Armed Train in the Apocalypse

”[Guardian-Model-6]? How long will it take? Three years? Five years?”

Su Huan raised an eyebrow.

Zhou Qing hesitated for a moment, ”That’s hard to estimate. If we could acquire some more advanced military power armor, the time would be significantly reduced. Traditional mechanical development has no shortcuts; it requires numerous attempts. However, Yu Jing’s method might yield results faster.”

Su Huan asked curiously, ”Are you referring to the new power armor made from crab shells, code-named [Thunder]?”

”I remember it was just officially started a couple of days ago. They requested a lot of durable materials for it. Because of this project, the Mechanical Testing Laboratory was even renamed to the Mech Laboratory, and the approval documents are still on my desk.”

Zhou Qing shook his head, ”That direction is also good, but it’s still a combination of pan energy and traditional mechanics. I’m talking about another direction she is researching – flesh and blood armor.”

Hearing this term, Su Huan squinted slightly, and a lot of unpleasant imagery flashed through his mind.

The most crucial thing is, ”flesh and blood armor” hasn’t been officially proposed, nor has it even been reported.

This woman is tinkering with dangerous things in that small laboratory behind my back again!

As his emotions shifted, the pan energy in the surrounding ten meters became dormant, bringing an immediate change as Zhou Qing felt his breathing become a bit difficult and his internal energy sluggish.

Zhou Qing hurriedly said, ”It’s not the evolutionary route of mechanical flesh but rather the direction of manufacturing power armor.”

Hearing it was just an idea, Su Huan’s expression softened a little.

He took a deep breath, trying his best to minimize the influence he imposed on the surrounding environment.

With the increase in his attributes for energy manipulation, he had achieved a certain degree of control over this annoying aura.

”She got the inspiration from that mechanical puppet, using evolutionary material of flesh to replace bionic muscles combined with power armor. But currently, it’s still a prototype, far from practical application...”

The conversation was interrupted by the rumbling sound of running mixed with the instructor’s angry curses.

The comprehensive renovation of Zhijin had also drastically changed the new recruit training camp area.

The sentry posts at the entrance had all turned into defensive bunkers, with heavy machine guns mounted on either side of the gate, along with two patrolling squads of soldiers.

But what caught Su Huan’s attention most wasn’t the buildings and soldiers, but the kids peering over the wall across the street.

About twenty of them, the oldest around ten years old, the youngest possibly two or three, all dirty like coal balls, their hair messy, staring straight at the new recruit camp.

They were all too young to work.

Upon seeing Su Huan, they dashed over with a clatter.

But faster than them were the soldiers on duty, whose resounding ”train conductor” command instantly stopped the kids in their tracks.

Su Huan asked coldly, ”Where did they come from?”

The soldier cast a fierce look at the children, muttering in a low voice, ”The new recruit camp discards some kitchen waste, and a group of wild brats from who knows where squats here scavenging for food. There were several groups before, but now only this bunch is left; the others were likely chased off by them.”

’Orphans’

The word surfaced simultaneously in the minds of Su Huan and Zhou Qing.

The latter’s eyes filled with much pity and sorrow.

Su Huan, however, felt nothing; as long as the apocalypse continued, orphans would keep appearing endlessly.

In turbulent times, children are not only the poetic ”hope” but actually burdens like half-fed wild dogs, consuming half the rations’ worth of food, not even considered ”people” until they can scavenge, can fight.

”Wild brats” was the kindest term Su Huan had heard.

Su Huan’s expression remained overly calm, making it hard for the soldier to discern his attitude towards the group of children, leading him to tentatively ask, ”Should I chase them away?”

Zhou Qing, showing unwillingness, was about to speak when he saw Su Huan raise a hand to stop the soldier.

A girl in a ”gray” dress emerged from behind, notably older than the group of kids.

Around thirteen years old.

Su Huan took one glance and drew an accurate conclusion.

At the moment he noticed the person, various data, like fleeting distractions, appeared in his mind.

For instance, energy intensity, height and weight, body density, health condition, and even rough emotions all surfaced in his perception.

This was one of the inconspicuous changes after advancing to Tier Three.

The amount of world information he could perceive had increased.

Of course, it wasn’t data that needed ”comprehension”; it was directly translated by his subconscious into ”data” that Su Huan could understand.

Like when a physically potent person stands in front of him, the sensation he gets is ”the opponent’s bones are as hard as iron,” not a data set ”bone density is 7.87 g/cm³, hardness is 60-80 HV.”

It’s a vague, intuition-like thing.

And in his perception, although the girl was very nervous, she also had a kind of prepared confidence.

This special perception led the conductor’s emotions to subtly shift.

Zhou Qing initially thought the conductor had matured in consideration, but upon seeing that faint, elusive smile on his lips, sensed complexity and deferred his thoughts once more.

The children, seeing the girl as a savior, quickly surrounded her, calling out ”sister Han.”

The girl quickly calmed the children and then walked over, bowing politely to Su Huan.

”I’m sorry, I didn’t keep them under control. If they disturbed you, I apologize on their behalf...”

The girl’s voice gradually weakened, carrying tentative apology.

Being closer, Su Huan could discern more information.

The girl’s hair had been deliberately washed but not thoroughly, leaving some intentionally messy traces, though not dirty, with no odor.

The dress looked very dirty, but the skin beneath was smooth and clean. Most crucially, half a year into the apocalypse, an ordinary girl’s body bore no signs of starvation, nor the deep-seated wariness and aggression typical of post-apocalyptic scavengers, appearing charming like a small cake.

Some scavenger-origin new recruits showed subtle changes in their gaze.

”Who are you, and where are your parents?”

Su Huan interrupted somewhat harshly.

The girl paused, then lowered her eyes with slight difficulty, ”We’re all orphans. I’m just a bit older, assigned to work at the Food Production Bureau. They’re too young, with nowhere to go, and I only have time at night to look after them...”

The girl’s voice was clear, with a trace of unspent sweetness, logically embedding key information like ”orphan,” ”City Hall job,” ”good citizen,” and ”reason for being here” within her response.

Without saying more, this logic ability was not at all inferior to an adult’s.

”Is that so.”

Su Huan curled his lips, ”So pitiful.”

The girl raised her small, palm-sized face, showing some confusion. The conductor’s words made sense, but the tone... why did it sound so strange?

”Go bring me those people at three o’clock direction, two hundred and forty meters away, on the sixth floor.”

Su Huan said indifferently.

Bai Lu had just started to move when he was interrupted, ”I’m talking to you, Mongoose.”

From a shadowy spot of the apartment building in the new recruit camp area, a pair of golden beast-like eyes blinked with annoyance, and the next moment, they suddenly appeared tens of meters away.

Before anyone realized what was happening, Mongoose brought back two men.

She threw them to the ground, then made three more trips, bringing back a total of six people.

Four men and two women.

Seeing the binoculars still hanging from the necks of several people, even the slowest Bai Lu understood what was happening.

And when the girl saw the men thrown down by Mongoose, her face turned completely pale.

Su Huan’s eerie voice whispered in her ear.

”Are you an orphan?”