Chapter 17: The Midnight Tide of the Dead

Su Huan called out to Yu Yue and casually picked up a boxed meal to open it.

The potatoes had been cut into irregular chunks and stewed with a small amount of diced radishes and minced beef until soft and savory. The mixture was ladled over the rice, emitting an appetizing aroma. There were also some pickled radishes on the side.

"Is it all potato beef stew?" Su Huan asked.

"There weren't many vegetables left, and we needed to make a large quantity, so I made a simpler dish." Yu Yue looked a bit nervous, pausing before adding, "I didn't use too much beef; I just minced it so it would look like there was more."

Su Huan was naturally not so petty. He said calmly, "It's fine. Those doing heavy labor need to eat well to have strength. I'll go with you."

Passing through the No. 6 storage carriage, Su Huan hoisted five cases of mineral water and followed her toward the back of the train. Although the consumption was high, it was only temporary. As long as they weren't working, these workers would still have to scavenge for supplies. For every bottle of water they borrowed, they would owe him three in return—a guaranteed profit.

The carriage was dim, and only the sound of the dining car’s wheels could be heard.

"By the way, is the door bolted from the inside or welded shut?" Su Huan asked casually.

Yu Yue replied softly, "We modified it a bit. As long as we don't open our side, they can't open it from the other side."

Su Huan looked up, his eyelids twitching. This group of people certainly had some ideas; the simple original lock had been replaced with an external one featuring three horizontal metal bolts, making it look like the door to a vault. Beyond the locking mechanism, the door's structural integrity had been significantly reinforced; at the very least, it wouldn't be smashed open by a blood hound in one hit.

Yu Yue opened the three visible locks and one hidden latch in sequence before they entered the bridge between the cars. Seeing Su Huan and Yu Yue, the workers on the other side quickly opened the door. A wave of stifling heat and a foul stench rushed out.

Su Huan’s expression remained unchanged. Wang He was dressed in the same attire as before, but he looked as if he had been pulled out of water; his hair was soaked, and beads of sweat rolled down periodically. He gave a bitter smile upon seeing them. "The rear carriages are too hot. Can you turn on the air conditioning?"

"Air conditioning is also a resource. If you want it on, you need to provide extra supplies."

"But it’s twenty-eight or twenty-nine degrees in here. People are going to die of heatstroke."

"Don't worry, the temperature will drop at night, twenty-six degrees at most. No one will die," Su Huan said calmly.

Wang He choked on his words and could only sigh as he went to collect the food. His mood brightened significantly when he saw the fragrant potato beef rice. He called out to the people behind him to come and collect their meals. Once the water and food were distributed, Su Huan and his companion left.

...

Deep within carriage No. 9.

Gao Zhe watched the bobbing heads in front of him, his gaze deep and inscrutable.

Before long, a scarred man walked over, looking surprised. "That Su guy is actually here to distribute food to those workers. Potato beef rice. Damn! Hot food—I haven't had that in ages. Looking at it makes me want to snatch it."

Gao Zhe ate his compressed biscuits in small bites, his tone calm. "It’s just a tactic to divide us. They have 120 people; what are you going to use to take it from them?"

The scarred man cursed under his breath, "Damn it, this group of workers has pushed many of our own to the back."

Gao Zhe remained unmoved.

"How was your day?" A low, steady voice sounded from across Gao Zhe.

Gao Zhe looked up at the man opposite him. His eyebrows were slightly gray, but his eyes were terrifyingly dark.

"My luck was poor. I fell into a nest of zombies and had to sustain some injuries to escape."

"Were you discovered?"

Gao Zhe hesitated for a moment. "I'm not sure, but he definitely remembered me."

"Then you were discovered."

The old man tapped his two index fingers heavily on the small table, creating a dull "thud." "Always prepare for the worst. Assume he has discovered you and plan accordingly."

"His ability is too bizarre. Using his index finger is just a facade; he can launch high-temperature energy blasts from any part of his body..."

"Are you afraid?"

"I just need an opportunity."

"Opportunities are never things you wait for."

"Don't rush me. I will make my move in due time."

Gao Zhe finished the last bite of his biscuit, grabbed a hoodie, tucked it under his head as a pillow, and closed his eyes to rest.

...

Su Huan did not rest. He was plagued by a lingering sense of unease, perhaps because of the news about the zombie pupae earlier that day. Under normal circumstances, he would have already fled. However, having completed a quarter of the armored plating today gave him some confidence, and he planned to stay here to secure another batch of steel plates tomorrow. He had only managed to get over seven hundred sheets today, still short by more than two thousand. It would be difficult to find so many standard steel plates anywhere else.

Suddenly, a wave of inexplicable agitation rose in his heart. Su Huan subconsciously glanced toward the seventh carriage. He stepped silently to the door and lifted the curtain; the group of people was slumped over the chairs and floor, sound asleep, with nothing out of the ordinary.

'Perhaps every carriage should be fitted with an iron gate,' Su Huan thought to himself.

Yet, the warning sign in his heart did not fade; instead, it grew even more intense.

Soon, he identified the source: it was his ability, "Pan-Energy Perception."

The reason he had been able to inexplicably see the blood hound last time was because he had sensed the pan-energy, and his body had instinctively sent him a warning!

Su Huan's heart sank. He walked to the window, lifted a corner of the curtain, and looked out.

His black pupils constricted violently.

A zombie horde! And a massive one at that!

Countless zombies were packed tightly against the fence outside the tracks, one pressing against another, forming a second barrier. Every now and then, a zombie would tumble from the top, only to stagger and shamble toward the train.

Su Huan dropped the curtain and sprinted toward the front of the train, shouting, "Turn off all the lights! Liang Kuan, go start the engine!"

Without needing further prompting, everyone had noticed the sight, and they all braced themselves as if facing a formidable enemy. Liang Kuan, who was busy working, didn't hesitate for a second; he dropped his tools and bolted toward the front.

As the lights extinguished, the entire train plunged into darkness.

The group rushed to the cockpit. Watching Liang Kuan complete the startup sequence and feeling the heavy roar of the train engine, everyone finally felt a bit more at ease.

Su Huan stood by the window, looking down at the surging zombies with a somber expression.

"Boom—"

The train slowly began to move, but it seemed to encounter immense resistance; sounds of slapping, scratching, and the crunching of debris echoed everywhere.

"There are too many zombies in front of the train; I can't build up speed," Liang Kuan said in a low, tense voice.

A cold, sharp light flashed in Su Huan's eyes. "Qi Xiaoba, go seal off the door to carriage No. 7. Everyone else, stay in the cockpit."

Qi Xiaoba's gaze was firm. "Understood. No one will be able to take advantage of the chaos."

"Good."

Su Huan sat directly in the co-pilot's seat, placing his palm on the control console.

He took a deep breath.

Surging pan-energy was continuously converted into electrical energy, forcefully injected into the train's engine!

The engine, which had previously sounded sluggish, seemed to take a massive, deep breath. It roared with all its might, causing the entire cockpit to vibrate slightly as it screamed forward.

Under the cover of night, the steel dragon pushed forward with all its strength, desperate to break free from the swamp-like zombie horde!