Chapter 34: Integrated Water Purifier

"Adrenaline goes without saying; it's a life-saver. As for this last bit, it's a little something I made myself."

Su Huan picked up a cylinder and held it in his mouth, speaking muffledly, "Don't expect this thing to save your life. When you're truly at the breaking point, just bite down on it like I am, then press the button."

*Click-click.*

A sound echoed. Yu Jing’s expression shifted slightly.

Su Huan took it out of his mouth and tossed it out the window. A dull *thud* followed by a muffled explosion rang out. He shrugged his shoulders and grinned at the others, "Guaranteed to help you go painlessly."

"But since it's hand-crafted, it’s not exactly stable. If you’re unlucky and it only blows you half to death, well, just be more careful in your next life."

The group had long grown accustomed to Su Huan’s flippant attitude toward life and death, but they still found it hard to stomach. After giving his instructions and seeing no objections, Su Huan waved his hand.

"Move out."

The front and rear vehicle doors opened, and Wang He led his crew in quick pursuit of Su Huan. As this was their first excursion since the apocalypse, Su Huan remained on high alert. He eschewed all lighting equipment, relying entirely on his extensive experience in survival to navigate the suburbs.

Liang Kuan guarded their flanks with his sniper crossbow, while Yu Yue followed Su Huan closely, stopping every so often to listen.

"Make sure you follow my path. Do not step on the weeds," Su Huan, leading the way, whispered a warning.

Yu Yue nodded. She pulled at Su Huan’s sleeve, pointing to the front-left. "There’s breathing over there."

Su Huan’s pupils sharpened instantly. He chambered a round and gave a signal to Liang Kuan behind him. The latter stepped forward cautiously, followed quickly by the *click* of a crossbow trigger.

Su Huan followed and saw a "Razor-Claw Cat" missing its lower half, already in the throes of death. He gestured for Liang Kuan to finish it off with a bolt. Like the Blood Hounds, these were first-tier evolved beasts—gaunt and hairless, save for their terrifyingly evolved claws, which were as sharp as scythes.

Crossing the wilderness, the group stepped onto concrete, which was much cleaner. Cars had been pushed to the sides, and a large number of zombies lay slumped on the ground. The horrific claw marks on the streetlights, the missing chunks of corners, the dark red bloodstains—signs of slaughter were everywhere.

Fortunately, it was too dark for the workers behind to see clearly, saving them from the terror of it all. The journey to the water plant was smooth and uneventful.

Staring at the perimeter wall, Su Huan turned to Yu Yue. "Listen. What’s inside?"

Yu Yue’s eyes lost focus as she immersed herself in her sense of hearing. Thanks to Su Huan’s earlier reassurance, she was no longer so terrified by the sounds. A moment later, she replied, "About sixty sources. Most are concentrated inside the buildings. There’s the sound of splashing water in the water tower, and scratching in the guard room to the left of the entrance."

Su Huan couldn't help but grin. In his previous life, he’d never had a permanent team. Having a sensory-type evolver meant avoiding so many dangers.

They didn't go through the main gate. Circling around, they found a massive breach, as if a truck had smashed through it. The concrete floor was slick with puddles of water, *slapping* under their feet as they pushed deeper into the plant.

"Something is swimming this way! Ten meters to the front-right!" Yu Yue’s face went pale, her voice trembling.

"Understood." Su Huan replied calmly. After a two-second pause, a compressed, cold-blue electric arc sparked from his feet, and he dashed across the wet ground toward the direction she indicated.

In the flash of the electric arc, the group saw it: a creature about a meter wide and half a meter tall, holding two giant pincers, charging at them sideways with incredible speed. It was a river crab.

But no matter how fast it moved, it was no match for Su Huan’s high-voltage electricity. In an instant, it was paralyzed by the current and flipped over. At 20% energy output with compression, it was essentially a one-shot kill. Not taking any chances, Su Huan went over and finished it with a three-round burst of high-temperature shots until the smell of cooked seafood filled the air.

That was the straightforward, unadorned way of a power-wielder: take them down with massive energy, and if that doesn’t work, just add more.

Before the others could react, the crab was dealt with, and they pressed on. Things became much easier after that; with Yu Yue’s help, they bypassed what they could, and what they couldn't, Su Huan turned into a quick, small seafood feast.

Inside the courtyard, they found a small red forklift, complete with its crane arm. After twenty minutes of searching in the dark, they finally located the small integrated water purification unit.

Su Huan took a deep breath, suppressing his excitement, and pointed at the purifier. "Wang He, get this dismantled within twenty minutes. I’ll give you a permanent ticket; as long as your construction team is on the train, I will provide you with purified water."

The man beside him looked troubled. "Boss Su, dismantling it is easy, but it’s hard to transport."

Su Huan’s tone turned cold. "There are vehicles in the yard. I don’t care how you do it, just get it back."

Wang He gritted his teeth and agreed, leading his twenty workers to the task.

Liang Kuan walked over and whispered, "We found quite a bit of diesel and gasoline in the house next door."

Su Huan’s eyes brightened. The armored train’s primary power and energy still came from diesel. His own ability only served as an auxiliary drive. To truly run the train, he would at least need to become a first-tier "Energy Storage Core" professional.

"Let’s go, we’ll move it all back. Yu Yue, you come with us!"

Su Huan walked to the adjacent room. Pushing the door open, he saw over a dozen fuel drums lined up. They divided the labor: Liang Kuan hauled the drums out, and Su Huan handled the vehicles. Unlike trains, ordinary cars had fewer restrictions; he could bypass the key-ignition step and feed electricity directly into the vehicle’s circuits to start it.

Soon, he had a pickup truck running. With Yu Yue keeping watch, they loaded the cargo quickly. Su Huan had evolved once, giving him a high physical baseline, and Liang Kuan was naturally powerful—perhaps even stronger than him. They managed to load eight 55-gallon drums. They could have taken more, but the truck wouldn't have been able to handle the weight. For safety’s sake, they left the rest.

After twenty minutes of work, Wang He reported success: the purifier was dismantled. They used the forklift and two vehicles to tow it along.

Seeing their primary objective met, Su Huan didn't get greedy. He didn't even bother searching for the remaining supplies and led his entourage out in a grand procession. They encountered two more evolved beasts, but both were aquatic and were completely countered by his abilities. Su Huan even had the workers load the river crab onto the truck.

The group had arrived cautiously but left at high speed. Aside from the drivers, everyone, including Su Huan, jogged behind the vehicles. The forklift stopped periodically to clear debris from their path.