Most of the zombies in cars 10 and 11 were dead.
He'd have to make Wan Xing put in some overtime. Otherwise, all those reserve crystals would go to waste.
Su Huan tapped a cracked window. With a crash, the glass shattered and scattered across the floor.
He shook his head. "Forget it. Figure it out among yourselves. Remove this car and leave it here. Bring the luggage car behind it over and connect it, then search through the luggage inside."
Wang He wiped the sweat from his brow and answered.
He was much more respectful than he'd been yesterday.
After spending a night on the train, he'd figured out why Su Huan was the train conductor.
He was also deeply relieved that he'd stepped forward back then.
There were two other workers of the same rank as him, but they'd had their reservations that day and hadn't come forward.
"All right, get back to work. Talk to Xiao Ba if anything comes up."
Su Huan yawned as he spoke.
This time, aside from Gao Zhe and the 120 workers on the construction crew, the remaining passengers were still driven off the train.
There were no steel-plate tasks, just ordinary supply gathering. They weren't required to find medicine, either. If they brought back clean water, the train conductor might even give them a random discount depending on his mood.
After assigning the tasks, Su Huan went back to the train to catch up on sleep.
He was woken at two in the afternoon by the noise. When he opened the door, he saw Yu Jing directing Qi Xiaoba as he tinkered with something at the end of Su Huan's car.
"What are you doing here?" Su Huan asked curiously as he walked over.
Qi Xiaoba was controlling a metal plate in his hands. Yu Jing explained.
"Didn't you say every car needed to have space reserved for a four-ton water tank?"
Su Huan understood. "We should make a water tank. We're running low on clean water, and it's been ages since I showered."
The third car had originally held eight compartments. He'd opened up three of them, and now they served as both a workshop and a place to sleep.
He didn't care much about the quality of his sleep, but it would be better to separate the two functions in the future.
That would take up at least six compartments, leaving one at either end.
Now Yu Jing had dismantled the one at the rear, and Xiao Ba was using stainless steel to make a water tank.
Su Huan glanced at the remaining space. "Looks like there's room for a fuel tank, too."
Yu Jing pulled a pencil from her hair and sketched a few lines on the draft. "More or less. We can make both in a bit. Xiao Ba's ability is amazing. His welds have no gaps at all—they're completely airtight."
Su Huan touched his forehead with his fingertips. "Take apart the compartment at the front, too. Turn it into an open-plan sitting room."
"Sure."
After giving her the instructions, he headed toward the cars at the back.
First, he checked on the progress of the steel-plate armor.
The steel armor on the first thirteen cars had been welded into place, and the finish was excellent. Every window had a protective grille, and Xiao Ba had used his skill to fuse the seams between the plates.
They felt completely smooth to the touch, without a single burr.
Even the larger dents and scrapes had been smoothed out. If not for the patches of blood that hadn't been wiped away, last night's zombie horde might have seemed like a dream.
Three twenty-centimeter triangular ridges had been added to the edges of each car, keeping large-scale attacks from hitting the car bodies directly.
The last five cars had only been welded along the sides.
They hadn't even had time to install the protective grilles.
The luggage car had replaced car 24. The damaged car had been abandoned on the neighboring track. Su Huan had felt the train moving while he slept, but hadn't paid much attention. They must have been moving that thing.
The workers sat on the cars or beside the tracks, eating boxed meals.
Su Huan glanced over. It was rice topped with stir-fried shredded potatoes in vinegar sauce, with thin strips of dried chili mixed in.
After checking the progress, he went inside the train to make his usual inventory check.
Su Huan might have seemed like the type to collect things without organizing them, but he knew exactly how much the train held.
There was nothing wrong with trusting people, but he still had to know what he had.
Especially when it came to things as vital as these.
Soft footsteps approached.
Su Huan's gaze instinctively shifted to the side.
Yu Yue came from the other end of the car. She wore an apron over her knitted sweater, its bright yellow hue cast across her face and bringing out the warmth of her gentle features.
"Brother Su, dinner's ready."
Su Huan stood and stretched. "What did you make?"
"The main dish is beef stewed with potatoes. There are sweet-and-sour vegetable balls, and I made two seafood dishes—one spicy and one mild. There's also corn and pork rib soup."
Su Huan looked at Aunt Yu in surprise. She'd covered sweet, sour, salty, and savory.
She'd clearly put some thought into it.
Yu Yue noticed the supplies Su Huan had only half-finished sorting at his feet and hurried over to crouch down and organize them.
Su Huan tossed the odds and ends onto the shelves, sorting them by category.
He picked out some food with a short shelf life and handed it to Yu Yue.
"That's enough. You don't need to tidy any more. Let's go."
Yu Yue finally stopped. She wanted to keep a suitable distance from Su Huan, but the aisle in the storage car was only so wide. If he didn't move, she couldn't get past him.
The overhead lights were off. Light from the car behind them fell across Su Huan's profile and onto Yu Yue's hands as she held a bundle of miscellaneous items, her grip so tight that her knuckles had gone pale.
Su Huan sensed her hesitation and shifted slightly to the side.
Yu Yue walked past nervously. As she went by him, she could even feel his breath brushing her skin. But nothing happened, even after she had passed him completely.
He didn't get handsy with her, as she'd imagined.
For some reason, she felt a little disappointed.
"You can shower once every three days, but don't stay in there for more than ten minutes."
Su Huan reminded her.
Aunt Yu still smelled lovely, but the hair at her temples had grown greasy and clung to her face. She looked a little like one of those married women in Korean dramas, tangled up in earthly desires.
He preferred things fresh and cozy, like a quilt that had been aired out in the sun.
A faint blush rose on Yu Yue's pretty swanlike neck. She gave a soft, almost inaudible "Mm..."
Her legs moved so quickly that she seemed eager to fly out of the car.
Su Huan was a little puzzled. He'd just happened to be thinking about the train's water supply and had mentioned it casually.
Once she'd gone, he walked over to the shelves and picked up a few bottles of soda. Then he headed to the dining car.
The dishes were already on the table, and everyone was waiting for him.
"Get me a cup, and some ice while you're at it," Su Huan said.
When they saw him arrive, everyone took their seats one after another.
In the warm yellow sunlight, the tangy vinegar scent of the sweet-and-sour meatballs mingled with the aroma of the pork rib soup, wafting straight into their noses.
Su Huan poured himself a glass of cola. He watched the fine bubbles burst against the whiskey ice with a crisp fizz, then tipped his head back and drained it in one go.
He savored the icy sensation as the cold cola slid down his throat and into his stomach.
It chased away the heat all the way down.
"Ah, that hits the spot!"
"Have some, too."
Su Huan passed the bottles of soda around.
After pouring their drinks, everyone looked toward Su Huan without thinking.
They'd gotten a feel for his habits. Breakfast was usually when he assigned tasks, while dinner was generally for checking their progress.
Seeing how well they followed the routine, Su Huan was pleased.
"You all saw the results of the first phase of the train's armoring last night. I'm satisfied with how it's turned out so far, but we still need to speed things up."
Before you continue