Perpetual Motion Pivot

Qi Xiaoba froze for a moment, then stated firmly.

"I choose the second option!"

A satisfied smile appeared on the corner of Su Huan's mouth. For a fifteen-year-old disabled boy to survive in the apocalypse and protect a group of people, he relied on more than just a saintly heart.

"Remember, use thunderous means to perform acts of mercy!" Su Huan returned to him the evaluation others had given Xiaoba in his past life.

Qi Xiaoba was stunned, silently repeating these words in his heart as he fell into deep thought.

Su Huan stood up and his smile faded. "For tonight's shift, Wan Xing, you go to the front of the train. While you're at it, tell Liang Kuan to reduce speed. Follow the plan to switch from the Wenshi Line to the Mojiang City Line, and keep an eye on the water plants and the movement of zombie hordes along the way."

Wan Xing glanced at Xiaoba, then rose and left.

Su Huan turned to Yu Jing and her daughter. "Xiaoba and I will take the first half of the night. I'll come wake you when the time is up."

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

The mother and daughter then departed.

Su Huan picked up two cans of yellow peaches from the shelf and tossed one to Qi Xiaoba.

The boy instinctively wanted to refuse, but Su Huan had already opened the can and shoved it into his hands.

"Eat something; your Pan-Energy recovery speed will increase."

Qi Xiaoba hesitated for a second, then took the small fork and slowly took a bite.

The smooth, tender texture made the boy's eyes brighten, and his movements became much faster.

Su Huan smiled to himself; he had learned by chance that Xiaoba loved yellow peach canned fruit.

However, supplies were scarce in the apocalypse, let alone such premium fruit cans, so most of what he found had been given to the children.

"There's a specific way to eat yellow peach cans; you must sip the syrup first..."

Su Huan explained patiently.

Before long, Yu Jing and her daughter brought over a chair, along with his sniper crossbow.

Su Huan lay back in the chair, cradling the sniper crossbow, and listened to the rhythmic clanking sound, squinting his eyes.

The sound of movement was far more reassuring than absolute silence.

Of course, Su Huan was not entirely idle.

In this state, if his mind didn't think about something, he would fall asleep in no time.

He was primarily thinking about the direction of his own evolution.

Once his main ability, Pan-Energy Conversion, reached lv3, he could start considering his profession.

By combining different skills and utilizing suitable genetic agents or specific environmental stimuli, an Evolutionist could form a profession.

Evolutionists at this stage were also known as First-Tier Professionals.

Their combat power was roughly equivalent to a First-Tier zombie locked outside the train carriage.

Whether higher or lower depended mainly on individual combat proficiency.

Evolutionists relied mostly on Pan-Energy, while zombies relied on mutated flesh, which is why some said zombies were a different path of evolution.

Regarding the evolution path for an Energy Provider, Su Huan held several pieces of critical information.

That was why he was struggling with the decision.

One path, developed by Deep Blue Data, was the Fifth-Tier "Blazing Sun Patrol Angel," which leaned toward large-scale combat and energy bursts; it was considered a deterrent weapon for major factions.

However, he only possessed the synthesis method for the First to Third-Tier evolution agents for this path.

The final two tiers were locked away by Deep Blue Data, making them impossible for outsiders to glimpse.

There were two others: one was the "Light Energy Explorer," which only went up to the Second Tier, and the other was the "Cinnabar Cauldron Guest," which could reach the Third Tier.

Because they were developed by different companies, there was a massive discrepancy in their naming conventions.

These two were highly functional, but since their subsequent professional tiers hadn't been developed, he couldn't choose them.

The only complete path he possessed, from First to Fifth Tier, was called "Perpetual Motion Pivot." According to what that madman had told him, once an Evolutionist reached the Fifth Tier in this path, they would become a perpetual motion machine, possessing infinite Pan-Energy.

This had been researched by the Machine Cult, though no one had verified it yet.

If it had been developed by Deep Blue Data, Su Huan wouldn't have hesitated to go for it.

But that group from the Machine Cult was second only to those who toyed with forbidden arts in terms of danger.

A bunch of lunatics with severe mental issues who firmly believed they were sane—that was dangerous enough, but what was even more terrifying was that they actually conducted research!

That was exactly where Su Huan was conflicted.

The First-Tier profession for "Perpetual Motion Pivot" was "Energy Storage Core." The requirements weren't overly complex: lv3 Pan-Energy Conversion + lv3 High-Energy Compression + lv1 Energy Shaping, and during the evolution process, one had to absorb the entire Pan-Energy of a First-Tier zombie.

Of course, the latter condition wasn't absolute.

If one had a Deep Blue Data wristband, one could monitor their own energy levels, and once they reached "10" units, they could evolve.

It is impossible to monitor accurately right now, but Su Huan estimated that his own energy was insufficient as well.

He would just have to proceed directly according to these conditions.

Judging by the Tier 1 Energy Storage Core, this evolutionary path seemed quite reliable.

Should he... give it a try?

A knock at the door interrupted Su Huan's dangerous train of thought.

He looked up to see Gao Zhe's gloomy face peering through the gaps of the three door locks.

"Open the door."

Su Huan stood up and spoke with unhurried composure.

"Click-clack—clang!"

A series of mechanical sounds rang out.

Qi Xiaoba unlocked the bolts, and the door was pulled open, fully exposing Storage Carriage No. 6 to Gao Zhe's eyes.

Seeing such a vast amount of supplies before him, Gao Zhe's expression grew even uglier as he tossed the corpse of the Night Demon onto the floor.

He said coldly, "It's dead. From now on, I won't need a ticket to board this train."

Su Huan looked at Gao Zhe's severed left arm, then at the Night Demon at his feet with its head smashed into a blur, and drew a sharp breath.

Engaging a Tier 1 zombie in melee combat—what kind of iron-blooded god of war was this?!

He hurriedly grabbed a medical first-aid kit from the shelf, walked forward, and said with an eager smile, "The Armed Train will be dedicated to serving Mr. Gao from now on!"

The two were practically within arm's reach, yet looking at the smile on his face, Gao Zhe had the strange illusion that he couldn't find an opening to strike.

He gave Su Huan a deep look and took the medical kit from his hand.

Crouching on one leg, he picked up a fifty-centimeter-long steel bar and limped back toward the rear carriages.

The crowd of workers fearfully cleared a path for him.

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

To beat a Tier 1 Night Demon to death with nothing but a short rod.

He had never heard of such a fierce man in his past life; he must have been down on his luck and perished in some forgotten corner.

"Close the door."

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

Su Huan felt like a villain who had backstabbed a hero and sealed him away.

But there was no help for it; reality was just that cruel.

In the short term, it was impossible for Su Huan to let him come to the front carriages.

If he were to recruit such a powerhouse into the team, to say nothing of anything else, Su Huan wouldn't even be able to sleep soundly.

An Energy Provider was simply too weak in the early stages; before becoming a high-tier Evolutionist, he could only rely on the train beneath his feet.

Liang Kuan, Wan Xing, Yu Jing, and Yu Yue—they might each have their own value.

But the most important commonality was that none of them posed a threat to Su Huan.

The only one, Qi Xiaoba, was someone whose background he knew inside and out.

For the time being, these would remain his standards for selecting team members.