Doomsday: I Build an Infinite Train.

Chapter 360 The Container of the Black Candle

[Successfully manufactured; Mechanical Manufacturing Proficiency +20]

Current Mechanical Manufacturing Level LV.5 (2060/3000)

With a series of swift movements, alloy components were connected, mechanical units were assembled, and in front of Lin Xian, a 'Worker Ant-7' construction robot was completed. As the system was activated, the robot's information screen lit up, the system began loading, and then the robot's tracks began to rotate and drive into the distance, where it was neatly arranged with 10 other robots.

"If we build another 50 units, the mechanical manufacturing level should be upgraded to level 6."

Inside the No. 13 military train carriage, Lin Xian was ramping up manufacturing upgrades. Meanwhile, these robots would be of great use later. The more robots Lin Xian built, the more production and combat power he could control and manage. And this combat power, combined with nuclear power and his superstring reactor phase ring, was almost limitless.

Lin Xian looked up and saw 40 Thunder Falcon 2000 drones floating in the air above the carriage. These drones flew in an orderly fashion and moved according to Lin Xian's commands. The pulse ray weapon slowly gathered energy and burst out with a powerful aura.

"Recreating some combinations of special functions like 'Thunder Prison' and 'Icefall 166' would make things more flexible. Oh, and there's also 'Iron Rain' and 'Iron Curtain' for physical attacks and defense..."

"As for this 'Destroyer'... never mind."

Looking at the blueprint library, Lin Xian decided not to build it for the time being, mainly because the cost was too high. At this time, building more functional drones might be more cost-effective than weapon drones. The more drones there were, the more he could have Grace operate these construction, maintenance, and production robots according to his design to directly modify the interior and exterior of the Infinite, and even replace him in some of the manufacturing work.

Because he needed to focus on making things, Lin Xian put the sleeping KIKI aside so she could lie down and rest. After all, with the little girl clinging to him, Lin Xian would inevitably become a little distracted.

Now is a great opportunity to improve manufacturing capabilities and upgrade. With this girl hanging on him, he wants to kiss her every now and then, which is really lowering his manufacturing efficiency!
"Let's try building two different drones at the same time..."

Lin Xian was in high spirits, simultaneously starting the manufacturing process with both hands, immersing himself completely in the operation of the mechanical heart. He felt as if his soul had merged with the thousands of materials, soaring through the air and being cast into shape according to the blueprints: those computing units, integrated circuits, those ducted fans, miniature turbojet engines, those high-density battery arrays, lidar...

The countless intricate machines and systems captivated Lin Xian, reminding him of the first time he touched Unit-01 in the Terraca Mare Ice Valley. He felt a sense of awe at the powerful mechanical structures that humanity possessed, and this indescribable sense of romance stirred his passion.

Nourishing.

At that moment, a familiar voice suddenly came through the communicator.

"Boss Lin, Boss Lin~"

Every time Hu Lushou called out to Lin Xian, it reminded Lin Xian of the smiling pimps calling out on street corners in old movies. He immediately pressed the communication button and responded.

"what's up?"

"I found you something good, are you interested?"

"what."

Ding ding~
A message pop-up appeared. Lin Xian glanced at KIKI, who was fast asleep beside him, and reached out to open it.

At this moment, Hu Lushou, grinning with his big gold teeth and a fawning smile, appeared in a small holographic screen. He rubbed his fingers together and pointed behind him.
"See this big guy? Isn't it awesome!?"

Lin Xian focused his gaze and saw the camera pan back, revealing Hu Lushou standing in the berth area of ​​an aircraft, with a large transport ship docked behind him.

Lin Xian immediately recognized it; it was a Dragon-type transport ship that he had seen before in Qingshui Town, but unlike the others, this one was clearly intact.

"You acquired a federal transport ship?" Lin Xian asked, frowning.

"No!" Hu Lushou introduced in a serious tone: "Retired from the Federation, a legitimate military-to-civilian conversion, not a black market assembly! The hull frame is made entirely of titanium-tungsten alloy, and it survived the Star Abyss bombardment without falling apart! Of course, the outer armor has some minor scratches, but these are minor issues. It's a Federation standard 'Dragon-type' MK-III heavy transport ship, 11,000 tons, the real deal, no exaggeration, and its cargo hold volume can fit three football fields!"

"Retire? Has Dawn City gone mad to retire such a heavy transport ship?" Lin Xian laughed and said, "Spit it out. I don't have time to listen to your nonsense."

"Wait, wait, wait..." Hu Lushou quickly stopped, grinning as he leaned closer to Lin Xian on the holographic screen with a shifty expression, and whispered, "Boss Lin, didn't you ask me to help you find a mechanical vehicle for recycling? This owner is a big shot; he wants to use this aircraft to exchange for a dungeon spot with the Federation. Holy crap, I was stunned. I told him, 'Kid, are you crazy? You're using Federation stuff to exchange for benefits with the Federation? Do you think you're an idiot or that everyone in the Federation is an idiot?' He didn't say anything. I can tell that this group wants to exchange this aircraft for blood essence, but right now, besides the Phoenix Society and a few other big organizations, who dares to want this kind of thing? And who can afford it?"

"But then I thought, maybe I, Boss Lin, would dare to take it, so that's why I came to you...hehe."

Lin Xian paused upon hearing this, thinking to himself, "Didn't he ask Mochizuki Shinji for help? Could it be that Mochizuki Shinji outsourced to that unscrupulous businessman, Hu Lu Shou?"

However, he immediately understood. The moment Hu Lushou entered Silent City, he acted like a kid on drugs, brandishing a bunch of gadgets he'd scavenged from somewhere in White City and loudly proclaiming them as treasures brought from the 'Star Abyss.' With his flowery rhetoric, he even touted the Gatling gun his men had brought as a special artifact that had undergone the 'Star Abyss Enchantment.' He even held an auction at a gathering of survivors in Silent City, amassing hundreds of Blood Essences in less than a night—more than the tolls he'd collected in Aksai…

Then Shinji Mochizuki informed Lin Xian of the situation. In Shinji Mochizuki's eyes, Hu Lu Shou was basically half of his Union Train's people. So Shinji Mochizuki told Lin Xian that he was going to punish Hu Lu Shou under the pretext of speculation and then levy an 80% speculation tax on him, which would wipe Hu Lu Shou out of his pre-liberation state.

Lin Xian pondered that Shinji Mochizuki had directly assigned the task of recovering the mechanical equipment to Hu Lushou, probably because he didn't want to reveal the stance between Silent City and Lin Xian. As for whether he was worried that Silent City would be implicated by the Infinity Ship, or the Infinity Ship would be implicated by Silent City, that was another matter.

Thinking of this, Lin Xian took a deep breath and said directly to Hu Lushou.
"How much?"

Hu Lushou solemnly raised one hand to Lin Xian.

"50,000 Grade 1 Blood Essence pills, honest and reliable, you couldn't buy them for double the price on the black market! Comes with a three-year warranty!"

"Goodbye," Lin Xian said.

"and many more!"

Hu Lushou quickly stopped Lin Xian from closing the holographic call and said seriously, "Boss Lin, I haven't finished yet. 5 level-one blood essences... I, Old Hu, will pay for them myself!!"

"What do you mean?" Lin Xian asked, frowning.

Hu Lushou patted his chest violently, almost choking on his own breath, and then quickly put on a righteous expression and said to Lin Xian, "I, Hu Lushou, have always understood the principle of repaying a small favor many times over. This transport ship is just a small token of my gratitude to Boss Lin for saving my life. It's absolutely nothing more than that!"

Lin Xian laughed immediately, understanding Hu Lushou's intention, and said...

"Fifty thousand blood essences?"

"Not a single one is missing."

"Give it to me for free?"

"Not a single one."

"Okay, thank you." Lin Xian gave a perfunctory thank you and then made a move to hang up.

Hu Lushou's expression immediately changed, and he hurriedly said, "Um, um, Boss Lin, do you remember what I used to do?"

"They collect tolls."

"No..." Hu Lushou gestured with his hands and feet towards the transport ship, "You forgot? I've driven that thing before. I'm familiar with it and have experience. I know exactly how many toilets are on each deck."

Lin Xian's eyes flickered. It seemed that Hu Lushou thought Lin Xian was retrieving the vehicle to expand the team, so he had been putting on a show for so long just for this one act.

“Okay, then you’ll be in charge of every deck from now on,” Lin Xian replied earnestly.

Hu Lushou's eyes lit up upon hearing this, but before he could speak, Lin Xian's next words came through.

"Deck Manager."

After saying that, the call was disconnected.

Hu Lushou stared in disbelief as the holographic screen disappeared.

Deck manager?

Why does this official position sound both high and low?

"Deck manager... what do you mean?" Hu Lushou looked at Sun Chang beside him and asked.

Sun Chang lowered her head and counted the blood essence in a large box, saying in a detached voice, "Didn't you say you knew exactly how many toilets were on each deck? He put you in charge of cleaning and sanitation on each deck."

"What the hell?!" Hu Lushou almost split open on the spot.

……

On the other side, in carriage 13, Lin Xian heard a cold voice.
"This guy is trying to curry favor with you."

He turned his head and saw that KIKI had woken up at some point, lying on the ground with her hand supporting her head, glancing at him indifferently.

“I know, 5 blood essences, this guy is just bragging without thinking, he’s shameless to the extreme. If he really had 5 blood essences, Silent City would make him the city lord.”

"Then you don't want it?"

"Of course I want it, why wouldn't I?" Lin Xian smiled. "It's free, this kind of cheap hospitality doesn't come around often."

Even in the apocalypse where the airspace is more dangerous than the ground, a perfectly intact 10,000-ton transport ship is extremely valuable. If you are lucky enough, you can fly directly from here to the center of Dawn in this ship. Of course, the premise is that it is not confiscated or shot down by the Federation, and that you do not encounter any strange entities or even be marked by the darkness.

"He wants me to owe him a huge favor, and then he'll take me on a trip."

"He's in Silent City now, with such a powerful backer, are you really that sure?" KIKI asked, twirling her fingers through her long hair as she looked at Lin Xian.

Lin Xian shook his head, continued building the drone with both hands, and said...

"This guy isn't stupid. Shinji Mochizuki of Silent City doesn't like him, and he doesn't dare to bet everything on Aurora City, so he's leaving himself a way out."

"Oh, then why did you put me down?"

"Hu Lushou, that guy..." Lin Xian stopped mid-sentence, realizing that KIKI had changed the subject. He turned around and found KIKI sitting up, arms crossed, looking at him questioningly: "Am I bothering you?"

"..." Lin Xian sensed something was wrong and explained, "I saw you were asleep, mainly because I didn't want to disturb you."

"Tch~" KIKI said irritably, "You're lying~"

She stood up abruptly, muttering to herself, "I don't want to hug you yet, it's too uncomfortable."

Lin Xian lowered his head upon hearing this: "How could that be? I didn't react this time, okay?"

As soon as I finished speaking, I realized something was off; it sounded like I was slapping myself in the face...

Seeing Lin Xian's actions, KIKI gritted her teeth, glared at him, and said, "What did you say?!"

Lin Xian felt a throbbing pain in his trigeminal nerve. Just as he was about to explain something, an urgent voice suddenly came from the communicator.

"Lin Xian, Zhou Lei is in trouble!"

The voice came from Monica. Upon hearing this, Lin Xian and KIKI immediately became serious, and a few minutes later, the two arrived at the area where the Queen Monica was docked.

At this moment, the crew of the Queen Mo were fully armed and guarding both sides of the train. Outside the first carriage, several members in power armor were holding a man with a stun gun. Monica stood next to him, playing with a strange device in her hand.

Seeing Lin Xian approach, Monica stepped forward and tossed the instrument she was holding to him.
"It's a very interesting machine. If I'm not mistaken, the other party used this to find Zhou Lei."

Lin Xian reached out and took it, his gaze sweeping over the man on the ground. He noticed that the man was a pale, thin man in his thirties, exuding a sinister aura from having lived in the shadows for too long. He seemed to try to raise his head when he heard footsteps, but was immediately pinned to the ground by the guards from the Queen Mo, who were holding electric guns. The high-voltage arc from the electric guns caused the man to convulse violently, and he immediately passed out.

"You mean he's someone from divine revelation?" KIKI crossed her arms, looking puzzled. "How come the Silent City didn't notice anything when he arrived here?"

"Because this guy is just like Zhou Lei..."

Lin Xian quickly scanned the instrument in his hand, frowning as he said, "The radar can't find him at all."

As he spoke, Lin Xian raised his hand and moved the searchlight on the roof of the Queen Mo vehicle away from the man. Under the shadows of several team members, the man strangely appeared as a few shadowy figures, seemingly disappearing.

“That’s right, but this guy must be a newbie. My heart was pounding when I got close to him,” Monica said casually.

Lin Xian finished scanning and found that the design of the instrument in his hand was somewhat similar to the Spirit Detection Device. He disassembled it and found that in addition to a blood essence as a source of darkness detection, there was also a tiny vacuum diode filled with a black liquid that emitted an ominous feeling.

Lin Xian held the diode between his fingers and whispered, "This is indeed some kind of detection device, but the principle behind it is still unclear. I checked Zhou Lei's body and there were no tracking devices or anything like that, so..."

"Could it be that the black candle that can track Zhou Lei's location?" KIKI boldly asked.

"possible."

Lin Xian looked at the unconscious man: "Then here's the question, is this man like Zhou Lei, or is there more than one black candle, or can it be used on multiple people?"

"Just ask him directly."

Monica then turned towards the train and said, "That guy seems to have sensed something; he looks a bit tense now."

After saying that, she led Lin Xian and KIKI onto the Queen Mo. In one of the carriages, Zhou Lei was locked in a transparent isolation room. The room was small, with only a single bed suspended in the air and a simple bathroom. The entire room was under surveillance 24 hours a day. However, before what had just happened, Zhou Lei was relatively calm. After all, it wasn't the first time he had been monitored, and he was quite experienced. But after the entire Queen Mo was mobilized and captured the man who had sneaked in, Zhou Lei became noticeably anxious and paced back and forth in the room.

At this moment, seeing Lin Xian and the others enter the carriage, he immediately stepped forward and said anxiously, "Lin... Team Leader Lin, has it been them coming to find us?!"

"Do you recognize this?" Lin Xian showed Zhou Lei the instrument in his hand. Zhou Lei's expression changed immediately upon seeing it. He took two steps back and exclaimed in horror, "It's them...it's the people from Divine Revelation! This thing is used to detect forbidden objects!!"

"Looks like I guessed right." Lin Xian handed the instrument to KIKI and said to Zhou Lei, "So you've caused trouble for us and Silent City?"

"no……"

Zhou Lei opened his mouth, then quickly said, "I didn't do anything, I swear to God, Captain Lin, I'm being watched from every angle even when I'm taking a dump, how could I possibly cause you any trouble?"

"Do you know why they're looking for you?"

Lin Xian leaned back, his face cold, and said, "Don't tell me that the people of Divine Revelation and the Crimson World went to great lengths to send someone to infiltrate this Silent City to rescue you, all for a useless pawn that has already betrayed them?"

Lin Xian was not surprised at all that people from the Divine Revelation or the Crimson World had infiltrated Silent City, but the fact that they approached Zhou Lei first made Lin Xian suspect that Zhou Lei had other secrets.

Upon hearing Lin Xian's words, Zhou Lei immediately waved his hand and said
"Impossible, they... they couldn't possibly have come to save me."

"There has to be a reason," Lin Xian said, glancing at his watch. "Now that we've caught that guy, maybe if either of you can talk, it'll be fine, right?"

Zhou Lei's face paled upon hearing this: "Captain Lin, I really don't know. Since I was taken away by the people from Divine Revelation, I haven't seen any of them. I only know that the Black Candle's containment agent is called Old Ghost, a bastard who likes to hide in the shadows and spy on women. Other than that, all I know is what I heard when I was monitoring those clones whose mental consciousness had become disordered at the White City Research Institute..."

"You're concluding that the Crimson World and the higher-ups of Dawn City are colluding based on a bunch of mentally unstable replicants?" KIKI frowned. "What basis could that be..."

"No!"

Zhou Lei quickly waved his hand: "I saw it with my own eyes, on the very night I was sent to Xingyuan, in Jinhai!!"

Zhou Lei then revealed everything: "I was locked in an iron cage at the time. Before boarding the transport ship, I saw a group of people disembark from another transport ship. One of them was Wen Dong, the former general manager of Jinhai City Investment Company. I would recognize him even if he were ashes. Wen Dong is from the Wen family and the second-in-command of Linglong Group. Many people know that Linglong Group has now sided with Dawn City. Wen Hui has even become a new federal councilor. Wen Dong's appearance in the territory of the Crimson World definitely means there is collusion between them!"

“Wen Dong, that name sounds familiar.” Lin Xian frowned.

KIKI turned her head and whispered in Lin Xian's ear: "Tang Yun's husband from the Yijinling Center, my... second uncle."

"Your family is truly full of loyal martyrs," Lin Xian said with feigned seriousness.

“I don’t agree,” KIKI said dismissively.

"So you mean the Crimson World has influence in Jinhai?" Monica, who was standing nearby, grasped another key point.

Zhou Lei's eyes widened immediately upon hearing this.

"That's not about the distribution of power. I think the Crimson World is in Jinhai!"

"Why?" Lin Xian asked, frowning.

“Captain Lin, think about it. I was transported to Star Abyss from Jinhai. That place is a military base, and those clones were also transported there in batches. Jinhai is right in front of Dawn City. It is Dawn City’s bridgehead to Star Abyss No. 5, and it is also the Federation’s main production line. The fact that Crimson World can operate under Dawn City’s nose not only shows that they colluded before, but also shows that Crimson World’s lair is very likely under its nose!” Zhou Lei said, expressing his judgment.

“That sounds like it makes sense.” KIKI nodded.

“Military airfields…” Monica pressed the mobile terminal on her arm, and a holographic screen was projected. Soon, more than a dozen dots appeared on the map: “There are quite a few military airfields around Jinhai. Which one are you referring to specifically?”

"Well... I don't know." Zhou Lei shook his head.

"Then how did you know it was Jinhai's military airport?" Lin Xian asked sternly.

"Because after the transport ship took off, I saw the Star Gazing Tower of Jinhai from the air!" Zhou Lei said with wide eyes and a confident expression, "The airport and the main city of Jinhai are definitely no more than a 10-minute flight apart, I guarantee it!"

"Wow, you're quite cautious, aren't you? You know you can't get out of the Star Abyss, and you still have the mind to care about these things." Lin Xian scrutinized the fat man with great curiosity.

Upon hearing this, Zhou Lei looked at him with a desolate expression, and said with a hint of self-mockery, "In this world, someone like me has neither resources nor special abilities, so the only way to survive is to be a little cunning..."

Lin Xian ignored him and turned around to discuss things quietly with KIKI and Monica.

"What do you think?"

"Does he know too much?" KIKI wondered.

"Perhaps the Crimson World also considered him a pawn destined to die, with no chance of ever leaving the Star Abyss. And to enter the Star Abyss, one must remain conscious. This explains why he was able to glean some information during this process."

Lin Xian shook his head: "I'm not thinking about that. Whether what he said is true or false, it doesn't have much to do with us. Apart from the possibility that the Crimson World might be outside of Jinhai, what does it have to do with us whether Dawn City has any collusion? I only care about why the people of Divine Revelation are targeting him."

“Simple,” Monica said casually. “Let the guy outside explain it himself.”

"By the way, Lin Xian," KIKI said to Lin Xian, holding the device that searches for forbidden items.

"The detection method for this thing is similar to that for the Spirit-Slaying Value. Have you noticed that, based on the energy scale of this blood essence, its detection radius will not exceed 3 kilometers?"

Lin Xian's expression changed upon hearing this; he hadn't even noticed the problem before.

Monica crossed her arms and looked at Lin Xian.
"3 kilometers, based on berth distance, right in the silent city. It seems Zhou Lei was discovered as soon as he returned from City 2, which means this guy..."

"I've been staying in Silent City the whole time!"

At this moment, Zhou Lei, who was in the isolation pod at the rear, noticed that the three people were ignoring him, and he asked anxiously.

"Captain Lin, can you tell me who you caught? Did he... did he confess anything?"

"Oh, I almost forgot." Lin Xian glanced at Monica.

Monica understood and immediately ordered her men to carry the man in.

Chi.

The door opened, and when Zhou Lei saw the face of the gaunt man being carried in, his pupils constricted sharply, and he pointed at the man, his mouth agape.
"He...he is Old Ghost!"

(End of this chapter)