Chapter 6: Buying the Ticket and Boarding the Train

“Will you obey everything?”

“Yes, everything!”

“Absolute obedience?”

“Absolutely!”

The girl wiped the sweat off her glistening face vigorously, revealing her fair skin. She still had some confidence in her looks.

Su Huan narrowed his eyes, scrutinizing her. “First, come up and wash these dishes.”

At the dining car, only Yu Yue was there, handling the leftover dishes from yesterday.

Su Huan said coldly, “You go tidy up the rooms.”

Yu Yue turned around in surprise and saw another girl standing behind Su Huan. She glanced at the newcomer with a complicated expression, wiped her hands, and stepped aside.

The girl hadn’t wiped away her tears; yet, inside her heart, she was wrapped in a tremendous sense of happiness and surprise. She quickly took the dishcloth.

“How old are you?” Su Huan continued.

“Eighteen. I have my ID in my bag.”

There weren’t many dishes in the sink, and the girl finished washing them in a few strokes. She waited nervously for Su Huan’s next order, lost in thought, her ears flushed red.

“Being an adult is good. You can take care of yourself now. You may get off the train,” Su Huan said indifferently.

“Ah?”

The girl was struck like lightning, frozen in place.

After a long pause, she forced a stiff smile. “Wasn’t everything agreed upon? Brother Su, don’t scare me...”

Su Huan was surprised. “What agreement? You only have two and a half shares of supplies. I generously let you wash a few dishes to make up for the remaining half share, so you’ve repaid your debt to me. But if you want to get on the train, you need three shares of supplies.”

He put a finger to his lips, his tone dangerous. “Don’t tell me you want to freeload?”

Tears streamed down again. “I can do a lot more…”

“What skills do you have? Any hobbies?”

“I... I like traveling, have been to many places, can dance, speak great English, and I’m a blogger with a lot of followers.”

Su Huan leaned back on the sofa casually. “Take off your pants.”

“Ah?”

The girl was stunned, hesitating. “Right here? Isn’t that a bit...”

“Enough. Get off the train.”

Su Huan was tired of listening.

“I’ll take them off!” The girl yanked her high-waisted jeans down to her ankles.

***

Grasping her sweatshirt tightly and lifting it as high as possible, fearful that Su Huan wouldn’t see clearly and would kick her off, the girl’s cheeks blazed red from shame and anxiety. A drop of crystal-clear sweat slid down her chest and abdomen, landing on her delicate navel, which twitched slightly.

Yet Su Huan’s attitude remained cold and indifferent. “It’s too late now.”

After spending so much time with perverts, normal people always felt out of place when he looked back at them.

But their pride and restraint wouldn’t last long—soon, they would return to the apocalypse he knew so well.

Only now could he still toy with the game of humiliation.

Su Huan stood up.

The girl dared not speak further, her expression as if the sky had fallen, and she stepped off the train, lingering nearby, unwilling to leave.

There was not a shred of pity in Su Huan’s eyes.

He needed people, but only those who were valuable.

Of course, if they were beautiful enough to provide both physical and emotional services, that was acceptable too—but this girl’s sharp face and slender legs were not his type.

He would rather have the timid Aunt Yu; she was more fun.

***

After sending the girl away, Su Huan tucked a sign under his arm and carried a roster to the sixth carriage.

It was noticeably stuffier here. Since this car consumed power, and Su Huan hadn’t fully developed his capabilities yet, energy had to be conserved wherever possible.

The carriage was filled with various disorganized clothes, permeated with foot odor and urine stench. Fortunately, there was a restroom inside. Scanning the area, apart from some thin plastic film covers, there was nothing particularly dirty.

“Tch, still energetic,” Su Huan remarked, opening a nearby window for ventilation.

Liang Kuan approached, carrying a fire axe.

Su Huan chuckled lightly, “Don’t be so nervous. We’re ticket collectors, not executioners.”

Liang Kuan nodded heavily, gripping the axe tightly. “Understood.”

Su Huan opened the door and hung the sign beside it, four large characters reading: “Buy Ticket to Board.”

“Come on over, buy tickets to board.”

Su Huan called out, then found a chair to sit comfortably.

He enjoyed this feeling of effortless gain.

Passengers hidden around the train carefully emerged from their hiding places.

They were all old hands trained by Su Huan, knowing well how to avoid attracting zombies.

If they accidentally drew zombies here, well, good luck. Don’t expect Su Huan to open the door and let them in.

The train was far more important than any single person.

***

Soon, passengers gathered at the door of the sixth carriage, each carrying bundles of supplies.

“Why the sixth carriage today? Wasn’t it always the fifth before?” asked a man wearing work pants.

Su Huan glanced at him, recognizing him vaguely, and took the backpack he handed over patiently. “This carriage is being cleared out and won’t be open anymore. It will be dedicated as the exchange carriage.”

“A ten-pound bag of rice—good stuff. Okay, that counts as three shares of supplies.”

Receiving tangible goods, Su Huan’s mood brightened a little. “Since you’re an old passenger, I have a small job for you. If you do well, you can waive one share of supplies.”

The man’s eyes lit up. “What job?”

Su Huan pointed inside the carriage. “You clear out all the trash and sweep it clean.”

The man eagerly took the backpack and boarded to work.

Hearing this, those behind quickly asked after handing over their supplies, “Any jobs left?”

Su Huan glanced at one of them, a stranger who must have boarded a few days ago. “No. Next.”

A woman with a troubled expression handed over a huge package wrapped in a black garbage bag, her hands purple from gripping it tightly.

Su Huan took it skeptically.

Hmm, it was quite heavy.

Opening the plastic bag, he found an air pump weighing about twenty kilograms. For a woman to carry such a thing so far was no small feat.

Fearing Su Huan might reject it, the woman hurriedly explained, “My husband was a carpenter. This air pump can operate a nail gun. I brought it all together. It’s all on the label.”

Su Huan gave her a quick once-over, noting her diligence. “Alright, you’re approved. Come inside and clean this carriage thoroughly. Every corner, every edge. The glass must be so clean it can reflect a person. Do a good job, and your ticket will be free tomorrow.”

The woman thanked him repeatedly.

Soon, Su Huan’s space was piled high with supplies—rice, flour, diesel, cigarettes, alcohol, candy, tea, daily necessities, medical instruments, production tools—everything imaginable.

This was far faster than going out to scavenge himself.

Just as Su Huan was busy collecting tickets with great enthusiasm, a group of unfamiliar faces approached. They seemed to be a family—three men, two women, and a child.

The train was often discovered by locals, who mistakenly believed it was a government rescue effort.

“Dad, look! The train is still running. I told you, there’s no way such a big country would collapse so easily because of some virus!”

The speaker was a man wearing glasses, his features narrow.

His father, with half-gray temples, dressed in a dark blue jacket, also brightened upon seeing the train. “Quick, go ask.”

But the people around them only looked coldly and gave no answer.

The man with glasses felt something was off and approached the carriage. That’s when he saw Su Huan.

He sized him up and cautiously asked, “Is this train really a government rescue?”