30: Chapter 30 Leaving triumphantly and Lei Hu's apprehension

He never expected that the "honored guest" he invited to the banquet would blow up his wallet, rob his warehouse, and now, walk away without a care in the world!

If Lin Xiao were allowed to run away, how could City Lord Lei Hu ever stand tall in Black Stone City again? Where would his dignity as a City Lord go?

"Brother Lin! Let's talk this over! I can pretend I didn't see you blowing up the Chamber of Commerce! But you robbed the warehouse, and that breaks the rules!"

City Lord Lei Hu tried to use "the rules" to pressure Lin Xiao.

"Return the goods, and I'll let you leave safely! Otherwise, don't blame City Lord Lei Hu for not honoring our past relationship and fighting to the death!"

"Fighting to the death?"

Lin Xiao couldn't help but laugh when he heard this.

He beckoned to Su Qingqian, and Su Qingqian, understanding, handed him an identical megaphone.

Lin Xiao cleared his throat and shouted toward the back:

"City Lord Lei Hu, it's late at night, and you're out for a joyride with so many people. You certainly have refined tastes."

"As for the rules... My rules are the rules. Since Vice President Wang wanted to rob me, his belongings are naturally mine. This is called... war spoils."

"You!" City Lord Lei Hu was so angry he nearly spat out a mouthful of old blood.

"Enough with the 'you, you, you'." Lin Xiao swirled his wine glass, his tone turning icy.

"I've said it before: if people don't offend me, I won't offend them. You were the ones who struck first; I'm just collecting some interest now."

"If you take your men and get lost now, we'll pretend nothing happened. But if you insist on clashing with my vehicle..."

Lin Xiao paused, a cruel arc forming at the corner of his mouth.

"I guarantee that tomorrow's headline in Black Stone City will be 'City Lord Dies Suddenly in the Wilderness'."

"Arrogant!"

City Lord Lei Hu roared, completely enraged.

"Attack! Aim for his wheels and the connection points! I don't believe he's made of iron!"

"Da da da da—!"

Even more intense firepower poured out.

Several vehicles even launched rockets!

"Whoosh—"

The rockets, trailing exhaust flames, whistled toward them and slammed heavily against the side of the Black Iron carriage.

"Boom!"

A loud noise erupted, and flames burst open.

However, when the smoke cleared, the armor of that carriage was only scorched black in a large patch, with a shallow dent—it didn't even count as deformed!

That was armor reinforced with a new alloy refined from [Purple Gold Ore]!

"Holy shit..."

City Lord Lei Hu's soldiers were stunned.

It couldn't even be penetrated by an RPG? What kind of monster train was this?!

"It seems you really want to die."

Lin Xiao's eyes turned completely cold.

He put down his wine glass and walked to a console in the center of the platform.

"Luo Yao, prepare to release the 'parting gift'."

"Received! Smoke grenade launchers unlocked! Tear gas mixed mode ready!"

Lin Xiao looked at the pursuing convoy locked on the screen and pressed the red launch button without hesitation!

"Goodbye, City Lord Lei Hu."

"I'll send you off with a... grand fog."

"Shoo! Shoo! Shoo!"

The armor plates on both sides of the rear of Black Iron suddenly opened, revealing six pitch-black launch ports.

A dozen smoke grenades were instantly fired, scattering like flowers in the sky and landing in the middle of the pursuing convoy!

"Bang! Bang! Bang!"

The smoke grenades exploded in mid-air, instantly releasing a large amount of thick, impenetrable white smoke.

Within a few short seconds, the area within a few hundred meters was completely shrouded in thick smoke, with visibility reduced to almost zero!

The high-speed off-road vehicles instantly lost their targets and began scrambling like headless flies.

"Careful! It's smoke grenades!"

"I can't see! Slow down! Slow down quickly!"

"Ah! We crashed!"

"Clang!" "Bang!"

In the chaos, several vehicles couldn't dodge in time and slammed into each other, overturning and turning into piles of burning scrap metal.

But it wasn't over yet!

Mixed into the thick smoke was a pungent, spicy scent.

"Cough, cough, cough! What is this?!"

"It's tear gas! My eyes! Ah! I can't open them!"

The soldiers who had poked their heads out to shoot were instantly victims, tears and mucus streaming down their faces, losing all combat capability.

"It's not over yet!"

In the driver's cabin, Luo Yao's little face was filled with excitement, like a little demon playing a war game.

"Swarm Drones, attack! Target: enemy vehicle tires!"

"Buzz buzz buzz—"

Dozens of Swarm Drones that had been circling high in the sky dived down like a swarm of bees receiving orders, plunging into the thick fog.

Red laser beams flickered in the white smoke like the gaze of the Grim Reaper.

"Shoo! Shoo!"

"Pfft—"

The lasers precisely cut into the tires of those off-road vehicles.

Accompanied by the sounds of tires bursting, one off-road vehicle after another lost control, skidding and crashing into their companions or flipping into the ditches on the side of the road.

Although the armored vehicle City Lord Lei Hu was in had strong defenses, it couldn't handle such chaos.

He watched helplessly as his convoy fell into paralysis within a single minute, unable to do anything. The thick smoke and tear gas prevented him from even seeing the shadows of the enemy.

"Retreat! Retreat quickly!"

City Lord Lei Hu finally felt fear; he knew that if he continued chasing, his remaining forces would all be lost here.

...

Inside the Black Iron carriage.

Liu Ruyan and the girls from the Dance Department watched the entire "performance" through the surveillance screen at the rear of the train.

Their mouths were agape, their eyes filled with shock and disbelief.

To them, those dozens of heavily armed pursuers were simply invincible enemies.

Yet, under Lin Xiao's command, using only a few smoke grenades and some small drones, he had toyed with the opponent and easily dismantled their offensive.

Was this... the art of war?

They looked at the back of the man standing on the observation platform, his trench coat snapping in the night wind.

At that moment, the image of this man in their hearts was no longer just a protector, a leader.

He was more like a god who devised strategies and won battles from a thousand miles away!

That composure and dominance, controlling everything and toying with strong enemies, was deeply branded into the depths of every one of their souls.

"Class monitor... so cool..."

One girl subconsciously muttered to herself.

This sentence voiced the inner thoughts of everyone.

Previously, their obedience to Lin Xiao was largely out of fear of his power and reliance on a comfortable life.

But at this moment, a fanatical emotion called "worship" quietly sprouted within that obedience.

A kind of... blind obedience that would make them go through fire and water for him, unhesitatingly.

In this broken world, following such a man, turning a city upside down, and then leaving in style... this pleasure, which abandoned the moral constraints of the old world, was even more intoxicating than the strongest alcohol!

"I... I think I'm starting to like this feeling."

Liu Ruyan watched the fading firelight on the screen, licked her somewhat dry lips, and her eyes flashed with a dangerous and charming light.

...

Black Iron completely charged into the night of the wilderness, leaving the chaotic city behind.

City Lord Lei Hu finally returned to Black Stone City in a sorry state with less than half of his remaining troops.

He stood on the city wall, looking at the still-burning ruins of the Chamber of Commerce building, then looked at the dark wilderness in the distance, his face so gloomy it could drip water.

"City Lord... should we keep chasing?" a confidant asked cautiously.

"Chase? With what?"

City Lord Lei Hu slapped him.

"Didn't you see that vehicle's defense and firepower? And those damned drones!"

"That is simply not an existence that local tyrants like us can afford to provoke!"

He was now extremely grateful that he hadn't let his head get hot and charged to the front just now.

Otherwise, it might have been his corpse lying in the wilderness right now.

"Northern Legion..."

City Lord Lei Hu chewed on the name, his eyes filled with deep fear.

He finally believed it.

Only that kind of truly massive military organization could cultivate a monster like Lin Xiao and possess such terrifying technology and combat power.

"Pass on my order!"

City Lord Lei Hu took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing the humiliation and anger in his heart.

"From today on, list that black train as the highest-level 'Do Not Provoke' target for Black Stone City!"

"Seal all intelligence regarding them! No one is allowed to discuss it!"

"Also, go investigate! Go and find out how that damned Vice President Wang managed to provoke this god of death!"

He knew that he had lost this time.

Lost completely.

Not only did he lose troops and face, but his warehouse was also robbed.

But he also understood that being able to trade a chance at survival for this cost was already a stroke of luck in misfortune.

At the very least, he didn't end up being sent to the sky along with the building like Vice President Wang.

"Lin Xiao..."

City Lord Lei Hu looked into the distance and muttered to himself.

"I hope we... never meet again."

...

...

The morning sun passed through the crevices of the canyon, turning into beams of golden light that mottled the cold steel body of Black Iron.

This steel behemoth, which had stirred up the winds and clouds of a city last night, was now quietly parked in a highly concealed U-shaped canyon, like a fierce tiger licking its wounds.

Inside the carriage, however, was a scene of bustle that was the complete opposite of the tranquility outside.

"Sister Qing Qian! You were so cool last night! That slash, 'swish', and that bad guy's head almost flew off!"

"And the class monitor! That explosion! Oh my god, my heart is still pounding! It was more exciting than any Hollywood blockbuster I've ever seen!"

"Senior Liu Ruyan and the others were amazing too, I saw them climbing on the walls like cats, silently taking out the sentries!"

In the public activity carriage, a group of girls from the Art Department and Dance Department were huddled together, chattering about last night's thrilling "Black Stone City Tour."

There was not a trace of fear on their faces; instead, they were overflowing with a morbid excitement and fanaticism.

Personally subverting the order of a city, and then walking away amidst the flames and chaos. This kind of thing, which they wouldn't even dare to imagine in civilized society, had now become reality under the leadership of their class monitor.

This sense of stimulation and power had pushed their worship of Lin Xiao to a peak of near-blind obedience.

"Stop making noise, go wash the combat uniforms you dirtied last night!"

Logistics Minister Shen Man, wearing a home-style knit sweater that revealed her curvaceous figure, was holding a small notebook and directing the crowd.

"Today's contribution point task is to count the spoils! Anyone who slacks off will only have compressed biscuits for lunch today!"

Upon hearing that their meal would be deducted, all the girls immediately scattered like birds and beasts, obediently going to work.

...

In the middle section of the train, inside a newly attached carriage that had been temporarily converted into a warehouse.

Lin Xiao was standing in front of a mountain of supplies, a satisfied smile like that of a wealthy landlord on his face.

"Class monitor, the preliminary count is complete."

Shen Man walked over with a thick list, her intelligent and beautiful face still carrying a trace of shock.

"Compressed biscuits and military rations, a total of 3,200 boxes, enough for everyone on the train to consume for over three months."

"Various types of antibiotics, anti-inflammatory drugs, hemostatic bandages, and other medical supplies, a total of 115 boxes."

"7.62mm caliber bullets, a total of 200,000 rounds... and a dozen boxes of grenades and explosives..."

Every time Shen Man read an item, her heartbeat accelerated.

This wasn't robbery; this was practically emptying out a city's armory and granary!

Their team of over a hundred people now had more abundant material reserves than half the factions in Black Stone City!

"These are just standard supplies."

Lin Xiao waved his hand, signaling Shen Man to look at the other side of the warehouse.

There, a huge precision machine tool and dozens of titanium alloy armor plates emitting a silver-white luster lay quietly.

"These are our biggest gains from this trip."

Lin Xiao stroked the cold titanium alloy plates, his eyes shining, "Shen Man, input the data of these materials into the system, let the weapon workshop start analyzing, I need a brand new train upgrade plan."

"Okay, class monitor."

Shen Man nodded respectfully, her eyes full of worship and a trace of affection she hadn't even noticed herself as she looked at Lin Xiao.

This man could always create miracles, one after another.

"By the way, class monitor..."

Shen Man seemed to have remembered something, her cheeks flushed slightly, and her voice became a bit lower.

"Last night... Liu Ruyan and the others performed very well. According to the rules you set previously, their contribution points are enough to be promoted to 'Second-Class Crew Members', and they can... can move into the core member's single dormitory area, and have the right to use the 'Spring of Forgetfulness' shower once a week..."

Speaking of "shower," Shen Man's voice became even lower.

Everyone on the train knew that the "Spring of Forgetfulness" shower room was right next to the Conductor's luxury suite; the hot water and aromatherapy there were personally blended by Lin Xiao. Being able to enter there was a symbol of status in itself, and also a kind of... unspoken closeness.

"Hmm, follow the rules."

Lin Xiao nodded, not thinking too much about it.

He established this strict contribution point system to motivate everyone to strive forward. Rewarding merit and punishing faults was the foundation of maintaining a team's vitality.

As for the ambiguous little thoughts about the shower room, it was just one of the many means he used to maintain his rule.