Armored train in the apocalypse

Chapter 240 Second-Tier Advanced Materials
Seeing that she hadn't moved, Hu Shuo coughed lightly.

The giraffes watching the commotion simply "invited" it out.

The meerkat frowned slightly, but the train conductor didn't interrupt until he asked her a question.

Although the train conductor's words were somewhat harsh, armed trains have their own rules, and anyone who tries to bypass the rules to achieve certain goals must be prepared to fail.

Besides, women aren't really considered passengers on the train.

A simple "serves him right" is the best outcome one can hope for.

But that doesn't mean the meerkat will let Lao Wu go!

Su Huan then turned to look at the meerkat, "It's your turn."

The meerkat's eyes flickered, but it didn't bring up the already established facts, choosing to stick to its previous statement: "In any case, this is my mission, and he has overstepped his bounds."

"That makes a lot of sense."

Su Huan showed an approving expression and looked at everyone with a smile.

"Do you have any good suggestions?"

He Jie said in a sinister tone, "Why don't we just castrate that kid?"

Old Wu felt a chill run down his spine and looked to the third brother for help.

Although Lao San was cursing Lao Wu to the bone in his heart, as the leader of the combat team, he had to stand up and protect his subordinates as long as they did not make any fundamental mistakes. Otherwise, who would respect him in the future?

So, forcing himself to speak, he said, "The train conductor just said that although no money was given, it's not against the rules, and even if it is, it's not against the rules."

"Moreover, the entire train is within our combat team's maintenance area, so there is no question of crossing the boundary."

He Jie looked at the third brother and hummed twice with an ambiguous expression.

Others also shared their opinions.

However, he didn't side with either He Jie or Lao San, remaining neutral.

Su Huan lightly tapped the sofa armrest with his index finger, his gaze sweeping evenly over each person's face.

He created new classes, blurring the lines between pre-apocalyptic identities and social classes.

However, based on factors such as status and strength on the train, order of boarding, and position, a new class was established.

He wasn't trying to resolve the dispute between the meerkat and Old Wu.

He's not that free either.

What he really wanted to see was the attitude of the combat teams, the armed forces, and everyone else.

Confrontation or disagreement!

This is very important.

Currently, it seems that He Jie is simply trying to support his subordinates. Given his position and the intimidation he exerts over the combat team, he hasn't said anything too harsh.

If it could end here, that would be fine; that budding resistance has already been extinguished by He Jie's kick.

The key is to resolve the conflict between the meerkat and Lao Wu.

But the third brother's words pointed out the problem: who has the most authority in the car?
If not handled properly, it's like planting a nail.

Soldiers in combat groups and armed corps would wonder to themselves how the power between the two violent departments was divided, and who would be responsible if a similar situation occurred again.

After thinking it through, Su Huan said carefully, "The combat team is not the same as law enforcement. The mission of the combat team is to maintain the safety of the train. They do not participate in management or reconnaissance, but only carry out tasks according to orders. The armed forces do not have this authority either. On the train, you can restrain your own subordinates, but you do not have the authority to manage others."

"Have I made this premise clear enough?"

The combat units should just focus on fighting. If they were given internal management authority, the combat group would become the top of the four groups, with far more authority than the other three.

Currently, only the logistics group has some management involvement, but they mainly coordinate with other groups and handle specific tasks.

Instead of managing other groups, no one found it strange.

If a bunch of law enforcement officers suddenly appeared on the train, that would be what makes people uncomfortable.

As for the specific management tasks, they are naturally left to the chief flight attendants of each group.

There may be a lot to do, but the train station is only so big, and there's a limit to the population, so there's no situation where we can't manage everything.

Each department is relatively independent and not subordinate to any other.

This would also prevent the farcical situation where the Embroidered Uniform Guard (Jinyiwei) controlled all officials, the Eastern Depot (Dongchang) controlled the Embroidered Uniform Guard, the Western Depot (Xichang) controlled the Eastern Depot, and the Inner Depot (Neichang) controlled both the Eastern and Western Depots.

As long as he is strong enough, he will always be far ahead of everyone else.

If you put enough pressure on them, they will each do their own thing.

Hearing Su Huan's words, everyone seemed to be deep in thought.

The meerkat nodded reluctantly.

"Then it's between you and him. I can give you a chance, but not now."

Su Huan looked at the two mongooses and said.

The meerkat's eyes lit up. "Great!"

This is the train conductor she envisioned: fair and powerful.

Meeting Su Huan's gaze, Lao Wu gritted his teeth and agreed.

"Okay, let's adjourn the meeting!"

Su Huan waved his hand, and the two mongooses withdrew.

The factory director, Professor Ma, and others who had been waiting at the door walked in.

Compared to when he left a few days ago, the factory manager, though his hair was disheveled, was much more energetic.

Director Xu stood to the side like a wax figure, his eyes fixed on something a meter ahead, but his mind was actually wandering to the laboratory, lost in thought about some unknown topic.

Vice President Deng's round face had become much thinner, and even Professor Ma's demeanor had become more sharp.

Clearly, the "floating giant tree" project has put a lot of pressure on them.

"By the way, where's Yu Jing?"

Su Huan glanced at it and asked.

Professor Ma said, "We had previously discussed the lack of materials, and when we heard that the train had brought back a lot of materials, she went to select some."

Just as Su Huan was about to speak, a question came from outside the door.

How was this thing made?

Wearing the "Engineer" exoskeleton, Yu Jing walked in carrying a crab shell the size of a tabletop.

The crab's claws were neatly retracted onto its shell without any damage. The shell had a bluish-black sheen, like a huge piece of black jade, and looked lifelike.

The interplay of machinery, women, and monsters creates a highly impactful scene.

Su Huan's gaze unconsciously fell on his waist, which was not covered by the exoskeleton, and the white patterns looked somewhat familiar to him.

Then my gaze fell on the crab, which seemed even more familiar.

She tilted her head and looked at Shu Wei beside her, "Isn't this the crab that got struck by lightning and killed?"

"Struck by lightning?" Yu Jing's eyes brightened slightly as she placed the crab on the coffee table in the middle. "No wonder there was your energy on it."

This statement immediately piqued the interest of everyone, including Director Xu.

"my power?"

Su Huan was a little confused, so he reached out and placed his hand on the imposing crab shell.

Activating "Universal Energy Perception" quickly revealed a stable energy on the crab. Sensing its arrival, this energy immediately became active, like a child seeing its father, jumping around non-stop.

"Huh? Why hasn't it dissipated yet?"

Su Huan was somewhat surprised.

He has used electricity to strike many things, and without his universal energy support, the converted energy will disappear in a short time.

"I just tried it briefly, and the energy inside this crab shell has stabilized and solidified."

Yu Jing said.

"Is it a material with altered properties like blue steel, or a special material that retains energy?"

Director Xu squeezed forward and asked impatiently.

Yu Jing stroked the smooth crab shell, her eyes filled with fervor, "It's a brand new, special material that contains energy!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the factory director, Professor Ma, and others squeezed forward.

Each one of them, eyes shining, rubbed the crab shell.

Su Huan, He Jie, and the others were completely baffled.

Shu Wei leaned down and explained to Su Huan, "Evolutionary materials are objects whose properties have been altered by the pervasive energy contamination. For example, if the density of bones increases, the bones will become evolutionary materials after they are removed, but they do not carry any energy themselves."

"According to Black Kite's research, only long-term exposure to a high-density energy environment, or the abilities of second-order or higher evolved beings, can ensure that energy is stably retained in the material."

"This kind of evolved material is called advanced material."

Su Huan asked curiously, "Advanced evolved beings can also manufacture materials?" "Yes, evolved beings not only evolve individually, but also their ability to influence the environment evolves, especially their external abilities, which are more obvious in this respect."

"Among the people I brought is a materials expert; he probably knows more about it."

Su Huan thought about it and realized that he had never paid attention to this kind of thing in his previous life.

The main reason is that his rank is too low.

Su Huan tapped the crab on the table with his finger. "So what's the use of this high-grade material?"

"It's incredibly useful. To give you an analogy, you know magic, right?"

Director Xu countered with a question.

Are you referring to magic as I understand it?

Su Huan's expression was strange; it was quite subtle to hear this word coming from the mouth of the meticulous Director Xu.

"Essentially, they're similar. Magic achieves various magical effects through a kind of imaginary power. Replacing magic with universal energy, so-called advanced materials can be used as magical materials, to create powerful equipment, or even to build magic circles..."

Director Xu explained with a serious expression.

Although his mind was a bit confused, Su Huan still managed to pick up on the key words.

His eyes suddenly sharpened.

"You mean this thing can create magic circles?"

"That can't be."

Director Xu shook out the creases in his clothes caused by bending over.

Then he said matter-of-factly, "I'm not a magician, how could I build a magic circle? But high-grade materials can have such magical effects, such as energy barriers."

Upon hearing this, He Jie also joined the group that was stroking the large crab.

"This is a treasure!"

Humanity's technological development is somewhat unbalanced, with its focus on weaponry far surpassing any other discipline.

Like the armed train, Su Huan invested a lot of energy and resources to build it to this extent.

Even without nuclear weapons, a single modern artillery shell could destroy the train.

This is the difference between offense and defense.

The advanced second-tier materials before them are the only hope to improve the defense.

Looking at the hands of the people on the crab, Yu Jing felt that she had been a bit rash.

He grabbed the two large claws and hoisted them onto his shoulder, saying with a hint of hostility, "These are mine."

Director Xu immediately became anxious, "You can't use all of this big crab, can you? Give me some for experiments!"

"No."

"If I don't figure this out, how will we make this material next time?"

Director Xu, disregarding his status as an academic expert, earnestly advised him.

But Yu Jing, carrying the crab, showed no sign of letting go.

What are you going to do with it?

Su Huan suddenly asked.

A handsome young man was reflected in her phoenix eyes. "Develop a new exoskeleton."

Su Huan rubbed his chin. "Then there should be some scraps left over, enough to distribute to the various labs."

Yu Jing's eyes flickered, and she said calmly, "Okay."

Director Xu watched the crab from the side and sighed softly. He had heard Professor Ma mention the "spendthrift child's" reputation. Such good second-tier advanced materials would be dismantled into who knows what kind of state they would be in if they fell into her hands.

Will it still have any effect after it's removed?

However, he had no choice but to give up after the train conductor spoke up.

Su Huan wasn't being biased. In terms of output ratio, Yu Jing's exoskeleton was the most helpful for combat ability. He was still wearing the [Scavenger] exoskeleton, but it wouldn't be as useful after he advanced to the second tier.

For example, the bionic suction cup underfoot could be completely replaced by an electric current.

Originally, it served as a support and saved effort, but since he became a first-tier "fighter," it has become a constraint.

"Then let's settle on this for now. You just said, factory manager, that's right, we don't have enough materials."

Su Huan asked.

Just as the factory manager was about to nod, Yu Jing interrupted him.

"This time it might be enough."

"How to say?"

“I saw that Curry has tens of thousands of crab shells. Perhaps we can use them as a basis to create a new Tier 1 material.”

"But mass production requires more manufacturers and collectors."

A sense of confidence flashed in Yu Jing's calm eyes.

Su Huan looked up and pondered for a moment, then smiled at everyone.

"Then there's nothing to worry about. He Jie, you can go home and see your wife now. Qu Hang and the others have installed six cannons on the vehicle. Go and take a look later. Yu Jing, you should also check it out and see if there are any structural problems."

"Professor Ma, could you take some people to check out the system that was pulled back? The person with the glasses at the command center said it's some kind of supercomputer, but it lacks a data center. See if you can use it."

"I brought back two thousand evolved beings this time. They've all been paid for. Just use them as much as you want. If you need more materials, let me know in advance."

"A batch of ammunition has been put into storage. Boss, go check the quantity and adjust the ammunition production ratio of the bullet workshop."

"Factory manager, take me to see how the base of the 'floating giant tree' is coming along."

"My next goal is to get the crown pear tree erected!"

"..."

The small meeting after the reunion concluded with Su Huan assigning tasks.

Everyone knew their next goal and hurriedly began to get busy.

He Jie finally breathed a sigh of relief and walked briskly home.

As soon as the third brother stepped out, he was met with a scathing scolding from Old Wu, who was waiting at the door.

Some people who were initially interested in the survivors immediately backed down.

Everyone is watching to see what Lao Wu's final decision will be.

Su Huan walked past the cabinet, resting his elbows on the solid wood counter. Yu Yue, wearing an apron, looked up at him curiously, her five fingers deftly kneading the dough in her hands.

The dough in the bowl was white, smooth, and without any crumbs or sticking together.

Previously, when Su Huan was in a meeting, she would knead dough while watching the excitement.

She looked just like a timid woman watching her husband chatting and laughing with his old friend.

"what happened?"

Yu Yue subconsciously raised her hand and touched her face.

What are you planning to do tonight?

"I didn't think about it."

"Crab roe noodles, please."

"Okay."

Su Huan turned around and shouted to the factory manager and others who were waiting in front, "Come back and have crab roe noodles when you're done."

The factory manager patted his belly and said with a smile, "You're in for a treat!"

Su Huan straightened up. "Let's go."

Yu Yue raised her hand to tuck a strand of hair behind her ear and gently hummed in agreement.

Shu Wei stood a step away from Su Huan, watching their calm conversation, and a sense of guilt welled up in her heart.

I feel like I'm the third party in someone else's marriage.

But she doesn't regret it.

Just like my mother said, only when you are true to yourself can you be true to others.

With Su Huan's current rate of evolution, as long as she keeps up with Su Huan's pace, she can not only climb out of the valley, but also go even higher!

'But have I been a bit lax lately?'

Thinking of this, Shu Wei's body suddenly trembled.

She bit her lower lip and quickly followed.

(End of this chapter)