Chapter 21: Childish Games

Dark blue twilight filtered through the gaps in the blast-proof mesh, casting mottled, cold-toned shadows across the metal storage racks. The low hum of the air conditioning, set to 22°C, intertwined with the rhythmic vibrations of the wheels grinding against the tracks.

Yu Jing curled into a corner of the storage room’s metal shelving, her head resting on a large bottle of cola. The smooth, cool plastic offered a subtle chill that clashed with the thin sheen of perspiration on her nape.

Su Huan toyed with a small digital watch. With a flick of his thumb, he checked the time: 05:27. He then magnetically attached the watch to the shelf. He had kept watch all night; other than the Night Demon that Gao Zhe had killed, no further threats had emerged.

He closed his eyes to rest. Su Huan was well-versed in sleep deprivation, capable of entering a semi-conscious, light-sleep state. He trusted his physical instincts to maintain surveillance. This light-sleep state had once sustained him through four days and two nights, until the evolutionary beast, driven by hunger, had finally moved on.

Suddenly, the sound of metal clattering echoed from Car No. 4. Su Huan’s back tensed reflexively until he recognized the distinct, light footsteps of Yu Yue. His Adam's apple bobbed as he relaxed. She must be preparing breakfast.

*I hope for a bowl of seafood porridge,* he thought, his mind wandering.

Yu Yue’s footsteps approached from behind. She glanced at her daughter in the corner and asked softly, "What would you like for breakfast, Mr. Su?"

Su Huan lay in his chair, eyes narrowed. "Don't be so formal; it makes me feel like you're being sarcastic."

Yu Yue bit her lip, feeling conflicted. She was much older than Su Huan, but she couldn't exactly call him "Little Su."

"Brother... Brother Su?" Her tone held a slight lilt—not very noticeable, but distinct enough to set her apart from the others.

Su Huan decided the nuance wasn't worth the trouble. "I recall there’s plenty of frozen seafood in the dining car’s refrigerator. Make some porridge. From now on, let’s prioritize consuming the frozen stock."

"Understood."

The interruption made it impossible for Su Huan to drift back to sleep. He rose and went to Car No. 5 to pull back the curtains. The sudden, harsh daylight sliced the carriage into sharp contrasts of light and shadow.

Su Huan squinted, looking out the window. The wilderness was overgrown, with bright red flora now appearing among the lush green. Deep within the foliage, it felt as though countless eyes were watching the train. As the train pressed onward, the land and scenery slowly slipped away behind them.

Su Huan returned to Car No. 6 and approached Yu Jing. She had taken over for her mother late last night and had kept watch for half the night; by morning, she was so exhausted she had collapsed there to sleep. Her small gray shirt was pulled taut by her chest, revealing the delicate skin of her midriff.

A playful impulse struck Su Huan. He crouched down and gently traced the area around her navel with his fingertips.

He didn’t use force, just the texture of his fingerprints to tease. A moment later, Yu Jing opened her bloodshot eyes, shot him a look, and turned her head away to sleep. Her graceful, pale neck was left exposed before him.

Before long, Yu Jing felt that faint tickle on her neck again. She let out a weary sigh. "Why don't you just get it over with?"

"I don't think so." Su Huan smirked, continuing his childish game of brushing her skin with a stray lock of hair.

*Just because you're offering doesn't mean I have to take it. Who’s really in charge here?*

Besides, he found the mental torment of Yu Jing far more pleasurable than the act itself. After all, she was like a candy held in his mouth; the longer he savored it, the sweeter the final taste would be.

Yu Jing was now fully awake. She stared at the cold mockery on Su Huan's face, feeling a surge of irritation. If she had known, she would have just given in that first night. By now, they would likely be bored of each other. Instead, she had ignited this man’s damnably possessive desire, and she had no idea how long this trouble would last.

Yu Jing curled her lips into a beautiful smile. "Brother, why don't we go inside?"

"Shut up. Disgusting!"

Yu Jing: "..."

This skirmish ended with Yu Jing fleeing the scene. Su Huan noted that while his body was weary from the sleepless night, his spirit was remarkably sharp. He returned to his room, put away his sniper crossbow, and pulled out his notebook to record the daily log.

*"December 19th, early winter, 28°C—"*

*"I seem to have forged a hero."*

*— "Train Captain’s Log"*

He arrived at the dining car to see a khaki blanket draped over the sofa, printed with a chubby orange cat wearing a wicked grin. It added a touch of domesticity to the carriage.

Yu Yue noticed his gaze and said, "I saw the blanket lying around and thought it looked nice here..."

"That’s fine, that’s fine. Do as you please; no need to ask me," Su Huan waved dismissively. He slumped onto the sofa, lost in thought.

Around seven o'clock, Wan Xing and Qi Xiaoba emerged. The train slowly came to a halt on the outskirts of the city.

Liang Kuan, his eyes bloodshot from exhaustion, walked into the dining car. "The nearest water plant is about ten minutes away. We'll be there shortly."

Su Huan took the seafood porridge Yu Yue handed him and inhaled the aroma. "No rush. Get the passengers off first, then you go get some rest."

"Understood." Liang Kuan took his bowl and began to eat ravenously.

Su Huan turned his gaze to Wan Xing. "Afterward, go harvest the Night Demon carcass in the storage carriage. Aside from the energy-refining crystal, see if you can scavenge any other materials."

The greatest contribution of the zombies wasn't the energy crystals, but the bizarre pathways of their physical evolution. A researcher from a major corporation had told him this in his previous life. However, Wan Xing’s mastery of her abilities was still too low to utilize the zombies at a genetic level. Su Huan didn't expect much—just enough to strip away useful materials. The claws, for instance, were high-strength components. Accumulating them would prove useful later.

Wan Xing nodded silently. Su Huan understood her capabilities better than she did herself; there was no need for questions, only execution.

Watching the steam rise from his porridge, Su Huan mused, "Today’s task is singular: inspect the train for damage and continue with the first phase of the armored train project."

The group acknowledged the order.

...

The carriage before him was "transparent." It took Su Huan a long moment to find such a precise and vivid descriptor. Hundreds of coin-sized holes were densely scattered across the surface of the green-painted carriage, piercing through the buffer and insulation layers. Out of twelve pairs of windows, only two remained intact; the rest had been pulverized into various shards. The weaker roof of the carriage had even been clawed into a large depression.

Honestly, Su Huan was tempted to simply detach this carriage entirely. They didn't need this much space for the time being, and they had lost 63 passengers overnight.

What surprised him was that Dog Brother had survived, along with the daughter-in-law from that family; though she looked terrified, she hadn't a drop of blood on her. The tattooed man, on the other hand, had died quite cleanly—a single fatal strike.

Beyond this, the carriages that hadn't been reinforced with steel plating had their fair share of claw marks, but none as severe as this one.