Chapter 876 - 495: Embers of the Long Night (Part 4)

The latter also saw Xiaoba, hesitated for a moment, and nodded slightly. Just as he was about to sidestep past, he heard the young man ask.

"Are you going to find Colonel He?"

Zhong You looked directly at the young man in front of him and frowned, "Is there a problem?"

"If you want to talk about something else, then continue to find him. If you want to go to the Eternal Night Zone, come to me."

The eyes under the young man’s tousled hair were incredibly serious.

Manipulating metal and crafting parts not only didn’t wear down his will but instead made the young man’s character as stable and resilient as iron!

When the train conductor was around, he was the little assistant to the experts in various labs, the smiling older brother Xiaoba to the children, and the little brother teased by Wan Xing and others. But when the train conductor wasn’t around, he was the unwavering iron bastion.

He wasn’t on the most apparent surface but was the most crucial framework of the train. Anyone who wished to shake the train would be stunned to find that beneath the iron skin was this unbreakable, indestructible steel block!

Zhong You certainly admired Xiaoba’s speed of evolution; only Lin Jin on the entire train could match it. But when the train conductor left, he felt as if he was truly meeting the young man for the first time.

Even though Zhong You was one of the strongest Tier Two on the train, in front of Xiaoba, his hair would instinctively stand on end, and his body wrapped in clothes would feel as if it were in the dead of winter. His skin would shiver instinctively, his heart rate would increase, and blood would rapidly supply his muscles.

This was the instinctive conclusion: "You can’t beat him, so you must prepare in advance."

But Zhong You’s heart was not frightened, only slightly shaken, "I just wanted to ask why the train does not enter the Eternal Night Zone?"

"Wait for the train conductor to come back."

"What if he needs us now?"

"Wait for the train conductor to come back."

"How long to wait?"

"Wait for the train conductor to come back."

Xiaoba still had a sincere and earnest face, while Zhong You’s face twitched. This kid was impervious to everything.

"Someone will ask eventually."

Zhong You suddenly said without preamble.

"The train is not stopping for the first time, if there’s any problem, they can also come to ask me."

Seeing Xiaoba, who had no intention of giving in, Zhong You said softly, "Can I pass now?"

Xiaoba stepped aside, revealing a warm smile, "Go ahead."

Zhong You did not leave but instead said solemnly, "If there’s a chance, I will come to consult."

"Alright!"

Xiaoba agreed straightforwardly.

After the latter left, he breathed a slight sigh of relief. He didn’t know what promises the train conductor had made to the other person and could only temporarily set things aside.

The Armed Train seemed like a whole, but it depended on the train being able to keep moving forward and the train conductor being onboard.

Each of them came from different places, with different purposes and thoughts, and before this, the train conductor never intended to reconcile them. As long as it was within the framework, he allowed everyone to use their abilities freely. Some conducted forbidden research, some were here for a meal, some carried visions, and some simply wanted to fight...

Things are fine now; the train conductor has only just entered the Eternal Night. If another six months pass, perhaps... even he himself might not be able to continue holding on?

After turning Zhong You back, Xiaoba walked towards the Armed Hall.

The Armed Hall was originally just a temporary expanded space, but after four modifications to the train, it completely became a permanent space. In addition to serving as a fast passageway and shooting range, it also held certain public space functions.

The task panels of the Armed Corps were evenly distributed in the hall to prevent congestion.

On the train, there were only two identities, either a crew member or a soldier of the Armed Corps. The former required a lot of work to maintain daily life, while the latter needed to fight.

But large-scale legion battles weren’t happening all the time. The train wouldn’t let this high-end combat power sit idle either.

So when the system was established, this part had already been considered.

The chief officers above the lieutenant level, when there were no corps combat missions, could selectively execute tasks issued by the train in the Armed Hall, which was also the fastest way for officers to accumulate merits and points besides their "fixed salary."

Because of his age, Xiaoba had previously been in Qu Hang’s team. Since advancing to Tier Three, he was more often used as high-end combat power, and only after the Four Nations War did he become a chief officer leading a new team.

As a Captain, Xiaoba wasn’t very interested in rising ranks, but as the chief officer of the Armed Corps, even as the most junior lieutenant, he had to be responsible for his subordinates. They couldn’t be his vice officers and soldiers for their entire life, right?

So after finishing the matters of the crew, Xiaoba would generally come to the Armed Hall to see if there were any suitable tasks.

"Master Eight."

"Master Eight is here..."

Seeing Xiaoba walking over, the soldiers lingering in the hall respectfully made way.

Xiaoba nodded in acknowledgment.

On the metal wall, two 40-inch monitors formed a long screen, displaying some tasks and simple messages in a scrolling format.

For example, the mission merit leaderboard.

Initially, officers were not very interested in doing tasks, as it was just about collecting some materials, handling some minor problems, and the point rewards were minimal, not even comparable to spoils from a random major battle.

Why farm when the speed of primitive accumulation is faster?

Old Secretary Shu Wei and Hu Shuo brought out the leaderboard mechanism, setting up a ranking based on the number and difficulty of completed tasks, awarding a certain prize every month to those among the top, and having it played in a loop.

Once launched, the effect was excellent.