Chapter 5: Born Toward the North
Climbing onto the dining car, Su Huan luxuriously washed his hands again. He pulled out a bottle of mineral water and took a large gulp before pulling out two more bottles and tossing them to Liang Kuan and Yu Jing.
“Drink some water and rest for a bit.”
The two drank slowly, gradually regaining their strength by his side.
Su Huan slumped onto the sofa, sweat pouring down his body. “Liang Kuan, turn on the air conditioning in the dining car. No need to cool down the other cars.”
After a few minutes, cool air blew out from the vents.
Feeling the refreshing chill opening his pores, Su Huan lazily gazed out the window.
Though the explosion-proof grid fragmented the outside view into small squares, somehow it lifted his spirits.
“Ask whatever you want while I’m in a good mood,” he said.
Yu Jing hesitated before asking, “I want to know what exactly has happened to the world.”
Su Huan lifted his eyelids slightly, impressed that she hit the mark.
Quite clever.
“As for the apocalypse, I don’t know much, but I’ll tell you what I can.”
“Eight days ago, an unknown energy appeared—let’s call it ‘pan-energy’ for now. It’s a general term for energies we don’t understand. This energy is like air, permeating every corner and blocking most of the communication methods we know.”
Su Huan glanced around, picked up a small radio from a shelf behind him, turned it on, and randomly switched channels.
Only static crackled.
Seeing the eager look in Yu Jing’s eyes, Su Huan threw the radio to her, letting her try tuning it herself.
No matter how she fiddled with it, no meaningful sound could be received.
“I’ve got several more radios in my room. If you don’t believe me, you can try them yourself later,” Su Huan said indifferently.
Yu Jing didn’t doubt him; she just wasn’t ready to accept the harsh reality.
She sighed inwardly and set the radio down.
“So, where are we headed?”
“North. It’s colder there, offering a better chance of survival. But I have a feeling this heat wave is just the beginning. Our only hope is this train beneath our feet. If the apocalypse continues, this is the only shelter we can rely on.”
His words cast a somber shadow over their faces.
“So, we must prepare for long-term survival on the train. I’m not only gathering supplies and upgrading the armor, but also building water purification, air circulation, a car farm, defense systems, offense systems, full medical support, and provisions…”
Su Huan paused. “Of course, a skyscraper isn’t built in a day, and neither will this train be fully armed overnight. I’m just setting your expectations.”
---
There was another reason Su Huan didn’t mention for why the train kept heading north.
His home was up north, along with all his relationships and most of his memories.
“So, here’s to us surviving this far and living even better in the future,” Su Huan raised his water bottle.
The two lifted their hands in unison.
After a moment, seeing they had no questions, Su Huan raised an eyebrow. “I thought you’d ask about the Evolutionaries.”
Liang Kuan seemed not to hear, and Yu Jing calmly said, “You’ll tell us when you need to.”
Su Huan smiled. The most important thing now was arming the train; the matter of the Evolutionaries could wait.
Gathering his thoughts, Su Huan focused inward.
【“Power Provider” Lv1 Pan-Energy Conversion, Lv1 Energy Compression, Lv1 Pan-Energy Perception】
This wasn’t a system but information engraved into the gene upon evolution—no learning required. The moment evolution completes, the Evolutionary instinctively understands and wields these abilities, like “swallowing” or “raising a hand.”
Like a young lion swiping its paw: it may not know the outcome, but it never forgets the act of swiping.
If one had a Deep Blue Data wristband, they could see some basic stats—total energy, recovery rate, and so on. Su Huan had tried one for two days in his previous life and sold it off.
He didn’t want his data secretly studied by others. Although these stats fluctuated constantly, in the apocalypse, that was too dangerous.
Besides, lacking exact data didn’t matter much.
Evolutionaries couldn’t know precise body stats but could sense their approximate state—how long a skill could last, how long pan-energy took to recover.
They could estimate whether they could endure a skill.
And this feeling came faster and more directly than data.
…
“Do you want me to prepare lunch?” A woman’s timid voice broke Su Huan’s reverie.
Looking up, it was Yu Jing’s mother, quietly standing there, silent and anxious.
Her personality was the complete opposite of Yu Jing’s.
Yu Jing and Liang Kuan had already gone to rest.
“What’s your name?”
---
“Yu Yue.”
“Cook the perishable food in the fridge first,” Su Huan said indifferently, then got up and walked toward the rear cars.
Outside Car Five stood a somewhat disheveled figure.
Worn black high-waisted jeans, an oversized black hoodie of uncertain origin, struggling under the weight of a black backpack, her eyes full of obsequiousness.
“Hey, isn’t this our little beauty? You’ve already collected six sets of supplies?”
For premium passengers like her, Su Huan never withheld his smile.
The girl’s face flushed slightly but seeing Su Huan’s smile rekindled hope. Tentatively, she said, “Brother Su, maybe my supplies aren’t enough. Could you—”
Su Huan’s smile faded, brow furrowing. “How much are you short?”
The girl took off her backpack and held it out with both hands, anxiously awaiting his judgment.
Su Huan dumped everything out of the backpack.
There was quite a bit in bits and pieces.
“Two portions of bread, four potatoes, ten heads of garlic—enough for a day, I guess. Oh, and some chips, but that won’t fill you up. Four bags count as one meal. Plus five packs of instant noodles and a four-piece sausage. Adding it all up, you’ve only got two and a half meals…”
Su Huan counted, his tone unfriendly.
The girl quickly pointed to a few other items. “And that—didn’t they say tools could substitute for a ticket?”
Su Huan picked up a screwdriver with a teasing expression. “You want to use this to trade for a ticket?”
The girl’s smile stiffened, but she nodded despite herself.
Su Huan’s smile remained, but his eyes turned cold. “You want to trade a lousy screwdriver for a precious ticket that lets you sleep safely during the apocalypse? Who’s the fool here? You or me?!”
Yu Yue, washing dishes nearby, felt a chill and lowered her head silently.
The girl’s face turned pale, trembling at the thought of being kicked off the train to face those terrifying zombies alone in an unfamiliar place. Large tears rolled down her cheeks.
Choking on her sobs, she pleaded, “But I really have no other way, Brother Su. Just let me on the train. I’ll do whatever you say.”