Close the window, and the dishes in the pot are almost done.
A quick stir of the sauce.
Out of the pot!
He made two dishes in total, one with green peppers and dried bean curd, the other with diced carrots and corn.
These vegetables were the kind that could be stored for a long time; all the other vegetables had been eaten up a few days ago.
He plated the vegetables and served three bowls of rice.
The train entered the tunnel, and darkness fell suddenly.
A sharp braking sound arose.
"Swoosh—"
The lights in the dining car turned on, and the entire train came to a stop in the tunnel.
Heavy footsteps echoed from the dim corridor's end.
A burly figure entered the dining car, blocking the light and casting a large shadow over the table.
His voice was deep and calm, "The weather is getting hotter and hotter."
This was Liang Kuan, the first core member of the armored train and its driver.
He had heard of him in his previous life, but Liang Kuan had died early and they never interacted.
Unexpectedly, after rebirth, they met directly, and the other happened to be a train driver.
Su Huan nodded and asked, "How far to the canned meat factory?"
"We'll be there after this tunnel."
"Then tomorrow we'll drive the train near the factory and let them go down to gather resources."
"You decide on these things, as long as I can see my daughter." Liang Kuan said and continued to eat silently.
Liang Kuan was taciturn, so most communication between them was Su Huan talking and him listening.
Although somewhat dull, it was much better than his teammates from his past life.
At least he didn't have to worry about hiding from zombies and Evolution Beasts while guarding against a teammate stabbing him in the back.
Nine days was not much time, and Su Huan had only completed one-third of the tasks on his plan list, far from being ready.
Resource gathering was mostly done, but the train modifications hadn't started.
Originally, he planned to find a familiar guy from his past life, a "locomotive modifier," and with early cultivation, change his career path to train modification as well.
But now he didn't know which repair shop he was hiding in.
So Su Huan planned to find another predetermined member
—Saint Mother, an extremely rare entity in the apocalypse.
The two most important nodes in the armored train plan were energy and broken tracks.
Not to mention the Evolution Beasts that were as disturbing as huskies, but later they had to pass through storms and plant tides.
There, the tracks were destroyed beyond recognition; without means of repair, the armored train would become a metal shell.
And Master Eight's ability happened to solve this problem.
If he remembered correctly, he lived in an orphanage near the canning factory.
Thinking of this, a rare warmth appeared in Su Huan's eyes.
Liang Kuan finished the last grain of rice in his bowl, hesitated, and asked, "How long will this high temperature last?"
Although Su Huan was mysterious and not a good person, he knew many things.
These things could allow him to survive in this damned apocalypse, possibly even return home alive to see his daughter.
That was enough.
And compared to the over one thousand people behind the train, he was currently doing pretty well.
"A year, or even longer."
"What about the north? Will it be any better?"
"It will only get worse. The high temperature is just the beginning; more terrifying natural disasters will follow."
Su Huan's gloomy voice resonated within the car.
These natural disasters seemed to be arranged by someone, one after another, each area facing something different.
He casually tossed the dishes into the sink, "Install the shatterproof net on the dining car windows tomorrow first."
"Understood."
Su Huan waved his hand, "Go rest."
Liang Kuan got up and left.
Su Huan glanced at the clock hanging on the inner wall of the carriage.
The hour hand pointed to five in the afternoon, and it was still early before dark.
But in this tunnel, there was only pitch black, though a bit stuffy, they wouldn't be noticed by a zombie horde.
He stretched, threw the kitchen knife and cutting board into the sink.
He didn't like washing dishes.
...
Su Huan quietly walked to the rear carriages.
In his mind, he pondered how to arrange these few carriages.
No need to consider the front; the power system basically filled it up, with only some space around the control platform that couldn't be used for much.
Sealing and reinforcing would do, and if possible, enhance the power system further.
The first dining car could be retained; besides food, there's nothing else to soothe the soul in the apocalypse.
The team also needed such a meeting room.
They could use the extra space to open a small storage room, store some food and clean water for daily consumption.
The second sightseeing car should be converted into a battle prep room, allowing access to the upper deck to strike at enemies approaching the train.
The third would be kept...
Before he could finish his thought, he had already reached the end of the fifth carriage.
Instinctively, his heels were slightly off the ground, his soles spread out as much as possible, stepping on the red carpet in the corridor without making a sound.
Su Huan looked down at the doorknob, around which a strand of hair was wrapped.
This had been casually wound there.
Luckily, Miss Yu was very obedient, not stepping out of the carriage during this period, not even opening the door.
"Knock knock knock"
The sound was abrupt, and Su Huan's raised hand paused in mid-air.
He turned his head towards the door connecting to the sixth carriage.
"Knock knock knock!"
Maybe they didn't hear anything, as the knocking became more urgent.
There was some noise from the soft sleeper compartment.
Su Huan could faintly hear the conversation between the mother and daughter, with Yu Jing saying not to pay attention.
Lowering his hand, he turned towards the door of the corridor.
Suddenly lifting the curtain, the person opposite was startled, then said, "The window in the carriage with zombies at the back is cracking!"
"Got it."
"Hey, hey!"
Ignoring the person's shouting, Su Huan lowered the curtain, glancing sideways behind him.
The corridor was pitch-black, and the soft sleeper compartment was also very quiet.
Su Huan squinted his eyes, returned to the front car, picked up his usual wrench, and opened the carriage door, hearing the growls of beasts echoing in the dark tunnel.
With a light leap, he jumped onto the ground.
Thus, he walked by the tracks without any protection.
For an old-timer who survived four years in the apocalypse, the darkness was his safe zone, and he trusted zombies far more than those people.
Carriages 6, 7, 8, and 9 contained people, while 10 and 11 contained suddenly mutated zombies.
Su Huan reached outside the 9th carriage.
A faint light inside, like a lighter's flame, cast large, terrified shadows on the tunnel walls.
But due to this light, the people inside the carriage didn't see Su Huan standing outside.
Su Huan didn't make a sound, standing silently for five minutes.
He finally detected some anomalies.
They were very nervous and frightened, but their faces weren't directed at the 10th carriage with the locked zombies.
But towards the direction of the front of the train!
Because that was where they believed the danger came from!
The light gradually dimmed, probably because the lighter was out of fuel. In the last glimmer, he barely saw a group of men huddled together.
The leader's face was indistinguishable, only a large black-gray hoodie visible.
Amidst the chaotic zombie growls, Su Huan's lips curled into a smile in the darkness.