Chapter Fifteen: Devouring the Giant Freezer
Huang Jie’s eyes reddened as he immediately stood up, grabbed his gun, released the safety, and bit his lip as he fired a burst at the train window.
Rat-a-tat-tat!
Sparks flew and stray bullets scattered, yet the windshield remained completely unscathed.
He had no idea that this Whale 03E heavy gas turbine locomotive was originally designed as the first generation gas turbine engine for the Star Ring orbit, capable of reaching speeds of up to 450 km/h. The train’s windshield was constructed from a special composite fiber combined with high-strength glass, making it nearly impervious to ordinary rifle bullets.
“Keep your voice down, damn it!”
The thunderous gunfire echoed throughout the freight platform, provoking Huang Zhaojian, Huang Jie’s elder brother, to curse furiously, “You’re asking for death! You’ll attract those damn things and get us all killed!”
“Brother... there’s a girl!”
Impatient, Huang Jie’s throat tightened as he gazed at Chen Sixuan inside the carriage, swallowing hard with a face full of unwillingness.
Huang Zhaojian climbed up as well, his eyes widening with a flicker of complex thought upon glimpsing inside. Yet he quickly masked it with a stern expression.
“Don’t rush. She can’t get away. Once we get that guy out and have the train keys, then everything will be ours!”
“Right, right!”
Huang Jie nodded repeatedly. With fiery eyes, he looked back toward the carriage. Chen Sixuan had already hidden, prompting him to spit harshly.
“Little beauty, just wait for me...” Just as he turned to leave, he suddenly stopped, a lecherous grin spreading as he unbuckled his belt and urinated against the window, seemingly indulging a twisted pleasure. Only then did he leave, gun in hand.
[Scan complete. Obtained blueprint for Bing’er TG-56 commercial freezer.]
Inside the cold storage, Lin Xian listened intently as Chen Sixuan reported the situation outside the train, a cold glint flashing through his eyes.
“Don’t worry about it. Just rest well in Carriage 1. If you’re hungry, eat whatever you find.”
“Lin Xian...” Chen Sixuan’s voice trembled slightly. “You won’t be hurt, will you?”
“No,” Lin Xian said calmly.
He pocketed the walkie-talkie. After completing the scan and acquisition of the freezer blueprint, Lin Xian placed his hand on the freezer, seizing every second to begin mechanical devouring!
[Devouring progress 1%]
The progress bar appeared, and Lin Xian realized this large freezer was nearly as difficult as the small truck he had devoured before.
Moreover, there was more than one such freezer in this cold storage.
“There’s plenty of time today. Then I’ll go all out and devour them all!”
This opportunity was rare for Lin Xian. Though escaping the dark tide engulfing Jiang City was his top priority, his current circumstances prevented him from leaving. Since that was the case, he might as well make the most of it and rapidly enhance his supernatural abilities.
“What about that kid?”
Outside the cold storage, Huang Zhaojian returned with his younger brother Huang Jie. His wife Gong Li and their son waited anxiously nearby. The old lady sighed irritably.
“He’s hidden inside. Forget him for now. How about the train?”
Huang Jie’s face lit up. “Mom, brother and I checked it out—there’s really only one girl. I reckon those few carriages hold plenty of supplies. We’re going to get rich!”
The old lady nodded. “You two find some tools and, while it’s still daylight, see if you can pry open the cold storage door. It’s better to avoid trouble. I’m worried the longer this drags on, the worse it gets. It might be dark for days on end soon. This old body of mine probably won’t survive such a long night.”
“I think the same.”
Huang Zhaojian’s anxiety grew. Finally, they had stumbled upon such a valuable chance; naturally, the quicker they succeeded, the better.
After a brief discussion, they decided to find steel pipes and crowbars to pry the cold storage door open.
Time passed by the minute. It was now 5:00 p.m., less than two hours before nightfall. If they couldn’t open the door before dark, they’d have to wait until the next day.
Meanwhile, in a dark corner inside the cold storage, Lin Xian endured the foul stench as he continued devouring the freezer.
[Devouring progress 80%]
[Devouring progress 95%]
After more than an hour’s effort, the massive freezer before him was finally almost completely absorbed. At the same time, the cold storage door echoed with intermittent sounds of crowbars and kicks.
Yet he felt little worry. When he first locked the door, he had scanned it. This low-temperature cold storage door was 150mm thick, with an outer layer of stainless steel and aluminum and a core of heavy insulating polyurethane and fiberglass. With the door core locked by his supernatural power, opening it by hand or simple tools like crowbars was virtually impossible.
Unless they had hydraulic cutters or a cutting machine. But if they had such equipment, they wouldn’t have been struggling noisily for over an hour.
So Lin Xian endured the irritating noise and continued calmly devouring the freezer.
Elsewhere, Chen Sixuan, her mind in turmoil, paced back and forth inside the carriage. Soon, she realized that panicking was futile. She first checked on the young girl’s condition, then, while it was still daylight, began organizing the supplies in the three carriages and tidying up.
[Devouring successful. Mechanical Source +25, Mechanical Devouring skill proficiency +8. Bonus: Strength +3, Defense +1.]
Deep within the cold storage, Lin Xian’s eyes lit up as he gazed at the glowing screen.
What a haul!
He glanced around and saw there were at least four such large freezers here. If he devoured them all, the payoff would be enormous.
[Mechanical Devouring LV.1 286/300]
His Mechanical Devouring was close to leveling up. Upon success, his devouring efficiency would improve further!
Feeling confident, Lin Xian wasted no time and moved to the next freezer to continue devouring.
Outside the cold storage, Huang Zhaojian and Huang Jie were flushed and sweating profusely, their steel pipes and crowbars scattered on the ground as they panted heavily.
“Damn it... it won’t budge at all...”
The old lady stood nearby, glancing at the darkening sky, her expression unsettled.
“Mom, we’ve been hiding inside that place at night for the past few days. Those monsters outside can’t break in, so Zhaojian and the others will probably have a hard time opening this door too,” Gong Li said anxiously.
“Yeah, this damn door’s way too tough. Damn it!”
Huang Jie cursed as he threw a steel pipe on the ground. Despite his swearing, every night he prayed the door would hold strong—a sign of a fractured mind.
“Enough, stop messing around.”
The old lady knew continuing was pointless, and their noise was attracting footsteps converging on the warehouse.
“It’s about to get dark. Let’s hide for now. The door’s locked with chains outside, so no need to worry about anyone escaping.”
“Looks like without that guy, the train won’t move. As long as they can’t run, they’ll eventually wear out.”
“Mom’s right!”
“Then that’s what we’ll do...”
“Dad, aren’t we getting on the train today?” the little chubby boy asked, disappointed.
“Not yet. We’ll stay another night.”
This family had been hiding in the cold storage where they had been fishing. The door lock was broken, so they used steel pipes to secure it from inside to survive the night.
Beep beep.
Lin Xian’s watch alarm rang. His brows tightened; night was approaching.
On the train, Chen Sixuan drew all the blackout curtains, anxiously waiting for Lin Xian’s response. Her gaze fell on the unconscious girl. She approached, checked her breathing, and, seeing she was still alive, revealed a startled expression.
The girl had been asleep for two whole days...
At 6:45 p.m., night fell, plunging the entire freight platform into darkness.
The low growls of zombies and strange, eerie footsteps, along with rustling sounds, grew louder in Chen Sixuan’s ears. Lying on the sofa, clutching the walkie-talkie, she wrapped herself tightly in a blanket.
The Huang family had also hidden inside another cold storage, securing the door with steel pipes and crowbars. The whole family huddled deep inside a corner, discussing their plan while eating.
At 7:32 p.m., Lin Xian finished devouring the second freezer.
[Devouring successful. Mechanical Source +25, Mechanical Devouring skill proficiency +8. Bonus: Strength +2, Speed +1, Defense +1.]
At 9:14 p.m., he completed the third freezer.
[Devouring successful. Mechanical Source +25, Mechanical Devouring skill proficiency +8. Bonus: Strength +1.]
Though this one yielded fewer attribute bonuses, Lin Xian was more excited that his devouring skill had reached Level 2!