Chapter 255: Longshan

【PS: During the New Year period, thank Yat Naam E Bak Saang for becoming our patron. I originally planned to add an extra chapter for the patron, but since I was traveling during the holiday and had no stored drafts, I can only owe it for now—Qian Dele will make up the extra chapter later. Thank you again!】

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At the rear section of Longshan No. 1 train, the carriage door opened and seven or eight fully armed personnel stormed out. In the snow, the armed individuals Kiki had dragged from the snow also struggled to their feet, and the woman who had been fighting Shu Qin on the roof now ceased her attack.

The three of them faced off against the group; Lin Xian's gaze sharpened as he fixed his eyes on the woman leading them—and instantly recognized her.

"Don't move. It's a misunderstanding."

The woman wore a thick white down jacket and a high-tech cold-weather mask; her tall, upright figure radiated an air of distinction. She sharply ordered her subordinates to stand down, then turned to Lin Xian: "Lin Team Leader, I'm Ning Jing of Longshan No. 1. We met before at Yubei Airport."

Both sides were clad in cold-weather suits and helmets, and Lin Xian had initially failed to place her. But now that she mentioned it, he recalled: this was the woman who had followed Shi Di's side during the airport defense—a capable fighter, and deputy trainmaster of Longshan No. 1.

Huh~

Lin Xian exhaled slowly inside his mask, then waved to Shu Qin on the roof and Kiki beside him. They both lowered their guard. Kiki tossed the youth she held into the snow and said, "Oh, I remember you. But these two seem unfamiliar—I thought your train had been taken over by someone else."

"These are our new teammates," Ning Jing explained to Lin Xian. "I was negligent—I didn't receive your response. By the time I realized, the fighting had already started."

"A Bai, Xiao Qing," she said to the girl on the train and the youth on the ground, addressing Kiki and Shu Qin: "Is anyone hurt?"

The girl named Xiao Qing on the train remained expressionless and shook her head silently. The youth Kiki had thrown into the snow scrambled up, hastily adjusted his sunglasses, and nervously told Ning Jing: "Sister Jing, I'm fine, I'm fine…"

"This guy's eyes shoot laser beams. Your new teammate's pretty impressive," Kiki clapped her hands.

Shu Qin on the train silently studied Xiao Qing across from her. The girl had no powered armor, yet her body evolution was already at an advanced stage—during combat, she'd even made Shu Qin feel some pressure. But Shu Qin knew her powered armor control was still clumsy, limiting her full potential.

Lin Xian scanned the group and cut straight to the point: "What happened to you?"

The rear carriage was empty. The responder didn't reply. Add Ning Jing's grim expression—no guesswork needed. Something had clearly gone wrong on Longshan No. 1.

Ning Jing looked toward the distant Wuxianhao, and for some reason, her expression seemed to ease slightly.

"Lin Team Leader, if it's convenient, let's talk inside. It's too cold out here."

"Alright." Lin Xian nodded.

Seeing Lin Xian agree, Ning Jing turned to the girl on the train and the youth below: "You two get on board quickly—they're allies."

The tense atmosphere lifted. Lin Xian, Kiki, and Shu Qin followed Ning Jing into the rear carriage of Longshan No. 1. The interior temperature wasn't high—Lin Xian's powered armor system read 12 to 3 degrees—but compared to the minus fifty-plus degrees outside, it felt positively warm.

Removing his cold-weather mask, Lin Xian looked around. The carriage was utterly empty. The once-packed living quarters now held not a single soul—everything was hollow, even the air carried a chill.

"You've been stuck here for many days?" Lin Xian asked immediately.

"Almost two days," Ning Jing led the three to a rest area in a living carriage. Several Longshan No. 1 crew members quickly brought steaming thermoses of hot water.

"We didn't want to stay. We underestimated the blizzard's scale. When we arrived here two days ago, the snow wasn't this heavy."

The middle-aged man beside Ning Jing was Lu Yong—a familiar face Lin Xian had met before. He spoke up: "We can't start the train at all. The tracks are frozen. The train is too large and too long to accelerate. Worse, one of our drive motor units has failed. We've been trying to repair it for two days."

"Huh? Stuck? Then where are all your people?" Kiki asked, astonished. She and Lin Xian had assumed Longshan No. 1 had suffered a massive attack—but now it turned out the train simply couldn't move?

"And where's Shi Di?" Lin Xian immediately asked the critical question.

"He led a team toward a place called Trakama Ice Valley to the northeast," Ning Jing said. "Two days ago, we picked up a high-frequency distress signal from Phoenix Society. Old Shi immediately decided to lead a rescue team. We were to wait here for six hours. The original plan was: if they didn't return by then, we'd proceed west to Xilan City on our own."

"But the extreme cold vortex came too fast. All communications were cut. We were also attacked by massive numbers of snow ghouls. The front locomotive's traction system failed. Combined with ice and deep snow, we…"

Ning Jing sighed: "We got completely stranded here."

"Went to rescue them? By train?" Shu Qin beside Lin Xian was puzzled.

"No," Lu Yong explained. "Our No. 2 and No. 3 traction units have been modified with TriangleTrack hyper-magnetic all-terrain drive modules. Shi Team Leader took a backup power locomotive, a traction unit, and three heavy weapon platforms."

Hearing this, Lin Xian recalled Shi Di's behavior at the airport. He thought: That's exactly the kind of reckless, loyal thing Shi Di would do.

"Wait—you modified them for all-terrain drive? Where did you do that?" Kiki asked, astonished.

"That's not the point now," Lin Xian cut in, turning urgently to Ning Jing: "How long have they been missing?"

Ning Jing shook her head: "We lost contact after they left. Normally, our comms cover about twenty kilometers. Beyond that, we don't know. With the extreme cold vortex, radio frequencies are useless. We could only stick to the original six-hour plan."

"We didn't expect the blizzard to hit so fast—and with the snow ghouls—we couldn't even leave."

"I already sent a reconnaissance team northeast two days ago. But the storm was too fierce. In this snow, you can't even find your direction, let alone spot snow ghouls. I feared greater casualties, so I recalled them."

Ning Jing said grimly: "To reduce snow ghoul attacks, I've concentrated all crew members in the front cars. Those cars have centralized heating, and our combat personnel can better defend them there."

"Ah, so that's why no one was here. They're all gathered up front."

Kiki said: "But if the rear cars are empty, aren't you afraid of weird entities breaking in?"

"We have patrol combat personnel stationed here," Ning Jing said, looking at the three. "Don't you know those monsters can sense living beings? They only attack carriages with people inside. Empty ones don't interest them."

"That's true…" Kiki had wanted to mention the marking system, but then realized Ning Jing was right—whether marked or not, the monsters wouldn't attack empty areas.

After speaking, Ning Jing looked at Lin Xian. Seeing he remained silent, she spoke up:

"I'd already planned to abandon twenty carriages to reduce mass and try to break through the snow, while sending a vanguard team to Xilan City for help. Then I ran into you…"

Ning Jing knew Lin Xian's abilities. His appearance under these circumstances felt like a divine rescue.

To Lin Xian, shedding excess carriages to gain mobility was indeed a wise choice.

Longshan No. 1 had sixty-eight carriages and over a thousand passengers—a true mobile orbital fortress. Trapped in this blizzard, if it couldn't move, it was just an iron coffin in the snowstorm—exactly the crisis Lin Xian had feared.

"Do you have exact coordinates?" Lin Xian asked.

"Yes."

Ning Jing said: "Trakama Ice Valley is about eighty li from here. But the blizzard is too heavy, and signals are blocked. Once off the tracks, you can't even tell direction. And those snow ghouls…"

"So Old Shi's plan was to drive the all-terrain train directly there—for safety."

Lin Xian's gaze hardened. He said solemnly: "The Phoenix Society's distress call suggests they're facing something beyond ordinary survivors' capabilities. Shi Brother is truly righteous."

He wasn't being sarcastic. In his place, Lin Xian would have had no better option. Trapped on the tracks in a blizzard, his only choice was to accelerate through the storm. To divert elsewhere to rescue someone required conditions he didn't have.

Under this deep snow, the few vehicles on the train were useless. The only mobile assets were Kiki and the Vulcan mech. It wasn't feasible to send Kiki flying across a sea of snow to search.

"I don't know the full details,"

Ning Jing relayed the distress signal they'd received: "When we first entered Palma Grassland, we saw a giant mech being lifted by multiple transport aircraft toward the southwest. I suspect Phoenix Society was testing some weapon. Two days ago, a strong earthquake struck near Yazehu Lake. Other survivors reported seeing it near Sufeng Village and Yazehu Lake too. Rumors say an S-class weird entity appeared. So Old Shi guessed the distress signal might be connected to this event—because Phoenix Society wouldn't normally release such a signal…"

"Giant mech?" Kiki's eyes widened, then she looked at Lin Xian.

Lin Xian understood. This matched Hu Lushou's intel exactly. The only question: Phoenix Society had previously reported an S-class weird entity in Yunwang Marsh, south of Palma Grassland near the eastern Wei River. Now one's appeared near the northern Yazehu Lake. Combined, either the unknown creature is moving toward Xilan City—or there's more than one S-class weird entity in Palma Grassland!

"I understand," Lin Xian rose. He looked at Ning Jing: "Take me to the damaged traction unit first."

The urgent priority was to fix Longshan No. 1's problem so Wuxianhao could proceed. Under current conditions, the two groups had to cooperate to break through the snowfield toward Xilan City.

Fortunately, both groups were old acquaintances. Ning Jing knew Lin Xian's abilities, so she didn't need explanations—she immediately led him toward the front of the train. "Lin Xian, what do you think?" Kiki whispered as they walked.

"If this issue is fixable and the weather doesn't worsen before we depart, I want to go take a look," Lin Xian said bluntly.

Shi Di, Phoenix Society—whichever it was, Lin Xian felt he should help. But he knew Trakama Ice Valley's situation must be dangerous and complex. Shi Di had taken heavy weapon platforms and still hadn't returned. Lin Xian could only go light. Even with Kiki's powerful ability, the weather might render it useless.

So Lin Xian was torn. Kiki understood his thoughts and said: "She mentioned sending a reconnaissance team—so they must have small all-terrain vehicles. And they clearly want to find Shi Di. I think we should cooperate: send a small squad to that ice valley. If things turn dangerous, we can retreat. It's daytime now. With our mobility, we can escape easily if we go light."

Lin Xian turned to Kiki and murmured: "You little thing—aren't you just curious about that giant mech?"

Kiki crossed her arms: "You're a mechanical adept. This thing is basically a nuke-level weapon. Don't you want to see it?"

Lin Xian remained silent. He was certainly interested. But his nature leaned toward practicality. Wuxianhao was trapped. The urgent priority was solving this crisis. The blizzard could return anytime. If they lost Wuxianhao, all other plans were fantasies.

But since it involved Phoenix Society and his old friend Shi Di, if the core principles could be secured, he thought the risk was worth taking.

……

The train's length created a very awkward problem: walking from rear to front took a long distance. Wuxianhao had fourteen carriages—running from front to back took at least one to two minutes, even if you moved fast.

On Longshan No. 1, the train was not only longer, but the interior was cramped. Though the central corridors had been specially managed for easier movement, the three of them still walked nearly eight minutes to reach the front.

!

Along the way, Lin Xian, Kiki, and Shu Qin saw all kinds of internal facilities: living carriages with honeycomb-style bunk beds—one double-decker carriage held over eighty people. There were cargo and weapon carriages, medical aid stations, radio broadcast centers, weapon platforms, entertainment carriages, even a dedicated manufacturing carriage equipped with industrial lathes, automated bullet-reloading presses, and various 3D mechanical printers for basic mechanical parts.

Further ahead were special carriages for meetings and classrooms, individually customized psychological counseling carriages with interior scenery, and even an onboard supermarket where crew members could exchange stored items for urgently needed goods.

Lin Xian watched silently, impressed. This train had become a miniature society.

As they passed the front living carriages, curious passengers peered out from their bunks, whispering about the three strangers walking below.

"New members again?"

"Isn't that the boss of Wuxianhao? I saw him at the airport."

"Wuxianhao? They really found us again…"

"Why are they here?"

"No idea…"

The closer they got to the front, the warmer the carriages became—not just from heating, but because so many people were crammed together. Ning Jing had concentrated all firepower here to compensate for the difficulty of supporting the front and rear while stranded.

If the train were moving, this concentration wouldn't be necessary. But now, trapped, and with Shi Di having taken away combat personnel and heavy weapon platforms, protecting over a thousand people was a heavy burden for Ning Jing.

Ning Jing and Lu Yong brought Lin Xian's group to the front. Besides one intercontinental nuclear-powered carriage, Longshan No. 1 had two electric traction carriages—similar to Lin Xian's former Huanxing 7F electric locomotive. Due to their massive power draw, the train's integrated electrical system needed precise load distribution across carriages.

To ensure sufficient power, Shi Di took one small nuclear-powered carriage, one electric traction unit, and three weapon platforms—along with over sixty personnel—to Trakama Ice Valley.

The remaining power sources and traction units, if not for the sudden malfunction, could easily drive Longshan No. 1's sixty-plus carriages to Xilan City.

"It's this one."

Ning Jing led Lin Xian into a large electric locomotive. Ahead lay the massive intercontinental nuclear-powered unit—the train's head. Like Wuxianhao, it was fitted with a large armored shield, used to smash through zombie hordes or obstacles, and in snow, as an icebreaker.

Shi Di had modified only the No. 2 power core with the TriangleTrack hyper-magnetic all-terrain drive module. The No. 1 intercontinental power unit remained unchanged. This puzzled Lin Xian—he couldn't understand Shi Di's reasoning.

"Let me check. I hope the problem isn't serious."

Lin Xian checked the time. It was nearly 1 p. . Daylight was growing shorter. He wasn't sure if this multi-hundred-ton machine could be repaired before dark—but there was no choice. Longshan No. 1 lay stranded on the tracks. His Wuxianhao couldn't fly over it.

Without hesitation, Lin Xian activated his Mechanical Heart and began scanning the entire electric locomotive.

Quickly, the precise electrical traction system, traction motors, microcomputer network control systems, and other mechanical structures appeared before him as a holographic display. As the scan expanded, a full blueprint of the high-power electric locomotive materialized.

After inspection, Lin Xian exhaled deeply.

"Good. Should be fixable in thirty minutes."

Ning Jing's face instantly relaxed. "Wonderful. Looks like we're not doomed."

"You've got such a big train—don't you have repair engineers?" Kiki asked, seeing Ning Jing's relieved expression.

"Yes."

Xiang Ningjing sighed: "Our engineering team also identified the problem, but they said…"

"Two sets of asynchronous/permanent magnet synchronous motors have failed, and the active oscillation mechanism is damaged," Lin Xian cut in directly. "This requires disassembling the vehicle body. It's manageable elsewhere, but not here."

The active oscillation mechanism can only be replaced with a kit or removed for recasting. Elsewhere, Lin Xian was certain that a rail fortress like Longshan No. 1 would have a contingency plan—but here, in this frozen wasteland, disassembling and reassembling the vehicle body isn't just difficult, it's perilous, with snow wraiths constantly threatening to strike.

No one dared perform work outside the vehicle under these conditions, but for Lin Xian, it wasn't an issue at all.

What he truly feared was the absence of some critical component or core device—something he couldn't even scan a blueprint for, leaving him utterly clueless how to repair it.

"We tried yesterday. Three men died," Lu Yong sighed. "But it's strange—since last night, not a single one of those beasts from the snow has shown up. Maybe they're all dead."

"You too?"

Kiki exclaimed: "We killed dozens when night fell yesterday, but since then, not a single one has appeared. It's too strange."

"Perhaps these creatures are pack animals and have moved elsewhere," Shu Qin added.

"I hope so," Xiang Ningjing said. "But I'm worried it's worse—that when entire clusters of monsters vanish like this, it often signals the emergence of a higher-level anomaly, one that hasn't shown itself to us yet."

Lin Xian frowned at this.

"You mean a territory?"

Lin Xian had encountered this before in Yuzhen. Outside the pseudo-humans and the inverted ghosts hiding in the cinema, all external anomalies had been kept at bay—what appeared safe on the surface often concealed greater danger.

So Lin Xian no longer believed in "good luck."

"Yes," Xiang Ningjing said, looking at Lin Xian. "It seems you've encountered one of those territorial anomalies too. So in my view, this isn't necessarily good news. Maybe Lao Shi and the others ran into exactly this kind of trouble."

Lin Xian asked: "Ning-jie, do you have any snow vehicles?"

"We have a spare all-terrain polar vehicle. Why…?" Xiang Ningjing frowned. "Are you thinking…?"

"Once we fix the train, I want to go see if I can find Lao Shi."

Lin Xian checked his watch: "Repairing this locomotive will take about half an hour. If we want both trains to break out together, I'll need to install additional support towing frames between them, plus psychics clearing the way—we should be able to move."

"With the blizzard holding off, a round trip to Trakama Ice Valley by rapid mobility shouldn't exceed two hours. We might find some clues."

Xiang Ningjing's spirits lifted: "Good! I was thinking the same. I'll come with you—better to have backup on the way."

Lin Xian nodded and immediately began organizing.

He contacted Chen Sixuan via communicator, instructing Huo Ge to prepare the front car of Longshan No. 1 for leading the way, while Chen Sixuan took command of Wuxian. He and Kiki would join Xiang Ningjing in the polar vehicle to head for Trakama Ice Valley.

(End of Chapter)