Lin Xian looked at the spirited girl in front of him with interest and smiled faintly, “Hearing you say that, it sounds like you have a better idea?”
“Of course,” Kiki replied, her face brimming with confidence. “Now that we’re all in the same boat, even if I don’t care about helping a bad guy like you, I still have to think about my own safety. Given the current situation, how do we make it to Jinhai?”
Kiki turned to him and asked, “Your ability is controlling machinery, right?”
Lin Xian nodded. “That’s correct.”
“Perfect.” Kiki snapped her fingers, exuding confidence. “I know of a nearby military outpost close to Beiwang City. There should be plenty of military supplies there. If we’re lucky, you might even snag a radar system or a sentry system. At the very least, some weapons. That’s got to be better than slashing bugs with a knife like you did last night, right?”
Hearing this, Chen Sixuan, standing nearby, looked shocked. “A military outpost? How do you even know about something like that?”
“There’s a lot I know.” Kiki looked proud as she turned her gaze to Lin Xian. “So, what do you say? Shall we cooperate?”
Lin Xian looked at her, his faint smile suddenly turning icy. “I refuse.”
“You… what do you mean?” she asked nervously.
Lin Xian’s cold eyes fell upon her as he slowly said, “I’m not someone who likes being manipulated. If you think that awakening your ability gives you the right to oppose me, then let’s settle this here and now. Life or death—it’ll save us from mistrusting each other along the way.”
Kiki looked guilty upon hearing this. “Who… who said I wanted to oppose you?”
Lin Xian smiled faintly, his tone still calm but firm. “I can take you to Jinhai. It’s just another city along the Planetary Orbital Rail, but I have no intention of making deals with you or going out of my way for you. Right now, it’s about surviving each day as it comes. If I bring you along, it’s because I can trust you and because you can contribute to this team. No one here will serve you, and food is limited. Everyone has to pull their weight. Whether taking you to Jinhai benefits me or not—I don’t care. Understand?”
Others might think Lin Xian’s outlook was short-sighted, but in this apocalyptic world, immediate survival took precedence over long-term promises. He had to focus on daily survival and escaping the Polar Night. Future benefits and agreements were burdensome distractions.
Kiki’s idea of negotiating for special treatment aboard the train—demanding others cater to her—was completely misguided. While other survivors might be motivated by promises to go all-in, Lin Xian was not that kind of person. To him, someone insincere was worthless, no matter how capable they were.
Most importantly, Kiki needed to feel a sense of crisis. Otherwise, if Lin Xian compromised, she might misinterpret it as fear of her abilities. Since that was the case, he figured it was better to clarify their stance as allies or enemies right away.
Kiki stared at Lin Xian, who was smiling at her. For some reason, that smile didn’t feel warm at all. On the contrary, it was as if turning her back on him would reveal a terrifying demon behind that grin, ready to devour her whole.
Faced with Lin Xian’s strong words, Kiki’s gaze began to falter. After a moment of silence, their eyes finally broke contact. Hugging her knees on the sofa, she looked up at him like a small kitten, her large eyes wide and pitiful. “O-okay.”
“Okay what?” Lin Xian’s gaze remained intense.
“I’ll do as you say.” Kiki fidgeted with her fingers, clearly disgruntled but softer in tone. “Just don’t let me go hungry…”
Lin Xian walked over to the storage rack, retrieved a can of fruit and a bag of snacks, and tossed them to her. His voice remained cold as he said, “I don’t care who you were before, but once you’re on this train, it’s best not to have any other ideas. Everyone only has one life. If I can’t trust you, I’ll throw you off no matter how useful you are.”
Hearing this, Kiki’s eyes darted around as she snuck a glance at him, her thoughts unknown. She opened the fruit can, took a bite, then broke the silence.
“Is that name fake too?” Lin Xian asked.
Kiki blushed slightly. “No! I’ve always gone by Kiki. Wen Qi is my real name.”
Lin Xian nodded, recognizing her attempt to show sincerity, and his tone softened slightly. “I’ll take this as your way of showing goodwill.”
“Can I make a request?” Kiki asked.
“Can I live in Carriage No. 2?”
Kiki didn’t want to stay in the same carriage with Lin Xian and Chen Sixuan. Though her personality was carefree, she was still a 16-year-old girl and somewhat sensitive about such matters.
“No problem,” Lin Xian agreed. “But Carriage No. 2 is mostly empty. It’ll need some work before it’s livable.”
“I’ll figure it out myself.”
“Hmm?!” Lin Xian’s gaze hardened, his tone turning unfriendly.
Kiki quickly corrected herself, speaking gently, “I mean, I’ll get your approval first—and of course, I’ll need your help too~”
“Now that’s better.” Lin Xian felt much more satisfied with Kiki’s current attitude.
After a somewhat “friendly” negotiation, Lin Xian decided to temporarily accept this complicated girl into the group. Having fought alongside her last night, he acknowledged her value.
As Lin Xian turned to leave, Kiki pouted and called out to him. “Bad guy, do you still want to check out that military outpost?”
Lin Xian frowned. “There’s no trap, right?”
Kiki rolled her eyes and, surprisingly, softened her tone. “If you don’t trust me, I can go with you.”
Lin Xian’s expression darkened slightly. He could tell her words were sincere this time. At the same time, he reassessed his "Infinite Train" plan, realizing it still had many shortcomings.
Although his ability temporarily solved their energy problems, the challenges they faced since setting out were far deadlier than any power supply issues.
So when Kiki mentioned a military outpost near Beiwang City, Lin Xian couldn’t help but feel interested. He urgently needed to upgrade the train’s armor and weapons. The mobile fortress also required better reconnaissance systems. Even he needed to level up his Mechanical Heart ability or acquire more useful skills.
Lin Xian once gained the powerful “Wind Cannon” skill from something as simple as a hairdryer. If he could devour military-grade weapons, who knew what surprises might come next?
With this in mind, Lin Xian nodded. “I do want to upgrade the train’s armor and weapons. That military outpost you mentioned—we’ll check it out. We can also stock up on supplies at Beiwang Town.”
“Great!” Kiki’s eyes lit up as she pointed toward Carriage No. 3. “Shall we ride that?”
Lin Xian frowned. “Do you even know how to ride it?”
“Tsk, who do you think you’re looking down on?” Kiki turned slightly, revealing a small tattoo on her slim waist—a black cat wearing sunglasses. Paired with her short shorts and long legs, she exuded a punkish charm.
“Do you know my nickname back in the day?”
“Wannabe biker girl?”
“Ugh! No, it was the ‘Lunar Black Rider!’”
“Black taxi service?”
“Ugh! You’re so uncultured!”