Chapter 123: Weird Barrier! (Bonus Chapter for 2,000 Monthly Votes!)

Beep-beep-beep!

A blue light flared from the palm of his left hand, then a material analysis progress bar appeared: 30%, 60%, 100%.

【Analysis successful: High-energy solid propellant (1)】

【Please select material for conversion】

Lin Xian selected the lowest-grade Level 1 steel.

【Preparation Factory: Converting Level 1 steel into High-energy solid propellant (1)】

【Preparation efficiency: Consumes 50kg of Level 1 steel per hour to produce 2kg of High-energy solid propellant (1)】

“It really works!”

Lin Xian stared at the screen, astonishment flashing in his eyes—if he could manufacture solid propellant, the vehicle could be armed with massive quantities of firearms!

Even manufacturing artillery shells wasn’t out of the question!

“2kg—according to the M556 light machine guns used in the building, each round uses 7.62×51mm rifle bullets, each containing 2.77g of propellant, so this much propellant can make 722 rounds—now I’m well supplied…”

“But if it’s the 30mm tungsten-core armor-piercing rounds used by the 1130, each requiring at least 18–20g of propellant, I’d only get about 100 rounds—just 2,400 rounds per day. And that’s only the propellant; it doesn’t count the tungsten cores, steel casings, or manufacturing time. Altogether, daily output would barely last fifteen seconds.”

Lin Xian nodded silently. Fifteen seconds sounded short—but think about it: could the previous white behemoth, the red centipede, or the human skeleton from the underground city withstand even that long?

If he could build this weapon, he wouldn’t need the whole team to fight desperately—C- or B-rank weird entities, as Ding Junyi described them, would be no match.

“From now on, important metal materials will become critically scarce.”

Without hesitation, Lin Xian immediately began testing the functions of the 【R&D Center】 and the 【Preparation Factory】. With experience, he’d now handle them more smoothly.

The Preparation Factory converted materials every hour, steadily reducing the steel in his decomposition space while increasing the stock of High-energy solid propellant.

It was just like the construction games he’d played before—now that he had manufacturing and R&D, the scope of what his Mechanical Heart could accomplish expanded dramatically.

Click-click-click~

Soon, dozens of 7.62×51mm machine gun rounds were manufactured, clattering to the floor. Lin Xian eagerly scooped them up, feeling the residual warmth on the casings, secretly delighted.

“If I keep this up, I can turn myself into a weapons factory—making guns, making ammo, supplying power. As long as I have materials, I’m basically a perpetual Gatling gun!!”

“Supreme Mechanical Engineer—perfect, perfect!”

“Next step: gather and convert materials—first, build the onboard 1130 close-in defense cannon. With this firepower, I won’t have to fear bugs chasing the vehicle anymore.”

“Then, equip full-body armor with self-loading ammo—I’ll truly become Iron Man.”

“Hss…”

Lin Xian sucked in a sharp breath—he suddenly wondered: if he fed military exoskeletons and the 1130 close-in cannon into the R&D Center for upgrades, what would they become?

Thinking of it, he rubbed his hands together, glancing at the R&D Center. The water purifier blueprint would be upgraded in just a few hours—then he could test the true power of this awakening ability.

“So next…”

Lin Xian felt exhausted. Though his stamina had improved after awakening, the simultaneous operation of the R&D Center and Preparation Factory continuously drained him. Fortunately, with the nuclear-powered vehicle now available, he no longer had to serve as a human battery—he could finally breathe easier.

“Rest first, then finish the external armor for the vehicle and experimental carriage…”

Lin Xian entered Carriage No. 1, eager to rest—but suddenly remembered something.

“Oh! That weird radio!”

He’d nearly forgotten it. Keeping this forbidden object on the vehicle made him uneasy—he hadn’t absorbed much of it yet. Last time, when he tried, the Mechanical Heart detected non-mechanical energy and triggered a self-protection protocol, isolating the radio in an altered structure. Now that the Mechanical Heart had upgraded to Level 3, it was time to absorb it.

Lin Xian pulled a metal box from the storage rack—he’d specially built it for the weird radio. For safety, he’d used nearly every material he had, layering it threefold inside and out, except for the tungsten-titanium alloy Type I.

He immediately decomposed the metal box, and the radio—now transformed into a Rubik’s cube by the Mechanical Heart—fell into his hand.

【Mechanical Absorption!】

Without hesitation, Lin Xian began absorbing it. Such a small object couldn’t survive three minutes in his grasp. 【Non-mechanical energy detected. Activate R&D Center scan?】

Huh?

Lin Xian frowned. What now?

Is this thing really that hard to handle…?

【Activate!】

Hum!

A pale blue light slowly scanned the radio, moving at an agonizing pace. Simultaneously, Lin Xian felt a black hole-like force devouring his stamina—his spine went numb!

“A radio taking this long to scan?!!!”

【Scan completion: 10%】

【Scan completion: 25%】

【Scan completion: 80%】

Lin Xian could barely hold on—he slumped onto the sofa, the blue scan light still crawling across the radio.

This thing… is stronger than the spider spirit!

Finally!

【Scan complete!】

!

【Mechanical Heart analysis result: Weird Object No. 01, Name: Unnamed】

【Trait: Capable of broadcasting fear and dark-side energy. Mechanical Heart has altered its frequency; activating this device via frequency modulation enables detection and reflection of fear and dark-side energy within a fixed space, while shielding external areas from such energy.】

“Wh…what?”

Lin Xian stared at the screen, his brow tightening.

“Shield fear and dark-side energy? Could this ‘dark-side energy’ mean the Night Contagion?”

In the carriage, Lin Xian sat motionless on the sofa, staring at the altered Rubik’s cube radio. After a long while, he snapped back to awareness.

“I didn’t expect my Mechanical Heart could actually contain a forbidden object? So… I can use this altered radio to create a barrier around the ‘Infinity’?”

“Who cares—let’s test it.”

Lin Xian took a deep breath, picked up the altered radio, and activated his Mechanical Heart.

【Ding! Non-mechanical energy being used for reflection detection.】

【Detection successful. No fear risk detected inside the train. Dark-side energy intrusion has been blocked.】

Shhh!

Instantly, an invisible force enveloped the entire train. Everyone suddenly felt a chilling dread vanish from their hearts—the oppressive weight of night lifted completely!

Chen Sixuan, sleeping on the bed, slowly relaxed her furrowed brows. Even Lin Xian felt a deep calm settle within him.

“360 miracle!!”

Lin Xian realized instantly—the altered Rubik’s cube could block the fear attacks from Radio 1542 and the invisible corruption demons alike, keeping them outside the train!

“Damn, this is a magical force field!”

Lin Xian exhaled slowly, thanking his Mechanical Heart.

If this logic held, then forbidden objects—especially those tied to machinery—could become prime targets for his Mechanical Heart to absorb!

New book launch, first time hitting 2,000 monthly votes—thank you all for your support! Extra chapter added today—still seeking monthly votes and subscriptions!

(End of chapter)