But only Su Huan's was covered with a thick carpet; the others just had a light-colored knitted mat.

At this moment, the train conductor was sitting on the sofa, deep in thought.

Professor Ma and Yu Jing were whispering to each other nearby.

Opposite them, He Jie was instructing Xiaoba on the details and principles of battlefield fortifications.

Lao San and Huang Sea were having a pre-meal drink at the bar.

It wasn't until Liang Kuan and Wan Xing walked in, and Yu Yue placed the dishes on the dining table, announcing "It's time to eat", that Su Huan seemed to wake up and looked at He Jie across from him.

"Finished teaching?"

He Jie let out a long breath, "I finished everything, at least everything I know."

Su Huan then turned his gaze to Xiaoba, "Did you gain any abilities?"

Everyone was taken aback by his words and turned their gaze to Xiaoba.

The young man hesitantly shook his head, "No change."

Su Huan clasped his fingers at his nose, frowning deeply.

He had been waiting here for so many days, and apart from dragging the Steel Council deeper, he was also waiting for Xiaoba to advance to Tier One "Metal Construction".

"Metal Construction" = Level 3 "Metal Control" + Level 2 "Metal Refining" + Level 1 "Fortification Specialization".

Like most of the Maker's skills, this "Fortification Specialization" is a damn knowledge-based skill.

It's not something that can be solved with a gene serum.

Without knowledge in this area, you can't awaken it.

But "Fortification Specialization" is okay; it's not that complicated and can be crammed in a few days.

These past few days, he had been urging He Jie to teach every day, and Xiaoba was also training regularly, so why couldn't he awaken it?

Now Xiaoba's first two ability levels have been met; he only needs to awaken the last skill to reach the minimum standard for advancing to a Tier One profession.

And now it's stuck here.

He Jie scratched his head hard twice and asked in a tone of disbelief, "I just realized, do you want him to awaken the 'Fortification Specialization' skill? But did you ever consider that I haven't even awakened this skill? How do you think I can teach him clearly?"

Su Huan raised his eyelids, 'Could the problem really be with him?'

But it also doesn't make sense. Whether a person can awaken a knowledge-based skill, the teacher is one aspect, but it more depends on the individual.

A skilled teacher doesn't guarantee a skilled student.

A lousy teacher doesn't guarantee a lousy student.

Knowledge isn't passed down through bloodline.

It's rather that the gene considers the host's environment, skills, reserves, potential, stimulation... and other factors for awakening.

He Jie not awakening "Fortification Specialization" is quite normal; a person charging with an anti-aircraft machine gun doesn't need fortifications.

But Xiaoba obviously needs it; he clearly awakened it in his past life, so where's the issue now...?

"It shouldn't be this way..."

Su Huan was puzzled, even doubting if he remembered the skill combination wrong.

Professor Ma had observed Su Huan asking He Jie to lecture Xiaoba these past few days with a purpose, but hadn't thought it was related to evolutionary abilities, so he couldn't help but ask, "What's the relationship between knowledge and skills?"

Su Huan thought for a moment, considering the other was a professional, maybe he could offer some useful advice.

He explained, "Some skills can be acquired through gene serums and training, like 'Sniping Specialization.' You can increase your accuracy through hard training to awaken this skill, or you can inject a serum like Yu Yue and awaken directly."

"But skills like 'Fortification Specialization' can't be solved by gene serums. The logic behind construction fortifications is too complex; it's not something instinct can resolve. For instance, if a 7.62 armor-piercing bullet is headed toward your comrade, your instinct won't prompt you to make a metal armor capable of specifically defending against a 7.62 bullet."

"Instinct also won't tell you that an inclined upward armor can better resist an armor-piercing bullet."

"Instinct can allow you to react quickly, but it cannot make an accurate determination beyond what you know; these things fall into the realm of knowledge."

Su Huan summarized knowledge-based skills with his understanding.

Some things aren't that complicated, but when you want to explain them to others clearly, it requires a lot of effort.

Fortunately, those present had good comprehension skills.

Professor Ma placed his hands on his legs and spoke slowly and methodically, "I think I get it. Skill awakening should be a summary of a person's abilities, not only basic statistics such as neural reflexes and memory but also their understanding of the field."

Su Huan's eyes suddenly lit up, and a smile appeared on his lips.

A professional doing a professional's job.

And this is called professionalism!

"Right."

Seeing the confusion in everyone's eyes diminish significantly, Professor Ma continued.

"But some fields don't require cognition and understanding; rather, instinct takes over that part of the operation, much like our breathing, where the amount of oxygen intake and carbon dioxide expulsion varies subtly among individuals based on their physical condition. Still, no one pays attention to this, because our bodies have already taken over that function."

"Many of the defender's skills involve their body, so they don't need to know which actions will strain muscles or which will run faster because their bodies have already fine-tuned these actions based on instinct."

Yu Jing suddenly interjected, "Then, according to this line of reasoning, Xiaoba's skill is a combination of instinct and knowledge; now that he has learned the knowledge, the problem should lie with the instinct."

"In other words, it could be inadequate practice, or insufficient stimulation."

Apart from Xiaoba feeling a bit awkward, everyone else seemed to realize something.

He Jie murmured, "So if I dig bunkers and build pillboxes daily, would I also develop this skill?"

"There's a possibility, but I suggest you don't. You've already awakened a plethora of skills, and further awakening might hinder reaching Tier Two." Su Huan promptly interrupted his bold idea.

He Jie sheepishly touched his head yet a tint of pondering flashed in his eyes.

The Steel Council also has such theoretical outcomes, but they were all researched from themselves.

Where exactly did Su Huan learn it from?

Wild guesses?

That's pure nonsense.

Even Professor Ma couldn't think of such an obscure thing without guidance.

"So if I cook daily, will I awaken a cooking skill?"

A gentle voice came from behind.

Su Huan stood up and flicked her smooth forehead, "Don't engrave everything into your DNA; it's not a trash bin."

However, Professor Ma explained with a cheerful smile, "It shouldn't happen. The genes actively select skills with evolutionary potential."

"Alright, let's eat first. I'll discuss the upcoming plan after the meal."

The seafood feast on the long table shimmered with vibrant colors under the lights.

In the center was a bowl of shelled but tail-on peony shrimp, chilled to a semi-translucent state, surrounded by thinly sliced shellfish and large chunks of salmon and tuna, followed by braised sea cucumbers for health, the must-have garlic oysters and stir-fried squid strips, and the seafood soup present in their dreams.

The table had both meat and vegetables, along with soup.

In a post-apocalyptic world, such a table could be considered a delicacy.

But having it three times a day for several days, everyone wore somewhat complicated expressions when seeing this grand meal.

Not eat it and let it spoil?

Impossible!

The train conductor would be the first to disagree!

Yu Yue wanted to take the soup spoon, but the train conductor was quicker, and with a smile, served everyone a bowl of seafood soup.

After all, everyone at the table was an Evolver, and even the oldest, Professor Ma, didn't need to worry about gout.

But which family Evolver wouldn't get fed up with eating over ten pounds of raw seafood a day!

Evolutionary capabilities are strong, but the consumption is also high; a meal could be two to three times that of an ordinary person. In He Jie and Liang Kuan's case, it could be five or six times as much.

As a result, the annoyance caused by regularly eating repetitive food is also multiplied.

But since this broth is personally served by the train conductor, drink it they must.

He Jie was preoccupied with the plan Su Huan was about to announce, mechanically shoving slippery fresh shrimp into his mouth, barely tasting it.

Thinking about his wife and daughter still in the Steel Council, a surge of anxiety unexpectedly rose in his heart.

Even though he knew the company wouldn't do anything to them in the short term, without a concrete resolution, his heart remained uneasy, unsteady.

Although Su Huan had promised him, there were still no actions seen.

Would tomorrow's plan...relate to the Steel Council?

Would they first go disrupt or rescue his wife and daughter?

Besides that mutual backstabbing incident, there's no irreconcilable conflict between the train and the Steel Council, right?

An array of thoughts surged forth, making He Jie increasingly uneasy.

He looked toward the conductor at the head, who only picked familiar foods, unable to resist asking.

"Tomorrow, what... are we going to do?"

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