Chapter 1240 Long time no see
3 a.m., Xishui Railway Hub at the night market.
As the core artery for the allocation of supplies and the deployment of troops in the Central Plains Theater, this massive railway station has hardly stopped operating for a moment.
Even in the deepest darkness before dawn, the station was still bustling with activity.
Along several main tracks and dense side tracks, towering gantry cranes and crawler cranes hummed as they lifted and transferred standard containers or tightly secured heavy equipment from flatbed trucks.
Diesel forklifts and electric trailers shuttle back and forth on the flat cement ground, their headlights drawing busy streaks of light.
The searchlights illuminated the main work area brightly, and the steam, diesel exhaust, and night fog mixed together to form a hazy halo.
Thousands of surviving workers, dressed in uniform work clothes stained with oil and dust, worked efficiently and silently like worker ants under the command of their managers.
Their faces looked tired and numb under the bright light; only the occasional exchange of glances and their hushed conversations proved that they were not machines.
Just then, a clear announcement, slightly crackling with static, suddenly came from the loudspeakers throughout the station:
"Attention everyone! Attention everyone!"
"The train is about to enter the No. 3 special track. All relevant work units are requested to immediately cease operations and evacuate all personnel and equipment to the 30-meter safety zone on both sides of the track!"
"Repeat: Stop work immediately and evacuate to the safe area! Time limit: 20 minutes!"
...
The broadcast was repeated three times, instantly disrupting the previously mechanical rhythm of work.
The workers began packing up their tools and guiding the vehicles away as ordered, but hushed discussions also spread like ripples on the water.
"Track 3? Isn't that specifically for parking VIP trains? Is another important person coming?"
"What time is it? Coming here at three in the morning, it must be something urgent."
"Could it be that new equipment has arrived? I heard the fighting is fierce at the night market, and they urgently need to replenish their supplies."
"Come on, are you new here?" A veteran worker, clearly with longer tenure, glanced sideways at the person who had just spoken while pushing a cart, his voice low and carrying a certain sense of superiority that came with knowing his job.
"If it's equipment or supplies, clearing the area ten minutes in advance is usually the best we can do, just in case they get bumped or damaged."
"Only really important people, when the stationmaster is worried that his subordinates might be clumsy or the scene might be messy and leave a bad impression on their superiors, will have the area cleared out a full twenty minutes in advance! This time is for us to clean up and tidy ourselves up!"
"Really? Such a big fuss?"
"Nonsense! I've been working here for almost a year, and I've only ever seen this kind of treatment—clearing the area in 20 minutes—a handful of times! The lowest-ranking people who come are either headquarters ministers or army commanders of main forces! They might even be... big shots from the theater command's standing committee!"
Upon hearing this, the surrounding workers showed expressions of awe mixed with curiosity, and their movements became more cautious. They would occasionally glance towards the entrance of track number 3, as if what was about to enter was not a train, but some invisible force that could determine their fate.
Twenty minutes passed in tense waiting and an increasingly quiet station.
The area on both sides of track 3 has been completely cleared, not even a scrap of paper can be seen. Only the faint sounds of loading and unloading can still be heard from other tracks in the distance, which further emphasizes the quietness of the area.
At that moment, someone was already waiting at the designated stop in carriage number 1—Senior Colonel Zhou Guihong, the director of the theater secretariat, who was forced to work overtime!
At this moment, he stood upright like a pine tree, quietly standing in the brightest and quietest part of the platform, wearing a dark green army uniform that was pressed without a single wrinkle, and the senior colonel's star on his shoulder reflected a cold light under the lamp.
His face was devoid of any superfluous expression; to outsiders, it conveyed a calm, unapproachable, and unfathomable depth, like that of a high-ranking official in a government agency. But only he knew that this was the numbness that came from working himself to the bone like a dog...
Half a step behind him stood two bodyguards from the theater guard regiment, silent as two lifeless statues.
The stationmaster of Xishui Railway Station, a man in his fifties with graying hair, wearing a railway system uniform, was slightly hunched over, carefully standing half a step behind Zhou Guihong.
He wore a respectful smile, but fine beads of sweat were faintly visible on his forehead.
Zhou Guihong would occasionally ask a question or two about train scheduling or station safety, her voice low and her tone flat.
The station manager treated the entire process as if he were taking an exam, daring not to delay or elaborate in the slightest.
So much so that most of the time, only the stationmaster's low-pitched reports and Zhou Guihong's brief "hmm" and "I know" echoed softly on the silent platform.
The lights cast long shadows that intertwined with the shadows of the platform.
The faint commotion from the distant station seemed to be isolated by an invisible barrier, leaving only a heavy atmosphere permeating the air, a mixture of power, waiting, and the unknown.
...
Woo——! ! !
Suddenly, a deeper, more resonant whistle, unlike that of ordinary freight locomotives, rang out, and a roar like that of a giant beast abruptly ripped through the silence of the early morning, growing louder as it approached!
Immediately afterwards, two dazzling beams of light, seemingly capable of piercing through all darkness, shot out from behind the bend at the end of the track, tearing through the night sky!
Under the watchful eyes of countless people, some open and some hidden, a special train covered in thick, gray-green armor, with jagged lines, resembling a mobile steel fortress, slowly slowed down like a prehistoric behemoth emerging from the abyss, and entered the platform area with a heavy rumble as it crushed the rails and a sharp screech of metal scraping against metal.
As soon as the menacing front of the armored vehicle was fully exposed to the platform lights, the old worker couldn't help but gasp and whisper to the person next to him:
"Look! This is it! A special train for deputy theater command level or above! The locomotive is equipped with armor and a weapons station! I've seen something similar before! You can't mistake it!"
His words were like a final confirmation, silencing all the workers who had been secretly peeking around. They lowered their heads and worked even harder on the tools or goods that were already arranged in front of them, even holding their breath, for fear of attracting the slightest attention from any important figure in that steel behemoth.
呲——
About two minutes later, the heavy screech of brakes finally subsided, along with the hem of Zhou Guihong's casual clothes that had been lifted by the airflow. He raised his hand and gently adjusted his glasses, his numb face instantly transforming into a warm smile.
buzz-
The heavy armored vehicle doors slid slowly to one side.
The next second, a tall figure stepped out impatiently!
"Damn it, Gui Hong, long time no see!!!"
