Su Huan said patiently, "There's a canning factory nearby, but it's uncertain how much food they have left. I wouldn't mind chatting with you a bit longer, but some people might miss the train tonight."
The chatter stopped immediately.
Everyone scattered and started heading outside.
Forty-some carriages but only a bit over a thousand people. That speaks volumes about Su Huan's character.
If you can't afford a ticket, he'll really leave you outside the train.
Soon, more than a thousand people had mostly left, leaving only a few who were slow to move.
A girl hesitantly walked over to Su Huan.
Su Huan squinted slightly, speaking in a gentle tone, "Is there anything I can help you with?"
The girl pinched her fingertips and hesitated, "Could you..."
"No."
"Grumble"
The girl's stomach growled.
Tears welled up in her eyes instantly, and she pleaded, "I'm just too hungry..."
Su Huan suddenly understood, "Oh, it's you."
Last time, a few people hadn't collected enough supplies and barely scraped together the money for a ticket.
Without food, naturally, they had to endure hunger.
Su Huan pulled a loaf of bread from his pocket and handed it to her.
The girl devoured it ravenously, eating it all up in just a few bites after opening the package.
Su Huan kindly handed her a small 330ml bottle of drinking water.
After she drank, she looked up and smiled sweetly, "Brother Su, you're so kind."
Oh, she's quite a little beauty.
Su Huan wiped the tears from her face, smiling happily too.
"Remember to bring back six portions of supplies."
With that, he ignored the girl's surprised expression and went back to the train to get his tools.
Liang Kuan went to move the prepared metal sheets.
...
Su Huan returned to the carriage and saw a figure sneaking around in front of his door from afar.
Recognizing the familiar knit sweater and curvy figure, he didn't need to guess to know it was Yu Jing's mom.
Su Huan activated his "silent walking" skill.
He stood behind the woman, just about ten centimeters away, faintly feeling the warmth radiating from her.
Su Huan, taking advantage of his height, leaned his head over her shoulder, watching her fiddle with her fingers like a little girl.
He spoke softly, "What are you doing here?"
The woman shuddered in fright, her legs went weak, and she stumbled toward the compartment door, but luckily it was close enough for her to grab onto.
The shock came so suddenly that she couldn't even manage a sound.
Fearing she might fall awkwardly, Su Huan reached out to steady her waist.
The woman turned to look and, seeing it was Su Huan, felt even more terrified instead of relieved.
Maintaining an awkward posture, she trembled, "I came to check on my daughter, she hasn't returned all night..."
"Oh."
Su Huan felt his fingers sink into the soft hip.
"Click!"
The door unlocked, and Yu Jing, with her high ponytail, opened it.
The woman lost her balance and fell into Yu Jing's arms.
Yu Jing caught her mother, her deep, intelligent eyes glancing between the two with a hint of confusion, "Are you here to inspect the results?"
Su Huan acted as if nothing happened, "Just getting some tools, you can come with me."
Yu Jing stepped aside, while her mother, like a startled rabbit, hid on the other side.
Avoiding Su Huan's playful gaze as well.
The messy parts in the room were gone, and the tools were neatly arranged on the table.
A chassis leaned diagonally in the center of the room, the front wheel slightly turned left, with the intake of the mechanical supercharger baring its fangs in the shadows and the honeycomb-like texture inside the wall resembling insect eyes.
The air still carried the cold, mixed scent of oil and leather, like the exhaust from some giant beast.
Yu Jing frowned and explained, "The restoration is done, but the sound is off. There might be some minor engine issues that need checking."
Su Huan remained unconcerned.
Just a few minor problems.
Could they be worse than the chainsaw + fuel injection bike issues that bike enthusiasts modded?
Riders could end up castrated and roasted just by braking on that stuff.
If he could handle such wild things, why worry about something this harmless?
Simply using the bikers' mantra to respond to her, "This world has too many flawed things, as long as it starts up, it's fine."
"Hmm, since you say so... we'll check it afterwards." Yu Jing paused, then accepted.
Su Huan first pushed the big guy to the sightseeing carriage, where there was more space.
Then took Yu Jing and the welding tools towards the front of the train.
When they got off the front, they saw Liang Kuan struggling with a huge steel plate.
The steel plate was 25mm thick and V-shaped, just enough to cover the entire front, something Su Huan welded a few days ago at a factory.
"Are you planning to install... protection?" Yu Jing suddenly asked.
About to step forward, Su Huan turned back to her, "Is there a problem?"
Yu Jing responded calmly, "Against zombies or obstacles on the tracks, a plow-shaped front might be more effective."
Su Huan's eyes lit up slightly, "That's a good idea, do you know how to execute it?"
Yu Jing moved to the front, squatted down to look, "It's easy, just tilt the steel plate 30° and weld it on, though it's a bit tricky."
"Then let's do it," Su Huan said decisively.
He needed to rely on this train to survive, so he couldn't be careless with the upgrades.
"Liang Kuan, lift it up, I'll weld, Yu Jing, you adjust from the back, let's finish by noon."
After speaking, Su Huan clamped an electrode, not even connecting a power source, and directly began welding the seams.
Yu Jing was momentarily stunned, just about to remind him, when the sparks almost blinded her eyes.
Unbelieving, she looked again, and Su Huan was evidently using just a welding plier, without even a power source, welding in mid-air!
It was simply challenging her understanding!
"That's..."
"First, align the position, if you do well, I'll tell you how to become an Evolver," Su Huan said calmly with his back to her.
Yu Jing looked at this mysterious man, with a glint in her eyes.
"Lift it a bit more, the angle is too low to act as a plow."
"Hey!"
Liang Kuan exhaled powerfully, lifting the heavy steel plate, his face flushed red.
After an hour, they finally finished welding the steel plate.
Looking at the crude welding marks on the front, Su Huan nodded with satisfaction. In the apocalypse, who cares how it looks as long as it's sturdy!
"Next, there's the windows; weld the anti-explosion mesh on the dining car, and today's task is done."
Liang Kuan patted his gloves, raising a cloud of dust, and pulled out a large bundle of anti-explosion mesh from Car No. 3, and started cutting on site.
Outside, it's hard to plug in, but that makes it convenient; Su Huan just holds the plug.
Then Yu Jing held the anti-explosion mesh, using the other hand to weld.
It was awkward at first, but later on, the three formed a tacit understanding and worked quickly.
Before even two o'clock, they had welded the entire dining car's windows with anti-explosion mesh.