Armored train in the apocalypse

Chapter 178 Points System
January 14th, light rain.

"Trading is a continuous process of plunder."

……

"January 16th, heavy rain"

"The points system for armed trains will be officially launched today."

Su Huan put down his pen and stared into thought as he looked at the brand-new second-order universal energy crystal on the table.

According to the post-battle report, the second-tier killer was at least five kilometers away from the mission target. However, when He Jie was chasing a group of bloodhounds in his armored personnel carrier, he circled around and wiped them out.

Why does this guy always turn into a raiding mission no matter what task he's assigned?

If I had left a few more grenades behind before we crashed into each other, I wouldn't have been hit so badly.

It’s really about eating and not fighting.

Let's assign him to clear-out missions again from now on.

Su Huan clicked his tongue softly and closed his notebook.

That night, the riot involving the ironwood trees did not cause any damage to the camp. The young man also brought him four hundred pieces of ironwood, each twenty centimeters long, ten centimeters wide, and of equal weight.

Then, in exchange, I received four boxes of water, basic information about evolved beings, several first-tier universal energy crystals, and some firearms and ammunition.

Su Huan traded another life potion for a large bundle of branches from the iron-eating tree beneath him.

Although this thing is everywhere in Shun'an, the train conductor always felt that the one under him had more potential.

The transaction ended with the young man departing, happily saying goodbye, carried away by the battered and bruised iron tree.

Suddenly, the call icon on the monitor on the desktop flashed. When I clicked on it, I saw Yu Jing with her hair tied in ponytails. She was tall, slender, and upright, with a disposable toothbrush in her mouth. She mumbled, "The test results for the ironwood are in. It's very suitable as the main material for the next modification. You can come and take a look. Today, I want to continue researching my [Engineer-Type I]. I might need to use some materials. I'm letting you know in advance. That's all for my report."

After saying that, he decisively hung up the call.

Su Huan listened silently, then sneered and added another note to his mind.

Even Professor Ma and Director Xu would report their research directions and progress to him in person every day.

Even if he can't be physically present and is communicating online, he's the one who hangs up on others.

Only Yu Jing dared to hang up on him first.

Once he finishes what he's doing, we'll find some time to slowly collect the debts.

The more distant goals are the "Crown Pear Project," the more immediate goals are the "Phase III Train Renovation and Upgrade Project," and the construction plan for the "Shun'an Station" cluster needs to be completed immediately.

Generally, only those precarious settlements in the wilderness are called gathering places, while the branches of major powers are more appropriately called fortresses, bases, towns, or cities.

As their names suggest, these towns have more complete facilities, better security, and greater access to resources.

The railway network around the high-speed train manufacturing base is extensive, and Su Huan naturally did not want to waste this advantage. He planned to establish outposts in different directions around the base as an outer defense, just like the outpost right here.

The trains connect the two sections, and the short distances make it possible to maintain the equipment even without metal operators.

A "dong dong" knock sounded on the door.

Yu Yue's gentle voice drifted in, "Should we eat out or should we bring it in?"

The powerful all-around perception vividly outlined the slender and rounded figure behind the door, including some undulating curves.

But Su Huan suspected that this was because he knew the other party too well.

"Send it in."

A moment later, Yu Yue came in carrying a bowl of meatball noodle soup.

She tidied up the things on the table by herself, her bright little face showing no dissatisfaction, but she just wouldn't talk to Su Huan.

Today, the young chef is wearing a pair of slim-fitting black trousers, with a white shirt that just covers her thighs underneath, and a black vest on top, looking sophisticated and capable.

There was no deliberate avoidance in their movements, but there was also no longer the intimacy they used to share.

Su Huan licked his lips and looked at his breakfast.

The simple meatball noodle soup was made so exquisitely that it made his mouth water.

The leafy greens are delicate and crisp, made from the leaves of the pine nut squash.

This is a painstaking process. It requires steaming in a pressure cooker for a long time, and then using a needle and tweezers to remove the veins. The remaining leaves taste similar to spinach.

Parting the green leaves reveals two pink and tender shrimp balls underneath.

With a gentle poke, it slides into the bottom of the bowl.

It floated up again after a short while.

"Go and close the door."

"I do not."

"Let's eat together."

"..."

"Do you dare to go out and try it?"

He watched as Yu Yue walked back expressionlessly and reluctantly served him breakfast.

Su Huan leaned back in his sofa chair, a hint of mockery in his narrow eyes.

Who says forced love can't be sweet?

The train conductor, however, felt that the forced melon juice was more abundant and sweeter.

Yu Yue accidentally burned herself on the bowl and chopsticks, letting out a soft groan.

……

Outside the station, two elite soldiers wearing exoskeletons underneath huddled in a stationery store to take shelter from the rain.

Gao Yuan looked at the continuous rain outside, his face showing distress.

He wrote quickly and soon handed the paper to Tong Zizhan beside him.

Tong Zizhan glanced at the line of text, couldn't help but click his tongue, and wrote a sentence on the paper.

"How come there are still so many points left?"

Gao Yuan shrugged and continued writing.

"We got too much last time. Even after changing into our full set of equipment, we still have the most points on the entire train."

Tong Zizhan's face twitched, and he quickly wrote it down.

"I heard that the points system is going to be made public to everyone today, and there will be a points leaderboard. It's not appropriate for us to have our names displayed at the top of the leaderboard!"

Whose undercover agent managed to get to the top of the list?!
Isn't that just asking for death?

The two of them communicated quickly on paper, just like elementary school students.

Gao Yuan: "Then what should we do? Should we run away?"

Tong Zizhan: "Are you confused? The points you're earning now are for the Armed Train. Li Tao is dead. For the company, neither of us has made any contribution. At most, we've worked hard. Do you think you can retire peacefully if you go back?"

Gao Yuan: "Then what do you suggest we do? We can't possibly use up all these points. We only have a limited amount of resources we can consume each day."

Tong Zizhan: "I already had a solution in mind: recruit team members."

Gao Yuan: "Wouldn't that increase the risk of exposure?"

Tong Zizhan: "What can a bunch of newly evolved ordinary passengers discover? Besides, with them around, we seem more loyal, don't we?"

Gao Yuan: "That makes sense. You have someone in mind?"

Tong Zizhan looked smug. "I picked a few who look reliable and capable, and then I took one or two cannon fodder. Some of them work hard, and some slack off. This way, we can use up our points and prevent our team from standing out too much."

Gao Yuan gave a thumbs up and whispered in praise, "Brother Zhan is so thoughtful!"

Inside the station, Zhang Qiang poured a bucket of mixed cement into the metal frame and then wiped his face.

Because of his acceptance of covert missions, his status within the Fellowship rose rapidly.

After a few gatherings, he quickly became a core member.

Not only did he receive extra food and water every day, but he also had other members of the Fellowship help him with his chores.

But what troubled him was that Captain Tong from carriage number 19 had recruited him, hoping he would join his team, and even offered him a position he never dared to dream of.

He couldn't understand why the other party would be interested in someone as ordinary as him.
After hesitating for a moment, Zhang Qiang looked at Lao Ma beside him and said in a low voice, "I'm going to the restroom."

The latter understood immediately, "Come back soon."

Zhang Qiang raised his head and looked around for a moment, as if stretching.

During this period, the armed train changed its system of shoving passengers off the train to find supplies. Tickets were no longer for supplies but for work. Passengers could get meals by completing corresponding tasks under the guidance of the crew each day.

It's usually meat porridge or meat noodles, served with a large glass of water, about 400 ml, which is close to a bottle of mineral water.

Two meals a day.

The treatment was already quite good, and many passengers were so pleased with themselves that they didn't want to leave. Even members of the Fellowship were starting to waver.

However, time is still short, and everyone is observing.

But one good thing is that no one is watching them while they are working, and even if they slack off, the soldiers patrolling the steel frame turn a blind eye to them.

They only deal with sudden dangers.

Like a first-class jumper who suddenly leaped onto the roof last night.

The crossfire from a dozen assault rifles, plus four light and heavy machine guns, instantly tore the jumper's fragile body to shreds, giving the workers and passengers a tremendous shock.

Avoiding the workers building the steel frame, Zhang Qiang arrived at West Seventh District.

Because the site is shaped like a rice character, it was divided into four major areas—east, south, west, and north—for ease of reference, and then named eight areas in a clockwise direction.

You can distinguish areas simply by using numbers, but everyone is used to adding a direction.

At this moment, Liu Ming, the leader of the Tongzhou Society, was setting up a bunk bed here.

'It seems the armed train is planning to make this station its permanent base.'

Zhang Qiang thought to himself as he quietly walked towards Liu Ming's direction.

Liu Ming was somewhat surprised to see him, but didn't say anything. He gave a wink to a few of his fellow members of the Tongzhou Association, and they immediately gathered around the corner where he was working, blocking the view of the others.

Zhang Qiang entered the center of the circle and handed over a note, "Are we going to wait any longer? Someone has already contacted me..."

Liu Ming was startled. After reading the note, his eyes flickered, and he said quietly, "Recently, a captain from the front carriage also contacted me, hoping that I would join their team."

Zhang Qiang was taken aback, "Could it be...?"

Liu Ming nodded.

"What if they—"

Liu Ming patted him on the shoulder and said firmly, "This is an opportunity given to us by the train. No matter what, just keep believing in the train."

Zhang Qiang felt as if he had been given a sacred mission.

All the passion that had been building up over the years of being a salted fish was now boiling over.

He nodded firmly. "I will definitely pass the test!"

Liu Ming chuckled, "Good brother! See you in the team!"

Just as the two were getting excited, a calm and steady announcer's voice suddenly came from the loudspeaker, clearly and distinctly asking everyone to pause their work and take a break.

Confused, everyone gathered in the middle and sat down.

Before long, they saw Hu Shuo, the head of the logistics team, standing in the very center of section eight, holding a megaphone and beginning to explain something called the points system.

The eyes of the group, who had been somewhat dazed, suddenly lit up.

The ticket system, which has been rumored to be abolished, still exists.

It's just that it's now a points redemption system.

Furthermore, the train offers numerous ways to earn points: working, exploring, searching, completing quests, and battling...

Everyone can earn points based on their own abilities and strengths, instead of having to hand over a certain amount of supplies regardless of gender or age.

Although some people still have no skills and are frustrated by the few points they can earn on train tickets.

But many more people saw hope in surviving.

After all, not everyone is good at searching for supplies in high-risk environments.

Every time I get off the bus, it's like gambling with my life.

Most passengers on the train survive, but for individual passengers searching for supplies, the chances of them not making it back alive are slim.

Now that there's a points system, many people with some skills but otherwise mediocre abilities have a chance to succeed.

In conclusion, Hu Shuo briefly mentioned a few key projects.

"Besides exchanging points for resources, you can also become an Evolver. If you have enough points, you can even exchange them for a train conductor to personally guide you in advancing your profession!"

"Even team leader and train attendant qualifications can be redeemed with points. If you have enough points, you can even redeem a stationmaster qualification, which means the train will fund the establishment of a base platform for you, and you will be the leader there!"

All the survivors erupted in cheers, and clothes and hats flew into the air.

And some idiots even threw their wrenches up there.

Fortunately, Xiao Ba, who was hiding in the corner, sensed something was wrong and sifted out those heavy things.

"train!"

Long live the points system!

"Ahhhh-"

Although they could never accumulate enough points in their entire lives to redeem the qualification of a stationmaster, it didn't stop them from howling with excitement.

Some people don't even know why they cheer; it's simply because they've been suppressing their emotions for too long and are taking this opportunity to release them.

Hu Shuo shook the points redemption manual in his hand, and looking at the clothes flying in front of him, he suddenly felt as if he were floating in mid-air.

'The taste of establishing order seems more wonderful than mere power.'

He felt as if he had discovered some incredible secret, his mind racing, and he had an urgent desire to go back and record it.

Su Huan observed this scene through several drones hovering in mid-air.

Although some parts of what Hu said were not entirely accurate.

But it must be said that he is very good at stirring up emotions.

He even asked himself if he should announce the news himself, but unfortunately the train conductor had no interest in such things.

Compared to this kind of boring joy, he prefers to see the most essential changes in a person's expression brought about by repeated emotional manipulation.

"Judging by the time, that bastard He Jie should be back soon..."

Su Huan adjusted the screen and looked at the drone furthest away.

Professor Ma and Xiao Zhao designed a new fiber optic cable for drones, which not only allows them to fly farther, reaching an astonishing three kilometers, but also increases current output on this basis.

As long as the fiber optic cable remains intact, drones can hover in mid-air for extended periods.

(End of this chapter)