Armored train in the apocalypse

Chapter 164 Train Interval
The biggest problem the armed train encountered in its first month of operation was not the terrifying natural disasters or the surging zombie hordes, but the lack of space.

A train is a means of transportation, not a living space.

At the beginning, Su Huan used extreme space allocation to make the front part of the vehicle less crowded, so that everyone had a certain amount of space to rest and work. Coupled with the high-intensity battle all the way, no one felt uncomfortable.

However, in order to improve production efficiency and expand the workforce, the space problem has become prominent.

Besides exciting and stimulating battles and wonderful and heartwarming jobs, people need a little bit of mundane life to spice things up.

Work and living spaces now overlap and are even starting to encroach on each other's space.

How can this be done?
People can go without rest, but they can't go without work.

"Which carriage has been expanded to the second level?"

Su Huan parted the "jungle of data cables" in front of him and asked with a frown.

Yu Yue, standing behind him, frantically flipped through the booklet in her hand. "It's still in carriage number 7 as it was before the battle, because there's no Tier 1 armor left."

Su Huan thought for a moment and said, "Make a note of the main tasks of the manufacturing team at present: synthesize enough new materials for the second phase of the train's modification, then collect universal energy crystals, and leave the exoskeleton modification for last."

Seeing that she had made a note of it, Su Huan continued walking forward.

After passing two horizontally overlapping three-dimensional desks, Su Huan finally saw the large screen pieced together in the middle. There were more screens than when he came last time. In addition to the power supply for the carriage, a UPS and backup power supply were also installed next to it, although the power supply also showed some signs of modification.

But it was clearly the batch he had purchased at that time.

"Good morning, train conductor."

A student who was working suddenly looked up and greeted him, the crisp sound like a blue switch keyboard, clean and crisp.

Su Huan raised an eyebrow and glanced around. It was Xiao Hezi, the female student who had accompanied him on the mission last time. She possessed the amazing skill of "topological perception" for finding people. She was wearing a light-colored striped shirt and standing behind a pile of boxes of various sizes.

The boxes, arranged by size and color from light to dark, were stacked on the ground and table like a city wall made of bricks.

Su Huan could roughly guess the origin of the name "Little Box".

However, what caught his attention was the handsome face next to him on the train, second only to his own.

"Why aren't you with your sister? What are you doing here?"

Su Huan's amused gaze lingered on Lin Jin. This guy had taken off his tattered camouflage uniform and put on a loose white short-sleeved shirt. With the buzz cut that He Jie had given him, he had a somewhat innocent and masculine look.

Wait, that's not right. Lin Jin seems to be a male college student.

Subconsciously flipping through his decaying memories, he realized that he was also... a male college student?
Shouldn't you be a senior?

The wonderful memories of school feel like they came from a past life.

A train conductor, who has spent half his life fighting, returns home to find that he is still a man.

Lin Jin put down the red-hot metal object in his hand and said somewhat reservedly, "Lin Xi's condition is stable right now. She didn't have anything to do, so I came to help out. Is there anything you need me to do?"

His feelings towards Su Huan were complicated.

At first, I felt grateful for being saved, but then my emotions took a rollercoaster ride because of the train conductor's bizarre "cooperative operation".

Although he felt somewhat helpless, he was actually more shaken than anything else.

Everyone knows that saving the emperor is the greatest act of merit, but what if one day the emperor himself were to come to your rescue?
Having experienced the battle of the new city and the heavy industrial zone, Su Huan's feelings for rescuing his sister were no longer simply gratitude, but rather he regarded him as a goal to follow.

He wanted to become as strong as Su Huan so he could protect his sister.

"I asked him to help me."

The little box explained somewhat apologetically.

Su Huan glanced curiously at the two of them working, wondering what they were tinkering with, but he really couldn't think of any scientific research that would require the use of Lin Jin's flames.

Let him burn it freely; the entire train could be melted into molten iron.

These two are up to no good, they're just making a scene. What if their personal feelings and private matters ruin the train conductor's great plan?
They showed no selflessness or altruism in their dedication to the train.

He stepped forward, tapped his finger on the table seriously, and said, "Love on the train is strictly prohibited."

Satisfied with his actions, Su Huan walked away, leaving the two bewildered young men behind.

As Yu Yue passed by, she smiled gently at the two of them and said in a low voice, "He's just teasing you."

Her warm and understanding demeanor instantly eased the tension between the two.

Su Huan walked around a bunch of screens and saw two elderly men of similar age talking. One had graying temples and a refined demeanor, while the other had his white hair neatly combed back and high brow bones, making him look very serious.

Both old men turned their gazes toward Su Huan when they saw him.

Professor Ma greeted him with a smile, "How is your recovery going?"

Su Huan shrugged. "It's alright."

Compared to the natural conversation between the two, Director Xu's gaze was much more complicated.

Even now, he still can't believe that this young man in front of him destroyed the Steel Council, and in such a violent way.

However, more than lamenting the fate of the Steel Council, he was concerned about whether his experiments could continue.

No one who sees the scenery of a new world will be content to stay where they are.

He didn't have to wait long. After exchanging a few words with Professor Ma, Su Huan turned his gaze to him. "You want to restart the research?"

Director Xu said firmly, "Yes, I know my experiment may seem inhumane, but evolution inevitably involves bloodshed and death. This is the growing pain of change, and it is unavoidable..." Su Huan frowned and interrupted him, "Don't try to reason with me. How many professional formulas have you developed by now?"

"There are a total of 140 evolutionary profession research projects. 26 first-tier professions have been researched, and there is one skill whose second-tier evolution direction has been explored. Once one more is determined, it will be researched."

Seeing that there was hope, Director Xu quickly replied.

Su Huan lowered his eyes and calculated the ratio, which was much higher than he had expected. "With the existing equipment and manpower, how much more research can you start?"

Director Xu hesitated for a moment, then said, “As long as you give me the original genome and enough volunteers, I can guarantee one-fifth of the research.”

No sooner had he finished speaking than a burning gaze fell upon him.

The temperature inside the carriage suddenly rose by several degrees.

Su Huan didn't need to turn around to know that Lin Jin had gotten angry again.

Director Xu's scalp tightened, and he explained, "I will not harm the original gene; I will only take some blood samples."

Lin Jin took two steps forward, his eyes burning with raging anger. If Su Huan hadn't been there, he would have roasted Director Xu to a crisp the next second.

"Then mine will be fine too, right?"

Su Huan suddenly asked.

The flame in Lin Jin's eyes behind him froze, "Train conductor..."

Su Huan didn't turn around, waving his hand as if shooing away flies, "If you're free, go to the dining car and help me light the stove. I want to have some barbecue tonight."

Lin Jin remained silent.

Is the train conductor subtly reminding himself that he needs to improve his own abilities in order to help him?

It's foolish of me to become complacent when the crisis has just passed.

"I understand."

Let's upgrade the "High Temperature Barrier" to level 3 tonight.

Lin Jin turned around and walked resolutely backward.

Su Huan was a little confused. Had he just given some profound order?
What the hell has this guy figured out this time?

The maid beside him looked worriedly at the food cart, 'That child won't burn the kitchen down, will he...?'

Professor Ma, noticing something amiss, chuckled and remarked, "They all look very energetic."

Su Huan shook his head and looked at Director Xu in front of him.

There was also considerable surprise in the other party's eyes. "You are also a Primarch, but in the fields of energy supply and defense. This doesn't match the previous research, so we can only start a new project."

Su Huan nodded slightly, his jawline forming a cold, sharp curve. "Then let's start a new project. As long as we can produce results and have enough blood vessels, we can do it. However, we're short on carriages right now, so I can't give you too many. We only have four, next to the bullet carriage. I also need the researchers. We can't put all our resources into gene research. Talk to Xiao Zhao about the specific personnel you need. He's the chief purser of the research team. If you need supplies, contact Yu Yue. Don't worry about the volunteers; there will be plenty in a couple of days."

Upon hearing that there were four carriages in total, Professor Ma, who was standing next to him, became somewhat envious.

Director Xu quickly agreed.

Since he was going to use him, Su Huan was generous and had Xiao Zhao grant him database access.

The research vehicle he brought already had the necessary equipment; it was easy to connect it online and get things set up without much trouble.

Just as he lifted his foot, Xiao Zhao, who had rushed over, brought him more good news.

"Train conductor, the drone's reconnaissance range has been extended to one kilometer!"

Su Huan was taken aback. Was this technological breakthrough a bit too fast?

"What's going on? Wasn't it just a few hundred meters before?"

Xiao Zhao explained, "Among the supplies we seized this time, we found some flexible optical fibers, which replaced the previous temporary cables. This extended the drone's flight range to one kilometer. With further research on weight reduction, perhaps this distance can be doubled."

Su Huan suddenly realized.

It turns out that the breakthrough wasn't in technology, but rather in the acquisition of new materials.

The drone's reconnaissance range has been extended to one kilometer, which means that the armed train's field of vision has been expanded, and its braking distance has also increased.

This is a huge step forward.

However, seeing that it was getting late, Su Huan didn't ask any further questions, leaving behind the words, "Come to the dining car for dinner tonight."

Then, without stopping, they led Yu Yue to the back.

Seriously, train conductors always have a lot to worry about.

First, they went to carriage number 18 and gave Jiang Rong a [Scavenger-Type I] bionic modified exoskeleton, because it was designed for him and didn't have a battery mounted on it. Besides him, Jiang Rong was really the only one who was suitable for it.

Since Jiang Rong has rendered meritorious service in protecting the emperor this time, it's not unreasonable to give her a simple exoskeleton.

"You've accumulated quite a few merits, what are you planning to exchange them for?"

Su Huan and Yu Yue were sitting in Jiang Rong's room at that moment.

Because her team has a small number of members, each person can get a private room with water, electricity, toilet, and air conditioning. Their treatment is no different from that of the core members.

(End of this chapter)