Chapter 67: The First Transaction
Old San gave the two brothers a look, and the three of them immediately leaned against the train wall.
He rested the muzzle on the car window, vigilantly watching this outsider.
Su Huan squinted his eyes and sized him up, then said indifferently, “Relax, he’s probably just a lone wolf passing by…”
Before he finished speaking, the other side began to slow down and stopped beside the train.
Su Huan was stunned. A single vehicle daring to approach his entire train— was it that the other side overly trusted humanity in the apocalypse, or did they have fearless courage?
“Huh?”
But soon, this wasteland-style modified vehicle caught his attention.
The body was mainly divided into two parts: the front main body was modified from an SUV, with an extended section added to the rear. The strangest part was that a sedan’s shell was stacked on the roof, giving the interior enough height so that one could stand inside without issue.
The lower car windows were blocked by curtains, while the upper sedan car windows were open, protecting privacy without affecting lighting.
The rear part was a trailer, probably loaded with living supplies and the like.
The entire vehicle was modified very roughly, but it had a special aesthetic appeal.
It was very much like those weird but wildly rugged modified vehicles from his previous life.
The car door opened, and a young man about the same height as Liang Kuan stepped out. He raised his hands to show he meant no malice, approaching the train step by step.
Though his face also had some stubble, it was clearly groomed recently, and his clothing wasn’t too disheveled.
Standing five meters away, the young man shouted, “I wonder if we could make some exchange?”
Su Huan rested his palm on the car window, with faint blue electric arcs flickering on and off.
He looked at him with interest, “I want to know, what made you approach me?”
The young man paused, sidestepped the question, and said sincerely, “Maybe I have something you need.”
“A bold attempt?” Su Huan’s gaze flickered toward the vehicle behind him. There was someone inside, probably also an evolver.
Perhaps a perception type, able to sense if they harbored malice.
Though it sounded a bit far-fetched, in the apocalypse, anything was possible.
“What do you have to exchange?”
Su Huan didn’t dwell on such questions.
However, he wasn’t optimistic that the other could produce something he needed. Though passengers wouldn’t bring him things beyond supplies, everyone carried scattered small items, and by now they had accumulated several carriages of miscellaneous items.
The young man pulled a folded map from his pocket, “This is the map of Yi Jin ahead.”
Su Huan’s expression shifted slightly.
Maps were valuable in the apocalypse, and passengers knew it, so no one turned in any they found.
The train only had one railway map in the driver’s cabin.
And Yi Jin was precisely the first city they would enter in Qingchuan Province. One had to say, the other side had brought out something that moved him.
But his face showed no fluctuation. In such barter transactions, the more you cared, the more you’d be ripped off. He calmly asked, “What do you need?”
The young man’s expression shifted slightly, and he licked his dry lips, “I want to exchange for some repair tools. Some water if there’s extra would be even better.”
Su Huan nodded, “Sure. As long as the map checks out, I’ll give you a full set of common car repair tools, and throw in two 550ml bottles of purified water.”
The train had plenty of everything except tools—there were tons of them.
Not to mention the fire truck carried a large number of professional tools; there were so many pliers, wrenches, and screwdrivers with nowhere to put them that he had even considered having Xiao Ba melt them down into steel plates.
Now was a good chance to offload some.
The young man approached the train and handed the map in through the gap in the explosion-proof net.
Su Huan took the map, unfolded it for a look—no stains or wear, all data markings clear. Satisfied, he nodded, “Old San, go get the stuff.”
Old San put away his gun to fetch the items, while Su Huan chatted with the young man.
“How’s Mo Jiang City?”
The young man showed a hint of surprise, his eyes clearly saying, Didn’t you just escape from there too? Why ask me?
But for the sake of a smooth transaction, he still answered, “Very bad, especially these past two days—great fires, zombies, and withered yellow plants everywhere. Explosions could be heard from the city from time to time.”
Su Huan gestured at his vehicle with his chin and smiled, “Looks like you’ve prepared for a while?”
The young man showed bitterness, “I’ve been running since the apocalypse broke out. Almost didn’t make it out.”
“Interested in joining me? The train’s sturdiness is way better than your little car.”
Su Huan invited.
“No, I’m heading west.”
The young man refused decisively.
“West, huh… That’s a decent choice too.” Su Huan said with a light chuckle.
In the time it took them to exchange a few words, Old San came over carrying a box, opened the car door, and handed it to the other.
The young man stuffed two bottles of mineral water into the pockets of his work pants, opened the toolbox, and seeing the neatly arranged various tools inside, showed surprise. He closed the lid and stood up.
With some gratitude in his eyes, “These things already exceed the map’s value. As a bonus, here’s some info: people from the Mojian Mutual Aid Convoy are behind you. They might not be friendly.”
Su Huan dropped his fake smile, nodded calmly, and watched the other get back in the car and leave.
“What did they say inside the vehicle?”
Yu Yue’s expression beside him was a bit subtle, “Inside the vehicle is his wife. She said… See, there are still good people in the apocalypse.”
“Good people?”
Su Huan chuckled in amusement.
For those who could provide him aid, he didn’t mind releasing a bit more goodwill, which often yielded unexpected surprises.
Su Huan’s goodwill was conditional.
It was calculated, with expectations of returns.
He never hid that.
As for the Mojian Mutual Aid Convoy, he didn’t take them seriously. Not mentioning the gang led by Hu An that he had taken out, even the convoy at its peak in his previous life wasn’t a match for the armored train.
He turned and walked toward the front carriage. Yu Yue followed half a step behind, while the three brothers trailed like bodyguards, scanning for potential dangers inside and outside the train.
One had to say, everyone was getting into the role quickly.
Su Huan suddenly asked, “Have you ever fired a gun?”
Yu Yue pointed a slender white finger at her nose, stunned, “Me?”
Then she abruptly remembered Su Huan saying she was suited to be a sniper, and her heart felt a bit uneasy, “No.”
“Old San, bring that sniper rifle, and the bullets too.”
“Got it.”
Old San jogged a couple steps ahead, while Su Huan continued forward. Due to the train’s spatial characteristics, one loop basically let you see what everyone was doing.
Huang Hai and Xiao Wang were busy in Carriage 7, preparing for the carriage farm.
The cook ran back and forth, using a cart to drag large chunks of snake meat to the back, preparing dinner for the passengers today.
The train had two dining cars in total: the front one was the VIP dining car, and the ordinary dining car in the back hadn’t been used. Now with a cook, ordinary passengers’ meals could be separated from the front.
Carriage 4’s car door was tightly shut; Liang Kuan and Xiao Ba were probably catching up on sleep.
