Perpetual Motion Pivot

Qi Xiaoba paused, then said firmly,

"I choose the second option!"

A satisfied smile appeared at the corner of Su Huan's mouth. Master Ba was a fifteen-year-old disabled boy who had survived the apocalypse and protected a whole group of people. He hadn't managed that on a bleeding heart alone.

"Remember: show mercy with the force of thunder!" Su Huan returned to him the words people had used to describe Master Ba in his previous life.

Qi Xiaoba froze. He silently repeated the words to himself, then fell into thought.

Su Huan stood up and let his smile fade. "We'll take turns keeping watch tonight. Wan Xing, go to the engine car and tell Liang Kuan to slow down. We'll switch from the Wenshi Line to the Mojiang City Line as planned. Keep an eye out for water plants and zombie movements along the way."

Wan Xing glanced at Xiao Ba, then got up and left.

Su Huan turned to Yu Jing and her daughter. "Xiao Ba and I will take the first half of the night. I'll come get you when it's your turn."

Just as the two were about to leave, Su Huan suddenly remembered something and called after them, "Oh, and bring me another chair."

Only then did mother and daughter leave.

Su Huan took two cans of yellow peach from the shelf and tossed one to Qi Xiaoba.

The boy instinctively tried to refuse, but Su Huan opened his own can and pressed it into the boy's hands.

"Eat something. It'll help your Pan-Energy recover faster."

Qi Xiaoba paused, then took the little fork and slowly ate a bite.

The tender texture made the boy's eyes brighten, and he began eating faster.

Su Huan smiled to himself. He'd only learned by chance that Xiao Ba loved canned yellow peaches.

But supplies were scarce in the apocalypse, and canned fruit of this quality was even rarer. Most of it had gone to the children.

"There's a proper order for eating canned yellow peaches. You should always start by sipping the syrup..."

Su Huan explained patiently.

Before long, Yu Jing and her daughter returned with a chair and his sniper crossbow.

Su Huan reclined in the chair, cradling the crossbow as he listened to the steady clanking around him and drifted into a half-doze.

The sound of the train in motion was far more reassuring than complete silence.

Of course, Su Huan wasn't just sitting around doing nothing.

If he didn't think about something in a state like this, he'd fall asleep before long.

What occupied his mind most was the direction his evolution should take.

Once his main ability—Pan-Energy Conversion—reached Lv. 3, he could start considering a profession.

When different skills were combined with suitable gene serums or stimulated by special conditions, an Evolutionist could develop a profession.

Evolutionists at that stage were also known as first-tier professionals.

Their combat strength was roughly on par with that of first-tier zombies locked outside the train carriages.

It could be higher or lower, depending mainly on the individual's combat skills.

Evolutionists relied mostly on Pan-Energy, while zombies relied on their mutated bodies. That was why some people said zombies were following a different path of evolution.

Su Huan had several important leads on possible evolutionary paths for Energy Providers.

That was what had him so torn.

One path had been developed by Deep Blue Data. Its fifth-tier profession was called "Blazing Sun Patrol Angel." It specialized in large-scale combat and energy bursts, making it a deterrent weapon for major factions.

But Su Huan only knew how to synthesize the evolution serums for the first three tiers of that path.

Deep Blue Data had locked down the remaining two tiers, keeping them beyond outsiders' reach.

There were two other paths: "Light Energy Explorer," which only went up to the second tier, and "Cinnabar Cauldron Guest," which went up to the third.

Since the serums had been developed by different companies, their naming conventions varied greatly.

Both paths had excellent utility, but their later professions hadn't been developed, so they weren't viable choices.

The only complete evolutionary path he had, from the first to the fifth tier, was called "Perpetual Motion Pivot." According to the lunatic who'd told him about it, once an Evolutionist reached the fifth tier on this path, they themselves would become a perpetual motion machine, with an infinite supply of Pan-Energy.

It had been developed by the Machine Cult, and no one had tested it yet.

If Deep Blue Data had developed it, Su Huan wouldn't have hesitated for a second. He would've gone straight for it.

But the Machine Cult's people were second only to those who toyed with the forbidden in terms of danger.

A bunch of lunatics with something seriously wrong with their heads. Just believing they weren't crazy was dangerous enough—and what was worse, they were doing research!

That was what had Su Huan conflicted.

The first-tier profession on the "Perpetual Motion Pivot" path was "Energy Storage Core." The requirements weren't too complicated: Lv. 3 Pan-Energy Conversion, Lv. 3 High-Energy Compression, and Lv. 1 Energy Shaping. During the evolution process, the candidate also had to absorb all the Pan-Energy from a first-tier zombie.

Of course, that last requirement wasn't set in stone.

With a Deep Blue Data wristband, he could monitor his energy levels and evolve once they reached "10" units.

Since he couldn't measure them accurately now, Su Huan suspected he didn't have enough energy yet.

He could just follow those requirements directly.

Judging by the first-tier "Energy Storage Core," the path seemed fairly reliable.

Maybe... he should give it a try?

A knock on the door interrupted Su Huan's dangerous idea.

He raised his head and saw Gao Zhe's grim face through the gaps between the three door locks.

"Open the door."

Su Huan stood up and said, unhurried, "Of course."

"Ka-ka—clang!"

A series of mechanical sounds rang out.

Qi Xiaoba unlocked the bolts, and the door swung open, revealing the entire Storage Carriage No. 6 to Gao Zhe.

Seeing the sheer quantity of supplies before him, Gao Zhe's expression darkened further. He tossed the Night Demon's corpse onto the floor.

"I've killed it. From now on, I don't need a ticket to board."

Su Huan looked at Gao Zhe's severed left arm, then at the Night Demon's head, smashed to a pulp on the floor, and drew a sharp breath.

He'd fought a first-tier zombie at close quarters and killed it? What the hell was he, some iron-blooded god of war?!

Su Huan quickly took a medical first-aid kit from the shelf and stepped forward with a warm smile. "The Armed Train will be at your service from now on, Mr. Gao!"

The two were almost within arm's reach, but looking at the smile on Su Huan's face, Gao Zhe felt as if there were nowhere he could strike.

He gave Su Huan a long look, then took the medical kit from his hand.

He crouched on one leg, picked up the fifty-centimeter steel bar from the floor, and limped back to the carriage behind them.

The workers parted respectfully to let him pass.

Su Huan watched Gao Zhe's figure gradually disappear into the darkness, a trace of regret in his eyes.

He'd managed to kill a first-tier Night Demon with nothing but a short metal rod.

Su Huan had never heard of a man like him in his previous life. He must have been unlucky and died somewhere obscure.

"Close the door."

The iron door shut, and the locks slid into place one by one.

Su Huan felt like a villain who'd betrayed a hero and sealed him away.

But he had no choice. That was how cruel reality was.

In the short term, Su Huan couldn't let Gao Zhe into the front carriages.

Bringing a fighter like him into the group would have made it impossible for Su Huan to sleep easy, for one thing.

Energy Providers were simply too weak in the early stages. Until he became a high-tier Evolutionist, he could only rely on the train beneath his feet.

Liang Kuan, Wan Xing, Yu Jing, and Yu Yue might all have their own value.

But they had one important thing in common: none of them posed a threat to Su Huan.

The only exception was Qi Xiaoba, and Su Huan knew him inside and out.

For the time being, that would be his standard for choosing team members.