Chapter 15: Devouring the Large Freezers

Huang Jie, his eyes bloodshot, stood up abruptly, disengaged the safety on his gun, and fired a burst directly at the windshield! Ratatatat! Sparks flew, and stray bullets ricocheted wildly, but the windshield remained completely unscathed. What Huang Jie didn’t know was that the Whale 03E Heavy Gas Turbine Locomotive was the first-generation locomotive designed for the Planetary Orbital Rail. With a top speed of 450km/h, its windshield was made from a specialized composite fiber combined with high-strength glass—ordinary rifle bullets posed little to no threat to it. "Keep it down, for f***’s sake!!" The deafening gunshots echoed throughout the freight platform, enraging his older brother, Huang Zhaojian, who barked at him, "Are you trying to get us killed? If you attract those monsters, we’re all dead!" "But, bro... there’s a chick in there!" Huang Jie, now desperate, kept swallowing hard as he stared into the train, unable to take his eyes off Chen Sixuan, who had ducked out of sight. His face was full of frustration. Huang Zhaojian climbed up as well, stealing a glance through the window. The sight of Chen Sixuan made his pupils contract, and a flicker of greed flashed through his eyes. Still, he quickly masked it and forced a stern expression. "Don’t rush it. She can’t run. Once we deal with that guy and get the train keys, everything will be ours!" "Right, right!" Huang Jie nodded repeatedly, his heated gaze once again falling on the carriage interior. When he couldn’t spot Chen Sixuan, he spitefully spat at the window. "Little beauty, just you wait..." As he was about to leave, he suddenly stopped, an obscene grin spreading across his face. He unzipped his pants and shamelessly relieved himself on the train window, indulging in a twisted sense of satisfaction before finally walking off with his gun. Inside the freezer, Lin Xian listened to Chen Sixuan’s updates about the situation outside, his eyes flashing with cold determination. "Ignore them. Just rest in the No. 1 carriage. If you’re hungry, eat something," he instructed calmly. "Lin Xian..." Chen Sixuan’s voice trembled. "You’re not going to be in trouble, are you?" "I won’t," Lin Xian replied evenly. Putting away the walkie-talkie, Lin Xian focused on the freezer’s interior. After completing the blueprint scan of the commercial freezer, he placed his hand on it and began mechanical devouring without wasting another second. 【Devouring Progress: 1%】 As soon as the progress bar appeared, Lin Xian realized that devouring this large freezer was just as challenging as the small freight vehicle he’d consumed earlier. And there wasn’t just one of these freezers in the room. "Plenty of time today. I might as well devour them all!" To Lin Xian, this was a rare opportunity. Although escaping the Dark Tides of Jiang City was his top priority, being stuck here meant he could use the time to strengthen his abilities. "Where’s that guy?" Outside the freezer, Huang Zhaojian returned with Huang Jie to find Gong Li and the boy keeping watch. The old lady scowled impatiently. "He’s hiding inside. Leave him for now. What’s the situation with the train?" Huang Jie’s excitement was palpable. "Mom, my brother and I checked. There’s definitely just one woman on board. I’d bet the carriages are loaded with supplies—we’ve struck gold!" The old lady nodded. "You two find some tools. While there’s still daylight, see if you can pry open the freezer door. I’d rather avoid complications. Who knows how many days of total darkness are coming again? I’m not sure my old bones can survive another long night." "That’s what I was thinking too." Huang Zhaojian was equally anxious. Running into such a golden opportunity, he wanted to take advantage of it as quickly as possible. After a brief discussion, the group set off to find steel pipes and crowbars to force open the freezer door. By now, it was 5 PM—less than two hours before nightfall. If they didn’t open the door before dark, they’d have to wait until tomorrow. Meanwhile, in the dark corner of the freezer, Lin Xian endured the overwhelming stench as he continued devouring the large freezer. 【Devouring Progress: 80%】 【Devouring Progress: 95%】 After nearly an hour, the massive freezer was finally almost devoured. At the same time, the sound of prying and banging echoed from the freezer door. However, Lin Xian wasn’t particularly worried. He had scanned the door earlier when he locked it. The 150mm-thick low-temperature freezer door was composed of stainless steel and aluminum on the outside, with a heavy insulation core of polyurethane and fiberglass. With the lock reinforced by his ability, it was almost impossible to open using just steel pipes or crowbars. Unless they had hydraulic cutters or saws, there was no way they’d make progress—hence the cacophony of banging that had been going on for over an hour. Ignoring the noise, Lin Xian calmly continued devouring the freezer. Elsewhere, Chen Sixuan paced anxiously back and forth inside the train, her nerves frayed. However, she quickly realized that panicking wouldn’t help. After checking on the young girl’s condition, she began organizing the supplies across the three carriages while tidying up the train. 【Devouring Complete. Mechanical Energy +25. Mechanical Devouring Skill Proficiency +8. Bonus Reward: Strength +3, Defense +1.】 Deep within the freezer, Lin Xian’s eyes lit up as he read the notification on the light screen before him. A big haul! Scanning the room, he saw three more identical large freezers. If he devoured them all, his rewards would multiply significantly. 【Mechanical Devouring LV.1: 286/300】 His devouring skill was also close to leveling up. Once upgraded, his devouring efficiency would improve even further! Energized by this thought, Lin Xian wasted no time, moving to the second freezer and beginning the devouring process. Outside, Huang Zhaojian and Huang Jie were exhausted. The two brothers, faces flushed and covered in sweat, had tossed aside a pile of bent steel pipes and crowbars. "F***! This damn door won’t budge!" The old lady stood nearby, her expression shifting as she looked at the darkening sky. "Mom, over the past few nights, those monsters couldn’t get in here. If even they couldn’t open it, it’s no surprise we can’t either," Gong Li fretted. "Yeah, this door’s too damn sturdy. F***!" Huang Jie cursed bitterly. Huang Jie angrily tossed the steel pipe to the ground. Though he cursed incessantly, every night he secretly prayed that the door would remain as sturdy as possible—a clear case of mental contradiction. "Alright, stop it," the old lady commanded, her tone laced with finality. She knew that continuing was futile, especially with the commotion they’d caused now drawing numerous footsteps toward the warehouse. "It’s almost dark. Let’s hide for now. Besides, we’ve locked him in with that iron chain—he won’t be running anywhere." "From the looks of it, without that man, the train probably can’t be moved. As long as they can’t escape, they’ll eventually outlast themselves," she reasoned. "Mom’s right!" "Alright, let’s do that..." "Are we not getting on the train today?" the chubby boy asked, disappointment written all over his face. "Not today. We’ll stay put one more night." Over the past few days, the family had been hiding inside the same freezer where they’d staged their baiting trap. However, the lock on that freezer door was broken, so they used steel pipes to brace it from the inside, making it just secure enough for nighttime safety. Beep, beep. Beep, beep. The alarm on Lin Xian’s watch went off, causing his eyes to narrow. He knew nightfall was imminent. On the train, Chen Sixuan had drawn all the blackout curtains and was anxiously waiting for Lin Xian’s response. Her gaze drifted toward the unconscious girl lying in the carriage. Unable to suppress her worry, she walked over to check the girl’s breathing. After confirming she was still alive, Chen Sixuan’s expression turned puzzled. The girl had been asleep for two full days... At 6:45 PM, darkness descended, enveloping the entire freight platform. Low zombie groans and eerie, shuffling footsteps echoed in the night. The faint rustling noises amplified in Chen Sixuan’s ears, making her heart pound. She curled up on the sofa, clutching the walkie-talkie tightly, and wrapped herself in a blanket like it was her only shield against the chaos outside. Meanwhile, the Huang family had retreated to the other freezer. They braced the door with steel pipes and crowbars and huddled in a corner deep within the freezer. As they ate, they whispered among themselves, strategizing their next move. By 7:32 PM, Lin Xian had finished devouring the second large freezer. 【Devouring Complete. Mechanical Energy +25. Mechanical Devouring Skill Proficiency +8. Bonus Reward: Strength +2, Speed +1, Defense +1.】 At 9:14 PM, he completed devouring the third freezer. 【Devouring Complete. Mechanical Energy +25. Mechanical Devouring Skill Proficiency +8. Bonus Reward: Strength +1.】 Although this freezer hadn’t yielded as many attribute rewards, Lin Xian’s excitement grew. His Mechanical Devouring Skill had finally leveled up to LV2!