Charging forward, the clamor of the zombie tide was no longer audible. In the night, several flashlight beams swayed beside the railway track. Sha Sha’s face was etched with anxiety as she searched around, flashlight in hand.
Elsewhere, Lin Xian and the Building were crazily cleaving through the flesh of the giant monster, seeking those red beads.
At that moment, an exclamation came from where Sha Sha was:
Upon hearing this, both men ceased their actions and ran in her direction.
They saw Sha Sha standing at the edge of a drainage ditch, where the head of the White Giant Monster had rolled over. Its frightening face was coated with red blood and a black plasma, so terrifying that Sha Sha dared not get close.
As Lin Xian approached, the young girl pointed with her flashlight from a distance towards the monster’s severed neck.
At the monster’s neck, a stream of black smoke continuously seeped out, then burrowed into the ground. Simultaneously, a red bead the size of a thumb appeared on the surface of the ground.
But what was strange was that this bead was much larger than the one Lin Xian had exchanged for!
Witnessing this scene, Lin Xian’s brow furrowed. It felt familiar, and so he immediately stopped Sha Sha, "Don’t move, I’ll do it."
He approached slowly and surely enough, as he neared the black smoke, a rustling sound began emanating near his ears. With every step closer, the rustling turned into a cry like a tumultuous sea, growing into a deafening roar!
Lin Xian’s brow knitted tighter, gritting his teeth as he drew nearer; the wailing was nearly ringing in his ears.
Just as the sound was about to pierce his eardrums, he snatched the red bead, and in that instant, the wailing ceased abruptly!
"So that’s how it is!"
Lin Xian released a long breath, his eyes sharp.
It seemed that when they killed the red monster before, this kind of noise originated from it. At that time, he had no idea of its existence, but now it seemed certain that there must have been a Mysterious Blood Essence as well.
Lin Xian felt somewhat perplexed,
"This thing even comes in different sizes..."
Without further thought, he immediately took the larger Mysterious Blood Essence into the car and placed it near KIKI’s mouth and nose.
This time, before the red crystal even touched her, it swiftly shattered, releasing a burst of dense red mist that exploded forth, surging into KIKI’s nostrils and eyes.
Sha Sha watched in amazement. In no time at all, KIKI’s face gained some color, and her breathing steadied.
Lin Xian lifted KIKI’s eyelids to see the black ink in her eyes rapidly dissipating.
Although he didn’t know what was happening, it seemed to have worked. Seeing this, everyone breathed a sigh of relief.
"How could there be so many zombies and that monster?"
Chen Sixuan frowned at this point, "Didn’t we shake that thing off in Jiang City..."
"Can’t figure it out for now."
Lin Xian looked up at the air conditioning unit, "Looks like we need to add another layer of protection on top."
Just now, he and the Building had gotten out of the car to check the battle situation, and found that although Carriage Number Five was messed up and the roof had some indentations, the armored plating on both sides of the Infinity was intact. The zombie tide, like a tsunami, couldn’t even scratch this armored vehicle. Lin Xian thought, with some reactive devices on the outside of the train, enhanced protection on the roof and the sides, and a sharp Ice-breaking Shield added to the front, even against the most ferocious of zombie tides, they could break through with ease.
"Teacher Chen, what’s the estimate for sunrise tomorrow?" Lin Xian asked.
"I reckon it should be between 14:40 and 15:10."
"Good." Lin Xian glanced at the sleeping KIKI, "We have plenty of time. Now let’s head to Yuchi Station to dock, re-outfit the train, upgrade the defenses, and then enter Yuchi City to search for some supplies."
"Supplies aren’t the main focus." Lin Xian took out a map and said, "Yuchi City isn’t big, this time our main target is here..."
"The electronics mall and the city’s power substation."
"The substation?" Sha Sha looked surprised, "What are we going there for?"
"Get some transformers and capacitors; if there’s a suitable one, I’ll bring back another vehicle."
Lin Xian said, "We got more than a thousand liters of gasoline from the outpost. We’ll bring two barrels on the vehicle. If we find a suitable vehicle, we’ll split up and head back directly, loading both the vehicle and goods onto the flatbed trailer to save time."
After completing the upgrade and preparation, he wanted to start a large-scale collection. As for electrical and mechanical items, he intended to bring back as much as possible. Firstly, to gather materials, and secondly, these more fragmented items would be more flexible for him to consume, not always taking several hours.
If problems arise along the way, he could always stop and use them incrementally for upgrades.
However, after trying out the profits brought by a train engine, Lin Xian became bolder. If he could encounter another one later, as long as it’s within the bearing weight pressure that can be tolerated, he would drag it on the road, consuming it while following the tracks, rapidly upgrading!
And transformers and capacitors, not only because of the high energy capacitor and arc device of the GK03 electric knife but also because he got some inspiration from this design, and wanted to use it to create an external discharge defense system for the train.
"Teacher Chen, let’s drive."
Chen Sixuan nodded and instructed Sha Sha, "Sha Sha, take care of their injuries."
Sha Sha deftly took Lin Xian’s medical kit and came over to treat the wound on his chest.
"Brother Lin, does it hurt?"
"It’s okay." Lin Xian said with a stoic face, enduring the pain.
"Oh," Sha Sha then poured iodine on the wound on Lin Xian’s chest.
The "Infinity" let out a dull, steel moan, and the iron wheels rolled again!
Although it’s still night, the carriage’s tailgate was opened by Lin Xian. Despite the darkness, the scenery outside was already covered by vast expanses of white snow.
The extreme low temperature and the vast expanse of snow white added a sense of desolate chill to the post-apocalyptic world.
Looking at the flatbed trailer behind, both military jeeps were damaged in combat, leaving only an off-road vehicle and the armored vehicle from the Black Serpent Team.
"Forget it, consuming the flatbed trailer probably won’t be much of use; it’s just a pile of scrap metal. Better to use it to load more stuff, as an open-air transport platform, and also convenient for me to consume while running..."
Thinking this, Lin Xian looked at the several sections of the flatbed trailer and suddenly found them much more appealing.
After upgrading Mechanical Heart to level 2 and acquiring the Decomposition space, his capability in Mechanical Manufacturing had been greatly enhanced.
But he currently felt there were two deficiencies.
First, he could only store materials acquired after consumption, such as various types of steel, plastics, etc.
They’re varied and complex, lacking focus.
For example, he now scanned the blueprint for the Close-in Weapon System, and although the required materials are extensive and all weapon-grade steel, it’s not that difficult to handle. But the most critical issue is ammunition.
Copper, tungsten, steel, and such are not in short supply, but the essential materials for smokeless gunpowder needed for bullets or for explosives in shells, like TNT, hexanitrohexaazaisowurtzitane, and all-nitride anions, are nowhere to be found.
Having guns but no bullets is somewhat embarrassing.
The second issue is the lack of blueprints for powerful mechanical equipment in the blueprint library.
Apart from himself, he also wanted to arm the Infinity as well as his teammates. He created a Steel-cutting Greatsword for the Building simply because there was no alternative. With the Building’s build, carrying a Fire God Gatling would at least match his imposing presence.
After getting more teammates, Lin Xian began adjusting his focus from fighting solo to team dynamics.
The night quieted down as they drove, and Lin Xian felt a slight relief in his heart. He and the Building leaned against the tailgate of the fifth carriage. Sha Sha took care of KIKI while Teacher Chen was in the driver’s cabin checking the road conditions.
The Building handed the Steel-cutting Greatsword over to Lin Xian, indicating he wanted to return it.
Lin Xian smiled, "Who do you think I made this size for?"
The Building was taken aback, his expression changed, and he eagerly took it back, "Thank you, Brother Xian."
He found the greatsword very comfortable to use; it was hard and could be used as a shield in critical situations—indeed a good defensive weapon for everyday use.