Chapter 52: Stopping the Train

Lin Xian took a deep breath and continued to focus on devouring the heavy TFV600 twin-barreled tank.

The night wind was bleak, and he couldn’t help but shiver.

“It’s really getting colder.”

Come on, you damn hand, devour faster!

[Devouring progress 50%]

[Devouring progress 80%]

[Devour successful. Mechanical Source +60, Mechanical Devour skill proficiency +30. Additional rewards: Strength +4, Speed +1, Defense +1!]

There was no flash of golden light as he had expected. This damaged tank didn’t yield any skills.

Of the three skills Lin Xian had obtained so far, the first two were from intact pieces of machinery. If it weren’t for getting a new skill from that wrecked mech, he would have thought that only intact equipment could grant skills.

[Current Mechanical Heart Level: LV.2 (170/1000)]

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

Strength Level: 2 [23%] (Explosive force: 200 kg class)

Speed Level: 1 [64%] (Max speed: 10m/s)

Defense Level: 1 [23%] (Tough Bones and Skin)

[Mechanical Awakening]: Not Awakened

Mechanical Devour: 2 (278/500) Increases devouring efficiency

Mechanical Manufacturing: 1 (112/300) Increases construction efficiency

Mechanical Passives: Scan/Repair/Decompose

[Special Skills]

Wind Cannon (Common) (LV 2, 6%)

Ice Shield (Common) (LV 1, 22%)

Flash Step (Rare) (LV 1, 0%)

Crash~

The huge tank instantly turned to dust in his hand. Lin Xian let out a sigh of relief.

He finally had a chance to slowly devour these big guys. He looked at the freight electric locomotive being towed at the rear. The feeling of having teammates was great; it allowed him to focus on big tasks without worry.

He estimated that devouring this big guy would probably take even longer than the generator set.

Lin Xian took a deep breath. “This thing will take at least 10 hours. I’ll go check out that mutual aid bonfire first, then come back and deal with this…”

The train moved forward slowly. Lin Xian walked from car 5 all the way to the driver’s cabin.

“Lin Xian, that person just now mentioned electrical or some kind of symbiotic ability. He didn’t seem particularly surprised that we were driving a train.” Chen Sixuan’s personality was very sharp, and she had observed some details from the other person’s attitude.

“That person is definitely an ability user too.”

Lin Xian said seriously, “Maybe we’re not the first train he’s seen. Didn’t he say that the officials and the Star Force are still carrying out some large-scale deployments? This means that some major cities might still be maintaining basic operations. Resistance and research haven’t stopped. Perhaps we’re just cut off from information because we’re close to Star Abyss No. 3.”

“Mmm!” Hearing Lin Xian’s analysis, a glimmer of hope flashed in Chen Sixuan’s eyes. “I don’t know why, but hearing that there are survivors helping each other and that the officials are still making efforts, I suddenly feel less oppressed.”

Lin Xian let out a long sigh. “What I care about is that the main railway lines are still usable…”

The main railway lines involved large-scale material and military transport. Unless they were specifically targeted for destruction, they should be a top priority for protection.

Lin Xian had also considered the issue of the tracks. As long as it wasn’t a particularly major break in the rails, he could carry rail steel and use his mechanical ability to forge and weld them. He could also have KIKI use her ability to lay them. As long as he further developed his mechanical ability, simple track problems shouldn’t be too much trouble.

The night was deep and the surroundings were silent. The Infinity slowly pulled into a small station where multiple tracks converged. The five people on board raised their guard. Just as they stopped, they saw a young man’s head pop out from behind a platform pillar not far away, waving at them.

“Are you here for the bonfire trade?” the young man asked warily.

Lin Xian frowned slightly. He opened the driver’s cabin door. “You were waiting for us?”

The young man nodded. “I’m from the Wind Chaser team. Brother Yun told me to wait here. He said if a train came, I should ask if you’re here for the bonfire. If you are, I can take you there.”

“We’re going. Wait a moment,” Lin Xian nodded in response.

With that, he closed the driver’s cabin door.

“How many of us are going?” Chen Sixuan asked.

Lin Xian walked towards the rear cars. “First, let’s load some supplies onto the vehicle. KIKI and Dalou will come with me. Teacher Chen, you and Shasha will guard the train. Contact me on the walkie-talkie if anything happens.”

“Okay, you guys be careful.”

The group went to the rear trailer. Lin Xian loaded some supplies and weapons onto the jeep, unhooked the chains, and had Dalou drive it up onto the platform.

Both Dalou and KIKI’s abilities were very strong. It was his first time attending this kind of survivor gathering, and he was a little uneasy, so he decided to bring them along for show of force. Shasha and Chen Sixuan would guard the train. Now that they had weapons, their safety was also somewhat guaranteed.

The young man stared in astonishment at the fully armed heavy train, his eyes almost popping out of their sockets. Now, seeing them drive a jeep down, he quickly pushed a small mountain bike out from behind the platform.

“Follow me, and try to be as quiet as possible. There are a lot of zombies in the city. We’re all stationed at an abandoned factory in the suburbs, about ten kilometers away.”

Lin Xian nodded and said to the young man, “Let’s go.”

Vroom~

The motorcycle’s headlight lit up, leading the way.

Dalou drove the jeep with Lin Xian and KIKI, following behind.

“I estimate there will be more than one or two ability users at this kind of gathering. If anything happens, follow my lead.”

Dalou nodded without a word.

KIKI said with a grin, “The fact that they can gather together means those teams all have those red beads to modify their radios. They’re not simple people. We need to get some of these little beads too. Maybe besides radios, we can even connect to satellites.”

Lin Xian took a deep breath.

“That thing sounds like it has some kind of energy resonance with the dark tide. This also means the dark tide has indeed caused a lot of information-blocking interference for us. But this thing has to be taken from those monsters, so its value is definitely not low.”

“Mmm,” KIKI nodded. “Anyway, let’s take a look first. If worst comes to worst, we’ll just kill one of those bugs again!”

Lin Xian: …

The vehicle snaked along a small road, not entering the city, but speeding through a forest. Soon, the view opened up, and the dark silhouette of an abandoned factory appeared in their line of sight.

Around the factory, more than a dozen teams of various sizes were stationed, with a total of over a hundred vehicles.

The lights inside the vehicles flickered like stars, and figures moved about, each group keeping to themselves. These teams were all gathered in their own areas, and some even had people standing guard on their vehicles with guns.

In the distance, Quguan City was shrouded in a dark shadow, completely lifeless.

Lin Xian’s gaze swept over the remaining license plates on some of the survivor vehicles, and he noticed that most of them were not from the same place.

At this moment, their vehicle approaching from a distance also attracted the attention of many people, and gazes were cast over from all directions.

What Lin Xian found strange was that all these teams were parked far away, not too close to the abandoned factory. Inside the factory, a faint firelight flickered. It seemed to be the bonfire Jiang Yun had mentioned earlier.

“Let’s stop here.”

The young man in front stopped his bike and pointed to an empty space nearby. “None of the teams drive over there. Usually, it’s the captains, bosses, or someone like that who goes inside to talk. And don’t bring weapons, but you’d better leave someone to guard your vehicle.”

“Yo, they’re quite organized.”

KIKI looked surprised. “Why does it feel like a gang transaction?”

The young man gave an awkward smile. “Everyone’s from all over the place and doesn’t know each other well. If you want to sit down and talk amicably, you can’t bring weapons. Otherwise, wouldn’t we be just like those apocalyptic thugs?”

Lin Xian’s gaze hardened. “Dalou, you guard the car. KIKI and I will go.”

“Okay, Brother Xian,” Dalou nodded.

Then, Lin Xian and KIKI got out of the car and followed the young man inside.

“Actually, for ability users, it doesn’t matter whether they bring weapons or not,” the young man chattered on as they walked. “It’s just a gesture of friendliness.”

He pointed to the vehicles in the distance.

“You see, many of the vehicles are either painted red or orange, or they have corresponding flags. This was originally a method used by maritime navigation to pass through pirate areas, meaning they are under protection or have the ability to counterattack with force. Now, many teams see this as a symbol of neutrality, indicating that they are not thugs, to avoid friendly fire.”