Armored train in the apocalypse

Chapter 195 Musings
I put down the test tube and looked up at the mirror hanging in the carriage.

The person in the mirror seemed to have smoother skin; even with his eyesight, he couldn't find any flaws. His slightly messy eyebrows had become neat and tidy, there wasn't a single dead skin on the sides of his nose, and even the tip of his nose was clean.

My hair is growing too much. I shaved this morning and there's stubble on my beard. The ends of my hair have gone over my shoulders and reached my back.

"dong dong"

There were two knocks on the door.

Yu Yue pushed open the door and entered, carrying a stack of clothes.

"These are new clothes I prepared for you. Change into them later... Hey, wait for me to go out."

"is it necessary?"

Su Huan slanted his eyebrows wearily, then took off his ever-present black shirt and casual pants and changed into new clothes.

Yu Yue reached out to straighten his collar, ruffled his long hair, and said gently, "Your hair has grown long again. I'll cut it for you later."

"You can cut hair?"

"I didn't know how before, but after taking care of children for a long time, I've learned everything."

The new clothes she prepared for Su Huan weren't too flashy; the base was still a black shirt, except for a dark red accent under the armpit.

It was like throwing a string of firecrackers into the darkness.

The dark corners are no longer mysterious; they now have a festive feel to them.

Looking at the tall and handsome man in front of her, Yu Yue couldn't help but be stunned, feeling the strange attraction emanating from him even stronger.

My gaze followed the fingertips downwards, and I spat lightly.

"Shameless bastard, put your pants on right now, I'm going to get my things ready."

Watching the woman leave quickly, Su Huan paused for a moment, scoffed lightly, slowly put on his pants, carefully put the logbook away, and finally checked the situation of each carriage through the system monitoring before walking towards the back carriage.

Number 2 is the food cart, and number 3 is still the water purifier and Wanxing's workspace.

It's just not as crowded anymore, and the various mutated beast pelts hanging around it give it a warm, forest cabin feel.

The table in the middle was also redesigned by the experts into an electronically controlled platform, with various professional dissection equipment hanging on the table and the surrounding carriage walls.

It also features a glass enclosure with all sorts of functions, including blood drainage.

The material cabinets on the carriage have also been upgraded, so that people don't even need to climb up. Just a couple of clicks on the system and the motor will automatically transport the materials to the second floor for sorting and organization.

Yu Yue still lives in carriage number 4.

Although the carriages are much larger, there are fewer rooms, only five.

They are Yu Yue and her daughter, Wan Xingxiaoba, Liang Kuan, He Jie's family, and Lin Jin and his sister. It seems that Professor Ma and the others have their own rooms in the laboratory.

The vacated carriage No. 5 was converted into a public carriage, with the two floors combined and some training equipment, bookshelves, and a piano placed inside.

The third guy even put two game consoles in the corner.

There was a huge white screen on the wall, which they said would be used for watching movies in the future.

The only slightly discordant element was the guns hanging on the wall and the ammunition magazine in the corner.

In the future, this thing will become a part of people's lives, just like a shoe rack in the corner or a toolbox on the balcony.

Before I even reached Yu Yue's door, I could hear a soft chanting.

"An elderly woman with flowers in her hair sits on a stool basking in the sun, her skillful hands stringing together a delicate fragrance of magnolia blossoms."

"Let this fragrance adorn your hair..."

"I'll sing for you, may you wear flowers in this life and be beautiful in every lifetime!"

"..."

Su Huan pushed open the half-closed door and saw Lin Xi sitting in the center of the room, her long silver hair cascading down, covering her lower back and the chair beneath her.

As Yu Yue softly sang, she helped Lin Xi braid her hair.

He Jie's daughter was sitting next to him.

Seeing Su Huan enter, he quickly stood up and said, "Train conductor."

Su Huan waved his hand, entered the room, went straight to the bed, and leaned against it without caring whose bed it was.

There are only two beds in the room, belonging to Yu Yue and Yu Jing.

It's like the layered fat and lean meat on braised pork belly; you can just eat it in one bite, there's no need to separate them.

He Jie's daughter was also quick-witted. She glanced at the train conductor, then at Yu Yue's calm expression, and remained silent.

"Wait a moment, Xiaoxi, this will only take one braid, it won't take much time."

Yu Yue explained with a hint of apology.

Su Huan watched quietly.

Lin Xi's face was already petite, and it looked even more delicate when her hair covered it slightly. Her light gray eyes blinked.

But there's not much naiveté in it.

Yu Yue braided a small braid behind her ear, like a flower wreath, slightly restraining the lines of her long hair. She clapped her hands in satisfaction and was about to call Su Huan.

The train beneath my feet suddenly jolted.

The side carriages suddenly opened up like wings, shrinking together with the side of another train to form a central platform.

Su Huan was stunned as he stared at the space that had suddenly appeared out of nowhere.

I casually pressed a button that resonated throughout the carriage, and it was quickly answered on the other side, with a clear male voice coming through.

"Hello, this is the locomotive control station."

"What's going on outside?"

Su Huan asked.

Upon hearing Su Huan's voice, the man opposite him immediately replied respectfully, "Reporting to the train conductor, a large section of the railway ahead has been corroded by iron-eating trees. To ensure the safety of the train, Captain Liang has taken steps to merge the trains ahead of schedule."

Just as Su Huan was about to reply, he suddenly heard a few hurried conversations coming from the background on the other end.

"...Numerous abnormal signals detected, check again!"

"There's a tremor!"

With his narrow eyes narrowed, Su Huan looked at Yu Yue beside him.

The latter frowned slightly, clearly having also heard something.

"The iron-eating trees have rioted again."

Yu Yue and the man on the other end of the line spoke at the same time, but Yu Yue spoke three points faster.

"Oh, I see."

Su Huan hung up the call, walked over and sat down in a chair, saying casually, "Let's get a haircut."

Exactly two months have passed since the apocalypse began, but the armed train is no longer the makeshift operation it once was.

Even a small leak requires the train conductor to personally fix it.

After the renovation and upgrading of Shunan Station, there is no longer a "passenger" class on the entire train.

Everyone was incorporated into the train system.

These thousand-plus people are no longer the objects he needs to guard against; they have transformed into an extension of his arms and will.

For example, he didn't even need to give a word about things like the cycad riot.

Combat teams and armed corps should already be in action.

……

The living quarters for the logistics team weren't as spacious as the ones in front, but they were still much better than the cramped ones before. At least a family of five like Lao Guo's could have a normal living space now.

The room was partitioned, so snoring at night wouldn't keep the whole family awake. Bright lights shone down from the roof of the carriage, and on the central table were two bowls of vegetables and five bowls of white rice.

The woman glanced at her watch and gently instructed her two hungry children, "Dad will be back soon, let's wait for him."

An elderly woman sitting nearby crocheted a ball of yarn while muttering, "I don't think the end of the world is so bad..."

The woman scolded playfully, "Mom, what nonsense are you talking about again?"

The old lady smiled warmly, then calmed down, and sighed softly, "Our family hasn't had a meal together for many years. If it weren't for your father passing away, and you coming back to see this old lady, and then by some twist of fate coming to be on the train, we might never have seen each other again in this lifetime."

Upon hearing this, the woman's eyes instantly reddened, and her throat tightened with emotion.

She rushed up and hugged her mother, tears streaming down her face.

"Why are you crying..."

The old lady hugged her daughter and whispered comforting words, "I was just saying whatever came to mind. Look at how fragile you are. I didn't even cry this much when your father passed away..."

"This is different."

The two children were bewildered by their mother's crying.

Suddenly the door opened.

Old Guo, dressed in worker's clothes, walked in and was somewhat stunned to see the mother and daughter hugging each other.

"What's going on here?"

The woman quickly stood up from her mother's arms, looked at the man who had just returned home and the two children who were staring at her expectantly, and immediately burst into laughter through her tears.

He said "That's great" out of the blue.

Just as Lao Guo was about to ask more questions, the woman pulled him to sit down and eat.

"How's work lately? Have there been any major changes from above?"

Old Guo shook his head. "Too few people will affect the production schedule, and too many people won't have enough machines available. The bullet workshop won't change anytime soon. By the way, did they use the universal energy crystals I brought home?"

"After using the crystal, Mom's old leg pain has improved a lot, and she hasn't complained of pain lately," the woman said quickly.

Where are the two children?

"They used it too, but it seems like their growth was very small, unlike ours..."

“That’s normal,” Lao Guo said, picking up his rice bowl. “I asked our flight attendant, and he said that evolution depends on an individual’s physical condition. Even if the elderly and children evolve, they will still be weaker than adults. Once they grow up and their bodies develop, this weakness will be compensated for. However, they should use it as early as possible, so that their attributes will grow more.”

The woman nodded, then asked with slight worry, "But I seem to have heard that this thing doesn't have a 100% success rate..."

The man's expression darkened.

Energetic crystallization is already the safest evolutionary method, but during the evolution of the entire train, two old people still did not survive.

The families were devastated. One family even went to the flight crew to cause trouble, but they were immediately dealt with by the passing combat team.

The news reached its superiors without even causing a ripple.

The flight attendant told them to shut up, that times have changed, and to forget all the bad habits they had developed in the past.

Old Guo picked up a piece of pickled cabbage stew with vermicelli for his daughter and instructed her, "There's a box of canned fruit under the bed. I got it at a low price from someone before I left the hospital. Take your younger brother to give it to your sister Miaomiao later. She loves canned fruit."

The girl's face immediately turned pale.

Old Guo sensed something was wrong and pressed for an answer, "What's wrong?"

Seeing that the girl didn't dare to answer, he put down his chopsticks and went to rummage through the cans under the bed. When he found them, sure enough, one can was missing.

He slammed his fist on the table in anger.

"I'm so hungry! I'm so hungry! I'm so hungry!"

"What time is it and you're still craving something?! Huh?!"

The two children remained silent, terrified.

The woman asked nervously, "Can we send a few less than usual?"

The man said angrily, "Have you forgotten how our family survived? If it weren't for Brother Xiao finding a way for us, would I have this job that pays 20 points a month? Would you and Mom be able to get a job in the logistics team?"

"Do you really think an armed train needs more than two hundred support personnel?"

The woman was also anxious, tears welling up in her eyes. "What should we do?"

Suddenly, a command post announcement came over the loudspeaker, instructing all activities inside the vehicle, including the exchange, to be suspended. Except for combat personnel and certain functional personnel, everyone else was to remain quietly at home.

Lao Guo was among them.

He couldn't help but sigh as he looked at his family's terrified expressions. "I'll ask a colleague to share one later. You two should hurry and go find your sister Miao Miao before the lockdown is completely lifted."

"This is a life-saving grace, remember it well and never forget it!"

……

Miao Qi, who was about to leave after receiving the notification, looked at the two children carrying cans of food with slight surprise.

For Lao Guo's salary, this box of canned fruit is not cheap. Even if everyone trades it privately, it would be worth more than 10 points.

There's no time to lose, so let the two children go inside and wait.

Lu Xiao was busy inspecting the guns when he saw the two kids carrying cans of food into the room. He sighed softly, "Old Guo may not be very good at fighting, but he's quite sensible."

Miao Qi covered her mouth and laughed, "Do you think I should eat something cheap?"

Lu Xiao glanced at him. "Nobody's trying to curry favor with me now, so you can't have anything to eat even if you want to."

Since being incorporated into the armed forces, some of the captains' benefits have been revoked.

For example, individual carriages.

Xiao Ma and his comrades, like other members of the armed forces, have their own dormitories and do not live next to them.

They only come together when carrying out special missions.

However, their treatment was now the same as that of officers like He Jie, and they no longer had to worry about how to make ends meet with those two bullets.

The two men, dressed neatly, quickly ran towards the armed hall connecting the two trains. It was a full six meters wide, so even if they ran, they wouldn't have to worry about bumping into anything.

During wartime, it is specifically used for troop mobilization.

As for the command post they need to be stationed at, it has already been announced on the broadcast that it is number 7, which is the carriage farm.

When they arrived at the armed forces hall, soldiers were already waiting for them.

After so many days of training, I've become quite familiar with it.

Lu Xiao quickly directed everyone to begin checking the equipment.

It mainly consists of fuel tanks mounted inside the carriage.

It's very effective at dealing with iron-eating trees; in addition to gasoline, it also contains some highly explosive and flammable ingredients.

"Reporting, Lieutenant, the oil gun is ready."

Lu Xiao said coldly, "Everyone to your positions, prepare for battle."

The soldiers moved quickly, finding their combat positions according to the previous training plan.

Lu Xiao sat by the car window and manually lifted the windowsill, revealing a device that looked like a game console joystick.

This is an oil gun launcher, which can also be switched to a water gun.

The nozzles are mounted on a robotic arm on the vehicle body. They had been trained on how to use the robotic arm long before it was installed.

It felt a little unfamiliar at first, but I gradually regained my familiarity with it.

Seeing the dark figure rushing towards him outside the window, Lu Xiao excitedly operated the joystick.

The polygonal robotic arm, which was attached to the vehicle body, extended as the operator manipulated it. The drill bit at the end opened a hole, splashing out a drop of oil, which was then ignited by an electric spark.

Instantly, a flame more than ten meters long shot out.

(End of this chapter)