After taking just a few bites, He Jie led the team and set off in a hurry. This time, he only took Liang Kuan, a core member, along with twenty armed soldiers and three hundred able-bodied workers.

Tong Zizhan’s team cleared out potential hazards around the station.

Lu Xiao and Jiang Rong cleared out hazards inside the station.

Lin Jin, along with dozens of passengers carrying oil drums, worked on clearing the wildly growing mutant plants inside the station.

For a moment, a foul burnt smell filled the station, accompanied by sharp whistling and anguished wails.

It seemed as if they were burning not plants but living people.

Xiaoba, along with a few crew members related to construction, planned inside the station. Relying on the existing structure, they established a star-shaped base that spanned across the train tracks, encompassing them.

Inside, it was divided into eight areas, with four intersecting walls each four meters high.

The train itself was the central “line”.

Watchtowers were set up at the corners, with soldiers patrolling with guns. Lao San, along with the soldiers, mounted some captured light and heavy machine guns on top, guarding against zombies wandering at night.

The holes in the rooftop were converted into rainwater collection points, connected to the onboard water purifier.

The entire base was made with ordinary steel, merely framing it, leaving gaps in the middle that could be later reinforced with cement.

The cooks brought over a hundred people to set up large pots on empty land, cooking instant noodles.

To properly prepare meals for three thousand people would take them bustling until morning.

Cooking porridge and instant noodles was the easiest method.

Once the water boiled, they threw in several large boxes of instant noodles; the fried noodle cakes were cooked by boiling water in just two or three minutes, complete with broth and noodles, bursting with oil and salt flavors.

Pre-cut slices of bloodhound meat, ten pounds at a time, were tossed in.

The aroma quieted the survivors quite a bit, each staring intently at the large pot.

Even Wan Hao and Old Yuan were momentarily stunned by the armed train’s grand gesture.

To reduce the number of times going out, to survive the unknown end-time, most survivors scrimped and saved, sipping water when thirsty, nibbling on biscuits and flatbread when hungry, not daring to drink water freely, let alone making wasteful broth noodles.

In comparison, it seemed not so bad.

Adding to that the armed train’s swift and clean zombie slaughtering during the day, the grievances of those forcibly brought here quietly dissipated.

In an unstable environment, the human craving for a sense of security is the top priority.

Of course, the conductor’s dinner naturally couldn’t be the same as that of the ordinary survivors.

The little chef was already busy in the dining car.

When the oil was hot, minced pork was added, followed by peeled tomatoes, which were left to simmer into a sauce. Some roasted red sausages were added, simmered briefly, and the aroma filled the entire carriage.

After serving most, she added tomato paste, lemon juice, and a large amount of black pepper to suit the conductor’s taste, then put in the green noodles made from [coarse powder grass].

A post-apocalyptic evolved version of spaghetti was effortlessly ready.

Su Huan lounged lazily on the orange-cat sofa, the throne belonging to the conductor.

In his hand were two booklets, one being a supplies exchange list for the train compiled by Hushuo.

He divided the increasingly complex supplies on the train into seven main categories, plus an “other exchanges” category to make it eight major sections.

These were basic food, basic supplies, medical protection, weapons and equipment, industrial tools, survival information, evolution materials, and other exchanges.

The food needed no extra explanation; the armed train hadn’t worried about food since leaving the logistics center.

The barbecue day had been all about cold-chain meat skewers.

Alongside various compressed dry foods, canned goods, rice, flour, grains, oils, and freeze-dried vegetables, the train’s food reserves were enough to last until next year.

Plus, the farm carriages had already yielded their first harvest, with high-yielding [coarse powder grass] as the staple, [sweet chili onion] for seasoning, and [iron-skin pumpkin] acquired from the Steel Council, specifically for oil extraction, giving a crispy flavor.

Along with highly corrosion-resistant evolution beast meat, just covering the first few carriages and the passenger team, it was impossible to consume it all.

So, they used the three thousand outside survivors to consume some.

Basic supplies included living necessities, such as “the last dignity of mankind”—toilet paper, categorized alongside tobacco, alcohol, sweets, and tea.

In medical protection, besides the usual tourniquets, antibiotics, gas masks, and oxygen tanks, two new potions developed by Wan Xing were added, one of which was the [Life Potion], the other being the [Universal Recovery Potion], which rapidly boosts the recovery rate of the universal energy in Evolvers.

Due to their rarity, the prices for these two potions were set exceptionally high, with Hu Shuo’s reference price at 100 points.

The conductor, with a single stroke, directly adjusted it to 135.

Even though they’re consumables, on the battlefield, they could be lifesavers, and 135 was definitely not a loss.

At the rate Lu Xiao and his team earned points, they’d come up with it in just a few days.

Needless to say about weapons and equipment, a few new items were added to the original ones, and Hu Shuo made slight price adjustments based on inventory, with the original price, current price, and sold quantity all noted behind.

Drones and exoskeletons were categorized under industrial tools.

This field was vast, ranging from small devices to large machine tools, listed to prepare for trading with other settlements; ordinary survivors couldn’t afford to buy this.

Survival information was more complex, currently being compiled, with the list only noting some topics, involving apocalypse survival strategies, characteristics of different zombies, evolution beast habits, and so on…

Along with evolved materials and miscellaneous exchanges for replenishment, it nearly encompassed all the resources on the armed train.

Moreover, Hu Shuo marked a reference price for each item.

Su Huan only needed to make simple adjustments based on this list.

Items that were not desired could be crossed out, and those with too high a cost-performance ratio could have their prices raised slightly.

The principle was simple: expensive, but obtainable if they gritted their teeth.

After going through the thick booklet, not only did Su Huan have a clear understanding of the point system, but also gained a direct insight into the train’s current stock of supplies.

“How much longer?”

He tossed the read booklet onto the table, asking Yu Yue, busy in the kitchen.

The latter said nothing, merely bringing the plated pasta to him, placing sea salt, black pepper, and chopsticks neatly at the plate’s edge.

Su Huan glanced at the suspicious shape of the green pasta plating and immediately understood that their relationship was still in the “I’m not talking to you” phase.

Pinching his chin, he didn’t hurry to eat but turned to look at the other booklet beside him.

This one was a list of train upgrade plans designed by Director Xu, Professor Ma, and Yu Jing based on the requirements he made this afternoon.

Some of Yu Jing’s plans for the second phase of train modification have already been completed ahead of schedule.

Such as full-train monitoring, unified control of entire train’s power, large 3D printers, bullet production lines, medical carriages, and so on.

This time, the plan is more complete and is no longer scattered modifications.

Instead, it is a comprehensive plan aimed at phased goals.

“Phase Three Upgrade Plan for Armed Train”

The goal of the third phase is to figure out how to resist floods after passing through the Acid Rain Zone.

After several discussions, they divided it into three major target areas.

The first is the internal circulation of the train.

Not only the circulation of water and food but also the handling of waste in a sealed environment and oxygen circulation.

The second is the modification of the armed train into a ship.

This was the only solution they came up with after discussion.

At the same time, this method temporarily solves the current issue of the train being too heavy and overly reliant on the tracks.

The key points are the sealing of the car body, buoyancy system, and power system adjustments.

Achieving the level of a ship or submersible is not as simple as previously sealing from rain, besides the doors, windows, and the sealing of the carriage itself, there are also issues like toilets, carriage bridge connections, and drainage holes to consider.

To go one step further, a large number of propellers and carriage stabilization systems need to be added.

Even with various supernatural abilities to help, it remains a terrifying amount of work; it’s impossible for the train’s current researchers and engineers to complete the modifications.

Therefore, talents from the train manufacturing base are absolutely necessary.

The only good news is that the carriage adopts a lot of double-layer armor structure.

This structure can effectively resist pressure.

Additionally, Su Huan has the habit of collecting new materials, such as [Ironwood], which saved a lot of hassle in the train’s modification.

If the ship modification of the train succeeds, then the third modification will naturally follow through.

The third modification is the expansion of train space.

Without the restriction of tracks, the train no longer needs to strive upwards and can also expand horizontally.

The most straightforward approach is to add another row of train beside the existing body of the armed train.

Let Xiaoba weld them together into a dual-engine water train; it not only doubles the space but also enhances the train’s stability.

It’s undeniable that having professionals makes a big difference.

Directly pulled Su Huan’s thinking out from the constraints of the “train” framework.

Designed the armed train from a doomsday vehicle to a “doomsday mobile shelter.”

However, this design is not perfect.

Adding another row of trains is equivalent to adding a total of fifty-five carriages, plus the welded platform in the middle, at least weight increases by a third.

If the flood recedes, the most direct issue the train will face is that it can’t move.

Even disregarding factors like flooded tracks, accumulated mud, and others.

The train simply cannot normally travel on the tracks.

If you add the above two objective factors, separating the two rows of trains won’t help.

It’s too heavy, the ground cannot bear the load.

Even tracks can’t carry tens of thousands of tons of giant objects advancing in the sludge left after the flood.

This is also the reason for Su Huan’s hesitation.

“Ka-da——”

The plate on the table suddenly swayed, and the two chopsticks slid slightly along the edge of the plate.

This anomaly attracted Su Huan’s attention, she looked down at the spaghetti in her plate, and tomato sauce swayed in tiny ripples.

“An earthquake?”

Su Huan wasn’t too surprised and looked up at the stunned Yu Yue.

The little cook was holding a spatula in one hand, and grabbing the edge of the cooking counter with the other; her expression was dumbfounded, a bit cute.

The whole carriage started to shake lightly, the fabric curtains hanging on the windows began to sway left and right, casting unsettling shadows on the wall.

The vibrations quickly escalated within a few seconds.

The rusted iron roof of the station groaned under the strain, and fine rust fell like a rain of blood.

Outside, burst a flurry of chaotic discussions, accompanied by soldiers’ hurried footsteps on the metal walls.

“Captain!”

Lao San rushed in, fully armed, holding a gun and said sternly, “There’s an unidentified tremor on the west side of the base, including the collapse of tall buildings, we…”

His words were cut off by a more intense shaking.

From afar came the rumbling sound of buildings collapsing, mixed with the sharp sound of glass shattering.

“Is it a wave of zombies?”

Su Huan calmly looked at Yu Yue, who closed her eyes; faint energy waves rippled through her ears.

When she opened her eyes again, her pupils had become similar to sonar wave patterns.

“It’s not a wave of zombies, the movement is very slow, there’s no howling sound, but there are a lot of slapping sounds, it seems like the big trees that approached the train during the day.”

“Iron-Eating Tree?”

Su Huan was a bit surprised.

Can this thing riot too?

“Bring Wan Hao to see me, and by the way, have Lao Er stabilize the workers and passengers outside, I don’t want anyone causing trouble.”

Lao San mimicked He Jie’s trademark sneer, “Passengers and workers on the train are separated, several heavy machine guns are pointed at them; if they dare to cause trouble, we’ll shoot them into meat paste directly!”

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep