Based on the standard daily water intake of 1,000 milliliters per adult, this joint convoy—along with the few convoys from Akesai, over 5,000 people—barely had enough water to last a single day...

Of course, in a place like this, 1,000 milliliters a day was already a luxury. Purely from a survival standpoint, the absolute minimum was 300 milliliters per day, and that’s under the condition that the person wasn’t doing anything physically active. But in the face of the darkness and constant crisis, that was practically impossible. Even at 500 milliliters, they’d only make it two days, max.

And that didn’t even take into account the water needed for the train or for cooling the nuclear reactors.

Still, having this replenishment was a literal lifesaver. The convoy still had a bit of reserve;

as long as they could make it through the no-man’s land and reach Quancheng in two or three days, things might improve drastically.

Lastly, aside from the supply haul, there were also over 120 captives rescued from the Sand Raiders, including more than a dozen of Old Scorpion’s “favorites.” Lin Xian took a quick look at them—every single one of these women was quiet and withdrawn. It was hard to say whether it was trauma from being imprisoned too long, or disbelief that they were actually rescued. They had already started viewing themselves as “objects,” just transferred from one group of captors to another.

It wasn’t until someone draped clothes over them, unchained their necks, and handed them food and water, that a few began sobbing with tears in their eyes. The others—already numb—silently ate their food and drank.

Unlike in Yijin, this time the supply distribution was different. In the battle against the Sand Raiders, every convoy contributed manpower and effort. Plus, water was a universally scarce resource. So Lin Xian discussed with all convoys and agreed to distribute food and water based on headcount.

“I don’t need weapons. If any convoy wants my share, they can trade me water for it.”

Just then, Monica, having enjoyed a carefree afternoon, walked over with her Umbrella Lackeys in tow and spoke up directly.

“Also... if those dozen or so women pass screening, I’ll take them.”

Hearing that, the first to be surprised was Qian Dele. He turned to Monica with a baffled look. “What kind of joke is this? You’re taking in women?”

“Why not?” Monica crossed her arms and said, “They may be timid, numb, stripped of identity and dignity—reduced to just survival instincts. But once women like that gain power, they won’t hesitate to kill. Besides, I’ll keep them away from men.”

Lin Xian was briefly stunned. He had originally thought Monica was trying to balance out the male-heavy ratio in her convoy. Turned out he had thought too simply—and a little too crudely.

Monica actually wanted to form a female combat unit, completely separate from her male team members. Lin Xian could practically see the disappointment on those lackeys’ faces—how their initial excitement instantly froze over.

This woman was a demon. With the sealed-off compartments of the Monica Queen, in this post-apocalyptic loneliness, having a sexy queen you could see but not touch was already enough of a torment. Now she was adding over a dozen gorgeous women—and still keeping them separate? Her male teammates would be driven mad.

Hearing that, not just Lin Xian, but other convoys also gave Monica strange looks—like they couldn’t quite see through this woman.

“Back to the point—I don’t need weapons either. Convoys short on gear can spare me a little water.”

Lin Xian broke the silence. His Infinite Convoy now had two planting carriages, and the need for water was massive.

The Infinite Convoy and Monica’s Monica Queen were both heavily equipped. Every weapon on board was top-tier. To Lin Xian, those weapons weren’t even worth scanning and replicating. He just asked for more water instead.

Then there was the Fu Lu Shou Convoy. Boss Hu had plenty of resources—everyone in his crew was geared with high-end kit. Just Sun Chang’s advanced mechanical arm alone was worth a set of Lone Wolf-level power armor, proving that Hu Lushou didn’t skimp on his team. He didn’t ask for weapons or food—just some water and a bit of blood crystals.

“I’ll trade!” As soon as the words were out, a convoy immediately stepped up.

Soon, the supply distribution negotiations concluded. The Akesai Sand Raider operation was officially over.

As for the blood crystals, Lin Xian, Dragon Mountain No. 1, the Joker Convoy, Monica Queen, and Hu Lushou’s convoy split 70% among themselves. The remaining 30% was divided proportionally among the other teams.

The Infinite Train received 150 Level-1 Eerie Blood Crystals, 15 Level-2 Blood Crystals, a batch of canned food, and 300 liters of water. Not a huge amount for 180 people, but it was enough to relieve the immediate crisis.

Adding the 10 Level-2 Blood Crystals Hu Lushou gave him, Lin Xian now had 191 Level-1, 25 Level-2, and one Level-3 Eerie Blood Crystal. These could be traded to the Phoenix Society or Federation organizations for quite a haul.

Time: 17:30.

All the convoys, having completed the distribution, were urgently loading supplies onto their vehicles. With nightfall approaching, and everyone having lived through last night’s horrors, even the train repair crews started working faster.

With the Infinite Train’s carriage overhaul complete, it returned to the joint train’s formation. Dragon Mountain No. 1 still led the way, followed by Infinite, Monica Queen, the Joker Convoy, and Akesai City’s convoys, all grouped near the Akesai Platform, forming a convoy camp, waiting for nightfall—and ready to set off together into the no-man’s land.

Back on the Infinite Train, the returning team looked over the newly reorganized layout. Excited and energized, everyone pitched in to finalize the interior setup.

Shu Qin’s original three living carriages had been condensed into one—not exactly cramped, since the old layout had been overly spacious. Less than 10 people per carriage before—now 26 people in one, with two per room except for Shu Qin, who had her own small unit.

Only Xiao Yuan felt a bit conflicted. She had moved solo into Car 4 to manage the two planting carriages with Ding Junyi. Parting with her girlfriends made her sad, but she also felt quietly thrilled. Lin Xian had personally entrusted her with this duty. Even if it was just managing a small garden, she saw it as a sign of his trust!

From Carriage 9 to Carriage 18, it was a flurry of movement. Men and women busily decorated their new shelters. Families were assigned the same compartment. Each room had a door and functioned like a mini safehouse, with space to store lots of personal belongings.

In Carriages 10 and 11, Chen Sixuan, Li Yi, and Miao Lu were moving quickly. This area housed Duoduo and the other kids, as well as some single women from Ji Yi’s old military and family groups. Overall, mostly women and children. The carriages echoed with chatter and laughter—you could hear the joy.

Between Carriages 11 and 14 sat a military supplies carriage and the Weapon Station. Carriage 14 was for Lolo, Xiao Min, and a few young women—only 16 people total. Miao Lu and Xiao Yuan helped them set up their living spaces after finishing their own.

“The blackout panels can’t be opened freely. They’re controlled by Captain Lin. Of course, during the day, it’s usually fine.”

“The toilets work, but we can’t shower yet. Right now, we’re in the Gobi Desert—strict water restrictions.”

“When you have free time, feel free to walk through the planting carriages, but don’t touch the plants. The air there is great—really relaxing. We all treat it like a little garden.”

Miao Lu and Xiao Yuan quickly became familiar with the group of girls and began introducing them to the situation inside the train.

Further back, Da Lou, together with Lü Chang and Luo Yang, was arranging the setup of Carriages 15 to 18. There were seventy to eighty people here—aside from a dozen family groups with women, the rest were all men. The atmosphere was a bit rowdy, but everyone was swift and hardworking.

Sturdy old Zhou, after tidying up his own safe room, patted the armored wall of the carriage and said excitedly, “This train sure beats living in the car! Captain Lin's private shelters are spacious and comfy—the glass is even bulletproof. This is f***ing awesome!”

“Yeah! It’s like a moving city. We don’t even have to worry about bumps anymore!”

“For real, it’s so comfortable!”

“Captain Lin’s amazing, building such a secure train. We can finally relax a bit from now on.”

“We’ve got more people now, and even medical pods onboard. We won’t have to worry about injuries when fighting those monsters!”

“Eh, still gotta be careful. If your head gets blown off, there’s no putting it back.” Lü Chang, who was helping nearby, couldn’t help but chime in.

“Hahahaha!”

A chorus of laughter erupted from the group of men. Just then, Sha Sha strutted down the corridor. One of the guys glanced at the little girl and blurted out, “Brother Lou, this your sister? What’s she doing running back here?”

“My Sally is parked back here!” Sha Sha said proudly, giving them all a quick glance before adding, “If monsters show up, I gotta move out right away. So you better keep your pants on!”

With that, she hummed a little tune and walked past under everyone’s strange stares.

Da Lou chuckled and said, “Don’t be fooled by how little she looks. My sister's better at killing monster waves in a mech than I am.”

At that, the whole group of men was stunned. They hadn’t expected a girl who looked barely eleven or twelve to be so fierce. In their old convoy, kids usually stayed in the vehicle or did light tasks. And this little girl was actually charging ahead of a bunch of grown men? Whose elite is this?!

At that moment, Lin Xian was sitting on the floor inside the 13th military supplies carriage, building the fully automatic bullet press machine. This carriage had no windows and was fully sealed, protected by reinforced steel armor. On both sides were rows of weapon racks, stacked with all kinds of firearms—from assault rifles, shotguns, Gatlings, sniper rifles, grenade launchers, flamethrowers, arc pulse guns, light machine guns—you name it. Crates of bullets in various calibers were piled up around the room.

To access guns and bullets here, you needed approval from Da Lou or Shu Qin. These two were also responsible for firearm and hand-to-hand combat training. As long as you were suited and skilled, you could use any weapon you liked. If you wanted to learn to operate a mech or a flyer, you could go to Sha Sha.

Meanwhile, Liang Lei was getting familiar with the train's pipeline and wiring system under KIKI’s guidance. Going forward, he’d be in charge of the engineering department onboard. He would lead the mechanically-skilled crew members in train maintenance and management. With the help of PX-05 robots, Lin Xian would no longer need to run around every time a pipe burst or something leaked.

Chen Sixuan, along with Li Yi and Miao Lu, finished inventorying the supplies onboard. Then she took a group of over twenty women who would be in charge of internal train affairs to familiarize themselves with the layout of Infinite. From how to use resources to understanding the function zones of different carriages, they divided responsibilities for hygiene and internal affairs. For example, meal arrangements would be handled by Li Yi, while Miao Lu—who had a nursing background—would oversee the full-function medical pods and the train’s medical supplies.

At the same time, Miao Lu and Xiao Yuan also assisted Ding Junyi in monitoring everyone’s ability development and physical condition.

Swish swish swish, in the 13th carriage, the manufacturing interface lit up. Materials flew out in rapid succession. The large industrial device was finally taking shape.

Once this machine was built, and paired with a PX-05 robot for calibration and maintenance, Lin Xian could just feed it bullet materials converted from the deconstruction space. It would automatically press and reload the bullets. While it couldn’t complete everything in one go, it still solved 90% of the problem. Now with more people onboard, just the combat personnel already numbered over 120. Add in several 1130s, and any fight would burn through mountains of bullets.

So after weighing the situation, Lin Xian decided to finish building this machine before nightfall.

The captives were currently housed on Dragon Mountain No.1, receiving aid while Ning Jing arranged for her people to investigate their backgrounds and consolidate the info.

As for the situation in Abyss-5, Lin Xian planned to disclose it soon and would talk with Hu Lushou and Old Mo for more details.

In the 12th carriage Weapon Station, Luo Yang and Xiao Bai were living alone. They had transformed the computers from their train into a basic information center, connected to Infinite’s sentry and radar systems. Now KIKI wouldn’t have to monitor everything by herself overnight—they could both respond in tandem.

As the time hit 18:30, nightfall crept closer. The train carriages gradually settled. Having finished all her tasks, Chen Sixuan came to the 13th carriage and saw Lin Xian still working.

“You haven’t slept in two days and nights. We’re entering the no-man’s zone tomorrow. You should get some rest.”

“I was just thinking the same.” Lin Xian looked up at her, then checked his watch, his face serious. “It’s almost dark. If nothing happens tonight, I’ll meet with Brother Shi and the others to go over the intel from Old Mo and the kidnapped people. After that, I’ll rest.”

Chen Sixuan nodded. “I’ve arranged the food distribution. Given what happened last night, we’re not providing hot meals for now.”

Noticing something odd in Chen Sixuan’s gaze, Lin Xian couldn’t help but ask, “What is it? Something on your mind?”

Chen Sixuan sat down beside him on the floor, eyes flickering. “Maybe it’s my old trauma acting up again. Seeing what those people were doing in the Sand Scourge base today... it really got to me.”

Lin Xian looked at her. “Worse than killing?”

Chen Sixuan shook her head, voice quiet. “The night is terrifying to us—it means death, the end of civilization. But those Sand Raiders... they might not even be able to take a single snow wraith wave from Xilan City, yet what they did was a thousand times more horrifying than any monster.”

Lin Xian let out a cold laugh. “Yeah, it’s always your own kind that knows how to hurt you the most. You know what Old Scorpion said to us before he died?”

Chen Sixuan looked at him.

“He said he knew he wasn’t a match for our joint convoy. But they could still give us a gift from the darkness…”

Chen Sixuan’s expression darkened. “KIKI calls the Descenders traitors to humanity—these guys aren’t even worthy of that title.”

Beep beep. Beep beep.

The watch alarm went off. Listening to the howling sandstorm outside, Lin Xian said calmly, “We’re starting to unravel the secrets of the darkness. We know about the dark marks, we’ve learned to enter silent mode... If there really are human traitors out there making deals with the night, helping it wipe out human civilization, then maybe that’s…”

“The greatest tragedy of humanity.”

Buzz~