A tree as thick as a water barrel slowly pulled out its roots, then furtively stepped onto the train tracks. Seeing no one was paying attention, its movements became increasingly bold, and the dense leaves rustled noisily.

After wasting an entire night, it had finally moved itself from a low-lying pit to the highest place nearby.

Between two rails supported by gravel.

It didn't understand why humans spent their time piling up this useless gravel rather than enjoying sunlight and rain. However, its sluggish mind couldn't comprehend these things; it only knew that acid rain wouldn't accumulate under its feet.

Suddenly, a rhythmic vibration came from afar.

This feeling was very familiar.

The vibration got closer and closer.

The two rails trembled, making its stem and roots numb, unable to penetrate the gravel properly.

But it finally figured out what it was.

"Boom—"

The slow-moving armed train crashed into the mutant tree's waist, breaking it in two. The wheels crushed over it, making a grinding sound.

Sturdy branches were juiced out like being thrown into a blender, staining the underside of the train with a blood-red hue.

The remaining mist dissipated as dawn broke.

Morning light passed through the steel blinds and fell into Car No. 1.

On the luxurious bed of the train conductor, there was an indistinct human silhouette.

Because the quilt was so soft, only a large bulge was visible.

Golden rays sprinkled a layer of light gold dust on the eyelashes, trembling slightly with the train's movement, and Yu Yue slowly opened her eyes.

Smelling the intense masculine scent on her nose, her pretty face turned slightly red.

She suddenly remembered the little girl still in her bed, hurriedly crawled out of the quilt, and rushed towards the door.

"Did you leave something behind?"

A low, magnetic voice with a nasal sound came from behind.

"I'll leave it here for now."

Leaving that sentence behind, Yu Yue, without even wearing shoes, quickly dashed out of the carriage.

'Is this something you can just leave behind?'

Su Huan felt the supple body twisting on his right arm, his narrow eyes filled with thought.

After struggling for a while, a girl with long silvery hair emerged from the blanket, propping her hands on Su Huan's chest, her light gray eyes gradually focusing as she quietly observed the man beneath her.

Her voice carried a trace of confusion, "Brother Su, do you also like Aunt Yu's smell?"

Su Huan squinted his eyes, not making a sound.

Controlling the various thoughts flashing quickly through his mind, he continued to observe the girl's expressions.

'Having tofu tonight.'

'Arrange a seat under the tracks for Lin Jin, that guy.'

'Nothing special.'

'A bit skinny.'

Seeing the girl's face still in bewilderment, Su Huan emphasized one sentence.

'Little bean sprout.'

Visibly, a speck of annoyance appeared on the girl's face.

Su Huan's mouth curved slightly, then he continued to murmur in his mind.

'Although there's not much meat, it's still good to fill the gaps between the teeth.'

Lin Xi's face suddenly showed panic as she tried to crawl out of the blanket.

But her slender waist seemed to be locked by iron shackles, unable to move.

Su Huan teased, "Coming and going as you please, treating my place like a hotel?"

Lin Xi gave up struggling and lay back, a flush appearing on her fair little face, "But Brother Su didn't push me away either."

Pinching her tense jaw, Su Huan's face carried a faint smile of ridicule, "What can you hear now?"

"Brother Su is a dangerous bad guy."

Su Huan raised an eyebrow, revealing a hint of danger.

The girl pouted, quickly saying, "I can't hear anything now..."

Su Huan thoughtfully said, "That is to say, you can only hear the most intense thoughts on someone's surface?"

"Uh huh."

Lin Xi hummed dismissively.

"And those chaotic thoughts hidden under intense emotions, you can't hear them?"

"Ugh..."

"If one holds caution in their heart and doesn't specifically strengthen certain thoughts, you can't hear that either, right?"

"Stop asking, stop asking..."

Lin Xi wrinkled her delicate little nose, pleading in pain.

Su Huan remained unmoved, forcing her to meet his gaze. The ability to read minds was something he'd only heard of; combining two lives, this was the first time he encountered it, and he wouldn't rest until he understood.

"Would the success rate of reading ordinary people be higher? What about Evolvers?"

The girl no longer pretended, wearing an expression of defeat.

"Being figured out first thing in the morning is really annoying."

Su Huan sneered, "Ha, even this little thing has quite the contrast."

Lin Xi raised her beautiful silver hair, blandly stating, "Train Conductor, don't be so superficial to think of me as a 2D naïve girl just because of my silver hair; it's merely the result of an experimental mutation."

"I always thought sleepwalking was a 2D exclusive thing."

Lin Xi's body stiffened slightly and said awkwardly, "When asleep, I subconsciously seek what I need."

Su Huan's gaze tightened, finding the girl before him quite attractive. He couldn't pin down what exactly drew him in, but it wasn't as exaggerated as her—and he could control it.

He certainly didn't wander at night.

"What about when you're awake?"

Lin Xi pondered her words, trying to describe her feeling when suddenly she heard the subtle sound of footsteps outside.

The train conductor never locked the door.

So, the footsteps directly approached the bedside.

"Su Huan, the little girl in my room..."

Yu Yue looked at the two intertwined on the bed, her apricot eyes became vacant, standing in a daze.

Su Huan's eyelids twitched slightly, "Ended up here."

...

As the train made its final eastward turn through the mountain pass, Lin Jin stood at the head, washing the rotten flesh stuck in the rams with a water gun.

The marks left by acid rain shimmered in the sunlight like solidified oil films, radiating a rainbow.

He squinted his eyes suddenly, the buildings on both sides of the tracks stood in close succession. What struck him was the absence of car remains that were otherwise ubiquitous, as if they had vanished in this city, leaving behind only some scattered rubber tires.

Instead, everywhere there were trees with abundant branches and leaves, the trunks were straight with a metallic hue.

Where they grew, no other plants existed; it was either on asphalt roads or on rooftops of reinforced concrete buildings. Even on the ground, it was barren all around.

"Iron-Eating Tree, a mutant plant that likes to devour metal."

Lin Jin put down the water gun in his hand and turned around only to see the train conductor walking towards him with hands in his pockets, the shadows under his long hair highlighted by the sun, his eyebrows relaxed, and a slight weary smile on his face.

"Morning, Train Conductor."

"Morning."

Su Huan squatted next to Lin Jin, resting his hands on his knees, yawning.

Lin Jin looked at the trees occupying the streets and squares, curiously asked, "Do they eat other plants?"

"Not really. Besides mutated plants, normal plants are corroded by acid rain, resulting in the barrenness everywhere. But Iron-Eating Trees don't just consume iron; zombies, mutant beasts, humans, as long as it's lacking nutrition, they will eat them just the same."

Su Huan explained blandly.

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