[Current Level of Mechanical Heart LV.1 210/500]
[Notice: Upgrading the Mechanical Heart can obtain special skill rewards. Gaining a Mysterious Awakening at Mechanical Heart levels LV3, LV6, and LV9.]
[Strength: LV1 27/50]
[Current Basic Skills]
[Mechanical Devouring LV.1 278/300]
[Mechanical Manufacturing LV.1 112/300]
[Mechanical Scan (Passive)]
[Mechanical Repair (Passive)]
[Mechanical Operation (Passive)]
[Wind Cannon LV.1 12/100]
"That doesn't make sense. I used Wind Cannon twice on that White Giant Monster; how come my proficiency increased by so much?"
Lin Xian stared at the Wind Cannon proficiency which had jumped to 12, suddenly doubting everything.
He thought that using it once would only increase it by one point. He hadn't expected such a leap.
"Could it be that in critical situations, I can greatly improve my mastery of skills?"
After much thought, Lin Xian felt that this hypothesis was highly probable.
At the same time, the benefits brought by devouring a small-displacement truck were also enormous: 30 Mechanical Source Points, 10 points in devouring proficiency, and even a 12-point increase in attributes!
This was practically striking it rich.
"Damn, if I had a parking lot, I'd work 996 without even taking a break..."
Lin Xian muttered indignantly in his heart.
But he knew that was just wishful thinking.
If it wasn't for some incredible luck, he couldn't think of any other reason that would allow him to survive earlier.
That Monster must have stood by his side for quite some time because he indeed heard some noise in advance.
Maybe because he stayed focused and didn't make a sound, the Monster didn't immediately attack.
Otherwise, he would have already turned into spicy skewers.
Indeed, high risk, high reward.
It takes at least an hour and a half for Lin Xian to process a vehicle, not only requiring focus but also consuming significant physical strength. Now in Jiang City, influenced by the Dark Tide, there is less than 4 hours of daylight per day.
Where would he have so much time and opportunity for slow devouring? Once night falls, who knows what kind of creatures might emerge.
"Could I pull a cargo carriage and then slowly devour it at night..." A thought flashed in his mind.
But he quickly dismissed it.
"It seems... no, that won't work!"
"A damn empty cargo truck is just a skeleton, it won't bring much benefit. Unless I could pull an entire locomotive head..."
"But it could be years before I could devour hundreds of tons of a locomotive head, not to mention whether I'd have enough physical strength."
Over the past few months, Lin Xian actually came up with quite a few ideas, but when it came to practical application, he realized it wasn't as simple as he thought.
Suddenly, the sky lit up, and Jiang City welcomed a brief dawn.
The whole city lay in silence; Lin Xian looked from afar towards the northwest from the city limits line. It was still shrouded in grey and black, as if enveloped by a massive storm.
Lin Xian knew that direction was towards Lu City and Dingzhou, where Apocalypse Day first went silent.
Since that was the center of the No. 3 "Star Abyss!"
Compared to there, Jiang City, which is now like ruins, could be considered lucky, as it at least left a significant amount of time for the residents to relocate, and there are still quite a few survivors struggling to live.
Lin Xian still remembered his trip to Lu City, where the rice noodles and barbecue were very distinctive, leaving him longing to go back.
However, these cultural symbols of humanity turned to dust in the blink of an apocalypse.
One streak of light seeped through the gaps in the armored car window, falling on Chen Sixuan's face. She slowly opened her eyes and saw Lin Xian welding the bed frame. She immediately got up startled and apologized with a guilty expression.
"I'm sorry... Lin Xian, did I oversleep..."
"It's fine." Lin Xian replied without turning back. "I saw you weren't in good shape, and considering last night was rather unusual, that creature might come again. So I didn't wake you."
Even now that it was light out, Lin Xian still felt a lingering fear.
That White Giant Monster might even be able to breach his steel fortress; having Chen Sixuan up on watch all night wouldn't have made a difference.
The urgent need at the moment was to continue to strengthen the defenses of "Infinity," while also working hard to improve his own strength.
"You... didn't sleep all night?"
Lin Xian finished welding the steel bed frame and stood up, handing a bottle of water to Chen Sixuan. "Today, we are going to pass by the freight loading and unloading point of Jiang City. Things might get a bit troublesome there, so you better be mentally prepared."
"Okay." Chen Sixuan, filled with guilt, quickly nodded and said, "I'll follow you today."
"No need, I have other things I need your help with."
Lin Xian led Chen Sixuan to the cockpit. By now, he had already started the Infinity and began to move forward slowly. While en route, he said to Chen Sixuan,
"This main route should merge into the Jiangyu Line without deviating at the switch. If possible, today I plan to tow an electric locomotive onto the road. I will need to get off earlier to operate the railway switch. During the car coupling, I need you to help me with the docking command operations."
Lin Xian pointed at several control buttons and patiently explained to Chen Sixuan.
"This one is for release, this one is for position coupling, this one is for gate docking, this one is for pathway testing..."
These technical terms were actually not unfamiliar to Chen Sixuan. She had been influenced by her father's knowledge of railways since childhood and knew that these were the operational procedures for the connection of train carriages. However, hearing about it and actually operating were two different things—it was like a young maiden boarding her bridal sedan chair for the first time.
Therefore, she listened to Lin Xian's explanations very attentively, afraid of missing even the smallest detail.
For Lin Xian, coupling the carriages was also a very complex task, mainly because he could not control both carriages using the Mechanical Heart at the same time, and he also had to get off the train to manually operate the railway switch in order to change tracks.
But once he stepped off, the Infinity would lose its power source. The only solution was for him to push it forward manually while keeping the braking port and buffer hook of the other electric locomotive in a released state.
Under these circumstances without power, he would have to run back and forth...
Another point was, if he found such an electric locomotive, he would have to place it behind the gas turbine and ahead of the first carriage.
This is because the front of the giant whale 03E locomotive was already equipped with a layer of armor, and the heavy gas turbine, compared to the electric locomotive, was tougher, so it could only be placed in the second position.
All in all, the operation was quite complicated. With just Lin Xian alone, it would take at least a whole day. Now with Chen Sixuan's help, he could save at least half a day.
The train slowly drove out of the main urban area, heading towards Jiang City Station.
Leaving the urban area, their view suddenly broadened; several main roads leading out of the city appeared before their eyes.
But in just an instant, both Lin Xian and Chen Sixuan's expressions changed.
On the main roads, tens of thousands of vehicles completely jammed the streets; blood plasma, severed limbs, burning car frames, and scattered luggage and clothing all told the pair that the way out of the city had become a living hell.
The Dark Tide had passed, and not a single living person could be seen anymore – all over the hills and fields roamed wandering zombies.
"Those who could run have already run; those who are left can't escape."
The way out of the city was completely blocked. Unless you were driving a tank or taking some unknown small road, the only way left to flee the city was on foot.
But with extreme night approaching and only a little more than three hours of daylight left, how far can one get by foot?
Or rather, even if you did make it out of the city, what to do after nightfall?
Even Lin Xian, a superpower user, felt powerless against the monsters that come with the dark night, not to mention the ordinary people.
Looking at the horrific scene on the main road, Chen Sixuan's eyes trembled slightly, and she turned to look forward at the clear railway ahead. At this moment, she felt immensely grateful to know Lin Xian, and even more fortunate to have boarded this train.
The slowly moving train also caught the attention of some survivors hiding in their homes nearby; several quiet gazes fell, and some people started to whisper.
"A train? Impossible!"
"Where did it come from..."
"Stop! Stop!" someone in a building shouted loudly,
"Take me with you; I have supplies...!"
"Quiet, you'll attract the zombies!"
"Quick, close the windows!!"
There were even people who threw stones at the train, yelling frantically,
"Stop, let me get on!!"
"They... will they come to steal things?" Upon hearing the sound of stones hitting the train, Chen Sixuan asked nervously.
"Definitely not here to do us any favors," Lin Xian responded blandly.
In the apocalypse, fighting to the death over resources isn't anything unusual.
Rule number three of survival: Save your comrades if you can, but save yourself first.
"Lin, look..." Chen Sixuan had a pleasant voice, and whenever she spoke, Lin Xian felt more certain about his decision to save others. Having such a woman on this journey of fleeing life and death made him feel better, always reminding him of Chen Sixuan in school, with her black framed glasses, frowning and seriously explaining words to him.
Listening to her voice, Lin Xian looked up and his pupils suddenly contracted.
Outside the train, snowflakes fluttered, landing on the windows, melting into tiny droplets.
"Is it winter already?" Chen Sixuan asked, looking out at the snow with big eyes, speaking to herself.
According to the season, winter was still several months away.
But in recent days, Jiang City was getting colder, and by the time the snowflakes peacefully fell, Lin Xian felt a chill in his heart, realizing his concerns weren't unfounded.
Aside from the darkness, zombies, and anomalies, another disaster was coming with the changing regional climate.
If extreme cold and snowstorms arrived, it wouldn't be just about the cold. It meant that people would need more food to maintain their body temperature, the train would require more energy to operate, and if there were extreme low temperatures, even heating systems would be needed on the train.
"Damn it..." Lin Xian cursed silently to himself. He had planned to find a refrigerator for preserving food, but seeing this, it seemed it wasn't necessary anymore...