Chapter 57: Jiang Yun

“It’s really fixed?!” Xu Jin looked on, quickly using a prepared cup to catch the precious clean water. He then brought it to his nose and sniffed, his eyes instantly lighting up.

“Clean and clear, no strange smell. It really works!”

“Of course.” Shu Qin said excitedly. “We’ve been using this water purifier all along. If you boil it before drinking, there will be absolutely no problem.”

“Good, good, good!”

Xu Jin nodded and immediately took out his walkie-talkie, calling his team members over to start the trade.

“Thank you.”

Shu Qin, very gratefully, brought over a large box of canned food and handed it to Lin Xian. “You’ve helped me out a lot.”

Lin Xian took it directly and said, “It was nothing. I heard you’re also heading to Yubei City?”

“Yes,” Shu Qin nodded. “Yubei City is a port city for the Circumstellar Railway. I heard the Dazhu Mountain Tunnel is blocked, so many people here are planning to pass through there and then head towards Xingcheng.”

Xingcheng?

Lin Xian fell silent for a moment. As expected, most people’s choice was to first flee to one of the Dragon Country’s major cities. Regardless of whether those cities had fallen, at least in such cities, the supplies and resources were incomparable to those in small cities.

At this moment, several other people who needed equipment repairs also came over. Seeing that Lin Xian had fixed Shu Qin’s water purifier, they also asked for help.

However, Lin Xian didn’t fix everything for them. He only repaired an infrared detector for a large convoy and scanned its blueprint.

He planned to use this to integrate into the train’s night sentry system. At the same time, he also traded for a box of antibiotics.

What Shu Qin and Xu Jin said earlier had reminded him that medicine was also a very important thing during the escape.

As for the car and drone repairs for the other two teams, Lin Xian said he was powerless.

For one, the car repair involved a broken steering rod and a blown engine. He couldn’t possibly weld the steering rod back together in front of everyone with just a screwdriver…

And the drone was just an ordinary model, not as good as the one on Qian Yu’s armored vehicle. Lin Xian intentionally hid his skills, shaking his head and refusing after inspecting it.

Knowing mechanics was one thing, but it wasn’t good to know too much. He had just fixed a water purifier, and if he then fixed a truck’s steering rod and a drone, the next day he’d be expected to repair a solid-fuel rocket engine.

It was always good to leave some room for doubt. In this survivor camp, it was enough for Lin Xian to show a certain degree of goodwill.

“Train Master Lin.”

Just as everyone was preparing to return to their camps and travel by night, Lin Xian and KIKI were also about to leave. At this moment, Jiang Yun walked towards Lin Xian with a smile. At the same time, one of his subordinates ran in from outside, holding two strange devices.

“Brother Yun.”

“Let them have a look,” Jiang Yun said casually.

The subordinate then stepped forward and handed the devices to Lin Xian.

One was a modified radio.

The other was a watch-like gadget.

“This is the Ethereal Fluctuation detector, and here are the blueprints.”

Lin Xian took it and saw that it was a hemispherical device made of copper skin, about the size of his palm, with thin iron wires wrapped around it. There was a filter at the bottom, and it needed to be connected to a power bank.

“This thing is actually handmade. It feels quite difficult to make.”

“There are blueprints. Let me take a picture.” KIKI took out her phone and came forward, taking a picture of the detector’s blueprint.

Lin Xian didn’t stop her. In fact, he had only held it in his hand to study it for a moment, and with his Mechanical Heart ability activated, the scan was completed almost instantly.

But he still had to go through the motions.

[Blueprint for Unknown Signal Detector obtained, code N01.]

He glanced at it. The difficulty wasn’t high. The biggest problem was the filter, but as long as he had the chance to devour some home appliances and collect the materials, it would be easy to make.

Another problem was that this detector required the use of that red bead.

Jiang Yun told him that using this detector consumed power, which meant that the energy contained in the red bead itself was limited and could not be used for a long time. It was a consumable.

Jiang Yun’s expression changed when he saw KIKI take out her phone. Combined with the fact that Lin Xian and his group could drive a huge train, he seemed to have guessed something, but he didn’t say anything. Instead, he said, “When the city’s industrial system was complete, such a device was worthless. But now, all survivors are living on the edge, and they might not even be able to drink clean water. It’s already very rare to be able to make something like this.”

Lin Xian nodded and returned the detector to Jiang Yun.

“Thank you. I’ll study it when I get back.”

Jiang Yun nodded. “Good luck.”

Lin Xian looked at him and asked directly, “Captain Jiang, you initiated tonight’s mutual aid bonfire. How come I didn’t see you having any particularly urgent needs?”

“Are you also wondering why I personally came to invite you?” Jiang Yun seemed to see through Lin Xian’s doubt and asked back with a smile.

Lin Xian was stunned and remained silent with a wry smile.

Hoo~

At this moment, another gust of cold wind blew.

Jiang Yun stood in front of Lin Xian, suddenly reached out and grabbed. The cold wind gathered, like a surging current, and instantly formed a huge ball of air in his hand. Then he clapped his hands, and the powerful airflow actually disappeared.

“Wow!”

KIKI exclaimed, “You can catch the wind?”

“This ability has one advantage: you can run fast and go to many places.” Jiang Yun looked at KIKI, then at Lin Xian’s slightly solemn eyes, seemingly not intending to hide it. He said frankly, “I can understand your feelings very well. Leading a train full of people on a life-and-death journey, being wary and cautious of everything, is a good thing. It’s not easy to survive in the apocalypse.”

“You ask me what the purpose of initiating the mutual aid bonfire is. It’s actually very simple.”

“Rationally speaking, first of all, I really like trains. If my ability wasn’t Wind Walk, I would really want to build a mobile fortress like you. So no matter what kind of ability you have, to be able to break out of the dark night with such means, I admire your courage and strength.”

“From an emotional point of view, in this apocalypse where life and death are uncertain and everyone is in danger, having one more friend is always better than having one more enemy,” Jiang Yun said frankly.

Lin Xian was surprised. “Just to get to know more survivors?”

“That’s right. Living between life and death every day, useful information and assistance can often save you from a life-or-death situation.” Jiang Yun said bluntly, “This is perhaps what distinguishes us humans from those ghostly things.”

Jiang Yun turned around, pulled his young subordinate over, and ruffled his hair. “These guys who have followed me all the way, they’re not always lucky enough to survive. Along the way, we’ve also received a lot of help.”

“That’s right! Everyone helps each other to get through the tough times!” The subordinate looked to be only seventeen or eighteen, his eyes full of positivity.

Hearing this, Lin Xian’s brow relaxed. Jiang Yun’s words had touched him.

“Thank you. If I can attend another bonfire you initiate in the future, I will definitely come.”

Jiang Yun smiled and spread his hands. “You see, haven’t I achieved my goal?”

With that, his gaze swept over them, and he turned and left with a wave of his hand.

“Good luck.”

…

Obtaining the blueprint for the Ethereal Fluctuation detector, a single Anomaly Blood Crystal, and at the same time, a lot of useful information, this trip was a fruitful one for Lin Xian and his group.

Just as he was about to leave, Jiang Yun’s subordinate on the mountain bike suddenly rode up to his car window.

“Hey, Brother Yun told me to remind you, when using the dark radio, don’t tune the frequency to 1542!”

Hearing this, Lin Xian’s expression turned stern. “Is that the anomaly radio you were talking about?”

“That’s right. Be careful.”

After speaking, the young man rode away again.

“1542…” KIKI, sitting in the back seat, looked puzzled. “A radio station, could it really make monsters appear?”

“Listen to advice and you’ll eat your fill.” Lin Xian signaled Dalou to drive and said at the same time, “There’s no need to be curious about this kind of thing.”

“I’m not curious at all. I’m afraid of ghosts…”

KIKI shivered. “Now that he’s said that, I don’t even dare to use the radio anymore.”

“Let’s go back first.”

Lin Xian thought for a moment. They would continue on their way when they got back. He would first devour what needed to be devoured under the cover of darkness, and then find a way to get some materials to build that Ethereal Fluctuation detector.

Moreover, he only had one Anomaly Blood Crystal now. The primary goal was definitely to get the radio connected first. Otherwise, he might miss a lot of useful information.

Vroom~ Vroom~ Vroom~

In the open space around the abandoned factory, over a hundred vehicles started their engines one after another and began to leave. Some went their separate ways at various intersections, while others, worried about the danger, followed in several convoys, quickly disappearing into the darkness.

The sound disturbed some of the zombies in the suburban woods, and many howling sounds began to ring out in the dark night.

Jiang Yun’s car was a modified large-wheeled off-road vehicle, with the motorcycle mounted on the back.

In the driver’s seat, Jiang Yun looked at the taillights of the jeep Lin Xian was in as it drove away, and said faintly, “It seems they, like us, want to enter the Circumstellar Passage from Yubei and cross the high-altitude corridor of Wanyuan Gorge.”

Ren Huiyan, dressed in leather, was sitting in the passenger seat and said, “The ascent passage has long lost power. Survivors’ cars can’t get up without traction, let alone such a heavy train.”

Jiang Yun chuckled.

“Heh, there’s a major anomaly in Ping’a Lake, and the Dazhu Mountain range tunnel is blocked. To cross Wanyuan Gorge, you have to detour and climb over a thousand kilometers of Dazhu Mountain. Now with the polar night pressing in and Corpse Drivers blocking the way back, I estimate there are quite a few people in Yubei City who want to take the Circumstellar No. 1 high-altitude corridor. And I think that Train Master Lin definitely has a way to get up there.”

“You’re that certain?” Ren Huiyan asked.

Jiang Yun put on his sunglasses, the corner of his mouth lifting in a confident smirk.

“Five people driving three locomotives, charging through the night. Absolutely ruthless. Not bad, I have high hopes for this person!”

Then he stepped on the gas, the engine roared, and he sped away with style.