Chapter 144 Trains Going North and South
[Great! The train can now be upgraded to intermediate level!]
Ever since it was discovered that the life substance in the crystal nucleus was a fungus and that all the abnormal changes that occurred in humans and animals were caused by this fungus, all research institutes and laboratories that were still functioning normally in various places have participated in the relevant research.
However, because of the previous experience of the Northwest Institute, they did not dare to cut open the crystal core again. They just looked for the fungus in the bodies of newly infected zombies, extracted it and then conducted targeted research.
For this fungus that they had never seen before, the experts involved in the research used various methods that they thought were feasible to suppress or eliminate it, but in the end no experiment was successful.
This fungus is not only tenacious and can survive and remain active under many extreme conditions, but it is also like an indestructible fortress that cannot be broken by any means.
To find a way to defeat it, researchers had tried various tricks, but none of them worked. So, upon hearing that there was a ready-made solution to the fungus, experts from several nearby research institutes came.
The old professor in the middle looked at the storage and cultivation methods of this fungus posted on the box, his eyes shining. He didn't care about the others behind him who wanted to take a look, and directly picked up the box and ran to the laboratory.
…
The heavy snow continued for the next week.
The weather was freezing cold, and ice and snow suddenly froze the entire country from north to south. Every inch of land was covered with white snow, and every river was covered with a thick layer of ice. It was almost impossible to see the water flowing under the ice.
In such weather, all outdoor construction activities had already been halted. The base distributed winter supplies in advance, based on the number of people. To ensure more people could survive the winter, the rescue team even relocated some elderly and frail individuals to a renovated underground garage.
There was no heating in the residential buildings, and in some communities, the first and second floors were even buried in snow. With the howling cold wind, the warmth in the above-ground buildings was far less than that in the well-sealed underground areas. So, gradually, the other residents who had originally lived upstairs also moved to the underground garages. But that happened later.
At this time, although many people no longer went out, the rescue team did not stop their rescue efforts in the strong wind and snow.
After the mutation, more and more people discovered changes in themselves while fighting against zombies and the harsh environment.
Some people are stronger than before, some people's wounds heal faster, some people's hearing and smell senses become stronger, and some people's physical fitness improves, and their originally sickly bodies gradually become strong and robust...
These changes are subtle, and although they don't give people the ability to control the wind and rain or move mountains and seas, they help them gain more chances of survival in this world full of crises.
After these special abilities were discovered and the research results of the research institute were made public, each base selected people with special abilities from the rescue teams and the public to form special rescue operation teams.
Because the members of this rescue team have awakened various abilities, they are in better physical condition and stronger than ordinary people.
Therefore, after the special ability team was successfully formed, it took on more rescue missions. The ordinary rescue team members were mostly assigned to stay at the base to take on some protection and security work. This was especially true when the weather turned cold.
Because there may still be people in the danger zone struggling to survive and waiting for rescue, and because winter is a rare time when zombies are less active and rescue operations are not so risky, so despite the heavy snow and the great difficulty of rescue, rescue teams everywhere are still taking action.
This winter is so long and cold. If the rescue could have been done earlier, perhaps one more person would have survived and one less person would have died silently in this cold winter.
In the snowstorm, the brave men marched forward, and the outer perimeter of the safe zone continued to expand. Meanwhile, the train finally arrived at this southernmost part of the motherland.
Jiang Qian watched the train fly across the vast ocean and land on this small island located in the southernmost part of the country.
It's called a small island, but its area is not small at all, almost the same size as City A. Although this island is far away from the mainland, because there are troops stationed on the island, although there were some disturbances on the island after the incident, it was quickly stabilized with the joint efforts of the garrison, the locals, and the rescue team that arrived.
The island is isolated, so there is no need to worry about zombies from other cities crossing the defense line, so it is relatively easy to clean up.
Although the island hadn't been completely cleared of zombies due to limited manpower and the need to rescue residents on other small islands, the safe zone had already expanded to half the island's total area. The new station was set up in the center of the safe zone.
As the train gradually approached the ground, Jiang Qian saw the square that had been cleared to serve as the station, the rare South Island scenery covered with snow outside the cleared station, and the many figures waiting on the snow.
In the past, the island was warm all year round during midsummer, but this winter the weather was unusual. Although it was not as cold as the mainland, it had snowed several times and the temperature had dropped sharply.
But even though the weather was cold, many people came out to watch the train coming, even though they couldn't get close. The guards stationed outside the station could clearly hear the chaotic voices in the crowd in the distance carried by the cold wind.
"Before, all the planes that could come to the island were on missions, prioritizing the transportation of supplies. We had no chance to leave the island. Now that there's a train, can we leave?"
"I think the island is pretty good. Once the zombies on the other side of the island are cleared out, won't it be safer than on land?"
"That's true, but those people from the sea have been coming here so often lately. I'm a little worried..."
"Why worry? We have rescue teams and the army. We definitely can't let them onto the island..."
"But the supply of materials on the island is also a problem, right? I think the mainland is more stable."
"With trains going back and forth between the two places, it should be fine..."
…
The veteran driver Jiang Weimin was steering the train down gradually. Jiang Qian, who was paying attention to the situation on the island, suddenly heard a "ding" sound.
She was stunned and just thought it was her hallucination, but then she heard the unusually cheerful voice of the system.
[Great! The train can now be upgraded to intermediate level!]
"What?" Before Jiang Qian could figure out what this meant, the system in her mind cheered.
Ever since the train started generating revenue, the system had been quietly absorbing energy to replenish itself, in addition to operating the train and exchanging items with the interstellar world. After so long, the accumulated energy had finally reached a basic level, enabling the development of new features.
[Before, I didn't have enough energy to allocate to the train, so the train couldn't be upgraded and its protection system remained at the elementary level. Recently, I've accumulated enough energy, so the train can now be upgraded to an intermediate level. I can also equip it with a more advanced protection system, making it safer to stay inside. Now, I don't have to worry about bird attacks anymore!]
Almost half a year had passed since the last train upgrade. Various events had occurred in the intervening time, not to mention the system's self-declaration of itself as a "visitor from outer space" that had transcended time and space. Jiang Qian had been busy recovering the crystal cores during this time, and had long forgotten about the train upgrade. She hadn't even imagined that this "fake" train operating system could be upgraded. Now, hearing the system's announcement, she felt like a pleasant surprise.
"Really?" It would be great if the trains were stronger and safer inside.
Of course it's true. Not only can we upgrade our defense systems with more energy, but the intermediate train also has additional attack systems compared to the primary train. If there are zombies out there, we won't have to hide or run away all the time. The interstellar train has weapons that can clean up meteorites in space, and the intermediate train can be equipped with them.
Once the weapon is activated, all zombies within a five-kilometer radius will be disintegrated. Of course, because the weapon is effective within a certain range, all living and non-living things within the set range will be broken into small particles, so use with caution.
Jiang Qian was surprised by the power of the weapon, but after she realized what was happening, she felt more fear.
Although she knew that weapons and equipment were essential in this post-mutation world, she was still a little frightened by the thought of holding such a powerful weapon in her hands. Before even seeing its power, she warned the system, "Remember, we must not use it unless absolutely necessary."
It sounds like this weapon doesn't discriminate against its targets. It might be fine if the set range is full of zombies, but what if there are other people around at the same time...
Jiang Qian shook her head and said, it’s better not to use it if you can!
Putting aside the terrifying imagination before, Jiang Qian shifted her attention to other things, "Xiao Ling, are there any other upgrades?"
【some. 】
The small icon in my mind flickered rapidly, and I could feel the excitement of the system just by looking at the frequency of the flickering.
Now the entire north-to-south route has been established. I've also collected all the map information between the stations, and I have enough energy. Once the island section has been tested for over 5,000 kilometers, I'll just need to exchange for another train, and both trains will be able to run simultaneously in both directions. I can now control them to run simultaneously.
Jiang Qian hadn't expected the number of trains to increase. After the surprise, she tried asking again, "Can only two run in parallel? Can there be three or more?"
There are currently over twenty stations from north to south. Even with a very fast train, a trip from south to north still takes a day. If more trains could depart from various locations simultaneously, the trains would definitely be more effective and could collect more crystal cores.
[In principle, it is possible, but I don't have enough energy at the moment, so I can only remotely control four vehicles at a time.]
"Four is also good!"
It was a pleasant surprise, and Jiang Qian did not ask for more. She was just about to discuss with the system how to arrange the four trains at that time, but she did not expect that the good news from the system was not over yet.
[Also, I have more energy now, so I can get geographic information faster and more widely. The distance between stations can now exceed 100 kilometers! Even within 200 kilometers, it's no problem!]
"Two hundred kilometers?"
Hearing this good news, Jiang Qian couldn't help but pat her thigh.
Although this is just a change in the distance between stations and does not sound as good as the previous good news, Jiang Qian feels that only this news is based on the fundamental development of the train and will be of the greatest benefit to the future development of the train.
The longer distances between stations also mean a wider range of train stations to choose from, which can avoid unnecessary time consumption. After all, in areas like the west where the land is vast and the population is sparse, there is no need to have stations as densely packed as in the central and eastern regions.
Once this rule is changed, they will be able to achieve full coverage of the land by train in less time and faster in the future.
The more Jiang Qian thought about it, the more excited she became. She immediately decided to share this good news so that everyone could have fun together.
"Now, send this message to the rescue team immediately and ask them to think about where to set up the next station!"
After finishing the conversation with the system, Jiang Qian looked out the window.
The last stop in the south has been set up, so where should the next stop be?
【Author’s words】
The next chapter should be out on Monday.
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