Chapter 7: The Metal Manipulator

Su Huan put on a perfectly measured, bitter smile. "There’s no rescue, I’m afraid. We’re just a group of refugees. Who could have imagined the world would turn out like this? We’re just hoping to head further north where it’s colder, thinking it might freeze that mob of living dead to death."

"We’re low on food on the train, so everyone’s heading out to scavenge. Do you want to come aboard?"

The man in glasses looked at the silent crowd around him, hesitating for a moment.

Su Huan continued his persuasion, "There are plenty of people on the train; we can look out for one another if something happens."

At this moment, the man’s family gathered around. An old woman with a face full of wrinkles piped up, "Let’s get on, let’s get on! We should stick together to keep warm, but about the fare..."

The old woman’s eyes darted about, feigning a pitiful expression. "Our whole family had such a hard time escaping; we didn’t bring much money. We do have a car parked outside, though—would that cover the ticket?"

Su Huan cursed the old woman in his heart.

Did she take him for a fool? He had just seen her hiding jewelry with her daughter-in-law in the back.

However, he showed nothing on his face. Instead, he blinked a few times, his eyes turning slightly red as he sighed. "It’s truly hard for you, traveling with your whole family. I’ll pay for your tickets out of my own pocket, but you must not breathe a word of this—the conductor would punish me otherwise."

The old woman’s wrinkles deepened as she grinned. "Young man, you really are a good person. Don’t you worry, our family knows how to follow the rules; we won’t say a thing!"

Su Huan smiled and opened the roster. "Just leave your names and you can board. You’ll be in Carriage 20."

The man in glasses felt something was off, so he kept his guard up and gave a fake name.

After recording their names, Su Huan said, "Just head in and keep walking toward the back. It might be a bit crowded, but since you’re elderly, tell them to make some room for you."

"Alright, alright, what a good lad."

The old woman praised him repeatedly.

The family, having no suspicions, happily boarded the train.

Seeing them get on, Su Huan let out a cold laugh. That family was no bunch of saints.

The young woman had begged him for help several times, and the old woman’s younger son had a fierce look, his hand kept firmly in his pocket.

Most hateful of all was that little brat, who had swiped a bag of potato chips from him the moment he boarded. His technique was practiced—clearly not his first time doing such a thing.

And, most importantly, it was his favorite flavor.

Yet, despite all that, Su Huan had let them on with ease.

In fact, he felt a flicker of anticipation.

In a confined space with scarce resources, the degradation of moral boundaries only accelerates.

Of course, Su Huan was the primary architect of the atmosphere on this train.

He was the one exacerbating the imbalance of resources.

Su Huan looked at the group of old passengers, whose expressions were peculiar, and said with a sarcastic smirk, "I covered your tickets too. If you have any complaints, feel free to voice them."

Everyone shook their heads repeatedly.

Newcomers could ride for free, but by the next day, once they reached a new location, they would have to repay the conductor’s "kindness" twofold.

Otherwise, they would be kicked off the train.

By now, the train had traveled countless kilometers, long since leaving behind the lands they were familiar with. Being forced off the train now was essentially a death sentence.

***

The collection of supplies continued until the sun began to dip into the west.

Suddenly, Su Huan caught sight of a familiar figure and froze in place.

"Master Ba..."

"Can we board the train?" asked a young woman wearing a nursing home uniform.

Su Huan’s eyes were locked on the person in front of her.

A boy in a black shirt sat in a wheelchair, his stark black-and-white eyes still retaining a lingering metallic sheen.

There were, in fact, two cores that enabled the construction of the armored train.

One was Su Huan, who provided various forms of energy; the other was Master Ba, who could bridge broken tracks.

In his previous life, he was the most versatile "Manipulator" of metal Su Huan had ever seen. Every type of alloy could be molded and shaped at his whim.

Su Huan had planned to find him once he finished his current tasks, but he hadn't expected to encounter him here.

What a miraculous twist of fate.

Su Huan grew increasingly confident in his plans for the train.

Seeing that Su Huan hadn't replied, the woman gritted her teeth and asked again.

Su Huan licked his lips. "No problem. Get on board."

A glimmer of joy finally appeared on the woman’s face. She pushed the wheelchair to the edge of the train and, facing the height difference, gritted her teeth and gripped the sides of the chair.

The heavy wheelchair was lifted up effortlessly.

The crowd looked on in surprise.

Su Huan watched from the side, clearly seeing the metallic sheen in the boy’s eyes intensify.

"Go and give them a hand."

Su Huan said to Liang Kuan, who stood beside him.

When he had met Qi Xiaoba in his past life, the boy was already a Tier 2 professional in the field of "Manipulators."

Su Huan only knew he came from an orphanage in Wen'an City; Qi Xiaoba had always been tight-lipped about anything else.

As for this young woman, he had never seen her before—she must have died.

Qi Xiaoba was best known for taking in many orphans of the apocalypse and frequently helping others, earning him a reputation as a "saint."

No one understood him, not even Su Huan.

In the apocalypse, everyone looked out for themselves; who would willingly play the saint?

But whenever Qi Xiaoba was mentioned, everyone would give a thumbs up and respectfully call him "Master Ba."

Because no one knew if, one day, the saintly grace of Master Ba might be bestowed upon them.

And Su Huan was lucky; he was one of the people who had been shielded by that grace twice.

Liang Kuan stepped forward and took the wheelchair from the woman.

***

There weren't many people left outside, and Su Huan intended to close the doors after this final batch of passengers.

Suddenly, a faint, muffled sound caught his attention.

He looked up, puzzled, but the strange noise had vanished.

For some reason, a prickle of unease crept up his spine. He instinctively activated his Level 1 Pan-Energy Perception.

There was nothing unusual within a one-meter radius.

"Just being paranoid..."

Su Huan muttered to himself, about to call for the next person, when a scream rang out before him.

Su Huan looked up instinctively, his pupils shrinking to the size of needlepoints.

A beast the size of a medium dog leaped from overhead, tackling a passenger who was about to board.

With one bite, blood sprayed everywhere.

The beast had no hair, as if it had been skinned; its raw, crimson flesh was exposed to the air, and the veins on its body wound like external piping. Its pair of scarlet eyes narrowed slightly as it scanned for its next target.

Its gaze locked directly with Su Huan’s.

'An Evolved Beast—Bloodhound!'

In an instant, the hair on Su Huan’s body stood on end. "Close the door!" he roared.

At the same time, he slammed the window shut.

*Bang—shriiill!*

Sharp claws scraped against the tempered glass, creating a jarring, screeching sound.

Several passengers scrambled and crawled their way inside.

Seeing that it couldn't shatter the window, the Bloodhound pushed off the ground, lunging toward the door.

Its mouth was filled with fangs, its ferocity fully unleashed!

But it was met with Su Huan’s cold, unblinking eyes and a raised index finger.

*Bang!*

The Bloodhound was sent flying backward.

The energy within Su Huan’s body drained away as if a floodgate had been opened.

However, the primary effect of that strike was knockback; the lethality was not high.

"Close the door!" Su Huan shouted in a low, sharp voice.

Liang Kuan hurriedly stepped forward and pulled the door shut.