No Beating Passengers Without Cause

"Then there are all kinds of long-lasting foods, like biscuits, ham, instant noodles, and so on. There are..."

"Just calculate how long the six of us can eat for." Su Huan said calmly.

"Not counting canned food, rice, flour, and cooking oil, if we eat two meals a day, we have enough for about seven months."

"What about our drinking water?"

"120 cases of bottled water, with 24 bottles per case, 23 jugs of water, and 842 bottles of various drinks," Yu Yue said carefully.

Su Huan quietly did the math. These supplies alone were enough to let their six-person group live quite comfortably in the apocalypse.

What was more, they hadn't counted the large quantities of side dishes stored in the first few train cars.

But these supplies were only meant to tide them over.

Nobody knew how many years the apocalypse would last. They couldn't live off their stockpile forever. Supplies would only get harder to find, so building farm cars was essential.

When the time came, they could allocate the cars sensibly and get their resources circulating. The best way forward was to become self-sufficient aboard the Armed Train.

"Knock, knock—knock!"

A rhythmic tapping sounded against the train car.

The others all turned to look at Su Huan.

"You guys sort things out here first. Remember to lock the door to car 7. Actually, just fuse it shut. We can open it again when we need to."

After giving his instructions, Su Huan headed for car 5.

Several passengers stood outside the window, drenched in sweat and warily scanning their surroundings.

Su Huan activated Pan-Energy Perception. Only after confirming that there was nothing above or below them did he open the window.

A wave of hot air rushed in.

"What is it?" he asked calmly.

A man said, "We found some steel plates, but there are a lot of them. There are zombies nearby, and we can't bring them back without a vehicle."

Su Huan frowned. They really did need to prepare some tools. This time it was steel plates; next time, it might be a small water purifier. Relying on people to carry everything was unreliable.

He would have to think of something later.

But for now...

"Finding a vehicle is your problem. I don't care what method you use. I want the steel plates. If you can't bring them back, none of you gets on the train."

He slammed the window shut.

The group had no choice but to head back and figure out how to transport the steel plates.

When he turned around, the storeroom was nearly organized. Canned goods of all kinds were neatly arranged on the black iron shelves, like one wall after another, their weight giving a deeply satisfying sense of security.

The others looked at him. "What happened?"

Su Huan rubbed his chin. "Maybe we should get a hoist."

Yu Jing agreed. "We can install it on the train car and lift the steel plates up. Otherwise, it'll be hard to hoist them onto the roof by hand."

Liang Kuan asked, "Are we heading out to look for one now?"

Su Huan stared at him. "Heading out? What are you talking about?"

Su Huan sighed. "Weren't yesterday's lessons from that Blood Hound enough for you? It's already this dangerous inside the train. Anything could happen out there. Think before you make a decision. This is the apocalypse!"

"Yu Jing, go to my room and get a sheet of paper. Write this down: anyone who brings back a hoist gets three months of free train travel."

"Right. While the others are still away, hurry up and build shelves for the other cars."

Su Huan left them to it and went back to car 5 to get to work.

The apocalypse was getting more and more dangerous.

Based on his survival experience in his past life, the best way to stay alive was to lie low.

No matter how fast humans evolved, could they really outpace beasts?

He had already made up his mind. Until he evolved enough to roam the apocalypse freely, he wasn't going out if he could help it. Even if all the other passengers died later on, he didn't want to risk his life over something as trivial as searching for supplies.

The others went back to work. With their experience in car 6, they made much faster progress this time.

Besides, they didn't need to strip the other cars completely.

They only needed to modify parts of them.

Although Su Huan had taken up an entire car, car 4 had eight soft-sleeper compartments. Yu Jing and her daughter were still sharing one, leaving more than enough room for everyone else.

Car 5 had previously been used to store odds and ends. Now that it had been cleared out, they could turn it into a medical car.

Before they finished, afternoon had already arrived, and the passengers began returning one after another.

Su Huan started his pleasant ticket-collecting routine again.

"Tickets."

A cart loaded with steel plates was pushed up to the train.

Su Huan looked up. The man in front of him looked as rough as his voice. Beside him stood a young man with extensive facial tattoos. His eyes roamed suggestively, constantly trying to peer into the train cars behind Su Huan.

Su Huan remembered this group well. The whole family that had stolen his supplies had gone with them that morning.

And now...

Su Huan narrowed his eyes. He couldn't help grinning. The once lively family had been reduced to the old woman's younger son. He wasn't keeping his hands in his pockets anymore; he stood timidly in the back, sandwiched between several older passengers.

After taking in the scene, Su Huan turned his attention back to the steel plates.

"Eight steel plates for eight people. That's right, but two of them are new, and new passengers need two plates each."

He pointed at the people in the back and spoke calmly.

The tattooed young man gave a derisive laugh. "That's right, there are seven of us. He doesn't count. The extra steel plate is for his wife."

The young man behind him immediately cried out in anguish, "Brother Dog, you said you'd give me a spot if I got my dad to lure the zombies away. What are you—"

"Thump."

The passenger standing beside him punched him hard.

The dull, meaty thud made Su Huan's ears burn. Keeping a straight face, he said, "No beating passengers without cause, okay?"

The tattooed young man turned around and grinned. "Didn't we give your wife a spot? You're a grown man. You're not going to fight your own wife for it, are you? Just go find two more steel plates. There are plenty at the steel mill."

The young man who had been hit was held between them, his mouth covered. His eyes were bloodshot with rage.

The rough-looking man furrowed his brow and barked, "Little Ghost, Su is talking to you."

The tattooed young man hurriedly turned around, pretending to slap himself in the mouth. He took a pack of cigarettes from his pocket and offered them to Su Huan. "Su, I never got much of an education, so I 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 moment, he reached out with two fingers and clamped them around the other man's wrist, converting Pan-Energy into a high-voltage electric current.

In an instant, the young man known as Little Ghost's expression changed dramatically. His muscles stiffened, and sparks crackled against his clothes.

Brother Dog and the others looked horrified, but none of them dared step forward.

Su Huan simply took the entire pack of cigarettes from the young man's hand, then let go.

He said casually, "It's nothing."

Little Ghost dropped onto his backside. He stared at Su Huan as if he'd seen a ghost, his eyebrows singed and his tongue tied. For a long time, he couldn't get a word out.

Su Huan calmly put the cigarettes away in his cigarette case, then checked off their names on the register. "I don't smoke, but I like collecting cigarettes. Next time, bring me a whole carton. All right, anyone who's paid their ticket can board."

Brother Dog and the others didn't dare say a word. They hurriedly picked up Little Ghost and boarded the train in disgrace.

The woman glanced at her husband lying on the ground, gritted her teeth, and followed them aboard.