Nature's Slaughter

"The metal plates are running out," Yu Jing said suddenly.

Su Huan raised an eyebrow. This was indeed a problem; although metal was everywhere in the city, it required Qi Xiaoba to use his ability to melt it down, which was far less efficient than using standard steel plates directly.

If they continued to melt and modify materials at this slow pace, they might not even finish the first phase of their plan by the time they broke out of the High-Temperature Zone.

But the question remained: where could they get so many steel plates?

Returning to the steel mill was out of the question. Even if the Tier 1 zombies there had left, he would not backtrack.

Su Huan pondered for a moment and said, "Today, let's melt down the idle carriages outside first. Once we enter Mojiang City, we'll look for steel mills or similar places."

"No problem."

Qi Xiaoba agreed.

"How many Pan-Energy Crystals were extracted today?"

Su Huan asked.

Wan Xing set down her cup and pulled a Pan-Energy Crystal the size of a thumbprint from her pocket. Beyond its size, the edges of the crystal featured fine, intricate patterns—lines that were regular and elegant, carrying a bewitching vitality as if they might grow at any moment.

"The one from the Night Demon?"

"Yes. This Pan-Energy Crystal is very special. Extracting it was much more strenuous than with ordinary zombies, and it was harder to condense."

Su Huan took the Pan-Energy Crystal, a hint of joy appearing on his face as he explained, "This is a Tier 1 Pan-Energy Crystal. Its characteristic is this ring of special patterns; if left alone for about five days, it will shatter."

Wan Xing was somewhat surprised. "I had that feeling too. Why is that?"

"You can understand it as Tier 1 Pan-Energy Crystals having a higher energy density. If they aren't solidified by a Collector, they are very prone to shattering."

"Is 'Solidification' a skill?"

"'Energy Solidification' is something you'll likely master after long-term extraction," Su Huan said.

The status of a Collector's "Energy Solidification" was similar to an Energy Provider's "Energy Compression"—both were abilities that were easily generated, so no company or faction produced corresponding serums for them.

However, "High-Energy Compression" was different. Although it only differed from Energy Compression by one word, the difficulty of acquiring it was worlds apart.

An Evolutionist had to be in contact with high-pressure energy for a long time.

Except for those lunatics in the Machine Cult, no one would willingly place themselves in such a high-risk environment.

However, once this skill was explored, it was quickly cracked by major factions, leading to the creation of corresponding genetic serums.

The cost was considered relatively low among high-tier skills.

It had also become an essential skill for Energy Providers.

"Besides that, I also decomposed something else from that Night Demon corpse," Wan Xing said, taking out a small glass bottle. Inside was a layer of amber liquid, thinly coating the bottom of the bottle.

Everyone's gaze fell upon the glass bottle, then shifted back to Su Huan.

They were waiting for his explanation.

Su Huan was slightly surprised; he hadn't expected Wan Xing to actually collect such materials. Perhaps she could be trained in the direction of a "Decomposer."

He took it, gave it a gentle shake, and explained, "A Tier 1 material that can be used to synthesize genetic serums for Defenders."

Yu Jing stared at the serum as if possessed, amber light swirling in her eyes. Driven by an inexplicable impulse, she said, "Can you give this material to me?"

Su Huan looked at her with slight suspicion. "What do you want this for?"

"I want to study it."

Yu Jing lifted her chin slightly, her phoenix eyes once again revealing that fanatical, inquisitive gaze.

"Without being formulated by a Crafter, this stuff is infectious, and it acts much faster than a zombie bite."

"I know my limits!"

Yu Jing's tone was crisp and decisive.

Auntie Yu's heart skipped a beat. She carefully observed Su Huan's expression, and only when she saw that he wasn't angry did she feel relieved.

"Fine, take it, but don't mess around with it."

Su Huan thought for a moment and decided not to stop her.

After all, Yu Jing was an important talent for the Armed Train, and he had to grant her a certain degree of tolerance.

Su Huan asked, "Is there anything else?"

"That's all for now. The Night Demon corpse outside probably won't be fully extracted until tonight," Wan Xing said.

"You can extract three ordinary zombies first, then just hand the resulting Pan-Energy Crystals to the three of them."

Seeing everyone looking at him in surprise, Su Huan said calmly, "We will face more crises ahead; we might not have this much time later."

"Become Evolutionists as soon as possible. The train of the apocalypse waits for no one."

The entire side of the No. 2 sightseeing carriage suddenly split open, and two hydraulic rods dragged it as it slowly descended.

The interior of the carriage was fully revealed.

To the left sat a forklift painted in red, equipped with a crane arm, and beside it crouched a low-profile locomotive.

Liang Kuan, having just finished his meal, pulled on a pair of gloves and climbed into the forklift's cab.

With some time left before nightfall, he needed to operate the forklift to help the workers hoist steel plates.

Using the ramp constructed between the side of the carriage and the ground, he drove out with ease.

Seeing the forklift emerge, the workers inside the carriage also disembarked to begin their tasks.

Time flew by, and soon it was evening.

The scattered passengers returned with meager supplies, expecting Su Huan to give them a hard time.

To their surprise, Su Huan only collected half the usual amount of supplies today before letting them board.

It wasn't out of kindness; rather, they were in the suburbs, where supplies were already scarce.

If he blocked all these passengers from boarding, he would have no one left on his train.

That would be detrimental to his upcoming plans.

The passengers also brought back dire news: the water plant ahead had been occupied by a group.

They called themselves Star Property Management.

Su Huan sat in his private cabin, legs crossed, lost in thought as he stared at the map on the wall, the orange-red glow of the sunset reflected in the glass slowly fading from his eyes.

All that remained was a faint, chilling glint.

In his past life, he had never heard of such a group; to be precise, he hadn't heard of any factions within the High-Temperature Zone.

His memories only held a few armed convoys that had slowly merged and formed during the escape.

The rest had remained here and turned into acquaintances as the heatwave erupted.

Now, the opposition occupied the water plant, and only that plant contained a small Integrated Water Purifier—the key to the Armed Train achieving a self-sustaining cycle and his primary goal for lingering here.

Although there were many other water plants along the path ahead, this was the only one closest to the tracks.

The rest were at least ten kilometers away!

An Integrated Water Purifier wasn't a small appliance one could just pick up and carry; it was modular industrial equipment. Even if he worked those passengers to death, no one would be able to move it back.

It was even less possible for him to abandon the train and run over ten kilometers away to dismantle a purifier.

The only path forward was through this water plant.

If he missed this chance, the days ahead after leaving the High-Temperature Zone would be difficult.

As Su Huan recalled the terrifying scenes buried deep in his memory, a sense of irritation and anxiety rose within him.

In his past life, when they had just emerged from the High-Temperature Zone and saw the fine rain falling from the sky, everyone had been ecstatic; some even stripped off their clothes and ran howling through the rain.

They felt the gift of nature, felt the cool rainwater, and enjoyed the hope and freedom of having escaped death.

But little did they know, that was no gift from nature—it was nature's... new round of slaughter!