Chapter 7: I’m Not a Kidnapper

Clang, clang.

This was the first time the sound of a locomotive on the tracks had been heard in Jiang City since the polar night.

The commotion from this behemoth naturally attracted the curiosity of some survivors who had been planning to hide in their homes along the railway line. A few gazes were cast from the distance, all looking in astonishment at this massive, moving locomotive.

Chen Sixuan wolfed down the bread and then drank more than half a bottle of water. Only then did she feel like she had returned from the brink of death, her body no longer feeling cold.

She was quiet for a while, feeling the train slowly moving forward, a sense of desolate relief after a disaster washing over her.

Coming back to her senses, Chen Sixuan began to survey the steel carriage that gave her such a strong sense of security. The windows were welded shut with thick steel plates, leaving only small grille holes through which she could see the scenery receding outside.

All the seats in the original passenger carriage had been removed, and it had been arranged into a living area. There were sleeping mats and a tent on the floor. Most of the space was empty and used to store supplies. In addition, there was a toilet from the original passenger carriage.

Although it was slightly crowded and messy, it gave a sense of being fully equipped, comfortable, and safe.

Chen Sixuan looked back and found that carriage 2 was empty, with some unknown supplies placed in waterproof bags. At this moment, her small mouth suddenly opened, her face showing astonishment.

Because she saw a girl with her hands and feet tied up lying in a corner of carriage 2, her eyes closed, her life or death unknown.

Chen Sixuan was so scared she quickly covered her mouth. She didn’t know what was going on, thinking, could this be a woman Lin Xian had kidnapped?

But she couldn’t figure out what value there was in kidnapping a little girl in this environment.

Could it be…

Chen Sixuan’s mind was racing with wild thoughts, but she didn’t know that Lin Xian had already walked into the carriage.

“Professor Chen.”

“Ah!” Chen Sixuan, who was lost in thought, was suddenly startled by the voice. She turned her head in alarm, only to see Lin Xian say with a calm expression, “Feeling better?”

“She… who is she?” Chen Sixuan asked Lin Xian tentatively, her heart filled with suspicion.

Lin Xian’s gaze turned to carriage 2. “I don’t know who she is either. She suddenly appeared outside my door and asked me to save her, but she’s been unconscious ever since. For safety’s sake, I had to tie her hands and feet first.”

Hearing this, Chen Sixuan let out a long sigh of relief and couldn’t help but laugh at herself.

She was the one who had begged to get on Lin Xian’s train. No matter what her fate was in the end, it was her own choice. What was there to worry about…

“So, are we preparing to leave the city now?”

“Not for now.”

Lin Xian said, “I still have some essential supplies to prepare. I also need to test the locomotive’s performance. There are still four days until the polar night, so we should have enough time.”

Chen Sixuan looked at Lin Xian and said with courage in her eyes, “Then what do you need me to do to help?”

Since they were going to be in the same boat from now on, Chen Sixuan felt that she had to show her value, not just be a pretty face.

“I do.”

Lin Xian took out a logbook from the cockpit and tossed it to her, saying in a deep voice, “I’ll be responsible for driving. You’ll be responsible for recording the daily route, mileage, stations, and vehicle condition. Because we don’t know the pattern and coverage of the Dark Tide yet, we need to calculate the daily changes in sunrise time during our escape. This is very important. If we go in the wrong direction, we may never escape the polar night.”

Hearing this, Chen Sixuan nodded solemnly. “Okay, I understand. I can do that!”

“Also…” Lin Xian’s gaze swept across the carriage. “For now, it’s just the two of us, so I need you to help me count and manage the supplies, and also keep an eye on that girl for me.”

Chen Sixuan looked back at the sleeping girl and said with some surprise, “You don’t need me to get off the train with you to find supplies?”

The implication was, are you that confident leaving me alone on the train?

Lin Xian smiled faintly.

“Didn’t I say, for now, it’s just the two of us. If we both get off, who will guard the train?”

Lin Xian understood the meaning behind Chen Sixuan’s words, but he didn’t point it out.

Because there was no fuel in the locomotive’s tank at all. Even the most experienced old driver couldn’t drive it away. And Lin Xian wasn’t worried about someone locking him outside. He was very confident about this point. Not pointing it out was also a way of testing her.

In the apocalypse, even the once seemingly beautiful and kind-hearted Professor Chen, he couldn’t completely trust.

But in the beginning, he still had to show some trust on the surface.

“I understand.” Chen Sixuan didn’t expect Lin Xian to trust her so much. She felt a strange sense of being moved, which suddenly gave her the feeling of a man working outside while the woman managed the home. The thought that the other person was her student immediately gave rise to a flirtatious feeling in her heart.

Clang, clang.

The “Infinity” was traveling at a very low speed on Jiang City’s light rail. Lin Xian followed the map’s plan, preparing to advance along Line 3, while also paying close attention to the situation on the road.

[Devour successful. Mechanical Source +1. Mechanical Devour skill proficiency +1. Bonus reward: Your Defense has increased by 1.]

[Current Mechanical Heart Level: LV.1 177/500]

[Tip: Upgrading the Mechanical Heart can grant special skill rewards. Reaching LV3, LV6, and LV9 will grant a mysterious awakening.]

[Base Attributes]

[Strength: LV1 22/50]

[Speed: LV0 28/30]

[Defense: LV0 16/30]

[Current Base Skills]

[Mechanical Devour LV.1 266/300]

[Mechanical Crafting LV.1 112/300]

[Mechanical Scan (Passive)]

[Mechanical Repair (Passive)]

[Mechanical Operation (Passive)]

[Special Skills]

[Air Cannon LV.1 3/100]

In the cockpit, Lin Xian began to devour the small appliances he had brought from Chen Sixuan’s house one by one. As he was about to embark on his journey, he had to stay focused at all times and seize every opportunity to improve his strength.

[Devour successful. Mechanical Source +1. Mechanical Devour skill proficiency +1.]

[Devour successful. Mechanical Source +2. Mechanical Devour skill proficiency +1.]

[Current Mechanical Heart Level: LV.1 180/500]

[Mechanical Devour LV.1 268/300]

“It’s still too slow…”

Watching the pink bear-shaped blender in his hand turn into a pile of ash, Lin Xian sighed inwardly. If he had enough time to devour cars or even trains, he might be able to gain tens or even hundreds of Mechanical Source points at once.

And with the experience of the hairdryer before, he was even more expectant of whether he could obtain other special skills from devouring.

This was simply too overpowered.

His Mechanical Heart system could not only operate machinery and drive the train, but it could also directly create machinery, which was equivalent to a creation mode. In the apocalyptic environment where the entire human industrial system had collapsed, this was simply invincible.

The most crucial thing was that this skill could also help him increase his stats and obtain other skills.

Compared to other abilities, its plasticity seemed to be much stronger.