Chapter 317

Lin Xian walked toward the storage and living carriages, checking the condition of each one, while Kiki followed him the entire way and said:

"Lin Xian, are you really at ease with this thing?"

"What else can I do if I'm not at ease?" Lin Xian replied. "We can't just throw it away. Since we've seen the benefits, we'll use it for now; there's no need to let unknown worries affect our judgment."

After the farce that had just occurred, Lin Xian discovered that this Forbidden Item seemed to have been successfully 'contained' through some accidental stroke of luck, and the tragic situation previously caused by the containment of Forbidden Items that Kiki had mentioned did not happen. This was what gave him his current perspective.

"That's true."

Kiki thought for a moment and nodded: "This thing can spray fire; perhaps it was just contained by Fire Brother. That's the only explanation I can think of."

As Lin Xian walked, he suddenly stopped and gave a bitter smile: "It's just that we've fallen into too many traps. Now that we've hit the jackpot, it actually feels unreal. I still think it's incredible that we managed to escape from the Corpse-Driver unscathed."

Back then, on the mountain ridge outside Yijin City, when Lin Xian saw the Corpse-Driver and the massive, surging horde of strange entities, his mind had gone blank instantly. He still remembered that suffocating sense of despair even now.

"Although Fire Brother speaks in an eccentric way, he is also an incredibly cautious person. If there were a problem, he would deal with it immediately. I trust him."

After Lin Xian said this, he felt a weight lift from his heart. Not everything on this train required him to worry and solve it; choosing to trust his own team members was, in itself, a form of his own growth.

Looking back, if Fire Brother had truly been infected by the mycelium parasitism at that time, his actions were indeed for the safety of the rest of the fleet. In the apocalypse, a teammate who chooses to face death alone to protect his comrades—how could Lin Xian not trust him with a Forbidden Item?

Besides, that thing was something Fire Brother had been lucky enough to find himself. Now it seems this guy truly has some heaven-defying luck on him.

Hearing Lin Xian's words, Kiki smiled sweetly: "Hey, I feel like you've brightened up quite a bit now that you're not worrying so much."

Lin Xian was slightly stunned upon hearing this. Are you trying to say my face was pale?

That was indeed true...

Lin Xian checked the time and said with a sigh of relief: "We are almost out of the Polar Night region. However, since it is still night, we cannot let our guard down. You should get some rest too. Keep the radar running at full power; we aren't using lights right now, so we're relying entirely on that."

"Alright, alright~" Kiki stretched: "Then I'm going to sleep. Don't you dare wake me up."

"I won't."

"No, no, you must call me if anything happens." Kiki thought for a moment, still feeling uneasy. She walked over, wrapped her arms around Lin Xian's neck, and looked at him with watery eyes: "How about I stay with you?"

Lin Xian looked toward the rear carriage and shook his head: "No, you should go get some good rest. The explosion of the Sky Mushroom Tower must have taken a toll on you. With so many people on the joint train now, you don't need to worry about me. Go get some sleep."

Sufficient rest is crucial for dealing with crises. Lin Xian had understood this since they departed from Jiang City. Moreover, there was a key point: the transformation of the dark power of the Hell Black Chrysanthemum is best achieved during rest, which is the perfect moment for the body to evolve.

Lin Xian was the only one on the entire train who didn't need this, because those powers were directly converted into mechanical source points by the Heterogeneous Rubik's Cube—simple and direct.

"Alright."

Kiki knew Lin Xian was concerned about her and didn't act stubborn: "Then be careful. Once Chen Jiejie and I wake up, it'll be your turn to sleep."

"Mm."

After saying this, she glanced at Lin Xian and then turned to leave.

After Kiki left, Lin Xian looked out the carriage window. The silent Gobi Desert was becoming increasingly vast, a pitch-black expanse like the sea. He activated his Mechanical Heart and began to inspect the condition of the carriages and the frame. He arrived at Carriage 12, where 【Grace】 stood quietly in the shadows. Her mechanical face was beautiful, and her silver-black metal skin flowed with a special luster. Lin Xian walked up and reached out to touch something; in an instant, amidst that icy coldness, a strange resonance made his Mechanical Heart seem to tremble as well.

In the pitch-black Carriage 12, 【Grace】 stood silently. At this moment, in the Twin Star 11R nuclear-powered carriage behind Carriage 12, inside a special lead-lined metal box, the containment device holding the heavy suspension fluid quietly lit up, emitting a cherry-red glow. A black shadow appeared in the contents, then quickly faded away, returning to stillness once more.

Lin Xian's expression changed slightly. He pulled his hand away and looked at 【Grace】's beautiful face.

"Strange, it was clearly powered down. Why do I feel like you're still watching me?"

After watching for a while, Lin Xian withdrew his gaze, feeling that he was being irrational. He walked to the back, where a pile of his maintenance tools from the original Infinite tool carriage was kept. Now, however, there was a very large tool area equipped with various train maintenance devices. Many of these were things Lin Xian had scanned and manufactured along the way. In the train's building, Lv Chang and others who understood maintenance could already lead a group of team members to share a significant portion of the train's repair work for Lin Xian.

After the teams of Luo Yang and Li Yi joined, he had even more helpers for train maintenance. Luo Yang's team consisted of college students who understood technology and had strong hands-on skills, while the workers in Li Yi's team were a group of men who were both capable in combat and skilled in technology—as evidenced by their ability to transform engineering vehicles into doomsday vehicles.

If one added the AI 【Grace】 and the PX-05 maintenance robots, as well as the fully automatic bullet stamping machine he had manufactured, the pressure on Lin Xian would be reduced by at least 60%. Then he could devote his main energy to improving the combat effectiveness of all personnel, strengthening cooperation and communication with the Phoenix Society, and incidentally continuing to upgrade the internal living space—making it greener, more entertaining, and smarter—thoroughly turning the Infinite Train into a mobile steel fortress!

Thinking of this, Lin Xian immediately found an empty corner and sat down, preparing to first manufacture a set of Black Hawk-Silent Hunter power armor for his own use, while also making some modifications to thoroughly improve his combat effectiveness.

Then he would manufacture two more PX-05 robots as backups, to be put to use when the carriages were reorganized later.

*Zeng zeng zeng. *

No sooner said than done, the mechanical manufacturing light screen activated, and countless materials began to fly out, starting to forge from the most basic mechanical units!

*Clang, clang. *

The joint train sped across the vast Gobi wilderness, crushing the wind as it roared. The steel wheels rotated continuously, driving from 14:00 in the afternoon until 19:00. The black curtain on the horizon seemed endless, with no end in sight.

Looking at the boundless dark wilderness, there was a sense of loneliness as if abandoned by the world. Until a certain moment, Lin Xian's voice sounded simultaneously in the communicators of all the fleets.

"Attention all fleets, we have currently left the Polar Night region of Star Abyss No. 5, but we are still within the coverage of the Dark Tide. According to the tide speed of Star Abyss No. 5, dawn should arrive around 9:00-10:00 tomorrow morning. We currently have no dark markers and are in a silent state, so all fleets may turn on their lights and conduct normal operations, but remain cautious!"

In the Infinite carriage, Lin Xian looked at the driving record detection on his mobile terminal and announced this news via the communicator.

"Phew~"

After speaking, Lin Xian also let out a sigh of relief. This was his first time entering a Polar Night region. Although it was only the very edge of Star Abyss No. 5, it could be described as heart-stopping. Broken tracks, parasitic mycelium, fungal mats that could devour steel, the Sky Mushroom Tower, the Deep Red World, the Corpse-Driver—each one was fraught with crisis and left one lingering in fear.

This successful escape did not rely on strength, nor was there any clever method; it could be called a miracle.

"It seems the ancients were right: 'He who survives a great disaster is destined for future fortune.' There is some truth to that."

The disaster in Xilan City had just ended, and Yijin City had almost brought despair. If one's character were not resilient, one wouldn't even have the courage to survive this doomsday journey.

Tang Yun was a living example. Her husband left, and she was unwilling to face the apocalypse, preferring to be consumed by mycelium rather than escape. When a person loses the courage to live, what awaits them is being eroded by darkness and turning into a zombie-human entity.

The last time there was a large-scale appearance was on the first day of the defense of Xilan City, when the city was suddenly breached by the sinkholes of the Abyss Worms, throwing the whole city into chaos.

Therefore, as the sands of time sifted through, unless they suffered severe injuries leading to a mental breakdown or were in a desperate situation like the fall of Xilan City, it was now rare for survivors in the fleet to mutate into zombie-human entities.

Lin Xian's words reached the various fleets, immediately sparking excited shouts from the fleet captains:

"Great!"

"We've left the Polar Night range?!"

"Thank heavens!"

"Lin Dui, Captain Shi, thank you for your hard work!"

"Yes, before we see dawn, we must not let our guard down!"

"Everyone, try to let the wounded, women, and children rest first. Others must arrange shifts. Both people and radar must be on duty!"

"Yes, yes, yes. Don't worry, every one of our vehicles is working together; we will definitely see the dawn."

"Alright!"

At the very front on Longshan No. 1, Xiang Xiang Ningjing, who was commanding from the cockpit, also let out a sigh of relief. She gave instructions to her subordinates in the cockpit and then walked to a lounge in the back. Half of the bandages on Shi Diyuan's body had been removed, but the remaining ones were on his shoulder blades, where the wounds were the most terrifying. He had almost been torn apart by a joint attack from a Snow Demon and a Winged Demon. Even now, it was shocking to think about. Even with the abnormal recovery rate of Shi Diyuan's violent-level beast-form ability, he still hadn't fully recovered.

"Brother Lin, you've worked hard. Once we run out into the daylight, we should reach those small western towns near Luo Bu. We might stop there to rest and regroup."

As soon as Xiang Xiang Ningjing walked in, she heard Shi Diyuan communicating with the captains of the main fleets. She glanced at him and said: "This time, we were able to rush out of the Polar Night thanks to Lin Dui again. This person not only has methods but also extremely keen insight; he seems like a born leader."

Shi Diyuan laughed upon hearing this: "I told you long ago that he wasn't simple. Back in Yubei, he had two power cores on one train—a gas turbine and a nuclear power plant—and he dared to charge into the zombie horde of Yubei City with only five or six people. Even Miss Jian of the Fenge Group had to look at him differently. I felt back then that this kid was someone special, very much to my taste. Now look, was I wrong about him?"

Xiang Xiang Ningjing found a seat and sat down, nodding: "Then what are the plans for next? When we were exploring Yijin City, I heard Lin Dui mention that they should be looking to turn toward Jinhai to take the orbital ring again. It looks like they want to pass through Dawn City. Although there are many people there, it is the territory of the former Federation, and the situation must be extremely complex."

Shi Diyuan understood what Xiang Xiang Ningjing meant. His expression grew solemn as he began to ponder.

Clearly, after leaving Quancheng and following the northern line toward the northeast, if they drove at full speed during the day without stopping, they would definitely catch up to the Dawn Center in less than a week. Even if they encountered some trouble or obstacles, they could reach the Qionggu Strait within half a month to rendezvous with the Dawn Center. The strait bridge there had already collapsed, and the ferry system could not easily transport six million people. Moreover, there were endless survivor fleets heading northeast toward Tianji.

Now, the Phoenix Society and the remaining survivors in the two major cities of Donghai and Tianji were no less than those in Jinhai.

"Following the Dawn Center will certainly be less worrying," Shi Diyuan said with focus. Entering the Dawn Center basically meant finding a base camp. Although this base camp was mobile, the various fleets now had a backbone.

However, the strategic mission of the Dawn Center was different from the Sky Phoenix City and the Noah of Haicheng. The former's focus was not on fleeing, but on gathering survivors from all over the world along the way and bringing them to the Polar Doomsday Base. Therefore, the Dawn Center moved very slowly, staying in each region of the route for at least twenty days or a month before moving on to the next major city. The Dragon Country had a large population, and before crossing the Qionggu Strait, the Dawn Center would stop for at least several months.

The various departments of the Phoenix Society, the various armies of the Interstellar Military, and the joint fleet of the Phoenix Society were also constantly collecting resources and transporting them to the polar region at any cost. Therefore, the city outposts and ocean ports of the Phoenix Society were all heavily fortified cities.

Construction groups led by Xinghua Heavy Industry were already building the final human defense lines, Xuanwu City and the Kunlun Star Hub, in the polar region. Food supplies, mineral resources, and materials from all over were being transported there continuously. That would be the final fortress capable of accommodating ten million people, and also the last starship port from which humanity could escape the Blue Star!

Therefore, for survivors who chose the doomsday train as their vehicle, besides the defensive advantages of the train itself, there was another main reason: the orbital ring. They could bypass the Dawn Center and the ocean orbit, directly crossing the Pacific and the Black Ocean to reach the polar ice sheet, entering the polar front sooner.

On this point, Longshan No. 1 and Silver Star had the same goal. The former was safer, while the latter was slightly more aggressive. But the commonality of humanity is the concept of first impressions. If the Polar Night could not be stopped and the world fell, then humanity would have no choice but to flee the Blue Star. However, resources are always limited, and there will always be people who cannot board the starships and will eventually die in despair in the Polar Night.

Therefore, the Phoenix Society had a multi-line strategic plan. In this, the Starship Project was placed last, and the purpose was also very straightforward: not to let the survivors give up hope, with defeating the night as the main direction!

"My thought is that we might need to go to Jinhai," Shi Diyuan pondered for a moment and then said to himself.

"I know, you want to thoroughly renovate the all-terrain drive of Longshan No. 1 to make plans for the future."

"Correct."

Shi Diyuan took a deep breath and said: "Even if we catch up to the Dawn Center, we still have to live on the train. The orbital issue is a constraint for us, and it is the same for the Dawn Center. So they will definitely solve this problem too. If trouble really arises then, should we abandon Longshan No. 1?"

Xiang Xiang Ningjing nodded: "I understand. That's perfect; we can travel with Lin Dui and the others, and we can look out for each other."

Starting from Longshan No. 1 and the Infinite, the lights of carriage after carriage began to turn on. The goose-yellow light shone through the windows covered by steel armor, illuminating the Gobi gravel and grass by the roadside. Soon, the nearly 500 carriages of the 22 trains also turned on their lights one after another. The 15-kilometer-long steel dragon, like a lit chain of light, traveled across the vast land.

In the living carriage of Longshan No. 1, Xiaoqing was fully armed, wiping her gun-blade. When the lights came on, she slowly raised her head, and a bit of vitality appeared in her indifferent eyes. She then looked at Abai, who was sleeping on the opposite bunk, picked up a can, weighed it, frowned, switched to an empty can, and threw it at Abai.

*Dong~*

Abai was hit and suddenly woke up.

"What's wrong?"

"The lights... are on," Xiaoqing said in a low voice.

Abai raised his head and looked at the overhead lights with his sunglasses-wearing eyes. In the subtlety, he could only see a glimmer of light piercing through the endless darkness in his vision. He raised his hand toward the light and stretched it out, a smile appearing on his youthful face: "Great, we've left the Polar Night."

In the other living carriages, it suddenly became lively.

The lights coming on meant that the most dangerous time had passed.

Many people stood up excitedly. In the previously quiet carriages, people began to exclaim, and chatter could be heard. The men and women in charge of logistics came to the dining hall, moved food from the supply carriages, and began to prepare hot food and soup. Some carriages even had music playing—the sound of old music players.

The suffocating sense of oppression under the Polar Night seemed to be instantly driven away as the lights came on. As the doomsday home for these people, everyone's sense of security was pinned on the steel rail fortress.

On the Joker fleet side, Qian Dele changed out of his cloak into a stylish shirt and pink trench coat. He walked steadily into the rear carriage. His subordinates watched him walk in quietly, because none of these people had experience on a train, and the carriage hadn't been properly arranged yet, but the sense of security the train brought was something everyone could feel.

Qian Dele glanced at everyone with a smile: "What are you looking at me for? Isn't there time now to prepare meals, arrange your living quarters, and tidy up weapons and ammunition to organize the carriage? Get moving!"

"Uh, Boss Qian."

One of the burly men, who was carrying a gun and wearing a chef's uniform, stood up and said with a simple, honest smile: "Everyone says we harvested steak this time, this..."

Qian Dele looked at everyone indifferently. Seeing the longing in the eyes of his subordinates, he chuckled and said somewhat inexplicably:

"Why ask me? If there's steak, eat it. The better the steak, the less it should be frozen for too long. You should enjoy it while you can. Who the hell knows if we'll live to see tomorrow? Old Zhou, whether it's pan-fried, stewed, braised, stir-fried, or deep-fried, just do whatever everyone wants to eat. Bring out the wine too. Seriously, do you still need to ask me about this kind of thing?!"

As soon as these words were spoken, everyone beamed, stood up with a start, and said excitedly:

"Right, fire up the stove and cook! We've got rice to eat, plus seafood and steak!"

"Quick, quick, quick, get moving!"

"Xiaomeng~" Qian Dele turned to Xiaomeng and said: "Help me arrange it, I just want to eat something vegetarian~"

After speaking, he turned and walked to a sofa on the side, sitting down and watching his subordinates start to get busy with a smile.

Xiaomeng looked at her captain. Although Qian Dele was very picky and sharp-tongued, and didn't seem very masculine, Xiaomeng, who had followed Qian Dele the longest, knew that Qian Dele was a very free-spirited person, absolutely straightforward, and never hid anything from his subordinates. The whole carriage had an attitude of "eat, drink, and be merry today," and they were all fearless when it came to fighting. If it weren't for Xiaomeng, the vice-captain, managing the basic supply allocation, the whole carriage would probably be eating one meal and starving the next.

On the Queen Mo, the automated carriage was incredibly quiet. After the lights came on, the fully armed men hadn't reacted yet when they saw the door to Carriage 1 open. Mo Nika walked out slowly, wearing a white power armor lining suit. This type of lining had fireproof and insulating properties and enhanced the performance of the power armor; it was very expensive and originally only available to high-level special soldiers and pilots like Iron Hunter and Wolf Youlang in the Interstellar Military.

Mo Nika took off her power armor, but the tight-fitting mechanical lining perfectly outlined her entire figure, instantly attracting everyone's gaze.

As members of the Queen Mo, although they were already used to Mo Nika's different dressing styles, they still felt amazed at this moment.

Mo Nika liked to keep the entire carriage spotless. In Carriage 1, her walk-in closet alone took up 1/5 of the space. Even in an environment like the apocalypse, she always maintained her elegance.

Everyone watched Mo Nika walk out, and many men's eyes went straight. On this male-dominated doomsday train, the only woman was their leader, and this woman was beautiful, had an excellent temperament, and an even wilder personality. She gave people a sense of approachability while also having a sense of being high above.

Normally, in the apocalypse where the logic of the world has collapsed, no matter what kind of woman she is, it would be impossible to maintain such a posture in front of a group of men with combat and productive capabilities. But Mo Nika was different. Her ability was incredibly powerful, possessing violent-level strength, and she owned an automated doomsday train that was almost a combat fortress. Her supplies were abundant, and combined with her means of managing people—70% stern and 30% soft—she had gained many loyal followers willing to shed blood for her.

Therefore, although there were some men on the train who were dissatisfied with her or harbored covetous thoughts, they didn't have the guts to go against her wishes.

That's how the apocalypse is; whether it's a man or a woman, strength, supplies, and a shelter are symbols of status.

Moreover, these people had food and drink following Mo Nika, and their living conditions could be said to be top-tier. When there was nothing to do, they had the boss lady's changing dressing styles to feast their eyes on. Although they could see but not touch, it was better than looking at rotting zombies, so what else was there to ask for?

Mo Nika walked out, looked at everyone, and then waved her hand. An automated terminal computer extended from the wall. She tapped on it a few times, and at this moment, the mechanical arm of the supply carriage extended, and meals prepared by chefs and automated robots were quickly delivered.

On the meal tray, steak, vegetable juice, fruit, and red wine were all available, and it was even equipped with a cigarette.

This scene made everyone's eyes pop out.

Mo Nika's lips curled slightly, and holding a red wine glass, she said in a high-pitched, elegant voice: "Everyone has worked hard. Escaping from the Polar Night this time, everyone has made an indelible contribution. This glass, I toast to everyone."

"Mo Jie, Queen Mo, we should be the ones to toast you." The men were overjoyed, raised their glasses, looked at Mo Nika, and said nervously.

"Yes, yes, yes."

"Mo Jie, you've worked hard. We only saved our lives because we followed you!"

"Following Queen Mo is the most correct thing I've done in my life!"

Everyone then stood up one after another, looking at her with fiery and reverent eyes. At this moment, Mo Nika was like the savior queen under the doomsday god of death. Her tall, sexy figure seemed to glow, carrying a style and temperament that stirred men's primitive, violent desires while they dared not profane her. Even Song Hao and Fatty, among all the others, stared at her with the undisguised, longing eyes of men.

Mo Nika naturally felt these eager gazes, smiled slightly, and enjoyed this gaze that was like a trophy to her.

"Cheers."

She smiled and drank a glass with her subordinates, then turned and walked away elegantly.

(End of chapter)