The handgun with a nine-round magazine in his hand was as effective as a submachine gun.

What was even more terrifying was its accuracy. Among the forty or so people hiding behind various covers, Miao Qi sniped four, the roaming "Defenders" killed two more, and the rest were all killed by him alone.

At the moment the gunfire ceased, even the Armed Corps soldiers providing cover fell into silence.

Inhaling the pungent smell of gunpowder, Lu Xiao shivered violently after three whole breaths, coming out of that excited state, only to find that the problem that had been troubling him for a long time was now solved.

Tier One "Dual Gun Wanderer" achieved!

"Stunned?"

Miao Qi, with her gun pointed downwards, ran over quickly and slapped him on the back.

"I did it!"

Lu Xiao said excitedly.

Miao Qi, while vigilantly looking around, teased, "Dao Ye, smoking sulfur won’t make you ascend."

Lu Xiao, speechless, flipped his hand to reveal the Ming Lion in his hand, and lightly tossed it into the air.

Then, as the gun began to fall, he quickly sprang into action.

"Huh?"

Watching the man whose fingers had turned into a blur, Miao Qi’s gaze turned subtle.

The handgun seemed to freeze in mid-air, "slowly" turning into a pile of parts.

In the next instant, it reassembled into a complete Ming Lion and landed in Lu Xiao’s hand.

"Tier One!"

"Miao Qiqi, I got there ahead of you!"

Lu Xiao patted the woman on the shoulder and laughed heartily.

"Miao Qi," Miao Qi corrected him again, then said coolly, "You’ve killed everyone. If the debts can’t be collected, you’ll have to explain it to the train conductor."

Lu Xiao’s sweat-covered back instantly ran cold, "I forgot, are there any still breathing?"

"Boss, everyone’s dead. You’re saying this now?"

The medic who was checking around helplessly spread his hands.

The other two also turned their gaze to Lu Xiao. Seeing the look of her man being slightly at a loss, Miao Qi stood up and said, "Have the first sergeant group guard the exit, the second sergeant group search the warehouse. A target I hit just made off; it should be a big fish. Let’s go catch her!"

...

Meanwhile, dozens of students and teachers stood anxiously at the end of a dark passage.

After a short while, a woman with an injured arm crawled out from the passage.

"Dean!"

"Mr. Zhou!"

"Sister Zhou!"

A group of people hurriedly rushed to support the woman.

The woman shook her head, "The bullet passed through; it’s not serious. They are very strong, and our hired people can’t hold them off for long. While they are attacking everywhere, we must leave Xinma County quickly!"

Lu Yu hesitated, "Dean, leaving them all behind while we escape doesn’t seem right..."

Dean Zhou calmly said, "We have worked day and night, earning supplies to feed them all, just so they would protect us when we’re in danger. Well, the danger is here, and they should ensure our escape."

Seeing the ominous glint in the eyes of the surrounding students, Lu Yu quickly waved his hands, "What I mean is, without mercenaries and vehicles, we won’t last long even outside the county..."

Dean Zhou glanced at the shelter, painstakingly built with the students, a bitter smile on her lips. She understood this too well.

But what choice did they have?

With the opponent’s speed, mowing people down like grass, staying meant death. 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝙬𝙚𝓫𝒏𝓸𝓿𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝙤𝓶

Better to struggle a little while longer before the inevitable.

Maybe there would be a chance.

Just then, the sound of an engine echoed from the end of the road.

An armed SUV stopped at the roadside, the words "Armed Train" printed on its body making their scalps tingle.

Seeing the startled teachers and students, Gao Yuan, in the passenger seat, awkwardly twisted a ring, "There are people ahead..."

A large group of people with gunshot wounds, and that obviously abnormal fear.

Clearly, they’ve encountered the school of fish, and among such a big fish, there could very well be a school as well.

Tong Zizhan kept a straight face, each word squeezed out like it was pulled through clenched teeth, "I! Know! That!"

"Damn it, how could you lead us this way?"

Gao Yuan got angry, "Aren’t you the one holding the wheel? You’re blaming me for hitting such a big fish?!"

The soldiers in the back seats exchanged bewildered looks.

Soldier One: Weren’t the officer and deputy supposed to board the train together, and they’re on the best terms?

Soldier Two: How would I know?

Soldier Three: What fish?

"Captain, aren’t we... going to take action?"

"Take action for what?"

Tong Zizhan feigned calmness, frantically thinking up excuses in his mind.

"They’re all prepared to be caught."

Tong Zizhan looked at the students under the headlights, huddled tightly together, with expressions resembling those ready for martyrdom.

A vein throbbed on his forehead.

’Why the hell aren’t these idiots moving?!’

The SUV on either side, guns at the ready: "???"

"Oh, is this our mission?"

Gao Yuan suddenly asked.

Tong Zizhan had a sudden flash of inspiration, "The mission objective is with you, take a look."

Gao Yuan quickly flipped through a stack of papers, "No women, and none like this group of youngsters."

Tong Zizhan’s face instantly relaxed, exhaling, "Mistake, retreat!"

The two primed sergeant groups looked puzzled but instinctively put away their weapons.

"So it was you two causing the commotion, Tong."

A languid voice came from the street corner.

Tong Zizhan and Gao Yuan’s scalps went numb instantly, their faces turning pale, trembling as they opened the car doors.

Sure enough, they saw a tall figure as dark as shadows blending into the night, strolling towards them. The person was tall, with long, narrow eyes like ink dots, a subtle smirk on their lips, and the only bright color being the earring on one earlobe resembling gold and silver fish biting each other.

Though he knew this day would come eventually, when it arrived, Tong Zizhan felt no fear.

But in his heart, he did not feel relieved.

Rather, it carried an indescribable guilt.

How had Deep Blue Data treated him?

Their early support did indeed provide him with abundant resources for his evolution, but after advancing to Tier One, he stayed with the company for not much longer.

As for Gao Yuan, his entire career had virtually been spent on the Armed Train.

Over time, they both had times when they subconsciously felt they were members of the Armed Train, only for Deep Blue Data’s pretty but unsuitable ex-girlfriend to occasionally come to mind.

The train couldn’t provide resources on par with Deep Blue Data.

But within the train, the treatment was absolutely top-notch.

Everything was based on a core member’s standard.

Now, the train’s situation had improved, even surpassing Deep Blue Data in evolution resources.

And the train conductor was very open-minded with them. They were part of every core meeting of the Armed Train, were almost personally involved in every battle, every growth, and...

Played a big role!

Otherwise, Tong Zizhan wouldn’t have been promoted to Captain.

"Conductor."

Tong Zizhan gave a bitter smile, instinctively taking out a cigarette.

Wanting to have one last puff.

He knew, with the conductor’s intolerant attitude towards any grains of sand, they wouldn’t walk away from here alive.

"Snap!"

"I thought it was a horde of corpses, turns out it was your ruckus."

Su Huan smiled as he took the lighter from his hand, igniting a bright flame.

Seeing the conductor’s long, narrow eyes under the flame, Tong Zizhan was completely dumbfounded, dazedly standing there until Su Huan lit the cigarette.

"We..."

Su Huan tilted his head, greeted the injured woman behind, then returned the lighter to Tong Zizhan’s pocket.

He said softly, "Rest assured, no one will take credit for your achievements."

"But now you are the ones leading the military officers."

Tong Zizhan, Gao Yuan

(Apologies, my mind was a bit foggy yesterday, I wrote things in a mess. Just made some adjustments, no change in plot, mainly tweaked the wording. Interested friends can read it again, but it’s okay to skip; it won’t affect the subsequent reading.)