Back at the platform, Lin Xian and the group loaded the jeep onto the train and returned to their carriage. With a deep, rumbling roar of the engine and the clatter of wheels, the train began departing from Qu Guan Station.
“I thought you’d stay there for a while longer,” Chen Sixuan remarked as she watched Lin Xian’s decisive departure.
“There’s no time to stop…” Lin Xian exhaled, staring at the dense blackness outside the window. He needed to make good use of the time to devour the captured vehicles and the massive locomotive.
Glancing at the firearms on the ground, Lin Xian’s gaze shifted curiously toward Chen Sixuan. “Are you learning how to use guns from Shasha?”
Chen Sixuan froze for a moment, then nodded nervously. “Most of the time, I’m not much help. Seeing how even Shasha, at her age, knows how to handle firearms, I thought I should learn too.”
Lin Xian nodded in agreement. In the apocalypse, learning more self-defense skills was always beneficial. Now that they had acquired a good stockpile of weapons, Chen Sixuan didn’t want to be a burden, so she had started learning about firearms from Shasha.
Although Luo Shasha wasn’t exactly an expert, the young girl was clever and precocious, far more mature than her peers. She initially learned from Luo Ye and had since grown increasingly proficient. While she wasn’t fond of handguns or rifles, she often wielded a grenade launcher. However, her VOG-25 40mm grenades were down to just a few rounds. Lin Xian had scanned the blueprint for it but lacked materials for the ammunition, especially high-energy explosives like nitrogen anion salts, which were hard to procure in the short term.
“Bad guy, hurry up and fix that radio!” Kiki urged.
Lin Xian nodded and retrieved his radio, opening his Mechanical Manufacturing interface to follow Jiang Yun’s instructions to construct a simple framework device.
The group watched in amazement, their eyes fixed on the crimson bead.
“Is this what’s left behind by the night creatures?” Luo Shasha asked, her face full of fear.
Kiki picked it up for a closer look. “It’s cool to the touch, and it feels like some kind of energy is flowing inside.”
“Be careful,” Lin Xian warned. “Since this isn’t something from humans, we must stay vigilant. The Phoenix Federation promotes its benefits, but who knows if there are side effects?”
Hearing this, Kiki stuck out her tongue and quickly placed the crystal back in Lin Xian’s palm. “Good point. You’d better focus on fixing the radio.”
Taking it back, Lin Xian inserted the eerie blood crystal into the pre-designed slot. Under everyone’s watchful eyes, he powered on the radio.
A strange energy pulse seemed to ripple through the air, sending chills down their spines.
“Zzz… Zzz… Federal… Federal Radio YB Region Bulletin: Intense Soul Wave fluctuations have been detected near the northern slopes of Mount Daluo. Survivors traveling along Routes G1523 and X556 toward Yubei and Maple City are advised to reroute. This alert is provided by the Phoenix Federation Rescue Organization…”
“Wow, it really works!” Kiki exclaimed.
“Zzz… Zzz… City Warning: Ring Star Port 1 in Yubei City has ceased operations, and large numbers of survivor convoys are blocked there. Survivors are advised not to gather in the city, as significant zombie hordes and eerie entities are present. It is extremely dangerous. Detours are recommended!”
Chen Sixuan, visibly surprised, covered her mouth. “Lin Xian, the JY3365 rail segment of the Jiangyu line passes through the northern slopes of Mount Daluo. There are several tunnels there.”
“I know.” Lin Xian nodded.
“Lin, if the Ring Star Port 1’s ascending channels are out of service, doesn’t that mean our train won’t be able to use magnetic traction to reach the high-altitude tracks?” Shasha asked anxiously.
Ring Star Orbit was a planetary-scale engineering marvel constructed by the Federal Government on Blue Planet. It wasn’t just a railway system but a colossal project encompassing sea, land, and high-altitude passages. Routes like the High-Altitude Corridor featured not only multiple tracks but also vehicle elevators to traverse short distances, such as Wanyuan Gorge and the Dazhu Mountain Range.
“Don’t worry.” Lin Xian’s eyes gleamed as he glanced at Chen Sixuan. “I’ve already considered this. What’s more concerning is the potential risks at the northern slopes of Mount Daluo.”
Shasha turned her curious gaze to Chen Sixuan, noticing her tense expression as she nodded in acknowledgment. Chen Sixuan knew exactly what Lin Xian was referring to, as the Whale 03E Heavy Gas Turbine Locomotive had been initially designed for the Ring Star Orbit.
Activating his Mechanical Heart, Lin Xian started the Whale 03E. The locomotive’s front-end turbine gradually spun up for a systems check. Once considered an audacious design for high-speed routes and challenging ocean conditions, this type of gas turbine was eventually phased out with the maturation of electromagnetic traction systems.
As the beast-like sound roared beneath their feet, Shasha and Luo Ye exchanged looks of surprise, clearly intrigued by Lin Xian’s plan.
“Bad guy, listen to this!” Kiki interrupted the chatter, tuning to the AM07 frequency Jiang Yun had mentioned—the primary channel used by the Wanderer Alliance.
A man’s urgent voice came through the radio.
“This is the Iron Fortress Convoy, warning those in Qu Guan, Yu Chi, Ping’a Lake, and the eastern mountains. We’ve spotted the Black Raven Quartet in Hengxi Village. They’ve slaughtered all survivors here. Any nearby convoys must be cautious. Confirming again: four modified off-road vehicles with green and black graffiti, spiked wheels. These four are violent marauders, and three of them are Ability Users. Proceed with extreme caution!”
“Four people, four cars, and three Ability Users?!” Shasha exclaimed, her face shocked. “What a bunch of scumbags!”
Lin Xian’s expression darkened as he looked at Kiki. “Heading to the Underground City No. 9 you mentioned won’t be easy, it seems.”
Kiki seemed to anticipate Lin Xian's reaction as she quickly brought up a map on her phone, scrolling through it before handing it to him. "Look, this section shows a detour from Yu Chi along a branch line. It goes around the southern slope of Mount Daluo via Ping’a Lake, but the map cuts off here with no further markers. Between Yu Chi Station and Yubei, there's also a large freight terminal. A branch line extends southeast from there. Can you guess why?"
Lin Xian frowned and cast an inquiring look at Chen Sixuan, seeking her insight.
"This isn’t unusual," Chen Sixuan replied thoughtfully. "Unmarked areas are typically military sites, like Beiwang’s strategic zone, or private rail lines belonging to corporations or mines. But Mount Daluo doesn’t seem to have any significant mineral resources, so maybe it’s..."
“No need to guess,” Kiki interjected confidently. “The No. 9 Underground City must be near Mount Daluo. The former Federal Government could have hollowed out the mountain for its construction. For such a massive project, rail transport would have been essential. If this is a newer line and isn’t marked—or was deliberately hidden by the Federal Government—it makes perfect sense. Plus..."
She turned to Lin Xian. “Taking the southern slope of Mount Daluo would bypass the dangerous region mentioned in the Federal Radio report. As for whether it leads to the No. 9 Underground City, with a project of that scale, even a brief investigation would confirm it.”
Lin Xian’s eyes lit up, immediately grasping Kiki's intent. Worst case scenario, if the line turned out to be a dead end, they could always turn back. The detour covered only a couple hundred kilometers. If Kiki’s hunch was right, they could both investigate the No. 9 Underground City and avoid the eerie region mentioned by the Federal Radio.
It was an excellent plan!
Lin Xian knew that once they entered the Ring Star Orbit, they would encounter various rail zones: high-altitude corridors, deserts, primal jungles, no-man’s lands, deep oceans, and Abyss regions. Simple steel tracks wouldn’t suffice for all these conditions, so upgrading the train’s propulsion and driving systems would be essential.
To achieve this, the Mechanical Heart was crucial, but Mechanical Scanning and Manufacturing was the key. Without access to advanced technological systems to scan and blueprint, Lin Xian’s capabilities would be limited to making basic firearms and household gadgets—not particularly useful.
As Kiki mentioned, systems like energy sources, high-energy weaponry, autonomous armor, and propulsion mechanisms were all things Lin Xian had never seen but was desperate to scan. The Federal Government’s No. 9 Underground City presented a prime opportunity to uncover such technologies, and Lin Xian was determined to investigate.
“I agree,” Chen Sixuan said. “But the unknown rail conditions along that section might be complicated. It’s best to travel during daylight.”
Lin Xian nodded and gradually brought the Infinite Train to a halt on an open plain.
“It’s settled then. Tonight, we’ll rest first. Chen, as per our usual arrangement, you’ll take the first half of the night shift.”
Given that the Yu Chi detour involved an uncharted route, traveling during the day to observe road conditions was the safest option. Meanwhile, Lin Xian planned to devour the last freight electric locomotive in their possession—a task that would consume a lot of time and energy. The Huanxing 7F Electric Locomotive didn’t have much reserve power, so instead of pushing forward in the dark, Lin Xian decided to eliminate this burden first, recover his strength, and start fresh at dawn on the unexplored southern slope of Mount Daluo.
After organizing everything, the group divided tasks. Those needing rest went to sleep, while Chen Sixuan and Shasha sorted the canned goods they had retrieved and placed them in order. Soon after, the train’s lights were turned off.
Lin Xian, however, went to the rear of the train, opening the hydraulic liftgate of Car 5. He approached the massive freight electric locomotive at the back, ready to devour the hundred-ton behemoth.