Chapter 991: Grain, Hard to Get and Hard to Eat, and the Showdown

It takes only three days to traverse from the Jiede Republic to the territory of Lapa, north to south.

In recent years, the Jiede Republic has been building railways—not only within its own borders, but also actively extending its network into other countries.

As long as a country does not strongly oppose, they incorporate it into their railway system.

Some say they have ulterior motives: once the railways are operational, their army can reach any point on the continent in a very short time.

But others don’t care much, especially the poorest nations, who have little left to lose.

In fact, they hope the Jiede Republic will invade them—so they can surrender from top to bottom, and perhaps live better than they do now.

Fewer people refuse to let them build railways; anyone who stands up to oppose seems to stand against everyone, so the railway networks of eleven nations are now linked.

The source is the Jiede Republic’s “Central Station,” a massive terminus even larger than some stations in the Federation.

This enormous project used surprisingly little money, because human life here is extremely cheap.

The core, the foundation of “value,” is human beings.

With many people and low cost, construction expenses are naturally low.

This is why every project that seems massive to Federation citizens can be completed here.

As long as food and lodging are provided, plus a small monthly payment—five Federation Sol’s worth of local currency—people line up to work, and some even work for free.

The entire Yalan region has hundreds of millions of people; everything is scarce here, except people.

Some refuse to work, but others fight to take the jobs.

Railways, and related jobs, became one of the most respectable occupations in the Yalan region for a time.

Whether section chief or ordinary railway worker, once they put on their uniforms—even the coarse, dull-blue cotton uniforms of laborers—they radiated a different aura.

Not to mention the train conductor.

After washing and grooming, the conductor entered the cab, where the operator was already waiting.

“Good morning.”

All operators in the cab bowed deeply. “Good morning, sir.”

“Are the boys ready?” The conductor took his seat.

Steam locomotives require no real driving skill—they’re not like cars or horse-drawn carts, which need steering and some finesse.

The train driver’s only real task is to control speed: make it go faster, or stop it entirely.

Occasionally blowing the whistle is also part of the job, but it’s optional.

All operators confirmed readiness; the conductor pulled the whistle. The sound was loud, yet he could tell it wasn’t truly “penetrating.”

The boiler hadn’t fully heated; pressure was still insufficient—but enough.

With the whistle’s blast, the train began to move slowly.

At first, very slowly—

“Huuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuch”

Slower than a pedestrian’s walk.

But as more air channels opened in the boiler and the fire intensified, speed increased—

“Huuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuch”

“Huuuuuuuuuuuuuch”

“Huuuuuch”

“Huch”

“Huch-huch-huch”

“Huch-huch-huch-huch-huch”

Speed kept rising; wind rushed through the window. The conductor left only a narrow slit, then pulled out a novel from his pocket.

There was enough space; he glanced at the map, then focused on the book.

Reading novels was his favorite activity during train rides.

It killed time, gave him useless knowledge, and filled the day.

In recent years, the Jiede Republic has developed at breakneck speed—it is now the strongest, wealthiest nation in the entire Yalan region, without exception.

All of this stems directly from a series of policies enacted by the president’s cabinet.

Markets have become more open and free; private capital has sprouted, filling the Jiede Republic with vibrant energy!

Like spring bursting with life just before summer arrives!

Every Jiede citizen knows they stand at the forefront of their age, moving firmly toward something great!

This daily improvement in life has utterly captivated them, making them addicted.

They feel honored—honored to be part of the backdrop to a great era, even if only as background!

Public sentiment and morale within the Jiede Republic are pure and unified; perhaps this is why they’ve created miracles on this land of both wealth and poverty!

The train clattered steadily along the rails, now entering Lapa’s territory; the conductor slowed slightly.

He had once encountered locals who stole railway tracks to sell for money.

Later, under the president’s orders, they executed wave after wave of them—finally stopping the trend.

This is actually typical of Yalan: “basic human rights” simply don’t exist.

Whether the track thief, the fence, or the buyer of finished steel ingots—all their families vanish together, returning to God’s embrace.

After several brutal crackdowns, the trend stopped instantly.

Though bloody and cruel, it worked.

From skepticism to understanding to acceptance—this requires neither long time nor many events.

Now they had left the desolate areas and entered Lapa’s heartland; people lived nearby. The conductor had been here before.

Some who had never seen a train chased after it, making him smile, yet also feel uneasy.

To warn them not to stand on the tracks, he diligently pulled the whistle several times—alerting unseen people nearby that a train was coming.

Pedro had arrived at the designated spot with his group and waited over an hour, yet still saw no “aid” from Mr. Andy.

He could endure it, but some of those who came with him were growing impatient.

After over an hour with no sign, they suspected they’d been tricked by the Federation man.

If Pedro hadn’t held some authority, they’d have left already.

Just as some were about to voice complaints to test Pedro’s patience, a whistle echoed from the jungle.

Everyone’s attention snapped toward the sound.

As the conductor knew well, not everyone here had seen a train—or heard a whistle.

People instinctively feared the unknown; some leapt to their feet, turned toward the whistle, and retreated rapidly.

Others retreated while asking, “What’s making that noise?”

“A monster?”

Pedro had seen trains—he’d seen them in the Jiede Republic, and even the “Miracle Station.”

“Don’t panic. It’s a train.”

After saying this, he froze, then realized what Mr. Andy meant by “food aid.”

These Federation people are more cunning and ruthless than he imagined!

If they took this food, they could never again stand with the Lapa government.

Because this food was Jiede’s aid to Lapa—in a sense, it belonged to the Lapa government itself!

They stole the Lapa government’s food and still expect to remain aligned with it?

If Diego found out, he’d send troops to crush them immediately.

But not take it?

So many starving people in the camp are waiting for food.

It’s easy to refuse—but what happens to them?

Remember, hunger isn’t just an empty stomach!

Prolonged hunger leads to organ failure—they won’t live long.

Those elderly who eat daily yet keep dying.

Those young people who eat every day but grow dizzy and heart-raced from the slightest exertion—this is hunger’s doing.

Without this food, they’ll slowly, painfully die.

While others still gawked at the train, Pedro’s face showed only resignation.

Two minutes later, the “huch-huch” of the train grew louder, approaching.

As Pedro pondered when Andy’s men would strike, an explosion shattered his thoughts—then gunfire erupted across the jungle.

The jungle buzzed briefly—then fell quiet.

Most edible animals had already been hunted out.

The firefight lasted less than ten minutes; then he heard vehicles leaving, followed by a loudspeaker’s announcement—

“Food is on the train. Whoever grabs it first, owns it.”

Pedro froze, then surged forward, snatching a large cloth sack and sprinting toward the train.

That announcement meant others were waiting to harvest too—not just his group.

Seeing Pedro move, the others followed. They’d adapted to jungle life; running and leaping posed no problem.

And having barely eaten enough to stay half-full, they had little fat—each one was lean and agile.

Aside from heavy breathing, they could pass as athletes!

After crossing the jungle ahead, they saw the raised railbed, the derailed locomotive, and the first two carriages.

Pedro glanced at the exploded railway tracks; he vaguely understood how the Federals had done it, and he also spotted another group of people.

And the leader of that group—he knew him.

They had been classmates at Lans’s seminar; when they met again after one or two months, both Pedro and the man across from him felt complex emotions.

There was joy.

It proved they were not alone on this path.

What humans fear most is loneliness; once alone, they descend into self-consumption, begin doubting themselves, doubting everything, and ultimately head toward destruction or utter silence.

Not being alone matters greatly to humans.

So they felt joy.

But after joy came caution, vigilance.

This was a path destined to be lonely; by walking it without hesitation, they accepted greater pain and torment than others would endure!

They also had to face many things they might have considered—or hadn’t considered at all.

Such as conspiracies, deception, betrayal… all manner of terrible things.

Human relationships would grow complicated; many couldn’t even trust their own blood relatives, let alone strangers who had merely spent seven days together.

The initial smiles on their faces faded quickly; they exchanged two glances, then sprinted toward the nearest carriage.

Soon, they realized they weren’t the only ones—more people were around them.

Pedro and his group shoved open a train car door; a torrent of grain spilled out, burying several people standing below.

Pedro froze for a moment, then quickly organized people to dig out the unlucky few.

Their faces showed no fear or displeasure—only astonishment!

“It’s wheat berries!”

“We have food!”

Pedro nodded, unslung his sack from his waist, and began frantically filling it; others did the same.

Some grabbed handfuls of wheat berries and shoved them into their mouths, chewing slowly, their faces lit with smiles and tears of happiness!

These wheat berries had not been hulled; this was, in fact, a “yang strategy.”

Is it food or not?

Is it enough to count as rations?

Pedro’s large sack filled quickly; he looked up at the grain pile, barely diminished, and a faint joy stirred in his heart.

With this much food, everything would improve.

They had made plans and estimates beforehand, expecting only modest supplies—but they hadn’t imagined so much!

Everyone was silently filling their sacks; the conflict Pedro feared never occurred—no one wasted time fighting over loot.

He stared at the long train and realized that with just their group, they could never carry away all this grain.

Few had yet realized the origin of this grain; Pedro said nothing. He noticed his colleague might have figured it out too, but the man said nothing either, and asked no questions.

Discussing this now would only slow their grain collection; better to wait until everything settled.

As more carriage doors were opened, even more grain spilled onto the ground…

“We can make another trip!”

His colleague, the high school teacher, wore uncontainable joy on his face: “There’s too much grain! I noticed some people brought wheelbarrows—we need to get some too!”

Pedro glanced at the train and nodded. “Let’s go back together.”

His colleague hesitated, glancing back at the mountain of grain piled near the train. “What about all this grain…”

Pedro slung his load onto his back, testing its weight. “This grain won’t be carried off by sacks alone. We go back now—and mobilize everyone.”

He met his colleague’s gaze; they had worked together for over a decade, and in an instant, they understood each other’s thoughts.

It was a silent understanding. His colleague didn’t object further—he supported it.

The group hurried off, carrying grain, unleashing strength none of them had imagined possible—this should have been exhausting labor.

Pedro carried at least seventy or eighty pounds on his back, yet at that moment, he felt no weight at all!

Their camp was a distance away; without load, it took over an hour to walk.

With heavy burdens, it took three hours to return to camp.

When people saw them return with so much grain, their faces lit up with astonishment.

But soon, Pedro stood in the center of camp and told them: more grain awaited them—he demanded everyone take tools and bring back even more!

Everyone who could walk—elderly, women, children—go!

“Is it really necessary to rush?” his colleague asked, catching his breath as he walked over.

Pedro drank some water; the cold water cooled his overheated body.

He looked at his colleague. “Don’t tell me you don’t know where this grain came from.”

He glanced around, confirmed no one was nearby, then added: “Don’t treat me like a fool. I read the newspapers—this food came from the Jide Republic’s aid.”

Pedro nodded. “So you think Diego and his men will pretend not to notice this train suddenly going silent?”

“I don’t know what deals they’ve made, but I know this trainload of grain is worth a fortune. By dinnertime—if it hasn’t reached Zhuolan—Diego will send men to search along the route!”

“This much grain looks like a lot, but if we don’t give everything we’ve got, there won’t be much left for us.”

“Each round trip takes at least five hours. How many trips can we make?”

He watched as people were already mobilized, patted his colleague’s back, and went to guide them on how to make tools.

Yes—transport tools.

Elderly people, women, children couldn’t possibly carry seventy-pound loads.

But if the tools were well-made, they could easily push seventy, even hundreds of pounds.

That was the greatest difference between humans and animals.

Humans didn’t just use tools—they made them themselves.

But he encountered a small problem.

Several parents of students objected to him dismantling tents they’d spent long hours building, just to make transport tools.

They’d worked so hard to set them up—now tearing them down meant all that effort was wasted, didn’t it?

Seeing their fierce opposition, Pedro hesitated, then decided to reveal the truth…

(End of Chapter)