Apocalypse: I Build A Doomsday Train-Chapter 871 - 364: Ants

The night was as dark as ink. In the suburbs outside Dawn City, the streets and buildings everywhere were lined with all kinds of barbed wire and cheval de frise, keeping the overwhelming tide of zombies at bay. Almost every few hundred meters, there were defensive watchtowers made of reinforced concrete, quietly guarded by armed sentries, while the infrared fire control radar of automated cannons continuously scanned for suspicious Abnormal Bodies approaching.

The roars of the zombie horde rose and fell in the distance, like some ancient and hungry beast grinding its teeth. At this moment, several modified trucks broke through the zombie encirclement, black smoke billowing from their hoods, their tires crushing decaying limbs, headlights piercing the darkness. Under the night sky, the towering first wall of Dawn City stood like a cliff cutting across the east and west, silently flashing signal lights in the darkness. In many areas, welding sparks flickered as a large number of searchlights swept across.

"We’ve made it... finally damn made it!" The man in the driver’s seat hoarsely shouted, his fingers gripping the steering wheel tightly, knuckles turning white.

The survivors of the caravan crowded in the vehicle, peering through the bulletproof glass at the giant wall. The searchlights on the city wall swept across the wilderness, occasionally illuminating the dense tents, caravan camps, and bonfires at the foot of the wall. These belonged to the survivors who couldn’t afford the entry fee, who gathered to form camps for warmth under the walls. The lights of the caravan camp looked like a vast apocalyptic night market with no end in sight.

At the city gate, the queue of caravans stretched for kilometers, with countless drones buzzing on both sides, spraying disinfectant mist and screening for Dark Marks. Large armed mechas patrolled back and forth, their rotary machine gun muzzles slowly spinning to maintain order.

At the city entrance, Federation officials responsible for population control worked in shifts around the clock to conduct screenings. Those entering the city had to disembark, and after paying the entry fee, pass through several scanning channels before being assigned a new Dawn City resident number and entering the Old District within the first wall, where they were allocated an area and residence.

"Three pieces of Blood Essence per person?! Didn’t the notice yesterday say it was two pieces of Level 1 Blood Essence to enter?!"

A commotion erupted at the crowded city entrance as the leader of a survivor caravan angrily shouted at the population security officer, "How did the price increase again in just one day?!"

"That’s right, three pieces of Blood Essence per person, are Abnormal Bodies becoming our prey now?"

"This is outrageous!"

"Exactly!!"

....

"Why all the shouting!" The officer, clad in Power Armor and looking displeased, immediately stepped out, "According to regulations, if the ratio of non-essential personnel exceeds 1:2, this standard applies. Your caravan has only 15 combat personnel but 34 elderly, weak, sick, and young. If it weren’t for the fact that you have two Frenzy Level individuals, we’d charge extra for the excess!"

"You!!" The middle-aged leader’s face turned red as he stepped forward, only to be instantly targeted by the cannons of two Heavy Armored Mechas on either side.

"What now, trying to force your way in?" The officer sneered coldly and said sternly

"Do you know why the price increased? Because only here can you drink water with 95% purification against darkness, only here can withstand an S-Class attack!"

He said this as he stepped directly onto the roof of the caravan’s vehicle, shouting loudly toward the twisted queue behind him

"This is the hope for all humanity. Everyone must contribute everything to defend against the enemy. Without resources, where do the weapons and ammunition for city defense come from? Without resources, how can we build an invincible fleet to counterattack the darkness? It’s precisely because of Vice Chairman Zhou’s wise leadership that Dawn City is the safest place now!"

After speaking, he looked at the leader of the caravan and said, "Dawn City is very humane. Even in the outer city, as long as your combat power surpasses the Vajra Level or you possess Special Skills, you can enter the city and work in exchange for Blood Essence. It’s better to camp in the outer city now if you can’t afford the entry fee, rather than being eaten by Abnormal Bodies in the wilderness, right?"

Hearing this, the caravan fell silent, and the group in the queue behind began to murmur with many discussing among themselves. Several caravans that didn’t have enough Blood Essence spontaneously withdrew from the queue.

Meanwhile, another caravan that had just completed registration drove back into their vehicles and followed the drones responsible for resident arrangements, slowly moving in. The co-driver of the caravan was a young girl. She rolled down the window, watching as the caravan passed through layer after layer of checkpoints, with the original stench replaced by the smell of crowded people.

The Old District.

Cramped, crowded, and teeming with people, the once urbanized buildings of the Old District were now not only dilapidated but had also undergone various apocalyptic modifications like shelters. Windows were sealed with steel bars, and countless survival-modified vehicles were tightly parked along the roads. Some communities were heavily surrounded, with various malls and office buildings converted into residential areas. Dawn City didn’t prohibit weapons, and in every nook and cranny, buildings bristled with all sorts of makeshift firearms.

"D-47..." The caravan leader lowered his head to look at the electronic sign, leading everyone through the chaotic streets. Behind every window, three or four families were crammed together, and on the streets, the cries of children, the quarrels of couples, and the groans of patients mixed like a symphony of despair. 𝚏𝕣𝐞𝗲𝐰𝕖𝐛𝐧𝕠𝕧𝚎𝚕.𝐜𝚘𝗺

Inside Dawn City, network communication was available. Former mobile phones and the internet were still functional, with a large number of survivors actively participating in various trading and information communities.

Standing on the rooftop and looking up at the original Double Star Tower in the core central district, it was surrounded by the second wall, the towering steel jungle rising from low to high. At the very center stood two former landmark Double Star Towers, not only as landmark buildings but as the famous Space Star Port. Despite the neon-lit cyber city’s Inner City, there were few Floating Devices in the sky, only patrols by the Federation Garrison Army and armed ships of the guards.