Chapter 347: Full Frontline Launch Plan! (110,000 Thanks to elizard Alliance)

"Is this Silent City? Why does it look like it's been paralyzed here?"

"Could it have suffered an S-class attack, or is there some kind of malfunction?"

Looking at the blurry night photos sent back by Grace, Lin Xian and the other caravan members were discussing.

"The relay nodes are all used up—Grace is currently on standby," Lin Xian said.

If Grace continues forward, all signals will be cut, leaving her to explore the unknown solely through her AI brain.

At this moment, Xiang Ningjing from Longshan No. 1 said: "That taboo object appeared in Baicheng—and yet people are still moving around there. This is all too strange."

On the Joker caravan side, Qian Dele leaned back in his chair with a half-smile: "We've learned something new this time—here, ten or so days pass inside while only one day passes outside. Fascinating…"

At this moment, Mo Nika analyzed: "If that's the case, then from the time Hu Boss and his group escaped from Star Abyss until now, hasn't Silent City been stranded here for over a hundred days?"

At these words, everyone immediately realized.

Hu Lushou had escaped from the Akse Wasteland about two weeks ago, plus one day spent wiping out the sand bandits—when compared, Silent City must have been stranded here for nearly three or four months.

Since the Day of Revelation, 100 days here equal 1, 00 days outside; combined with the accelerated corruption from the Dark Invasion, the decayed, desolate state of Baicheng suddenly made sense.

Rugged terrain, corroded tracks, time dilation, the Fish-Lion Colossus, the paralyzed Silent City…

Although Grace's exploration gave the combined caravan a clearer understanding of their current situation, all these developments were pushing them toward an even more dire predicament.

Shi Di added: "Hu Boss and his group must have been attacked just like us, but from the scene, they weren't wiped out—some of them may have already escaped!"

Qian Dele also said: "If that's true, laying tracks is too risky. To survive, I propose we go light—abandon most of the trains. If we reach Baicheng, we can flee along the hardened highways. Maybe Hu Boss escaped that way—he's already in Baicheng, so he has a better chance of figuring out the way, and our success rate would be much higher."

Mo Nika said nothing. If they went light, her Mo Queen would be the largest asset here—she could easily carry five or six hundred people. But under these circumstances, she preferred not to speak up, instead listening quietly to the others' discussion.

On Lin Xian's end, the mechanical heart panel showed the assimilation progress of the Parrot nuclear locomotive at 36%, and the MK-66 roll-on/roll-off missile launcher had already been manufactured. While assimilating and manufacturing Guardian-86 air defense missiles, he was simultaneously discussing and pondering their current predicament—truly juggling three tasks at once, his head feeling like it was burning.

"Old Mo, you've encountered Silent City before—what's your take on this situation?"

Hearing Shi Di and the others, Lin Xian turned his gaze first toward Old Mo in the team.

Old Mo, the grizzled old man, leaned against the missile launcher Lin Xian had built, his expression grave.

"Silent City is larger than the Qingluan aerospace city that fell earlier. It's the largest artificial aerial structure ever built, after Fenghuang City and the synchronous orbit, and the now-lost Nantianmen and Wangyue Planetary Ring. Wangyue Corporation spent fourteen years just to construct it—Shanghai, Fing, and General Aerospace all participated. Wangyue's current patriarch, Wangyue Shinji, isn't just among the world's top billionaires—he's also a genius in physical engineering. You've all heard of him."

"Oh, yeah~" Kiki crossed her arms, sounding dismissive: "The guy whose IQ was assessed by the Alpha High IQ Association at around 270, described as 'far surpassing the top geniuses of the real world,' right?"

Chen Sixuan added: "He earned dual degrees in physics and engineering at Kehua Polytechnic at fifteen, and at seventeen participated in the development of Galaxy AI-1…"

Old Mo nodded: "Though Silent City's tri-modal land-air-sea design is odd, since it has aerial propulsion engines, logically, if our caravans could've escaped that night, Silent City's firepower shouldn't have been so easily overwhelmed."

"I don't understand," Shu Qin asked, puzzled. "Silent City has the same aerial propulsion as Fenghuang City—why does it move on giant caterpillar tracks?"

Old Mo said: "No aircraft can fly above ten thousand meters now. Even Fenghuang City can only cruise at around nine thousand meters. Any other aircraft that climbs above five thousand meters gets attacked by atmospheric creatures—those monsters are all at least A-class behemoths."

"So that's why…"

Old Mo sighed: "Rumors from Shuguang City say that above ten thousand meters, there's a celestial curtain covering the entire planet. That's why all our satellites, space stations, Nantianmen, and Wangyue Planetary Ring went dark. The Federation's original plan to flee with starships carrying the seeds of civilization also failed… So Silent City choosing ground movement is actually the safer option. Logically, they could've lifted off anytime…"

"The Celestial Curtain…?"

Old Mo nodded: "Maybe being too large became a liability."

Hearing this, Lin Xian's expression darkened. Large-scale guided weapons had failed. Over seventy percent of major cities were swallowed by Star Abyss on the Day of Revelation. Human populations mutated. Communications were severed. Using nuclear weapons couldn't destroy Star Abyss—it only accelerated its expansion…

Many didn't understand why humanity had collapsed so quickly, why their advanced weapons failed to function as designed.

Now, hearing this news, Lin Xian recalled the colossal eye, galaxy-like in scale, he'd gazed upon beyond Hengshan Pass.

He also remembered two people.

One was Wei Ke Xue. During the Zhucheng Expedition, Wei Ke Xue had told Lin Xian that the reason Fenghuang initiated the Emperor Project was because nuclear fusion chain reactions hadn't achieved the expected destructive effect—so they'd heavily developed mega-mechanical and swarm weapons specifically to enter Star Abyss.

The second was Professor Wang from Jiang City's radio broadcast.

Lin Xian recalled his cries over the airwaves:

"Physics… so ridiculous. No one can escape. Everyone is trapped."

Now Lin Xian suspected that after the Lu City Dingzhou Star Abyss exploration team entered Star Abyss No. 3, they'd witnessed horrors that shattered the very boundaries of human-understandable physics—causing scientists who'd survived the Day of Revelation and the Eternal Night to lose their faith and worldview, plunging them into despair.

"So now, we can't reach Baicheng, and the track-laying plan won't work. If even a structure as massive as Silent City has fallen, are we left with only cars and all-terrain trains as our escape options?" Chen Sixuan said seriously.

"Lin Xian," Kiki crossed her arms, her expression: life or death, it's up to you.

Everyone turned to Lin Xian. At this moment, except for Lu Xingchen, who stood silently beside them, all faces were grim.

Lin Xian fell silent. Abandoning Wuxianhao was nearly impossible—it was the fortress he'd built with his mechanical heart, step by step. Lose it, and even if they escaped Star Abyss, whether they'd survive the next night was uncertain. Worse—without its protection, over seventy percent of the 180+ people aboard Wuxianhao would die.

At that moment, Lin Xian glanced at his Black Hawk battle armor. Simultaneously, the Guardian-86 air defense missile he was manufacturing was taking shape. Then, a wild idea struck him. After a long pause, he raised his head, his expression solemn: "If laying tracks won't work, what if we launch the trains into the air to reach Baicheng? Wouldn't that be easier?"

Everyone gasped. Kiki stared at Lin Xian: "Huh? How do you launch them?"

Lin Xian's gaze sharpened, a ruthless glint appearing on his face. He turned to Old Mo.

"Old Mo, if I'm not mistaken, large aerospace vehicles are equipped with superconducting magnetic anchor arrays for horizon hovering, right?"

"Yes," Old Mo nodded. "This tech is used for emergency hovering in rough terrain—like when there's overload or a failure in the aerial propulsion."

Kiki's eyes lit up—she instantly understood Lin Xian's idea. She stared at him in shock: "Wait—you're not seriously thinking of using the magnetic anchor array to… launch… the combined train…?!"

Luo Yang also realized instantly: "What?! Magnetic levitation? Our trains don't have EDS stabilization systems—this ultra-strong magnetic field would shred every carriage!"

But Lin Xian lifted his brows slightly, his voice growing calm: "Creating distributed electromagnetic coils outside the carriages is far simpler than laying tracks through the Dark Forest of Star Abyss, isn't it?"

"This…" Luo Yang was speechless.

Old Mo stared at Lin Xian with a strange expression: "You… you're thinking of using this device like that?"

"Holy crap, that's insane!" Kiki's mouth hung open.

Others, unfamiliar with mechanics, were utterly lost. But Lu Xingchen suddenly stood up with a bold grin: "This is a brilliant strategy! I fully support it!"

"Do you even know what they're talking about?" Sha Sha rolled her eyes, pointing at the track-mounted electromagnetic cannon on the roof: "Lin Brother wants to launch the fifteen-kilometer-long combined train like an electromagnetic cannon!"

"Uh…" Lu Xingchen's eyes brightened even more: "A steel train soaring into the heavens? Even more magnificent and unrestrained!"

He declared proudly: "I grasp the sun and moon, pluck the stars—no one in this world compares to me! Lin Brother, this plan is heavenly!"

Sha Sha: "…"

Old Mo stared in astonishment. As a senior engineer at Shanghai Heavy Industry, he understood Lin Xian's near-insane proposal. He couldn't help but exclaim: "It's truly a mad plan—but the problem is…"

"Old Mo, what exactly does this plan mean? Is it really just an electromagnetic cannon?" Shu Qin asked.

Old Mo looked at the confused faces around him and explained: "The principle is simple. Large aerospace vehicles like Silent City are equipped with superconducting magnetic anchor arrays. These project a strong magnetic field to a target area, creating repulsive force against the vehicle's own high-energy magnetic base—allowing it to hover five to twenty meters above ground without propulsion engines, just like a maglev train. It's essentially an electromagnetic landing gear. And this device can be precisely projected over long distances. Lin Xian's idea is to use Silent City's system to project these anchors here, laying a magnetic levitation skyway. Then our train will accelerate along the coils like an electromagnetic cannon and launch into the air!"

With Old Mo's explanation, everyone instantly grasped Lin Xian's astonishing idea—even Shi Di, Qian Dele, and Mo Nika on the communication channels turned pale!

All the caravans had gathered their technical and engineering leads. Upon hearing Lin Xian's intent, every channel erupted.

"Launch the entire train line?!"

"Holy shit, Lin's brain must be on another planet…"

"Oh my goddamn legs!"

"Sounds plausible—flying out might be safer?"

"Safer? Chen, you're only thinking about flight—what about landing? We're trains, not planes! We have no lift components or flight engines!!"

"Accelerating through electromagnetic coils sounds romantic—breaking through the darkness like a beam of light."

"Stop being so fucking otaku! Twenty Gs and you'll disintegrate on the spot—don't talk about breaking light…"

"Lin's plan will work! It will work!!"

"Quick, quick, get the computers—calculate feasibility!"

The public channel erupted in chaos, but the captain's channel remained eerily silent.

Shi Di was practically jumping out of his seat, eyes fixed on the chaotic engineering team. Qian Dele was much the same—but he wasn't annoyed. On the contrary, he smiled. Every time Lin Xian proposed something, it felt less like madness and more like witnessing a genius's spark.

On the Mo Queen, a team of engineers and the onboard AI were frantically calculating Lin Xian's plan. Mo Nika stood quietly in Carriage One, watching the communicator on the table, a faint smile on her face.

None of the team leaders spoke immediately—they waited for Lin Xian to finish.

Tap. Tap. Tap.

In Carriage 21, Lin Xian manufactured a Guardian-86 air defense missile. The missile was 2. meters long, 0. 8 meters in diameter, weighing 100 kg, with a 30 kg warhead—a small missile type, quick to produce. It was while manufacturing this missile that the wild idea struck him.

"Each superconducting magnetic anchor array on such a large aerospace vehicle can generate a field of at least 200 meters. From here to Baicheng is 85 kilometers—so we'd need 425 arrays to lay the levitation path. To stabilize the combined train's EDS, we can use Grace's AI to scan the entire train and design distributed magnetic levitation coils, which I'll manufacture, with all caravan engineers assisting in installation. This plan has three key problems—the first two are theoretically achievable."

"The third critical issue: I must personally go to Silent City to locate the device and initiate the launch path."

Lin Xian spoke calmly, listening to the chaotic debate over the public channel, his mind replaying the feasibility of this idea.

The more he thought, the more convinced he became—though it sounded insane, it was a plan with extremely high success potential.

First, superconducting magnetic anchor arrays were a mature technology in the pre-collapse world. If we could activate Silent City's subsystems and use Grace's terrain scans to plot the launch path, the first problem was solved.

The second problem—the most seemingly impossible—became possible with Grace's AI combined with Lin Xian's mechanical manufacturing. And with the combined caravan's vast pool of engineers providing detailed solutions, this issue could be resolved quickly.

Only the third problem carried serious risk.

But compared to the slow, dangerous track-laying through the Dark Forest with over three thousand people, Lin Xian's plan—sending a small elite team to Silent City—was far less risky. Even if trouble arose, high-mobility personnel like Kiki, Huo Ge, and Qian Dele could easily extract themselves in time.

Another point: if people still existed in Baicheng, they were either from Silent City or from the Crimson World.

Lin Xian remembered Chu Yan saying the Fish-Tailed Lion Colossus in Akse Wasteland was created by Crimson World operatives from the Bai Lu Tan Star Observation Base. That meant not only Akse Wasteland, but also the Star Abyss anomalies along the Wei River that affected Old Mo, Hu Lushou, and Silent City, were likely tied to them. Now, Grace had discovered the same grotesque colossus in Baicheng—and detected signs of human presence.

So Lin Xian deduced: Baicheng and Silent City must hold many secrets. There might be danger here—but also other opportunities. Either way, if Lin Xian could enter Silent City, he couldn't hope to restart the entire city—but he was confident he could use his mechanical heart to activate the superconducting magnetic anchor array.

"Beyond 100 kilometers, Grace loses signal. So I've ordered her to return. On her way back, I'll have her perform targeted path scans. Once she returns, we'll finalize this plan, then organize a team to head to Silent City!"

Within the caravan line, as long as the current safety balance isn't broken and the Heterogeneous Magic Cube protects them, they still have time to prepare.

Lin Xian would use this time to complete the assimilation of two nuclear locomotives. He had a feeling—whether the plan succeeded or not—he urgently needed the Superstring Reactor Phase Rainbow skill!

"Lin Xian's idea suits me perfectly," Qian Dele said, fully supportive. "It has a clear goal, and we get to explore unknowns and seek other opportunities. It sounds risky, but it's better than sitting here in this hellhole, scratching our heads. To survive, you need guts—there's no 100% safe strategy."

On Longshan No. 1, Xiang Ningjing looked at Shi Di: "I support it. Without entering the night to explore, all our plans might be wrong."

Shi Di nodded—he understood this well. If Lin Xian hadn't sent Grace to scout Baicheng, they'd never have known about the time dilation and information redshift in the Star Abyss region, or discovered the massive mobile city paralyzed above the Baicheng valley. He thought for a moment, then spoke into the communicator:

"That colossus is also a problem. We were all pulled in by it, and we still don't know its secrets. If we go, we must account for that."

Lin Xian replied over the communicator: "The main issue is signal delay. If we go to Baicheng, I'll have Grace investigate the sewage plant area—we're heading straight for Silent City."

"One more thing," Mo Nika said. "If we're marked by the Dark, how do we get back?"

Lin Xian exhaled slowly, his eyes sharp: "Once the levitation coils and carriage fixation are complete, the remaining issue is human protection against the internal high magnetic field. As for the Dark Mark, we must assume the worst-case scenario. If the plan succeeds, we prepare for a grand escape—break through Star Abyss entirely."

"A grand escape? Sounds thrilling." Monica smiled faintly. "May I join your mission, Captain Lin?"

"I'm going too." Qian Dele chimed in. "This kind of opportunity is too rare to pass up."

If he took the whole team, Qian Dele might face immense pressure—but his naturally free-spirited self couldn't pass up a chance to experience life-or-death stakes in the Star Abyss. Still, the real reason he had to go was that the Joker Chedui needed him.

"Alright, it's settled. It's 4 a. . now. While Grace was returning, I already had her generate a Phase One plan—I'll sync it with everyone. All engineering teams are to join in. Once we finalize the design, I'll begin manufacturing. Then the exploration team departs; everyone else will retrofit the train's interior and exterior. We'll save time by doing everything in parallel!"

"Good!" Shi Di slammed his palm down. "That's settled."

On the Infinite Train, as all the other caravans approved Lin Xian's insane plan, the atmosphere inside this carriage grew strangely tense.

Kiki, Chen Sixuan, Shasha—all the girls smiled. Da Lou and Shu Qin wore solemn, determined expressions. Li Yi, Luo Yang, Liang Lei, Lao Mo, and the other newcomers still looked uncertain, but voiced no objections; they all took deep breaths, steadied themselves, and focused intently.

Lu Xingchen, however, wore an eager, arrogant grin.

"The vast, silent heavens—what's there to fear? Let's burn this sky down!"

He still spoke like a clichéd otaku, yet somehow, under these circumstances, everyone felt a surge of inspiration from his words.

Hearing Fire Brother's words, Lin Xian smiled slightly. From panic and despair to this fragile safety, what they needed now was precisely this kind of courage to step into darkness.

"Lin Xian." Chen Sixuan looked at him.

Lin Xian understood her intent. "You're coming with me. Kiki and Fire Brother—you stay. Everyone else keeps guarding the train."

Chen Sixuan's eyes lit up. She nodded firmly.

"Understood!" Everyone responded in unison.

At this moment, the chaotic discussions across the caravans turned into serious, focused planning. Launching the combined train via a superconducting magnetic anchor array was no simple matter—it meant constructing an electromagnetic tunnel through the air. Every carriage's entire structure would face extreme stress. Countless external devices had to be removed. This escape plan required coordinated action from every caravan's engineers!

On the Infinite Train, Lin Xian had already manufactured six missile launchers and six Guardian-86 anti-air missiles, and was preparing to build one massive Storm Eye F12 supersonic airship missile as a final, high-impact backup.

The Storm Eye F12 was 6. 6 meters long, 0. 6 meters in diameter, weighed 850 kg, and carried a 200 kg warhead. This was the largest explosive device Lin Xian had ever built. Vast quantities of materials were being processed in the Decomposition and Preparation Centers. The missile's dual-pulse engine was slowly taking shape within the carriage.

Meanwhile, the engineering-grade nuclear-powered locomotive of the Parrot Train was nearly fully consumed.

【Consumption Progress: 99%】

【Consumption Successful. Mechanical Source Points +700. Mechanical Consumption Skill Proficiency +300!】

【Surge: Mechanical Enhancement upgrade prerequisite met—140 MW achieved!】

"As expected!" Lin Xian exhaled heavily as he stared at the mechanical heart's screen. Thank goodness he didn't have to consume a 300 MW nuclear reactor all at once. Now, if he finished consuming the Ocean Train, the upgrade prerequisites for the Superstring Reactor Phase Rainbow Ring would be complete!

"Continue!" Lin Xian checked the time. Grace's node reports were coming faster—she was closing in on the train camp rapidly.

【Correcting course. Completing environmental scan.】

Grace transmitted data from her path-scanning mission: 【Based on my preliminary observations, the outer main structure of Silent City has not suffered catastrophic damage. The cause of its shutdown remains unconfirmed. However, your plan to modify the train and launch it via a superconducting magnetic anchor array has a feasibility rating of 23. %—higher than the track-laying alternative.】

"The greatest risk lies in the darkness. Moving thousands of people slowly through darkness is the real constraint. Technical problems are the easiest part," Lin Xian said.

【I admire your way of thinking. Allow me to commend you.】

Lin Xian frowned, feeling odd. "You're… flattering me?"

【Yes. Your psychological stress is a critical variable in decision-making. By observing your interactions with multiple women in your team, I've concluded that praise and affirmation from a human female perspective will elevate your sex hormones and arousal levels, enhancing your cognitive performance.】

Lin Xian: …

At 6 a. ., the Ocean Train's nuclear locomotive was halfway consumed. Meanwhile, a white Storm Eye F12 supersonic airship missile was gradually taking form inside Carriage 21.

This was unquestionably the most intense operation Lin Xian had ever performed since gaining his mechanical ability. Back in Qing Shui Town, consuming the Dragon-class transport's nuclear engine had left him completely drained.

But now that both his Mechanical Heart and Mechanical Consumption had reached Level 5, the strain was significantly reduced—though two other factors helped.

One: the nuclear engines of the Ocean Train and Parrot Train were far smaller than the Dragon-class transport's.

Two: the Hetero-Cube was continuously converting mechanical source points to replenish Lin Xian's energy.

At this moment, Lin Xian felt like a nuclear-powered ox: manufacturing ammunition, building missiles, and consuming two apocalypse trains—all night long. The Decomposition and Preparation Centers never stopped processing materials. Even the fully automated bullet stamping machine in Carriage 13 was running at full capacity.

At this time, after inspection and monitoring by Bai Bai from Longshan No. , Director Ding, and Chen Sixuan, Grace returned to camp with four PX-05 robots. Da Lou, Liang Lei, and the others guarding the perimeter finally relaxed. As long as the camp's perimeter was secure, their plan wouldn't be disrupted.

As soon as Grace returned, Lin Xian assigned her to scan the entire train line and, combining it with the Federation's superconducting magnetic anchor array parameters, began automatically generating the train's external modification blueprint.

【Train Aerodynamic Resistance Solution: Plasma Flow Guide—release low-temperature plasma from the nose to ionize the air ahead, forming a low-drag channel】

【Propulsion and Stability System: Distributed electromagnetic coils to provide thrust and maintain levitation balance, synchronized in resonance with the channel's magnetic field】

【Crew Protection System: Reverse Helmholtz coils to generate opposing weak magnetic fields, preventing neural disruption from intense magnetic fields】

【Emergency Safety Device…】

With immense computational power, Grace rapidly generated dozens of viable solutions and synced them to all caravan engineering teams. After multiple rounds of verification, Grace generated detailed blueprints for every required device.

These devices sounded complex, but their manufacturing difficulty was low—they were essentially protective shells to stabilize the train within intense electromagnetic fields.

Lin Xian also had to account for speed control and the buffer needed for docking with the track at Baicheng. These required not just design, but pre-manufacturing by Lin Xian himself upon arrival.

Beneath the twisted, thick darkness, the combined train camp resembled a circular fortress covered by a faintly glowing film, standing out starkly against the endless black forest beside the Bottomless Lake.

Distant mountain silhouettes loomed like colossal, writhing shadows in the mist—shapes that seemed to move through the fog. Survivors within the train line dared not stare too long into the dark forest. It wasn't just fear—it was pain. Their retinas burned as if countless rusted steel needles were driving through their optic nerves into the cerebral cortex. A crushing, suffocating environmental pressure.

Without the Hetero-Cube's faint glow shield, this dark corruption and environmental pressure would have already caused mutations and deaths within the combined train team.

Lin Xian now began manufacturing the distributed electromagnetic coils. All train engineering teams were now busy. Equipment was being carried out from the Infinite Train. Installations were underway in every carriage. Arc-shaped coil support structures, like insect exoskeletons, were being welded onto the steel carriages. Sparks flashed continuously.

As he worked, Lin Xian observed the Hetero-Cube's changes. Mechanical source points were still being converted—but the volume had decreased.

【Non-mechanical energy converted. Gained 1000 mechanical source points.】

"Silent City was said to have 90, 00 people. After so long here, it's impossible they all survived…" Lin Xian mused inwardly. Even with the Hetero-Cube, this combined train line didn't know how many days it could hold out. He couldn't imagine how 90, 00 people could have survived. The most likely scenario: most had already fled after Silent City shut down.

But back in Aksai, Lin Xian hadn't received any global broadcast. He had no way to confirm Silent City's fate—only speculation.

Still, Lin Xian was deeply intrigued by that top-tier physicist and engineer. Before the Apocalypse, such figures were only visible on TV news. Moonlight Tech, under the Moonlight Consortium, controlled nearly one-third of the world's prosthetics, artificial limbs, and robotics. It was also one of the primary suppliers of the Interstellar Military's exoskeleton armor. The earliest Wolf Youlang and Iron Hunter classes were named by Moonlight Tech. The world's first conceptual interstellar battle armor was designed by Moonlight Shinji. He was a true mechanical genius.

Moonlight Tech differed from Star China Heavy Industry. Moonlight Tech was a private tech powerhouse. Star China Heavy Industry was a colossal conglomerate, merged from dozens of global manufacturers under China's original Kehua.

Thus, the Moonlight Consortium was the only family to own a space-city outside Federation jurisdiction.

When Lin Xian first learned of Silent City's existence, he'd been stunned. Unlike Phoenix City or starships, it seemed to be a fully independent, massive mobile mechanical city.

In the apocalypse, such a mobile city should have been the Moonlight Consortium's greatest treasure. But Lin Xian never imagined such a colossal entity would simply shut down in the Star Abyss.

It was profoundly tragic.

【Consumption Progress: 98%】

Now, it was 9 a. . The Ocean Train's nuclear locomotive was nearly fully consumed. Lin Xian's Mechanical Enhancement skill was about to enter its upgrade countdown.

【Consumption Successful. Mechanical Source Points +800. Mechanical Consumption Skill Proficiency +400!】

【Surge: Mechanical Enhancement upgrade prerequisite met. Proceed with enhancement?】

Surge (Basic) (Level 3, Maxed): Can enhance: 【Superstring Reactor Phase Rainbow Ring】

Enhancement Materials: Super Carbon Alkyne Alloy ×10, Tungsten-Titanium Alloy Type I ×50

The screen flashed. Lin Xian felt a jolt in his chest. He immediately confirmed.

"Enhance!"

【Mechanical Enhancement Initiated: Surge 23: 9: 9】

Seeing this, Lin Xian finally exhaled in relief. He opened his Mechanical Heart interface. In just one night in the Star Abyss, his Mechanical Heart had surged forward!

【Current Mechanical Heart Level: Lv. (8640/20000)】

Mechanical Consumption: 5 (965/3000) — Increases consumption efficiency

Mechanical Manufacturing: 5 (1560/3000) — Increases construction efficiency

【T8-Z Vulcan Assault Type (Blueprint) R&D Time: 25 days 22 hours 36 minutes】

"Phew~"

Lin Xian stood up, stretched, and yawned. A full night of maximum output—without the Hetero-Cube converting the black mist into energy, he wouldn't have lasted.

"If only I had a device to convert Blood Essence into Cold Dark Reagent…" Lin Xian thought. There was so much Blood Essence on the train, still unused. With Cold Dark Reagent, several cultivators' combat effectiveness would rise significantly.

Looking at the missile launchers—six Guardian-86 anti-air missiles and one Storm Eye F12 supersonic airship missile—Lin Xian's expression sharpened. The Infinite Train now had another major weapon!

"If we'd had this when fighting the Deceiver Serpent…" Lin Xian's face turned grim. "It would've been devastating."

Everything was ready. All distributed electromagnetic coils had been manufactured and stacked in the center of the circular camp. Along with the stabilizers and plasma flow guides, the rest was left to each caravan's engineers for installation.

On the Infinite Train, Luo Yang, Lao Mo, Liang Lei, and their engineering teams, with PX-05 robots, were also preparing.

This time, the Infinite Train would lead. The plasma flow guide was mounted on the front of the Whale-03E heavy gas turbine locomotive. Fortunately, Lin Xian had already designed all weapon stations with elevation and sealing in mind—no further dismantling was needed.

Lin Xian quickly drank a large bottle of water and ate some food. After fully charging his Black Hawk battle armor and all Lei Sun drones, he prepared to assemble the team for departure.

At this moment, Kiki stopped him.

"Lin Xian, should we consider bringing the Hell Black Chrysanthemum or the Silver Dragon Ten Thousand Mist?" Kiki frowned thoughtfully. "That earlier warning from 'Grace'—if it's something from the Star Abyss, it might help."

"It already has."

Lin Xian cut in. "The Hell Black Chrysanthemum would attract strange entities. As for the Silver Dragon Ten Thousand Mist—I checked it just now. No new buds have bloomed. That means its properties are extremely rare. And as a calamity plant, it would also attract strange entities."

Lin Xian understood Kiki's intent. But if anything could truly help, it was only the Hetero-Cube. Lu Xingchen's Infinite Ring had only shown anti-gravity and enhanced flame plasma energy density so far—and the catastrophic disaster caused by the Fish-Lion Colossus proved the gap between taboo objects was immense. Perhaps, as Chu Yan said, taboo objects weren't treasures—they were merely manifestations of forces from the dark world, nodes connecting two realms, reflecting wildly different properties. Some could be used by humans; others were pure disasters.

To reach Baicheng, Lin Xian couldn't take the Hetero-Cube. This small team had to rely solely on their own strength to resist the dark corruption. They were the elite among elites.

As soon as he finished speaking, Lin Xian's eyelid twitched. He suddenly remembered another thing.

He walked to the Twin Star 11R nuclear-powered carriage, opened a lead-sealed box, and retrieved a metal case: the silver-black bullet tip Hu Lushou had given him. He'd thought of it because Hu Lushou claimed it was obtained from other caravans after they were pulled into the Star Abyss.

But Lin Xian didn't believe that story. He had a hunch: this object might be linked to the strange events in the Star Abyss. And since Hu Lushou had carried it without incident, Lin Xian paused, thought briefly, and decided to bring it along.

A 12. mm bullet tip—Lin Xian could instantly convert it into a live round using his Mechanical Manufacturing ability.

"What if it works wonders against strange entities?"

That was Lin Xian's thought.

Outside the Infinite Train, the Silent City exploration team had assembled.

From Longshan No. : Xiang Ningjing, Bai Xiaoqing, and Bai Bai—all wore full-coverage powered armor. Bai Xiaoqing held a gun-blade; each armored wrist carried a hook gun. Bai Bai wore powered armor only for protection and mobility.

From Joker Chedui and Queen Mo's Train: only Qian Dele and Monica. Their teams were small. Qian Dele had Xiao Meng with him; Monica had even fewer personnel—no need to mobilize others.

On Lin Xian's side: Chen Sixuan, clad in the same Black Hawk powered armor, joined him. Kiki and Fire Brother came too, guided by Grace. Everyone else remained to guard the train.

Aside from Lin Xian, Chen Sixuan, and Monica—all wearing Wolf Youlang powered armor—the rest wore the Lone Wolf S tactical armor for safety. All equipment was fully prepared.

At this moment, Shi Di and a large number of combat personnel, along with all members of the Infinity, were fully armed and on high alert; this situation was clearly different from when Grace had departed—these individuals were all humans marked by the Dark Mark, and they could easily shatter the fragile balance of the train position.

Therefore, Lin Xian's plan was to have Kiki carry everyone at once and fly swiftly out of the camp!

"Lin Brother, stay safe. We'll wait for your update."

Shi Di's face was grim; his ability was unsuited for rapid mobility, and the entire train group needed him to remain behind to command. Thus, Lin Xian would not include him in this mission—and with Shi Di here, Lin Xian felt somewhat more at ease.

"Alright, synchronize the time."

Lin Xian adjusted the communication frequency within his powered armor: "Remember, we must not go more than one kilometer away. Within this short range, time dilation differences will occur, severely impairing vision—we must rely primarily on the armor's radar and situational awareness systems."

"It's 9: 5," Chen Sixuan said.

"Received."

Fire Brother clenched his fists, even he couldn't help but breathe faster.

Mo Nika and Qian Dele both nodded in response; everyone stood ready!

Lin Xian took a deep breath and looked at Kiki: "Are you ready?"

Kiki nodded, then her eyes glowed brightly; she raised one hand, and the nine of them, along with 【Grace】, all rose into the air. She gazed toward the dark forest, her gaze sharp.

"Everyone, we depart!"

Whoosh!

In an instant, the team, enveloped in an invisible telekinetic barrier, unleashed a gust of wind and shot skyward, hurtling rapidly across the dark forest toward Baicheng.

At once, strange tremors echoed across the ground; eerie whispers rose repeatedly from the surrounding dark woods. Inside the combined train position, everyone felt the light filtering through the windows dim slightly—a sudden, overwhelming sense of danger surged forth!

"Everyone, be silent! Do not make a sound!"

Shi Di whispered sharply through the communicator.

The hearts of over three thousand people seemed to rise in unison at that moment!

(End of Chapter)