Chapter 365: Mechanical Army

Outside Wangyue Zhenji's private residence, rows of mechanical maids continuously brought back and forth an array of exquisitely crafted foods, while inside the hall, the atmosphere was utterly silent.

Everyone turned to Lin Xian with startled glances; even Chen Sixuan looked confused, and beside her, Kiki frowned at him for a long moment before speaking.

"Oh my god, Lin Xian, you're actually planning this? That's brilliant—your guts are growing bigger by the day! Hehe, I'm the first to support you!" Kiki raised her hand high, beaming with enthusiastic approval.

The others wore strange expressions; Qian Suxun across from them fixed his gaze on Lin Xian.

"Lin, are you suggesting you want to compete for the Southern Heaven Gate or the Wangyue Planetary Ring?"

"Oh, don't misunderstand."

Lin Xian smiled slowly; everyone had just begun to relax at these words, but then he swallowed his bite of food and added: "But doesn't it sound worth trying?"

The others: …

"So you're planning to compete with Dawn City and the Phoenix Society?" Qian Dele asked, astonished.

Lin Xian shook his head and smiled: "Actually, I'm just curious about that Sky Veil Curtain—what kind of thing can obscure the entire globe? And more importantly, are Dawn City and the Phoenix Society even certain the Southern Heaven Gate and the Wangyue Planetary Ring still exist?"

Wangyue Zhenji narrowed his eyes and smiled, his sleeves draped as his gaze swept over them: "So this is precisely why Silent City only plans to upgrade and modify the starship system, avoiding any meaningless speculation."

Mo Nika regarded Wangyue Zhenji coolly; all of them had realized that, compared to Dawn City and the Phoenix Society, Silent City resembled more of an independent, nomadic hunter organization. Though Wangyue Zhenji maintained cooperation with the Phoenix Society, his primary goal was strengthening his own power—he was already planning for the worst-case scenario: the entire world's destruction, and how Silent City could survive alone.

"So Silent City will only reach Yongcheng Port and won't head north to meet the Dawn Center, nor prepare to go to the poles?" Shi Di asked.

Wangyue Zhenji nodded slowly, then said:

"Correct. So if you're planning to head to the Dawn Center, you can detour through Jinhai—it'll help you avoid unnecessary trouble. Also, regarding your train…"

He turned to Lin Xian: "Though your use of the superconducting magnetic levitation array achieved a brilliant train leap, such overload maneuvers will inflict severe structural damage. Lin, if you're not considering joining Silent City, you'll definitely need to upgrade your train or replace your vehicle entirely. And with this kind of damage, your concerns about the track will only grow, correct?"

Lin Xian nodded. Wangyue Zhenji was right—the magnetic levitation leap had succeeded, but the damage to the train was substantial, mostly affecting the entire structure, the drive chassis, and metal fatigue from hull deformation. Even if Lin Xian could repair surface damage, the Infinite was assembled from mixed freight and passenger carriages; aside from Carriages 3 and 4, none were new. After a series of heavy blows and two large-scale spatial transfers, hidden flaws had multiplied.

If the Infinite was this bad, the other United Fleet vehicles were worse—hulls cracked, deformed, track wheels torn off, main structures twisted. Optimistically, they'd all survived: none had been ripped apart entering the magnetic levitation tunnel, none had fallen from the sky during spatial transfer. Most had escaped with their lives. But the trains? Their condition was beyond description. Without Silent City's alliance, even after completing the spatial transfer, they'd still be trapped deep in the Luling Forest, with no way out.

Another issue: the track's hidden dangers had reached a point demanding immediate resolution. The more people in his team, the worse the predicament would become. When they were few, with just a few carriages, Kiki could still use her telekinesis to lift them. Now, that was impossible.

Hearing this, Shi Di and Xiang Ningjing both grew solemn. For Longshan No. 1, this was a thorny problem. But Qian Dele and Mo Nika showed no particular tension.

Mo Nika's train had full-terrain capability and was a single integrated structure; it had emerged from the magnetic levitation leap in the best condition, its armor even intact—proving that expensive truly meant superior. Qian Dele, however, had no such worries—he didn't care whether it was a train or a car; he now relished the comfort of not having to drive himself. Thus, he was the only one genuinely interested in joining Silent City—though upon hearing their next plans, he immediately lost interest.

"Yeah, I was just thinking how to make the train fly—but the Sky Veil Curtain's up there, so staying on the ground seems safer. Does that leave me with only one option?" Lin Xian said.

Silent City, besides its main city and No. 2 metropolis, had four small circular floating cities, used not only for habitation but also as lift engines and strategic extension platforms for the main city.

Previously, Wangyue Zhenji had planned to gift one to Lin Xian, but now Lin Xian realized such a thing was meaningless. Even Silent City dared not risk ascending lightly. Other flying vehicles were far less reliable than ground travel—on the ground, you could still flee; in the air, you only had a crash.

"Full-terrain?" Qian Suxun smiled at him: "We can modify it for you. That's not difficult for Silent City."

"No."

Lin Xian looked earnestly at Qian Suxun and Wangyue Zhenji: "Is it possible that this train could safely travel and dock on the planetary orbit, yet leap over terrain in emergencies—capable of high-altitude off-road mobility like a full-terrain base vehicle, sail across water if the orbital track breaks, dive deep underwater to ride ocean currents during storms or tsunamis, and if the Sky Veil Curtain is ever breached, ascend into the sky, cross the Kármán line, and join the interstellar fleet to reach the Wangyue Planetary Ring?"

Silence.

The moment Lin Xian finished speaking, the room fell utterly still. Everyone, including Qian Suxun, stared at him in stunned silence. Even Mo Nika looked at him with a complex expression, as if this man were utterly inscrutable.

Roads, railways, off-road, sailing, diving, aviation—it sounded more complex than Silent City itself. Was he designing a transforming spaceship?

"Little Brother Lin…" Shi Di stared at him in astonishment: "Is that thing even still a train?"

"I never said I wanted to build a train," Lin Xian replied calmly. "The world's like this now—vehicles must be designed with multiple functions."

Chen Sixuan turned to him, eyes wide, whispering: "You're planning to dive underwater?"

Lin Xian whispered back: "The fastest way to South America is via the Oceanic Track. If danger arises, you can't just go up—you've got to go down too."

"Going up is easy, but going down is trickier," Kiki added. "Even starships can't dive. Sounds impossible."

Lin Xian smiled at Wangyue Zhenji, his expression expectant.

This man was the world's top mechanical genius, now fused with a quantum brain. Though Silent City's scale couldn't match the Interstellar Army or Starlight Heavy Industries, Lin Xian knew he'd asked the right person for creativity—he unhesitatingly laid out his entire vision, eager to see the reaction.

But Wangyue Zhenji's expression remained calm as he studied Lin Xian, a faint smile curling at his lips. He examined Lin Xian as if evaluating him—or perhaps recalling something.

At that moment, the elderly man dozing and fishing far outside the window suddenly spoke in a hoarse voice:

"What an interesting idea~"

"Indeed interesting," Wangyue Zhenji said to the old man.

Then he turned to Lin Xian: "That was his childhood dream—a ship capable of anything. Commercially, developing such a vehicle is meaningless."

"But he… still built Silent City, didn't he?"

Lin Xian gazed at the old man's back through the window and smiled: "A mobile city for sea, land, and air—with such massive tracks, he never imagined they'd ever be useful. Money really does let you be reckless."

"Technology and materials keep advancing," Wangyue Zhenji stood and said. "For example, interstellar-grade battle armor already achieves this: aerial flight, underwater diving, full-terrain mobility, and heavy firepower. But size is the limit—the larger the vehicle, the harder it is to balance all functions. The Phoenix Society's super-large mecha project is constrained by this too—if not, their mecha wouldn't be a hundred meters tall, but a kilometer."

"That would truly let you face S-class monsters head-on," Lin Xian said.

"Silent City lacks the capability to build medium or larger starships. We can only upgrade your train with full-terrain drive systems. But…"

"Lin."

Wangyue Zhenji fixed his gaze on Lin Xian, his expression suddenly serious yet smiling: "Jinhai has the world's largest orbital train production line. I know there's something there you'll find extremely interesting."

"What is it?"

"It's a… train being built by Dawn City in collaboration with Linglong Group—a 5, 00-megawatt 【Stellar-Drive】 nuclear power core, equipped with aerial lift engines and star propulsion, plus magnetic levitation track wheels with adhesive grip. Quite interesting…"

"5, 00 megawatts? That's still called a train?" Lin Xian was stunned. Hearing the name Linglong Group, he and Chen Sixuan both turned to Kiki.

Back in Yijin City, that woman Tang Yun had mentioned Jinhai was constructing an Eternal-class train—but what kind of "Eternal-class" needed a 5, 00-megawatt core?

"Dawn City's building starships to escape—why build this?" Qian Dele couldn't help asking.

"Same goal as the Phoenix Society," Qian Suxun smiled. "Dawn City's starport can't build large starships—only dock them. Starlight Heavy Industries' starship base, Yongcheng Port, is occupied by the Phoenix Society. So they're forced to use Jinhai's shipyard to build medium starships. But… starships can carry only so many people."

"So they're building a flying train?" Shi Di frowned. "Are these people insane?"

"They're clever," Mo Nika replied, her eyes clear and analytical. "Forget whether they can break through the Sky Veil Curtain—first, their starships can carry less than 5% of the population. Heavy industry remains under Phoenix Society control. To prevent the remaining 90% from rebelling, Dawn City needs a 'concept' to pacify the masses. I suspect that even if built, the ticket price will be beyond their reach."

"No wonder you're the eldest daughter of the Cardia family, Miss Mo Nika. You clearly understand the Federation's politics well," Wangyue Zhenji said.

Mo Nika lifted her gaze slightly: "I'm just used to thinking with their nauseatingly habitual logic."

Wangyue Zhenji smiled: "You're right."

"That project is called the Interstellar Ark Train, designated by Dawn City as 'Celestial-Class.' It's a mega-vehicle designed to hold over a million people. But in truth, its purpose is likely to serve as Dawn City's supply transport vessel—and as their 'fourth contingency plan' after the city walls, underground cities, and starships."

"They've thought it through," Lin Xian said, arms crossed. "If Dawn City and its underground cities fall, they can use this train to break through the darkness, like the Phoenix Society, buying time for a final gamble?"

"That's exactly what I and Zhenji believe," Qian Suxun said. "But according to our intel, construction is under 15%. Miss Mo Nika is right—the project's conceptual and political significance far outweighs its practical value."

"So they want a mobile floating city like Silent City?" Chen Sixuan said.

"Well…" Qian Suxun sipped his tea thoughtfully. "We don't wish to conflict with Dawn City. But Dawn City has long eyed Yongcheng Port. The Phoenix Society's garrison there will gradually withdraw. So when we arrive, we'll inevitably have to deal with both Dawn City and the Phoenix Society."

"Well…" Qian Suxun sipped his tea thoughtfully. "We don't want to clash with Dawn City, but Dawn City has been watching Yongcheng Port closely. The Phoenix Society's garrison will gradually withdraw, so if we go there, we can't avoid dealing with both Dawn City and the Phoenix Society."

Wangyue Zhenji turned to Lin Xian: "When we reach Jinhai, perhaps I can modify that thing into what you want—as a little surprise for you. How about it?"

Wangyue Shiji said to Lin Xian: "Once we reach Jinhai, maybe I can use this to build something you want—a little surprise for you. What do you say?"

"Didn't you just say you don't want to conflict with Dawn City?" Kiki rested her chin on her hand, glancing between Qian Suxun and Wangyue Zhenji. "Taking that would be equivalent to declaring war on Dawn City."

Wangyue Zhenji narrowed his eyes and smiled: "You don't need to steal it to obtain it. What I truly need is a construction platform—Silent City is still too small. What you want won't be limited to this scale. Besides, I'm not afraid of conflict with Dawn City. Frankly, they just gave us a major problem themselves…"

As he spoke, Wangyue Zhenji's nanoscopic pupils slowly converged, a faint but sharp edge of intent flashing through his smile—then vanishing instantly.

At 4: 0 a. ., the night wind rose. The simple banquet ended. The group left the He Feng Hall and stepped onto the deck—but Lin Xian was kept behind by Wangyue Zhenji.

The others stepped outside, their expressions complex. From Wangyue Zhenji's words, it seemed Dawn City had deep ties to the Crimson World. Jinhai was Dawn City's Star Abyss forward base and heavy industry hub—passing through it safely wouldn't be easy.

Shi Di and Xiang Ningjing were discussing: "Silent City will dock at Yongcheng Port. Should we upgrade our full-terrain drive and head north from Jinhai?"

"What a pity," Qian Dele sighed, overhearing them. "I was hoping to just ride this big tree all the way—but they're not sticking around."

"So what? Their goal is to reach space. If you really want to, you could just stay here instead of traveling nonstop," Mo Nika said.

Qian Dele clicked his tongue, frowning: "I'd rather see the sun for a few more months…"

"What do you think, Commander Chen?" Xiang Ningjing turned to Chen Sixuan.

Chen Sixuan replied directly: "We don't want to enter Dawn City—we've had conflicts with the Federation before. But Lin Xian's immediate priority is solving vehicle issues. It all depends on when that can be resolved."

"Honestly, right now we can only follow Silent City. Everyone's vehicles need repairs. After all this fighting, we need at least two nights of rest," Kiki said.

"Oh come on," Kiki spoke up. "Right now we can only follow Silent City for now. Everyone's vehicles need a lot of repairs. After fighting so long, we ought to rest properly for two nights."

Then she told the group: "Let's each return to handle our fleet matters. Use communicators if anything happens."

"Alright," Qian Dele stretched. "I'm going to explore that mechanical city. Haven't been around zombies in ages—this kind of life won't last."

Mo Nika nodded, gave a cool farewell gesture, glanced toward the tower, then turned and left.

Inside the He Feng Hall, only Wangyue Zhenji and Lin Xian remained.

At that moment, a female robot approached, holding a tray with two items: one was a digital life's consciousness memory core, the other a glowing blue photonic storage device.

At that moment, a female robot stepped forward, holding a tray with two items: one was the consciousness memory core of a digital life, the other a photon storage device emitting a blue glow.

"Don't misunderstand," Wangyue Zhenji said. "This consciousness memory core is empty—it's the largest-capacity memory currently manufacturable. You just need to upload your consciousness via a brain-machine interface. You've built Crimson World's brain-machine devices before—this won't be hard for you. As for this one… you'll find it very interesting."

"Don't misunderstand—this consciousness memory core is empty. It's the largest-capacity memory currently manufacturable in this world. You just need to upload your consciousness via a brain-machine interface to use it. You've already built brain-machine devices for the Crimson World, so this shouldn't be hard for you. And this other item… should be something you'll find very interesting."

Wangyue Zhenji gestured. Lin Xian reached out, took it, and placed it on the wooden table.

Instantly, the table's sensor glowed, locking the device. A holographic screen appeared above it—filled with countless drone blueprints.

"Thunder Prison" Ultra-High Voltage Magnetic Storm Drone: releases ultra-high-voltage arc pulses.

"Destroyer" Self-Destructing Swarm Drone.

"Ice Burst 166" Equipped with liquid helium mist injectors; freezes targets then triggers high-frequency vibrations to shatter them.

"Iron Rain" Ultra-High-Speed Kinetic Strike Drone: carries tungsten alloy kinetic rounds, pulse-accelerated over short distances, reaching instantaneous speeds of 6 Mach.

"Iron Curtain" Microwave Plasma Defense Shield Robot: also features heavy armor for ballistic protection…

Beyond these attack drones, there were numerous engineering drones.

"Ant-7" Nanotech 3D Printing Construction Robot: melts and fuses liquid alloy, constructs continuously for 24 hours.

"Steel Vein" Pipeline/Circuit Laying Robot: equipped with plasma cutters, autonomously plans energy networks.

Steel Vein pipeline/circuit laying robot, equipped with a plasma cutter, autonomously plans the energy network.

"Sanitation Unit 006," a cleaning robot responsible for road cleaning and waste disposal, capable of shredding and converting organic waste.

"Hive Guardian," tasked with monitoring building structures...

"Silver Shuttle-A," a transport robot with magnetic levitation cargo containers for automatic loading and unloading...

"Sentry 03a," equipped with radar and infrared penetration...

Before Lin Xian's eyes appeared blueprints of countless drones with myriad functional systems—including medical, agricultural, educational, and psychological service robots—all identical to the fluidly operating humanoid machines he had seen in the Baicheng West Mountain bunker. Wang Yue Shinji had relied on this vast swarm of drones to rapidly excavate an underground fortress, while simultaneously managing and maintaining the entire operation of Silent City and the safe daily lives of its hundred thousand residents!

Seeing Lin Xian's astonished gaze, Wang Yue Shinji said seriously:

"As a mechanical adept, I've run extensive simulations of your ability. I've concluded that, though I don't know your growth ceiling, what you most need is a vast drone swarm and an AI brain network to coordinate and dispatch them—only then can you unleash your full potential. When you entered the West Mountain bunker, I noticed you observing every drone. I deduced this was what you wanted."

"It's unpleasant being figured out—but you're the exception. You're not human."

Lin Xian stared at the dazzling blueprints before him and said gravely: he had come here intending to request these blueprints, but Wang Yue Shinji had understood his intent even better than he had—and had already prepared them in advance.

Wang Yue Shinji merely smiled at him and said: "You already have the AI brain. Now you can create your own... based on your needs."

"Mechanical army!"

(End of Chapter)