Sword and Shield

Su Huan tucked the Pan-Energy Crystal directly into his pocket.

At a time like this, concentrating resources on one person was far more effective than spreading them thin.

"There will be more zombies for you to extract from later, but let's get the river crabs out first; we might be able to have a river crab feast tonight." Su Huan sniffed the distinct, fishy scent of river crabs in the air.

Wan Xing picked out the intact, tender meat from the crab claws, placed it on the counter to the side, and nodded, "Just about, this crab has been processed for a long time."

Turning his head, Liang Kuan had already donned a work jacket and tactical boots, pulling a riot shield off the wall.

Su Huan pinched his chin, "I suggest you find the weapon that feels most comfortable; it's highly likely to influence your future skills and profession."

Defenders are different from other Evolutionists; weapon-specialization skills make up a large portion of their repertoire.

If you take a Defender with a "Firepower Specialist" talent and make them play with cold weapons all day, it would be a miracle if they could evolve at all.

In his past life, Liang Kuan had made a name for himself with a short staff, fierce and unrelenting.

Liang Kuan weighed the riot shield in his hand but didn't put it down, then selected a handy telescopic baton from the wall.

He swung it twice, the air whistling with impressive force.

"This will do." Liang Kuan's tone held a hint of regret.

"Were you hoping for a firearm?"

"No, I don't know how to use one."

"Then if you need any cold weapons later, you can tell Yu Jing to design them, and then have Xiao Ba forge them for you." Su Huan slipped on an ice-silk jacket.

Liang Kuan touched the edges of the riot shield, "I feel like this thing is quite handy, but it would be better if the edges were a bit sharper."

Su Huan raised an eyebrow, "Sword-shield?"

An hour later.

A dozen zombies were slapping against the iron door of Carriage No. 2 with a rhythmic thudding, but aside from leaving a few bloody handprints, it was to no avail.

Suddenly, the iron-black door swung inward.

The zombies, previously somewhat scattered, immediately grew interested and swarmed forward, trying to climb onto the train.

"Bang!"

A massive tactical boot kicked out.

The head of the lead zombie was shattered instantly, and it tumbled backward.

A meter-long metal shield descended with a terrifying, air-tearing sound, accompanied by the crisp crunch of a breaking watermelon; the three closest zombies all collapsed beneath the carriage.

A burly figure squeezed out from the carriage; even through his jacket, one could feel the rock-hard muscles and imposing aura.

His short hair stood up like steel needles, and his beard clung to his cheeks like armor.

He cracked his neck, hoisted the shield—which looked like a giant axe—and charged down.

"Bang! Bang! Bang!"

A series of dense, rhythmic thuds mixed with the whimpering growls of zombies echoed out.

A fair-skinned young man walked out, squinting at the sky, and sighed, "The weather is truly nice today; perfect for getting to work."

A biting chill radiated from his body, and the thirty-degree heat couldn't get within an inch of him.

Although the low temperature was a huge waste of energy, the thirty-degree heat would have a massive impact on his reflexes and body; saving that bit of energy now would be counterproductive.

Su Huan jumped off the train, and Xiao Ba's wheelchair floated into the air behind him before descending slowly.

Looking toward Liang Kuan, who was being surrounded by an increasing number of zombies in the distance, a flicker of worry appeared in Xiao Ba's eyes, "Are you sure we don't need to help?"

Su Huan glanced at him, "Of course... not. If Old Liang gets taken out, who's going to drive?"

In the time it took for the two to speak, Liang Kuan had already charged quite a distance, holding off dozens of ordinary zombies single-handedly.

Although his fighting style was fierce and violent, zombies didn't feel pain.

As long as they weren't crippled in one hit, they would always crawl back up.

Each zombie weighed at least 130 or 140 pounds; even with Liang Kuan's innate strength, he was starting to run low on stamina after killing over a dozen.

"Pfft!"

A spike suddenly extended from the metal shield, helping Liang Kuan skewer one that had tried to sneak up on him.

Movement came from behind; many zombies that had been left behind were catching up, and there were still quite a few mangled ones under the train struggling to crawl out.

Su Huan snapped his fingers, drawing Xiao Ba's attention.

"I'll handle Liang Kuan's side; you clear out the zombies behind us and set up a temporary perimeter. We're getting off here for today."

"Mm!" Xiao Ba nodded heavily, a rich metallic hue appearing in his eyes. The next instant, the triangular metal strips on the side of the Armed Train seemed to riot, suddenly extending into a metal surface over three meters long.

Like a giant blade, it directly shredded a dozen zombies.

Su Huan shook his head, muttering, "Fierce as hell..."

Xiao Ba's combat power was nearly approaching the First Order. If he were inside the train, he could easily slaughter all First Order zombies just by relying on his lv1 "Metal Control."

Su Huan walked forward, his High-Temperature Bullets reaping the zombies at his feet that were unable to crawl away due to broken bones.

Ahead, bones were shattered and tendons snapped, with blood splattered everywhere.

Where he stood, there was only a faint scent of scorched flesh.

Upon reaching Liang Kuan, he stopped pretending; without even lifting his hands, High-Temperature Bullets flew out from his exposed skin in every direction.

Ordinary zombies were harvested in swathes with ease.

His current Pan-Energy conversion efficiency was at 20%, meaning he could save half the energy for the same High-Temperature Bullets.

Coupled with the fact that he had been absorbing Pan-Energy Crystals recently, the energy within his body had also seen a massive increase.

Wiping out these zombies was more than enough.

Liang Kuan stood firm with his shield, watching the zombies fall like wheat around him, a flicker of awe flashing in his eyes.

"Did you feel anything from the fight just now?"

Su Huan asked casually.

Liang Kuan hesitated for a moment. "It felt great, but not great enough."

Su Huan raised an eyebrow. "Then I'll find you some even more satisfying opponents. Let's go."

Liang Kuan hurried to keep up.

The two walked forward along the tracks.

Yu Jing had previously estimated that there was a train five hundred meters ahead.

Since the acceleration and braking earlier had consumed at least three hundred meters, the train should be just a short distance away.

He had to move it out of the way in advance, otherwise, it would block the path and the Armed Train wouldn't be able to pass.

Rounding a sharp bend, they indeed saw the train ahead.

The surroundings were littered with scattered debris and corpses, many of which had been gnawed to shreds, leaving them without even a chance to turn into zombies.

Scattered zombies surged toward them.

Su Huan patted Liang Kuan's blood-stained shoulder, producing a sticky squelching sound, a double-entendre smirk hanging on his face. "Go have some fun."

Liang Kuan's face twitched as he hoisted his large shield and charged forward.

Su Huan followed behind him, observing every detail with composure.

From time to time, he would use a High-Temperature Bullet to alleviate a crisis for the other man.

This caused Liang Kuan to fight more and more smoothly, eventually abandoning the shield's defensive function to use it directly as a giant axe, while Su Huan diverted a portion of his focus to specifically cover his blind spots.

The two fought their way directly to the side of the train.

[Seeking monthly tickets, seeking follow-up reads]