Chapter 77: Return to Calais

Food and water had been replenished, but there was no place to store the anti-aircraft gun that had been hauled back by the off-road vehicle. The cargo compartment of the transport vehicle had a ceiling support structure, preventing the anti-aircraft gun from being directly placed at the rear of the vehicle, which would block access to the vehicle's rear door. Now, they couldn't even fit the off-road vehicle back into the compartment, let alone with the anti-aircraft gun blocking the way.

"We could attach another flatbed car to the front of the train," Lambert said, his hands on his hips as he looked at the train. "This way, we can load the anti-aircraft gun and also protect the front of the train."

Shao Ming looked at the front of the train. The flatbed car was lower than expected, so they wouldn't have to worry about metal panels sticking out and blocking the connection.

"Alright, let's go look for one," Shao Ming said. "With Amiens being this large and empty, there's bound to be a cargo train around here somewhere."

The two of them drove the off-road vehicle to the train station in Amiens, guided by the map. After passing two stations, they finally found a cargo train with a flatbed car attached. They spent a considerable amount of time moving it, but a new problem arose.

The flatbed car was too high for the anti-aircraft gun to be directly loaded onto it. So, they had to move both the train and the anti-aircraft gun to a nearby freight warehouse. Using the warehouse's platform, which was about the same height as the flatbed, they finally managed to get the anti-aircraft gun onto the flatbed car with the help of the off-road vehicle.

However, another issue surfaced. The anti-aircraft gun, when fully deployed, was too wide for the flatbed car, extending far beyond the sides.

Shao Ming walked around the gun, muttering to himself, "I think we need to bring Asgi in for this."

"Bring him out?" Lambert asked. "In his current state…"

Shao Ming pointed at the anti-aircraft gun and asked, "Can you make sense of this thing?"

"Hell no," Yamada Ryo interjected quickly, "Asgi will be fine."

Lambert looked at the two of them but said nothing more.

"What's going on, guys?" Asgi appeared, supported by Yamada Ryo and Shao Ming. As soon as he saw the anti-aircraft gun on the flatbed, his eyes widened. "Wow, this is a good find! Where did you get it?"

"From your old outpost," Shao Ming replied. "They took all the weapons but left this behind."

"This isn't easy to move," Asgi said, limping over to the gun. "A six- or seven-ton cannon. But these big boxes on the sides can be removed."

He pointed at the two large boxes on the gun. "These contain the automatic loading system and fire control system. There's no need to keep them. We can strip these off. All we need is a basic sight for targeting."

"Are you sure you don't want the automatic loader?" Shao Ming quickly asked.

Asgi glanced at the ammo piled nearby and shook his head. "With this little ammo, there's no need for the automatic system. Besides, these are just extra magazines for quick ammo swapping."

He then asked, "You guys brought this thing back in this condition?"

"Yeah," Shao Ming nodded. "I figured the two wheels could be put down."

"Impressive," Asgi muttered as he began to examine the gun more closely. "Though I've never used this model before. This isn't the kind of weapon our unit was assigned."

Shao Ming noticed Lambert standing behind Asgi, his gun slightly raised.

"Take it easy," Shao Ming said quickly, stepping toward Lambert and pushing the gun down. "Do you really think he's turning into one of them?"

Asgi turned around and asked, "You got a screwdriver?"

Shao Ming quickly released Lambert's gun, patting his shoulder and saying, "Screwdriver, go grab the screwdriver."

Lambert gave Shao Ming a look, then nodded and went off.

After receiving the tools from Lambert, Asgi worked for a while and finally managed to strip off the oversized parts. Now, the anti-aircraft gun, reduced to just the main cannon body, fit perfectly on the flatbed.

With Lambert's newly acquired welding gun, the anti-aircraft gun was secured at the front of the flatbed.

Shao Ming patted the 35mm barrel, a smile spreading across his face.

"If only we could make this thing remote-controlled," Shao Ming said. "It's still a bit of a hassle."

"It would be better to secure the stabilizers as well," Asgi added. "I'm not sure if the train can withstand the vibrations when this thing starts firing."

The group searched the nearby construction site and found some iron plates and heavy materials. With Lambert's welding, they managed to further reinforce the anti-aircraft gun's position.

"Perfect," Lambert said as he took off his welding mask. "Anything else we need to add? We still have some time before the zombies return home."

"I have an idea," Feng Yusheng suddenly spoke up. "Since the flatbed is still half-empty, I noticed some extra iron plates at the construction site. How about we build a small garden?"

A garden? Shao Ming thought of the sprouting potatoes they had, and the idea of growing crops on the train didn't seem entirely impossible.

"Is that feasible?" Shao Ming asked. "Considering the train's environment?"

Feng Yusheng nodded. "I think it's pretty similar to growing things in the ground... well, kind of."

"We brought back a lot of seeds," Yamada Ryo said. "We can give it a try."

"I agree," Lambert raised his hand.

And so, they quickly set to work again, using iron plates to awkwardly build a makeshift garden on the flatbed.

After dinner, the modifications to the flatbed were finally complete. Now, in addition to the original train head, passenger carriages, and the transport vehicle's cargo compartments, they had added a flatbed at the front, complete with an anti-aircraft gun and a small garden.

Once Asgi finished his work, he went back to the driver's cabin and closed himself in. Shao Ming felt that the chance of him mutating was now very low. After all, it had been a full day and night, and Asgi's condition had improved significantly. There were no signs of infection in his wounds, no fever, and he wasn't delirious. Plus, his appetite was still healthy, so they gave him more canned food.

But just to be safe, Asgi still kept himself locked in the cabin.

Gordon seemed particularly interested in the newly built garden. He ran over to the seeds Yamada Ryo and Feng Yusheng had just planted and squatted down, lifting a leg.

"Hey!" Feng Yusheng quickly scolded Gordon. "This is not your toilet!"

Everyone laughed, and Shao Ming added with a grin, "Hey, why not? Consider it organic fertilizer."

After a night's rest, except for Lambert and Asgi, Shao Ming took the two girls back into the city to collect another round of supplies.

At the Amiens station, Lambert used the railroad tracks to turn the train around and headed back the way they came.

The dense buildings outside the window gradually disappeared, replaced by small, disconnected houses.

Since they had already passed through the area once, Lambert sped up on the return trip. By midday, they were approaching the entrance of the Channel Tunnel. Beyond that was Calais.

The train was finally heading back toward home.