Chapter 879 - 496: Embers of the Long Night (Part 5)_2

Others might not know, but she could clearly hear that Yu Jing was pregnant.

With twins.

Although she didn’t understand why Yu Jing was opening up human modification at this critical point, an inner unease strongly motivated her to do something, which is why she resolutely appeared in the conference room today and opposed her daughter’s proposal.

She couldn’t provide any reason to convince the others, and she wasn’t skilled at debating. When faced with Liang Kuan’s inquiry, all she could do was remain silent.

"Su Huan is not here. If she wants to do something, you wouldn’t be able to stop her either."

Liang Kuan’s deep voice echoed in the conference room.

Yu Yue’s eyes reddened, and she didn’t look at Yu Jing, "I... disagree."

Liang Kuan sighed and turned his head towards Yu Jing on the other side, "Do you still insist?"

The latter’s gaze was calm, with no hesitation.

So Liang Kuan nodded, "Then I abstain."

He Jie hesitated for a moment, "I abstain too."

The few officers on the corps side simply followed He Jie’s lead and abstained.

The final voting result was clear; the proposal to lift the restrictions on human modification passed with a large margin.

The second topic was about the war with the Pale Demon.

Due to the affair with the train conductor, Iron Pine Forest was at fault and decided to participate in the war, but hoped to exchange something for some genetic transformation potion that ordinary people could use from the train.

Coincidentally, the train was short on ordinary people, so the cooperation with the Iron Pine Forest Camp was a perfect match, even though some doubted whether the train was making wedding clothes for someone else. But Director Xu and others believed that strengthening the Donghuang People was better than the Mao Bear, and no one knew how long the war with the Pale Demon would last, so the train also needed ordinary warriors to fill the line.

Both proposals were passed, and most people dispersed, leaving only Yu Jing and Yu Yue in the room.

Xiaoba wanted to ask something but was pulled away by Wan Xing.

Outside the door, He Jie lit a cigarette and said in a low voice, "Mr. Ma, what happened today? No one even bothered to inform me."

Mountain Goat replied helplessly, "You’ve always been at the forefront, not letting us find you. When I knocked on the door, you just told me to get lost..."

He Jie snorted coldly.

Next to him, Professor Ma chuckled, "The mother and daughter had a conflict, it’ll be fine once they speak out."

He Jie said discontentedly, "That’s too slick. The problem is, I didn’t even see where the conflict was."

"We Evolvers sometimes have strange premonitions; maybe she sensed something..."

Professor Ma’s words were ambiguous.

"Is that why you opposed it?"

"I was just comforting Xiao Yu, raising her child with much effort only to end up on her opposite side, and if no one supports her, how sad would that be." Professor Ma’s tone was helpless.

He Jie’s expression darkened, feeling a pang of sympathy.

"But which parent ever wins against their child?"

...

Lin Jin did not attend the meeting. He hadn’t participated in any activities on the train recently, spending most of his time with his girlfriend and sister, until three days later, he packed his military bag and quietly stepped into the Eternal Night Zone.

Meanwhile, the Armed Train efficiently completed communications with the Iron Pine Forest Camp. Iron Pine Forest dispatched two people, and the Armed Train returned a modified warrior, with the rest being placed into Lao Er’s new recruit camp, striving to pull out a combat-ready filler unit before the train conductor returns.

The entire Armed Train entered a frenzied state of war readiness, with all resources and people preparing for the final showdown.

...

Flood Zone, Iron Mountain Shelter.

Thunder roared, and gray lines of rain fell from the gloomy sky in the distance, causing the world composed of water to tremble. In an instant, the lines of rain reached the front of the shelter. Beating on the tin roof of the building, then sliding down the twenty-story office building along the drainage chute, landing on the newly constructed platform below.

The main office building had been damaged over the years by the persistent floods, and people built a lower platform around the edge to stabilize the building and serve as a dock.

People called out to each other in the rain, retrieving the few boats back into the dock, tying them down, then quickly climbing back into the shelter.

If they returned too late, the rising flood waters would swallow people and platform alike.

Xiaodong stood on the rooftop, gazing at the rain line in the distance, his fingers unknowingly sinking into the soft concrete wall.

"It’s about to be the rainy season again..."

An elderly voice appeared behind him. Before Xiaodong could turn his head, a wide raincoat was draped over him.

"Make sure to protect yourself."

Qi Tieshan, in a white vest, stood beside Xiaodong, his body strong and unchanged from over a year ago.

Xiaodong adjusted the large rain hood on his head, "If they don’t come soon, it’ll be too late."

Qi Tieshan showed no hint of worry, "What must come will come."

As the two turned to head back inside, a steel head stubbornly emerged from the water, slicing through the wet curtain of rain, cutting through the continuous waves, as each train carriage surfaced, rivets reflecting cold, hard stars in twilight.

The rumbling whistle pierced through the torrential rain, reaching into the shelter.

Xiaodong, walking towards the tin building, suddenly stopped, turned his head, ignoring the rain cape blown off by the wind, rushing to the edge of the building, watching the train’s undulating progression in the water, two beams of dim yellow light pierced the rain curtain, cutting through the rising steam from the water, directly projecting onto the shelter.

In the light, countless raindrops fell like arrows.

"They came, they really did it!"

The boy’s face was outlined in rusty gold by the train’s headlights.

...

Days later, the sky still drizzled lightly.

Xiaodong stood on the platform of the shelter, his gaze worried, "Grandpa Tieshan, are you really going?"

Qi Tieshan simply waved his hand, back facing him, shouldering his shotgun, and resolutely boarding the train.

The cabin door slowly closed, and they were heading to the next station.

...

The Spore Zone had long fallen into calm, with the Big Fungus Carpet in a state of recovery, temporarily turning the whole area into a safe zone, where mushrooms, Evolution Beasts, zombies, and humans explored this vibrant land together.

On the northern border, scarred Holy Church Army members approached a pile of corpses, kneeling on one knee, awaiting new orders.

Ah Duo, clutching a spear, sat atop the pile of bodies. Her tightly closed eyes suddenly opened, devoid of any battle weariness, instead shining like stars.

She stood up, walked down the pile, and suddenly looked down at her feet.

A warrior from a powerful faction, whose arm was severed at the root, looked at her, his mouth opening and closing, snowy foam oozing from the pierced cheek, soaking his clothes, moistening the fungus carpet. Each movement made his wound appear more ghastly, but in his eyes was infinite longing for life.

Ah Duo’s eyes showed compassion, "Flesh is weak and frail..."

She crouched down and extended her hand, "Mechanics will replace your arm, energy will fill your veins, mechanics will lift you to the pinnacle of evolution."

For a long moment, two bloody hands clasped tightly together.

Holy Church Army soldiers watched in silence, no cheering, no excitement, they earnestly believed this expedition would enshrine the Mechanical God Cult in the annals of civilization, forever immortal.

...

Rust Area.

The Dragon Gate Colosseum no longer had the Dragon Gate, but it was still the most sought-after holy place for the Wilderness Scavengers.

Since those Tier Three Iron Swallow groups were taken out by Xiaoba, the last shackle restricting Dragon Gate’s development was cut, crowds gathered in an endless stream.

Everyone wished to make a name for themselves in the colosseum, to gain money, gourmet food, beauty... even evolution.

But evolution was too distant and difficult for ordinary people, still, winning just one fight in the colosseum could allow an ordinary scavenger to live comfortably for half a month, and winning three or five fights could secure a job in the city, enough to support a family.

Going on stage might result in death; people feared death, yet they willingly put their lives on the line to compete with death in order to survive.

"This is too unfair..."

A chubby little boy mumbled in a low voice with a cowardly expression from the stands at the arena’s edge.