Chapter 79: I Just Want To Protect My Daughter
The moment she heard those words, the panic in Yu Yue’s eyes was hard to conceal, like a startled fawn, the faint light filtering through the cracks shattering into tiny glimmers on her eyes.
Reflecting Su Huan’s cold and stern profile, most of it hidden in shadow, leaving only a thin line of light as sharp as a blade.
He was smiling.
Though she couldn’t see it clearly, Yu Yue felt that he was smiling.
In that instant, Yu Yue felt that what she was close to was not a person, but a cruel beast, just like the Terror Wolf that attacked the train today.
Only his ferocity carried a hint of desire, not pure malice.
The fear of being discovered by her daughter plus the fear of being oppressed by the man.
Her defenses collapsed in that instant, displaying her weakness and fear almost tangibly in front of the man.
Her hands grabbing Su Huan’s arm that was braced on the bathtub.
Raising eyes like water, pleading with him, “Don’t let Xiao Jing see me like this. I promised my sister to take good care of her.”
Su Huan suddenly understood in his heart, just as he thought.
Yu Yue looked at most in her thirties, how could she possibly have a daughter in her twenties.
Moreover, her temperament didn’t seem like someone who had been through things.
“Should I go in, or do you come out?”
Yu Jing’s voice sounded again from outside the door, faint as if discussing what to eat tomorrow.
Su Huan turned his head and said this faintly to the door.
“Pass me the whiskey.”
“I see…”
Yu Jing outside the door passed in the whiskey and the cup filled with ice cubes.
Taking the cup, Su Huan casually asked, “Is there enough energy on the train?”
Yu Jing outside the door was stunned for a moment, pinched her chin, her phoenix eyes flickering with light, “We got quite a few batteries today. I plan to connect them into groups to solve the power issue for life in the carriage.”
Su Huan narrowed his eyes, beckoned to Yu Yue with his finger, and the woman hesitated before obediently leaning over.
“Carriages 4 and 5 have kinetic energy recovery, so there shouldn’t be a lack of power, right?”
“The water purifier uses a lot of power when starting up. I supplied all the power from two carriages to the water purifier; it’s more stable this way.”
Yu Jing sat on the chair, glancing at the items on Su Huan’s table while sighing helplessly in her heart.
Sure enough, the petty Train Conductor was still hung up on this matter.
Suddenly, she spotted a plastic card on the table, reached out with one finger, and dragged it out by the corner.
Seeing the information on it, Yu Jing raised her brows in surprise, ‘I didn’t expect him to be a little brother…’
In the bathroom, Su Huan’s complexion had softened considerably.
This explanation was somewhat acceptable, but he still didn’t feel great inside.
Looking at the meek Yu Yue before him, a malicious thought surfaced in his heart.
Heat waves emanated from his body, the water temperature in the bathtub gradually rising, mist slowly filling it and drifting out the door.
Yu Yue felt her chin being lifted, her jaw opening, and seeing the whiskey in Su Huan’s hand, she immediately realized what he intended, her heart wailing— she shouldn’t have brought that bottle of whiskey over…
A faint sound of liquid flowing rang out as the smooth, mellow wine surged into her mouth.
She instinctively wanted to swallow, but a finger pressed against her throat, forcing her to desperately feel the wine filling her mouth, amber liquor spilling from the corners of her lips, dripping onto the leftover bread from lunch.
Yu Yue barely closed her mouth, cheeks bulging, damp eyes misty with alcohol fumes looking at him.
“I need to rest; you can go out now.” Su Huan’s low, hoarse voice came from the bathroom.
‘Tch, still sulking…’
Yu Jing didn’t believe he was some gentleman; suspicion flashed in her phoenix eyes, her tone deliberately laced with provocation.
“You’re only 22; you don’t need alcohol for this kind of thing, do you?”
Su Huan’s face darkened instantly in the bathroom; he coldly smirked, took a partially melted ice cube from the cup, and pressed it against Yu Yue’s glossy lips.
Sighing inwardly, the woman helplessly swallowed some of the wine.
A flush rose on her cheeks.
Stimulated by the cold, the drunken haze in her eyes diminished.
Hearing no response from Su Huan, Yu Jing grew more puzzled; when did the Train Conductor become so magnanimous?
He was probably holding back something big.
Gritting her teeth, she decided to provoke him further; since he’d seen both inside and out, might as well settle it all tonight.
“Little brother, why aren’t you talking?”
Su Huan still didn’t speak, just kept stuffing ice cubes; for every sentence Yu Jing said, he shoved in one.
The cold in her mouth and the burning in her stomach made her shiver.
Her head was dizzy, her heart collapsing.
The gradually warming mist around her gave her the illusion of being tortured by water and fire.
She wanted to bite off those two cold fingers but didn’t dare.
The man’s eyes before her grew increasingly cold.
‘Stop talking, stop talking… I really can’t take anymore…’
Just as Yu Yue was about to break down, her daughter finally stopped talking.
“In that case, I won’t disturb your rest.”
Yu Jing walked out of Carriage 1 thoughtfully, her eyes still carrying faint doubt.
‘Could I really have misjudged him?’
Hearing the door lock click, the huge stone in Yu Yue’s heart finally settled.
At least… at least it was better than being honest.
Her body went limp as if without strength, softly sliding into the water, carefully sculpting between her lips and teeth, as if with a touch of gratitude.
Even prepared, Su Huan still inhaled sharply.
Like leaping from a Hawaiian beach straight into an Antarctic ice cavern.
A hint of desire colored his eyes.
Only when the numbing cold in her mouth receded did Yu Yue look up at him, her plump, full figure fully displayed.
Her eyes carried a bit of exasperation, “Can you not sing at a time like this?”
Su Huan reached out to stroke her smooth cheek, lips slightly pursed in a playful look like a god overlooking mortals, “But you haven’t earned my forgiveness yet…”
In that instant, Yu Yue’s eyes were like a jumbled palette—shyness, disappointment, tension, fear… various emotions vying, finally converging into a complex, indescribable calm.
So-called forgiveness and punishment were just excuses for him to toy with her.
Even without leverage over her, tonight would just be under a different pretext.
She herself was his amusement.
It was just that Su Huan had been too mild with them these past few days, like an excellent superior, teaching and leading them to survive the apocalypse.
Making her forget that she and the others were just sheep picked out by Su Huan, this wolf, from the fold.
Yu Yue quietly shed her wet clothes, looked up at him, her eyes carrying firm sincerity and humble pleading.
As if she had truly bought into Su Huan’s bully logic.
Feeling she should earn forgiveness.
Su Huan furrowed his brows; this felt like braised pork devoutly offering a pair of chopsticks.
He hadn’t seen anyone this obedient even in his previous life.
Uncomfortable, but it didn’t stop him from tasting the gourmet food delivered to his mouth.
He picked up a trembling piece of braised pork glistening with amber sheen, savored it between his lips and teeth, melting like cream.
The soft, sweet richness was nice, but not for overindulging.
Yet he was reluctant to move his hand away.
He liked this feeling of touching the other’s heartbeat.
The surrounding water surged, mist swirling, clinging to the skin with a slippery sensation.
The best braised pork was three-layer pork belly, but Su Huan preferred the one with a layer of pork rind.
Biting with teeth produced a sound of parting skin and flesh.
He grinned, hand resting on the woman’s lower back, stroking the satin-smooth skin, masking the deep knowing in his eyes and those subtle emotions.
“Now, sing.”
Yu Yue was stunned for a moment, straightened her body, and bean-sized teardrops unexpectedly rolled slowly from her almond eyes.
She tugged at the corners of her mouth, revealing a heartrendingly beautiful smile.
Humming songs was what she loved most.
It was also her little world of escape.
Now, this man had brazenly intruded at her most embarrassing and sad moment.
Her soft body twisted uneasily.
Water waves rose and fell like tides, crashing against the tub walls.
“Su Huan, you’re really good at humiliating people… I just want to protect my daughter.”
In the armored train under the night sky, a voice gentle yet tinged with sadness overflowed from the door crack of Carriage 1.
“…In this moment looking at you, so many words I want to say to you.”
“If tomorrow you grow up a lot, will I feel at a loss.”
The voice was like soft flowing clouds, effortlessly piercing into the heart, even as he was lost in the clouds, he still wanted to get closer, even closer.
To explore, to possess this voice.
Su Huan’s eyes narrowed into slits, feeling the creamy smoothness overflowing between his fingertips, then touching her neck.
Feeling the vibration at the source of this voice.
“…”
“You will also fall in love with someone, give so much, you will also guard secrets refusing to tell me…”
…
An hour later, Yu Yue returned to the room, looking at her sleeping daughter with gentle gaze for a long time.
Thinking of when she was nine, coming alone to her university to find her, calling the nineteen-year-old her Mom.
Perhaps from that time, she had treated Yu Jing as her own child.
Clearly she was older, but usually it was Xiao Jing taking care of her.
‘Sorry, Xiao Jing, I’m really a failed mom…’
Even apologizing, Yu Yue didn’t dare make a sound, silently returning to her bedside, rubbing off the dried powder on her skin.
Yu Jing, facing away from her, had eyelashes trembling lightly.
…
“December 24, 28°C”
“Iced whiskey is very mellow; talent’s mom is also very moist.”
Though he indulged a bit last night, the disciplined Train Conductor still got up early.
Time was just past six, the sky murky and overcast; Su Huan checked the supplies in the reserve carriage, confirmed the rough quantities, then passed through Carriage 7.
Rows of sweet and spicy scallions emitted faint light, with rows of long grass planted beside them.
After the apocalypse, this grass played a great role in maintaining the population without collapse.
After refining by Collectors, it could yield a powder similar to flour.
The texture naturally couldn’t compare to flour, but having something to eat was already good.
A few chickens were sleeping in the cage; the rooster’s pointed beak was taped up, flapping its wings angrily upon seeing Su Huan.
He opened the iron door of Carriage 10, circled around the crew.
These people could now be considered his own, worthy of some trust.
A few wanted to leave a good impression on Su Huan and had woken early, washing up.
Travel, unstable environments, etc., all reduce people’s sleep.
After saying a few simple words, Su Huan took Yijin City’s map to the cockpit.
Yijin City was the southernmost city in Qingchuan Province, with fewer mountains and hills than Wen’an City, relatively open terrain, mountains on both sides like a large bag extending north.
Easy to attack, hard to defend.
Two months later, when the zombie tide from the high-temperature zone surged out, Yijin was directly overwhelmed.
And the Steel Council’s “New City” was built in a small county town north of Yijin in Jinzong City, its main purpose to be close to the zombie source for more new materials.
Though the apocalypse arrived simultaneously, zombies in the high-temperature zone evolved much faster than other areas.
So many forces established bases in Qingchuan.
About a month later, various shelters, settlements, bases, fortresses would spring up like mushrooms after rain.
But Yijin now was still very “clean.”
Ordinary zombies and Tier 1 zombies wandered in the city’s shadows, vast supplies quietly waiting in city corners for people to collect.
Just like Su Huan’s destination this trip, Armory 092.
“How much longer to Yijin?”
“At this speed, about two hours; speed up and it’s just over ten minutes.” Liang Kuan, who had stayed up all night, looked spirited.
His schedule lately was out of sync with everyone else’s.
But no choice; he was the only one on the train who could drive it, and Su Huan didn’t trust others.
“But I feel something’s off here.” Liang Kuan pointed outside the front of the train.
“What’s wrong?”
Su Huan stood by the car window.
Tried opening the window.
Faint water vapor surged into the carriage, carrying a metallic tang.
The wheel rolling sounds grew louder, with some noise.
Surrounding buildings were low and dilapidated, corrugated iron roofs curled and rusted, utility poles fallen across, exposed copper cores leaking blue-green liquid, pooling in puddles on the cement road into oily rainbows.
Clothes on the zombies had lost color; everything was gray.
Su Huan took a deep breath, inexplicably feeling like he was home.
Not wrong to say so.
Rebirth before and after, combined time away from the acid rain area was just dozens of days.
Compared to four years, negligible.
Rumbling thunder sounded in the sky.
Glancing at the distant low-hanging gray-yellow tumor-like cloud mass, he yanked the window shut.
Turbid raindrops fell abruptly without warning.
In a rush.
Su Huan knew acid rain’s nature all too well.
He shakes twice before flipping; acid rain comes when it wants.
No idea where so much acid rain came from without nuclear war.
Placing Yijin’s map on the control panel, he said gravely, “Don’t enter Yijin City center; at the fork, go left into Qing Steel Industrial Yijin Steel Transport Line, then halfway, there’s an unnamed non-public rail line. Have Xiao Ba move the tracks over and head straight there.”
[Taking brothers’ advice; this kind of content won’t span multiple chapters in the future, only as embellishment in plot gaps.]
