Armored train in the apocalypse

Chapter 236 How long, how long to do it

The transition from third to fourth order is a significant hurdle.

In their previous lives, He Jie and the deceased Zhong Cheng were both stuck at this stage.

At the time, he was a little puzzled. With the resources of the Steel Council, they could easily have pushed He Jie and the others to the fourth tier.

Looking back now, it must have been a limitation imposed by vitality and basic attributes.

Especially vitality; there's a limit to it, and if you can't raise it, you're completely helpless.

However, none of these were problems for Su Huan.

What he needs to do now is to balance the speed of advancement with the speed of life force consumption, so as to avoid advancing too quickly and prematurely depleting his life force before the Crown Pear Tree is cultivated.

This is perhaps the dilemma of geniuses.

Thinking of this, Su Huan subconsciously looked up at Lin Jin opposite him.

This guy not only awakens every skill so accurately, but his vitality is also so strong.

Could it be that the life force of these evolved beings with the potential to advance to the fifth rank is equivalent to that of a crown pear tree?
I just don't know how much of the effect of taking them directly would be comparable to that of Crown Pears...

Lin Jin, who was eating, suddenly felt a chill run down his spine. He sensed that the train conductor was looking at him strangely, especially the crunching sound of his chewing, which made him feel uneasy.

A series of steady footsteps echoed from the metal corridor outside.

Hu Shuo, wearing a striped knit sweater, walked in and stood about a meter to Su Huan's right, making sure he could be caught by the train conductor's peripheral vision before he began his report.

"The crab tide has completely receded, and we have obtained more than 50,000 units of evolution materials in total. There are more than 100 first-tier materials and two second-tier materials. Currently, the research team and the manufacturing team are still pushing forward the 'Floating Giant Tree' project at the generator plant. We can only organize the logistics team to collect universal energy crystals, but the efficiency is not high and a lot may be wasted."

Su Huan frowned and spat out a crab shell.

“Waste is not a good habit. Aren’t there more than 5,000 people in the shelter downstairs?”

Hu said in a low voice, "The survivors in the shelter are very dissatisfied with us and are currently making trouble for the Qi family."

"Dissatisfied with the Qi family?"

Su Huan was somewhat surprised.

The shelter was supposed to be quite supportive of the Qi family, so why are they already dissatisfied?
Hu Shuo paused for a moment, then gave a meaningful glance to the third brother across from him who was eating rice. The latter's face was covered like a pig's head, and he rolled his eyes as if he couldn't see him, but he didn't slow down at all when stuffing rice into his mouth.

They weren't dissatisfied with the Qi family, but rather deeply resentful and angry at the armed train's indiscriminate killings. However, since they couldn't access the armed train, they could only direct their anger at the Qi family, the actual controllers of the shelter.

But Lao Hu is a shrewd person who values ​​proper conduct, so he naturally wouldn't shift the blame onto his colleagues in front of the train conductor.

So he briefly recounted how Qi Zhiyuan angrily berated Qi Jianguo.

"Qi Jianguo is a colonel?"

"No, he was just a lieutenant colonel. He was retired later because of some things."

Which year?

"I heard it was a year ago."

"Wasn't a lieutenant colonel from a year ago qualified to make contact...?"

As Su Huan pondered, he squeezed the hard crab claws in his hand until they cracked.

The giraffe hesitated for a moment before speaking.

"This level is a bit of an in-between. In some special units, there are more officers than soldiers. You only get to that level after you've earned a star on your shoulders. Once you retire, you retire. It's quite useful outside, but don't expect it to know anything."

Goat, Qu Hang, and the others nodded.

"We are only responsible for making preparations, but we have no idea what exactly happened, what needs to be done, or why it needs to be done."

"You'll never know the situation until you're on the scene."

Seeing that Su Huan seemed to be deep in thought, Hu Shuo quickly asked, "What about the Qi family?"

"What does my dissatisfaction with the Qi family have to do with me? I'm a second-tier evolved being, and I worked all night to protect their entire shelter through a disaster. Shouldn't I get a fee for my appearance?"

"Don't waste time talking to them. Just find Old Man Tie. He's a reasonable man. Also, remind him to do what he promised me as soon as possible."

What if they don't cooperate?

Hu asked.

Su Huan naturally understood the implication in Hu Shuo's words: he was asking him about the limits.

But now his patience has been worn down by those crabs, and he has no intention of educating anyone. He's been out for two days, and he doesn't know if things are going well for the factory manager and Yu Jing.

Get your things sooner so you can go home sooner.

"Then let the third brother cooperate."

"understood."

Hu continued, “The artillery pieces that have been transported to the vehicles have been inspected. There are a total of six pieces, including four mortars and two howitzers, with ranges ranging from seven kilometers to twenty-four kilometers. They mainly rely on fully automatic fire control systems, but retain mechanical aiming, which just makes them slower.”

A look of joy appeared on Su Huan's face. Before, she was always the one being teased, but now she was the one being teased. Finally, she had become the mother-in-law after all the waiting.

"How's the condition? Is it usable?"

Qu Hang, who was on the other side, suddenly asked.

"It's not brand new, but it's very well maintained. It's just that the manufacturing team isn't here right now, so it can't be installed."

The goat stood up. "What do we need a manufacturing team for? They might not be as professional as us when it comes to guns and cannons."

Hu said with slight surprise, "If it is to be installed on a train, it needs to be fully inspected; it's not enough to just make it usable."

"Then this matter will be left to you, Deputy Qu Hang."

Su Huan directly appointed him by name.

These elite soldiers are all hexagonal warriors.

Like the goat, although its combat power is mediocre, it must have some unconventional skills to be selected by the Steel Council.

The two goat-like figures put down their bowls and chopsticks and went to carry out their mission.

"Is there anything else?"

Su Huan asked.

"Zhang Qiang in the medical vehicle has woken up. Would you like to see him?"

"Zhang Qiang...the one from the Tongzhou Club?"

"Yes."

Su Huan tossed the cleaned crab leg onto the table and took the hot towel Yu Yue handed him to wipe his hands.

"Let's meet them, and then I'll have the Iron Mountain Shelter speed things up. I want to see results tomorrow."

……

The calamity has receded, but a light drizzle still falls from the sky.

The floodwaters reached up to the sixth floor, and all the windows on the seventh floor were broken open, with steel plates placed between the reinforced concrete and the deck of the armored train.

To maintain a secure connection, the armed train resorted to its old method, directly encircling the entire building.

Armed soldiers, clad in dark green raincoats, stood on high points on either side, watching the survivors below carrying supplies.

Boxes of ammunition were carried out of the building and loaded onto the armed train.

At first, the survivors were somewhat dissatisfied, but when they saw the sea fortress made up of hundreds of train carriages, everyone shut up.

Guided by the soldiers, Qi Zhendong placed the ammunition box in the designated position on the deck, and then saw the robotic arm descend, pick up the ammunition box directly, and send it into the train.

Taking advantage of a break, he glanced around before turning to Qi Zhenbang and whispering, "The car is new, but the workmanship is excellent; it doesn't look like it was rushed out."

When someone carried supplies past, Qi Zhendong immediately fell silent.

Although the Qi family's past reputation has suppressed dissent within the shelter, their control over it has become increasingly precarious.

If it weren't for the armed soldiers suppressing the fire, the shelter would have already been in turmoil.

The two went back upstairs, where Old Man Tie was talking to Qi Jianguo, while Xiao Dong stood to the side.

This was something the old man specifically requested.

"You're back. What did you see?"

"Old Man Tie asked."

Qi Zhenbang sighed, "They are very strong, far surpassing our shelter in every aspect. I even suspect they have never experienced a disaster."

Qi Zhendong added, "Moreover, there are many experts. The group that took us down last night wasn't all of them; half of them were left in the car."

"Did you see the device Xiaoyuan mentioned?"

"Old Man Tie asked."

The two shook their heads.

"That's likely the core secret of the armed train; how could they possibly let us see it?"

"Uncle Zhenbang, is it possible that that's Su Ge's ability?"

Xiao Dong whispered to himself.

Qi Zhendong frowned first. "It's unlikely. The more I thought about it last night, the more something seemed off. I should have the most energy in the entire shelter, but I can't even maintain my invisibility by manipulating light for more than a few hours, let alone him manipulating such a large area of ​​lightning."

"You heard those last few attacks yesterday. If they really had that kind of strength, why bother with negotiations? Wouldn't it have been better to just storm our shelter?"

Qi Zhenbang agreed, "Although their train is very advanced, we didn't see any heavy firepower. Perhaps they aren't as powerful as they appear." "But wouldn't the stronger Brother Su and his men be, the more people they can protect?"

Xiao Dong asked, puzzled.

Qi Zhendong's expression was strange. "Do you know that they killed more than a hundred people in the shelter last night?"

"what?"

Xiao Dong's face turned pale, and he stammered, "It shouldn't be... no... could it be that Brother Su doesn't know?"

Qi Zhendong looked at Xiao Dong coldly without saying a word.

Xiao Dong's head gradually drooped, and the light in his eyes dimmed.

Qi Zhenbang rubbed his head, unsure how to explain to Xiao Dong, but firmly stated, "The Tieshan Refuge can only be in the hands of the Guanchong people."

"But Brother Su saved us last night."

Xiao Dong said weakly.

The two brothers turned their heads away and stopped arguing with Xiao Dong.

Su Huan's protection of the refuge stemmed from the mentality of a wealthy man protecting his own property and a slave owner protecting his slaves.

At Xiao Dong's age, he can barely come into contact with the world beyond the clear distinction between black and white.

But I simply can't understand something so complicated.

The two of them speculated on each other's words.

Xiao Dong opened his mouth, but couldn't get a word in edgewise.

"Perhaps Xiao Dong is right."

"It's iron," the old man suddenly said.

Qi Zhendong did not refute, but looked at his father with a questioning expression.

The old man said calmly, "You're not young anymore, and you're limited by your past experiences. Nowadays, people can breathe fire and water, so what's impossible about manipulating lightning?"

"Even if it's true, are we just going to abandon the shelter?"

Qi Zhenbang said unwillingly.

"At least they promised to feed us."

"But what we lose is freedom."

"What good is freedom! You're not commanding soldiers anymore, but ordinary families, groups of the elderly, women, and children!"

The old man, Iron Man, rarely lost his temper.

Qi Zhenbang shut his mouth.

"It seems I came at the wrong time."

The sound of nonsense came in from the doorway.

Everyone in the room stood up. Old Man Tie stepped forward and asked in a gentle voice, "What are your instructions, Chief Flight Attendant Hu?"

Hu Shuo waved his hand repeatedly, saying, "You flatter me. I was just relaying a few words for the train conductor."

……

A moment later, several people in the room gasped in shock.

The old man's eyes gleamed with a sharp light. "Everyone can become an evolved being?"

Hu Shuo corrected, "It means that everyone who works for the Armed Train will have a chance to become an Evolver. We only offer this opportunity once. Whether you succeed or not, you must work for the Armed Train."

Qi Zhendong asked cautiously, "What about the time? They only said they were retrieving something, but they didn't say the specific time."

"We'll work for as long as it takes."

"Then why can't you finish what you're trying to create?"

Hu Shuo smiled and said, "I'll do it for as long as it takes."

"..."

"We did it."

The old man made the decision.

"I need everyone to be assembled on the deck before 10 o'clock. Your work efficiency determines the number of people who can become Evolvers."

"it is good."

After Hu Shuo left, Old Man Tie turned to Qi Zhendong and said, "Tell Xiao Dong's family that he can stay with me for a while."

Qi Zhendong didn't have as many questions this time, readily agreed, and turned to leave.

"Huh? Grandpa Tieshan..."

Xiao Dong was stunned for a moment.

Old Man Tie rarely showed a smile, and patted Xiao Dong's head. "I'm getting old, and sometimes I get senile and forgetful. During this time, you'll stay by my side and tell me everything every day to remind me."

Xiao Dong breathed a sigh of relief and nodded emphatically, "I can do it."

Qi Zhenbang, standing to the side, looked thoughtfully at the old man and the young man.

Qi Jianguo remained silent throughout.

This man, who hadn't broken down even after being crushed by Liang Kuan, was dealt a severe blow by his own son at an early age.

His whole demeanor became much more subdued.

"Let's go, let's get to work!"

The old man straightened up considerably.

……

Su Huan arrived at the 15th medical carriage.

There are dozens of hospital beds here, but most of the time Zhang Qiang is the only one living here.

Apart from that, only Dr. Lin Xia and a nurse visit him each day.

The daily care is also done by the two of them.

Although doctors are not meant to do this kind of work, the armed train doesn't have enough manpower to hire a full-time caregiver.

Moreover, Lin Xia cared more about Zhang Qiang's condition than anyone else.

He had to make more than a dozen trips a day, and he wished he could move his bedding and live next to Zhang Qiang.

Strictly speaking, this was the first person he had ever saved in his life.

And it was in a dying state.

It is naturally of great significance.

Lu Xiao doesn't count; the reason he wasn't sent away was purely due to his superior physical abilities.

Although he hadn't treated many patients, Su Huan seemed to smell the strange, ever-changing atmosphere of a hospital as soon as he stepped into the ward.

The interior decoration followed the hospital's consistent style, all white and somewhat gloomy.

Zhang Qiang was lying on the bed at the very edge of the hospital. When you walked in, you could see his lips moving.

Stopping Lin Xia from getting up to greet someone, Su Huan quietly walked to the bedside.

You can vaguely hear Zhang Qiang saying something.

Zhang Qiang felt like he was having a long nightmare.

In my dream, I was caught doing something wrong, lost all my current benefits, and was arrested as a traitor.

They also said he was tied to an iron chair and tortured with cruel methods.

They cut his flesh piece by piece, forcing him to tell them why he had damaged the train.

He wanted to confess, but couldn't bring himself to speak.

After an unknown amount of time, the president actually came to his rescue!

Zhang Qiang was moved to tears and tightly grasped his hand. However, what puzzled him was that the president in front of him had grown his hair longer and his shoulders had broadened.

Zhang Qiang felt slightly uneasy.

"President, let's run! We're doomed if the train conductor finds us..."

The president remained unmoved. He tried to pull him, but found that he couldn't budge him at all.

He was a little puzzled.

"President?"

What will happen if the train conductor finds you?

A gentle voice reached my ears.

Zhang Qiang saw a pair of narrow, blade-like eyes staring at him with a half-smile.

(End of this chapter)