Armed Train in the Apocalypse

Chapter 540 - 331: Gains (2)

Some are marked with slight burn marks.However, they generally heal naturally within three to five days. Although Su Huan has a bit of a mischievous side, he never wantonly destroys his toys.

Shu Wei coldly scrutinizes her reflection in the mirror, from each strand of hair to every muscle, unconsciously evaluating herself, yet even the most humble words she could find would only amount to a judgment of "excellent."

But that alone is not enough.

Shu Wei sighs lightly, her gaze regaining its extreme calm.

She kicks aside the clothes on the floor, walks into the bathroom, and gently rubs her stomach, allowing what doesn’t belong to her to slip away with time.

...

A sweeping sandstorm blows in from god knows where, gently blanketing Zhijin City, enshrouding this ill-fated city.

Shu Wei’s departure doesn’t mean the end of her role as the conductor; on the contrary, it marks the beginning of her work.

She can delegate the specifics to others, but she must know about them.

She may not need to manage them directly, but she must be aware of what those under her are doing.

Tonight’s tasks are not too complicated. A summary of the spoils of the Zhijin battle has finally been compiled, and just looking at the figures gives Su Huan a genuine sense of gratification.

First is over a million zombie materials.

Why not a specific number?

Because many were directly ground into pulp, and energy loss makes precise statistics difficult.

A million is just a rough estimate.

The armed train mobilized over ten thousand "collectors" front and rear, taking a full month yet unable to fully extract all materials, while over a million ordinary pan-energy crystals charged the train’s reserves immensely.

Tier One basic materials have already overflowed the stores, yet Tier Two remains unproduced.

According to the crew’s calculations and summaries, low-grade materials for modifying the trains are sufficient, but high-grade materials — especially Tier Two — are still lacking, although this is not an issue. Several million more materials to the north are ready for harvest at any time.

After clearing the South District, various living supplies were innumerable, yet food remained scarce. The train is currently promoting the planting of the mutant plant [coarse powder grass], which will become the staple food for scavengers.

Additionally, some military bases were seized, though the equipment is limited to outdated models. After replenishing some ammunition, all was stashed in the station warehouse; onboard, this equipment is merely wasting space.

Lastly, there are two special items.

One is half a mask from a Tier Three Queen, the other an assault rifle.

These two items, due to a fortuitous alignment, acquired the property of permanent energy, and were kept by Director Xu for research.

The former is coated with the Queen’s energy, concealing the wearer’s "energy layer" presence, preventing others from perceiving the user behind the mask by any means.

A somewhat useful little thing.

The assault rifle originally belonged to Lin Jin, and since the barrel melted during ability use, it was discarded.

After Director Xu inspected it, he found energy solidification in the gun body — even when dismantled, though its effect was weak.

After repairs, the boss confirmed the rifle’s functionality.

Explosive bullets.

No matter what is loaded, they would turn into exploding rounds when fired, with tracer effects.

The power is slightly greater than ordinary bullets, but the effect is limited.

Originally, Su Huan wasn’t particularly concerned about energy solidification, but reflecting upon the crab shell, ring, and rifle, he couldn’t help but compare it with the past life’s information.

The Mechanical God Cult has a department called the Holy Artifact Recovery Team.

Originally, he thought it was merely a resource scouring department, always appearing everywhere, scavenging treasures like stray dogs.

Could it be that they are collecting these "energy-solidified" holy artifacts?

But from the current effects, it doesn’t seem worthy of the title "holy artifact."

Su Huan pondered for a while before giving up thinking further.

Logically, it made sense, but it might also be something else. Since the apocalypse, there have been too many miraculous things; perhaps remnants from ancient saints have revived due to pan-energy.

Who knows.

These are the main gains in terms of resources; they may not seem like much, but in reality, there wasn’t much to begin with.

Besides zombie materials, the bulk of foundational resources would be reinvested in the construction of the Zhijin Station.

The only thing the train can ultimately take away is the revamped train itself and the collection of talented individuals.

With that thought, Su Huan flipped to the next page of the document.

It concerned two Tier One Evolvers: one named Luo Jingyi, an expert in artificial intelligence, wished to join the crew, having a certain amount of notoriety. Many on board verified his academic credentials, although they remained vague on his character.

Su Huan didn’t even look before approving; the train desperately needed talent, how could he let this piece of gold slip away?

Even if flawed, isn’t it still gold?

If his character is questionable, could it possibly be worse than his own?

The other is a Tier One "Collector," in a data analysis profession, wanting to join the Armed Corps.

While many Tier One Evolvers have joined recently, without exception, regardless of their professions, they all chose the crew. This is the only Tier One opting for the Corps.

Thus, his subordinates reported it directly to him.

Going through the file, Su Huan narrowed his eyes.

The man is named Hai Mutao, claiming to be an Evolver who fled from a third-tier city in the north, without family, nor having joined any power; pre-apocalypse, he was a minor civil servant, his background even purer than the secretaries Shu Wei recruited.

Yet, damn it, that’s the biggest impurity!

Not yet thirty years old, no parents either — did he pop out of a rock?

In other words, this guy hadn’t told the truth from the start.

"Interesting."

With a smirk at the corners of his lips, Su Huan grasped the file, hands folded behind his back, and walked out.

...

Due to the train’s upcoming overhaul, a comprehensive array of heavy equipment gathered from throughout the South District surrounded the armored train: forklifts, cranes, Dragon Gate frames, etc. With the assorted materials requiring immediate hand assembly, a series of factories rose around the 1.5 km long train as the nucleus.

This kilometer-long stretch is mostly parts factories.

Consequently, the cluster effect drew various scattered factories and workshops to expand alongside this row.

Scavengers, converted into workers, also preferred living near the factories.

Whether the train or the throngs of people, both lent them a sense of security.

Thus, the entire station began to initially exhibit prosperity in dots and lines.

A dot centered around Chenxi Square, a line centered around the train.

Though the train has stopped, providing more space and open plots, the majority still preferred residing in the train’s cramped dormitories, only venturing into the city for leisure after their shifts.

The gentle girls behind City Hall not only cost less than those onboard but also offered better service.

As post-apocalyptic Evolvers, they needn’t fear contracting perilous diseases.

Yet, these held no significance to He Jie; whether in bustling cities or underwater, it never altered his nightly routine of dining at home with his wife and kids.

No matter how late new recruit drills dragged on, he would first return to lull his wife to sleep before sounding assembly calls.

Tonight, however, He Jie chose not to drill.

Having blown the whistle for three consecutive days, no doubt everyone is on tenterhooks, likely watching for his next call now.

With this thought, He Jie chuckled inwardly, carefully extracting his arm from his wife’s embrace, lifting the blanket’s edge, and quietly exiting the room.

Lin Jin, that young lad, has evolved from a normal human to Tier Two, yet here he, the boss, hasn’t advanced to maintain authority?

Driven by urgency, He Jie fetched a gun from the arsenal locker in the war preparation room and headed to the deck.

Everything Director Xu tested is left up there, conveniently facilitating training.

Before he even entered, He Jie heard dull pounding from within.

Like a fierce beast crashing against its shackles.

[Upon rereading recently, although my brain’s been fuzzy, nothing major arose in this month’s plot, still relatively smooth. However, the recent Chapters are transitionary, appearing somewhat mundane, yet some content cannot be skipped in my view. After all, it’s the train’s first time establishing a large station; rushing through would render it indistinguishable from preceding small stations, though most parts remain in an outline-focused perspective, with the main view still centered on the train and the conductor.]