"So what are the challenges you mentioned?"

Yu Jing sighed, "We didn’t use the Black Kite or past exoskeleton templates. Because it’s a completely new design, the drive system, joint structure design, sensors, etc., all have major issues. At least intermediate-level engineers or experts in robotics or control engineering are needed to push it forward."

Tan Yunxi shrugged, "Our expertise is quite far off. There are two mechanical design specialists on board, but they’re just technicians and not enough to advance our research."

Su Huan rubbed his temples, feeling that while other major powers were thriving, he was stumbling at every step.

After all this effort, they still hadn’t regained the technological level of pre-apocalypse times.

With the current talent and research level of the armed train, they were only at the level of pre-apocalypse civil technology, and not even at the forefront.

If all these major powers were to collapse, with the standards of these wild settlements, human civilization wouldn’t be destroyed, but it would regress by a century.

"Boom!"

In just a few words of conversation, Lao San was sent flying again, landing face-first on the ground.

Even Tan Yunxi couldn’t help but glance at Lao San’s bruised face.

"Damn it!"

Lao San wiped his bloody nose, rushing back furiously.

"What’s Lao San doing inside?"

The issue with the Power Armor couldn’t be solved immediately, so Su Huan followed Lao San inside with a curious look.

The Pan Energy fluctuations inside the room were very stable, not at all like a fighting scene. 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝕨𝕖𝗯𝚗𝚘𝕧𝕖𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝕞

As soon as he entered the door, he saw several members of the combat team holding guns, surrounding a huge creature over three meters tall sitting in the room.

Because of its enormous size, Su Huan had to tilt his head to look up.

This Evolution Beast’s head resembled a mule’s, its body was yellow, with a large pouch on its belly, a thick tail behind it, and wounds on its chest as if bitten by something, with its fur stained red.

"Hey, is this a kangaroo?"

Su Huan was stunned for a moment and exclaimed in surprise.

Mainly due to the size difference, he didn’t recognize it at first glance.

Seeing Su Huan enter, the pair of big brown eyes immediately filled with fear, and its two feet pushed against the floor, trying to retreat.

But there was already a wall behind it, leaving no room to retreat.

Seeing this, Lao San tiptoed and pressed the gun barrel against its head, snarling, "Now you’re scared, huh? Hit me one more time! Hit me one more time?! Huh?!"

"Do we still have kangaroos in Donghuang?"

Su Huan stepped forward a few steps in surprise.

"There’s some in the high-temperature zones over there, but this should be a zoo import that got out after the apocalypse,"

Shu Wei analyzed.

The kangaroo, seeing Su Huan approaching, backed away in a panic, and in its anxiety, one of its big feet kicked Lao San away.

The combat team members had faces contorted with suppressed laughter.

Su Huan’s mouth twitched; indeed, this kangaroo was the injured Tier One Evolution Beast he had sensed.

"How did you capture it?"

One of the soldiers immediately explained.

Perhaps due to severe injuries, the kangaroo hadn’t shown aggression, but the conductor might have come too close and got punched directly in the face. Lao San fell twice today, got furious, and wanted to regain his dignity.

Then there was the second time, and just now was the third.

Su Huan wanted to laugh but looked at the limping Lao San and held back as much as possible.

After all, in front of so many subordinates, he couldn’t hurt Lao San’s pride.

As for the kangaroo in front of him...

Su Huan pinched his chin, "Does this thing eat people?"

The combat team soldiers looked at each other, clueless; they usually just shot them directly before. This was the first time they faced a Tier One Evolution Beast so calmly.

Shu Wei explained, "After research, some Evolution Beasts still retain pre-apocalypse habits, can be approached, and some even still live with humans, but I can’t guarantee this one is like that."

"I see..."

Su Huan stared at the wary-eyed kangaroo in front of him.

After pondering, he extended a hand, gathering a faintly warm red glow in his palm.

Suddenly, a furry little head poked out from the kangaroo’s pouch, right into Su Huan’s palm, with eyes as wet and curious as a fawn’s.

It directly dispersed the red glow gathering in his palm.

Under Su Huan’s stunned gaze, it stuck out its tongue and licked his palm.

Everyone was taken aback by this unexpected scene.

The conductor’s mouth curled into a grin.

Whatever, it’s the apocalypse after all.

Raising two kangaroos isn’t so bad.

...

Elsewhere, a fat man watched as bullets grazed past his scalp, shattering the skylight.

He was as furious as a raging gopher.

"That bastard Hu Tieche, daring to provoke us alone—fight back! Fight back hard!"

The tires screeched against the ground, and the off-road vehicle roared ahead.

Soon, they saw a vague figure in the middle of the road ahead.

"Son of a bitch, trying to act big in front of me, run him over!"

The fat man’s face twisted increasingly into a ferocious expression, with a trace of apprehension hidden in his eyes.

The driver floored the gas pedal, and the off-road vehicle roared and charged forward.

As they got closer, the driver sensed something was off.

"Boss, that doesn’t seem like Hu Tieche..."

"If it’s not him, then who? There’s only one person alive in this damn Pingqiao Village!"

"It clearly looks like a child."

"Stop talking out of your ass; even if it’s a baby, I’ll run him over today!"

Just at the moment of collision, the driver suddenly found he couldn’t hear the sharp screeching of tires against the ground. Instinctively, he pressed the gas pedal a few more times, but even when he floored it, all he heard was the engine roaring as if it were idling.

Instinctively glancing at the rear-view mirror, he saw a terrifying sight.

The buildings were moving under the car.

Which meant—

The off-road vehicle was flying!

Soon, shrill screams erupted from inside the car.

Another off-road vehicle following closely behind saw the front car floating in mid-air. Without turning around, it hit reverse and frantically accelerated.

A nimble figure darted through the buildings on both sides, leaping across a distance of over ten meters with ease.

Clear golden eyes reflected the off-road vehicle below.

As the vehicle was about to turn its head, the mongoose leapt from the building over ten meters high.

Its back arched, and all four limbs landed almost on a single point, with its tail straight up, instantly channeling all its power into its claws as it hit the rooftop.

"Rip—"

The iron-roofed car tore open like a delivery box under the mongoose’s claws.

A man raised his gun but didn’t have time to pull the trigger before grabbing his wrist in pain and crouching down.

The driver turned around, glaring fiercely at the mongoose with vertical pupils, only to see those golden eyes glare back. The driver felt as if he were facing a vicious tiger, instantly turning pale as a sheet and unable to scream, his seat already soaked.

"Sister Cat, is it settled?"

A figure about 1.5 meters tall emerged from the dust, eyes like steel beads, holding a massive off-road vehicle aloft five meters above his head from an angle.

The mongoose hesitated.

Xiaoba thought she was worried about safety, so he vigorously shook the off-road vehicle.

Like a kid shaking a toy box.

The car clattered inside for a while before suddenly quieting down.

...

Ten minutes later, the conductor leaned back against a leather sofa, teasing a small kangaroo with one hand like it was a dog, eyeing the ten kneeling in front of him through narrowed eyes.

A giraffe on the side barked.

"Where are you from, and what are you doing here?"

The people instinctively glanced at the fat man beside them.

Su Huan disdainfully wiped the drool off his hand on the little one’s fur, "It’s just a question, no need for so much."

(I read two books in the past couple of days: one is Wang Pao’s "Forcing Me Up the Liangshan, Do You Have The Strength," one is Hua Hai Mei Kai’s "This is the Apocalypse," and another is Love Car’s Z’s "Power Minister Ximen Qing, Usurping the Red Chamber." If I say I’m gathering material, would you believe it?)