On the vast snowfield, a massive floodlight illuminated the roof of the Infinite Train. Under its glow, Lin Xian began working on the Gemini 11R Nuclear Electric Locomotive, making necessary adjustments.
Coming out of the tunnel, they had rammed through an unknown number of zombies and Human Eeries. The locomotive’s front end was a mess. Lin Xian gave it a quick cleaning and repair before moving on to designing armor for the entire train.
"Being at the back, we'll probably face a lot of combat..."
Ever since they left Jiang City, most battles had taken place in Car 5. Whether it was chases or ambushes, that section had become the primary warzone. Now, with the nuclear-powered locomotive pulling from the rear, it was an unavoidable decision.
This locomotive had a highly intricate internal structure, with a 290-megawatt DRX nuclear power reactor encased in multiple protective layers. It came with an array of support systems but lacked a through corridor like the original Huanxing 7F Electric Locomotive. With such a compact nuclear facility onboard, it had to be positioned at the very back for overall train safety.
Lin Xian didn’t have any complex design plans—he simply piled on materials. From devouring the TFV600 Heavy Dual-Barrel Tank, he had obtained plenty of forged inner armor steel. He combined it with hardened tungsten steel for a dual-layered armor configuration.
For the design, he directly used the tank's armor structure. Since he was evolving purely through experience, he applied whatever worked.
The Gemini 11R Nuclear Electric Locomotive was a 45-meter-long intercontinental-class locomotive, originally developed by the Federation’s Kehua Heavy Industries. Without it, diving deep into Underground City No. 9 would have been a huge loss. Thankfully, they secured it, ensuring stable power for the train.
Lin Xian and Luo Ye worked tirelessly for five hours, reinforcing both the nuclear locomotive and Experiment Cars 3 and 4 with armor plating.
"The train keeps getting bigger."
Shasha ran from the rear carriages to the front, holding a can of food. Her eyes widened in amazement. "It’s almost turning into an aircraft carrier!"
The rest of the squad was gathered in Car 1’s dining area, finishing their meal before departure. In about an hour, it would be dawn, and they needed to be ready.
"A Dragon Mountain-class aircraft carrier weighs 150,000 tons. The Hercules-class sky cruiser is 190,000 tons. The White Emperor-3 sky battleship is 330,000 tons. The Qingluan Sky City is 960,000 tons. Our train? Barely 1,500 tons. We’ve got a long way to go."
KIKI grinned. "But once we reach the Pacific, who knows? Maybe we’ll be able to fly!"
Shasha’s mouth formed an “O” shape.
"That jellyfish can fly. If we take off, won’t we crash into it?" Luo Ye, usually quiet, suddenly chimed in.
Lin Xian shrugged. "There are monsters underground, and monsters in the sky. The best solution is to move on land, fly in the sky when necessary, and if we’re really desperate—dive into the deep sea..."
As he spoke, his mind wandered. If jellyfish could fly into the sky, then who knew what horrors lurked in the abyss below…
Lin Xian pulled out a metal case, revealing fifty V0G-25 40mm grenade launchers, all freshly manufactured.
"Holy sht!" Shasha’s eyes lit up. "So many?!"
Lin Xian chuckled, handing her a grenade launcher. "Next time we run into monsters, don’t hold back on the ammo—blast them to hell!"
KIKI, intrigued, leaned over. "Hey, Lin Xian, when are you making the 1130 for me? I want to have some real fun."
Lin Xian scratched his head awkwardly. "That one’s not happening anytime soon."
Building an 1130 Close-In Weapon System wasn’t easy. First, phased array radar and fire-control radar required rare-earth materials, which had to be processed at the manufacturing center. Then, it had to be properly integrated into the train—not just slapped onto the roof.
Since Lin Xian lacked formal knowledge in mechanical engineering or weapon systems, he could only design basic armor, plating, and melee weapons without blueprints.
The R&D center, from what he had seen, could only upgrade existing blueprints, not create new ones from scratch. KIKI was good with systems but wasn’t much help in designing hardware. For example, despite gathering plenty of research materials, she still hadn’t figured out how to build a water-oxygen recycling system.
"If we had an 'A-System', we could manage and maintain the entire train," she sighed.
KIKI added, "Oh, and mecha. If we could build one, your mechanical abilities would be even more insane!"
Lin Xian agreed. With a manufacturing plant and his mechanical creation and control abilities, an external exosuit could massively enhance his Mechanical Heart ability.
Meanwhile, Chen Sixuan remained silent. Listening to their conversation about weapons and upgrades, she felt uneasy. She was the only one without combat abilities, which weighed on her. She decided to spend more time learning firearm skills from Shasha—maybe it would be useful once they reached Yubei City.
Lin Xian reviewed the train’s upgrade log, adding another item to the list...
At 15:56, the pitch-black sky suddenly cleared, revealing a blindingly white snowfield.
Lin Xian closed his logbook, activated his Mechanical Heart, and checked over the train. After a long night of work, the Infinite Train was ready to roll toward Yubei City.
"That’s a lot of snow..."
Inside the cockpit, Chen Sixuan frowned at the snow piling up ahead.
"At least the snow’s stopped—that’s good news." Lin Xian unlocked the engine limiters.
With ample power, the Infinite Train roared to life. The Icebreaker Shield plowed through the snow, pushing forward steadily.