Train Modification Progress

Most of the zombies in carriages 10 and 11 are dead.

I'll have to make Wan Xing work a little overtime, otherwise, these stockpiled crystals will go to waste.

Su Huan tapped on a cracked window, and with a "clatter," the glass shattered all over the floor.

He shook his head and said, "Forget it, you guys figure it out. Just detach this carriage and leave it here. Bring the luggage carriage from the back and hook it up, then rummage through the luggage inside."

Wang He wiped the sweat from his brow and acknowledged the order.

His attitude was significantly more respectful than it had been yesterday.

After spending a night on the train, he had fully grasped why Su Huan was the Train Master.

He also felt extremely fortunate that he had stepped forward back then.

There were two other workers of his same rank, but they had been hesitant that day and hadn't come out.

"Alright, get to work. If anything comes up, communicate with Qi Xiaoba."

Su Huan said with a yawn.

This time, apart from Gao Zhe and the 120 workers from the construction team, the remaining passengers were chased off the train as usual.

However, there was no steel plate mission this time, just standard resource collection. There weren't any harsh requirements for medicine, and if they brought back purified water, there would even be a random mood-based discount from the Train Master.

After arranging the tasks, Su Huan went back to the train to catch up on sleep.

He was woken up by noise at two in the afternoon. Opening the door, he saw Yu Jing directing Qi Xiaoba to tinker with something at the end of his carriage.

"What are you two doing here?" Su Huan walked over and asked curiously.

Qi Xiaoba was manipulating a metal plate in his hands, and Yu Jing explained.

"Didn't you say every carriage needs to reserve space for a four-ton purified water tank?"

Su Huan understood, "It is time to make the water tanks. The reserve of purified water has been low lately; I haven't had a shower in ages."

The third carriage originally had eight compartments, three of which he had knocked through; they now served the dual purpose of a modification room and a sleeping area.

Although he didn't have high standards for sleep quality, it would be best to separate them in the future.

That would take up at least six compartments, leaving one at the front and one at the back.

The one at the back had already been dismantled by Yu Jing, and Qi Xiaoba was currently using stainless steel to craft the water tank.

He looked at the remaining space, "It seems there's enough room for the fuel tank, too."

Yu Jing pulled a pencil from her hair, sketched a few lines on a blueprint, and said crisply, "Just about. We'll get it all done in a bit. Qi Xiaoba's ability is truly impressive; the welded metal has no seams at all—it's completely airtight."

Su Huan touched his forehead with his fingertips and said, "Dismantle the front compartment as well and turn it into an open-plan small living room."

"Understood."

After giving his instructions, he walked toward the rear carriages.

First, he checked the progress of the steel plate armor.

The steel plating for the first thirteen carriages had been welded, and the attention to detail was high. Every window had an anti-riot screen, and the seams between the plates had been fused by Qi Xiaoba's ability.

It felt incredibly smooth, without even a single burr.

Some of the larger scrapes and dents had also been smoothed out; if not for the patches of blood that hadn't been wiped away, last night's zombie tide would have felt like a dream.

Each carriage edge now had three twenty-centimeter triangular protrusions to prevent large-scale attacks from making direct contact with the carriage body.

The last five carriages had only been simply welded on both sides.

They hadn't even had time to install the anti-riot screens.

The luggage carriage had replaced number 24, and the damaged carriage had been abandoned on the adjacent track. He had felt the train move while he was sleeping, but he hadn't paid it any mind; it must have been when they were moving this thing.

The workers were sitting on the carriages or by the tracks, eating their boxed lunches.

Su Huan glanced over; it was shredded potato stir-fry over rice, with dried chili strips mixed in.

After checking the progress, he went inside the train for a routine inspection of the supplies.

Don't let Su Huan's "collect-but-don't-organize" appearance fool you; he knew exactly how much stuff was on the train better than anyone.

It's fine to trust your subordinates, but you can't be clueless yourself.

Especially when it came to things that were essentially his lifeline.

Soft footsteps approached.

Su Huan's gaze subconsciously flicked to the side.

Yu Yue walked over from the other side of the carriage, wearing an apron over her knit sweater. The bright yellow color hit her face, bringing out an even more charming quality to her gentle temperament.

"Brother Su, the meal is ready."

Su Huan stood up and stretched, "What did you make?"

"The main dish is potato stewed beef, sweet and sour vegetable meatballs, then two seafood dishes—one spicy, one mild—plus a corn and pork rib soup."

Su Huan looked at Auntie Yu with surprise; it had everything—sour, sweet, salty, and fresh.

It seems you have some initiative.

Yu Yue saw the supplies half-organized at Su Huan's feet and hurried over to stoop down and tidy them up.

Su Huan also tossed some scattered items onto the shelves, sorting them by category.

He picked out some food with shorter shelf lives and handed them to Yu Yue.

"That's enough, stop tidying. Go on through."

Yu Yue stopped, wanting to maintain a proper distance from Su Huan, but the aisle of the storage carriage was only so wide; if Su Huan didn't move, she couldn't get past.

The night light turned off, and the glow from the carriage behind sliced across Su Huan's profile, landing on Yu Yue's hands as she clutched the pile of sundries, her grip so tight her knuckles had turned white.

Su Huan sensed her hesitation and shifted his body slightly to the side.

Yu Yue walked past him nervously; as she brushed by, she could even feel the force of his breath against her skin, but until she had completely passed him, nothing happened.

There was none of the fumbling or groping she had imagined.

For some reason, a trace of disappointment flickered in her heart.

"You can take a shower once every three days, but it cannot exceed ten minutes."

Su Huan reminded her.

Although Auntie Yu still smelled pleasant, the strands of hair at her temples were already greasy and plastered to her face, making her look a bit like those housewives in Korean dramas entangled in the smoke and desires of the mundane world.

He still preferred something fresh and cozy, like a quilt dried under the sun.

A thin flush rose up Yu Yue's beautiful swan-like neck, and she let out a faint "Mn..." that was as quiet as a mosquito.

Her legs moved rapidly, as if she were desperate to fly out of the carriage.

Su Huan found it slightly strange; he had just happened to be thinking about the train's water usage and mentioned it offhandedly.

Once she had passed, he walked over to the shelves inside, picked up a few bottles of soda, and then headed to the dining car.

The meal had already been served, and the others were all waiting for him.

"Help me get a glass, and some ice while you're at it," Su Huan said.

Seeing him arrive, the group took their seats one after another.

Under the warm yellow sunlight, the sour vinegar scent of the sweet and sour meatballs mingled with the aroma of pork rib soup, drilling straight into his nostrils.

Su Huan poured a glass of cola, watching the fine bubbles collide with the whiskey ice cubes and emit a crisp, crackling sound, then tilted his head back and downed it in one gulp.

He savored the icy sensation of the cold cola flowing from his throat down into his stomach.

It chased away the stifling heat all the way down.

"Ah~ refreshing!"

"You all have some too."

Su Huan passed the bottles of soda over.

After everyone poured their drinks, they instinctively looked at Su Huan.

The group had figured out his temperament by now: breakfast was generally for assigning tasks, while dinner was generally for reviewing results.

Seeing them so self-aware, Su Huan was very satisfied.

"You all saw the results of the first phase of the Armed Train last night. I am quite satisfied with the current effects, but the pace still needs to be accelerated."