The two rails were polished bright and shone dazzlingly under the sunlight.
A train roared past, and the "crowd" wandering among the fields and villages came rushing in, half-running, half-jumping.
In several carriages, a group of passengers seemed infected by this "enthusiasm," each leaning out of the windows, howling loudly in response.
In the remaining carriages, although densely packed with people, there was a cold silence, not a single sound.
...
"There are 1,226 people on this train, 670 men and 556 women."
"But only 2 people can live at the front of the train, and the remaining 1,224 have to stay in the rear carriages."
"You say you want to join us, on what basis?"
Su Huan had a faint smile on his face, unabashedly scrutinizing the girl in front of him.
The girl wore a gray T-shirt, tightly fitted at the waist, with deep blue jeans hugging the curves of her legs, flaring open at the ankles like a small, subtle flower.
The girl calmly analyzed, "I am a mechanical and electronic engineering major, pursuing a combined bachelor's and master's degree, currently in graduate school. My father is a railway engineer. If you need train repairs or modifications, I can help, and I exercise regularly. I'm healthy and won't be a burden."
Su Huan was rather surprised inside, not expecting there to be real talent among these people. Although she was a bit inexperienced, his armed train plan could definitely use someone like her.
"You may tell me your name now."
"Yu Jing"
"Alright, Yu, you're hired."
"Wait a minute!" The girl interrupted Su Huan, "I have one condition."
Su Huan frowned; he didn't like others bargaining with him, but considering she was a talent, he restrained himself.
"A condition?"
"To bring one person." Yu Jing pulled a woman from the rear carriage, with worry on her brow, looking at him anxiously.
"My mom is a nurse and can handle some basic medical conditions."
Su Huan's eyes brightened.
The woman in front of him was about seventy percent similar to Yu Jing, essentially a mature version of the girl, wearing a beige knit sweater, her long hair cascading over her smooth shoulders. She had a gentle demeanor, her light lips moving softly, speaking with a slightly embarrassed quiver in her voice.
"Mr. Su..."
Very beautiful, but not much help to the plan.
But he was, after all, a man honed by the apocalypse, with a much lower bottom line than most.
"No problem, Yu, come to my room tonight. I need to assess your professional knowledge."
Yu Jing raised her eyebrows; although she found his words a bit strange, she didn't overthink it.
But the woman, experienced in worldly matters, naturally noticed something amiss. Clutching her daughter's arm, she spoke with a hint of pleading, "She is still a child..."
Su Huan nodded in understanding, "Then you accompany her and come together tonight."
"Next."
The crowd buzzed briefly, and a chubby, greasy middle-aged man squeezed his way through it.
Su Huan instantly lost his appetite, waved his hand, "Forget it, that's it for today, go back."
The middle-aged man widened his eyes, shouting, "Why does it end when it comes to me? You've only interviewed five people in total!"
Thinking of returning and squeezing into a cramped, oppressive space with a bunch of people, and possibly being eaten by zombies from the rear carriages at any moment, the man's voice involuntarily rose, becoming more excited as he spoke.
"Among the five people, you've picked two good-looking ones—what kind of interview is that? You could just pick all the attractive women!"
The others behind also became restless.
"Just tell us what conditions you want!"
"If you want money or something, I have a gold necklace."
"I also have a bit of food, can I stay at the front..."
"I can sleep with you tonight!"
The smile on Su Huan's face vanished, turning suddenly icy.
A finger placed on his lips, he said gloomily, "I'll give you one more chance, get back to the rear."
The middle-aged man, feeling he'd already torn down the barriers, combined with the pressure since the apocalypse, went all out, pointing at Su Huan and cursing, "You bastard, why should you occupy the front and make over a thousand of us squeeze at the back? You're damned!"
"And you two bitches, this bastard just wants to sleep with you. You're feeling proud now, but after he's done with you, you'll be fed to the zombies like all the other women on this train. How many days do you think you'll stay safe—"
The man's voice abruptly stopped as a hole appeared on his forehead.
His bloodshot eyes still carried anger and malice.
"Bang"
The body fell to the ground, yet not a trace of blood flowed from the wound.
The crowd originally packed in the corridor between the two carriages suddenly stepped back dramatically.
Feeling the slight heat from his fingertips, Su Huan said indifferently, "Drag the person back."
After a brief hesitation, compelled by Su Huan's menace, two people eventually stepped out to drag the body away.
Su Huan locked the corridor door, and seeing the faces glaring angrily but not daring to speak behind the glass, he showed a wicked smile.
He took out a notebook and wrote on it.
"First week of the apocalypse, people are still obedient."
The notebook fell open, revealing several bold words on it.
"Conductor's Log."
...
Su Huan turned his head and found Yu Jing's expression unchanged, involuntarily holding her in higher esteem in his heart.
"The last compartment is yours. Don't come out until I call you. There is a packet of biscuits and a bottle of water inside—your food for today."
Su Huan said indifferently.
The woman hesitated to speak, then was pulled into the soft sleeper compartment by Yu Jing, locking the door with a click.
Su Huan covered the glass on the corridor door and walked down the hallway, heading towards the first-class soft sleeper carriage.