Chapter 249: Upgrade the Mechanical Cannon!

Clank clank clank~

Lin Xian was continuously manufacturing ammunition, replenishing the convoy's combat strength and logistics.

"This Hell Black Chrysanthemum must have absorbed a lot of black smoke—probably enough to gain many mechanical source points; the other team members will also gain many unseen benefits."

Lin Xian had never mentioned to the team how the Hell Black Chrysanthemum enhanced evolution; everyone was changing silently. The most direct effect was on the team's stamina: after every battle, the members of the Infinite No. were in excellent condition. According to Ding Junyi's 【Convoy Member Observation Log】, including Shu Qin, Chen Sixuan, Lu Chang, Miao Lu, and Shasha, their fundamental strength had noticeably increased.

While Kiki, Lu Xingchen, and Daliu lacked physical function data, their performance in this battle clearly showed they were gradually strengthening in their ability to control and develop their powers.

"Snow water is toxic..."

Lin Xian suddenly remembered this issue while manufacturing bullets, his face darkening with concern. He looked up at the train's roof; though reinforced in multiple directions, he had never considered water seepage or sealing.

When planning the train, Lin Xian had considered threats such as poison gas and oxygen deprivation, originally intending to use the car's water-oxygen recycling system to sustain the entire vehicle's air supply.

But along the way, all his energy had gone into upgrading weapons and armor; this issue had been endlessly deprioritized. Now, with the impending snow toxin threat, he was forced to reconsider it.

As Lin Xian manufactured while pondering, he didn't notice a figure entering the carriage.

"Lin Team Leader?"

A timid female voice sounded. Lin Xian looked up and saw Xiao Yuan, who lived in the living carriage.

Xiao Yuan seemed to have just bathed; her damp hair dripped water, wrapped in a large towel, wearing only thin clothing—not pajamas, but clearly sleepwear.

Seeing her timid demeanor, Lin Xian asked: "You're looking for me?"

"Oh... no, uh... yes." Xiao Yuan, meeting his gaze, instantly grew nervous. She looked up at him with flustered eyes: "I saw you still working so late, so I wondered... would you like some hot soup?"

"Hot soup?" Lin Xian frowned.

"No, no!" At his question, Xiao Yuan immediately realized something, frantically waving her hands: "It's my personal fruit can— I didn't take extra convoy supplies... if you want, I can cook it for you."

Under the light, her face burned, she shyly avoided his gaze, lowering her head.

"My pear soup is really good—it warms your stomach..."

Xiao Yuan had a pleasing figure, slightly plump and reserved—a sweet girl whose smile was instantly likable. She got along well with everyone on the convoy. Though she offered little in combat, her youth, intelligence, knowledge, and cooking skills made her frequently assist Miao Lu and Chen Sixuan with onboard chores; she was clearly becoming a core team member.

"Hmm, okay."

Seeing her flushed face and awkward posture, Lin Xian guessed something. Lately, he'd subtly noticed Xiao Yuan's warm glances toward him. He said nothing, didn't refuse outright, and resumed manufacturing bullets.

Xiao Yuan's eyes lit up at his acceptance. She nodded quickly, stammering:

"O-okay, Lin Team Leader, wait for me."

Saying this, she turned and dashed off toward the front carriage.

Soon after, Xiao Yuan carefully brought him a box of sweet canned pear soup. Lin Xian took it, drank a large gulp, and couldn't help praising: "Really good—did you add some spice?"

Hearing his praise, Xiao Yuan grew excited, stepping closer and pointing to several dried plant roots in the soup.

"Dried herb seeds and dried verbena..."

She bent down, her ample chest trembling slightly before Lin Xian's eyes. Halfway through, she realized how close she was and stepped back half a step: "I found them during supply collection and brought them aboard."

"Oh~ That's great."

Lin Xian felt moved. He knew everyone in the living area had personal preferences; beyond essential supplies, each kept various items in their private cabins. Human nature refused boredom—even in the apocalypse, people still loved life.

Lin Xian drank half the soup in big gulps, then looked up to see Xiao Yuan still standing beside him. He couldn't help saying:

"It's cold now. Go back to sleep. I'll take the bowl to the dining car myself after I'm done."

Hearing this, Xiao Yuan's eyes flickered with disappointment. She nodded.

"O-okay. Lin Team Leader, you rest early too."

Snow wind howled. At 3 a. ., the convoy camp was covered in a thin layer of snow. Lights still glowed on every vehicle and the Infinite No. those on night watch.

Since nightfall, nearly all survivor convoys had adopted rotating night watches. The darker the night, the less they dared sleep. Many had long grown accustomed to this inverted rhythm.

In Carriage 12, Lin Xian finished preparing ammunition, checked the time, and prepared to rest.

Then, the Mechanical Heart's screen suddenly lit up.

【Non-mechanical energy converted. Mechanical source points +1000】

Lin Xian's gaze sharpened—the Heteromorphic Cube had fully converted the Hell Black Chrysanthemum's energy!

He walked toward the carriage corridor, watching the faint glowing light flowing through the air. His strength and energy were steadily recovering and growing. He'd just manufactured many bullets, yet his spirit felt better than before.

Lin Xian walked toward the living carriage corridor. In each sleeping cabin, team members slept soundly. Shu Qin sat on a bench in the corridor, rifle in hand, watching outside the window. Seeing Lin Xian, she stood immediately.

"Lin Team Leader."

"You should rest too." Lin Xian, often seeing Shu Qin on night watch, said: "We have enough hands now—you need to conserve your energy."

Shu Qin shook her head: "I'm used to it. Everyone on the Infinite No. feels safe now, but that safety is dangerous for us. At night, I keep watch longer—it's a long carriage; guarding the rear gives me peace of mind."

Lin Xian nodded. Shu Qin's concern was valid—officers must remain on watch at night; problems could be handled more calmly.

"Good. Rotate shifts properly. The blizzard zone is ahead—daytime threats are no less than nighttime."

"I know." Shu Qin gave him a reassuring smile.

In Carriage 5, Daliu was on night watch. Lu Xingchen slept soundly. Daliu sat on a stool, polishing his steel-slicing greatsword.

"Daliu, since your power evolved into blood qi, your physical stamina's improved even more than before."

"Xian Ge." Daliu grinned: "Yeah, I don't even need sleep anymore."

"Not sleeping will kill you."

Lin Xian stared at the greatsword, head aching. He'd originally assigned Daliu as a heavy firepower warrior, but after evolution, his blood qi power suited close-range slashing better. Armor and weapon upgrades were useless to him now—he'd have to focus on weapon and mobility enhancements.

After a brief chat about Daliu's power, Lin Xian went to Carriage 3 to check on the new Blood Calamity Plant.

As expected, upon acquiring this new calamity plant, Ding Junyi immediately broke her fixed schedule and worked overtime studying it.

"Based on the leaves, stems, and inflorescence, it's a member of the Acanthaceae family, genus Ten Thousand Errors. Purple anthers—likely Silver Dragon Ten Thousand Errors. But like the Hell Black Chrysanthemum, it's a dark variant. Confirmed as a Blood Calamity Plant." Ding Junyi didn't look up as Lin Xian's footsteps approached.

"Ten Thousand Errors? You're sure that's the plant's name?" Lin Xian frowned at the name.

"Yes. Acanthaceae, genus Ten Thousand Errors."

Ding Junyi looked up at Lin Xian: "Since it's a variant, I've labeled it Calamity Plant No. 2. If you want to give it a nicer name, go ahead."

"Forget it. Call it Silver Dragon Ten Thousand Errors." Lin Xian had none of Lu Xingchen's otaku tendencies—and the name was already otaku enough. No need to change it.

Ding Junyi paused, then walked over to Lin Xian. She pointed at the glowing light in the air.

"Theoretically, this energy is likely cold dark base particles—or perhaps a unique manifestation under the No. 1 Calamity Plant's properties. This energy must share some connection with blood essence, the black smoke from Guiyi bodies after death, and the darkness invasion during polar night. If we can decode this energy, we'll soon confirm how the Dark Mark manifests in the human body."

"... f Phoenix Association confirms this and develops detection methods, the entire world will be able to observe the Dark Mark." Lin Xian added: "This will completely change all survivors' understanding and planning regarding the apocalypse. The benefit: rational judgment will reduce deaths. The downside: survival pressure on all survivors will intensify..."

"Yes. This is a breakthrough discovery for humanity." Ding Junyi adjusted her glasses: "Like successfully isolating a virus strain in virology—it lets us see the true nature of this energy that alters consciousness and physical form."

"You seem in good spirits?"

"For science, yes." Ding Junyi said seriously: "Idealism and theistic theories are destructive to science. I'm glad I've found concrete scientific grounds for this so-called 'miracle' evolution—even if it's truly miraculous."

Lin Xian stepped closer to the Silver Dragon Ten Thousand Errors. The plant was still very young, preserved in a soilless container. Upon closer look, the purple veins in its roots and stems resembled microscopic channels—fascinating. Ding Junyi watched Lin Xian's expression, stepped closer, and said:

"The Blood Calamity Plant's properties far exceed our previous understanding. From current data, such anomalous plants are extremely rare. Phoenix Association and other allied organizations are surely intensifying their search and acquisition. We're lucky to have obtained two."

Lin Xian nodded: "I hope this thing gives us a surprise."

Before Lin Xian finished speaking, he noticed Ding Junyi had vanished from view. Looking down, he saw her crouched, pulling down his pants.

"Wait—what are you doing?" Lin Xian exclaimed.

Ding Junyi's face flushed. Gently tugging his pants, she said: "The Hell Black Chrysanthemum is currently converting and releasing energy. Under this energy, everyone on the train is undergoing evolution or change. I want to run an experiment..."

She slowly raised her head, her gaze filled with intense hormonal desire as she stared at Lin Xian: "The experiment: when the human body is excited, does this evolution become more intense and potent...?"

Lin Xian was stunned—Ding Junyi's way of expressing this had completely reset his understanding.

"Wait, be honest—are you really doing this for the experiment?" Lin Xian asked, bewildered.

Ding Junyi grabbed his groin, paused thoughtfully, then lowered her voice:

"From a priority standpoint—I want you to experiment on me!"

Click~

The light in Carriage 3 turned off. In the dark corner, Ding Junyi felt her entire body burning. The intense desire, built up during the insect swarm battle, surged into her marrow. She felt she could no longer control herself. At work, she was Director Ding—serious, meticulous, devoted to noble scientific pursuits. In her old life, such base, dull matters had been scorned and discarded.

But now, the apocalypse had shattered all rules and social logic. Since the destruction of Underground City 9, there was no longer Director Ding, no research topics, no dull, stifling lab. Only this hero who appeared in Underground City 9 and saved her from death—and the irresistible masculine aura he carried.

!

So, fine.

She accepted him. She discarded all base, dull things—the very essence of being a woman in this world, the repression from adolescence to graduate school, the loneliness and pain of labs where even flirtatious jokes were forbidden.

Turns out, life had another way to live. Beyond scientific achievement, this base, dull thing was unexpectedly joyful.

In the converted disinfection room, Ding Junyi rode the surfboard wildly, like galloping a horse, like sailing the ocean. She would become a wave, fully merging with this man she'd chosen as her lifelong partner—her savior, her suffering's refuge, her idealistic lord, her soul's king, her warm mixer!

"Mmm~!"

Ding Junyi suppressed the roar in her heart, turning it into action, receiving signals from every sensory neuron of the human body.

But what followed was even greater sensory surging—a current sweeping through, overwhelming!

Lin Xian was now at the threshold of control and being controlled. Shocked, he blurted: "Wait—"

"No~"

Ding Junyi held him down, didn't stop—she accelerated!

She pressed close to Lin Xian in the dark, her breath hot against his face, whispering:

"This... is part of the experiment. You must follow the standard procedure."

"I need to obtain perfect experimental data... mm~"

Huh?

Lin Xian was utterly stunned—this scientist's passionate M was too overwhelming~

First snow fell. Beneath the night, the convoy pulsed with vibrant life, all things striving to grow—still vivid before his eyes!

When Lin Xian awoke, it was because the Mechanical Heart flashed a screen.

Congratulations! Mechanical enhancement successful! Wind Cannon has been upgraded to Mech Cannon!

Mech Cannon: Fires a beam of mechanical energy from the fingertip, possessing strong destructive capability.

"It worked?!"

Lin Xian saw this and was about to roll over—only to realize a warm woman was still lying on top of him.

Ding Junyi seemed utterly exhausted, sleeping deeply. Lin Xian looked down and saw a tiny green sprout on her scalp had bloomed into a small pink flower, facing him, emitting a faint, fragrant scent.

"Alright…"

Lin Xian lay back down and without hesitation immediately began mechanical enhancement on the ice wall.

Ice Wall — Mechanical Enhancement

Mechanical Enhancement Started: Ice Wall 1 day 19: 9: 9

"Hmm… This ice wall and wind gun are the same rank skill, so why is the mechanical enhancement time almost doubled?"

Feeling somewhat frustrated, Lin Xian—after several hours of energy recovery—felt his vitality restored by nearly half. He lifted Ding Junyi and placed her aside, then got up to test the Mech Cannon and check how many mechanical source points had been converted at the Hetero Cube.

He exited Car 3 and immediately ran to Car 1, activating the Hetero Cube.

Non-mechanical energy converted: 550 mechanical source points acquired.

Ding! Performing non-mechanical energy reflection detection.

Detection successful: No fear risk detected inside the train. Shadow forces have been blocked.

"Still 550 points…" Lin Xian was surprised. The mechanical source points gained from this battle exceeded those from the previous large parasite—clearly, those insects contributed significantly.

Current Mechanical Heart Level: lv. (1690/7000)

Unconsciously, the Mechanical Heart had gained nearly 20% experience in just one day—this was the largest increase in a long time.

Of course, the cost was high: Infinite's ammunition reserves, along with three other formidable convoys, had exhausted their ammo and suffered personnel losses.

Lin Xian opened a sunshade and gazed at the sleeping convoy outside. He muttered, "I hope these guys can all improve too."

Overnight snowfall had blanketed the outside in white, illuminated by the train's headlights.

It was 6 a. . Most of the personnel from the other three convoys, aside from those on watch, had already rested. Clearly, the joint effort against the massive insect tide had granted them a rare peaceful night.

"Lin Team Leader."

Lin Xian stepped down from the train and turned to see Lu Chang and two teammates standing on the roof, bundled in thick winter gear, waving at him.

Lin Xian nodded. These young men had been diligent in night watch duty, giving everyone on board a sense of security.

Dressed in his powered armor, he crossed the pile of insect corpses and walked into the darkness. The personnel from all convoys were overly cautious—any slight disturbance could trigger a chain reaction—so Lin Xian decided to move farther away.

The cold wind howled. The powered armor's display showed his body temperature and ambient temperature. His flashlight illuminated a few blue-gray stones ahead. He glanced back at the distant convoy, calculated the distance, and decided it was sufficient.

He raised his finger, aiming at one of the blue-gray stones, preparing to fire the Mech Cannon.

Hsssh!

At that moment, his finger seemed encased in a metallic device; faintly, the whirring sound of an energy coil spinning could be heard!

As the charging sound grew sharper, a brilliant blue energy beam shot from his fingertip!

Shhh!

A faint whistle echoed—the Mech Cannon fired, piercing the stone with a sharp "Clack!"

The stone emitted no feedback sound. Lin Xian's eyes narrowed. He hurried over, shining his flashlight around until he found a black hole, finger-thick, at the center. He reached out to touch it—then snatched his hand back. The hole was still scorching hot; under the light, fine white smoke curled from it.

"So strong?!"

Lin Xian couldn't believe it. He rushed to the other side of the stone—and yes, there it was: a clean, fully pierced hole, blown straight through.

Lin Xian frowned and measured it. The stone was at least 80 centimeters thick—and he had shattered it with a single shot. The power far surpassed the Wind Gun's!

"Damn…"

Lin Xian stared at his finger. A holographic mechanical finger flickered over it—but when he reached out to touch it, it vanished.

"Mech Cannon… interesting."

A glint of interest flashed in Lin Xian's eyes. Now calm, he thought:

"Power increased significantly, but the only issue is firing rate—I can't fire continuously like the Wind Gun anymore…"

It felt like trading a machine gun for a cannon. For clearing regular zombies, efficiency dropped a bit.

But this wasn't worth worrying about—regular zombies no longer posed a serious threat to him or the Infinite.

After testing, Lin Xian prepared to return. He planned to upgrade the train's coupling joints with better materials and sealing while he had time. The entire train's heating system was now active. He scooped up a handful of snow from the ground, his expression grave.

He didn't know how toxic the melted snow was—but for safety, he'd better prevent it from seeping into the train.

(End of Chapter)