Armed Train in the Apocalypse

But Su Huan’s gaze turned towards another larger courtyard, where the door was supported by several curved metal bars, holding up a few dim bronze letters.

”Songhe Nursing Home”

In the spacious courtyard, on the left was a row of tool sheds, and centrally on the right was a pavilion, in front of which were two statues of red-crowned cranes standing on one leg, and behind the L-shaped row of bungalows was a rising snow-capped mountain.

Everything before his eyes was exactly the scene when he battled the Terror Slaughterer.

It was the place the opponent deemed he feared the most!

At the time, Su Huan didn’t give much thought to it and considered the opponent rather peculiar for creating such an ordinary scene, equipped with a handy shovel.

Su Huan’s gaze wandered, and beside the tool shed, he saw that handy shovel.

Chaotic images seemed to pop out from the cracks in stones, appearing in his memory unannounced—an array of children and elderly, some disabled, some foolish, and some shouting and yelling.

Before he could sort out the logic of these images, Yu Yue exclaimed beside him, ”Someone’s alive here!”

Su Huan silently pushed open the small courtyard door beside them and walked in.

The three followed behind.

And the sign hanging next to this small courtyard was already blurred, vaguely visible with a few words, ”...Children’s Welfare Home.”

Although Yu Yue had a premonition in her heart, she still asked with a hint of hope, ”Xiaojing, how did you know...”

Yu Jing seemed to be asking yet stating, ”Do you still remember Ma Hongyu?”

”He was an orphan who walked out of here. After achieving fame and success, he often returned to donate to his hometown. Each time, he’d only give a small amount to the welfare home, just enough to improve some meals or supplement some welfare materials.”

”But what’s this got to do with Su Huan?”

Yu Yue seemed eager to deny something, her delicate eyebrows tightly knit.

Su Huan ahead walked very slowly, whether it was the trampoline, the slide, or the inconspicuous marks on the willow tree, it was enough for him to linger for long.

But Yu Jing knew he could hear, and she continued to narrate calmly, ”Yet the welfare home survived thanks to these small donations. In gratitude for Ma Hongyu’s contributions, many children were given names by him.”

...

A young man stripped down to just his big shorts sat on the Big Fungus Carpet, using mushrooms to cover his body perfunctorily, looking calm. ”Most children dumped at the welfare home had various diseases—very few were healthy. Back then, there were only two.”

”So, I named them Su Qi and Su Huan, meaning rebirth.”

Seeing a dramatic fluctuation finally emerge in Yu Yue’s previously indifferent gaze, the man leaned back on his hands, smirking, ”Of course, Donghuang is such a big place, there are plenty of people with the same name. If it really were him, he might’ve recognized me long ago.”

...

Yu Yue was even more puzzled, ”But didn’t he say on the way his father loaded coal years ago...”

Yu Jing gently shook her head, not knowing much about the details. Moreover, she had seen Su Huan’s ID card, which contained clear address information not linked to the welfare home. Thus, she had always regarded Ma Hongyu’s words as mere coincidence, buried deep in her heart.

”So, Su is just like me?”

Complicated emotions stirred in Xiaoba’s eyes.

Su Huan seemed not to have heard their conversation, wandering aimlessly in the courtyard like a marionette, finally moving to stand before the door.

Standing still, yet hesitating to push it open.

Stiff like a statue.

Seeing this bewildered Su Huan, regret churned in Yu Yue’s heart. She inadvertently brought up these memories he’d painstakingly forgotten, as if unveiling scars and pouring salt onto them.

An unclear mix of guilt or regret gnawed at her inside.

The door was frozen shut, or perhaps something inside was blocking it.

But Su Huan casually pushed it open and went inside. The first layer of the room held a few rows of small tables and chairs and some miscellaneous items, with the internal windows sealed with quilts and plastic sheets, yet they were still penetrated by cold.

A warm current came from the quilt-hung inner room, and upon lifting the curtain, there was a cave-like room inside.

Bunk beds were crammed full into the narrow room, with two stoves burning—one originally there, and the other a temporary iron stove.

The back room was piled with black coal and kindling, and murky air lingered stubbornly.

A skin pale, slender woman sat on a bed inside, surrounded by layers of small quilts, her hair messily tousled. Upon hearing sounds, she merely raised her dried, claw-like hands to shield her eyes.

Through the dim light filtering between her fingers, the woman recognized the figure occupying the entire space.

Her pupils contracted at first, unsure, then displayed a grin reminiscent of a ghoul, asserting with a hoarse voice, ”The little harbinger of doom is alive again, coming back.”

Su Huan, stunned at the spot, suddenly twitched his lips, almost reaching his earlobe, his teeth dense and neat like a hysterical beast yet uttering no sound, his tense chin lifting, broad shoulders faintly tremors.

”Yes, I’ve come back alive again.”

After saying this, Su Huan seemed to lose all emotions, sitting down beside her, feeding a piece of coal into the stove, flames roaring.

Yu Yue, observing the bizarre scene before her, felt somewhat anxious, stepped forward asking, ”May I ask who you are?”

The woman lifted her head to look at Yu Yue, her aged eyes like scraping knives gliding over every part of Yu Yue’s skin, then chuckled chillingly, ”It’s rare to see so many living people. Pity you returned with the little harbinger of doom, won’t live long.”