Chapter 331: Train Modification and Upgrade

Humming.

In the basement of the Black Rose Bar, Lin Xian could clearly hear a low hum of electrical current, seemingly caused by the strange bullet head Hu Lushou had pulled out.

"Forbidden item? How do you know?"

Lin Xian felt sudden doubt—if this object truly was a forbidden item, it would be the second one he'd encountered in a long time.

Hu Lushou's expression turned peculiar; he quickly closed the special storage box, and only after the surrounding space slightly stabilized did he speak.

"Honestly, I didn't know at first. After I got lost in the Star Abyss's Eternal Night, one of the convoy members traded this to me for supplies. I instantly sensed it had some significance—I'd never seen a real forbidden item, but this thing was just unnerving: any light near it grew dim. I thought, could this be the legendary forbidden item?"

"But rumors say forbidden items bring strangeness or death—who dares touch them? Yet he said as long as it's kept in this lead box, it's fine, so…"

"So you think this might be some kind of treasure you can trade to the Federation or other factions for benefits, right?" Lin Xian saw right through Hu Lushou's motives—he lacked the courage to raid bandits, but had plenty of nerve to exploit the raiding pretext for profit.

Hu Lushou was well-informed, so he naturally knew that both plague plants and forbidden items held immense research value for official bodies and organizations. Ordinary people avoided them, but Hu Lushou wasn't ordinary—even if he didn't know what use it had, someone else did.

"Hehehe…"

Hu Lushou didn't blush at being caught: "Well, yes, that's the idea—but…"

His face fell again: "I didn't expect that even through the box, the dark invasion force was so strong. I'm afraid I won't find someone who recognizes its value before I'm dead myself. So I thought—Lin Team Leader, your group has strength and talent. Why not take it for research?"

Lin Xian internally sneered—this excuse was pure nonsense. This guy knew about the Emperor Project and even the activities of the Sacred Revelation, a mysterious Jianglinpai organization—how could he possibly lack contacts who'd recognize this? He must've sensed he was being watched, didn't want trouble, and wanted to dump this hot potato on Lin Xian while also earning a favor for saving someone, hoping Lin Xian would be grateful—what a shrewd calculation.

Forbidden items were far more troublesome than plague plants. He knew nothing about their properties, dangers, or containment methods. Fire Brother's golden bracelet was still under his watch—he couldn't relax, didn't even know its current state. Besides, just now when the box opened, that oppressive dark invasion nearly flooded the room—it was clearly no benign object.

For a moment, Lin Xian hesitated.

"Open it again. Let me see."

Thinking this through, Lin Xian told Hu Lushou to open the box—he planned to test it with his mechanical ability.

Hu Lushou nodded and immediately reopened the lower box. Instantly, Lin Xian felt the surrounding space darken drastically; the radiation-induced dizziness and chilling dark invasion surged again. He clenched his teeth and activated his Mechanical Heart, probing the silver bullet.

【Scan failed. Non-mechanical energy detected.】

Lin Xian frowned. Indeed—a forbidden item…

He then prepared to use his absorption ability.

But this time, unlike before, the moment he activated absorption, the silver-black bullet began violently trembling. Black-red arcs, like a solar corona, surged upward, and powerful air pressure pulled debris across the basement toward the bullet, as if it were a black hole.

At that moment, a terrifying prompt appeared on Lin Xian's Mechanical Heart interface.

【Absorption failed. Mechanical Heart unresponsive.】

Lin Xian's heart jolted—he immediately shut down the Mechanical Heart.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

Paper scraps and dust flew everywhere. Hu Lushou stared, dumbfounded, and shouted at Lin Xian: "Lin Team Leader… this isn't right!"

Lin Xian stared at the still-shaking silver-black bullet and slammed the box shut. Instantly, the arcs vanished; the basement returned to stillness.

Lin Xian exhaled deeply, secretly alarmed—whatever this thing was, it was currently in an unknown dangerous state, even beyond the Mechanical Heart's absorption.

Three encounters with forbidden items, each triggering a different response from the Mechanical Heart—this made Lin Xian even more curious.

"How much do you know about forbidden items?" Lin Xian asked Hu Lushou.

Hu Lushou immediately shook his head: "Just scraps of rumors. Only Phoenix Society, the Federation, and organizations like Sacred Revelation are actively researching them. To us, this thing remains utterly mysterious."

"Alright."

Lin Xian thought for a moment, then took the box. Even if he refused, Hu Lushou would've ended up following them anyway. If some Jianglinpai organization was watching him, so be it—he already had more than one forbidden item on his train. He'd dared to stand up to the Federation over the Hell Black Chrysanthemum; being watched by a Jianglinpai group didn't matter. He wouldn't, like Hu Lushou, hand over the Hetero-Cube or Fire Brother's bracelet just to avoid trouble.

Seeing Lin Xian take it, Hu Lushou's eyes brightened, his demeanor instantly more confident.

After leaving the Black Rose Bar, Lin Xian held the special alloy box, thought for a moment, then manufactured another lead box, planning to store it temporarily in the special compartment of the Twin Star nuclear-powered locomotive, and later investigate forbidden items further before deciding what to do.

As soon as he boarded the train, Lin Xian immediately used the Hetero-Cube to scan—thankfully, the Hetero-Cube didn't trigger an alarm, indicating the box still contained the item effectively.

Many on the train had been sent out to clear out the sand bandit strongholds. After stowing the item, Lin Xian immediately prepared to assemble and connect the Sun Train with Li Yi's team at the Akesai Platform, to facilitate future team coordination.

At the Akesai Platform and on the united trains beyond, many had disembarked to move about.

This was the first time since emerging from the Eternal Night that the united trains had lifted risk restrictions for free movement. Though only for an afternoon, every convoy seized the chance to repair damage sustained in Xilan City and Yijin City. After enduring such prolonged darkness, everyone needed sunlight to cleanse themselves of dark invasion toxins. Within the city, several convoys were also swiftly clearing battlefields, salvaging usable supplies left from the sand bandit war—turning the once-abandoned, desolate surroundings of Akesai City into a bustling hub.

On the Infinite Train, people bustled. Chen Sixuan was absent, so Xiao Yuan helped lead cleaning crews for both inside and outside the train. Meanwhile, Li Yi's dozens of middle-aged male workers all came down to assist Lin Xian with the train's reassembly.

Most were former colleagues of Liang Lei's mechanical engineering team. After the apocalypse, they banded together with families, forming the Running Far Camp Team—each one honest, hardworking, reliable, and capable of standing at the front against Guiyiti, with over sixty combat-ready fighters among the 110 total crew. With Luo Yang's university student squad added, the Infinite Train now had over 180, nearly two hundred personnel.

With so many people, the assembled train exceeded eight hundred meters and twenty-seven cars. Lin Xian had to consider many issues.

Such as living car configuration, dining car supply, sanitation, weapon station deployment, and car crew management.

On this point, Lin Xian consulted Shi Di, discussing the operation of Longshan No. 1's thousand-person train, then decided to organize members into functional small teams.

First, internal affairs allocation.

Internal duties, sanitation, medical, and meals would be managed by Chen Sixuan, with Miao Lu and Li Yi assisting in car allocation.

Electronic information, defense weapons, surveillance, and intelligence would be managed by Kiki, with Luo Yang and Xiao Bai, the two tech experts, assisting.

Weapons, ammunition, and equipment would be managed by Shu Qin and Daliang, with Sha Sha, the weapons prodigy, joining.

The train's engineering and maintenance team would be led by Liang Lei, composed of former Running Far Camp engineers and a group of technicians from the Chasing Sun Team, with Lu Chang and others familiar with the train's condition joining to assist.

Finally, the research and cultivation cars: normally, Ding Junyi managed all research and medical functions. But now with sufficient manpower, Lin Xian assigned Xiao Yuan and several young members from the Infinite and Chasing Sun Teams to Ding Junyi, and planned to add another car for cultivation.

The reason was simple: under current dark invasion effects, crew members had higher demand for green vegetables and plants. Experiments showed the Infinite Train's cultivation car could partially resist dark invasion—though inferior to the Hetero-Cube, Lin Xian deemed this crucial. Even Longshan No. 1 had adopted the Infinite Train's example, installing cultivation equipment in various cars.

Not just them—since the Phoenix Society's vegetable juice rumor spread, cultivating plants had become a pursuit and obsession among nearly all survivors.

It wasn't just about vegetable juice—it was an obsession. As long as green grew, people wouldn't despair of the night's apocalypse; they'd find courage to chase dawn.

Thus, even amid brutal, suffocating escapes, countless trains worldwide scrambled to collect the last remaining plants and seeds on Blue Planet, using makeshift containers, filtered water and soil, planting green shoots of hope.

Next, Lin Xian organized the Infinite Train's combat sequence, grouping members based on post-apocalypse escape experience and individual traits, abilities, and abilities, for easier future deployment.

First and foremost: the tech team led by Lin Xian and Kiki, responsible for electronic information, hacking, mechanical devices, radar, etc. Luo Yang and Sha Sha joined.

The train needed a reconnaissance and mobility unit.

The reconnaissance unit was led by sniper Chen Sixuan and her deputy Miao Lu, joined by Luo Luo, Amin, and other agile operatives—when needed, they'd pilot aircraft for area reconnaissance.

The mobility unit consisted of Shu Qin and Lu Chang as a pair, plus explosives expert Li Guangwen and twenty elite body-arts fighters in powered armor. Their traits: climbing/parkour ability, high environmental adaptability. Lin Xian would specially equip them with grappling guns, high-fiber ropes, reconnaissance drones—primarily for rapid support and mobility.

Next, Lin Xian divided the Infinite Train's remaining main combat forces into two assault squads!

Led by Daliang and Liang Lei, two iron-tower war gods, these were Assault Squad One and Assault Squad Two, each around fifty strong, fully equipped with Lone Wolf S tactical powered armor, single-person arc pulse rifles, Roar K23 electric rotary machine guns, Rainstorm A1 grenade launchers, rocket launchers, and various pre-placed explosives—the core combat force of the Infinite Train during crises. Lin Xian planned to arm them with every available heavy weapon—firepower overwhelming!

Lin Xian also assigned a flight assault unit, led by Fire Brother Lu Xingchen. This unit was meant for expansion once he could manufacture individual flight gear—currently, only Fire Brother was in it.

But after Lin Xian told him, Fire Brother merely grinned confidently: "I alone am an entire army. No problem!"

Finally, Kiki and Lin Xian: strictly speaking, the tech team focused more on internal and defensive roles, but Lin Xian would flexibly deploy Kiki, Luo Yang, and Sha Sha as needed.

For instance, Kiki was too versatile—whether tech, reconnaissance, or mobility/assault, this girl was utterly capable.

Luo Yang himself was a long-range combatant—even staying on the train, he was equivalent to a heavy weapon.

Sha Sha needed no introduction—she'd nearly turned the Fire God into a Fire God Arsenal. This girl constantly sought Lin Xian out to learn mechanical knowledge, studied every weapon on the train, almost dismantled the electromagnetic cannon. Lin Xian didn't stop her—he fulfilled every request, showered her with care. If she wanted something and he had blueprints, he'd build it. Though only twelve and small, when she piloted Sha Li, slaughtering through monster waves, her ferocity surpassed even her brother Daliang.

So Lin Xian thought—if he could build stronger mechs or mass-produce a few, he could form a mech regiment like the Seventh Investigator Corps. With such steel fortresses, the entire train's security level would rise a notch.

After finalizing personnel assignments, Lin Xian turned to configuring the Infinite Train's cars—a task that gave him a headache. The Infinite Train's situation differed from Longshan No. 1: too many functional cars. Now it had two nuclear-powered cars: one Twin Star 11R nuclear-powered electric locomotive (intercontinental-class, 290 MW), and one Linglong engineering-class nuclear-powered electric locomotive (200 MW).

In addition, there were two Weilong-class electric traction locomotives: one Huanxing 10, and one Dabao Bei Whale 03E heavy gas turbine locomotive…

Sitting in Car 12, Lin Xian frowned as he adjusted the car layout on his mobile terminal. Beside him stood 【Grace】. He glanced at the elegant machine, sighed inwardly—he'd hoped to use the Deep Red No. 3 AI brain to design a perfect train layout for him, saving effort. But the information center's computer needed days just to parse the AI's code, and might not solve it perfectly. Thinking of this, Lin Xian's head throbbed.

"To solve this perfectly, the Weilong-class traction locomotives and the Twin Star 11R nuclear locomotive must be modified…"

"The Weilong-class is simple. But to remove the nuclear locomotives' control cabins—why not place both nuclear units at the rear for pulling? I'll connect the Weilong-class units at the front. That way, power distribution won't be rear-heavy and front-light."

For the Infinite Train, power and electricity were vital. Lin Xian wouldn't dare consume them lightly. Perhaps after reaching Jinhai, a better solution would emerge—but for now, this might be the best option.

"Do it."

Lin Xian's gaze hardened. He immediately picked up his mobile terminal and began arranging the new Infinite Train car layout.

The lead car remained the Whale 03E heavy gas turbine locomotive, armored with thick shields, equipped with driving radar, active phased-array radar, electro-optical sensors, Sentry System, and Horizon Gate.

Cars 2 and 3: Lin Xian would fuse the two Weilong-class traction locomotives acquired from Xilan City, reinforce the corridor armor. With combined power output of 70, 00 kW, paired with the gas turbine locomotive, they could drag the entire united train—even if hundreds of cars behind produced no power.

On top of these two traction locomotives, Lin Xian mounted YJ03 anti-aircraft cannons and one automated Vulcan machine gun turret, all controlled by the integrated fire control system in the information center.

The fourth car remained Lin Xian and Chen Sixuan's primary car, Car 1. Car 2 housed Kiki and Sha Sha's information center, which, besides their living quarters, contained the train's integrated electrical system and one G3 rail electromagnetic cannon.

Cars 3 and 4 were the former Col 3 biological science research cars from Underground City 9—Ding Junyi's residence, research, and Lin Xian's cultivation car. Lin Xian planned to place the Sun Train's dining car behind Car 4, adding one more cultivation car to supply the entire train.

Thus, Daliang and Fire Brother's original Car 5 became Car 6 (Infinite Train's 9th car). Here, Lin Xian successfully manufactured a G3 rail electromagnetic cannon in Yijin City, and planned to install an 1130 system here, making the Weapon Station truly capable of heavy firepower coverage. But this meant few could reside here.

Cars 7 and 8 remained the train's core supply and dining cars. In truth, the Infinite Train's dining car mostly stored supplies, since large-scale meals were rare—most meals were either prepared in the dining car or came straight from canned rations, eaten individually.

Starting from Car 9 were living cars. This car was also equipped with a YJ03 anti-aircraft cannon and an automated Vulcan machine gun turret. Shu Qin, Miao Lu, Lu Chang, and others primarily resided here—26 people total. Shu Qin had a relatively large single room.

Car 10 was special: Lin Xian assigned it to Duo Duo and the other 22 children, and had reinforced its armor.

Car 11 was assigned to Li Yi for his team's families and female members, for greater convenience.

Car 12 remained the weapon station, equipped with an 1130 close-in defense system. Lin Xian also planned to manufacture another G3 rail electromagnetic cannon here, and stationed Luo Yang and Xiao Bai, the original team's tech core, here to guard the weapon station.

Car 13 was reserved as an empty tool car, intended to house a fully automatic bullet stamping machine and store the train's entire weapons and ammunition inventory. Positioned near the train's center, this location was relatively suitable.

Cars 14 through 18 were all living cars, housing nearly a hundred people. Car 14 was assigned to Luo Yang's team's sixteen female members—Luo Luo, Amin, etc. Car 15 housed Li Guangwen and eighteen males. Cars 16, 17, and 18 were all occupied by Running Far Camp members—mostly Liang Lei's former colleagues, some rescued families, so not all men.

Though under the apocalypse, men and women inevitably formed relationships, especially singles—this was their freedom. But for daily convenience, Lin Xian tried to separate non-family men and women in housing, while also considering combat deployment. Women handling internal duties were placed closer to the dining car, alongside children and supply cars, in the Infinite Train's protected central zone.

Next, Car 19: Lin Xian converted the former tool car into a vehicle bay, to park the two Nightstar hypersonic aircraft. This car needed modification into a fully automated openable bay for aircraft launch, yet still required armor—quite troublesome.

Car 20 was the former mech hangar, housing Sha Sha's Sha Li and the six-axis lifting arm.

Car 21 was the Infinite Train's final weapon station car, protecting the rear's Silver Star 10A traction locomotive and the Twin Star 11R and Linglong nuclear locomotives. Here too, Lin Xian planned to install one 1130 and one G3 rail electromagnetic cannon.

These 21 cars, plus six power cars, formed the Infinite Train's new twenty-seven-car formation. Except for the gas turbine car, all power cars and weapon stations were assigned one PX05 maintenance robot for daily upkeep, inspection, and ammunition supply.

After finalizing car configuration, Lin Xian decided to begin modifications immediately, using this afternoon to complete the train's retrofit. He estimated he could finish modifying the Weilong-class units, installing armor on the new cultivation car, and converting Car 19 for aircraft storage—everything else would have to wait for the journey. He hadn't slept for two days and two nights. Tonight, he must rest. Tomorrow, the train entered the Wurenqu —he'd already used the gravitational lens once today; his energy was nearly depleted.

"Car 6 lacks one 1130 CIWS. Car 21 lacks one G3 rail electromagnetic cannon. Car 12's weapon station is still empty—both need manufacturing…"

"Then the Sun Train's original armor needs upgrading to Infinite Train's standard—but that's least urgent. Must first build the fully automatic bullet stamping machine in Car 13, then install the ultra-high-temperature plasma beam cutting array to replace the outer armor electric blades…"

"And the entire train's power, water supply, and information systems…"

Lin Xian closed his eyes. Expanding the team was no simple task. But now with Luo Yang and Liang Lei—both skilled in engineering and mechanics—helping, Lin Xian only needed to handle manufacturing; the rest the team could manage. It was a relief.

Thinking of this, Lin Xian checked the time on his watch and immediately stood up.

"Let's get started!"

(End of Chapter)