Armed Train in the Apocalypse-Chapter 399 - 264: Request

The old man’s husky voice sounded like a collapsing building, crashing down with earth and stones, heavy as it hit the ground.

Echoing with a rumbling sound.

"Does Tieshan cry too?"

Su Huan’s voice carried a hint of simple confusion.

Noticing something was off, Qi Zhenbang stopped what he was doing and walked over.

A few officers, like Mountain Goat, quietly gathered around.

Seeing Iron Old Man’s expression, Qi Zhenbang’s face changed, and he exclaimed, "Dad!"

In an instant, the strain in Qi Zhenbang’s mind snapped, and he suddenly looked up at the conductor standing opposite Iron Old Man.

But before he could speak, a big hand pressed down on his head.

With Qi Zhenbang’s strength, he could easily break free, but realizing it was Iron Old Man’s hand, Qi Zhenbang hesitated for a moment, then was held down, bending lower and lower in a daze.

Iron Old Man’s straight back also bent down.

Mountain Goat and the others, approaching from behind, were startled and instinctively avoided the bent-over old man.

Su Huan’s eyes were like an ancient well at night, the pitch-black surface reflecting the old man’s graying head.

The hair bristles stood like needles, but they were white to the point of being almost translucent.

"The organization is in trouble, but I’m old and useless. My grandson is not promising, but luckily I still have a few sons."

"I’m begging you to take him over and deliver him to the organization."

"As long as you grant me this request, I’ll stay on the train and work for you until I die. When you grow tired of my old bones, just find a place to throw me off the train."

Giraffe’s fists unknowingly clenched tightly, his face taut with fear that something embarrassing might spill, until he couldn’t hold back anymore. Turning his head away, he saw Bai Lu’s eyes turning red at some point, with large silent tears rolling down.

On the other side, Mountain Goat’s hand subconsciously lifted several times, only to be silently put down again.

Only Qu Hang saluted openly and then turned to leave.

The mist in Su Huan’s eyes still hadn’t cleared.

His brows furrowed with evident confusion.

Iron Old Man was not a stubborn person, but he was a determined one.

He couldn’t understand why there was something so solid inside this aged body.

Like a steel bar, unbendable and unbreakable.

So he idly attempted to bend it, to see if it was truly solid or just falsely tough.

It’s not like he couldn’t bend a steel bar.

Much less a steel bar weathered by storms, with years having long worn away the patterns on it, leaving only a lingering decay.

But such a solid steel bar hadn’t been bent today, yet it bent on its own.

The unexpected bending left him perplexed.

As if something heavier was pressing on its spine, bending this old man.

Su Huan withdrew the note from the old man’s hand, looking at the cloudy tear stains on it, and slipped it into his journal.

His tone was so calm it seemed almost cold.

"Who is Yang Cunyi?"

The old man slowly stood up, with a hint of remembrance on his face, "He should be a general by now. He knows I can’t understand high-tech stuff, so he writes me a letter every year. I wouldn’t mistake his handwriting."

"An active-duty general, right?"

"Yes."

Finding a specific person is good.

As for the father and son in front of him, they were a bit tricky to deal with.

When facing thorny problems or issues he didn’t know how to handle, Su Huan tended to translate them into a familiar mode.

He raised a finger and calmly said, "First, you, your son, and your whole family were saved by me. Working for me is a debt you owe."

"Second, where the train should go and who it should help is a decision only the conductor can make."

"So your request is essentially using my things to trade with me, and the trade is not established."

"However, your son can board the train, and I will look for Yang Cunyi. Since you provided crucial information, you’ll get a five-thousand-point reward. When you get on, go to Old Hu to collect it."

Su Huan’s words made Iron Old Man’s heart sink deeper, but after hearing the last sentence, it suddenly lifted again.

The tears in his eyes hadn’t completely faded, replaced by a complex mix of emotions.

He whispered a thank you.

Qi Zhenbang beside him was utterly baffled.

He didn’t know what was going on, yet his dad had just sold him out with his head pressed down. Before he could digest all this fragmented information, he heard his dad say thank you!

His dad, who was usually as tough as iron, actually said thank you!

In all his decades of life, he had never heard it before.

Usually, when the old man asked comrades for favors, he used a commanding tone. Never had the old man lowered his face to say thank you.

It’s truly a sight to behold in broad daylight.

"Go work."

"Alright!"

Iron Old Man responded crisp and clear.

He wiped his face and led the puzzled Qi Zhenbang off to work.

For him, working was much more comfortable than asking for favors.

Though he had obtained crucial information, Su Huan still felt a bit irritated.

There was something about Iron Old Man he couldn’t understand.

No, to be accurate, most people had something he couldn’t understand.

Like Xiaoba taking in orphans, Yu Yue protecting Yu Jing, Wan Xing’s instinctive care for Xiaoba, Mongoose demanding He Jie apologize, He Jie refusing Qu Hang to interact with his daughter... these people felt like they were connected by an invisible thread, but he had none.

So he always felt out of place.

He categorized it as blood ties or something akin to emotions.

The military was in trouble, what did it have to do with Iron Old Man, and why did he hand over his son to them?

All because he served in the army before?

Su Huan coldly glanced at the officers gathering around.