Chapter 50: Blasting Into the Skies!
【Scanning complete. Blueprint retrieval failed. Target core drive source does not exist. Unable to generate blueprint information.】
«Of course…»
Lin Xian turned on his flashlight, stared at the massive humanoid mech before him, his face filled with regret.
«Pity. Can only consume it. But the materials recovered from this thing should be decent.»
Unable to repair, unable to scan the blueprint—the best option was to turn it into nourishment for Lin Xian’s Mechanical Heart.
He turned off the flashlight, stood up, surveyed the dark wilderness around him, confirmed it was safe, then sat down and began focusing on consuming the giant machine.
【Consumption progress: 1%】
【Consumption progress: 3%】
Lin Xian watched the progress bar and estimated it would take several hours to finish.
The long night passed slowly, until finally, it was done.
【Consumption successful. Mechanical Source Point +100. Mechanical Consumption skill proficiency +40. Bonus reward: Strength +2, Speed +1, Defense +1!】
At that moment, a flash of purple light suddenly appeared before his eyes!
【Congratulations! You have received a bonus skill: Flash Step!】
【Flash Step (Rare): Use wind momentum to perform a rapid forward thrust. Upgrading this skill greatly increases speed and thrust distance.】
«Holy shit, a rare skill—but the name sounds kinda…»
Lin Xian was overjoyed. This was his first rare skill, and it appeared to be some kind of movement or displacement technique—dramatically boosting his mobility.
«I wonder how powerful it is…»
He opened his decomposition space and stared at the metal materials inside, his eyes brightening further.
【Decomposition: Due to Mechanical Consumption, you obtained Tungsten-Titanium Alloy Type I *5, High-Manganese Steel *10, Forged Inner Armor Steel *3, Titanium Alloy *3…】
«Tungsten-Titanium Alloy Type I? You don’t find this stuff on the civilian market.»
Lin Xian was stunned. This military-grade material could only be found on high-end military armor—ordinary firearms didn’t use it at all.
Thud-thud-thud~
At that moment, crisp footsteps echoed through the darkness.
«Who’s there?»
«Me.» Kiki stepped slowly from behind the vehicle, grinning at him.
Lin Xian had just been about to consume the tank. Seeing her, he asked, «What do you want?»
«Uh…» Kiki’s expression turned slightly awkward. «I came to thank you.»
Lin Xian raised an eyebrow and smiled faintly.
«And?»
«Thank you for letting me stay in Car 2, and for saving me earlier.» Kiki spoke softly.
«It’s nothing.» Lin Xian walked over to the heavy TFV600 twin-barrel tank, placed his hand on it, activated his Mechanical Consumption, and said to her, «Whether it was that giant insect or the military outpost this time, we’d be dead without your help.»
Lin Xian hadn’t expected Kiki to come speak to him like this. His heart eased—he’d been conflicted before.
On one hand, Kiki’s ability had been crucial in both escapes; on the other, he still harbored caution toward her immense power.
But Kiki didn’t know Lin Xian’s thoughts. Hearing his words, her face brightened slightly, and suddenly she reached out her hand.
«Then… take this.»
Lin Xian saw a small silver object in her palm. He took it and examined it—it was a miniature portable hard drive. «What’s this?»
«Initial data from the Angel Project. I copied everything. Also, I found a blueprint for the GK03 electric knife in old archives. I know you always carry that broken knife—can’t you make stuff? Want to try this one?»
«But the materials for this might be tricky—you’d need high-frequency current transformers and such…»
Lin Xian froze slightly. Though his mechanical ability made carrying a knife purely out of necessity, the name…
Holy hell—GK03 electric knife?!
This was an absolute treasure!!
He’d seen it before on military forums—it was a close-combat standard-issue weapon developed by Kehua Heavy Industry for the Interstellar Iron Guard Corps. Issued in tiny numbers, it faced criticism over energy consumption and practicality, and the project was eventually shelved.
But let’s be honest—it was damn cool. Used in combat, or even slightly modified using its electric blade principle, it might prove incredibly useful for his train!
Seeing Lin Xian’s eager gaze, Kiki tilted her head curiously. «So… can we make peace?»
Lin Xian found it amusing. He took the hard drive, weighed it in his hand, and looked at Kiki. «You mean about you stealing my bread?»
«And ambushing you.»
Kiki giggled. «Also, I don’t think your plan is boring anymore—I think it’s brilliant!»
«Oh?» Lin Xian frowned, his tone thoughtful. «Aren’t you the heir to a Level Two investor of the Dawn Project? Why are you suddenly supporting my plan?»
!
Kiki took a deep breath. «I know you think I’m lying again, but the Dawn Project is real. My identity is real. My… father and I took a helicopter to Mount Dala, which was apparently Dawn Project’s Underground City No. 9. But after the first Polar Night, the Federation government collapsed. The Dawn Project must’ve been affected too. And if it were me, I wouldn’t want to be buried underground, waiting for monsters to knock on my door every day.»
«Sounds sincere.»
«Really!» Kiki looked exasperated. «I’m not lying this time—I swear.» She raised three fingers.
Lin Xian nodded. «Then do you know why I designed this train plan, even with all the problems you worry about?»
«Isn’t it because of your mechanical ability?» Kiki ventured.
«That’s a subjective factor, not an objective one.»
Lin Xian tapped his fingers on the tank, his expression grave. «You might think I’m delusional. I’ve heard the Dawn Federation’s analysis of the Polar Night on the radio. My view is—we all might ultimately be unable to escape the darkness.»
After the Federation government collapsed, the new Dawn Federation formed—a coalition of the last remaining national powers. At that time, survivors could still receive rescue and defense messages via long-wave radio. But after the Polar Night, perhaps due to proximity to Star Abyss No. 3, they stopped receiving any such signals.
«Can’t escape? Then why build a train?» Kiki looked puzzled.
Lin Xian’s face turned icy. «The Jiang City vanguard detachment escaped eastward, avoiding the darkness and reaching dawn earlier—that’s useful data. But what if the source of the Polar Night isn’t ordinary nightfall? What if the Dark Tide isn’t something you can outrun just by heading east? I’ll give you an example: if we leave Jiang City, every 300 kilometers we advance, dawn comes one hour earlier. So, what if we’re 3,000 kilometers east? Do we stop running? According to initial Polar Night observations—if it’s caused by Star Abysses—should the people in Mo City, No. 4 Star Abyss, 15,600 kilometers northeast of us, run west or east?»
Kiki’s eyes lit up. «Oh! So you’re planning a circumstellar orbit—because it’s far from all the Star Abysses, or at least their edges!»
«Exactly.» Lin Xian said directly. «Now tell me—if Star Abyss No. 3 expands at 300 kilometers per day from Dingzhou, how long would it take to cover the entire Blue Planet?»
Kiki frowned. «Let me calculate…»
«No need. 1,066 days.»
«That long?»
«Long?» Lin Xian’s gaze turned heavy. «Have you forgotten—there are thirteen Star Abysses on the Blue Planet?»
«Oh right~» Kiki’s brow furrowed.
Lin Xian’s eyes sharpened as he spoke clearly: «The circumstellar orbit is fixed—it can’t escape the spread of the Star Abysses. So this is my first-phase concept. But my mechanical ability isn’t just meant to race along the orbit—I want this train to break free from the rails entirely. One day… I want to make it fly!»
At these words, Kiki’s eyes widened. She stared blankly at Lin Xian, her pupils filled with shock. His bold idea left her mind utterly empty.
She couldn’t imagine what it would look like—a fully armed heavy train blasting into the sky!
Seeing her silent, Lin Xian continued: «I don’t fully understand the specifics. No one knows the true cause of the Polar Night. We’ll inevitably enter the Dark Tide zones during our escape. So if we don’t want to just wait to die, we must either outrun dawn…»
«Or defeat the night!»
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(End of chapter)
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