Crab and Tofu Casserole

Liang Kuan stopped the train, then carried the two Night Demons out of the carriage.

After evolving, his strength had grown considerably. These skinny things were no trouble at all to carry one in each hand.

He dragged up the headless Night Demon and saw a large charred mark on its iron-gray skin.

There was no need to guess. Su Huan's high-voltage electricity had definitely done that.

But when he picked up the Night Demon he had slapped to death, he was surprised to see a charred mark on its body, too.

Liang Kuan fell silent for a moment, then carried both corpses out.

He happened to see the passengers getting off the rear carriage one by one. Su Huan stood there with a register in hand, smiling as he checked their names like King Yama taking attendance.

As he passed, Su Huan called his name. Liang Kuan couldn't help tensing up.

Su Huan lifted his eyelids. "Later, collect as many of the corpses up ahead as you can and have Wan Xing harvest them. If there are too many, discard them according to their value."

"Understood."

Watching Liang Kuan carry the two Night Demon corpses onto the train, Su Huan continued checking the register.

Now that everyone in the group had become an Evolutionist, they could shoulder some of the burden. At the very least, they could keep the train safe when he wasn't around.

He glanced at the blazing sunlight. He had only been standing there for a little over ten minutes, but the sun had already made his back sting.

The passengers in front of him all looked listless, but compared with the refugees they had seen on the elevated bridge, they were doing much better.

Su Huan kept track of how much food they had and adjusted the ticket prices to prevent anyone from losing the motivation to search for supplies and simply eating through their reserves.

They had only a limited amount of food left, and many were already starving.

There was still a lot to do today. The most important thing was to send them out to find food as soon as possible.

Su Huan fanned himself with the register, stirring up waves of hot air. "Same as usual: three portions of supplies, special tickets, or new passengers."

The crowd stirred. A Scarface standing nearby asked, "If we bring back a new passenger, we don't have to hand over supplies?"

Su Huan smiled. "That's right. Bringing back one new passenger counts as one and a half portions of supplies. Two passengers get you a free ticket. And if anyone brings back steel plates, they get a free ticket, too."

"But—"

The crowd heard the chill in Su Huan's voice and sobered up, listening attentively.

"I'll only accept passengers between the ages of sixteen and fifty."

"I'll open a gap in the side fence shortly. Get ready to set out."

After saying that, Su Huan hurried into the carriage.

He had just protected Liang Kuan, and his energy was almost completely depleted. He had even used some Pan-Energy Crystals to replenish it.

Otherwise, the sun wouldn't have left him drenched in sweat.

He also planned to head out himself to look for the fire engine, so he needed to recover his energy as soon as possible.

It wasn't that he didn't want to send someone else. They were simply too short-handed right now.

As for the passengers behind him...

Would those ingrates shoot the zombies first, or him?

He would have to go himself.

Before he even reached the dining car, Su Huan heard a soft humming.

"The scenery of life keeps passing by. Whenever I feel lonely and look back, your love is always waiting for me not far away..." (voice-over)

Her voice was gentle and relaxed, like the hot breeze drifting outside the train. It brushed against him, swirled around, then flowed on.

The sound floated freely and softly into the distance, leaving him rooted to the spot in a daze.

But it seemed she had noticed something, because she abruptly stopped at the song's climax.

A rich, savory aroma wafted from the carriage, like the oily yolk of a salted duck egg.

Su Huan stepped into the dining car. A plate sat in the middle of the dining table, weighted down by something. Yu Yue, wearing an apron, stood behind the cabinets. She had changed out of her ginger-yellow shirt and into a white T-shirt, and wore a pair of ivory-white, wide-legged ice-silk trousers.

She looked soft and homely.

A large casserole was simmering on the induction cooker, filling the air with that savory aroma.

As Su Huan entered, Yu Yue set down what she was holding at just the right moment. She took an empty glass filled with ice from the fridge, poured in half a bottle of cola, and brought it over to him.

Su Huan took it and sipped. "Where did you get the casserole?"

He knew exactly what was in the kitchen.

"I found it in the luggage carriage. It's brand-new and unused. I thought I'd make crab and tofu stew for dinner."

Yu Yue held her hands in front of her. Her full, round legs were pressed together without the slightest gap. She stood primly, like a maid answering her master's questions.

"Tofu?"

Su Huan glanced at the item being pressed down in the basin on the table, his gaze darkening. His little aunt knew quite a lot.

"It's brine-set tofu. I made it this morning, so it'll be ready to eat tonight."

"And the clothes?"

"Mm."

"Did you get any for me?"

Looking at the young man before her, with his fine, sharp features, a flicker of bewilderment crossed Yu Yue's apricot-shaped eyes.

How could he be so cold and ruthless one moment, like an evil spirit, then act like a child asking for candy the next?

The change was so seamless that he was impossible to read.

"I collected some. They're in my room." As Yu Yue spoke, she secretly lifted her eyes to gauge Su Huan's expression.

Su Huan's expression turned cold. "If I hadn't asked, you weren't planning to give me any, were you?"

"No, no. I was going to bring them to your room after I finished cooking."

Yu Yue spoke timidly.

Daily intimidation: 1/1

Seeing how meek she looked, Su Huan felt much better. He gave a quiet snort, carried his iced cola to the orange cat sofa, and began silently absorbing Pan-Energy Crystals to restore his energy.

After a while, Su Huan sensed something was off. He frowned and opened his eyes.

He looked suspiciously at the woman busy at work.

She had a cleaver and chopping board, so why wasn't there a sound?

And what about the bubbling casserole and the hum of the air conditioner? Why had all the comforting sounds of daily life disappeared?

Before long, Yu Yue's hands and feet stiffened under his chilly gaze. She slowly turned around and smiled ingratiatingly. "I was afraid the sounds of cooking would disturb you..."

Su Huan's face twitched. "Don't ever block my senses again!"

Everything around him was utterly silent. How could he possibly close his eyes like that?

"Mm..."

In an instant, all the surrounding noises came rushing back. Only then did Su Huan let out a breath of relief. Without those sounds, he had lost his sense of where he was in the space.

That was terrifying.

Fortunately, Yu Yue didn't pull any more tricks after that.

An hour later, feeling his energy replenished, Su Huan opened his eyes again.

The midday sun was glaringly white. Looking through the squares formed by the explosion-proof mesh, he saw the reflective tracks outside and Liang Kuan slowly backing up the Hydrogen Train.

A group of workers were carrying pipes and metal plates.

They were all as red as steamed prawns, drenched in sweat.

Su Huan stood and stretched, drained the melted ice water from his glass, then headed outside.