Chapter 124: External Artillery Platform (Bonus Chapter for 2,000 Monthly Votes!)

The snowstorm ceased; the "Infinite" train rested on the snowfield, its forward tracks buried deep under snow.

Chen Sixuan, Kiki, Shasha, and the others all felt they had slept a restful, satisfying sleep; after they woke, Lin Xian also went to sleep for a while, waiting for the progress on the water purifier blueprint.

"Have you noticed that feeling of unease is gone?"

After waking, Chen Sixuan went to check the No. 3 carriage and saw that Zhao Yan and the other two were already fast asleep; she then asked Shasha to take over and watch the rear carriages.

Kiki stretched out in front of her computer: "You know what? It really is."

Chen Sixuan opened the blackout panel and gazed at the endless dark snowfield beyond, then said: "Based on the distance we’ve traveled, daylight should arrive around 16:00 today. Kiki, check if you can pick up any messages from Yubei City."

Kiki nodded, picked up the radio, and began scanning for signals.

"Federation Phoenix Society Daily Survival Radio: According to statistics from the Star Abyss Monitoring Department, currently safe zones include the area from Hengshan Pass in Jiazhou City, Tianhai Province, Asia-Pacific Zone, eastward to the Wei River, Longjiang River, Jinhai, and Xingcheng—designated as Remote Zones 3 and 4; from Fengcheng westward through the Gobi Desert, Takhan Desert, and Palma Grassland southeastward to the Jin River, Yun’an Ridge, and Tianji—designated as Remote Zones 5 and 7 of Star Abyss; Blue Oceania... North America... All surviving evacuees may choose the nearest direction; secondary cities not yet in polar night have Phoenix Society rescue stations."

"Static... Emergency survival tip #53:..."

"Static... The importance of water is self-evident. Today we welcome Professor Qi, a microbiology expert, to explain the current hazards black rain poses to surface freshwater..."

"Static... To further enhance human resistance to strange entities, the Federation Phoenix Society is recruiting all psychics to join the [Nightwalkers] organization."

"Static... Federation Radio YB Zone Bulletin: Yubei City has experienced a full-city zombie surge; multiple sightings of strange entities reported tonight; Yubei Airport No. 1 is fighting desperately..."

"..."

"Tsk... " Kiki kept adjusting the broadcast frequency, frowning: "Yubei City’s situation is troublesome. If the Ascension Corridor shuts down, everyone who went in won’t be able to get out."

Chen Sixuan replied: "Shutting down isn’t our biggest problem. As long as the aerial corridor hasn’t collapsed and the ascent path isn’t blocked, we can still ascend. The real issue is we don’t know what we’ll actually face inside the city."

"We’ll take it one step at a time."

Kiki launched her drone again to re-survey the surroundings.

It was around 10:00 a.m.; Lin Xian had slept several hours and now felt his energy significantly restored.

Whether because of the heterogenous cube or not, this sleep felt as restorative as twelve hours, and with his Strength and Defense stats upgraded, his physical condition had improved dramatically—he felt utterly renewed.

"You’re awake?"

Chen Sixuan was heating soup; with the nuclear-powered locomotive supplying power, all onboard equipment could be used freely, so the electric stove and oven Shasha had collected from Yuchicheng were now operational. If not for the lack of fresh vegetables, Lin Xian had no doubt Chen Sixuan would be preparing a full stir-fry.

"How’s it going?" Lin Xian asked.

"Dr. Zhao and Dr. Xu are still asleep, but Director Ding woke up early and has been working nonstop in Carriage 3. I don’t know what she’s doing."

"I’ll go take a look. I’ll also install the armor on the new carriage. We’ll depart once it’s light," Lin Xian said.

He glanced at the R&D Center—the blueprint upgrade still had over twenty minutes remaining. He smiled inwardly, wasted no time, and headed straight for the rear carriage. In Carriage 2, Kiki had pulled up the Cole Carriage schematics and said to Lin Xian:

"See? I told you there were ready-made designs. This carriage has a complete air circulation system. If we link it to all other carriages, once you get the water purifier running, you’ll have your water-oxygen cycle sorted."

Lin Xian watched, delighted: "Once I finish the rear armor, I’ll install the water purifier."

"By the way, Carriage 7 is now connected to the nuclear locomotive. Should we add more doors for easier boarding and exiting?" On Kiki’s screen, a schematic of the entire train appeared; she pointed to the front and rear: "The front and rear driver cabins have doors—easy enough to enter and exit. But if we need to move cargo, it’ll be troublesome."

"I know." Lin Xian nodded. "I plan to cut a side door in Carriage 7. I’m also considering adding skylights to Carriage 6 and Carriage 1—maybe install a lift..."

"A lift?" Kiki gave him a strange look. "You planning to launch yourself into the sky?!"

"No..."

Lin Xian sighed in exasperation: "I’m planning to mount weapon systems on the roof—cannons or machine guns—but ideally, they should be retractable. Otherwise, they’ll get damaged easily in a fight."

"Whoa!"

Kiki’s eyes lit up. "Like those aerial gunship turrets? So cool! Why not put one on Carriage 2 too? I’ll man it—I’ll wipe them all out."

"Gunship turret?"

Popping, Kiki pulled up an image on her computer and showed it to Lin Xian: "See? Like this. But the cabin needs high-grade ballistic armor—otherwise it’s just stupid..."

!

Lin Xian stared, stunned: "Wait—that’s an electromagnetic cannon! I meant..."

"Ohhh~" Kiki waved her hand, cutting him off. "You’ve got to dream big! Of course I know what you meant—it’s just a gun platform. Our train will upgrade step by step. We’ll definitely use these advanced weapons later. Don’t worry."

"Fine. I’ll design a dedicated mech gun platform for you later," Lin Xian said, half-laughing, half-exasperated. How was it that this girl was more obsessed with high-end gear than he, the mechanical adept?

Then again—he now had an R&D Center. His ambitions should be higher. Maybe the Infinite’s onboard weapons won’t even use bullets anymore. With the nuclear-powered carriage, he’d have all the power he needed.

Arriving at Carriage 3, Ding Junyi was busy at her workstation with a laptop. The Hell Black Chrysanthemum cultivation chamber sat beside her. Seeing Lin Xian enter, she said:

"Are we departing?"

Lin Xian spoke up: "Are you studying this thing?"

Ding Junyi replied calmly: "I’m merely continuing my previous research. This carriage has nearly all the equipment needed. If you want these records or wish to prohibit me from using your property, notify me. Before you explicitly agreed to let me board, I remain your rescued prisoner."

"Rescued prisoner?" Lin Xian chuckled. "If you were truly rescued prisoners, I’d have locked you all in cages last night."

Ding Junyi turned her head, her gaze level and calm.

"Thank you for your kindness."

"Don’t thank me yet," Lin Xian said gravely. "Yubei City’s situation is worse than expected. When we get there, I may not have the energy to help you."

New book launch, first time reaching 2,000 monthly votes—thank you all for your support! Today’s bonus chapter—still seeking monthly votes and subscriptions!

(End of Chapter)