Chapter 50: Soaring Into the Clouds!

[Scanning complete. Failed to acquire blueprint. The target core drive source does not exist, unable to generate blueprint information.]

"As expected..."

Lin Xian switched on his flashlight, staring at the giant humanoid machine before him, his face filled with regret.

"Pity, it can only be devoured. Still, the material recovery from this thing shouldn't be too bad."

Unable to be repaired and impossible to scan for a blueprint, the best course of action was to let it become nourishment for the growth of Lin Xian's Mechanical Heart.

He turned off the flashlight, stood up to observe the dark wilderness around him, and after confirming it was safe, he sat back down and began to concentrate on devouring the massive machine.

[Devouring progress: 1%]

[Devouring progress: 3%]

Looking at the progress bar, Lin Xian estimated that it would probably take a few hours to finish this thing.

The long night wore on, second by second, until it was finally complete.

[Devouring successful, mechanical source point +100, mechanical devouring skill proficiency +40, bonus rewards: strength +2, speed +1, defense +1!]

At that moment, a flash of purple light suddenly appeared before his eyes!

[Congratulations, you have obtained an extra skill reward: Flashback!]

[Flashback (Rare): Utilize the momentum of the wind to execute a rapid forward lunge. Upgrading this skill significantly increases speed and lunge distance.]

"Holy crap, a rare skill, but just the name sounds like..."

Lin Xian was overjoyed. It was his first time acquiring a rare skill, and judging by its description, it seemed to be some kind of movement and displacement ability, which would instantly boost his mobility tremendously.

"I wonder how powerful it is..."

Opening his decomposition space at this moment and looking at the metal materials inside, joy bloomed even brighter in his eyes.

[Decomposition: Through mechanical devouring, you have obtained Tungsten-Titanium Alloy Type I * 5, High-Manganese Steel * 10, Forged Inner Armor Steel * 3, Titanium Alloy * 3...]

"Tungsten-Titanium Alloy Type I, you simply can't find this stuff in the civilian sector."

Lin Xian was deeply shocked. Military-grade materials like this could only be found on cutting-edge military armor; they were completely absent in ordinary firearms.

Thud, thud, thud~

At that moment, crisp footsteps echoed in the darkness.

"Who's there?"

"It's me." KIKI walked out slowly from behind the vehicle, looking at him with a mischievous smile.

Lin Xian was just preparing to devour a tank. Seeing her now, he immediately asked, "Something the matter?"

"Uh..." KIKI's expression turned somewhat unnatural. "I came to find you to say thank you."

Lin Xian raised an eyebrow and smiled faintly.

"And then?"

"Thank you for letting me stay in Carriage Number 2, and thank you for saving me earlier," KIKI said softly.

"It was nothing." Lin Xian walked over to the heavy TFV600 twin-barrel tank, placed his hand on it, and while operating his mechanical devouring ability, he said to her, "Whether it was that giant bug or our time at the military outpost, we definitely would have been goners without your help."

Lin Xian hadn't expected KIKI to come over and tell him these things. His heart relaxed a bit, as he had indeed felt conflicted about her before.

On one hand, KIKI's esper abilities had been instrumental in their two escapes; on the other hand, he still harbored wariness toward someone with such terrifyingly powerful abilities.

KIKI, unaware of Lin Xian's inner thoughts, brightened up slightly upon hearing his words and suddenly extended her hand toward him.

"So... take this."

Lin Xian looked down and saw a small, silver object being handed to him. Reaching out to take it, he realized it was a miniature mobile hard drive.

"What is this?"

"Initial data on the 'Angel Project.' I backed up all of it. Besides, I found a blueprint for the GK03 Electro-Blade in the old archives. I noticed you always like carrying around that beat-up blade—since you're able to manufacture things, do you want to try making this?"

"Though the materials for this thing might be a bit troublesome, requiring a high-frequency current transformer device and stuff like that..."

Lin Xian was slightly stunned. Although taking up a blade was purely a last resort for his mechanical esper ability, the moment he heard the name...

Good grief, the GK03 Electro-Blade?!

Now that was an absolute treasure!!

He had previously seen it on a military forum. It was a standard-issue close-combat weapon developed by Kehua Heavy Industries for the Interstellar Army's Iron Guard Brigade. It had very limited distribution, but due to issues with energy consumption and practical application, it was heavily criticized, and the project was eventually shelved.

Regardless of all that, this thing looked undeniably cool. Using it in a fight, or slightly modifying it based on the electro-blade principle, might prove immensely useful for his train!

Seeing the eager look in Lin Xian's eyes, KIKI tilted her head and looked at him. "So, can we... call a truce?"

Lin Xian found it slightly amusing. He took the mobile hard drive, weighed it in his hand, and looked at KIKI. "Are you talking about when you sneaked a bite of my bread?"

"And the time I ambushed you."

KIKI giggled. "And also, I no longer think your plan is boring. I think it's a sheer stroke of genius!"

"Oh?" Lin Xian frowned, speaking with deep meaning. "Aren't you the heir to a Tier 2 investor in the Dawn Project? Why do you suddenly agree with my plan?"

KIKI took a deep breath. "I know you probably think I'm lying to you again, but the Dawn Project is real, and my identity is real. My... father and I took a helicopter toward the Dalou Mountain area, which seemed to be Underground City No. 9 of the Dawn Project. However, after the first endless night, the federal government collapsed, and the Dawn Project must have been affected. Besides, if it were me, I wouldn't want to be buried underground, waiting for those monsters to come knocking on the door every day."

"Sounds sincere."

"It's true!" KIKI said with an expression of pure frustration. "I'm really not lying to you this time, I swear." With that, she raised three fingers.

Lin Xian nodded. "Then do you know why I designed this train project, despite all the problems you're worried about?"

"Isn't it because of your mechanical esper ability?" KIKI probed.

"That's a subjective factor, not an objective one."

Lin Xian tapped his fingers against the tank, his expression turning solemn. "You might think I'm delusional. I previously heard the Apocalypse Federation's analysis of the Darkness Tide on the Doomsday Radio. My view is that perhaps none of us will ultimately escape the encroachment of the dark."

After the collapse of the federal government, the new Apocalypse Federation was established—an official organization uniting the remaining national powers on Blue Star. Back then, many survivors could still receive rescue and defense messages via long-wave radio. But after the endless night, perhaps due to being too close to Star Abyss No. 3, they could no longer receive such long-wave radio signals.

"Escape it? Then why are you building this train?" KIKI looked puzzled.

Lin Xian's expression was stern. "The vanguard team from Jiang City could escape the Darkness Tide by heading east, reaching daylight ahead of schedule. That is a correct piece of reference information, but the problem is: what if the source of the endless night isn't just ordinary darkness, and the Darkness Tide isn't what people imagine—that you can escape simply by heading east? What do we do then? Let me give you an example: if we set off from Jiang City, we can advance the dawn of the next day by one hour for every 300-plus kilometers we travel. Here is the question: in the east, 3,000 kilometers away from us, do we not even need to run? According to the initial observations of the endless night, if it's caused by the Star Abyss, should the people at Star Abyss No. 4 in Mochen—which is 15,600 kilometers away from us in the northeast direction—head west, or east?"

Hearing this, KIKI's eyes lit up. She let out an "oh" and said, "So the reason you're taking the Circumstellar Orbit is because this route stays almost completely clear of all Star Abysses, or skirts their edges!"

"Correct," Lin Xian stated bluntly. "Now let me ask you: assuming Star Abyss No. 3 expands its Darkness Tide from the direction of Dingzhou at a rate of 300 kilometers per day, how long would it take to cover the entire Blue Star?"

Upon hearing this, KIKI frowned. "Let me calculate."

"No need to calculate. 1,066 days."

"That long?"

"Long?" Lin Xian's gaze was heavy. "Have you forgotten that there are... 13 Star Abysses on Blue Star?!"

"Ah, right~" KIKI's brows furrowed upon hearing this.

Lin Xian's expression tightened slightly, and he said in a ringing voice, "The Circumstellar Orbit is fixed; ultimately, it cannot completely avoid the coverage of the Star Abysses. That is why this is only my first-stage vision. The mechanical esper ability I possess isn't just meant to let me gallop along the Circumstellar Orbit all the way—it's meant to break this train free from the limits of the tracks, so that one day... we can make it fly!"

As soon as these words fell, KIKI's eyes widened. She stared blankly at Lin Xian, her pupils filled with sheer terror. Lin Xian's bold vision instantly left her mind completely blank.

She could not even begin to imagine what kind of scene it would be to see a fully armed heavy train soar into the clouds!

Seeing her remain silent, Lin Xian continued, "I might not know all the specific details, and no one can peer into the true cause of the endless night. In the process of escaping, we will inevitably enter the endless night zones. Therefore, if we don't want to sit and wait for death, we have only two choices: outrun the dawn, or..."

"Conquer the night!"