Before long, Professor Ma and Xiaozhao rushed over.

Yu Yue also brought some duck.

The core members of the armored train, except for Huang Sea, Wan Xing, and Yu Jing, all gathered at the front of the train.

Perhaps it was the anticipation of the upcoming battle, the atmosphere was somewhat oppressive.

Su Huan tore open the vacuum packaging of a few ducks, waved his hand, and several men came over to tear the ducks apart in silence, each grabbing a piece and stuffing it into their mouths. People like He Jie and Liang Kuan didn’t even spit out the bones, the sound of crunching resonating continuously.

Su Huan, although picky with food, had mingled with these soldiers in his past life, so in the short break he had to eat while working, his speed was a bit faster than He Jie’s.

A group of men eating was already swift, and with time pressing, they sped up even more.

The scene was suddenly like tigers and wolves devouring their prey.

In just over thirty seconds.

The six ducks on the table were left with only a few large bones.

Yu Yue looked at the duck leg in her hand with only a small bite taken, and asked, “Should I go get some more?”

Su Huan leisurely wiped his mouth, extended his “Pan-energy Perception” to the maximum, constantly monitoring the surroundings of the train.

“No need. How many trained soldiers does the Steel Council have exactly?”

The first half of the sentence was a response to Yu Yue, while the latter half was directed at He Jie and Mountain Goat.

He Jie pondered for a moment and said, “Anyway, we had three thousand people land on the island initially, and finally, three hundred were left after filtering, because at that time, the equipment was only enough to arm us. Whether the eliminated ones were retained later, I don’t know.”

“No.” Said Mountain Goat, who swallowed the duck meat and added, “After your squad was annihilated, the company selected twenty from them to fill in, and then we learned that these two thousand-plus people were also kept, but their training methods were different from ours, leaning towards company security and talent reserve. For the New City Plan, they are the main force in advancement, and we only do the assaults.”

Su Huan looked enlightened, no wonder in his past life the Steel Council fought for so many years, and the numbers of soldiers never dwindled, they were prepared from the start.

If it were before the apocalypse, hearing a company employing thousands of veterans for security, he’d surely think the company was crazy.

But in an apocalypse, he even thought three thousand armed forces were a bit insufficient.

“What about the equipment?”

Su Huan continued to ask.

He Jie did not answer, as he had never even seen the arsenal, being knocked down by Su Huan initially, so he didn’t know what happened later in the company.

Mountain Goat thought for a moment and replied, “I don’t know the full details, but we scavenged two small military bases with some standard equipment. Also, I heard they opened two more armories, but the exact amount is unknown; the company has been keeping it under wraps, only telling us during missions, not much else.”

Su Huan nodded.

That indeed was the company’s way of doing things, and these soldiers gained more say and information as their personal strength soared after the apocalypse.

But this was enough.

Next, he had to face two hundred and sixty elite Evolver soldiers, and over two thousand elite soldiers plus a ragtag band of survivors.

A bit intense, but still not quite enough.

“Xiaozhao, deploy the mine-clearing drones.”

“Liang Kuan, crank up the loudspeaker, tell them, the train chief is coming for a family visit!”

…

Steel Council Headquarters Building.

Executive Director’s office on the thirteenth floor.

“This is what happened, the blown-up tracks were repaired by the opponent’s metal manipulator, failing to effectively hinder them. Besides, their small-scale combat power is extremely strong, highly knowledgeable about the Steel Council’s tactical setup, our B-Class Squad can’t last long in front of them.”

“With our current forces, it’s challenging to fight on two fronts. If we fail to intercept again or sustain too much loss, the New City Plan will be a total failure.”

Li Tao tried to maintain the steadiness in his voice, yet the bloodshot eyes revealed his fatigue.

Listening to his report, the person sitting in the chair, with a sharp-edged face, showed no reaction, merely stood up and gestured for him to come closer.

Li Tao, puzzled, lowered his head and stepped forward a few paces.

A pair of hands fell on his shoulders, straightened the creased collar, and spoke in a calm, powerful voice unchanged from usual, “I’ve told you before, a collar is a man’s spirit, the more down-and-out you are, the more attention you need to pay to your image.”

Looking at Li Wangchuan, who was naturally intimidating between his brows, Li Tao’s previously anxious and terrified heart was pacified by this strong presence.

“Uncle…”

The man patted his nephew’s shoulder, lamenting, “The first time I rose and fell, I was as panicked as you, thinking the world had collapsed, the second time, it felt powerless, knowing I’d done my best. By the third, all I felt was unwillingness, believing I could do better, and that’s what brought me to this position.”

“What’s more, it’s not time to draw conclusions yet.”

Li Wangchuan’s tone shifted, the imposing presence forged from years in the business world suddenly glaringly apparent.

“Bang bang!”

An urgent knock interrupted their conversation.

Li Tao’s face changed.

Evidently, his news of defeat had reached the company.

But it was impossible to hide the fact that twenty core ‘soldiers’ were lost on the main battlefield, and there was a formidable train heading their way.

“Should we make up a story for them first?”

Li Wangchuan’s expression turned stern, “What’s meant to come can’t be avoided, go open the door.”

As the door opened, over a dozen directors, led by Chairman Zhang, filed in, many of them giving Li Tao a scornful look but didn’t lash out, instead turning to Li Wangchuan in the room.

“Li Wangchuan, we all said to postpone the New City Plan before, but you insisted on pushing it forward, now it’s being sabotaged by outside forces, what do you have to say?!”

Chairman Zhang slammed the table in anger.

The directors all showed displeasure, even those leaning towards the Li Family wore worried faces now.

The failure of the New City Plan meant losses for everyone present!

Li Wangchuan coldly looked at them, questioning, “So has the New City Plan failed?”

Chairman Zhang appeared furious on the outside but was secretly elated.

If the New City Plan succeeded, Li Wangchuan’s reputation and power would rise further, fully controlling the Steel Council, leaving no chance for him to rise again.

Now he could still survive scraping by on past resources, but if Li Wangchuan gained momentum, he’d be the first to perish!

“Do you take us for fools?! Just this morning, your nephew withdrew a B-Class Squad from the main battlefield, at least thirteen were killed on site, and only three returned, plus the armored train is moving towards the New City, set to arrive in an hour, our military forces are about to be caught in a pincer, yet you claim no failure, will you admit defeat only when the casualty list is laid on your desk?!”

The people behind didn’t speak, but their cold eyes expressed similar doubts.

“If the train is coming, just stop it.”

Li Wangchuan stated calmly.

“Stop it? Easier said than done!”

Chairman Zhang wanted to argue, but saw Li Wangchuan ignoring him, walking straight out.

In his anger, he stepped forward to block Li Wangchuan, but facing those calm eyes, he suddenly felt his hair stand on end, as though he was facing a fierce predator, ready to be devoured the next moment.

This feeling had only been experienced from those elite Evolver soldiers.

Chairman Zhang and the few directors closest to him looked shocked, “You’ve chosen to evolve now?!”

Most directors were still ordinary people, not because the Steel Council couldn’t get a few Pan-energy Crystals.

Those things were rare before the apocalypse, now they’re almost ubiquitous.

But the Steel Council’s formula isn’t complete.

The top evolutionary route can barely reach Tier Three, so these directors with significant resources and powers hesitate to dive in early, waiting for more advanced career abilities and safer potions to develop.

Li Wangchuan glanced at him, not answering, brushing his sleeve, the damp moisture spreading, making the suit seem even more tailored, and he appeared slightly taller.

“I’m heading to the New City front, you can follow, but time’s short, don’t block the way!”

The voice was decisive and strong, exhibiting the unyielding dominance of a superior.

[Already over six thousand, there is hope to reach ten thousand today]

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep