Armored train in the apocalypse

Chapter 243 Entering the Water
"It's a bit like Cthulhu."

Shu Wei, who was standing behind him, suddenly spoke.

Su Huan tilted his head, puzzled, and asked, "What is Cthulhu?"

Shu Wei pointed to the writhing tentacles on the platform, "It's a bizarre myth, and one of the gods is represented by something like this, covered in tentacles..."

"They can't be called gods. These mutated zombies are just more resilient, but they still need to absorb nutrients and general energy from nature to generate new limbs."

Yu Jing shook her head and said.

While the two were talking, Su Huan had already walked to the control panel, listening to their conversation while looking down at the severed tentacles.

Hold out a finger.

As if sensing something, the tentacles wrapped around the tips of the wrists and feet, the slippery touch sending shivers down one's spine.

'You're somewhat sensible, huh? Then we can't keep you around, can we?'

Su Huan curled the corners of his lips into a smile.

Thunderstorm.

A raging torrent of lightning surged forth, instantly covering the entire control panel, with crackling explosions and bright flashes filling the entire carriage.

It illuminated the surprised faces of the two women.

The alarm kept blaring. Shu Wei went outside and said a few words, and only then did the shrill sound stop.

Su Huan stopped after a full minute.

He tilted his head back and looked at Yu Jing, "Sorry, I killed her."

The thunderous sound vanished instantly, leaving the room deathly silent.

Shu Wei glanced at Yu Jing, who was standing still, and with a woman's intuition, she felt that there seemed to be something between the two of them.

Yu Jing raised the corners of her eyes slightly, seemingly surprised, then lowered them and said calmly, "I was originally thinking of asking you to help me weaken it, but now it saves me the trouble."

Su Huan: "(＃￣Д￣)→"

Realizing he had misunderstood, Su Huan became somewhat embarrassed and angry. "So how did you originally plan to use it?"

Yu Jing took long strides and walked to the control panel. "My current ability is not to compete with living beings for the right to use flesh and blood, so I can only turn them into dead or half-dead beings, like now."

"Life-Devouring Reshaping" activated, and her mechanical puppet entered without her noticing.

The tentacles on the control panel were pulled up by an invisible force.

The scattered parts that Su Huan hadn't paid attention to next to the control panel flew up and, driven by the universal energy, embedded themselves into the octopus tentacles.

At first it was a bit messy, and it looked like a sizzling octopus.

When various parts are combined to form a structure, a mechanical aesthetic is revealed.

Octopus tentacles and metal combined to form a tensile exoskeleton device. Before Su Huan could even take a good look at it, it landed on the back of the mechanical puppet. The various parts meshed together, and after a series of crisp clicks, the mechanical puppet, resembling Doctor Octopus, was completed.

Su Huan breathed a sigh of relief.

"As long as you don't install it on yourself, it's fine."

Upon hearing this, a flicker of interest flashed in Yu Jing's eyes.

Seeing Su Huan's expression gradually turn dangerous, Lian Man dismissed the idea, "Don't worry, I won't easily modify my body."

"That would be for the best, but what's the point of all this trouble?"

Su Huan carefully examined the mechanical arm on the puppet.

After just one minute of the motor running, all the tentacles should have been half-cooked.

It looks like nothing's wrong now; the overall color is a uniform gray.

Like the mortar mixed by a bricklayer.

With the addition of mechanical parts, it doesn't look as disgusting as the control panel anymore.

Yu Jing pinched her chin, thought carefully for a moment, and said, "First of all, for me, flesh and blood machines are easier to control. Secondly, these tentacles are very resilient and can repair themselves when the puppet's main body is damaged."

"It has no combat support function?"

Yu Jing said regretfully, "Even if I had them, it wouldn't be of any use. I've never grown tentacles before, so I can't use them in combat unless you let me try it myself."

Su Huan raised an eyebrow, "Why don't you give it a try?"

Yu Jing decisively gave up on discussing which one to try with the petty train conductor and changed the subject.

"By the way, what are these second-tier zombies called? Could you get some more?"

"Let's call it Octopus. This is a Tier 2 zombie. Do you think it's like cabbage, something you can just come and go as you please?"

"You just got up, right?"

"You've been talking too much lately. Focus more on materials manufacturing and don't delay my project!"

Su Huan glared at her.

Unfortunately, this tactic was no longer effective against Yu Jing, since she had already finished her experiment.

I have no desires or wants, I don't care what others think.

The train conductor didn't show anything on his face, but silently made a mental note of Yu Jing.

After a brief chat about material production, we stepped out of the carriage with its strange smell and onto the deck.

Just then, He Jie returned with over a thousand survivors in a small boat.

The lead fishing boat had a howitzer mounted on it, while He Jie stood beside it, proudly carrying a mortar.

As they got closer to the train, he jumped onto the deck and burst into laughter at Su Huan.

"It's been so long since I've had sex, it was fucking awesome!"

Su Huan glanced at the size of the small boat behind him and asked, "How was the effect?"

He Jie wiped his hair, which his wife had just shaved off, and said cheerfully, "I've tried all six of them, and the results are fantastic! One of the Tier 2 Butchers yelled at me, and I just fired a grenade launcher straight at it and turned it into mincemeat!"

Although he was mentally prepared, Su Huan was still a little surprised.

The Tier 2 Butcher is somewhat like an armored vehicle; with its already sturdy body and the added armor, small-caliber gunshots feel like mere tickles.

In his past life, he and Qu Hang relied entirely on that electromagnetic sniper rifle to carry out such cleanup missions.

Otherwise, it won't penetrate.

One shot and he was reduced to dust?

In his previous life, he saw cannons fighting zombies two or three years after the apocalypse, and at that time he was fighting a Tier 3 Spinehound.

After bombarding them for ages, they only managed to land one shot, and the enemy just shook their head and got back up.

In the end, it was the evolved beings who went up and killed them.

Perhaps it was because the Steel Council's caliber was too small; at the time, the cannons were only 80mm, which couldn't compare to the exhilarating experience of these 155mm cannons.

The caliber is almost doubled.

Seeing him deep in thought, He Jie slapped his thigh and exclaimed, "This is a cannon! Forget carbon-based life forms, even our armored train would be riddled with holes with it. It would be amazing if it could leave behind some scraps of flesh, okay?"

Su Huan felt a growing sense of awe towards artillery, or more accurately, pre-apocalyptic weapons.

How many rounds of ammunition were used?

"Twenty shots were used, which bombed several buildings, killed hundreds of zombies, and also blew up several schools of fish."

He Jie said casually.

"There are still 180 rounds of 120mm mortar ammunition left. I'm using them to make up the numbers. There are six basic loads left, each load contains 30 rounds, for a total of 180 rounds. The howitzer ammunition is a bit more complicated. There are two basic loads in total. 60% are high-explosive shells, 10% are anti-armor ammunition, and the remaining 30% are precision-guided munitions and functional ammunition such as illumination rounds."

He Jie casually recited the number of ammunition.

As a commander, he knew the quantity of ammunition by heart. If it were like before when he was only in charge of twenty people, he would know how much ammunition each person had left.

Seeing Su Huan's gaze fall on the mortar in his hand, He Jie handed it over.

In his previous life, He Jie's third-tier "Gun Master" was named for carrying a heavy machine gun in one hand and a mortar on his back.

Su Huan was naturally curious. He took it and weighed it in his hand, slightly puzzled. "Is a mortar really this light?"

"The tripod and base plate were removed, and the barrel alone weighs only about 75 kilograms."

He Jie pointed to the frame that the soldiers were carrying onto the train.

Su Huan suddenly realized. The mortar's structure was very simple, consisting of a smooth barrel with two supports and a disc.

When using it, they simply sit on the ground, point the cannon upwards, throw the shell in, and the two men squat down beside it, holding their heads.

But for firearms-type evolvers like He Jie, it's not that complicated.

Holding the cannon barrel, you can fire at whomever you want, however you want.

"Train conductor, what are we going to fight next?"

He Jie asked, somewhat excitedly.

Su Huan tossed the mortar barrel to Bai Lu behind him and snorted coldly, "When we find the electromagnetic weapons depot, you can fire these shells as many as you want!"

……

"March 22nd, the water level is high."

"The 'Floating Giant Tree' project has come to an end, and the scenic Tide Lake will be opened."

As Su Huan put pen to paper, the voice of the person wearing glasses came through the car's public address system.

Su Huan stepped out of the cabin and went directly to the top of the vehicle, gazing at the generator factory in the distance.

At this moment, besides the busy people, there was also a towering giant tree with lush, green branches and leaves.

The cultivation pod, which is seven or eight meters high, is like a pair of "iron shoes" compared to the forty-meter-high Crown Pear Tree. It can barely cover the feet, and more than three-quarters of the trunk and crown grow outside the cultivation pod.

"Each department is making final preparations."

"The armed forces will check the explosive loading again."

"The combat team will take a headcount to ensure everyone leaves the generator plant."

"The research team is checking the condition of the crown pear trees..."

"Alright, all groups, evacuate."

"3"

"2"

"1"

"boom--"

At the same time, plumes of smoke and dust erupted from all the supporting walls and pillars of the generator factory, which stood tall in the rain, and instantly, the massive factory structure collapsed.

It plunged into the water like a mountain of gold or a pillar of jade.

The water surged up to a height of over ten meters, pushing the nearby armed train five or six meters away.

The water surface immediately became murky.

A muffled thud came from the smoke and mist, as if some enormous thing had fallen onto the water.

The factory manager and others in the cab were on tenterhooks when they saw the drone projecting images onto the panoramic screen.

A giant tree, forty meters tall, stood swaying on the water's surface. Its roots were a "giant iron basin" four or five meters above the water, which was the cultivation chamber built by the armed train at great expense.

"It's done!"

No one knows who spoke first, but a cheer immediately erupted inside the car.

Although this is not the first time that an armed train has been transformed into something, it represents the maturing of the armed train organization's organizational and scheduling capabilities.

We have truly developed the ability to design and develop independently.

Standing on the front of the vehicle, Su Huan breathed a sigh of relief as he watched the cultivation pod fall smoothly into the water.

The resources aren't particularly precious; even if you overturn a crown pear tree, it won't drown.

But we can't afford to waste time.

It took him almost a month to get this tree erected.

He was unwilling to do it again.

"All departments prepare to connect the cultivation chambers..."

Su Huan smiled and walked from the roof of the car to the very end.

At this moment, dragged by the last locomotive, the rear of the armed train approached the cultivation pod on the water's surface.

A large number of manufacturing and research team members crawled out of the vehicle.

Upon seeing Su Huan on the roof of the car, he quickly greeted him.

Everyone wore a smile of excitement.

Witnessing a project go from design to completion is rewarding, especially since each of them was a direct participant.

In a world where destruction is the dominant theme, every act of construction is a struggle by humanity to avoid sliding into the abyss.

When the cultivation chamber approached, they did not immediately begin the connection process.

Instead, they sent a large number of experts to inspect the cultivation chamber.

Then the connection was established.

Although interface issues were considered at the beginning of the design, the connection of various energy sources and equipment, as well as the sealing work, made the word "connection" itself a troublesome project.

How much longer is it expected to take to complete?

Su Huan asked.

The secretary, who was always by his side, calmly replied, "It will take at least three hours."

"Let them take their time to pick them up. Let's go up and take a look first."

Su Huan took a running start and jumped directly onto the cultivation chamber.

The cultivation chamber is not closed like an armored train.

On the one hand, the crown pear tree and the plants inside need rainwater; on the other hand, the internal space is too large, and it would require an extremely heavy weight to submerge it in water.

If an accident occurs, it would be very troublesome if the train had to go into the water to take shelter.

It simply won't sink.

It would be better to make it open, so that if something goes wrong, you can just put water in.

Anyway, the crown pear tree won't drown.

From this angle, Su Huan could see Professor Ma directing his students to move the supercomputer into the cultivation chamber.

From the outside, it looks like they are moving metal cabinets.

Because they were afraid of damaging it, the supercomputer was only brought in after it was submerged.

The supercomputer will be reassembled in the space beneath the roots of the crown pear tree, and its enormous weight will also contribute to stabilizing the center of gravity of the cultivation chamber.

Then, a little below that is the space reserved for a data center, which should now be filled with water.

The data center can then be placed there to dissipate heat directly.

A spiral staircase winds upwards around the trunk of the crown pear tree.

These ladders are movable; if the crown pear tree grows thick, it will push against these ladders and stretch outwards to avoid damaging the tree.

Beneath the tree roots lies a lush meadow, shaped like a natural hill, with two small pear trees and some plants that don't take up much of the soil's nutrients.

Huang Hai planted half of the "Fertile Heart" of the train car farm here.

There are crisscrossing walkways on the grass.

These passageways were also added later by Vice President Deng.

Through precise calculations, these walkways can pop out transparent stepping stones to both sides, sealing off the entire lawn.

Only expose the crowns of the crown pear trees to prevent these carefully cultivated crops from being washed away during irrigation.

At the same time, the passageway also prevents people walking underneath from being suddenly attacked by some evolved plants.

'Perhaps we could build a garden...park that floats on the water.'

Su Huan looked down at the passageway below, which cut the circular lawn into beautiful geometric shapes, and suddenly thought of something.

(End of this chapter)