Jiang City had already been swallowed by the Polar Night. It had lost its longwave signals over twenty days ago. To gather the latest information about the world and escape the eerie grasp of the Polar Night, Lin Xian had no choice but to flee eastward.
Although his Mechanical Heart held immense potential, it was more functional than combative in its initial stages. Take that massive bug, for instance—if he had been driving a car, he wouldn’t have survived in the wild.
“Hey, I think you’re a bit more capable than I imagined,” Kiki suddenly said.
Lin Xian gave a wry smile. “You should go rest. You’ll need to take over the watch later tonight.”
“Alright!” Kiki replied with a smile. She turned to leave but paused after a couple of steps. Turning back, she asked, “By the way, can you control other machinery besides the train?”
“I think so. Why? What are you referring to?” he asked.
“For example, mechas! I’m talking about fully functional ones, like the Sentinel 2 and Sentinel 3 series of light assault types—or even the heavy-duty military Destroyer series. If you could get one of those, you wouldn’t have to worry about fighting those massive bugs,” she said.
Lin Xian’s gaze flickered slightly. “I’d love that, but if only there were a chance...”
Who hadn’t dreamed of such things? If he could, who would want to fight bugs with a knife? Who wouldn’t want to pilot a Gundam? But let alone such heavy equipment, even advanced combat machinery was rare, and blueprints for them were practically nonexistent.
Just then, the sound of a motorcycle echoed across the silent plains. Both Lin Xian and Kiki’s expressions shifted as they turned to look. In the distance, a bright light flickered unsteadily, growing louder and closer. Hearing the noise, Teacher Chen and the other two also ran over from a nearby carriage.
“A motorcycle? What’s going on?” Kiki moved to stand behind the armored vehicle.
Lin Xian’s eyes narrowed in vigilance. Seeing that only one vehicle was approaching, he didn’t immediately stop his Devouring process. With the building and Kiki here, he felt less anxious.
Suddenly, the motorcycle’s headlight flashed twice, paused, and flashed twice again.
“Two short flashes, one long,” Lin Xian muttered, furrowing his brows. “It looks like they’re signaling friendliness, but stay alert.”
He gestured toward Teacher Chen and the others in Car 5, signaling them to stay hidden.
From a few hundred meters away, the rider began shouting. In moments, the motorcycle kicked up snow and dust as it sped across the plains, entering the train’s light radius.
The motorcycle skidded to a stylish stop at the bottom of the track slope. There were two riders—a man and a woman.
The man, appearing in his early thirties, had light stubble and vaguely handsome features. He dismounted, removed his helmet, and smiled. The woman, clad in leather pants and jacket, had a cold demeanor, with two pistols strapped to her thighs.
Lin Xian eyed them warily. “Who are you?”
The man raised his hands and smiled. “Don’t be alarmed, no hostility here. Allow me to introduce myself: Jiang Yun, captain of the Chasing Wind Convoy, and this is my deputy, Ren Huiyan. I noticed you after you left Beiwang and entered the mountains.”
Jiang Yun’s gaze swept over Lin Xian and Kiki before landing on the distant Car 5, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes.
“It seems I was right—there’s more than one Ability User here,” Jiang Yun said.
Lin Xian and the others’ expressions shifted. Who was this person, and how could he tell they were Ability Users?
“What do you want?” Kiki asked sharply, eyeing them.
“Of course, there’s a reason I’m here,” Jiang Yun replied, pointing toward the track ahead. “About thirty kilometers forward is Qu Guan City. Over a dozen convoys are stationed there, all gathered on Frequency 7. I’ve organized a Mutual Aid Bonfire there. Would you be interested?”
“Mutual Aid Bonfire? What’s that?” Kiki asked.
“It’s where nearby survivors gather to exchange goods, information, and more. In these times, who hasn’t run into trouble?” Jiang Yun replied with a smile.
“Oh~ You can gather around a bonfire? Aren’t you worried about attracting monsters?” Kiki asked, looking amazed.
“Sorry, not interested,” Lin Xian interjected, refusing outright.
“No need to be so tense, my friend,” Jiang Yun said calmly, scrutinizing Lin Xian. “Judging by your setup, you’ve faced quite a bit of trouble along the way. Train armor, huh? Well, the main rail sections are still clear due to the Federation Phoenix’s ongoing military operations. If you have an Electrical or Unified Control Ability, this route could be advantageous.”
Jiang Yun then pulled a small object from his pocket—a dark red glass bead. “This is what the Phoenix calls a Weird Blood Essence, but we wanderers usually just call it a ‘Red Bean.’ I’m guessing your radio can’t pick up signals, right? If it could, you’d already be on Frequency 7 or the Phoenix’s longwave channels. With this—wrap copper wire around it and attach it to your radio antenna—it resonates with dark energy and can receive ionized signals.”
He paused, tossing the bead lightly in his hand. “But... be cautious. Using this doesn’t just pick up human signals...”
“Ah?! You can actually receive longwave signals?” Kiki exclaimed. “Where’d you get this Red Bean?”
Finally, the cold-faced woman on the motorcycle spoke up. “Kill any Eerie Entity in the dark. They all have them.”
“Exactly,” Jiang Yun nodded, his eyes sharp. “The Phoenix broadcasts critical information on LW01, while wanderers use AM07 and AM09 for relatively friendly exchanges. But be careful—there are plenty of malicious folks out there in these apocalyptic times.”
Putting his helmet back on, Jiang Yun glanced at Lin Xian again. “It’s just an invitation, friend. Whether you come is up to you. If you do, you might find useful information, food, water, weapons, supplies, abilities, dark artifacts—just about anything can be traded. By the way, our bonfire locations usually conduct Soul Wave Value tests, reducing the likelihood of encountering eerie entities or events. But beware of zombies—it might draw them. If you come, make sure not to bring trouble.”
Without further ado, Jiang Yun revved his motorcycle and sped off.
“Wow, survivors can actually gather like that,” Kiki marveled, looking at Lin Xian. “It seems some people already have equipment for testing Soul Wave Values. What do you think? Interested?”
Here’s the continuation translated:
At this moment, Lin Xian's expression calmed. Jiang Yun wasn’t wrong—he was indeed overly tense. Ever since leaving Jiang City, it had been nothing but trouble along the way, leaving little room to breathe. That was why he had instinctively rejected Jiang Yun’s invitation without much thought.
But now, after hearing what Jiang Yun said, Lin Xian realized that attending this Mutual Aid Bonfire might be essential.
“What a shame. That giant bug and spider we encountered earlier—I didn’t even think to look for one of those red beads,” Kiki said, clearly regretting it.
Lin Xian glanced at her. “You didn’t have anything about them in your data?”
Kiki pouted. “Didn’t I tell you? My report was based on early-stage initial findings. The situation changes daily. There’s a lot we know now that the authorities might not—like the strange fog we encountered in Beiwang. It wasn’t in the official reports at all.”
“That’s true.” Lin Xian nodded. “We need to figure out how to get one of those red beads. And I’m particularly interested in what Jiang Yun mentioned about Soul Wave Value testing and... information on Ability Evolution.”
Food and water weren’t Lin Xian’s primary concerns right now. The real problem was the lack of information—stumbling forward blindly was a dangerous gamble.
“Teacher Chen,” Lin Xian called out to Chen Sixuan. “Start the electric locomotive. Let’s head to Qu Guan Station and take a look. Kiki, Building, Shasha—you stay on high alert.”
“Got it,” Chen Sixuan responded with a nod, immediately heading to get things running.
“Yay!” Kiki cheered excitedly as she dashed off toward her information center.
The siblings, Building and Shasha, also grabbed their guns and assumed watchful positions.
The "Infinite Train" jolted to life in the darkness of the night, slowly beginning its journey forward.