Chapter 221: Team Exploration (Revised)

Who is that person?

After the armored vehicle left, Kiki walked over to Lin Xian and asked curiously.

Lin Xian narrowed his eyes slightly and said in a low voice: "It's an organization called the Siid Foundation—it seems to be the backer of that 'Special Items Research Division' from the data you gave me earlier."

"Huh?" Kiki frowned: "Are they from the Federation?"

Lin Xian shook his head: "According to her, they're a neutral organization. They probably noticed us when we were climbing the elevator."

"They noticed your mechanical ability, didn't they?" Kiki glanced at Lin Xian, blinking her eyes—she immediately understood.

"So she's extending an olive branch? Trying to recruit you?"

"Recruit…" Lin Xian laughed outright: "Are we bandits, that they'd try to recruit us?"

"By the way," Lin Xian asked, "do you know of any large laboratories or military bases near Shijiu Lake?"

Kiki frowned at the question: "Based on the data I got before, I don't think there are any military bases. If they're newly built or top-secret, I wouldn't know. As for large laboratories—I've never heard of any. Such institutions should show up on civilian maps, right?"

"Not necessarily."

Click-click~

Lin Xian crushed and swallowed a tiny metal bracket in his left hand; the bracket extended several meters from the ground like a makeshift metal arm.

"Huh? What did you just do?" Kiki noticed the small motion and asked immediately.

"Nothing much," Lin Xian's eyes narrowed slightly. "Just installed a communicator on that vehicle."

Kiki's eyes widened: "You want to use it as a signal tracker to follow them? But this thing loses signal at a distance, and with the Dark Tides, tracking is impossible."

"Simple tools have simple uses. Who said I wanted to track them?"

Lin Xian turned to face Kiki: "You just need to confirm which direction the vehicle left the city. Better to be prepared than caught off guard—maybe they'll track us later, and we'll spot them first."

Although Xiaoxiao had claimed they were neutral, Lin Xian knew every faction had its own interests—he'd rather be cautious and keep his guard up.

Still, if he wanted to cooperate, why not choose the Phoenix Society? Nightfall is coming; a private foundation lab like this can't even guarantee its own safety, let alone anything else.

"Oh, you~" Kiki scrutinized Lin Xian with a sharp gaze: "I feel like you've gotten sneakier lately—like a sly old fox."

Lin Xian frowned at her and snorted: "Isn't this what I learned from you? In the apocalypse, everyone needs to watch their back."

Kiki shot him an annoyed look: "Hmph, now you're blaming others? Typical man."

…

Back on the train, Chen Sixuan had finished counting the supplies traded in Car 7. Seeing Lin Xian enter, she smiled happily.

"Lin Xian, we got a lot of supplies this time. I did a quick calculation—even if our thirty-plus people eat three meals a day, it'll last a month."

The weapons in Car 5 had been almost entirely emptied, replaced with many useful items. Chen Sixuan exhaled in relief: "If not for the Fulu Shou convoy, this went smoother than expected."

"Hey, Sister Chen," Kiki beamed as she walked over: "Didn't they give us all those weapons? Isn't that even better?"

Lin Xian was also surprised by the number—he'd never used his ability to trade for supplies before, and the haul was substantial.

Shasha, hugging a jar of pickled cucumbers, chuckled too: "That idiot never imagined our Lin Brother is a weapons factory—he couldn't buy up all our stock even if he emptied his whole convoy."

"Exactly," Kiki looked at the shelves piled high with supplies, flew over, and wrapped her arms around Lin Xian's shoulder, delighted: "I told you—thanks to your ability, we'll never go hungry!"

"You're treating me like a draft animal!"

Lin Xian gave her an annoyed look: "Smart girl, making things takes time, energy, and materials. Low-end weapons don't sell well anymore. Feeding a whole train isn't that easy."

If the Fulu Shou convoy had wanted high-firepower weapons, Lin Xian couldn't have mass-produced them on the spot—it'd have been a hassle.

Kiki grinned: "Hehe, my bad—you're not a draft animal, you're a stud horse~"

"Kiki-sister, what's a stud horse?" Shasha asked, curious.

"A stud horse is… ugh ugh ugh—"

Kiki was about to explain when Lin Xian slapped his hand over her mouth, glaring: "Do you even know what a stud horse is? Don't corrupt the child."

Kiki yanked his hand away and spoke seriously to Shasha: "A stud horse is the horse that spreads seeds—it's very hardworking, like your Lin Brother."

"Oh, so Lin Brother is really hardworking," Shasha nodded.

Chen Sixuan's face flushed red, while Lin Xian was speechless—he had no idea where this girl picked up such bizarre terms.

At that moment, Kiki leaned close and whispered in Lin Xian's ear: "Especially certain people at night—they're awfully busy~"

"Is that so?" Lin Xian shot back without backing down: "Then you must be awfully bored at night. You can help out from now on."

"No way!" Kiki's face turned red, she stepped back hastily, and glared fiercely at Lin Xian.

"Lin Xian."

Seeing Kiki about to start babbling again, Chen Sixuan interrupted: "What's the next plan? Should we send out teams to explore?"

"Yes."

Lin Xian's smile faded. "We need to wait for updates from Palma Grassland before crossing Hengshan Pass, so we must gather as much supply as possible while we can."

The train is essentially a mobile city. For those aboard, supplies aren't just food and water—daily necessities, furniture, clothing, cups, toothbrushes, underwear, even toilet paper are all vital. And for Lin Xian, he also needs the team to collect mechanical items—for swallowing, or scanning blueprints for manufacturing—the more, the better.

Chen Sixuan nodded: "Then I suggest we split up like we did in Yuchicheng—send teams along the route to scout, and also check for exit points and threats ahead."

"Yes."

Lin Xian fully agreed with Chen Sixuan's suggestion.

"Lin Xian," Kiki said, holding a mobile terminal and using the train's info system to locate the communicator Lin Xian had installed on the armored vehicle: "I checked—it headed south, but the signal only reaches ten kilometers. We don't know if it left the city."

Lin Xian nodded: "That's close enough to count as out of the city. Just set the communicator's serial number as a target alert—if it gets near us, notify us."

"Easy." After finishing that, Lin Xian gathered everyone in Car 2's information center to discuss the team divisions for exploration.

"It's just noon—plenty of time. I propose splitting into three teams: one along the main rail line, where there are several large shopping centers; one along the northern rail line, which leads to an industrial zone; and one toward the southern city area—it's remote, but has many residential zones, so we might get lucky."

"Me!" Kiki raised her hand immediately, eager: "I'll go to the shopping center—I haven't shopped in ages, and I'm bringing back a ton this time."

"You're not going," Lin Xian said, looking at her. "You're coming with me to Qingshui Town on the southern route—it's directly toward Shijiu Lake. We'll follow the direction that foundation person took."

"Oh~" Kiki's eyes lit up: "You want to check out that crashed transport ship, don't you?"

"Exactly."

"Then I'll take the main line," Shu Qin volunteered. "I've got more experience with searches."

"I can go anywhere, Brother Xian," Daliu said.

"Good," Lin Xian considered: "Shu Qin, Daliu, Shasha—you take a few others and search the main line. Sweep those shopping centers—grab anything useful. We've got plenty of space now."

"No problem!" Shasha replied eagerly.

!

A search mission like this under the afternoon sun sounded pleasant. With these people's strength, zombies wouldn't pose much threat—it was basically just shopping.

But Hengshan Pass, as a major transit hub, had probably been scoured countless times by survivors already. Finding truly valuable supplies would be tough.

"Then, Brother Hu, lead the northern team. The industrial zone is open—your ability will be easier to use there."

Lu Xingchen usually preferred staying on the train, sipping tea and basking in the sun. But hearing Lin Xian's plan, he nodded immediately—then spread his hands: "Will I go alone?"

Kiki glanced at him: "Scared?"

"Absurd," Lu Xingchen stood with arms behind his back, cold and aloof, his voice deep: "Slaying demons is effortless for me. It's just… searching for items…"

"Oh come on, enough already," Shasha interrupted, frowning: "Brother Lin, this guy's a total lost cause—he couldn't tell north from south in a warehouse last time. Let me go with him."

Cough! Cough!

Lu Xingchen immediately coughed twice, trying to cover his embarrassment: "It's not that—I'm attuned to the cosmos; direction doesn't matter…"

"Fine," Lin Xian nodded decisively, looking at Lu Xingchen. The guy always stood with his back to people—he wasn't surprised he couldn't tell directions.

"Take a few others with you."

Shasha gave Lu Xingchen a disgusted look and nodded.

Lin Xian turned to Chen Sixuan: "Alright, Teacher Chen, you and Miao Lu will guard the train. We just got a lot of supplies—we need time to sort them. Also…"

He glanced out the window. Inside Hengshan Pass station, several survivor camps remained, along with a green train called Yemo Hao parked nearby on the tracks. Though they'd already interacted, Lin Xian still warned Chen Sixuan: "While we're out exploring, just focus on your own tasks. Don't bother with others."

"I understand," Chen Sixuan nodded.

Before entering Hengshan Pass, Lin Xian had planned to send Shu Qin and Lu Chang to explore the residential zones—Shu Qin and her team were all skilled in physical evolution and experienced; they'd have an advantage in dense areas.

But Hengshan Pass station had several abandoned trains. For him, swallowing mechanical parts to upgrade took higher priority than going out to scavenge. He also needed time to complete the electromagnetic railgun's ultra-capacitor. With the team growing, he could delegate scavenging duties.

But after hearing about the Long-style transport ship, he changed his mind—he wanted to check out Qingshui Town. Even if he couldn't swallow such a massive machine, scanning its subsystems for blueprints would still be valuable.

He also wanted to check on that foundation. Large organizations like that might have advanced gear. Besides equipping the team with mechs, he planned to install automated medical pods.

High-end automated medical pods can quickly treat external injuries. The train only had basic meds, iodine, and bandages—no solution for serious wounds. Doctors were hard to find; automated pods would be a good alternative.

With the teams confirmed, each group began moving.

Shu Qin and Daliu, along with Lu Chang and two other members, drove a jeep along the eastern route.

Shasha and Lu Xingchen, with several members, took the armored vehicle toward the industrial zone on the northern route.

For the southern route, since the goal was reconnaissance, Lin Xian and Kiki each rode a motorcycle, lightly equipped.

On Wuxian Hao, Lin Xian left Chen Sixuan to guard the train. Onboard were Director Ding, Miao Lu, and several skilled fighters. Chen Sixuan was organizing the newly acquired supplies with them.

"Let's go~"

Shu Qin and Daliu were working together for the first time. They exchanged nods, each took a vehicle, and led their teams out of the station.

On Shasha's side, Lu Xingchen drove while Shasha sat in the passenger seat, hugging the Lei Yu A1 grenade launcher and her ammo pack. The vehicle sped out of the station gate toward the northern route.

"You'd better stick close to me this time," Shasha warned Lu Xingchen. "Don't get lost because you saw some broken meditation cushion. This is a big city, not a small warehouse~"

Lu Xingchen wore sunglasses and gazed at the post-apocalyptic urban forest with a carefree air: "A broken meditation cushion? Don't you know how vital such aesthetic objects are to the tea ceremony?"

"Pfft~" Shasha rolled her eyes: "Can't you drink tea from a thermos?"

"You can't explain ice to a summer insect," Lu Xingchen sighed, glancing at Shasha: "But later, I might find you something suitable for your age—like a doll or roller skates."

"Pfft pfft pfft~ I like this!"

Shasha raised her grenade launcher proudly: "Bigger firepower is better—preferably something that can blast your broken cushion into ash."

Lu Xingchen: …

Hum~

On the other side, Lin Xian and Kiki had both mounted motorcycles, and the survivor convoy already stationed at the station watched the Wuxian Hao's group depart in waves, their eyes following them.

Cao Hong, the leader of the Yemihao, saw Lin Xian mount his bike and leaned out the window, staring at him with an odd expression.

"Hey, you've got so much supplies already—still planning to enter the city to explore?"

"This city's been searched a hundred and eighty times already. I advise you not to waste your time."

Lin Xian glanced at him, said nothing, and revved his motorcycle away. Kiki rolled her eyes in disdain and followed suit.

Cao Hong, ignored as he was, felt a bit foolish. He sneered, his gaze sweeping back and forth across a few carriages of the Wuxian Hao, then shut the window.

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(End of chapter)