Chapter 199: Regretting The Lack Of Moles When You Need Them
“I guess it’s related to vitality.”
Yu Jing’s eyes flickered, “Director Xu’s meaning is that evolution consumes vitality?”
“On the contrary, evolution and improving basic attributes can greatly increase vitality, but I guess the increase in vitality isn’t instantaneous, just like an emaciated person gaining weight needs time to digest food and grow flesh. The great way is the simplest; the increase in vitality should follow roughly the same rule.”
Hearing this, the doubts in everyone’s hearts were basically resolved.
For those who use general energy crystals to quickly improve, their vitality hasn’t reached the peak of the current state yet, rashly sprinting to the next realm directly “stuffs” themselves to death.
Especially Tong Zizhan and the other, their eyes were already shining with excitement.
If the company can obtain this pear tree that supplements vitality, wouldn’t it be possible to mass-produce high-level evolvers?
Not to mention whether this pear tree exists, just based on this news and the pears that can supplement weak vitality all over the mountain, it could let the two of them level up five times in a row!
No, top-tier!
Once this news is reported, directly top-tier!
As long as Deep Blue Data exists for a day, they have to provide for the two of them in old age!
After being undercover for so many days, he finally obtained a piece of valuable intelligence. Thinking of this, Tong Zizhan excitedly wanted to roar.
Su Huan listened to Director Xu and the others’ analysis while using the corner of his eye to glance at Tong Zizhan and the other.
This meal of dumplings was wrapped just for this bit of vinegar.
Since his five hundred people couldn’t find this Crown Pear Tree.
What if Deep Blue Data’s people were added?
If it weren’t for too few moles on the train, he would hate to pull in Black Kite, Mechanical God Cult, and even more forces.
He just didn’t believe they couldn’t turn up a pear tree.
But now… he could only rely on these two.
He hoped the two of them had good eloquence, could build up enough anticipation, and make Deep Blue Data send more people.
“Let’s rest for a while today; continue searching the mountain tonight.”
Su Huan saw that the discussion was about over and gave a signal to break up.
Everyone was puzzled but they were all management, with things to do: researchers busy with research, those managing soldiers busy managing soldiers, those sending messages busy sending messages.
No one saw the train conductor’s eyes full of deep expectation toward Tong Zizhan and the other.
……
Acid Rain Area Logistics Center.
The same office, the same posture.
Haywood nodded and bowed to the other end of the communication device, “The general situation is like this.”
There was silence on the other end for a moment, then a voice full of doubt came through.
“That armored train again?”
“Yes, should we take action?”
“……We already gave two gene primordiums to Black Kite, but the mutated plant that can increase vitality cannot be given up. Lead a team there personally, regardless of whether that Crown Pear Tree exists or not, first sample some ordinary mutated pear trees and bring them back!”
“What if we find that Crown Pear Tree?”
Haywood asked tentatively.
A dry laugh came from the other end.
“If we can find that Crown Pear Tree, my current position is yours.”
Hearing this, Haywood’s pupils slightly dilated, and even his breathing stopped.
“As for Black Kite and the armored train, don’t worry about it. Our principle is not to interfere in other forces’ disputes.”
Haywood’s deep blue eyes flickered slightly.
It wasn’t said like this in the last call.
It seems it has caught the attention of the company’s upper echelons.
Armored train……
Truly like a dark horse of the era.
Just don’t know how far this train rising in the chaotic world can go.
“Understood, I’ll set off right away!”
Several drones whistled into the sky, flying toward Wangjiang Peak in Guangren City.
……
Time came two days later.
He Jie led the armed corps to almost kill all the mutated beasts on Wangjiang Peak, but still no trace of the Crown Pear Tree was found.
Moreover, the rain that started three days ago was getting heavier, even bigger than the storm the train encountered when it first entered the acid rain area.
Two vehicles from the crew’s teams collecting materials outside even got stuck in the water.
More than twenty figures in black raincoats trudged deep and shallow through the mud on the mountain, arriving under a big tree with a lush canopy. The leading figure stopped, and people behind quickly went into alert status, then a few followed the leader to approach the tree trunk.
The canopy shook gently, like ordinary shaking from the storm.
A bright green vertical pupil reflected the face under the foremost raincoat, narrow eyes one black one red, carrying a cold chill.
Is this a kin?
The coin-sized snake pupil blinked.
In the next instant, a jagged-edged lightning bolt struck head-on.
Rain adds three points speed to thunder, thunder adds three points momentum to rain.
In an instant, thunder roared in the canopy.
The faint snake hiss was completely drowned out.
Fully three breaths passed before the thunder stopped, the sound of rain hitting leaves continued, and a charred python fell from the tree.
Several research personnel looked toward the tall figure in the middle, “Train Conductor?”
Su Huan looked up at the canopy overhead and said flatly, “Dead through and through.”
Two people were sent to collect mutated snake meat, and the rest went forward to study the giant tree.
Moments later, the research personnel brought back the bad news that Su Huan had heard countless times.
“Not this one.”
Su Huan flicked away the rainwater falling into his eyes, puzzled in his heart.
All the taller trees on the mountain had been checked, none of them.
Where on earth did that Crown Pear Tree go?
Could it be that it suddenly grew after three or four years of the apocalypse?
Then wouldn’t he be……
Su Huan raked his five fingers like a comb through his hair roots and down.
Suddenly remembering he had subordinates nearby, he looked up to see more than twenty people standing quietly in the ankle-deep rainwater watching him, each one seemingly sensing his irritable mood, faces tense.
‘I’m the train conductor in charge of over a thousand people now; how can I lose composure in front of my subordinate? So undignified……’
Su Huan faced everyone, lifted the corners of his mouth to reveal a mouthful of white teeth, “No big deal, keep searching slowly, we’ll find it. Everyone smile.”
Though the scene was a bit awkward, everyone still cooperated with a smile.
Seeing everyone very fatigued, Su Huan led the team down the mountain.
……
Su Huan, sliding down along the mountain edge, suddenly raised his brow. His evolved to lv6 “General Energy Perception” expanded to the limit.
Covering a one-kilometer radius.
“General Energy Perception” wasn’t like Yu Yue’s perception skill, but rather distinguishing general energy strength at close range. However, Su Huan had raised the skill level too high, so the perception range was large.
“Take cover!”
Su Huan said softly, and the elite soldiers of the combat group immediately took the research personnel to hide in place.
Relevant evolvers activated regional general energy shielding.
Su Huan reached out his hand, and Giraffe immediately placed his telescope into his hand.
Su Huan picked it up and looked down the mountain.
He immediately found it amusing.
He thought it was that clingy Black Kite bunch, but unexpectedly it was Deep Blue Data’s old acquaintance.
Besides Haywood, there were dozens of scouting personnel behind him wearing camouflage raincoats and camouflage nets.
“Need us to go give him…” Bai Lu leaned over, gesturing at her neck with her hand.
“No no no, go around, absolutely don’t alert them.”
Su Huan said hurriedly.
This was the reinforcements he had painstakingly invited.
Perfect timing since his people were tired; let Haywood and them search instead, simply perfect!
Just like that, the two groups with their own ulterior motives passed each other perfectly.
The foot of the mountain had completely turned into a mud pit; the ground where the armored train was parked had sunk half a meter, rainwater covering the train tracks.
But seeing the tall, sturdy carriage of the armored train, everyone still breathed a sigh of relief.
No matter who crawled up half the mountain in the sticky mud, they would crave a warm and safe shelter.
The cold and discomfort were secondary; the key was the corrosiveness of the acid rain, even evolvers had to endure the stinging erosion constantly.
Over time, it would still cause skin ulceration.
Fortunately, once back on the train, there was clean water source to wash the body, and the dining car cafeteria would provide high-calorie food enough to fill the stomach.
Then after a simple handover, they could burrow into the dry warm bedding for a good sleep.
This was also the main reason the armored train could maintain high-intensity search efficiency without dropping for several days.
But Black Kite’s group didn’t have such good conditions.
At this moment, they were in the suburbs of Guangren City, enduring endless harassment from mutated beasts and zombies, while struggling to lift the SUV wheels out of the mud pit.
Zhao Kuo lifted the car butt with both hands, pulled it out of the mud pit, and pushed forward with the momentum.
The vehicle slid forward smoothly a few meters, “Bang!”
And fell into a bigger mud pit.
The car rear was already half swallowed by the mud pit.
From inside the car came the sharp cursing from profiling expert 428, cursing this rollercoaster task, cursing the iron-eating tree that devoured the land battle vehicle, cursing her gold hair faded by the acid rain.
Then came HT-426’s cold rebuke.
In front of this one, even 428 who had something with Mister Shu could only shut up grudgingly.
Zhao Kuo walked to the side of the SUV, exerted force with one hand, tore open the locked car door, met the gloating eyes of the captive scouting captain, and said coldly, “Get out, proceed on foot!”
The other vehicles were also low on fuel, and the road ahead was churned into a mess by the armored train tracks, now turned into acidic soft mud by the acid rain; civilian vehicles would eventually get stuck.
Thinking of the melodramatic events these past days, Zhao Kuo comforted himself inwardly.
It was already this bad; could it get worse?
Of course!
Not only worse, but much worse.
First, he made a stupid decision to capture Deep Blue Data’s scouting team.
Actually, that was still okay, since they won.
And due to overwhelming strength, there were no losses.
But just as they decided to pursue the armored train, they encountered the iron-eating tree riot, then fell into a mysterious manipulator’s trap unprepared, and had a fierce fight with the rioting iron-eating tree group.
Although they finally relied on overwhelming force to kill through the tree group, their vehicles were devoured by the iron-eating tree.
Various supplies were also severely consumed.
They had to delay a day in Shun’an before setting off.
Without the all-terrain land battle vehicle, the journey was full of setbacks everywhere.
Finding gasoline, repairing cars took a lot of energy, plus the huge commotion caused by the armored train gathered zombies and mutated beasts around the roads, causing quite a bit of trouble for Black Kite Squad.
Fortunately, the team quality was high; even bringing six captives, they still powered through.
No casualties yet, just some team members destabilized by the harsh environment.
After all, Black Kite Squad wasn’t Steel Council soldiers; without experiencing cruel adaptability training, their will and stamina were already on the verge of limit.
But the current location was tens of thousands of miles from the nearest branch.
Only by bringing that damn train conductor back to Black Kite and completing the task could this damn everything end.
Escape from this humid irritating acid rain area.
The twelve people could only lead the six captives trudging hard in the rain.
Fortunately, Black Kite’s research personnel considered such extreme terrain and modified their exoskeletons accordingly.
Plus everyone was evolvers, with stamina, observation, agility far surpassing ordinary people.
They didn’t look too disheveled.
The acid rain fell even more violently, not like falling but smashing down.
Pouring down in sheets, as if to submerge the entire world.
Vision cut to shattered by rainwater, distant buildings only vague outlines left, gullies washed out on the ground gradually converging, water overflowing, flowing in large patches on the ground.
The filthy acid rain and turbid ground mixed into a vast ocean, even the strong lights on the exoskeletons couldn’t penetrate.
Deep Blue’s scouting team had no mind to gloat either.
Because they also had to trudge through the mud.
And without auxiliary exoskeletons, walking was even more laborious for them.
By four o’clock in the afternoon.
Following the armored train’s wheel tracks, Black Kite Squad finally arrived at the foot of Wangjiang Peak.
Heaven and earth were pitch black under the storm.
And everyone saw the armored train at the foot of the mountain.
That massive figure like a steel giant dragon lying in the water, finding its most comfortable state after the rain clouds dispersed, sleeping soundly in the storm, windows on its body like scales, emitting warm light.
Scattered by the rain mist.
“Pa… pa!”
Zhao Kuo stopped, looking at the armored train before him, his right pupil turned into a cold storm.
“Blockade the surroundings, not one allowed to escape!”
Then he walked alone toward the train, like a warrior challenging the giant dragon.
Su Huan sitting on the second floor inside the train suddenly looked up.
The door beside him was pushed open, and Yu Yue walked in carrying a bowl of steaming Four Gods Soup.
She placed the soup bowl next to his hand, looked toward the blurry car window outside, and said softly.
“They’re here.”
Su Huan looked at the lone approaching figure and smiled, “Waited several days and they’re finally here. Tell He Jie to drive them all into the mountain; this one is mine.”
After saying that, he downed the Four Gods Soup Yu Yue brought in one gulp.
The scalding hot soup passed through his mouth and into his esophagus.
A puff of white vapor rose from his mouth and nose.
The carriage wall directly opposite issued a mechanical sound, quietly opening a small door.
Acid rain whistled in, but before it could rage, the doorway was blocked by a tall figure.
The filthy rainwater falling within a foot of his body was bounced away by an invisible force.
Su Huan licked his lips, “Remember to close the door.”
After saying that, he leaped down.
