Chapter 70: Armor 10!

Beep, beep~

The watch’s alert sounded again.

The setting sun gradually sank; as planned, the building vehicle drove again into the pedestrian street, drawing the attention of many zombies.

Meanwhile, Lin Xian took advantage of the empty streets, sprinted directly into the square, placed a battery beside the road, and arranged a loudspeaker and several large lamps in a circular pattern around the plaza, with the loudspeaker connected to wires and positioned at the center.

At the same time, he followed the predetermined route, laying tripwires and animal traps—things he could rapidly fabricate with a mere gesture.

Swish-swish-swish!

In a narrow alley, Lin Xian sprinted forward, used his wind gun to eliminate several zombies blocking his path, and continuously set specialized traps in corners and tight spaces.

Even at one exit, he placed a spiked wall hanging high above the wall, using gravity to flip it downward, revealing rows of sharp sawteeth.

These were all relatively simple devices; Lin Xian’s goal wasn’t to defeat the anomalies with them, but to buy himself time to escape.

This was his first time actively confronting an anomaly—he had to be extremely cautious.

After finishing all preparations, Lin Xian rushed to the roadside and saw the building’s off-road vehicle charging toward him, dragging a massive horde of zombies.

Screech~

The off-road vehicle braked sharply; Lin Xian leapt into the passenger seat, and the building stomped the accelerator, speeding rapidly toward the city’s edge.

To avoid bringing trouble back to the station, the building drove the off-road vehicle onto the main road, took several detours, and only returned to Yuchichi Station along a side path after shaking off the bulk of the zombies.

The off-road vehicle was reloaded, and back in the carriage, Chen Sixuan and Shasha rode their motorcycles back along the railway, headlights glowing in the distance.

Chen Sixuan took off her helmet as soon as she stepped down and said, “We didn’t dare go far, but we found that special branch line—it’s newly built, and since we had no tools, we didn’t switch the points.”

“It’s fine.”

Lin Xian nodded. “Since it’s newly built, it was probably meant for the underground city. We’ll reroute once we get there. You two get on board.”

Next, he and the building continued installing the remaining carriage roof armor, while Chen Sixuan and Shasha organized the day’s loot inside the carriage.

In Carriage 1 and Carriage 2, Lin Xian used his Mechanical Heart to fabricate metal storage cabinets; Carriages 3 and 4 were primarily cargo containers—originally used by Tang Hai’s convoy for storage—and to prevent supplies from scattering, Lin Xian added mesh partitions.

Only after upgrading the armor could Lin Xian free up time to reorganize the interior, overhaul the water system, and so on.

All of this needed to be done step by step.

【Success in consumption: +20 Mechanical Source Points, +10 proficiency in Mechanical Consumption, bonus reward: Strength +1, Speed +1!】

【Success in consumption: +20 Mechanical Source Points, +10 proficiency in Mechanical Consumption, bonus reward: Defense +1】

【Success in consumption: +15 Mechanical Source Points, +8 proficiency in Mechanical Consumption, bonus reward: Defense +1】

【Decomposition: Obtained 50 units of high-manganese steel, 50 units of hot-rolled forged steel, 15 units of cold-rolled dual-phase steel plate, 100 units of ordinary carbon steel, non-metallic foam material, non-metallic composite material…】

Lin Xian decomposed and consumed the freight train carriages while simultaneously fabricating the armored roof.

A single fifteen-ton freight carriage yielded nearly as many Mechanical Source Points as a car—truly a solid lump of iron. Fortunately, Lin Xian only needed the materials, and since such large structures were simple, consuming them didn’t take long.

【Congratulations! Mechanical Consumption skill upgraded to Level 3!】

At this point, his Mechanical Consumption also received an upgrade, greatly increasing efficiency—he could now finish a vacant carriage in less than half an hour.

【Current Mechanical Heart Level: lv.2 (525/1000)】

【Tip: Upgrading the Mechanical Heart grants special skill rewards. At lv.3, lv.6, and lv.9, you will gain a mysterious awakening.】

Strength Level: 2【73%】 (Explosive power: 200 kg class)

Speed Level: 1【93%】 (Maximum: 10 m/s)

Defense Level: 1【76%】 (Hardened Bones, Resilient Skin)

【Mechanical Awakening】: Not awakened

Mechanical Consumption: 3 (15/1000) — Increases consumption efficiency

Mechanical Fabrication: 2 (120/500) — Increases construction efficiency; Passive: Scan/Repair/Decompose

【Special Skills】

Wind Cannon (Common) (Level 2, 86%)

Ice Shield (Common) (Level 1, 69%)

Flashback (Rare) (Level 1, 30%)

Clang~ Clang!

Inside and outside the train, work on vehicle preparation was in full swing. With the final armored roof welded into place, the entire “Infinite,” except for the rear flatcar, was now completely covered in black armor, radiating a formidable aura in the night like a steel fortress!

“Use the tank’s armor material combined with tungsten-titanium alloy to forge the front ice-breaking shield.”

At the front of the Whale 03e heavy gas turbine locomotive, Lin Xian and the building began preparing the most critical front shield.

Loud metallic clangs rang continuously; light glowed in Lin Xian’s palms, and vast quantities of metal surged forth, condensing, shaping, forging, and assembling into one unified structure!

Ding-ding-ding! Metal forging progressed—the heavy ice-breaking shield gradually took form.

The ice-breaking shield weighed over five tons; Lin Xian and the building spent over an hour with a crane before finally securing it in place.

“Now the roof, wings, wheel flanges, and front—all covered. Finally, it looks like an armored train.”

Lin Xian wiped away a bead of sweat, gazing at the colossal masterpiece now parked at the platform, and felt a deep sense of accomplishment.

!

Not only had the armor been upgraded, but the train’s total weight had increased dramatically—if they encountered that white giant again, Lin Xian estimated it wouldn’t be able to budge the train.

But the downside was that such immense weight made it nearly impossible for Kiki to use her ability to lift the front cars.

Unless her ability could evolve and upgrade.

“Building, get on board and rest for a bit.”

Checking the time, it was already past five in the morning; the two had worked unconsciously through most of the night.

“How’s Kiki?”

Lin Xian entered Carriage 1 and saw that Chen Sixuan and Shasha had neatly organized the interior—he instantly felt a wave of relief.

Outside, the entire train was fully armored; inside, the living space was growing richer. The fortress train was taking clearer shape.

“Still not awake.”

Chen Sixuan walked over, continuously wiping Kiki’s face with a towel, her expression filled with worry. “I think she’s having nightmares—she’s been sweating nonstop.”

Lin Xian came over and rechecked Kiki’s eyes—the black ink-like substance had begun spreading again. He frowned.

“It seems the anomaly blood essence isn’t enough.”

“But we don’t know exactly how much we need…”

Lin Xian exhaled slowly. “If we get a chance to obtain a few more, we’ll keep one to activate the Dark Radio and try to trade with others.”

The “Infinite” still had plenty of supplies; trading would be safer and more reliable, and might even yield useful information. Otherwise, blindly using anomaly blood essence might not be the solution at all.

Chen Sixuan nodded, looking at Lin Xian.

“When are we leaving?”

Lin Xian grabbed a bottle of water and drank half of it in large gulps. “Rest for a bit—I’ll regain some strength. I still need to finish the capacitor and transformer. It’s safest to wait until dawn.”

His speed attribute was nearly ready to break through, and the GK03 electric blade wasn’t finished yet. There was still plenty of time before dawn, so for safety’s sake, Lin Xian decided to prepare thoroughly before departing.

New author seeking follows and monthly votes.

After the book launches on December 1st, I’ll post massive updates—don’t save this book. Flip straight to the last chapter every time a new one drops.

(End of Chapter)