Chapter 187: Prices, Cigarettes, And Soldiers
Anyway, there are plenty of workers and materials inside the manufacturing base, so build it to the scale of the top-grade shelter.
Mixed energy supply network, plant farm, underground water storage pool…
Even the simplest walls have been replaced with two-meter-thick concrete, along with various anti-climbing designs.
Taking advantage of the breathing room brought by the armored train, this group of workers and experts went all out, using every skill they had, and the base was changing almost daily.
If it weren’t for the acid rain delaying things too much, the construction progress could have been even faster.
The armored train’s third-phase modification has already progressed one-third.
The base has produced seventy new carriages, making a total of one hundred, and the train has been split into two, with the old front of the train replaced by two [Xuanjia] multi-energy fronts of the train.
The front of the train is currently under modification.
However, the carriage frames have been initially adjusted, and the factory director and Deputy General Manager Deng summarized the armored train’s previous combat experience, structurally reinforcing the carriages, especially with outstanding anti-collision capabilities.
Carriages are built integrally, solving the train conductor’s long-standing worry about sealing issues.
Not to mention acid rain seepage; even if thrown into water dozens of meters deep, not a drop would leak in.
To prove the manufacturing base’s strength, Deputy General Manager Deng hugged a quilt and stayed directly in an experimental carriage overnight, with the carriage sunk into a larger acid rain deep pit, covered with soil on top.
The next day, they dug it out, and the carriage was intact.
…
Outside the vehicle manufacturing center, at the edge of the materials area.
During a work break, three old passengers wearing deep blue work clothes walked over, leaned against an abandoned vehicle body, and looked around to see no one paying attention.
He took a cigarette from his pocket and skillfully put it in his mouth.
This casual action instantly made the two men’s eyes widen.
“Hey, my good brother, where did you get this good thing?”
Old Ma glanced sideways at the two, disdainfully saying, “Of course exchanged from the logistics group. Look at you two losers, one each, take them.”
Then he flicked two more cigarettes from his pocket.
The other two took them happily and started smoking.
While smoking, they complained, “Cigarettes from the logistics group are too expensive, a pack costs a full two points, but do you know the acquisition price?”
Old Ma’s eyes flashed; he knew these old passengers had info, “How much?”
“Also two points.”
“What nonsense are you spouting? Two points to acquire and two points to sell? You think the train is doing charity!”
The other man cursed.
“Look at you getting anxious again, I wasn’t finished. Two points acquires a whole strip!”
“Holy crap, ten times the markup!”
Old Ma feigned shock, “The points system only opened recently; how do you know the acquisition price?”
The man said smugly, “I don’t know, but I have a good brother. Xiao Ma knows; he’s Brother Xiao’s right-hand man. He told me personally!”
Old Ma was delighted; he hadn’t expected to hook a fish, not big, but enough for him.
Liu Ming led the Same Boat Society to climb up Tong Zizhan, just in time for the armored train’s restructuring.
But not everyone could endure that electric baton bastard from the armed corps’ training.
The lucky ones with special skills would be transferred to the crew, and the rest could only be eliminated, their fates unknown.
The armored train has had constant major changes lately, with all sorts of rumors and insider info everywhere.
On one hand full of opportunities, on the other making everyone uneasy.
Old Ma was one of those too old to endure the armed corps recruit training and without skills for the crew; the Same Boat Society had many such old passengers.
Liu Ming comforted them, privately asking the society to gather info; he would never abandon any member brother.
Though no one really believed it deep down, they could only cling to this last straw.
Old Ma painfully took a soft pack from his pocket, with about ten cigarettes left, took out two, and stuffed the rest into the man’s hands.
His old face creased into a smile, with a bit of flattery, “Before, it was Old Ma who failed to recognize a great man. Since you have connections, share any news with us fellow sufferers. We boarded the train one after the other back then.”
The man took the cigarettes, straightening up a bit, “Actually, there are a few bits of news. You know Old Guo’s family, who sent canned cherries to Brother Xiao? With wife and child, now all transferred to the crew through Brother Xiao’s connections, all for one can!”
The man held up one finger, exhaled a smoke ring, his eyes slightly red.
“Holy crap, they hit the jackpot!”
The other man’s eyes bulged, full of envy.
Old Ma sighed, “Too bad I had no canned food then; too late to butter up now. Brother Xiao is already a second lieutenant in the armed corps.”
“You could try Jiang Rong; that woman probably lost her man. Maybe she’ll take you, Old Ma, with your clear brows and handsome eyes… hahaha!”
“Nonsense. Don’t think just because Sister Jiang is polite to everyone that she has a soft heart. She held a whole carriage alone back then; you think it was with kindness?” Old Ma’s face changed, scolding in a low voice.
Now Jiang Rong was a second lieutenant on the same level as Lu Xiao.
If that dirty talk reached her ears, one shot and he’d die unjustly.
“Not joking, there should be another way. You know that skinny guy from old carriage 23? Named Qiang or something… now he’s in the crew too, don’t know what connections he used. My gut says there’s something behind it; you could try.”
The man who took the cigarette said mysteriously.
Old Ma’s eyes turned; how could he not know? He had recommended Zhang Qiang to the Same Boat Society out of pity back then.
Unexpectedly, in just days, the latter became a core member, rising faster than this old-timer.
Luck really doesn’t play fair.
Continuing patiently chatting a few more sentences, Old Ma gathered quite a bit of info and hurried toward the dormitory.
Though the armed corps and crew were organizationally separated, there wasn’t strict military management; they still lived mixed together.
But the crew and armed corps had better treatment, with slightly more points issued.
When he arrived, Liu Ming was eating; he didn’t dare speak, just handed over a note and left.
Liu Ming naturally wouldn’t let him go like that, pulling him to chat a few sentences.
Then took two packs of good cigarettes and a pack of chocolate from his drawer and stuffed them into Old Ma’s hands.
Watching him leave with light steps, he then looked at the note.
After memorizing all the information, he rubbed his hands together, crushing it into paper scraps and throwing it into the trash bin.
It already had a thin layer of paper scraps inside.
He lit a cigarette but didn’t smoke it, quietly waiting for it to burn out, then mixed with the ashtray water poured it into the trash bin, soaking all the paper scraps.
He had endured a thousand hardships to reach now, about to pass the recruit period; he absolutely couldn’t fail at the last step over something like this.
But he was even less likely to abandon the Same Boat Society.
That was his eyes and tentacles.
Without other power underfoot, even if he rose high in the armed corps, it was useless.
The train conductor and instructor could promote him with one word or demote him with another.
Only mastering power himself was the way to security.
“Knock knock—”
Two crisp knocks came from outside the door.
“Liu Ming, the lieutenant wants us assembled before ten; there’s a task today.”
Liu Ming quickly opened the room door, switching to a cheerful tone, “Got it, I’ll be on time for sure.”
Seeing the other walk away, he closed the door and put on a new combat suit.
Though not yet in the armed corps, the train still issued them equipment: one combat suit, two sets of spare casual clothes including underwear and socks—these little things were sources of happiness in the apocalypse.
The combat suit was camouflage leaning toward gravel color, looking dull gray but extremely sturdy.
Then bulletproof vest, tactical vest, tactical knee pads, elbow pads, anti-riot gloves, plus a helmet.
No extra kits.
Night vision goggles and higher-end kits the armored train had, but used on the crew tactical group.
But other things were fully equipped, like water bottle, rations, individual first aid kit.
Main weapon was a foreign assault rifle, uniformly managed by the train armory; they each had only one base of rifle ammunition and half a base of handgun bullets.
Quantities strictly registered; loss meant elimination.
During initial screening, He Jie had internal affairs people secretly exchange food for soldiers’ bullets, some taking the risk to trade supplies for bullets.
Then they were eliminated.
The same method hooked several times; besides exchanges, even arranged thefts in dormitories!
Teaching the remaining soldiers a harsh lesson.
As long as the person was there, the bullets were there.
Even during training, carried on the body.
Fortunately all evolvers now, half a base of bullets wasn’t much burden.
Fully geared up, time was already 9:50.
Liu Ming went out, heading to the staircase building in the center of the residential area; some were already waiting, soon all four including Liu Ming arrived—no one dared be late for the first mission.
Tong Zizhan and Gao Yuan walked over, gave simple instructions, then led everyone to a six-story slab building nearby.
This slab building, close to the staircase building for easy coordination with the train conductor, was occupied by the logistics group as office building.
The first floor became a temporary trading area.
Total of five windows, staffed twelve hours.
Three windows for daily trading; anyone from the armored train including the base could use points here to exchange for living supplies.
Even without supplies, bartering was possible.
Though prices high, those who could privately exchange already had; coming here reluctantly was because only the train had them.
One remaining window was the armory, holding most of the armored train’s munitions, a key protection target for the combat group.
The last window was internal, only crew and armed corps qualified to use.
Goods inside even scarcer.
Like rare medicine, tactical equipment, general energy crystals, evolutionary supplies, etc.
Tong Zizhan stopped, turned to them, “Go to the armory to get equipment, mention my name; already reported up.”
The four crisply replied yes, startling nearby workers exchanging living supplies.
After the four left, Gao Yuan turned the ring on his finger, puzzled, “Why the sudden whim to do a mission? Our points are already high enough…”
Tong Zizhan gave him a look, “No mission, no excuse to spend points. I’m getting an exoskeleton; you get them bullets, one base each, not cheap ones— the most expensive 7.62. Six people is 1440 points, plus exoskeleton 500, add some handgun bullets and grenades, over two thousand gone.”
“Nice stuff!”
Gao Yuan gave a thumbs up and hurried off to prepare.
Their mission was private work; train wouldn’t reimburse a cent of consumption.
Soldiers’ bullets had to be paid by officers themselves.
Ten minutes later.
Tong Zizhan got another exoskeleton set, plus five rewarded before, one each for six people.
No squad on the entire armored train was this luxurious.
This mission was reconnaissance, average difficulty; Tong Zizhan mainly eyed two points.
First, it went far.
This task started from Shun’an, recon toward northeast to Qingchuan Province capital situation, then further north to Hongyi City, checking zombies, mutated beasts along the way, survivor survival status, railway track integrity, any special situations.
Not to mention, straight-line distance from Shun’an to Hongyi over a hundred kilometers.
Second, long execution period.
Full ten days, extendable to about fourteen if unexpected.
Two weeks’ time, enough for them to do much.
Most important, get far from that thug He Jie.
Even in Deep Blue Data training he hadn’t been beaten that brutally.
So at the moment this task posted, he proactively went to Hu Shuo to claim it.
Morning, under rare sunny sky, two off-road vehicles headed toward Hongyi City.
…
Three days later.
Staircase office building.
Train conductor’s legs on the solemn desk, squinting at a movie, sweetened coffee steaming beside him.
Purser Hu Shuo dressed in a black executive jacket over a gray shirt, holding a folder, slightly bowed respectfully reading recent progress on various affairs.
“Snap!”
Su Huan snapped his fingers; Hu Shuo immediately stopped.
“Train conductor, any problem?”
“How much total food harvested recently?”
“Main grain 50,000 tons, cooking oil 3,000 tons, various instant noodles hundreds of tons, other misc non-staple food about 100 tons. Most of Shun’an’s grain is now in the base.”
Su Huan nodded satisfied, “Have He Jie continue scavenging, then spread the news, keep base population around 15,000.”
Hu Shuo hesitated, “When you’re here no trouble, but if train goes north, base with two-thirds outsiders, won’t there be…”
Su Huan glanced at him, “That’s Wan Hao’s problem, what does it have to do with me?”
He’d handed him such a foundation; if he couldn’t control it, he was incompetent!
What did it have to do with the armored train?
Was he supposed to hand-hold Wan Hao to set systems, sort factions, build the base?
