Armed Train in the Apocalypse

Haywood hung up the phone and let out a long sigh.

The person on the other line was his boss’s boss, the Vice President of Business Development, a part of the company’s strategic decision-making layer with a chance to compete for the Chief Growth Officer position.

After his last return, he had moved up a rank due to his dealings with Su Huan, becoming a Senior Business Development Manager with the qualification to contact the Vice President directly.

These weren’t gains from trading a logistics center.

The mere mention of ”Blazing Sun Patrol Angel” had thrown the company into chaos, and it was only after capturing four or five spies that things calmed down.

Because of this, Haywood had also come into contact with some company secrets.

According to what he heard from higher-ups, ”Blazing Sun Patrol Angel” was just a concept, not even at the theoretical deduction stage.

The company speculated that Su Huan had heard some exaggerated rumors.

Thus, they only arranged for two observers for a long term.

But Haywood always felt it wasn’t that simple; Su Huan’s certainty and confidence were definitely not a bluff.

However, he couldn’t persuade the company’s higher-ups with mere instincts to change strategy and take forceful measures against a small force.

In other words, he wasn’t important enough, so his feelings weren’t important either.

As he walked out of the office, outside there was a large reception room where a well-dressed man was already seated; even when no one was around, he sat firmly on the sofa, neither timid nor arrogant, his collar neatly pressed.

Standing next to him was a secretary wearing a figure-hugging pencil skirt, her curves elegantly displayed.

Haywood shrugged helplessly, ”Sorry, Director Li, your terms didn’t impress the company.”

Li Wangchuan wasn’t surprised by the outcome, ”Is that so? What a pity, we will have to cooperate next time then.”

He said and got up to leave.

”Perhaps we could have some other form of cooperation?”

Haywood suddenly said.

Li Wangchuan stopped in his tracks, calmly looking at the blonde-haired, blue-eyed guy, ”In whose name?”

”In my personal capacity, to trade a batch of supplies. You know I have the authority for that.”

Haywood said seriously.

”The price.”

”Go and take a look at that train for me.”

”I can’t afford to provoke that disaster now.”

”You don’t need to do anything to them, just take a look, I will give you their location later.”

Li Wangchuan pondered for a moment, ”Alright, I’ll send someone.”

Watching Li Wangchuan leave with his secretary, Haywood calculated the entire situation in his mind.

Even if Li Wangchuan’s people were discovered, it would be a matter between the armed train and the remnants of the Steel Council, unrelated to Haywood, and it wouldn’t violate the company’s rules.

”I wonder what those two observers are doing, it’s been so long with no news back.”

”Fools wasting the company’s resources!”

...

Acid Rain Zone, Shun’an High-speed Rail Manufacturing Base.

It has now been renamed — Armed Train, Shun’an Station Base.

The rain was still pouring down, but the entire manufacturing base was bustling with construction activities.

Over seven thousand people were divided into three groups: skilled workers and experts worked on train modification and upgrades, ordinary workers reinforced and modified the Shun’an Station base, while the elderly, women, and children took care of logistics.

The train had already rolled into the train body manufacturing center.

In the western corner of the train body manufacturing center, hundreds of large temporary cauldrons were set up side by side, with twenty chefs busy at work and over a hundred people including helpers bustling about.

The young cook of the logistics group had now become a Level Two crew member, walking with arms crossed behind the chefs.

Accompanied by the sizzling sound of hot oil, a few eggs were cracked in, followed by dozens of pounds of sauce – it didn’t matter if it was bean paste or any other brand, it was all poured in.

With a stir of the spatula, the aroma wafted out.

A big pot of egg sauce, more sauce than egg, was ready.

Wang He smelled the aroma from afar and hadn’t even gotten close when someone greeted him, ”Boss Wang, today’s noodles are green!”

”Green?” Wang He was taken aback, ”Maybe they’re vegetable noodles...”

When he queued up and got closer, indeed, the large iron pot contained green noodles, looking as if some coarse grains had been added, with a rough surface that snagged chopsticks.

He wasn’t picky about food; in these times, having something to eat was already good enough.

He filled a big bowl with noodles and ladled a scoop of fragrant egg sauce onto them.

Holding the bowl, he headed towards the direction of the train modification; he planned to eat on-site.

Since the restructuring, he had become a Level Three crew member, overseeing many people, and along with a colleague who disliked him, he couldn’t set his mind at ease without keeping watch.

However, recently, Jiang Lun hadn’t been giving him any trouble.

I wonder if he’s come around or is cooking up something.

Loud shouts resounded in his ears, merging into the familiar clamor he knew so well.

”Group Two, step up, Group One, get ready!”

”Got it!”

”Bring in the forklift, can these people handle it?!”

”No worries, they are all Evolvers.”

”Could a defender from the Manufacturing Group come over here, the forklift can’t get in...”

The crew and manufacturing base workers were a blended mix, with specialists occasionally emerging from nearby rooms — they ignored others, holding surveying tools as they measured and then wordlessly went back to write and draw.

During this, they never talked to anyone.

Wang He glanced around, spotting a stack of synthetic armor, three meters tall, and with two steps, he jumped onto it while holding his bowl, the noodles steady without the slightest wobble.

He was now an Evolver too, more accurately, everyone in the crew was an Evolver.

But as a Level Three crew member, he had accumulated some merits from before.

The Purser Hu said the conductor gave them veterans a way out, allowing them to exchange a small number of points for skill potions.