A faint white mist rolled out of the gap between his teeth.
With the stomach of an Evolver, food temperature is no longer an issue to worry about.
Even eating raw can still leave someone energetic and lively.
The others saw the conductor start eating, and while praising Yu Yueâs cooking skills, they began to eat the steaming dumplings.
After a plate of dumplings was devoured, Su Huan lifted his head.
Yu Yue was leaning against the cupboard with a bowl of dumpling soup, gently poking at a "meat flower" raised in a basin. The thick petals, resembling dog ears, became impatient under Yu Yueâs poking and flapped open her fingers.
This made the woman smile knowingly.
"Thatâs about enough, letâs eat and talk. You guys start."
Su Huan thought for a moment, intending to have everyone report in.
Even though he had an idea about some things, he still needed to compare notes.
Because He Jie and the others werenât here today, their seats were taken by Yu Jing and the others.
Li Han sat at the end, next to Xiaozhao and Huang Sea, looking slightly uneasy.
The leaders glanced around, finally resting their gaze on Yu Jing.
Recently, Yu Jing was in charge of material manufacturing and coordinating with the plant manager and others to repair the train, which was currently the most urgent matter, so she went first.
Yu Jing gently furrowed her brow, "The manufacturing group needs some adjustments."
Su Huan wasnât surprised.
The manufacturing group originally had only three hundred people, which was more than enough for daily operations. After all, the train had just been upgraded, and there wasnât an urgent demand for materials.
But now, with project after project, being overwhelmed was normal.
Fortunately, many survivors came to help, but these new "Collectors" were relatively inexperienced with their abilities.
If Wan Xing could collect five types of materials from a Tier One Mutant Beast, these new "Collectors" could collect at most two types, and most of the time, only Pan-energy Crystals.
The "Makers" were about the same; they couldnât even grasp complex materials.
This direction indeed requires knowledge as a foundation.
"Need to expand the scale?"
Su Huan asked.
Yu Jing shook her head, "No, we need refined classification. The abilities evolved by everyone are too diverse right now. Although it feels like a bloom of prosperity, itâs not good for the overall production of the train. Thereâs no standard, and itâs difficult to establish one."
The plant manager and others were intrigued by this.
"Refined classification..."
Su Huan pondered these words, looking at the people, "If you all have this idea, donât beat around the bush with me, just speak up."
Boss was the first to speak, "I donât know about the others, Iâll just talk about our manufacturing group. Even though most are âMakersâ and âCollectorsâ, thereâs a significant difference among us. Like me, Iâm specialized in firearms, and the crew in the bullet workshop excels in bullet processing and manufacturing. Then, the group following Captain Yu is better at material development and fusion, having a higher compatibility with the research group."
"Thereâs also a group proficient at handling various machinery, like maintenance equipment."
Su Huan looked at Xiaozhao, "Is the research group the same?"
Xiaozhao hesitated for a moment, "The research groupâs situation is more complicated. Itâs divided according to Captian Yu, Plant Manager, Vice President Deng, and Director Xuâs laboratories. Each lab varies greatly..."
"Logistics team?"
Hu Shuo put down his chopsticks, pondering, "The logistics team is relatively fine since their tasks are inherently varied."
The giraffe eating behind him lifted its head, brows flickering with thought.
Before he could think clearly, Bai Lu unexpectedly said, "Armed Corps has this problem too. The soldiers are too mixed in classification. We should properly organize teams based on evolution abilities. The old setup of assault soldiers, firepower hands, etc., is outdated. We should consider âCollectorsâ, âMakersâ, and other evolutionary factors."
Upon hearing this, Boss clapped loudly, "Conductor, I have an idea too!"
"Speak."
"How about we separate the collection part and establish an independent collection group?"
Everyone looked to Su Huan.
Those sitting here were all shrewd individuals. Each could propose a dozen solutions for the issues mentioned.
But aside from the two straightforward ones, the others only pointed out problems without suggesting solutions.
Itâs not that they were holding back.
The train system had always been a one-man show by the conductor. Even for suggestions, it depended on the conductorâs mood.
Doing the right thing is always more important than doing things well.
"Split into groups?"
Su Huan thought for a moment, then shook his head in rejection.
He considered, "Iâll draw a line here. Unless necessary, I wonât split the existing crews. Splitting endlessly will never end, but you can establish functional departments within each group, like the engine room and cultivation cabin, for some departmental refinement."
As he spoke, Su Huan seemed to think of something and looked at Hu Shuo, "How many official members are there in the Armed Train now?"
"After several supplements, itâs about twelve hundred people."
"The scale can be expanded, casually absorbing those survivors outside, with the upper limit at two thousand people. By the way, can we accommodate them?"
Su Huan asked somewhat uncertainly.
Increasing the population on the train is not something decided lightly on a whim.
Once itâs decided to absorb official members, all configurations need to keep up.
If resources, training intensity, and various treatments do not surpass those of survivors, why would they wholeheartedly serve the conductor?
Energy, supplies, evolutionary materials... even the trainâs daily oxygen production must meet consumption needs.
Hu Shuo quickly thumbed through the booklet in hand, "Under the current standards, one car has eight rooms, with four people per room. A double-decker train car accommodates sixty-four people..."
"Carriages 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, and 23 are for Armed Soldiers. Carriages 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, and 26 are for the crew..."
"The main train can spare fifteen carriages, and the auxiliary train can spare twenty carriages, more than enough for official members to reside in. Survivors occupy the cars temporarily and are not considered in the accommodation."
Su Huan nodded, "Then letâs proceed with this standard. If there are other issues, you coordinate among yourselves."
"Now let me talk about our short-term goals."
"After repairing the train, weâll retrieve data from the center and then head to Xiushui City. Weâll acquire an electromagnetic weapon arsenal, arm the train to the teeth..."
Su Huan looked directly into Shu Weiâs light grey eyes and smiled slightly.
"To test these major forcesâ capabilities."
"I want to see what follows after the flood and what follows after the storm."
"I want to witness all the natural disasters in District Twelve, to see where this worldâs edge lies."
"I need trains, talent, supplies, strength. I need everything from you."
"But this is not a request."
"Itâs an order."
...
Su Huan leaned back in his chair; his calm speech made the atmosphere at the dining table as heavy as water.
Everyone felt enormous pressure.
Even Boss dared not speak lightly.
"Sixty years old is just the right age to fight and strive."
Professor Ma chuckled and repeated what Su Huan had said back then.
"Hmm?"
The plant manager, Vice President Deng, Director Xu, and a few old men were taken aback.
Then couldnât help but laugh.
Vice President Deng chuckled, "Who wouldâve thought youâd crack a joke, Old Ma. Since the conductor doesnât treat us as outsiders, though Iâm an old fellow, Iâm curious about what the apocalypse is and how the world has changed. Iâll declare, this old body is at the conductorâs disposal!"
Su Huan turned his head slightly, eyes deep, "I canât guarantee that you wonât die, but I can ensure you die with purpose."
Vice President Deng: "..."
The plant managerâs intention to declare loyalty got stuck in his throat with that statement.
Director Xu, "Just visit me more often..."
Su Huan rolled his eyes.
Though heâs not short of blood, he doesnât enjoy being drained all the time.
Every time he visits Director Xu, whether for business or small talk, thereâs always an excuse to draw some bodily fluids.
If they canât get blood, they substitute with something else.
Never picky.
"Have those few priests figured things out?"