The Boom

After she finished speaking, she jumped down along the edge of the roof.

"Smack!"

Su Huan reached out and caught both her feet, steadied her by the calves, and swept her into his arms.

He shook out his aching, numb wrists and asked, "How did the penetration test go?"

"No problem. It's even better than the welds."

Yu Jing unscrewed the can of dye penetrant. The purplish-red liquid ran along the weld on the side of the carriage.

Ten minutes later, they sprayed on the developer. Not a single crack showed up.

Su Huan nodded. It was Metal Control, after all. Her work was impeccable.

By now, dusk was approaching, and the sun was about to set.

The most complex part, the reinforced nose of the train, was finished. The 1.2-centimeter armor on the first five carriages, including the front of the train, had been welded into place, and they had left a spot on the roof for a machine gun.

The steel plates on both sides of cars six through nine had been welded on. Most of the windows had been sealed, with only two left on each side to let in enough light.

That way, Xiao Ba wouldn't have to waste his ability cutting the plates to size. They could just weld whole sheets of steel into place.

Heavy footsteps came from the carriage. Liang Kuan emerged, carrying a body wrapped in a plastic bag. Sweat had soaked a broad patch on the chest of his light gray T-shirt.

He jumped down from the carriage, walked a little way from the front of the train, and tossed it aside.

More than a dozen black bags were already piled there.

"How many is that now?" Su Huan asked when he came back.

Liang Kuan scratched his head. "Should be twelve."

Su Huan nodded. "Let's get on first."

The three of them boarded from the sightseeing car. The air conditioning was on full blast, but the moment they stepped inside, the stench of blood and rot hit them.

Mixed with the air conditioner's chill, it made them feel like they had walked into a morgue.

Su Huan, however, drew a deep breath.

"That familiar smell."

The carpet on the carriage floor had long since been ripped up and replaced with a huge sheet of plastic. Most of it was empty, though scraps of flesh and bloodstains remained.

Only a single zombie lay in the middle.

Various tools were arranged on several black iron racks around it: nail guns, electric drills, demolition hammers, chainsaws...

It looked just like a serial killer's dismemberment room.

Wan Xing had pulled up a small chair and sat beside the zombie, eyes closed as she focused on collecting a Pan-Energy Crystal.

After a long while, Wan Xing slowly opened her eyes. She spotted Su Huan coming in and placed eleven fingernail-sized Pan-Energy Crystals on the table. Her voice was hoarse. "I collected twelve Pan-Energy Crystals in total, but I ran low on energy, so I used one."

"But after the tenth, no matter how much energy I had, the collection got slower and slower. I couldn't shake this feeling of exhaustion."

Su Huan picked up a few Pan-Energy Crystals and reminded her, "Your mental energy was reaching its limit. Don't push yourself. You'll recover after a good night's sleep."

"You can rest for a while before continuing, but don't work yourself until you feel dizzy. Stop when you've had enough."

Wan Xing nodded, then added, "I noticed a pattern. The longer a zombie has been dead, the more Pan-Energy it loses, and the smaller the crystal it produces. I made the ones in your hand a little more uniform, though."

Su Huan turned the transparent crystals over in his hands and examined them closely, but couldn't spot any difference.

He hadn't paid attention to this detail in his past life.

The Collector must have had some special way of measuring energy.

"Oh, right. We're out of zombies," Liang Kuan suddenly said.

"Heh. There's a whole pile in the carriages behind us." Su Huan's mouth twitched.

The zombies hadn't been cleared out because they were being kept as materials for evolution.

Otherwise, they'd have to send people out to catch some whenever they needed them, which would only cause unnecessary trouble.

He left Yu Jing to help Yu Yue make dinner, then took Liang Kuan off the carriage. Qi Xiaoba was still outside, helping the workers weld the steel plates.

As soon as they got down, they saw Wang He walking over.

Su Huan raised an eyebrow. "What's up?"

Wang He looked troubled. "It's just... why are there so many zombies in car ten? The guys don't dare go near them."

The sun had now completely dipped below the horizon. There was still some light in the sky, but night was about to fall.

Su Huan pondered for a moment. "That's enough for today. You guys can go into car seven in a bit. I'll have someone bring food over later. Pack up everything before you board, and carry all the steel plates up. Don't leave a single one behind."

Hearing the boss give the order, Wang He breathed a sigh of relief.

Thinking about how he'd soon get to eat after going hungry for days, he couldn't help swallowing, a hint of joy appearing on his face.

He hurried off to call the workers to board.

Su Huan followed. Qi Xiaoba was sitting in his electric wheelchair, the faint light of dusk hiding some of the boy's fatigue.

Su Huan handed him a Pan-Energy Crystal. "Did you use up too much energy?"

Qi Xiaoba smiled and took the crystal, gripping it in his hand. "I'm okay. It's just a little sunny."

Su Huan laughed ruefully. "My oversight. I'll make you a parasol tomorrow."

Liang Kuan watched the two of them chatting. Even a fool could tell Su Huan treated Qi Xiaoba differently.

It wasn't just that he valued him.

It was more like... a friendship.

Liang Kuan couldn't understand why the thought had occurred to him.

Could someone as cold and inhuman as Su Huan really have friends?

He shook his head, casting aside those muddled thoughts, then helped lift Qi Xiaoba onto the train.

The construction crew boarded from the rear, along with a few passengers who had trickled back.

Though carrying steel plates with zombies all around them had been difficult, Su Huan had pushed them to the point where they were prepared to die rather than leave the job unfinished.

And Su Huan stood at the window, watching.

Night fell. At last, he saw a dark shape hurrying toward the train, a pole jutting out in front of it like the steel tentacle of an armored sea beast.

As it drew near, its shape became clear. It was a red forklift.

In front of it was a hexagonal, multi-section telescoping boom.

When the vehicle pulled up, a young man in a tank top jumped out of the cab.

His left leg bent slightly, his weight resting on his right foot.

There were only two reasons for such an odd landing: he was very relaxed, or his left leg was injured and couldn't bear his weight.

"I brought back the boom. Is the three months of free rides still on the table?" the young man asked in a low voice.

Su Huan looked at him meaningfully, a smile on his lips. "Of course. Our train will be delighted to serve you in the days ahead, Mr. Gao Zhe."

Gao Zhe paid Su Huan no mind and boarded the train on his own.

Su Huan kept his eyes on Gao Zhe's back until he disappeared into the carriage.

Only then did he turn around and call, "Liang Kuan, toss down two steel plates and drive the forklift up. Get Xiao Ba to help tow it, too. This thing's a real beast."

From inside the room behind him, Liang Kuan called back and strode out.

A creaking sound came from behind him. Su Huan glanced over and saw Yu Yue pushing one of the train's own food carts toward car seven.

It was piled with freshly made boxed meals.