19: Let's have a deeper discussion in Chapter 19?

"Ang—!!!"

The Black Iron's upgraded boiler engine let out a roar like a dragon's trumpeting.

The wheels rubbed violently against the rails, kicking up a string of dazzling sparks.

The massive body of the train didn't slow down; instead, it accelerated again like an arrow leaving a bow!

80 mph... 100 mph... 120 mph!

In the blinding beam of the searchlight, the V-shaped special alloy ram on the Black Iron's front flickered with a chilling light.

It was like a prehistoric giant rhinoceros clad in heavy armor, carrying unstoppable kinetic energy as it charged toward its paralyzed prey.

"No... don't..."

Brother Long, lying on the ground, raised his blood-stained face. Looking at the growing steel monster, the greed in his eyes had long since vanished, replaced by endless terror.

He wanted to crawl up and run, but his legs had been broken long ago by the shockwaves.

"You... you're a devil... you'll die a horrible death..."

"You're right, I am a devil."

Lin Xiao's voice exploded in his ears through the broadcast.

"But you'll die before I do."

"Boom—Crack!!!"

An earth-shattering sound of impact rang out.

This wasn't a confrontation on the same level at all.

The hundreds of tons of the Black Iron, combined with a speed of 120 mph, generated world-destroying kinetic energy.

The Gentlemens Club train, which was already teetering from the explosions, was snapped in half like a fragile matchstick the moment of contact!

The ear-piercing sound of metal twisting and tearing was enough to set one's teeth on edge.

Half a carriage was sent flying, tumbling through the air before smashing into the nearby wasteland, reduced to a pile of scrap metal.

The remaining half was pushed forcibly along the tracks by the Black Iron for hundreds of meters until it completely fell apart in a shower of sparks and electricity.

As for Brother Long...

In the first second of the impact, he had already turned into a puddle of mush under the wheels, without even a whole corpse left behind.

...

Everything happened too fast.

From the moment Lin Xiao ordered fire to the end of the final impact, barely ten minutes had passed.

The Gentlemens Club, which had been so arrogant and had besieged the Dance Department for two full days, had vanished into thin air just like that.

Except for a few lackeys who were far away and jumped off the train to flee into the wilderness when they saw things going south, the main force was completely wiped out.

At this moment, on a track siding not far away.

Inside the scarred Train No. 9528, there was a deathly silence.

The carriage wasn't completely sealed; through several broken windows, pairs of terrified and dazed eyes were watching this scene.

They were students from the Shencheng University Dance Department.

In the past 48 hours, they had experienced hellish torment.

Food had run out, they were besieged by armed thugs, listening to the foul language outside, and watching their companions break down in tears one by one.

They thought today was their day to die, or something worse than death—becoming playthings for those men.

Until this black train appeared.

They had thought it was another pack of wolves.

But they didn't expect... this wasn't a wolf, this was a Tyrannosaurus Rex!

"That... that is..."

A tall, long-haired girl with a cold temperament was holding onto the window frame, her body trembling slightly.

She was Liu Ruyan, the department beauty of the Dance Department and the temporary person in charge of Train No. 9528.

She looked at the black train parked quietly in the ruins, exuding an aura of slaughter, with barely any paint chipped off, and a storm of shock surged in her heart.

Grenade carpet-bombing, brutal ramming.

That clean and efficient killing method, that power that crushed everything.

Who exactly were they?

The military? Or some mysterious major power?

Just then, the broadcast on top of the black train rang out again.

This time, the voice was no longer so cold, but instead carried a hint of... laziness?

"Hey, beauties inside, have you seen enough of the show?"

"Although I'm here to play the hero saving the beauties, you don't need to look at me with such adoration."

"I am Lin Xiao, the monitor of Class 3, Art and Design Department, Shencheng University."

"In other words... your neighbor."

"Art Department... Lin Xiao?"

Liu Ruyan was stunned.

The girls in the carriage were all stunned as well.

The Art Department that was rumored to be full of beauties with only one male student?

The Lin Xiao who was quite famous in school (because of his looks and certain rumors) but seemed like just an ordinary college student?

How is this possible?!

We're all college students; why are we still using mop handles as weapons while you're driving a tank and firing grenades?

This style is all wrong!

...

Black Iron cab.

Lin Xiao put down the microphone and stretched.

"Work's done. All that's left is cleaning up the battlefield and collecting the spoils."

He turned to look at Zhao Xiaotang and Su Qingqian behind him.

"Let's go, my two Valkyries. Change into some cleaner clothes and come meet our new neighbors with me."

"After all, we're going to see the beauties of the Dance Department, so we should pay a little attention to our image."

Zhao Xiaotang still hadn't quite recovered from the shock just now.

She glanced at the tragic battlefield outside, then at Lin Xiao.

"Monitor... that ramming just now was really too cool! Too violent! I love it!"

Although she was a woman, she worshipped power in her bones.

Lin Xiao's display of pure violence just now made the adrenaline in her body surge, and the way she looked at Lin Xiao was almost as if she wanted to eat him.

"As long as you like it." Lin Xiao smiled, his eyes sweeping over her chest which was rising and falling with her breath. "There will be even more violent things in the future; I'll show you slowly."

This double-entendre made Zhao Xiaotang's face turn red instantly, but she didn't dodge this time; instead, she puffed out her chest.

"Alright, stop flirting." Su Qingqian coldly interrupted the ambiguity between the two. "We're going to negotiate now, not to a blind date. Don't forget, we want to annex them."

Despite her words, Su Qingqian felt a sense of relief in her heart.

At least those girls wouldn't have to suffer humiliation.

And... it was for the best to annex them.

Under this man's wing might truly be the only way to survive in this apocalypse.

...

A few minutes later.

The side door of the Black Iron opened.

The automatic stairs slowly lowered.

Lin Xiao was in a crisp black combat suit (a show-off artifact exchanged from the system mall), wearing tactical boots, with that Desert Eagle at his waist (although it was out of bullets, it was enough to intimidate people).

He wore sunglasses, followed by the fully armed Su Qingqian and Zhao Xiaotang.

The look of this trio was just like a special forces unit from a movie.

They walked through the still-smoking ruins, ignored the mangled corpses on the ground, and walked straight to Train No. 9528.

"Squeak—"

The deformed door of No. 9528 was pushed open with effort from the inside.

A scent mixed with sweat, mustiness, and a faint delicate fragrance wafted out.

Immediately after, a group of girls walked out cautiously.

The leader was indeed Liu Ruyan.

She wore a white practice suit that was already somewhat dirty, with a sports jacket over it.

Though her face was haggard and her lips were chapped, her long swan-like neck and upright posture still exuded a dancer's elegance and stubbornness.

Behind her was a group of girls who were equally disheveled but could still be seen to have excellent foundations.

Some wore yoga pants, some wore short skirts; those pairs of long, straight legs, which were still slender even in the mud, made Lin Xiao's eyes behind the sunglasses light up slightly.

"Tsk, as expected of the Dance Department. These legs... could really be played with for a year."

Liu Ruyan looked at the powerful man in front of her, suppressed her inner tension, and stepped forward.

"Hello, I am Liu Ruyan of No. 9528."

"Tha... thank you for saving us."

Although she was giving thanks, her body was still tense, clearly not having fully let down her guard.

Lin Xiao took off his sunglasses, revealing a pair of deep eyes, with that signature smile on his face that was as refreshing as a spring breeze yet impossible to read.

"You're welcome, School Beauty Liu."

"I said it before, we're all classmates; helping each other is only right."

He deliberately emphasized the words "helping each other."

"That... was that person really Brother Long?"

Behind Liu Ruyan, a girl with a baby face pointed tremblingly at the puddle of mush in the distance and asked.

That man who had driven them to a dead end, who was like a nightmare, had died just like that?

"Oh, you mean that bald guy?"

Lin Xiao glanced casually and said nonchalantly:

"That's just roadside trash. I didn't like the look of him, so I helped the sanitation bureau clean up."

"Why? Do you want to collect his body?"

"No, no, no! Good riddance! Scum like that should have died long ago!" The girls shook their heads quickly, their eyes filled with gratitude and admiration as they looked at Lin Xiao.

Is this the world of the strong?

Killing like weeding, turning things to dust while talking and laughing.

Liu Ruyan took a deep breath to calm her emotions.

She was a smart woman.

She knew that in this apocalypse, there is no love for no reason, and no free lunch.

The other party had such powerful firepower and such a luxurious train, yet they specifically came to save them. It certainly wasn't just because of "classmate sentiment."

"Lin Xiao, since you saved us, what do you want in return?"

Liu Ruyan looked straight into Lin Xiao's eyes and asked point-blank.

"Our food is gone, our water is gone. The train is broken. If you want supplies, we can't give them."

"If you want... people."

She bit her lip and looked back at her shivering sisters behind her, a flash of sorrow and determination in her eyes.

"As long as you can guarantee everyone's safety and give us a bite to eat... we... can listen to your arrangements."

Rather than being defiled by those filthy thugs, it was better to depend on this strong man who seemed relatively clean and powerful.

This was already the best choice.

Hearing this, Lin Xiao laughed.

He laughed very brightly.

This woman was very sensible.

He stepped forward until he was standing half a meter in front of Liu Ruyan.

He was a head taller than Liu Ruyan, and the pressure from this height forced her to look up at him slightly.

"School Beauty Liu, don't think so poorly of me."

Lin Xiao reached out, not to touch her face, but to gently flick a piece of weed off her shoulder.

The action was casual, but not indecent.

"I do lack people. But what I lack are not slaves, nor playthings."

"What I lack are partners, warriors, and people who can help me drive this train to the end."

Lin Xiao turned around and pointed at the steel beast that was the Black Iron behind him.

"My train is very big. It has a greenhouse, a bathroom, hot meals, and absolute safety."

"But I don't have enough hands."

"So I give you two choices."

Lin Xiao held up two fingers.

"First, I'll leave you some of the supplies captured from that 'Brother Long' and help you fix the train. Then we go our separate ways. Life or death is up to fate."

"Second, abandon this junk train. Join us."

"You will become members of the Black Iron. Although you'll have to follow my orders, work, and fight. I guarantee that as long as I have meat to eat, you'll have soup to drink. As long as I'm not dead, no one will be able to touch a single finger on you."

"Now, tell me your choice."

Total silence.

Only the wind was whistling.

The eyes of all the girls were focused on Liu Ruyan.

Liu Ruyan looked at the black train.

Through the windows, she could vaguely see the bright lights inside, and several girls looking over curiously (those were Luo Yao, Shen Man, and the others).

Everyone there looked very clean, with rosy complexions, and they were even drinking Coke.

Looking at her own side, they were in rags, sallow and emaciated, like beggars.

There was no need to hesitate at all.

This wasn't even a multiple-choice question; it was a freebie.

Liu Ruyan turned around and looked at her sisters. The longing in everyone's eyes already said everything.

She turned back and looked at Lin Xiao again.

This time, her back, which had always been straight, bent slightly.

It was a posture of submission.

"Lin Xiao... no, Conductor."

Liu Ruyan's voice trembled slightly, but it was exceptionally firm.

"If you don't mind that there are many of us... we are willing to join."

"From today on, all 68 people of No. 9528... are at your disposal."

"Very good."

Lin Xiao nodded with satisfaction.

He opened his arms like a king welcoming his subjects.

"Welcome to the Black Iron. Welcome to... heaven."

...

Half an hour later.

A massive "moving" operation began.

Although No. 9528 was in ruins, there were still some usable materials inside.

Clothes, bedding, and some small items kept by the girls.

And the spoils searched from the Gentlemens Club train were even more abundant: a dozen boxes of compressed biscuits, five barrels of gasoline, and even two well-preserved shotguns with dozens of rounds of ammunition.

Lin Xiao stood by the train door, watching the groups of long-legged beauties queue up to board the Black Iron.

His mood was even better than if he had won five million.

68! Adding the original 38, that was nearly 150!

And they were all high-quality beauties from the Art and Dance Departments!

This wasn't an apocalyptic train; it was a beauty pageant special!

"System, should I expand the carriages?"

Lin Xiao asked in his mind.

[Ding! Detected a surge in the number of crew members.]

[Congratulations to the host for triggering the hidden achievement: Hundred-Man Slayer... ah no, Hundred-Man Group!]

[Reward: Special blueprint: Double-layer luxury sleeper carriage ×2!]

[Reward: Resources: Food ingredient gift pack ×10!]

"Sensible!"

Lin Xiao gave the system a thumbs up.

Just then, Liu Ruyan, who had just boarded, walked up to Lin Xiao a bit tentatively.

"Conductor, um... everyone is very hungry and very dirty... could we..."

"Got it."

Lin Xiao snapped his fingers.

"Shen Man! Take the new sisters to the 'Spring of Forgetfulness' and line up! Although with so many people it might take until tomorrow morning, there's enough hot water!"

"Tian Yuanyuan! Go to the greenhouse and pick two baskets of lettuce! We're having extra food tonight! We're going to have a welcome party!"

"Luo Yao! Put on the music! Make it the most high-energy kind!"

"Got it!"

A burst of cheers immediately rang out in the carriage.

Seeing the faces of those girls weeping with joy, Lin Xiao felt that this apocalypse seemed to be getting more and more interesting.

However, looking at Liu Ruyan's perfect waist and hip curves wrapped in the tight practice suit, Lin Xiao rubbed his chin.

"Hmm... as the new team leader, should I give her a separate 'onboarding training'?"

"For example... an in-depth exchange about the art of dance?"