Chapter 56 Repair

Three Spark-26 semi-automatic tactical rifles and 120 rounds of ammunition could be traded for about five days' worth of rations for a ten-person convoy, or 80 liters of gasoline.

Yet all those weapons combined could only buy two boxes of antibiotics.

Beyond that, as the apocalypse dragged on, water filtration devices, heating equipment, and communication gear were each becoming more valuable than the last.

Consequently, red beans—the eerie blood essences named by the Phoenix Club—had emerged as a new hard currency for trade. With the invasion of the endless night and deeper research, this substance was revealing more and more of its value.

It could establish communications amidst the nocturnal tides, peer into the dark world, enhance esper abilities, and even measure the spirit-ripping index to determine the danger level of a region...

One could only imagine how crucial it was.

Lin Xian was extremely eager to get his hands on that spirit-ripping index detector right now.

If something like that could be installed on the train, they could assess the risk of an area during their stops and rest periods. That would greatly enhance safety during downtime while also allowing him to spare more time for exploring the Heart of Machinery.

Before long, most of the convoys had struck bargains with one another. Without lingering, they immediately began exchanging goods.

"My friend."

At that moment, the middle-aged man named Xu Jin walked over with an anxious expression, accompanied by the woman called Shu Qin.

"If it's convenient, could you take a look at her water purification equipment?"

The woman named Shu Qin had short hair and a petite stature, yet she carried an efficient and capable aura. She said to Lin Xian, "Yes, if you can fix it, I can also offer compensation."

"Let's go take a look first."

Lin Xian said to Kiki, "Kid, have the building bring the items we just agreed on and trade them with that bespectacled guy for his red beans."

"You got it." Kiki went off to arrange the transaction.

Stepping out of the abandoned factory, the wind and snow grew heavier, their boots crunching on the snow-covered ground.

Many of the survivors' vehicles outside were already wrapped in thick layers, though some people still wore thin clothing, shivering in the snowy night.

Lin Xian followed behind, scanning the survivor convoys along the way. Nearly every vehicle was caked in mud, with dried bloodstains showing a dark red hue under the darkness of night. All vehicles carrying supplies, water, and even children were parked in the center of the convoys, guarded by sentries whose gazes were either piercing or numb.

Shu Qin's convoy was a small one consisting of only eight vehicles. Among them was a pickup truck towing a water tank trailer, with a makeshift rainwater collector built from sheet metal mounted on the roof.

"The rainwater falling from the sky cannot be drunk directly, not even when boiled. It has to be filtered first, otherwise, the water heater will break down quickly and consume an immense amount of electricity."

Shu Qin patted the metal water tank with a grave expression. "Drinking too much rainwater causes fever and diarrhea from massive bacterial loads, and it also triggers terrifying hallucinations, inflicting extreme mental torture."

"Indeed," Xu Jin sighed. "We've been searching for water for two days. We used to rely on homemade filter screens and then distill it into pure water, but that consumes way too much fuel..."

Hearing this, Lin Xian clicked his tongue inwardly. His Infinite was stocked with bottled purified water scavenged earlier, and since he hadn't intercepted the Phoenix Club's broadcasts, he hadn't considered this particular issue at all.

Thinking about it now, a sense of vigilance arose in him. The greatest advantage the Infinite held over these convoys was its loading capacity and defensive strength, allowing him to carry abundant supplies.

However, the bottled water would run out sooner or later, and the train only had boiling water and steam generators—no water purification equipment whatsoever.

Previously, with the ice shield, he had assumed water wouldn't be an issue, never stopping to consider water hygiene. Thank goodness he had only taken a single lick at the time...

Because his bottled water was plentiful, the train hadn't faced shortages urgent enough to force him to melt ice for drinking water. Who knew whether the water from that ice shield was conjured out of thin air or condensed from surrounding moisture? If he fell ill, it could become terribly troublesome. Rummaging through the outpost late at night had been too rushed; aside from weapons, food, and water, he had only found a few medical supplies like hemostatic gauze and iodophor.

Even now, disinfectant medications like iodophor had become desperately scarce commodities...

Moreover, the need to supply heating placed a massive demand on electricity.

His Heart of Machinery esper ability was already feeling significant physical strain, and he still had to travel on the move every day...

Damn it, the moment he got back, he would devour all those trailing carriages in the back, along with that useless locomotive, leaving only Qian Yu's armored vehicle and his own motorcycle as backups. Shedding weight to the maximum would also let him level up his Heart of Machinery as quickly as possible.

"Let me take a look first."

Lin Xian took out a flashlight, climbed straight onto the pickup truck, and feigned a professional inspection of the water purification setup.

In reality, his Mechanical Scan had silently activated, rapidly mapping out the blueprint of the purification equipment while diagnosing the root of the problem.

[Scan successful. Obtained blueprint for Blue Sky KK-93 Reverse Osmosis Water Purifier.]

Soon, a holographic blueprint of the compact water purifier appeared on the light screen before Lin Xian's eyes.

"So simple?"

"Though it requires PVC filter membrane material..."

Lin Xian frowned slightly. Everything he had devoured previously consisted mainly of metal objects. Ever since he activated his decomposition ability, he hadn't consumed civilian machinery or household appliances in a long time.

"Looks like I'll need to find a place to scavenge properly. Even if the mechanical source points might not be plentiful, I can acquire some necessary materials."

...

"How is it? Captain Lin, can it be fixed?"

Xu Jin seemed even more anxious than Shu Qin; judging by his appearance, he hadn't drunk water in a day or two.

That was why he had just traded quite a few weapons and daily supplies for purified water to temporarily stave off the crisis.

"It might be an electrical issue. Could you get me a screwdriver and some pliers?"

He spoke with convincing authority. The moment Xu Jin and Shu Qin heard this, their eyes lit up instantly.

For Shu Qin, if it could be repaired, she could trade this device for a good amount of useful supplies.

For Xu Jin, it truly solved his immediate crisis.

"Yes, right away!"

Shu Qin hurriedly had someone from her convoy fetch a toolbox and hand it to Lin Xian.

"Captain Lin, to fix this, what do you need..."

"Just give me twenty canned goods will do." Lin Xian had surveyed the scene upon arrival and noticed Shu Qin's convoy was hardly flush with supplies; her dozen or so subordinates wore sorrowful expressions and were clearly not well-off.

Because she had offered him well-intentioned warnings at the very beginning and shared vital esper information directly, Lin Xian felt a certain affinity for this female captain. Having already acquired the purifier blueprint, he saw no reason to make exorbitant demands.

If this water purification system were repaired, she could trade it to Xu Jin for supplies worth at least two red beans; twenty canned goods didn't even amount to a tenth of that value. It was a very fair price indeed.

"Really?!" Shu Qin's face lit up with joy. "That's wonderful, I'll go get them for you right now!"

In fact, Lin Xian had another motive for asking for canned goods.

During the bonfire trade earlier, none of his requests involved provisions or water, and since he was driving a train, it was easy to give people a specific impression:

Namely, that his Infinite convoy lacked neither food nor water.

Realizing this, Lin Xian had deliberately requested canned goods as payment, exercising a bit of caution.

Xu Jin, standing nearby, wore an eager look as well. Judging from Lin Xian's expression, the malfunction didn't seem overly complicated, implying the water purifier had fewer underlying issues, which gave him greater peace of mind.

Without a second word, Lin Xian pried open the cover with a screwdriver while furrowing his brows in simulated study and contemplation.

In truth, the moment he channeled his Heart of Machinery earlier, it was already fixed. Although the problem wasn't major, fixing it manually would still be quite troublesome for an ordinary person. Thanks to the heaven-defying capability of his Heart of Machinery, he merely needed to utilize some materials from his decomposition space to repair the circuit board and water pump motor, while simultaneously resolving the blockage issue.

"It should be ready..."

After bustling about for a little while, Lin Xian tightened the screws, wiped a bead of sweat from his forehead, and said to Shu Qin,

"Turn it on and test it."

"Alright!" Shu Qin hurriedly tapped the truck door, signaling the pickup driver to start the engine while flipping the switch on the water purifier.

Hum~~

The water purifier began operating normally, and a thin stream of filtered, clean water slowly trickled out.