Storage Carriage

A few wandering zombies suddenly turned their gaze toward the pitch-black tunnel, and having confirmed the source of the noise, they swarmed over in a pack.

The next moment, a massive steel behemoth roared out, plowing through the zombies and crushing them as if they were mere insects.

It did not even slow down, the only difference being a few fresh bloodstains on its plow blade.

The train gradually decelerated, coming to a halt on the crisscrossing tracks outside the steel mill.

There were quite a few other trains parked on either side, with zombies in various uniforms wandering through the gaps.

However, the overall density was not high.

The population was mostly concentrated in the city; these factory grounds only held workers who had been unable to return home when the apocalypse suddenly erupted.

"December 18th, early winter, temperature 26°C."

There were seven days left until the heatwave hit; everything was going according to plan.

Following the usual routine, Su Huan took Liang Kuan down to clear out a few zombies.

Then, he let the passengers behind them out. Today's special ticket was a steel plate; bringing back one counted as meeting the goal, and bringing back an extra one earned a free three-meal-a-day ration of hot boxed lunches.

After clearing the last passenger off the train, Su Huan gathered everyone in the dining car for a brief meeting.

And to eat breakfast while they were at it.

Breakfast was mashed potatoes with butter, just made by Yu Yue that morning, along with Spam sandwiches and canned yellow peaches.

After finishing the last drop of syrup from the can, Su Huan said, "It will be a while before they bring the steel plates back, and we shouldn't waste this time. Aside from your extraction tasks, Wan Xing, everyone else will help me organize the supplies on the train and build some shelves to categorize and store everything."

"We'll tear down all the partitions in the sixth carriage and convert it into a storage room to hold non-perishable food. Then, we'll build shelves in every carriage to store enough food for one person to last three months."

"Let's get to it now. Liang Kuan, go turn on the air conditioning in Carriage 6 first. From now on, keep it at a constant 22°C and don't turn it off."

"Yu Yue, wash the bowls first, then head over."

"The rest of you, follow me."

The group quickly sprang into action according to Su Huan's orders.

Although the team was small, everyone played their part, and most importantly, command was effortless; no one defied orders or acted behind his back.

This was what Su Huan was most satisfied with.

Bringing Yu Jing and Qi Xiaoba to Carriage 6, the moment Yu Jing saw the tools, her dull eyes began to sparkle.

Without waiting for Su Huan to speak, she twisted her long hair into a bun with both hands and began rummaging through the various sleeper compartments.

"This air pump is excellent, good stuff!"

"Finally, a power drill, and it's a professional-grade lithium drill with a torque ring."

"..."

It was the first time Qi Xiaoba had seen Yu Jing like this, and a look of great confusion flashed across his small face. How could one person's temperament change so drastically?

Su Huan curled his lip. "Don't mind her. You see if you can dismantle these obstructive partitions."

"Mm!"

Su Huan felt a faint ripple of Pan-Energy spread out from Qi Xiaoba.

The screws on the partition began to vibrate.

Soon, several "semi-melted" metal screws were pulled out and set aside.

Su Huan raised an eyebrow. "You can try to 'unscrew' them directly, or use more precise manipulation to reduce energy loss."

Qi Xiaoba froze for a moment, then stared at another screw, focusing his ability.

Soon, the screw was unscrewed.

"Is it like this? It really does save quite a bit of energy..."

Xiaoba gripped the armrests of his wheelchair.

"Right, keep going."

Su Huan shrugged.

Qi Xiaoba continued to dismantle the internal fixtures of the carriage, while Su Huan dismantled the non-metal panels nearby.

These lightweight materials could be kept for internal partitions; after all, the external armor was already heavy, and lightweight materials would reduce the burden on the train body.

For others, this work would be time-consuming, but for the two of them, it couldn't be easier.

Whenever they encountered integrated materials, Su Huan simply melted them with high heat.

Before long, the entire sixth carriage was opened up into one space.

"Su, the dismantling is just about done," Qi Xiaoba called out.

Yu Jing also walked over holding a power drill, eyeing the new space. "We have to consider weight distribution for the shelves so we don't crush the carriage frame."

Su Huan stood up, holding a seat, and scanned the open carriage. "First, melt the existing metal materials into steel bars. If it's not enough, we'll go to the back and dismantle some more. Yu Jing, you arrange the layout."

He paused, then suddenly added, "Remember to reserve space for the water and fuel tanks."

Yu Jing lifted her chin slightly, lost in thought. "How much space should we reserve for the water tanks?"

"Like the supplies, every carriage needs them. What's the maximum capacity?"

Yu Jing lowered her eyes, calculating silently. "Theoretically, a carriage could hold dozens of tons, but if we want to avoid affecting operations, ten tons is about the limit. Any more and the burden becomes too great."

"Ten tons..." Su Huan pondered for a moment. "We don't need that much. Storage remains the priority. Let's reserve space for four tons of water per carriage."

"And the fuel tanks?"

Yu Jing asked with professional rigor; every request this man made felt like he was replicating a predetermined result.

"Enough to support the flamethrowers."

Yu Jing grew excited, revealing her pretty little canine teeth. "Then fuel alone won't be enough. We'll need to add some more potent incendiary agents."

Following this, Yu Jing began directing the two men to start building the shelving units.

With Qi Xiaoba present, the most troublesome tasks—metal cutting and welding—were bypassed entirely.

Even scrap metal could be pinched and stretched by Xiaoba into a beautiful metal rod.

Just as they started, Liang Kuan and Yu Yue finished their tasks and joined in.

"A bit further to the side, yes, and higher. The middle of the rack needs to be easy to reach; there will be many small items, so cut more compartments..."

"Xiaoba, first seal that window in the back... running out?"

"There's plenty of metal in carriage number five. Go dismantle some more."

The group was spun around by her directions, while Su Huan found his own workload significantly lightened.

Watching the storage carriage take shape and seeing all the windows sealed shut, the sense of security in his heart was built up bit by bit.

Looking out, rows of metal shelves stretched directly to the ceiling, standing firmly in place even if the carriage vibrated.

Bright lights replaced the sunlight to illuminate the shelves.

The group tossed the debris out of the carriage. Liang Kuan brought over crates of canned food that were easy to store, while Yu Yue stood to the side with pen and paper, taking notes.

The woman recorded everything very seriously; this was the new job Su Huan had assigned her.

Warehouse manager.

Recording inventory levels and daily supply consumption.

Su Huan walked up behind her, frowned slightly at the wild, unrestrained handwriting in the notebook, and asked, "How much is there?"

Yu Yue jumped in surprise and quickly replied, "The most abundant items are various canned foods and fresh water, such as assorted meats, fruits, and grain cans. There are over three thousand cans in total."