in a tense standoff.

Observing the soldiers’ tense demeanor and their frequent glances back at the complex, Li Xinlong had an epiphany and shouted.

"Get in the car first, let’s leave and talk!"