“The Iron-Eating Tree has rioted again.”

Yu Yue and the man on the other end of the line said simultaneously, but Yu Yue was three seconds faster.

“Mm, got it.”

Su Huan hung up the communication, walked over to sit in a chair, and said lightly, “Time for a haircut.”

It has been exactly two months since the apocalypse broke out, but the Armed Train is far from the ragtag group it was in the beginning.

Even a leak required the conductor’s personal attention.

After the refitting and upgrading at Shun’an Station, there were no more “passenger” classes on the entire train.

Everyone had been incorporated into the train’s system.

The more than a thousand people were no longer subjects he needed to guard against; they had already transformed into extensions of his arms and will.

For instance, incidents like the Iron-Eating Tree riot didn’t even need his command.

The combat unit and Armed Corps should have already mobilized.

…

The living carriages of the logistics group were not as spacious as those in the front, but they were much improved compared to before, at least providing a normal living space for a family of five like Old Guo’s.

The room had partitions, so a snore at night wouldn’t keep the whole family awake.

Bright lights fell from the ceiling of the carriage, with two plates of vegetables and five bowls of white rice on the table in the middle.

The woman looked at the clock and gently advised the two hungry children, “Dad will be back soon, let’s wait for him.”

An old person sitting nearby was crocheting yarn while murmuring, “I feel like the apocalypse isn’t so bad…”

The woman scolded jokingly, “Mom, what nonsense are you talking about again?”

The elderly woman smiled gently, her expression settling as she sighed lightly, “Our family hasn’t had a meal together for many years. If your father hadn’t passed away and you hadn’t come to see me, by sheer coincidence ending up on the train, we might never have seen each other in this lifetime.”

Hearing this, the woman instantly teared up, her throat choking.

She hugged her mother tightly, tears rolling down uncontrollably.

“Why are you crying…”

The elderly woman comforted her daughter in a low voice, “I’m just saying nonsense casually, look at how fragile you are, I didn’t even cry like this when your dad passed away…”

“It’s not the same.”

Hearing their mother’s sobs, the two children became at a loss.

Suddenly the door opened.

Old Guo walked in wearing a worker’s outfit, looking a bit dazed upon seeing the mother and daughter embracing.

“What’s going on?”

The woman quickly stood up from her mother’s embrace, looked at the man who had just returned home and the two children who were eagerly looking at her, and immediately smiled through her tears.

She said a seemingly unrelated line, “It’s really nice.”

Old Guo was just about to ask more, but the woman pulled him to sit down and eat.

“How’s work lately, any big changes above?”

Old Guo shook his head, “Fewer people affect the production schedule, and even if there are more people, there aren’t enough machines to use. The bullet workshop won’t change much in the short term. By the way, did you use the Pan-energy Crystal I brought home?”

“After using the crystal, mom’s chronic leg pain improved a lot, and she hasn’t complained about it recently,” the woman quickly responded.

“What about the two kids?”

“They used it too, but it seems they didn’t grow much, unlike us…”

“That’s normal.” Old Guo picked up a bowl of rice and said, “I asked our conductor, he said that evolution depends on individual physical condition, the elderly and children, even if they evolve, will still be weaker than adults. When they grow older and their bodies develop, this part will be made up, but it has to be used as early as possible so that the attributes grow more.”

The woman nodded, somewhat worried, “But I seem to have heard that this thing doesn’t have a one hundred percent success rate…”

The man’s face darkened.

Pan-energy Crystal is already the safest method of evolution, but during the whole train’s evolution process, two elderly people didn’t make it.

Their families were heartbroken, and one family even went to cause a commotion with the stewards, but were directly put down by the passing combat group.

The news didn’t make even the slightest ripple above.

The conductor told them to keep their mouths shut; times have changed, and they were to forget the bad habits from the past.

Old Guo put a bite of pickled cabbage and vermicelli stew into his daughter’s bowl and instructed, “There’s a box of canned fruit under the bed, I got it from a low-key trade right before we set off. Later, take your brother and give it to your Sister Miaomiao, she loves canned food.”

The girl’s face turned pale immediately.

Noticing something wrong, Old Guo asked, “What’s the matter?”

Seeing the girl not daring to answer, he put down his bowl and chopsticks to check the canned goods under the bed, and as expected, one was missing.

His anger prompted him to thump the table.

“Glutton! Glutton! Glutton!”

“Still worrying about your appetite at a time like this! Huh?!”

The two children were frozen in fear.

The woman nervously said, “Can we give a few less then?”

The man furiously replied, “Have you forgotten how our whole family survived? If Brother Xiao hadn’t found us a way, could I have this twenty points a month job? Could you and Mom have a name in the logistics group to eat?”

“Do you really think the Armed Train needs over two hundred logistics personnel?”

The woman’s eyes were also brimming with tears, “Then what should we do?”

Suddenly, a voice from the command station came over the broadcast, announcing that activities within the car, including exchanges, were suspended. Except for combat personnel and certain functional staff, others should stay quietly at home.

Old Guo was among those affected.

Seeing his family’s frightened faces, he couldn’t help but sigh, “I’ll go find a colleague to share one. You two quickly head to your Sister Miaomiao before the complete lockdown.”

“This is a matter of life-saving grace, remember it in your hearts and don’t forget!”

…

Miao Qi, who had just received the notification and was preparing to head out, was slightly surprised to see the two children holding a can.

Considering Old Guo’s salary, this box of canned fruit wasn’t cheap, even in private transactions, its value exceeded 10 points.

There wasn’t much time left, so she let the two kids wait inside.

Lu Xiao was checking the firearms on his own. Seeing the two little ones carrying cans inside, he casually remarked, “That Old Guo may lack in combat power, but he has a good sense of things.”

Miao Qi covered her mouth and smiled, “Do you think I should enjoy some cheap stuff?”

Lu Xiao glanced at her, “Nobody tries to curry favor with me now, even if you want to eat, there’s none left.”

Ever since being integrated into the Armed Corps, some captain privileges were also abolished.

For instance, private compartments.

Xiaoma and the others now had their own dorms like the other Armed Corps members, not living next to them.

They only gathered together for special missions.

However, correspondingly, their benefits were also on par with officers like He Jie, without having to ration two bullets for daily needs.

The two dressed quickly and rushed towards the armament hall linking the two trains, which was a good six meters wide, so there was no fear of bumping into things even when running.

In wartime, it was specially used for soldier mobilization.

As for the carriage command they needed to guard, it had already been announced over the broadcast: car number seven, which was the car farm.

By the time they reached the armament hall, soldiers were already waiting for them.

Familiarity had grown significantly after so many days of training.

Lu Xiao quickly instructed everyone to start checking equipment.

Primarily the fuel tanks mounted inside the carriage.

These were particularly effective against the Iron-Eating Trees, containing not only gasoline but also some highly flammable explosive materials.

“Report, Lieutenant, the fuel guns are ready.”

Lu Xiao said coldly, “Take your positions, prepare for battle.”

The soldiers moved quickly, finding their combat positions as planned during training.

Lu Xiao sat by the window, manually lifting the window sill to reveal a joystick-like device.

This is the fuel gun launcher, which could be switched to a water gun.

The nozzle was mounted on a mechanical arm on the vehicle body, and they had trained on how to use it before the mechanical arm was installed.

Initially awkward, they gradually regained familiarity as they used it.

Watching the dark figure charge outside the window, Lu Xiao operated the joystick with excitement.

The polygonal mechanical arm on the vehicle body extended with his manipulation, the drill head at the tip opened a mouth, and a splash of oil was ignited by electrical sparks.

Instantly, a flame over ten meters long flared out.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep