Bzzz bzzz bzzz.

In the basement of the Black Rose Bar, Lin Xian could clearly hear a faint buzzing of electricity—it seemed to be coming from the strange bullet Hu Lushou had brought out.

“Forbidden item? How do you know?”

Lin Xian was instantly suspicious. If the thing in front of him really was some kind of forbidden item, then it would be the second one he had come across recently.

Hu Lushou’s expression was a little odd. He quickly shut the special storage box, and only after the space around them calmed slightly did he speak.

“Actually, I didn’t know at first either. I got lost in the Abyss during Polar Night, and someone from a convoy traded this to me for supplies. I could tell right away this thing wasn’t ordinary. I’ve never seen a real forbidden item before, but the moment this thing came out, it just felt evil. The light around it dims no matter what. I thought, could this be one of those legendary forbidden things?”

“But aren’t the rumors about forbidden items always tied to eerie stuff or death? Who’d dare touch it? But that guy said as long as it’s kept in a lead box, it’s fine, so...”

“So you figured it might be some kind of treasure, something you could trade to the Federation or another faction for some benefit, right?” Lin Xian saw right through Hu Lushou’s thoughts. No guts for bandit raids, but a massive appetite for exploiting them under the guise of justice.

Hu Lushou was well-informed, so naturally he knew—whether it was Blood Scourge Flora or forbidden items, these things had huge research value to the authorities and various organizations. Most people would avoid them like the plague, but Hu Lushou wasn’t most people. Even if he didn’t understand the use, someone else surely would.

“Heh heh heh...”

Busted, Hu Lushou wasn’t even embarrassed. “Yeah, that’s about right. It’s just...”

He trailed off, his face suddenly falling. “I didn’t expect this thing to be so powerful, even inside the box. The Dark Invasion aura is too intense. I’m afraid I’ll kick the bucket before I can even find someone who knows what it is. That’s why I figured, Lin Captain, your team’s got numbers and strength—how about you guys take it and study it?”

Lin Xian scoffed inwardly. What a load of crap. This guy had intel on the Emperor Project, even knew that mysterious Descent Faction group Sacred Revelation was active—there was no way he couldn’t find a buyer. Most likely, he realized someone had targeted him and didn’t want the trouble, so now he was trying to hand off this ticking time bomb to Lin Xian, using it as a way to return the favor for being saved. What a manipulative little b**tard—playing this like a master.

Forbidden items were way more trouble than Blood Scourge Flora. Lin Xian had no idea what its properties were, how dangerous it was, or even how to contain it. He was still keeping a close eye on Fire Bro’s gold bracelet. He hadn’t been able to relax about that at all and didn’t even know its current state. And now this thing—just opening the box nearly filled the room with an oppressive dark aura. Definitely not something to mess with lightly.

So, for the moment, Lin Xian hesitated.

“Open it again. Let me see.”

With that, Lin Xian instructed Hu Lushou to open the box. He planned to probe it with his mechanical ability.

Hu Lushou nodded quickly and opened the lower box again. The moment he did, Lin Xian felt the space around them darken. That dizzying radiation and chilling dark aura hit again. Clenching his jaw, he activated Mechanical Heart to probe the silver bullet.

【Scan failed. Non-mechanical energy detected.】

Lin Xian frowned. So it really was a forbidden item...

Then he prepared to use his Devour ability.

But this time, unlike before, the moment he activated Devour, the silver-black bullet started trembling violently. Black-red arcs of electricity surged up from it like a corona. The pressure was so intense that the junk in the basement began flying toward the bullet like it was a black hole.

Just then, a terrifying alert appeared on Mechanical Heart’s light screen!

【Devour successful. Mechanical Heart has responded with a new ability!】

Lin Xian’s heart skipped. He immediately stopped the Mechanical Heart’s operation.

Whoosh whoosh whoosh!

Paper scraps and dust flew everywhere. Chen Sixuan stood dumbfounded, then quickly shouted at Lin Xian, “Captain Lin... that thing’s not right!”

Looking at the silver-white bullet that had just stopped its strange reaction, Lin Xian quickly shut the box. In that instant, the arcs vanished, and the basement returned to normal.

Lin Xian let out a long breath, inwardly shaken. Whatever that thing was, it was in an unstable state. Even Mechanical Heart couldn’t fully devour it.

Three times he had encountered forbidden items, and each time Mechanical Heart reacted differently. That only made Lin Xian more curious.

“How much do you know about forbidden items?” Lin Xian asked, turning to Hu Lushou.

Hu Lushou immediately shook his head. “Only bits and pieces. The Phoenix Society, the Federation, and groups like Sacred Revelation are the ones doing real research. To us, this stuff is still wrapped in mystery.”

“Alright.”

After thinking it over, Lin Xian still took the box. Even if he didn’t, Hu Lushou was tagging along anyway—the outcome wouldn’t change. If some Descent Faction group had really marked them, so be it. It’s not like Lin Xian didn’t already have a forbidden item on the train. After standing up to the Federation over Hell’s Black Chrysanthemum, being targeted by a few fanatics didn’t scare him. No way he was going to hand over both the Eerie Cube and Fire Bro’s bracelet like Hu Lushou wanted just to avoid some trouble.

Seeing Lin Xian accept the box, Hu Lushou’s eyes lit up and he visibly relaxed.

After leaving the Black Rose Bar, Lin Xian held the special alloy box, thought for a moment, then made another lead box. He planned to store it inside a special compartment of the Gemini 11R Nuclear Electric Locomotive for now. He’d learn more about forbidden items later before figuring out what to do with it.

As soon as he boarded the train, Lin Xian used the Eerie Cube to scan. Luckily, it didn’t trigger any alarm, indicating the box was effective in containing the item.

Most of the people on the train had already gone out to clear the Sand Scorpion Gang’s base. After putting away the box, Lin Xian sat down at the table, preparing to connect their train with Li Yi’s Sun Train at Akesai Station for easier team coordination.

At that moment, many people were walking around the Akesai platform and even outside the station where the joint convoy was parked.

This was the first time since leaving the Polar Night that the joint convoy had been able to relax. Though it was just one afternoon, every convoy used the time to repair damage from the battles in Xilan City and Yijin City. Everyone had gone through so many nights—they needed sunlight to detox from the Dark Invasion.

In the city, several convoys were also busy cleaning up the battlefield and collecting usable supplies left from the battle with the sand raiders. The previously deserted Akesai City was starting to come alive again.

Things were bustling around the Infinite Train. With Chen Sixuan gone, Xiao Yuan took over cleaning the inside and outside of the train. Meanwhile, dozens of strong middle-aged workers from Li Yi’s side were helping Lin Xian with the train reconfiguration.

Most of these men were Liang Lei’s old engineering crew. After the apocalypse, they brought their families together and formed the Running Far Convoy. Honest, strong, and capable of standing at the front lines against eerie entities. They had over 60 fighters, and with 110 total members.

Adding Luo Yang’s student team, the Infinite Train now had nearly 200 people.

With so many people, the train stretched over 800 meters and had 27 carriages, so Lin Xian had a lot to consider.

Things like living carriage setups, dining car supplies, sanitation, weapon station placements, and personnel management.

To handle this, Lin Xian consulted Shi Diyuan about how Dragon Mountain No. 1 managed thousands of people, and decided to implement functional team divisions.

First was internal affairs:

Housekeeping, sanitation, medical, and food services were managed by Chen Sixuan, with Miao Lu and Li Yi assisting in carriage coordination.

Electronics, defense weapons, surveillance, and intelligence were handled by KIKI, assisted by tech pros Luo Yang and A Bai.

Weapons and equipment were under Shu Qin and Daluo, with Shasha—the little arms expert—helping too.

The engineering and maintenance crew was led by Liang Lei, with his old Running Far engineering team and some technicians from the Chasing Sun Convoy forming a large team. Lü Chang and a few others familiar with the train’s systems also joined in.

Finally, the research and planting carriages. Normally, Ding Junyi handled all research and medical work on the train. But now that they had enough hands, Lin Xian assigned Xiao Yuan and some young folks from the Infinite Train and Chasing Sun Convoy to help her. He also planned to add another carriage for planting.

The reason was simple. Under the influence of Dark Invasion, the need for fresh vegetables and greenery was growing. Experiments had shown that the planting carriage on the Infinite Train could resist Dark Invasion to some extent—not as effectively as the Eerie Cube, but still important. Even Dragon Mountain No. 1 had followed their example and installed some plant-growing equipment in its own carriages.

Not just them—ever since the news about Phoenix Society's vegetable juice spread, growing plants had practically become an obsession for all survivors.

Not just for the vegetable juice—it was a kind of belief, as if so long as something green was still growing, people wouldn’t despair over the apocalyptic darkness. It gave them courage to keep chasing the dawn.

So for a time, even in the most suffocating and brutal flight for survival, convoys all around Blue Planet tried everything to collect the last remaining plants and seeds, using makeshift containers, filtered water, and soil to cultivate these green sprouts of hope.

Next came the Infinite Train’s battle unit configuration. Based on apocalyptic survival experience and the abilities of each team member, Lin Xian divided everyone into groups to facilitate deployment.

First and foremost was the tech group led by Lin Xian and KIKI, responsible for electronic information, hacking, mechanical devices, radar, and more. Luo Yang and Shasha were also part of it.

Then the train needed a reconnaissance and mobility unit.

The recon team was led by sniper Chen Sixuan and her deputy Miao Lu, with Lolo, A Min, and a few other capable operatives. They were in charge of piloting aircraft for regional surveillance when needed.

The mobility team was handled by Shu Qin and Lü Chang, joined by demolitionist Li Guangwen and twenty physically adept fighters in exoskeleton suits. These were people with excellent climbing and parkour abilities and strong environmental adaptability. Lin Xian had special plans for their gear—grappling hook guns, high-tensile fiber ropes, recon drones, etc.—and their main role was rapid-response mobility.

Then Lin Xian divided the rest of the Infinite Train’s main combat power into two assault battalions!

Led by the towering warriors Daluo and Liang Lei, they became Assault Team One and Assault Team Two. Each team had about 50 members, fully equipped with Lone Wolf S tactical power armor, Arc Pulse Rifles, Roarer K23 Electric Gatling Guns, Thunderstorm A1 Grenade Launchers, rocket launchers, and various preloaded explosives. These were the train’s core response units in a crisis, and Lin Xian planned to arm them with every kind of heavy weapon available. Firepower: berserk mode!

Lin Xian also set up a flying strike unit, led by Fire Bro, Lu Xingchen. This team was intended to expand once single-soldier flight devices could be built. For now, it was just Fire Bro solo.

But when Lin Xian told him, Fire Bro was all confidence, claiming “One man army—me!” No problem!

Finally, there was KIKI and Lin Xian. The tech group was primarily for internal and defensive tasks, but Lin Xian planned to deploy KIKI, Luo Yang, and Shasha flexibly depending on the situation.

Take KIKI for example—she was absurdly versatile. Tech, recon, mobility, assault—this little girl could do it all...

Luo Yang, for his part, was long-range firepower. Even if he stayed on the train, he was like a walking heavy weapon.

As for Shasha, no comment needed. She was practically turning the Fire God RV into the Fire God Armory RV. This little girl constantly bugged Lin Xian to learn new mechanics, had studied every single weapon on the train—almost tore the electromagnetic railgun apart. And Lin Xian didn’t stop her. In fact, he doted on her. Whatever she wanted, as long as he had the blueprint, he’d make it for her. Don’t let her size fool you—12 years old and tiny, but when she drove the Sari into a Monster Tide, the way she went berserk was even more intense than her brother Daluo.

So Lin Xian figured, if they could build stronger mechas or mass-produce a few, they could form a Mecha Unit like the 7th Investigation Corps. With that kind of iron wall defense, the train’s security level would be elevated dramatically.

With personnel arrangements settled, Lin Xian began configuring the Infinite Train’s carriage layout. This part gave him a bit of a headache. The Infinite Train wasn’t quite like Dragon Mountain No. 1—it had too many specialized cars. Currently, there were two nuclear-powered cars: one Gemini 11R Nuclear Electric Locomotive (Intercontinental-class, 290 MW) and one Linglong Engineering-Class Nuclear Electric Locomotive (200 MW).

In addition, there were two Weilong-Class Electric Locomotives, one Huanxing 10A, and the big baby—Whale 03E Heavy Gas Turbine Locomotive.

Sitting in Carriage 12, Lin Xian looked grim as he adjusted the layout on his mobile terminal. Beside him stood Grace. Glancing at the elegant robot, he sighed silently. Originally, he’d hoped to use this Crimson-3 AI Brain to design the layout for him and save himself the trouble. But just parsing the AI's code was going to take the Information Center computers several days—and even then, they might not crack it completely. That thought alone gave Lin Xian a headache.

“If we want to solve this properly, the Weilong-Class locomotives and the Gemini 11R Nuclear Locomotive both need to be modified...”

“The Weilong is simpler. But to modify the nuclear-powered one, we’d have to rip out the whole control deck. So instead of that, better to place the two nuclear-powered units at the rear for pulling, and move the Weilong to the front. That way the power distribution won’t be back-heavy.”

At present, for the Infinite Train, both power and electricity were crucial. Lin Xian wouldn’t casually devour them. Maybe after they reached Jinhai, a better solution would arise. But for now, this might be the best plan.

“Let’s go with that!”

With his mind made up, Lin Xian picked up the mobile terminal and began drafting the new layout for the Infinite Train.

The front of the train remained the Whale 03E Heavy Gas Turbine Locomotive, fitted with thick shielding, a driving radar, active phased array radar, electro-optical sensors, the Sentinel System, and the Horizon Clamp System.

Cars 2 and 3 would be where Li Yi and her team integrated the two Weilong-Class locomotives they had acquired from Xilan City, reinforcing the corridor armor. With 70,000 kW of output combined with the gas turbine, even pulling several hundred cars wouldn’t be a problem!

On top of those locomotives, Li Yi installed YJ-03 Anti-Air Cannons and an automated Vulcan Gun Turret, all managed by the Information Center’s integrated fire control system.

Car 7 remained the main Car No. 1, where Li Yi and Ding Junyi resided.

Car 2 (in this case, the Information Center) housed KIKI and Shasha. In addition to being their residence, it held the train’s integrated electrical system and a G3 Electromagnetic Railgun.

Cars 3 and 4 were the Kor-3 Biological Science Research Carriages salvaged from Underground City No. 9. These were Hu Lushou’s research quarters and Li Yi’s planting carriages. Li Yi also planned to move the Sun Train’s dining car in front of Car 4 and add another planting carriage to meet the train’s supply needs.

That would shift Xiao Lou and Fire Bro’s original Car 5 into Car 6 (the 9th car on Infinite Train). In Yijin City, Li Yi had successfully built another G3 Electromagnetic Railgun, and she also planned to mount an 1130 CIWS here—transforming the Weapon Station into one with real low-intensity fire coverage. As a result, this car couldn’t house many people.

Cars 7 and 8 remained the core storage and dining cars. In truth, part of the dining car was already used for supplies, as small-scale dining occasions were frequent. Most times, meals were pre-made or just canned food—everyone handled it themselves.

Car 9 marked the end of the living quarters. This carriage was also fitted with a YJ-03 Anti-Air Cannon and an automated Vulcan Gun Turret. Shu Qin, Miao Lu, and Lü Chang’s group lived here—26 in total. Shu Qin had a relatively small private room of her own.

Car 10 was a bit more special. Li Yi had arranged for Shaosha and 22 of the older kids to live there. The carriage had been reinforced with thick armor.

Car 11 was assigned by Ning Ce to Luo Yang and other families or single men in their team—more convenient that way.

Car 12 remained the Weapon Station, equipped with a full 1130 Close-In Weapon System. Li Yi also planned to build another G3 Electromagnetic Railgun here. Liang Lei and their old team’s tech backbone, Da Bai, were stationed here to guard the weapons.

Car 13 was left as an empty tool car by Li Yi, intended to house a fully automated bullet press machine. It would also serve as the train's weapons and munitions depot—centrally located, which made it ideal.