Finally, the "Infinity" moved to the very front of Track Sequence No.7, waiting for the tower’s dispatch.
In an instant, Lin Xian felt that he had entered the order of human society again, and the sense of loneliness that drifted through the night had suddenly lessened a lot.
The train came to a halt, Lin Xian opened the carriage door to step out, and his gaze stretched across the vast airport platform which was densely packed with caravans lined up in sequence. After nightfall, all the large entry and exit gates of the airport had been closed and sealed.
Beneath the dark night sky, the horizon was dim, and the Airport’s high walls were guarded by machine gun sentry posts which continuously fired. Several 1130 Close-in Weapon Systems were protecting the skies, and above the climbing elevator, on the architectural platforms, there were also two Railguns emitting a soft blue glow. Aside from these, there were also a large number of damaged and inoperative defense systems, demonstrating that these existing weapons had likely been hastily repaired and deployed by the Phoenix Society in emergency defense of the airport platform.
On the airport platform, many Survivor Caravans waited for their turn at the climbing elevator, and the square was filled with survivors of all shapes and colors.
Numerous units of the Iron Guard Brigade moved through the crowd, and transport vehicles continuously shuttled back and forth, carrying all kinds of weapons and ammunition to support the outer defense lines.
In just an instant, a strong scent of gunpowder had already rushed into everyone’s nostrils.
Chen Sixuan swept her gaze around and said with concern, "The situation looks tense. If the defense lines break, I don’t know where these people will run to."
At this moment, Xu Jin, Shu Qin, and Lao Mo parked their vehicles as well and came over.
Xu Jin looked up at the climbing passageway and sighed, "Looking at the situation, we’re probably going to be in line until after midnight."
"So many jellyfish are coming, I wonder if the Iron Guard Brigade can hold them off," Shu Qin said.
"With the firepower of the Iron Guard Brigade, they should be able to, as long as it’s not the one we encountered at Daluo Mountain that day," Lao Mo waved his hand dismissively, "Don’t underestimate the military’s firepower. The biggest trouble is still the night-blights spreading from the inside, and those big things."
However, Lin Xian was curious, "Didn’t we just receive information from the Airport Guard Corps? How come I haven’t seen a single one of them?"
"The Guard Corps? Those folks are all protecting the rich people in the inner port now."
A hearty voice came over, and everyone turned towards the direction of the sound. They saw a tall middle-aged man approaching with a square face and a stubble beard, sporting a beer belly and wearing a thick fur coat. He was followed by several people and, upon approaching, his eyes kept scrutinizing the Infinity that Lin Xian had arrived in.
"What a strange configuration, an old-fashioned heavy-duty gas turbine locomotive leading, yet towed by a twin Gemini 11R nuclear power electric locomotive. What’s this all about?"
"Gas turbines are not at all suitable for running; there’s no guarantee of energy supply."
"The armor plate looks like high quality, seems like standard parts..."
"They seem to have armor but no weapons."
"However, they don’t seem to have many people; it’s impressive they managed to do this."
"Hey! Don’t point and comment on other people!" the middle-aged man interrupted, then turned his gaze towards Lin Xian and extended his hand, "Let’s get acquainted, Dragon Mountain No.1, Shi Deyuan."
Dragon Mountain No.1?
Lin Xian looked towards the distant intercontinental heavy-duty Doomsday Train that resembled a moving city, understood who he was, and shook his hand, saying earnestly,
"Infinity, Lin Xian."
"Infinity? Sounds commanding." Shi Deyuan nodded and cut straight to the chase, "A lot of people saw the Big Fire in the southern skies just now. The Airport had already closed but they opened it up especially for you, which makes me think you must have run into some big trouble."
"There were so many giant jellyfish!" Sha Sha suddenly interjected, "Didn’t you guys see them?"
"In the dark night, there are plenty of big things." A woman behind Shi Deyuan remarked, "We’ve encountered plenty of things in the sky..."
"Just now you mentioned the Guard Corps being in the inner port, what does that mean?" Lin Xian asked, puzzled.
"He must be talking about the people from the Federation Investigation Team." Ding Junyi, who was behind him, walked over with a computer. "I’ve already made contact with them using the Airport’s information system. This investigation team was specially dispatched from the Star City headquarters, tasked with investigating the incident at the number 9 Underground City. My and Dr. Zhao’s identity access, among others, is still in the system, so I checked their mission logs. This team is also in charge of evacuating some of the first-class citizens and senior management personnel who were left behind during the previous great migration. It’s partly a rescue mission."
Upon hearing Ding Junyi’s words, Lin Xian was suddenly puzzled. The reason they had been allowed access earlier, could it have been because Ding Junyi contacted the Federation Investigation Team?
"So, the former Federation Government’s headquarters are now set up in Star City? Aren’t they afraid of being covered by the perpetual night?" KIKI asked.
Ding Junyi looked at her, "The Federation Government’s doomsday policy has always been the Underground City plan, which has never changed."
"What a bunch of damned stubborn old men!" Ever since KIKI found out about Underground City number 9’s self-destruct agreement, she’s shown nothing but disdain for the original Federation Government.
"Hahaha, indeed, a bunch of stubborn old men. This investigation team arrived the day before yesterday, and it looks like they are preparing to leave with a few hundred people on a large airship." Shi Deyuan said scornfully, "These damn dogs, commanding the Airport Guard Corps to protect their air station, would rather not fire a single shot to protect those first-class citizens than provide support to the frontline. So now, all the soldiers on the frontline are from the Iron Guard Brigade."
"Yeah, the Iron Guard Brigade suffered hefty losses in the battle at Daluo Mountain. They were supposed to return to the Airport for rest, but now they are shouldering the entire Airport’s defense and haven’t had a break for days."
With that said, everyone frowned.
Many people knew about the Iron Guard Brigade’s fierce battle at Daluo Mountain and the significant losses they suffered. Hearing about the actions of the Federation Investigation Team, everyone felt a certain amount of indignation.
"Why does the Airport Guard Corps obey their orders? Isn’t the official government now the Phoenix Society of the Apocalypse Federation?" Lin Xian asked.
"It’s not that simple. The Phoenix Society was only established a few months ago; there are many unresolved issues between the old and new governments. The Airport Guard Corps is part of the local city’s armed forces, not as clear-cut in terms of command authority as the interstellar army or the Iron Guard Brigade," Lao Mo chimed in as he slightly lifted his sunglasses and stepped forward.
Before he could finish speaking, a group of armed personnel, guns at the ready, quickly drove over in a few shuttle vehicles, with what seemed like a few Federation Government officials on board, who swiftly reached the inside of the Airport Square.
The person in charge was a blonde woman in her early forties, wearing a black leather jacket and sunglasses, and striding with an air of brusque efficiency – clearly a Caucasian from North America.
When Ding Junyi saw the armed personnel’s uniforms, she immediately said, "Airport Guard Corps, those must be the Federation officials."
Lin Xian glanced back at the train, where Zhao Yan and Xu Wen were still hiding inside a carriage, afraid to come out. He then said to Ding Junyi, "Now that your people are here, let those two come down."
Ding Junyi looked at Lin Xian and replied, "The investigation team might want to speak with you. No matter what they say, you can just refuse them directly."
Lin Xian chuckled lightly, "Nowadays, survivors, in a sense, have all been abandoned by your Federation Government. So, from a ’sociological’ perspective, I am not subject to their jurisdiction. They should just mind their own business."
Survivors are fleeing everywhere, social order has crumbled, and currently, only the Phoenix Association of the Apocalypse Federation is organizing global survivor aid, including dispatching forces such as the interstellar army and the Iron Guard Brigade. In this context, the original Federation Government, in Lin Xian’s eyes, is not much different from a civilian organization.
Ding Junyi didn’t detect the sarcasm in Lin Xian’s words, merely standing with a neutral expression, her hands tucked in her pockets, waiting for the Federation officials to approach.