Chapter 52: Stopping

Lin Xian took a deep breath and continued to intently devour the heavy TFV600 twin-barrel tank.
The night wind was desolate, and he couldn't help shivering.
"It really is getting colder and colder."
Devouring Hand, devour it quickly!
[Devour progress: 50%]
[Devour progress: 80%]
[Devour successful, Mechanical Source Point +60, Mechanical Devour skill proficiency +30, Extra reward: Strength +4, Speed +1, Defense +1!]
There was no expected flash of golden light, and this destroyed tank yielded no new skills.
Of the three skills Lin Xian had acquired so far, the first two had been obtained from intact mechanical equipment. If he hadn't obtained a new skill from that broken mecha, he would have thought that only intact equipment could grant skills.
[Current Heart of the Machine Level: LV.2 (170/1000)]
[Tip: Upgrading the Heart of the Machine grants special skill rewards. Reaching LV.3, LV.6, and LV.9 will trigger mysterious awakenings.]
Strength Level: 2 [23%] (Burst capacity: 200 kg class)
Speed Level: 1 [64%] (Limit: 10 m/s)
Defense Level: 1 [23%] (Sturdy bones and resilient skin)
[Mechanical Awakening]: Unawakened
Mechanical Devour: 2 (278/500) - Increases devouring efficiency
Mechanical Manufacturing: 1 (112/300) - Increases construction efficiency
Mechanical Passives: Scan / Repair / Disassemble
[Special Skills]
Wind Cannon (Common) (Level 2, 6%)
Ice Shield (Common) (Level 1, 22%)
Flash Step (Rare) (Level 1, 0%)
Whoosh~
This huge tank instantly turned to ashes in his hands, and Lin Xian breathed a sigh of relief.
Finally having the opportunity to slowly devour these big guys, he looked at the freight electric locomotive being towed at the rear. Having teammates felt great; it allowed him to focus on doing big things without worry.
He estimated that devouring this big guy would take even longer than the generator set.
Lin Xian let out a breath. "This thing will take at least 10 hours. I'll go check out that so-called mutual aid campfire first, and then come back to deal with this..."

The train moved forward slowly, and Lin Xian walked from Carriage 5 toward the cab.
"Lin Xian, that person just now mentioned electric-type or some kind of symbiotic-type abilities. They didn't seem particularly surprised that we were driving a train." Chen Sixuan was very sharp and had observed some details from the other person's attitude.
"That person must be an esper too."
Lin Xian said solemnly, "Perhaps we aren't the first train he's seen. Didn't he say the government and the interstellar military are still conducting large-scale dispatch operations? This shows that in some major cities, basic operations might still be maintained, and resistance and research haven't stopped. Maybe we're just cut off from information because we're close to Abyss No. 3."
"Mm!" Hearing Lin Xian's analysis, a glimmer of hope flashed in Chen Sixuan's eyes. "For some reason, hearing that evacuees are helping each other and that the government is still making efforts suddenly makes it feel a little less oppressive."
Lin Xian sighed deeply. "What I care about is whether the main rail lines are still usable..."
Main railway sections involved large-scale material and military dispatches. Unless subjected to targeted sabotage, they should be primary targets for protection.
Lin Xian had also considered the issue of the tracks. As long as it wasn't a major track breakage problem, he could carry track steel and forge connections using his mechanical ability, or have KIKI lay them using her ability. As long as he further developed his mechanical ability, pure track issues shouldn't be too troublesome.
The night was deep and the surroundings were silent. The Infinite slowly rolled into a small station with multiple intersecting tracks. The five people on board raised their vigilance. As soon as it stopped, they saw the head of a young man poking out from behind a station pillar not far away, waving at them.
"Are you here to attend the campfire trade?" the young man asked with a guarded expression.
Lin Xian frowned slightly and opened the cab door. "Were you waiting for us?"
The young man nodded. "I'm from the Chasing Wind Convoy. Brother Yun told me to keep watch here and said that if a train arrived with people, I should ask if you were coming to the campfire. If you're going, I can lead the way."
"We're going. Wait a moment," Lin Xian replied, nodding.
With that, he closed the cab door.
"How many of us are going?" Chen Sixuan asked.
Lin Xian walked back toward the rear carriages. "First, load some supplies onto the vehicle. KIKI and Dalou will come with me. Teacher Chen and Shasha will guard the train. Contact us via walkie-talkie if anything happens."
"Alright, you guys be careful."
The few of them went to the rear flatcar. Lin Xian loaded some supplies and weapons onto the jeep, unhitched the linkages, and had Dalou drive it down onto the platform.
Both Dalou and KIKI had very strong abilities. Since it was his first time attending such a gathering of survivors, he wasn't entirely at ease, so he decided to bring them along to bolster their presence. Shasha and陳思璇 (Chen Sixuan) were responsible for guarding the train, and with weapons now available, their safety had a certain degree of guarantee.
The young man looked in astonishment at the fully armed heavy train, his eyes almost popping out of his head. Seeing them drive a jeep down next, he quickly pushed out a small mountain motorcycle from behind the platform.
"Follow me. Try to keep it quiet; there are quite a few zombies in the city. We're all stationed near an abandoned factory in the suburbs, about ten kilometers away."
Lin Xian nodded and said to the young man, "Let's go."
Vroom~
The motorcycle headlights turned on and led the way ahead.
Dalou drove the jeep, carrying Lin Xian and KIKI behind them.
"I estimate that at gatherings like this, there won't be just one or two espers. If anything happens, take your cue from me."
Dalou nodded silently.
KIKI smiled and said, "Anyone who can gather together means those convoys have those red beads to modify radios, and they aren't simple people either. We need to get some of these little beads too. Maybe besides radios, we can even connect to satellites."
Lin Xian took a deep breath.
"That thing sounds like it has some kind of energy resonance with the Dark Tide. This also shows that the Dark Tide has indeed caused us a lot of information-shielding interference. However, pulling such things out of those monsters must mean their value isn't low."
"Yeah," KIKI nodded. "Well, let's check it out first. Worst case scenario, we'll just kill those bugs again!"
Lin Xian: ......

The vehicles wound along the path, avoiding the city and speeding through a forest. Soon, the view widened, and the dark silhouette of an abandoned factory appeared in the distance.
Around the factory, a dozen or so convoys of various sizes were stationed, comprising a full hundred vehicles.
Lights flickered inside the vehicles like stars, with silhouettes of people moving about, each group minding its own business. These convoys were clustered in separate areas, and some vehicles had people holding guns standing guard.
In the distance, the city of Quanguan was shrouded in shadows, completely lifeless.
Lin Xian's gaze swept over the remaining license plates of some survivor vehicles, discovering that most of them came from different places.
Meanwhile, the arrival of their vehicles from afar naturally attracted the attention of quite a few people, with gazes cast over in twos and threes.
What Lin Xian found strange was that these convoys stayed far away and didn't get too close to the abandoned factory. Inside the factory at this moment, faint firelight flickered—evidently the campfire Jiang Yun had mentioned earlier.
"Let's park right here."
The young man stopped his motorcycle and pointed to a patch of open ground nearby. "Everyone's convoys don't drive right up. Usually, the team leaders and bosses go inside to chat, and they don't bring weapons. But you'd better leave someone to guard the vehicles."
"Oh, quite a lot of rules," KIKI said with a surprised look. "Why does it feel like a gang trade?"
The young man gave an embarrassed smile. "Everyone comes from all over and isn't familiar with each other. If we want to sit down and be friendly, we definitely can't bring hardware, otherwise wouldn't it be just like those doomsday thugs?"
Lin Xian's gaze turned slightly cold. "Dalou, you guard the vehicle. KIKI and I will go."
"Got it, Brother Xian," Dalou nodded.
Immediately after, Lin Xian and KIKI got out of the vehicle and followed behind the young man as he walked inward.
"Actually, if you're an esper, bringing weapons or not makes no difference," the young man chatted amiably along the way. "It's just a gesture to show friendliness."
He pointed to the distant vehicles as he spoke.
"Look, many of the vehicles are either painted red or orange, or they fly corresponding flags. This used to be a method used in marine navigation to pass through pirate territories, meaning one is under protection or possesses armed counterattack capabilities. Now, many convoys view this as a neutral symbol indicating they aren't thugs, to avoid friendly fire."