Chapter 48: Inventorying the Spoils

Clang, clang... A standard railway stretched eastward through the mountainous terrain for over a thousand miles. Since departing Jiang City, the Infinite Train reached daylight for the first time after an overnight journey. At 15:47, dawn arrived earlier than anticipated. Chen Sixuan, who had stayed up all night managing the train, hadn’t yet rested. Taking advantage of the daylight, she and Luo Shasha, along with Luo Ye, began tallying the supplies they had gathered during the night. Meanwhile, Lin Xian, in the driver’s cabin, gulped down an entire bottle of water, feeling significantly refreshed. Thankfully, the night’s travel had been uneventful, aside from smashing a few stray zombies, which had caused no significant trouble for the train's operation. “Good thing the Mechanical Heart was upgraded. Dragging this many carriages would have been impossible otherwise,” Lin Xian muttered. The electric locomotive's stored energy efficiency had been reduced due to the added load. Combined with the strain on Lin Xian’s Ability, it meant he had to stop and rest every three to four hours. “The energy issue is something we can’t ignore anymore...” he thought. To address this, Lin Xian envisioned a system beyond his energy-recovery mechanism, incorporating a generator or an auxiliary fuel tank. Such equipment could ensure continuous train operation even when he was too exhausted to use his Ability. In theory, breaking the energy consumption limits imposed by increased weight would require integrating a small nuclear power unit with his upgraded Ability. Only then could they achieve perpetual motion. “Lin-ge!” From a distance, Luo Shasha excitedly called out from one of the train carriages. “Come quick!” With the train now stopped, Lin Xian had been considering taking a breather. Hearing her call, he walked over. The rear ramp of Car 5 had already been lowered. On the grassy slope by the tracks, all sorts of supplies were spread out, many still stained with blood due to the haste of the previous night’s gathering. “Look at this, Lin Xian!” Chen Sixuan exclaimed joyfully, wiping sweat from her brow with a towel. Not far from the tracks, a small stream allowed her to rinse the supplies while tallying them. Kiki jumped down from the train and grabbed Chen Sixuan’s inventory sheet. Her eyes lit up immediately. “Three Colts, two Glocks, 17 assorted automatic rifles, and even an A33K sniper rifle. Plus, look at all this ammo!” “And this!” Luo Shasha chimed in, holding up their prized M36 Grenade Launcher. “This thing packs a punch!” Lin Xian exhaled in relief. Looking at the spoils scattered everywhere, he smiled faintly. “Looks like we won’t need to use blades to take down giant bugs anymore.” “Wait, there’s something else—something you won’t believe!” Kiki grinned mischievously as she climbed into an armored vehicle’s carriage. She opened the driver’s door and retrieved a remote control. Pressing the button, she activated the mechanism. Whirrr... On the roof of the armored car, a drone pod opened. Two small reconnaissance drones rose smoothly into the air. “With these, we can patrol a 10-kilometer radius without leaving the train,” Kiki announced proudly. “This Qian Yu from the Black Jiao Convoy sure knew his stuff,” Lin Xian remarked, surprised. “These are worth a fortune.” “Too bad his heavy truck and fuel tanker got driven off...” Luo Shasha said with a trace of regret. “Besides this,” Chen Sixuan added, “the two cargo carriages we raided from Tang Hai yielded over 400 cans of food, 41 boxes of water, 6 boxes of cola, and 3 boxes of red wine. Not to mention perishables that filled half a container and over a thousand liters of gasoline!” She exhaled deeply, overwhelmed by the abundance. “It’s almost ridiculous. The supplies in those two carriages alone are worth more than everything we found in the other vehicles combined.” “Well, that makes sense,” Lin Xian said, his tone serious. “Tang Hai holed up in an air-raid bunker and looted countless survivors. This is his entire stash.” The sheer volume of supplies, enough to sustain 20 people for over three months, was far more than Lin Xian’s group of five needed. They were flush with resources, free from immediate worries about food and water. “By the way, there’s something else...” Chen Sixuan pointed towards the rear of the train. Besides the four cars they had taken, Lin Xian noticed something at the very back he had missed earlier. There, on the last two flatbeds, sat a Steel Guard 3 Military Assault Exosuit and a TFV600 Heavy Dual-Barrel Tank—both over three meters tall. Startled, Lin Xian asked, “When did you load these onto the train? Did you use the crane?” That seemed unlikely, as the small electric crane couldn’t have handled such heavy machinery. Besides, he was the only one who could operate it. Hmph! A smug snort came from behind. Kiki, arms crossed, jumped down from the train, her face full of pride. “Of course, it was me who loaded them. These things are so heavy;it took quite a bit of effort.” Lin Xian was delighted. He had planned to dismantle them for parts if repairs weren’t feasible. But now, thanks to Kiki’s Ability, they were already secured on the train. Letting her rest early the previous night had been the right call—she’d proven invaluable. “Well done. You’ve earned yourself a can of meat today.” “Pfft, who cares about your meat cans?” Kiki smirked. “If you really want to thank me, fix that radar system and those computers for me today. Oh, and the heater too—it was freezing last night.” “Cold, was it?” Lin Xian glanced at Chen Sixuan, who blushed and avoided his gaze. “Yeah... It was below freezing even during the day.” As if to underscore the point, a biting wind swept through, making everyone shiver. The weather was growing colder. Snowstorms loomed, and the dropping temperature posed another challenge for the survivors. Kiki and Chen Sixuan rummaged through the gathered luggage, finding a few pieces of warm clothing. Lin Xian and Luo Ye, likely thanks to their Ability-enhanced physiques, didn’t feel the cold as much. “Where’s Da Lou?” Due to Luo Ye’s size, everyone had agreed to nickname him “Da Lou.” “Lin-ge,” Luo Ye called out, standing near the supplies. He was repairing a motorcycle—Lin Xian’s, to be exact. “Didn’t I tell you? He’s better at fixing things,” Kiki said with interest. Da Lou scratched his head sheepishly, holding a wrench. “I know a little about this stuff.” “Really?” Lin Xian smiled. “Since we’re all on the same side, let’s get everything out in the open.” He stepped into Car 5, retrieved a heavy steel plate, and tossed it to the ground. With a wave of his hand, a mysterious glow enveloped the plate. It floated, rapidly reshaping itself into a perfectly molded shield before dropping back down. Everyone was stunned. Chen Sixuan covered her mouth in shock. It was the first time Lin Xian had demonstrated the full scope of his Mechanical Heart to anyone beyond operating the train. Luo Shasha gasped, “Whoa, Lin-ge, what kind of Ability do you have?” Even Kiki’s eyes widened as she watched, puffing her cheeks in disbelief. She had thought Lin Xian’s Ability was limited to controlling the train or creating ice. But seeing him manipulate steel like this suggested a skill set far broader—and eerily similar to her own. Despite having reviewed all the internal data from the Angel Project, she found herself utterly baffled.