Evolutionists

That wasn't just for Wan Xing. It was for everyone in the carriage.

Qi Xiaoba, sitting beside her, showed no reaction.

He had a feeling Su Huan wasn't as simple as he seemed.

But you had to know how to repay a kindness.

Wan Xing froze for a moment, then pressed her lips together. "All right."

Only then did Su Huan smile with satisfaction.

He liked them obedient.

The team was already much further along than he'd expected.

One careless flap of his wings had changed a lot of things.

The steel dragon groaned softly along the tracks as the last of the twilight was crushed beneath its wheels.

The Armed Train quietly left Wen'an City, heading for a steel mill thirty kilometers away.

Light filtered through the iron casing like a melting sugar cube, casting a warm yellow glow across the blood-rusted windows.

Su Huan's pen scratched across his notebook, checking off "track repairs" and "material collection."

Those were some of the key requirements for the Armed Train that he'd listed earlier.

He closed the notebook and watched the darkness deepen outside the window. Then he pulled the curtains shut.

In the night, anything that glowed was either prey or bait.

Yu Yue turned the luncheon meat in the frying pan with a steel fork. The sizzling oil spat and crackled.

Qi Xiaoba asked quietly from beside her, "Sister Xingzi, is your hand better?"

Seeing the worry in Xiao Ba's eyes, Wan Xing remembered that a zombie had bitten her arm earlier.

She rolled up her sleeve. A thin scar ran along her fair forearm, and the shallow bite marks were almost hidden beneath the scab.

"It healed so quickly. Looks like evolution promotes cell growth," Yu Jing said in surprise.

"Evolution enhances an Evolutionist's physical abilities across the board, but physical strengthening is the Defender's domain. The Collector's traits don't work that way."

As he spoke, Su Huan unceremoniously picked up a sizzling piece of luncheon meat and popped it into his mouth.

The savory meat and just-right saltiness filled his mouth. Su Huan felt as though his energy was recovering three times faster.

"Collector... Didn't you also mention Visual Analysis just now?" Yu Jing asked thoughtfully.

"More precisely, Level 1 Visual Analysis. Wan Xing, tell us how it feels," Su Huan said.

The light vanished from Wan Xing's eyes again, leaving them dark and distinctly black and white. She looked a little dazed. After thinking for a moment, she said, "When energy flows into my eyes, the world turns dark gray, and then some points of light appear. But right now, I can't touch most of them."

"That's because you haven't learned Advanced Decomposition yet. Once you do, you'll be able to break down most common objects."

"It's a skill?"

"You could put it that way. Evolutionists can develop skills through special training, then combine different skills to form a class."

As if something had just occurred to him, Su Huan tapped his forehead twice with two fingers.

"Yu Jing, have Liang Kuan find a place to stop the train. We'll spend the night here. And have him drag over that Blood Hound's corpse while he's at it."

"Okay."

Ten minutes later, the train entered an unknown little tunnel.

It shuddered slightly, then came to a stop.

Liang Kuan climbed out of the engine, too.

"Just bring it to car number two."

Liang Kuan acknowledged him. Before long, he came back carrying the Blood Hound, still dripping with blood.

Su Huan had already told several people to spread a plastic sheet over the carpet in the observation car.

"Thud!"

Liang Kuan dropped the Blood Hound, making the carriage tremble slightly.

Yu Jing made a quick estimate and secretly marveled. The Blood Hound didn't look big, but it weighed as much as a lean domestic pig.

Wan Xing stared at the corpse on the ground and suddenly exclaimed, "I think I can touch this point of light."

"Then give it a try."

Su Huan pondered to himself.

With a Decomposer on the team, their progress in evolution would speed up considerably.

They could also accelerate or pursue several related plans at the same time.

Twenty minutes later.

Everyone watched with curiosity as Wan Xing held up a transparent crystal no bigger than a fingernail.

"This is a Pan-Energy Crystal. Training with one is faster than training by touching a zombie, and it's safer, too. Zombies that haven't evolved yet—the ones still in the Zombie Embryo stage—can probably only yield half this amount," Su Huan explained.

"Collector... So that's what it means. They can gather Pan-Energy from other living things," Yu Jing said, suddenly understanding.

Su Huan stretched. "There are five types of Evolutionists. We already have three of them here."

When everyone looked at him, Qi Xiaoba simply said, "I can control metal, but I don't know what type that makes me."

"Manipulator," Su Huan answered calmly.

"The five types are Energy Provider, Manipulator, Collector, Crafter, and Defender."

Ignoring the complicated looks on their faces, Su Huan continued.

"Energy Providers produce energy and convert it into different forms to power machinery and electronics."

"Collectors can gather Pan-Energy from zombies, plants, and mutated beasts, turning it into crystals that are easy to carry and absorb. They can also collect certain materials unique to the apocalypse."

"Manipulators can control a certain element. A Metal Manipulator, for instance, can control metal."

"Crafters can use the Pan-Energy in their bodies to erode matter, changing its physical properties and making fine adjustments."

"Defenders have a 'Combat Factor' that lets them rapidly improve their abilities through battle."

"The traits of each type of Evolutionist are unique, even after multiple advancements."

Since he was worried they might not understand, Su Huan had only given them a general overview of the different types of Evolutionists.

In reality, there was far more to know. The class serums, training methods, and evolution paths developed by different factions were incredibly complex.

Su Huan had heard of dozens of paths alone.

Any one piece of information could create a top-tier powerhouse. But those were precious assets, and he couldn't just give them away.

I should find time to write them down and calculate the timing. Maybe I can intercept a couple of those opportunities.

A thoughtful look appeared in Su Huan's eyes.

"What are we supposed to do next?" Qi Xiaoba suddenly asked.

"Do you mean our long-term goal or what we should do right now?"

"Both."

"Our long-term goal is to arm the Mobile Fortress beneath our feet and stay alive. You saw those beasts today. We can't take them down barehanded, and even Evolutionists need time to grow... As for the short-term goal, we eat and sleep. What about you?"

Su Huan turned the question back on him.

For the first time, a trace of bewilderment befitting his age appeared on the boy's composed face. "The director's dead, the orphanage is gone. I don't know."

"Then do you trust me?" Su Huan asked seriously, his smile fading.

Qi Xiaoba looked into Su Huan's cold eyes. His instincts told him Su Huan wasn't a good person.

But the director had told him:

You had to repay a kindness, and you had to keep your word.

"I trust you."