Chapter 188: Tier 2 Giant Bear
Then what’s the use of having Station Master Wan Hao?
Although Shun’an Station is nominally a direct subordinate force of the Armored Train, Su Huan doesn’t plan to worry too much about subsequent construction.
What Shun’an Station can be built into is Station Master Wan Hao and the Shun’an people’s own business.
People’s hearts are separated by their bellies, let alone the Armored Train possibly being separated from the platform by hundreds or thousands of kilometers in the future.
Maintaining it with loyalty and affection is ridiculous.
Moreover, this is 2035; people now don’t even have the concept of loyalty.
But as long as the Armored Train brings benefits to Shun’an Station, Shun’an Station will continue to provide convenience to the Armored Train.
For example, the skilled workers and custom parts that Wan Hao previously guaranteed.
This is a reasonable way to maintain it.
It’s also something Su Huan recently learned from the restructuring.
However, this method can’t be force-to-force; it still needs to fall on specific people.
With this person, the connection point won’t break.
Hu Shuo nodded, “Understood, this news will spread tonight. By the way, Train Conductor, the Ironwood Postman recently wants to conduct deep cooperation with us.”
“Ironwood Postman?”
Electric light flickered at Su Huan’s fingertips, and the movie in front of him paused.
“This is the news that Second Lieutenant Lu Xiao just brought back. It’s that youth who often traded with us before. He led a group of people and mastered the manipulation of Iron-eating Trees. Through bartering, they accumulated resources and have now formed a new force called the Ironwood Postman.”
Su Huan chuckled in disbelief. He didn’t expect his arrival to accelerate the formation of the Shun’an Black Market.
“We can appropriately support them. Has anything interesting happened in Shun’an recently?”
“Because we cleared many zombies, the atmosphere in Shun’an has relaxed a lot, and survivor activities have increased, giving rise to some small forces and settlements.”
“That’s good. Ignore them. If they have things we need, just trade normally.”
Su Huan said indifferently.
Hu Shuo frowned, “But there’s one force that’s very rampant—those outsiders. They’ve now gathered over a thousand people, with two hundred core members. Their methods are ruthless, and those small forces were born to counter them.”
Ruthless?
Forces that still rely on ruthlessness to stand now can’t enter the Train Conductor’s eyes.
“Same, ignore them. By the way, how long have Tong Zizhan and the other been gone?”
“Three days already. They should have reached the provincial capital by now.”
Hu Shuo answered.
Su Huan licked his teeth. This task was arranged for the two of them.
North of Hongyi City is Guangren City.
Two top-tier scouts, proper Tier 1 Evolvers, squatting in the base all day—what’s that about?
Su Huan wasn’t worried about them running away either.
He knew the rules of Deep Blue Data Collectors better than Tong Zizhan. Without valuable information, the two would still have to go undercover, not knowing what dangers they’d face.
The Armored Train was only operating in the Acid Rain Area now, which could be considered leisurely.
Compared to the harsh high-temperature zone, the Acid Rain Area was simply too suitable for survivor survival.
If he didn’t know the Flood Zone was after the Acid Rain Area, Su Huan would suspect if heavenly calamities were just like this.
“What has Xiao Ba been exchanging for lately?”
Hu Shuo quickly flipped through the folder in his hand, glanced at the list, and handed it to Su Huan.
“Mostly snacks, toys, and children’s supplies.”
Su Huan looked at the list and sighed inwardly.
Although influenced by him, Xiao Ba still took the path of running an orphanage.
As for whether war orphans would pose a threat to him.
The Train Conductor hadn’t considered it at all.
“He has no experience. Help him out appropriately with Wan Xing.”
“Got it. We’ve been keeping an eye on it.”
A relaxed smile appeared on Hu Shuo’s face.
Su Huan drained the coffee in his cup. “Professor Ma’s communication device is producing results today, right?”
“To be precise, it had results the day before yesterday. For safety, we’ve been verifying it these past two days. If there are no issues, we can try producing a batch for Colonel He to take out for combat testing.”
“Talk while walking.” Su Huan stood up and walked out of the office. “After so long, the communication device is finally being made.”
Hu Shuo followed half a step behind and smiled. “Using pen and paper for a month, I’ve almost forgotten what it feels like to use a mobile phone.”
The two went down to the second floor.
Professor Ma’s laboratory was here; the entire second floor of the Staircase Building was his.
The space was more than a hundred times larger than on the train.
As soon as they entered, the originally cluttered equipment became orderly, and even the hard drive cabinets that looked like a jungle became sleek and aesthetically pleasing.
A dozen students and the experts brought in this period stood in the hall, surrounding a mostly disassembled spherical device.
It was exactly the General Energy Monitor brought back from the Steel Council.
Some time ago, Professor Ma’s research failed again, so he applied to disassemble the General Energy Monitor.
Director Xu wasn’t too agreeable, but Su Huan ultimately approved it.
Professor Ma didn’t betray his trust and really produced results.
Hearing the footsteps, everyone turned and greeted Su Huan.
Su Huan nodded back to a few familiar faces.
Like Xiao Hezi.
“Lin Jin hasn’t come to you these past few days?”
Xiao Hezi pouted with a hint of resentment. “He’s gone to accompany Colonel He.”
Su Huan laughed. “Tonight, I’ll have He Jie’s wife call him home.”
Seeing Su Huan in a good mood, everyone chuckled along to play up.
Professor Ma and Xiao Zhao also pushed out his newly developed communication device.
Looking at the two dining car-sized carts, Su Huan really couldn’t hold it in, scratched his head, and suppressed the surging desire to complain.
You know, the Train Conductor’s mouth never distinguished between old and young.
The nickname “mischievous imp” that Lin Xi gave him was widely circulated in the base.
It showed that this period of administrative work had worn down much of the hostility from his previous life’s struggle for survival.
Professor Ma naturally saw the doubt on Su Huan’s face and explained, “This is currently just an enlarged experimental version. All components are enlarged, mainly for easier adjustment. If put into production, it will be much smaller, and after a few more iterations, it can return to the size of normal communication equipment.”
“I see.”
Su Huan breathed a sigh of relief.
Even if it was a bit large, he’d accept it.
After bustling for so long, he finally had one technology ahead of his old employer from his previous life.
The Steel Council in his previous life never invested tech points in communication.
He suspected it was related to Director Xu. The guy was fully invested in evolution research himself and wouldn’t let anyone disassemble the General Energy Detection device. It’d be a miracle if the communication device was researched.
Su Huan looked at the device Professor Ma pushed out.
The external frame seemed to be titanium alloy. Inside the spherical frame were embedded black… gems? Obsidian?
Perhaps to better display the internal structure, the other half was sectioned open.
In the center was a rhomboid polyhedron made of soft glass, embedded with large and small General Energy Crystals, slowly rotating in an anti-gravity field.
“On the General Energy Detection device, I discovered a kind of resonance. Then I changed my approach and used General Energy resonance for modification. Like the three rings of thin metal outside the rhomboid body you see—they’re new materials extracted from Ironwood by the Manufacturing Group. After fusing large amounts of rare metals and zombie materials, they formed these resonance rings. According to my estimate, one resonance ring can achieve communication within a one-kilometer range.”
Professor Ma’s voice was still refined and logical, but the faint excitement in his eyes was hard to hide.
“So these three rings can achieve communication within a three-kilometer radius?”
Su Huan interestedly covered the device with “General Energy Perception”.
But he only felt the fluctuations from the General Energy Crystals themselves and asked puzzledly, “Not activated?”
“Xiao Zhao, take the other one outside.” Professor Ma said.
Xiao Zhao pushed the part in her hand and walked outside.
Professor Ma estimated the time was about right and activated the device in his hand.
“Huh?”
Su Huan finally sensed something different.
General Energy spread layer by layer around with the device at the center, just like a stone thrown into water, causing ripples on the water surface.
Professor Ma held something extending from the device and called, “Xiao Zhao, can you hear me?”
Everyone looked expectant.
The rhomboid in the sphere pulsed up and down once.
Xiao Zhao’s clear voice came from inside.
“Received, Teacher. I’m downstairs. You upstairs should be able to see me. I plan to walk farther.”
Clear and stable, without the sound loss of electronic devices, just like she was standing next to Professor Ma.
Su Huan shifted his angle, but the sound showed no attenuation.
This device was like replicating Xiao Zhao’s voice, like an omnidirectional horn broadcasting from the sphere in all directions.
The effect was similar to Yu Yue’s “Shared Sound Field”.
“Not bad.”
Su Huan affirmed Professor Ma’s research.
Cheers immediately erupted in the room. Although Professor Ma wouldn’t lose composure over one affirmation, he truly breathed a sigh of relief.
Suddenly, a rumbling sound came from the sphere, and the voices in the room abruptly stopped.
Everyone looked at each other.
“I think I heard two vibration sounds at the same time!”
After Xiao Hezi spoke, she walked to the window side.
Su Huan frowned, walking to the window side while softly calling, “Yu Yue, what’s happening outside?”
Yu Yue’s gentle voice and the sound of stir-frying in an iron pot appeared in his ear at the same time.
“Three kilometers outside the base, a mutated beast is chasing several humans toward the base. I’m sharing the scene with you.”
Soon, the ear sounds switched.
Su Huan heard heavy footsteps and several men’s breathing.
“Run fast! Too terrifying!”
“We shouldn’t have provoked that dog bear back then!”
“Run toward the high-speed train base ahead. There are many people there, and a foreign force called the Armored Train.”
“Can they stop it…”
“None of my damn business. I’m about to die!”
Su Huan’s complexion was calm. It was a ploy to divert disaster; he did plenty of that when he was weak.
Continuing to listen back, a terrifying howl nearly burst his eardrums.
Through feedback from various sounds, a vivid scene immediately formed in Su Huan’s mind.
A five-meter-tall Giant Bear rampaged between high-rise buildings, chasing three figures ahead. Wherever it went, the ground cracked, buildings toppled, and steel bars and cement flew everywhere.
Tier 2 mutated beast, Giant Bear.
“Where’s He Jie?”
Su Huan asked.
“He took his team out this morning. Currently, only the Combat Group and my group are in the base. Xiao Ba is here too.”
“You lead the team and organize the Combat Group for interception.”
“Got it.”
Yu Yue answered crisply.
Su Huan turned around. Everyone still didn’t know what happened and looked at him anxiously.
His narrow eyes gently narrowed into lines, corners of his mouth lifted. “Someone’s come to help us verify the equipment. Have Xiao Zhao put the other one at the vehicle manufacturing center. Hu Shuo, you command the Logistics Group here to enter combat readiness. The rest… forget it, carry on with what you were doing.”
Then he pushed open the window and leaped down.
By the time everyone reacted, they only saw an empty window.
Warm sunlight spilled in, and white gauze curtains swayed in the wind.
Xiao Hezi’s murmur swirled in everyone’s ears.
“The Train Conductor is too handsome…”
Professor Ma heard his student’s fangirl remark, and his eyelid twitched.
Back when this girl first arrived, “Senior Xiao Zhao is so handsome!” was always on her lips.
It made the old man think the young ones had something going on, and he even tried to matchmake for a while.
Later he found out this girl had no such intentions at all, just pure fangirling.
Wasting his old man’s emotions.
“Don’t just stand there. Go check the surveillance cameras and drones.” Professor Ma cleared his throat, stepped aside, turned to Hu, and said, “The rest is trouble for Conductor Hu.”
“You’re joking. A task from the Train Conductor—how could it be trouble.”
…
A shrill alarm sounded in the base. Trucks and cars pulling supplies frantically surged into the underground garage. Armored carriages that were slowly strolling in the courtyard connected end to end, setting up a second defense line in the open space.
Workers, as rehearsed, quickly hid in nearby defensive buildings.
Su Huan’s figure flickered ghost-like in the base and soon rushed onto the eight-meter-high concrete wall.
Standing at the edge looking into the distance, the small-mountain-like Giant Bear had already charged into the one-kilometer range of the base.
Of the three running ahead, only one remained, half his body dyed red with blood.
Su Huan sneered. No strength yet still trying to divert disaster.
Idiot.
Smelling a relaxing sunlight scent suddenly appear beside him, he said lightly, “Burst him.”
The just-arrived Yu Yue softly hummed, raised Su Huan’s Electromagnetic Sniper Rifle, charged for 1.2 seconds, and the projectile was accelerated to Mach 5 by the superconducting rails, rushing out of the muzzle.
The Giant Bear chasing its prey had its fur stand on end and reared up.
It let out a deafening roar toward the base.
“Roar—”
Almost the instant the roar left its throat, a bowl-sized gap appeared in its thick fur, and blood surged out like a high-pressure fountain.
The intimidating howl turned into a wail.
“This hide is really thick…”
Admiration showed in Su Huan’s eyes.
He saw clearly that Yu Yue had originally aimed at the Giant Bear’s head, but because it stood up, it hit the belly.
A projectile that could penetrate 150mm homogeneous steel plate left only a bowl-sized scar.
It didn’t even penetrate.
Compared to the Giant Bear’s small-mountain-like figure, the bowl-sized scar was like poking a small hole in a person.
Painful, but not fatal.
