Armed Train in the Apocalypse

Su Huan listened quietly; different problems have different solutions at different levels and in different people’s hands.

For him, no matter how many children there are, it’s just a matter of a few words.

The train is only so big, with only a few hundred kids; even if he supports them for free, they won’t survive. The train conductor could easily catch a Tier Three Evolution Beast, and the surplus value from that could keep them alive until they die.

Even for Xiaoba, raising children is just a ”trouble,” rather than something impossible.

But when this matter passed through Zhou Qing, Xiaozhao, Hu Shuo, and the others, it became a meticulous and detailed plan, presented to Su Huan as a project with clear inputs and outputs.

”Okay, the specific person in charge is Xiaoba himself; you can help him, but don’t directly intervene in the operation.”

Su Huan said casually.

For the train, the investment in raising a few children is insignificant, and any gain would be an unexpected delight.

Moreover, since it was proposed by Xiaoba, he wouldn’t mind even if there was no benefit.

With formal matters concluded, the following conversation lightened up.

Hu Shuo mixed a bit of work into the discussion between the horses, and Su Huan commented on the parts he was interested in, ignoring the rest, until Hu Shuo accidentally brought up the topic of Banyan Fruit.

He had already watched the train conductor eat half a bag.

Su Huan generously offered him one, smirking, ”I just gave them a bag, but they didn’t want it and even chased me away.”

Hu Shuo sighed silently, realizing he was careless.

But since the train conductor handed it over, he had to accept it quietly and put it in his pocket.

”Aren’t you going to eat it?”

Facing Su Huan’s sincere gaze, Hu Shuo glanced at the Banyan Fruit in his hand, hesitating.

’Is today the day I’m definitely going to die?’

...

Su Huan didn’t really force him to eat it, as his current leisure was thanks to Secretary Hu’s hard work. He could distinguish between occasional play and daily fun.

According to Director Xu, Banyan Fruit is an energy bomb specifically provided for some insects or Evolution Beasts to consume. When fully ripe, it can be used as a bomb with slightly less power than a grenade, but it can knock ordinary people away.

For Su Huan, it’s just a crackling little snack, quite satisfying.

The joyful time ended quickly as the women folded the checkered cloth and began working. The lawn was trampled by the construction team led by Old Jiang.

A small outpost surrounding a juvenile Traveler’s Tree was established.

Its design was similar to the Shun’an outpost, with a star-shaped framework placing the Traveler’s Tree in the middle, leaving a ten-meter gap, while other functional spaces were integrated within the wall-like framework.

As for whether the space would be big enough when the Traveler’s Tree advances to Tier Three, or if there would be parking for Longxi High-speed Rail, and how personnel would be arranged, he didn’t care.

That’s an additional cost.

Thanks to the Crown Pear Tree’s twice contributions, the Traveler’s Tree grew rapidly, soaring five or six meters in half a day, with the thickness subsiding like Liang Kuan’s fading bulk, now covering a thirty-meter diameter outpost with its aura.

But Su Huan didn’t plan to wait here for it to mature, as growing from juvenile state to Tier One takes no less time than a human Evolver.

At this point, it’s time for Longxi High-speed Rail to join in.

If you want a safe trade route, how can you expect to pay nothing?

...

At the edge of the Plant Zone, Ge Mian, dressed in a loose long-haired pajama, sat in front of a floor-to-ceiling window savoring red wine, while his window faced the direction of the Plant Zone.

As one of the most luxurious rooms on the vehicle, it could be comfortably temperature-controlled. However, out of habit, he preferred keeping the temperature around 18 degrees, as the slightly chilly environment aided his thinking.

”Is everything going smoothly on your end?” Ge Mian asked.

Opposite, Hua Zonglin spat some sand and replied, ”...though there were some hiccups, we achieved the set goal. How about your side, has the train departed?”

”Already entered the Plant Zone, I’m just waiting here on the side.”

Hua Zonglin reassured, ”Based on prior investigations, the reputation of that train conductor is still quite good. Whatever they promise, they surely fulfill.”

Ge Mian stroked his round chin, laughed, ”You mean the reputation of definitely killing you if he says so? It’s not like Longxi High-speed Rail doesn’t have its news channels.”

The opposite man burst into laughter.

”Anyway, don’t worry, the Plant Zone is quite tricky even in the Celestial Disaster Zone. Although there are no major anomalies, being there means facing 24-hour continuous harassment. Those Traveler’s Trees are rare and cunning; once they detect danger, they flee. There are some unexplained mysteries deep in the Plant Zone; even if the train conductor is a god, it’s impossible to...”

”Boom——”

The intense vibration caused the wine in Ge Mian’s hand to ripple, clinging thickly to the glass wall.

The initially leisurely, complacent Fatty suddenly sprang up, pressing his face almost against the window, staring dead at the distant Plant Zone.

An enormous white light appeared in the densest area, the diameter exceeding a hundred meters by visual estimation.

Suddenly, it flashed like an electromagnetic railgun shot out, crossing over ten kilometers and brushing past the Titan, and three seconds later, all the Titan’s alarm lights blazed, screeching wildly.

”What happened over there, why did it disconnect just now?”

”Hello? Old Ge?”

”Fatty Ge!”

While Ge Mian had no time for Hua Zonglin, he hurriedly opened the side door next to him, stepping outside, feeling the chaotic energy currents in the air, dumbfoundedly looking at the land ahead.

A ravine over a hundred meters wide stretched from the Plant Zone, where the formerly dense thicket was torn open, and the ground, melted by high temperatures, formed muddy black crystals, emitting swirls of heat.

And a long-haired silhouette hovered in midair, beckoning towards his direction with a finger.

Ge Mian shivered, feeling as if he wore nothing at all.

”...Titan has experienced unknown energy impact and requires a full vehicle inspection...”

Ge Mian quickly dashed back into the room, shouting as he ran, ”Forget the inspection, hurry and follow, follow!”

...

After ten minutes of chaos and a tedious startup procedure, the Titan rumbled down the path into the Plant Zone. Due to excessive load, the newly formed crystalline ground broke under the pressure, but thankfully, the crisscrossed rhizomes below provided reinforcement like steel bars in cement, bearing some of the pressure, allowing the Titan to advance safely.

After traveling over ten kilometers, spotting the Armed Train suspended in the sky, Ge Mian led a group of skeptical experts down.

The one greeting them, naturally, wasn’t the train conductor but Xiaozhao, who had been waiting for some time.

”What was that just now?”

Xiaozhao smiled, ”The train conductor was worried you’d have difficulty entering, so he opened a pathway for you as a bonus, but we won’t conduct further maintenance.”

Although somewhat expected, Ge Mian’s heart still clenched.

Seeing something in data is completely different from seeing it live; anyone who has witnessed such horrifying scenes spanning over ten kilometers could barely sit still.

”And what about the safe passage?”

Xiaozhao continued, ”We planted a Traveler’s Tree ahead, currently in the juvenile state, protecting thirty meters from plant attacks. As it grows to Tier One, it’ll cover a five-kilometer range.”

”We’ve already set up a temporary camp as agreed, you can take over and station temporarily. We will move ten kilometers ahead to build the next node.”

During their conversation, an expert unwittingly glanced at a ”small mountain” nearby and asked impulsively, ”Wait, what’s this?”

The voice instantly drew attention, and everyone followed the sound.

Xiaozhao glanced over, ”Just a pile of compost rubbish.”

[Brothers, any recommendations for a good typing laptop? Occasionally traveling, the one I have is too springy, really uncomfortable for typing.]