In the deep night at Yu Chi Station, a heavy train underwent armor maintenance under several bright spotlights.
After completing the welding for the roof armor of one carriage, Lin Xian had to rest for a bit. There were still at least three days left until the polar night’s arrival. Once they left Yu Chi and passed Mount Daluo, they would be entering Yubei’s territory. After days of relentless sprinting, the team had temporarily gained a safe distance from their pursuers.
15:05, the sky brightened.
At Yu Chi Station, the Infinite Train now had half of its carriages covered with roof armor. Lin Xian had also found time to install wheel-wing plates on two of the train's leading carriages. These plates were relatively simple to make and didn’t require much steel.
The heavy locomotive was now more than halfway clad in black armor, exuding a thick, unyielding aura of steel. Lin Xian and Big Luo had worked tirelessly throughout the night, nearly exhausting themselves, and still hadn’t completed the work.
In Car 1, Lin Xian and Big Luo entered one after the other. Shasha sat with a radio in her lap, keeping an eye on KIKI, while Chen Sixuan was cooking at the iron table Lin Xian had crafted. Using a portable stove, she had prepared a pot of soup and another of braised canned pork.
The aroma inside the carriage was mouthwatering. On the table were additional food items scavenged from Tang Hai’s outpost, including cola and canned fruit. Lin Xian, drenched in sweat, grabbed a can of cola, popped it open with a hiss, and gulped down half. The cool, sweet fizz gave him an instant sense of refreshment.
"More zombies have gathered outside," Shasha said, pulling back the blackout curtains to peer outside. Drawn by the sounds of welding and construction, zombies were approaching the train. Shasha chuckled, "Without those bigger monsters, these zombies seem almost laughable."
The sound of claws scraping against the carriage walls grew louder.
"Don’t worry," Lin Xian said calmly, gazing out the window. "Once we’ve got enough materials, I’ll armor the entire Infinite Train with tungsten-titanium alloy. Those beasts won’t stand a chance."
The armored fortress was gradually taking shape. With improved mechanical manufacturing capabilities and more advanced blueprints, the train could be further perfected.
Chen Sixuan, glancing nervously outside, relaxed when she saw the zombies posing no threat to the train. She turned her attention back to cooking. After last night’s intense battle, Lin Xian and Big Luo had worked all night, so she took advantage of this rare pause to prepare some hot food for everyone.
In Car 1, the hot air system kicked in, quickly warming the carriage. Though the system consumed a lot of power and caused some water loss, it was necessary to combat the cold, especially with KIKI still unconscious.
"Wow, it smells amazing~" Shasha exclaimed, her eyes fixed longingly on the stove. "It’s been ages since I’ve eaten ."
"Did you and your brother start running after the first polar night?" Lin Xian asked, sipping his cola.
Shasha shook her head, her expression dimming.
"Even earlier than that. After it was just the two of us, we kept running... and running."
"That’s impressive," Chen Sixuan remarked. "For someone so young to have the courage to flee. Unlike me—I hid in my house for almost two months."
Lin Xian chuckled, "Your pantry must’ve been well-stocked to last that long."
"You’re teasing me again! At first, a lot of people brought me supplies…" she muttered, glancing at Lin Xian before focusing back on stirring the soup.
The topic wasn’t exactly a pleasant one. Those who had fawned over her when the apocalypse began were often the same ones who later scorned her when survival took precedence.
"Lin-ge, I think your ability is the best in the world!" Shasha exclaimed, eyes wide with admiration. "You can create such a massive steel fortress out of thin air—you’re like a god to me!"
"Sweet talk like that," Lin Xian teased, "is just your way of angling for an extra piece of meat, isn’t it?"
"Hehe~" Shasha giggled mischievously but then pouted. "Too bad KIKI is asleep. She won’t get to eat her favorite canned fruit today."
"Lin Xian, I feel like KIKI’s condition is more serious this time," Chen Sixuan said, frowning as she brought over the pot of soup. She was genuinely worried about their teammate, who had gone through so much with them.
"I can tell," Lin Xian nodded. "We’ll need more eerie blood crystals to help her recover. Plus, the Dark Radio and Soul Wave Detector both require them too."
Eerie blood crystals were proving to be invaluable resources.
"Later, we’ll head into Yu Chi City in two groups. Chen Sixuan and I will go to the city’s power substation. Big Luo, you and your sister head to the electronics mall," Lin Xian instructed.
Big Luo nodded, while Shasha asked eagerly, "Lin-ge, what exactly should we grab? I’ll fill the car to the brim!"
"Anything we can use," Lin Xian replied firmly. "Anything electrical or mechanical, preferably in working condition. Apart from that, focus on living supplies. We need more blankets and warm clothing, as well as utensils and cookware."
He didn’t expect to find weapons or a large stash of food—those would have been scavenged long ago. However, for Lin Xian, even seemingly useless appliances could be devoured to power his ability. He could even set up a proper kitchen and laundry facilities on the train—luxuries unimaginable for most survivor convoys.
"Got it!" Shasha replied enthusiastically.
"Are we staying here tonight?" Chen Sixuan asked.
Lin Xian thought for a moment. "If nothing goes wrong, we’ll stay until I finish installing all the armor and the icebreaker shields. I also want to assess KIKI’s condition."
In truth, Lin Xian wanted to wait until nightfall.
Without eerie blood crystals, the Dark Radio was useless, leaving the Infinite Train in silent isolation—dangerous for their journey through Mount Daluo and Yubei City. Moreover, KIKI’s recovery likely required the energy from eerie blood crystals.
Lin Xian was considering taking Big Luo to actively hunt eerie entities during the night. The large blood crystal from the white giant had clearly been extraordinary—either from absorbing Tang Hai’s ability or due to the giant’s own level of power.
If luck was on their side, they might encounter weaker entities that they could handle. However, the thought of actively seeking out such dangers sent a chill down Lin Xian’s spine. What kind of survivors would dare to do such a thing?
"By tomorrow morning at the latest," Lin Xian concluded. "If daylight breaks at 16:05, we’ll have three hours to take the southern route through Mount Daluo. If that doesn’t work, we’ll head straight to Yubei or backtrack to the northern route."
Chen Sixuan nodded, approving of Lin Xian’s plan.
With Kiki unconscious, an extra day of rest at Yu Chi Station would be beneficial. Since leaving Jiang City, the group had barely stopped running. Even their brief reprieve at Beiwang Station had lasted less than a day. The train still needed significant repairs.
Now that Lin Xian was reinforcing the armor, the train’s safety was reaching new heights.