No Beating Passengers Without Cause

"Next are the various long-shelf-life items like biscuits, ham, and instant noodles, each with..."

"Just calculate how many days it will last for six people," Su Huan said indifferently.

"Excluding the canned goods and the rice, flour, and oil, if we stick to two meals a day, it will last for about seven months."

"What about the purified water reserves?"

"There are 120 cases of bottled water with 24 bottles per case, 23 barrels of water, and 842 bottles of various other drinks," Yu Yue detailed.

Su Huan calculated in his mind; these supplies alone were enough for the six-person team to live quite comfortably in the apocalypse.

Not to mention the large quantity of side dishes not yet counted in the reserves, which were scattered throughout the previous carriages.

But these supplies were merely for the transition period.

No one knew how many years the apocalypse would last; relying solely on stored food would eventually lead to exhaustion. Supplies would become increasingly difficult to find, so building a carriage farm was imperative.

When the time came, they would reasonably allocate the various carriages to create a circular resource system, as self-sufficiency via the Armed Train was the only way to go.

"Knock-knock-knock!"

A rhythmic knocking sound came from the carriage wall.

The group turned their gazes toward Su Huan in unison.

"You all continue organizing here. Remember to lock the door to Carriage 7—actually, just weld it shut. We can open it when we need to."

After giving his instructions, Su Huan walked toward Carriage 5.

He saw several passengers standing outside the window, sweating profusely and looking around with wary expressions.

Su Huan activated Pan-Energy Perception, and only after sensing nothing above his head or beneath his feet did he slide the window open.

A wave of hot air hit his face.

He said calmly, "What is it?"

A man spoke up, "We found the steel plates, but there are a lot of them, and there are zombies nearby. We can't bring them back without a vehicle."

Su Huan frowned. He did indeed need to prepare some tools. It was steel plates this time, but next time it might be a small water purifier; relying on manual labor was simply unreliable.

He would have to think of a way later.

But for now...

Su Huan said coldly, "Finding a vehicle is your business. I don't care what method you use; I only want the steel plates. If you can't bring them back, no one gets on the train."

He slammed the window shut.

The group looked helpless and had no choice but to head back to find a way to transport the steel plates.

Turning back, the storage room was mostly organized. Various metal cans were neatly arranged on black iron shelves like walls, radiating a heavy sense of satisfaction.

The group looked at him, "What happened?"

Su Huan rubbed his chin, "Perhaps we should build a crane."

Yu Jing agreed, "We could install it on the carriage to hoist the steel plates. Otherwise, it would be very difficult to lift them onto the roof by hand."

Liang Kuan asked, "Should we set out to look for one now?"

Su Huan was stunned, "Set out? Set out for what?"

Su Huan sighed, "Was the lesson the Blood Hound gave you yesterday not enough? It's already dangerous enough inside the train; anything could happen outside. Use your heads when making decisions—this is the apocalypse!"

"Yu Jing, go to my room and get a piece of paper. Write down that whoever brings back a crane arm will be granted three months of free train fare."

"Alright, while the others haven't returned yet, hurry up and build the shelves for the other carriages."

Su Huan ignored them and continued his work in Carriage 5.

The apocalypse was becoming increasingly dangerous.

Based on his survival experience from his past life, the best way to live was to keep a low profile.

Even if humans evolved quickly, could they really be faster than beasts?

In any case, he had made up his mind: until he evolved to the point where he could traverse the apocalypse at will, he would not go out unless necessary. Even if all the passengers in the back died, he didn't want to risk his life for trivial matters like scavenging for supplies.

The group continued their work. With the experience from Carriage 6, they were much faster.

Moreover, the other carriages didn't need to be completely dismantled.

They only needed to modify parts of them.

Although Su Huan occupied an entire carriage, Carriage 4 had eight soft sleepers in total. Yu Jing and her daughter shared one, and there was more than enough room for the others.

Carriage 5 had previously been used for storing miscellaneous items; now that it was cleared out, it could be converted into a medical carriage.

Before they finished, the afternoon had arrived, and the passengers had returned one after another.

Su Huan began his pleasant ticket-collecting time.

"Exchange your tickets."

A flatbed cart loaded with steel plates was pushed to the front of the train.

Su Huan looked up. The man before him had a voice as rough as his appearance, and standing beside him was a young man with a large tattoo on his face, his eyes shifting and lecherous, constantly trying to peek into the carriage behind Su Huan.

He had a deep impression of this group of people; the large family that had stolen his supplies had left with them this morning.

Now, it seemed...

Su Huan narrowed his eyes, the corners of his mouth curling upward involuntarily. Of that boisterous, large family, only the old lady's youngest son remained. He no longer had his hands in his pockets, standing timidly in the back, sandwiched between several veteran passengers.

After watching the spectacle, his gaze returned to the steel plates.

"Eight steel plates, eight people, that's correct. But there are two newcomers, and newcomers require two plates each."

Su Huan pointed at the people in the back and said indifferently.

The tattooed youth sneered, "That's right, there are seven people. That one doesn't count; the extra steel plate is for his wife."

Hearing this, the kid behind him immediately shrieked, "Brother Dog, you said if I let my dad lure the zombies away, you'd give me a spot! What are you doing now..."

"Bang."

A passenger standing next to him gave him a heavy blow.

The dull thud of fists hitting flesh made Su Huan's ears heat up, and he said with a straight face, "No unprovoked beating of passengers, alright?"

The tattooed youth turned his head and chuckled, "Isn't the spot for your wife? You're a grown man, are you going to fight your wife for it? Why don't you just go find two more steel plates yourself? There are plenty in that steel mill."

The kid who had been beaten was pinned there by the others, his mouth covered, his eyes burning red with rage.

The burly man frowned and barked, "Little Ghost, Brother Su is talking to you."

The tattooed youth hurriedly turned around, feigning a slap to his own mouth, and pulled a pack of cigarettes from his pocket, gesturing to hand them to Su Huan, "Brother Su, I never went to school and don't know any better. Please don't hold it against me."

Su Huan looked at the two cigarettes in his hand with amusement. After a long moment, he extended two fingers, clamped directly onto the other's wrist, and converted his Pan-Energy into a high-voltage electrical output.

In an instant, the youth called Little Ghost's expression changed drastically; his muscles went rigid, and his clothes crackled with electricity.

Brother Dog and the others turned pale with fright, but they dared not step forward.

Su Huan simply took the entire pack of cigarettes from the other's hand before letting go.

He said indifferently that it was a small matter.

Little Ghost collapsed onto the ground, looking at Su Huan as if he had seen a ghost. His eyebrows were singed, his tongue was tied, and he couldn't utter a single word for a long time.

Su Huan tucked the cigarettes into his pack and checked the names off the roster for them, "Although I don't smoke, I quite enjoy collecting them. Remember to bring me a whole carton next time. Alright, those who have paid their fare can board the vehicle."

Brother Dog and the others dared not say a word; they hurriedly picked up Little Ghost and slunk onto the bus.

The woman looked at her fallen husband, gritted her teeth, and followed them onto the bus.