Chapter 235: Ebb Tide
The slap landing on his face wasn’t a crisp “pa,” but a muffled “bang.”
Qi Zhiyuan flew out sideways amid everyone’s stunned gazes.
Qi Zhendong, who was itching to hit him himself on the side, was stunned for a moment and cried out, “Big Brother!”
Dead silence all around, then the woman’s scream suddenly rang out.
Qi Zhiyuan’s mother incredulously held her hands up in front of her eyes, her mouth gaping wide, almost able to see her tonsils.
The woman suddenly rushed toward where Qi Zhiyuan had landed, crying and cursing, “Qi Jianguo, you bastard, are you trying to beat our son to death?”
While sobbing hysterically, she picked up Qi Zhiyuan.
While loudly cursing Qi Jianguo for being heartless, how hard it was for her alone to raise the child, and so on.
Old Man Tie glanced at his eldest daughter-in-law, said nothing, and turned his gaze to Xiao Dong.
When Qi Zhiyuan was picked up by his mother, his head was buzzing, both sides of his face numb on one side and swollen and painful on the other, squeezing his eyes into mere slits. Now he glared angrily at his own father with those tiny eyes.
“Why hit me?”
“Because you’re useless, you deserve it!”
Qi Jianguo took a step forward, but was pulled back by Qi Zhendong who sensed trouble, who advised in a low voice, “This isn’t the time to hit him.”
He turned to Qi Zhiyuan on the ground and said coldly, “Get up and apologize to your dad right now?”
Seeing the Qi Family’s farce, plus Qi Zhiyuan’s usual bullying in the Shelter, everyone watched coldly and began whispering.
It was true that the Qi Family had the most say in the Shelter, but that was the “reputation” built by Old Man Tie and the Qi Family Brothers.
Not the absolute ruling dignity of Su Huan over the Armored Train.
Moreover, with over five thousand people in the Shelter, quite a few had grudges against the Qi Family. Normally everyone relied on the Qi Family Brothers, so this group naturally didn’t dare speak up.
But seeing the Qi Family falling from power, plus past petty frictions, the whispers increased.
As they spoke, a slightly sharp voice fell into everyone’s ears.
“What exactly happened in the Bar? My man went to the Bar and never came back. Where is he?”
“Yeah, my Liu Zi went to the Bar too and I haven’t seen him since.”
“My mom hasn’t come back either…”
Hearing these words, Qi Jianguo opened his mouth, but was stopped by Qi Zhendong yanking his arm.
Qi Jianguo looked puzzled at his brother.
The latter shook his head.
Over a hundred lives—they hadn’t failed to stop it, they just couldn’t beat the other side.
That was the truth.
But who would believe it?
Everyone in the entire Bar died, only you Qi Family people survived—no matter how you put it, it wouldn’t convince the crowd.
People wouldn’t believe the truth; they’d only believe the ugliest guess in their hearts.
The Qi Family’s current situation was already delicate; if this came out, there’d be no chance of turning things around.
“Young Master Qi, my man was closest to you. Where is he?”
“You just said what mistake you made—was it you who brought those outsiders in?”
“Isn’t this screwing everyone over!”
Qi Jianguo took a deep breath at this and barked lowly, “You bastard, get up now?”
Qi Zhiyuan felt his head was about to split open; each word from the surrounding people stabbed into his brain like a sharp knife.
But what hurt him most was still Qi Jianguo’s slap.
From childhood to now, he’d hardly seen Qi Jianguo; every year when he came home, he’d find all sorts of reasons to beat him.
Others could go to their dads for backup when bullied outside.
But when he fought with others, he had to hide it, because if he told home, his dad would find out and beat him again.
He’d thought with the Apocalypse, he could escape that life.
Turns out it was no different.
Grandfather controlled him, father and two uncles controlled him too.
Everyone could control him.
Everyone else was capable.
Just not him.
Everyone else was something.
Just him the least!
Just him who deserved to die!
Years of pent-up emotions surged from his heart to his throat, then to his head, clogging it until it felt ready to explode.
He shoved away his sobbing mother, eyes red, and hysterically roared at Qi Jianguo.
“Useless? Qi Jianguo, you’re the real waste!”
“Away from home fifteen years, not even a Colonel—what have you achieved? You’re nothing!”
“Where were you when my mom was bullied?”
“Where were you when I was cursed that my dad was dead?”
“Where were you when those people were killed?”
“You were like a dead dog trampled underfoot!”
“Qi Jianguo, you’re the real waste!”
“What right do you have to scold me?”
“I don’t have a dad like you!”
“Fuck your mom!”
Qi Zhiyuan spat out the last words through gritted teeth, blood and spit flying from his mouth, each word exploding like a cannonball in the space.
He stared at Qi Jianguo like an enemy, his head swollen like a pig’s head.
Everyone’s minds went blank from his outburst.
Everyone looked at Qi Zhiyuan with ghostly expressions, then abruptly turned to the three Qi Family Brothers.
Qi Zhendong and Qi Zhenbang trembled with rage, eyebrows inverted, “You little bastard, say that again?!”
Before they could step forward, Qi Jianguo grabbed their arms.
This time the two brothers’ positions reversed.
Qi Zhendong looked at his big brother.
The latter’s burly frame trembled slightly, his face deathly still, but the guilt in his eyes couldn’t fool his brother of so many years.
“Jianguo, is what Zhiyuan said true? My man… gone?”
A woman’s voice with a crying tone suddenly emerged.
Qi Jianguo turned to look—it was an old lady with slightly graying temples at her hairline; her man’s work was cooking in the Bar.
Seeing the woman’s reddened eyes, he shook off his brother’s arm and gave a heavy “mm.”
This response was like a boulder crashing into a lake, instantly stirring up massive waves.
…
Su Huan didn’t know how much time had passed; he was completely immersed in the feeling of manipulating energy.
If manipulation proficiency were quantified.
At the start, manipulating “Lightning Pool” took 120% of his mental focus.
Now it only took 60%.
And he’d researched a new use.
Looking at the small crab mountain piling up downstairs again.
On top was a crab the size of a square table, claws waving menacingly at him; the smaller crabs didn’t dare climb onto it.
“Not sure if Tier 2 can withstand it…”
Su Huan stared at the low-hanging dark clouds, waved his hand, and a bolt of lightning from the Lightning Pool burrowed into the dark clouds like it was out of control.
Rumbling sounds rolled through the dark clouds.
The next instant, heaven and earth flashed white.
A massive lightning bolt connecting sky and earth poured into the Lightning Pool, striking down at the crab mound.
“Boom—”
Even Su Huan squinted his eyes.
Sea and sky melted into chaos amid the thunder’s roar; a chunk of water surface vanished instantly.
That menacing big crab and the underlying crab mountain disappeared together, only wisps of white steam rising.
The surrounding water surface whistled in to fill the gap, kicking up huge waves.
“Boom!”
A pile of crab shells and stumps floated on the water surface, bobbing around.
This strike eliminated at least tens of thousands of crabs.
Seeing this scene, Su Huan surprisedly pinched his chin.
He’d just noticed the clouds were close and tried it casually.
He hadn’t expected the new skill’s power to be so great.
Though it made sense—this was the power of heaven and earth after all.
Far beyond a Tier 3 Evolver; whether it reached Tier 4, he wasn’t sure.
After all, he’d never reached that height himself; many things were hazy to him.
“What do you think this move should be called?”
Su Huan suddenly asked.
Shu Wei, shocked to numbness, took a complicated breath, legs clenched, “Train Conductor can induce heavenly lightning—how about Lightning Induction?”
“Lightning Induction… mm, good.”
Su Huan nodded.
Having developed a new move, he didn’t show much joy.
After all, this wasn’t an always-usable skill evolved from himself; it had too many restrictions.
Only usable in Flood Zone or Acid Rain Area with stormy weather.
In later Storm Zone or arid places, this skill would basically be useless.
But right now, it was extremely effective.
The clouds in the sky remained thick, not weakened by this strike.
Su Huan continued inducing heavenly thunder.
Like a black room screening a black-and-white cartoon, the whole world flickered light and dark.
The rumbling thunderstorm brought everyone another wave of audiovisual feast.
The crabs below were utterly doomed.
Su Huan’s electricity split into thousands, hard to kill them all at once; he could only consume them bit by bit like drawing silk from a cocoon.
But inducing heavenly thunder was different.
This stuff was free.
Basically clearing a huge area with one strike.
Soon, the water surface was left with tens of thousands of broken limbs and arms; the air carried the scorched scent of seafood.
Perhaps from the massive lightning induction, the dark clouds thinned.
The horizon lightened.
…
“March 10, Flood Surge”
“Crabs offered their shells, thunder evaded me; this world like a seafood feast after revelry—I played the good guy once.”
The Train Conductor used clumsy words to footnote the new day.
Though the sky was overcast with little light, faint excited shouts could be heard.
“Are they celebrating being alive?”
Su Huan spread his arms, wobbling back to the rooftop like walking a balance beam.
Shu Wei was silent for a moment, “They’re cursing you.”
Su Huan’s face darkened, “Rabble!”
“Just contacted On the Train—no damage to the Train, currently cleaning the battlefield. Are we going to integrate Iron Mountain Shelter now?”
Shu Wei asked.
“No.”
Su Huan wagged a finger, decisively rejecting.
“Eat first.”
“Uh, okay.”
Yu Yue’s cooking spot wasn’t far, right in the middle of the Tin House; there was a large public area kept specially for cooking.
A bit like the courtyard in a Siheyuan.
When the two arrived, Shu Wei saw the high-ranking Officer waiting there early.
Apparently the Armored Train’s rule was to eat first after a big battle.
Shu Wei silently noted this odd rule.
Due to limited space, Yu Yue placed a big table right in the middle of the Kitchen, with a huge crab shell in the center. Lin Jin sat beside it, weary-faced, manipulating Flame to slowly roast the red-hot crab shell, boiling crab porridge inside with gurgling sounds.
Thick crab legs coated in starch and fried golden were placed beside the crab pot.
Spicy stir-fry, sauce burst, clear steam…
Crabs showed multiple delicious forms in Yu Yue’s hands.
“Train Conductor.”
Seeing Su Huan enter, everyone stood and slightly bowed their heads.
Su Huan ignored them, sat down, and grabbed a saber-like crab leg to gnaw.
The crunching sounds made everyone’s hearts itch.
Everyone sat unceremoniously according to status around Su Huan.
Chatting about last night’s big battle while eating enthusiastically.
Su Huan was like an outsider.
Gobbling rice.
Shu Wei stood by the Cabinet, offered to help several times, but was politely and gently refused by Yu Yue.
And was fed a super-large crab yolk bun.
Lin Jin halfway through hesitated and asked, “Train Conductor, how much energy did you use last night roughly?”
Su Huan sipped some porridge, thought, and said flatly, “About eighty percent.”
Gasps of cold air rose around the table.
“Holy crap, can’t use it up in one night—practically immortal!”
Old San flattered.
Lin Jin’s mouth gaped, speechless for a long time.
Last night he’d kept using General Energy Crystals but hadn’t lasted to the end like Su Huan.
A trace of bitterness rose in his heart.
‘Can hard work really catch up to the Train Conductor?’
Actually Su Huan got lucky; the “Energy Cycle” skill leveled to lv3 under yesterday’s high-intensity use, so he charged while cycling, actual consumption around 150%.
Plus later directly channeling heavenly thunder, which hardly counted as consumption.
Though using up his body’s energy so thoroughly, recovery would take at least a day or more.
His current skill setup was this.
Tier 2 “Circulating Vortex” = lv7 “General Energy Conversion” + lv7 “High-Energy Compression” + lv7 “Energy Shaping” + lv3 “Energy Cycle” + lv2 “General Energy Absorption”
That is: Tier 2 “Energy Storage Core” + lv3 “Energy Cycle” + lv2 “General Energy Absorption” + lv7 “General Energy Perception”
Because “Energy Cycle” and “General Energy Absorption” were Tier 2 abilities, awakened late and used little, so lowest levels.
The other profession, “Fighter,” Su Huan hadn’t focused on much, just simple daily fist practice.
All thanks to auto-leveling, now with some progress.
“Fighter” = lv4 “Combat Factor” + lv3 “Grappling Specialization” + lv3 “Super Speed Nerves”
This profession gave Su Huan plenty of buffs.
But for his current combat situations, not much help.
Last time facing the mutated Tier 2 tentacle Zombie, he was nearly one-shot.
To promote to Tier 3, he first needed to raise the three “Energy Storage Core” skills to lv9, the Tier 3 threshold.
Then raise the two “Circulating Vortex” skills to lv6, Tier 2 threshold.
And awaken the two skills belonging to “Fusion Reactor Core.”
Though the two new skills just needed awakening, the energy and resources for prior skill-ups were massive.
So Evolvers got harder to evolve later, more skills meant harder evolution.
