Armed Train in the Apocalypse

Although most people can’t necessarily afford the mutated produce with their points, being cooped up in the compartment for so long makes everyone keen to join in the excitement.

Among them, Miao Qi spotted a familiar figure, ”Sister Jiang, you’re here to buy vegetables too?”

Jiang Rong turned her head and waved.

The two approached together.

There weren’t many items on the table, only about a dozen, but the fresh scent of plants still invigorated everyone.

”Bang—”

Huang Sea placed the last box of vegetables on the table, wiped his sweat, and said with a cheerful smile.

”It’s the first time the farm’s produce has matured in large quantities, and many things aren’t ready yet. If you have any questions, feel free to ask us.” He Jie smiled and added.

Jiang Rong’s gaze fell on the flowers in the basket, each petal as big as a palm, and asked in confusion, ”I’ve seen these many times, but can they be eaten?”

”This is called a ’meat flower’. The petals are thick, with a texture between mushrooms and konjac. I’ve eaten all of these myself, so you can trust them.” Huang Sea adjusted his small glasses, carried away by the excitement of the harvest.

He had been on the train for several months, hearing about various breakthroughs and hauls of materials, thinking that the stored grain could feed them for years. His compartment farm always felt somewhat dispensable.

Though he said nothing on the surface, he was always determined to achieve something significant.

Lying down with plants, eating and sleeping together, he persevered through so many days and finally saw results.

Jiang Rong instinctively wanted to pinch one, but Huang Sea quickly stopped her.

”You can’t touch it. Once touched, it must be eaten quickly, or it’ll wither soon.”

”It’s this delicate...”

Jiang Rong was surprised but turned her gaze to the mushrooms beside her.

”And these?”

”These are ’Night Vision Mushrooms’. Eating them can enhance some night vision capabilities, but each person is limited to 200 grams. Eating too much can cause hallucinations, even evolvers can’t handle it.” Huang Sea hastily explained.

”What’s the price?”

”10 points per serving.”

Everyone looked up in shock. For this price, one could almost buy a gun, yet it only got them 200 grams of mushrooms.

Jiang Rong was mentally prepared, but she couldn’t help but purse her lips upon hearing the price, ”10 points for 200 grams of mushrooms? You might as well rob us.”

Huang Sea awkwardly rubbed his hands, glancing sideways at Hu Shuo, ”I didn’t set the price...”

Seeing this, Hu Shuo stepped forward and said, ”Since this is the first batch with limited yield, the prices are relatively high.”

Jiang Rong rolled up her sleeves, her demeanor changing suddenly, challenging, ”Your prices are too expensive. Don’t you allow bargaining when buying vegetables?”

Hu Shuo was a little taken aback; this wasn’t the straightforward Sister Jiang accustomed to taking missions.

The other women also glared at him aggressively. Hu Shuo hesitated for a moment and decided to compromise slightly.

”How about 8 points?”

”No way, that’s still too expensive, 3 points!”

Hu Shuo shook his head like a rattle drum. Although the conductor gave him pricing authority, he couldn’t just give in like that.

He could concede slightly under pressure, but if he practically gave these away as a favor, the conductor wouldn’t say anything in the moment, but would certainly cause him trouble later.

”6 points is the limit; these mushrooms don’t have a high yield to begin with. Would you like to look at something else, Sister Jiang?”

Hu Shuo said with a bitter smile.

Jiang Rong’s gaze fell on a small basket of pears beside her, nine yellow and gleaming pears with small water droplets on them.

The regular crew didn’t know what these were, but she and a few others did.

The conductor stayed at Wangjiang Peak for days, fighting several tough battles just for these pears.

Although they weren’t the ’Crown Pear’ known for significantly boosting vitality, they were said to increase it slightly and tasted excellent.

Hu Shuo followed her gaze and said, ”’Wangjiang Peak Pear’. Redeemable by staff ranked Level 3 or above, and Lieutenant Officer or above can purchase one, priced at 20 points each.”

Jiang Rong eyed Hu Shuo’s somewhat tense expression and pondered, ”I won’t haggle over this. Give me one ’Wangjiang Peak Pear’, a serving of ’Night Vision Mushrooms’, and a paper of ’Green Noodles’. Don’t tell me those have gone up in price too.”

So-called ’Green Noodles’ are noodles made from ground ’Rough Powder Grass’, similar to spaghetti, but rougher in texture, requiring longer cooking time.

’Rough Powder Grass’ has a short growth cycle and high yield; the train has been eating these noodles for a long time.

Its pleasing color earned it the nickname Green Noodles.

Huang Sea quickly packed the three items for Jiang Rong, ”Nope, Green Noodles are the same as before, two points per sheet.”

After completing her purchase, Jiang Rong also helped Miao Qi and the others haggle, saving them many points.

With Sister Jiang taking the lead, everyone eagerly joined in the purchasing.

By the time Miao Qi bade farewell to Jiang Rong, she was carrying quite a lot. Besides two pears, there was half a ’Steel Pumpkin’, a pack of ’Pear Tree Leaves’, two ’Sweet Spicy Onions’, a sheet of ’Green Noodles’, five eggs, a bit of ’Mint Herb’ to enhance taste...

This time around, she bought the most.

Even Mongoose was influenced by her, using his newly earned wages to try a ’Red Spicy Fruit’.

This fruit was cultivated by Huang Sea from tomatoes, and somehow mutated, its insides became gelatinous, resembling a spicier version of Thai sweet chili sauce.

At this point, Mongoose was both feeling the spice, eyes wide, and muttering.

”Sister Qi, you’re so wealthy. I can only afford a few fruits with all I have, and if I keep buying, I’ll starve this month.”

Miao Qi lifted the bag in her hand with a smirk, ”This is what having a man is good for. Your salary can barely buy me snacks. Kitty, get yourself a man sooner than later, so you don’t have to live like this...”

Mongoose was taken aback, grinding his teeth in annoyance.

”It’s just some food. One day, I’ll earn enough on my own.”

”You’re miles away from becoming an officer...”

”One day, I’ll surpass that dog instructor!”

”That’s ambitious, but I’ll still tell He Jie you called him an old dog.”

Suddenly, a playful voice came from ahead.

Mongoose was startled, every muscle tensing up, the fine hair on his face standing on end.

Miao Qi, seeing who approached, composed herself and bowed respectfully, ”Conductor.”

Su Huan carried a small basket in one hand, waving the other, looking in high spirits.

He was accompanied by Shu Wei and Bai Lu.

”Scared stiff?”

Su Huan tilted his head, taking in Mongoose’s expression.

Mindful of her evolutionary ability, he slightly restrained his aura, smiled, and walked past her.

Once Su Huan completely walked by, Mongoose gradually calmed down from the shock, whispering, ”The Conductor... seems stronger, like he could devour me at any moment near him.”

Then his pupils contracted into narrow slits, decisive, ”Even so, I must defeat that jerk He Jie and follow the Conductor’s lead to create a better armed train.”

Beside him, Miao Qi’s lips twitched.

The two continued forward, and after a while, seeing Mongoose still wearing that determined look, Miao Qi hesitated.

”Sister Qi, don’t try to talk me out of it. I need He Jie to apologize to me and my deceased sister. Even if I disagree with her words, she didn’t deserve to die.”

Mongoose calmed himself, speaking sincerely.

Miao Qi suddenly felt like laughing. If she were to compare what Su Huan did with He Jie, He Jie was practically an innocent little Pang Tu.

Her mind instinctively flashed through many faces, and her eyes deepened.

”What... do you think of the Conductor?”

Mongoose pondered for a moment, then resolutely said, ”The Conductor may be a bit radical at times, but the train can’t do without him. He’s the soul of the armed train.”

”The soul, huh?”

’Huh, if she knew I once wanted to kill the Conductor, it’d probably scare her half to death.’