Chapter 88: Hotpot |
The combination of midnight raiders and the encounter with the massive eerie entity had left everyone drenched in cold sweat.
Woo—
The side panels of Carriage No. 5 lowered with a mechanical whirr. Flashlights flickered on, illuminating the devastating scene outside.
Lin Xian and Daluo stepped forward, their expressions darkening.
It was a massacre.
Whoosh! Whoosh!
The blizzard howled as it rushed into the carriage. Lin Xian quickly shut the door connecting Carriage No. 5 to Carriage No. 4 to keep out the freezing wind.
The lights shone onto the flatbed carriages in the back. Among the two vehicles there, only the armored car still resembled its original form. The off-road vehicle, on the other hand, was completely crushed into scrap metal.
The tentacles of the atmospheric jellyfish had swept across the railway, and now the entire raider convoy that had attacked them in the night was annihilated.
The road, the slopes—all covered in blood and wreckage.
The snowstorm was already starting to bury the destruction under a fresh white layer.
Lin Xian tightened his coat and jumped down from the carriage. His gaze swept over the train’s exterior armor, and his face grew grim.
“Good thing we reinforced the roof. Otherwise, we’d be dead.”
Most of the armor plating on the train was deformed, its high-manganese steel surface covered in deep drag marks. Beneath the train, the railway sleepers were completely shattered.
A deep sense of relief settled in Lin Xian’s heart.
If he hadn’t spent two nights in Yuchi City upgrading the armor…
No one would’ve survived tonight.
"Xian-ge, can this still be repaired?"
For the first time, Lin Xian saw fear on Daluo’s usually unfazed face.
Truth be told—even he was shaken.
But something odd struck him.
Ever since he had experienced the fear illusion inside the 1542 Dark Radio frequency—
His fear threshold seemed to have increased.
Now, even after facing this catastrophe, he wasn’t as terrified as before.
"It’s not a big problem," Lin Xian exhaled. "It’ll take time, but that’s better than losing our lives."
In the apocalypse, everything was in short supply.
As long as you weren’t dead, you still had a chance.
"Come on, let’s fix the track. If we run into another disaster, we’ll be trapped here for good."
At that moment, KIKI stepped out of Carriage No. 5 and leapt down lightly into the snow.
"Lin Xian, I’ll help."
Lin Xian raised a brow.
"Aren’t you supposed to be scouting with the drone?"
"Already did. Guess what?"
KIKI pointed to the dark sky.
"After that thing passed through, there’s nothing left alive around here except for us."
Lin Xian's expression darkened.
"That brutal?"
KIKI nodded.
"This thing isn’t on the same level as the eerie entities we’ve seen before. Shasha told me earlier—she saw an Iron Guard Battalion during the day. I think they were sent to deal with this thing."
"A military unit?"
Lin Xian’s face grew more serious.
"Then we need to move fast. If this thing reaches Yubei City, we won’t be able to board the High-Altitude Corridor."
"Exactly why I’m helping," KIKI huffed, wrapping her puffy down jacket tighter around herself.
Shasha had found the coat back in Yuchi City, but the biting wind had still turned her cheeks red.
As she started walking toward the train’s front, Lin Xian suddenly called out—
"Zhao Enqi… That’s a pretty nice name."
KIKI froze mid-step.
She didn’t turn around—just snorted and shot back—
"Nice my ass! I’m KIKI, you turtle bastard!"
And with that, she stomped forward without looking back.
Lin Xian chuckled but didn’t press further.
Her reaction told him one thing—
She remembered what happened while she was unconscious.
Fixing the railway was both simple and complicated.
Lin Xian had plenty of track materials stored in his Mechanical Devourer Space, but the foundation of the railway was destroyed. He’d have to fill in the ground and lay new sleepers.
Instead of wasting time with that, he took the easier approach—
Building a temporary steel framework to hold the tracks in place.
The damaged section wasn’t too long, so it would be enough to let the train pass.
Shiiiiing!
Steel frames and track beams rapidly formed under the precision of Lin Xian’s Mechanical Heart.
Welding, assembling—everything proceeded methodically.
KIKI watched him work, then smirked.
"So, how was it—flying the train that day?"
Lin Xian chuckled helplessly.
"Exhilarating. Never thought we’d go this far."
"If we weren’t crazy, we’d be dead!"
KIKI wrinkled her nose, looking smug.
"You said we’d ‘soar into the sky.’ Well, I helped you take the first step, didn’t I?"
"You did. That was a big contribution."
"Hehe~!"
"But…"
Lin Xian’s gaze swept over the broken tracks ahead. He let out a sigh.
"The night is full of dangers. We haven’t even reached the Planetary Orbital Rail, and we’ve already had two track breaks. This is just going to keep happening. We need a permanent solution."
KIKI lifted a section of track with her Ability, placing it onto the steel framework.
"If we follow your plan, the first step is making the train independent of tracks. The simplest way is converting the wheels into caterpillar treads."
"But that comes with a ton of drawbacks—speed, energy consumption, noise, and maintenance issues."
Lin Xian didn’t argue.
"It’s impossible to solve everything at once.
"The Planetary Orbital Rail’s main lines are still intact, otherwise the Apocalypse Union wouldn’t be able to mobilize their Starfleet Iron Guard Battalions at such a scale.
"Doomsday began only a few months ago.
"Even though humanity is scattered, we’ve been adapting, researching, and uncovering the truth about the eerie threats.
"We’re still hiding and running, but we’re learning more.
"Understanding Soul Wave Values… discovering the true nature of the eerie…
"For now, we don’t have the power to fight back. That’s why we’re fleeing eastward—to survive and grow stronger.
"So whether it’s treads, maglev tech, or wheels—
"If it lets us get past broken tracks, then it’s worth it."
KIKI exhaled.
"I get it now."
"Options are better than no options. Living another day is better than waiting for death."
"Exactly." Lin Xian nodded.
"Survival first."
KIKI grinned and patted his shoulder.
"Then we have to go to Underground City No. 9!"
"Your Mechanical Ability is the key to our future, Train Captain.
"Join the glorious path of mechanical evolution! Hah!"
Lin Xian raised a brow.
"So I’m no longer a ‘bad guy’—I’m your Train Captain now?"
KIKI winked.
"Yep! You’re now officially my personal Train Captain!"
She smirked.
"Take good care of me—I’m putting my life in your hands!"
Lin Xian: …
The heaters were already on.
Despite the deformed armor, the interior was undamaged—still warm and secure.
Outside, the blizzard howled, battering the massive train.
Inside, golden lamplight filled the carriages with warmth.
At the center of it all—
A pot of steaming hotpot.
Chen Sixuan had gathered canned beef, braised pork, preserved vegetables, bamboo shoots, and noodles—throwing them into a giant boiling pot.
The rich aroma of meat filled Carriage No. 1, curling through the air.
She even brought out KIKI’s favorite canned fruit and some red wine from Tang Hai’s loot.
Shasha raised her glass excitedly.
"To Lin-ge’s safe return and KIKI-jie’s recovery—cheers!"
"To survive another day!" Lin Xian added.
"To my Ability Evolution!" KIKI grinned.
Everyone turned to stare at her.
KIKI snorted.
"What? Drink first, talk later!"
"CHEERS!!"
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