A blue light flared from Lin Xian’s left palm, displaying a material analysis progress bar.
【Analysis Complete: High-Energy Solid Propellant (1)】
【Select Conversion Material】
Lin Xian selected the lowest-tier Level 1 Steel.
【Manufacturing Plant: Converting Steel (1) → High-Energy Solid Propellant (1)】
【Conversion Efficiency: Consumes 50KG Steel (1) per hour → Produces 2KG High-Energy Solid Propellant (1)】
He might even be able to manufacture artillery shells!
"2KG of propellant… Given that the M556 Light Machine Gun uses 7.62×51mm rounds, and each bullet contains 2.77g of gunpowder, this batch alone could produce 722 rounds—more than enough!"
"But if I were making 30mm tungsten-core armor-piercing rounds for the 1130 CIWS, each shell requires 18-20g of propellant, meaning I could only craft 100 rounds per batch. That’s 2,400 rounds per day at max output… and that’s just for the gunpowder. I haven’t even factored in the tungsten-core casings and manufacturing time. At this rate, I'd only be able to fire continuously for 15 seconds."
Lin Xian nodded to himself. Fifteen seconds might sound short, but against past enemies like the Pale White Giant, the Red Dragonfly, or even the Skeletal Horrors from the underground city, how many seconds could they really withstand?
If he could fully construct the 1130 CIWS, forget everything else—even C-Class and B-Class Eerie Entities, like Ding Junyi had warned about, would be manageable without his entire team fighting to exhaustion.
"From now on, high-grade metal materials are going to be a priority."
Without hesitation, Lin Xian began testing the limits of his R&D Center and Manufacturing Plant.
With newfound efficiency, he streamlined material production. The Manufacturing Plant continuously converted raw steel into solid propellant, rapidly depleting his steel reserves while increasing his ammo supply.
It felt just like the factory-building games he used to play. With manufacturing and research running in parallel, his Mechanical Heart had just unlocked infinite potential.
Soon, dozens of 7.62×51mm machine gun rounds tumbled onto the floor.
Lin Xian grinned excitedly, scooping up a handful of warm brass casings.
"If I keep this up, I can literally turn myself into a weapons factory—building guns, producing bullets, and generating my own power. As long as I have enough raw materials, I’d be like a walking Gatling gun!"
"Super Mecha Engineer! Hell yes!"
"Next step—gather and convert more materials. Once I build the 1130 CIWS for the train, no more running from giant bugs!"
"And after that? Full-body armor plating! If I can supply my own ammo, I’ll practically become Iron Man!"
Lin Xian sucked in a breath.
If he threw military-grade mechs and the 1130 CIWS into the R&D Center, who knew what kind of monstrosities he could create?
Just imagining it made his fingers twitch in excitement.
For now, he checked the R&D progress—the upgraded water purifier blueprint was nearly complete.
Even though his Mechanical Awakening had restored some stamina, running both R&D Center and Manufacturing Plant had been draining him nonstop. Fortunately, with a nuclear-powered locomotive, he no longer had to act as a human battery, which gave him a slight breather.
"I should rest… then upgrade the train’s armor and the experimental carriage."
Lin Xian made his way to Carriage No. 1, eager to finally get some sleep—
Until something clicked in his mind.
"Wait! The Eerie Radio!"
Damn! He had almost forgotten about that thing!
Keeping an Eerie Forbidden Item onboard without fully processing it was still a huge risk.
The last time he tried to devour it, his Mechanical Heart detected non-mechanical energy and automatically activated self-protection mode, forcefully sealing the radio with an anomalous transformation.
But now that his Mechanical Heart had reached Level 3, it was time to finish the job.
Lin Xian retrieved a metal storage box from the overhead compartment.
He had custom-built this box specifically to contain the Eerie Radio—reinforced with tungsten-titanium alloy, layered with multiple barriers to ensure maximum containment.
Quickly, he disassembled the box, revealing the transformed radio cube in his palm.
Without hesitation, Lin Xian activated the skill.
Something this small wouldn't take more than three minutes to devour.
【Non-mechanical energy detected. Enable R&D Center scan?】
"Why is this thing so damn tricky to process…?"
A soft blue light began scanning the radio cube—agonizingly slow.
Almost instantly, Lin Xian felt like a black hole was draining his strength. A sharp chill ran down his spine.
"How the hell does a damn radio take this long to scan?!"
Lin Xian collapsed onto the couch, completely drained, while the blue scanning light continued shifting across the radio.
"This damn thing… is harder to deal with than a spider queen!"
【Mechanical Heart Detection Result: Eerie Object No. 01, Name: Undetermined】
【Properties: Capable of broadcasting fear-inducing and dark-energy transmissions. Mechanical Heart has restructured and frequency-modulated the device. It can now be activated to reflect and neutralize fear-based and dark-energy influences within a fixed area.】
Lin Xian's eyes widened.
"A barrier… that blocks fear and dark energy?"
"Wait… does 'dark energy' mean Black Night Infection?"
Sitting motionless on the couch, Lin Xian stared at the radio cube, deep in thought.
"So… my Mechanical Heart actually contained a Forbidden Item?"
"Which means—I can use this anomaly to generate a protective barrier for the Infinite Train!"
"Screw it! Let’s test it out!"
Taking a deep breath, Lin Xian activated the radio cube using his Mechanical Heart.
【Beep! Activating non-mechanical energy reflection detection.】
【Scan complete. No fear anomalies detected within the train. Dark energy influence neutralized.】
An invisible force suddenly engulfed the entire train.
Instantly, everyone aboard felt as if a cold, suffocating weight had been lifted from their chests. The oppressive aura of Black Night Infection was completely wiped away.
Even Chen Sixuan, who had been restless in her sleep, suddenly relaxed, her furrowed brows smoothing out.
Even Lin Xian himself felt a wave of serenity wash over him.
"Holy sh*t… a 360° Anti-Eerie Artifact!!!"
Realization struck him like a freight train.
"With this transformed radio cube, the terror broadcasts from 1542 Radio Station and those invisible Corrupting Demons… are completely locked out!"
"This thing is basically a magic force field!"
Letting out a long sigh of relief, Lin Xian silently thanked his Mechanical Heart.
And if this theory was correct…
Then all those Forbidden Items that people feared and avoided…
Especially the mechanical ones…
Might just become his next target for Mechanical Devour!